Adas Israel - Mason City, IA

Torah Thoughts This Week - 29 December 2017

Thanks for coming back to Adas Israel online. We're a very small shul in Northern Iowa that is welcoming to people of all faiths. We hold monthly services and a Torah Study or Midrash as well. Between our times together we share Torah Thoughts so that you can keep up with the Torah Portion of the Week and perhaps do a little study.

This week we are reading from Genesis 47:28 - 5-:26. It is Parsha Vayechi (Hebrew for "he lived) and it is the final reading from the book of Genesis. There is also something unique about this Torah Portion in the fact that the story continues without a pause. The sages teach that throughout the Bible (Torah) G-d paused in order to allow Moses and later students to reflect on the preceding verses. That is not found here between last week's reading and this week.

This week the Torah portion, opens with Jacob on his deathbed 17 years after arriving in Egypt. Jacob blesses Joseph's two sons, Manasseh (Menashe) and Ephraim (to this day it is a tradition to bless our sons every Shabbat evening with the blessing, "May the Almighty make you like Ephraim and Manasseh" -- they grew up in the Diaspora among foreign influences and still remained devoted to the Torah. The Shabbat evening blessing for girls is "to be like Sarah, Rivka, Rachel and Leah." He then individually blesses each of his sons. The blessings are prophetic and give reproof, where necessary.

A large group from Pharaoh's court accompanies the family to Hebron to bury Jacob in the Ma'arat Hamachpela, the burial cave purchased by Abraham. The Torah portion ends with the death of Joseph and his binding the Israelite Nation to bring his remains with them for burial when they are redeemed from slavery and go to the land of Israel. Here we end the book of Genesis.

There is something very important being transmitted (isn't there always?) in this Parsha. It has to do with kindness and truth. We read  "And the days of Israel (Jacob) drew near to die; and he called his son Joseph, and said to him: 'If now I have found favor in your eyes, please ... deal with me kindly and truly; bury me not in Egypt.' " (Genesis 47:29).

The great sage Rashi explains this to us by saying kindness done for the dead is a very special kindness. Why? Because the kindness we show the departed is not selfish. The dead can not be impressed or react. 

This is one of the reasons that at a Jewish burial it is our custom to remain at the graveside and take part in filling in the grave of the deceased. It is an act of kindness that can not be repaid. It is the ultimate act of respect.

Jacob also talked about truth. He and his family had lived in Egypt for 17 years. Joseph for longer. The comment about "truth" is understood to mean even though his family lived among people of another faith he was asking to be buried in the homeland...the land of Israel so that the truth of Torah would be among the people.

When we do a kindness for someone we should make sure that it is not only physically rewarding but also spiritually rewarding. That is true kindness.

Thank you for coming by and reading....and if you are celebrating the English New Year stay safe and warm. They tell us the temperature this weekend will get to -24 degrees.  Keep the warmth of Torah with you.

Our next service in Mason City will be January 19 and the Midrash will be on the 20th.

Shabbat Shalom...and see you in Shul! 

Torah Thoughts for this Week

Hello and we hope you had a meaningful Chanukah...or Hanukah...or...well, you get the idea. No matter how you spell it the holiday brings us light, history and meaning. We trust you enjoyed that and...Latkes. Here we are at our home with daughter Hunter and brother Yoni doing the cooking and they were good...really, really good. They taught me a great lesson...less heat...less spatter and smoke. In a way our Torah Portion is also a bit like that.

This Week's Torah Portion

This week we read from Genesis 44:18 through 47:21 it is Shabbat Vayigash (which means "he drew near" or "he approached"). We are coming to yet another dramatic story in the Torah. In this first sentence we are told, "Then Judah approached him (Joseph) and said, 'If you please, my lord, may your servant speak a word in my lord's ears and let not your anger flare up at your servant - for you are like Pharaoh.'"

Judah was coming face to face with his brother following the arrest of Benjamin the youngest of the family. The words "in my lord's ears" means that Judah was trying to make a heartfelt plea to spare Benjamin who had been caught red-handed with a stolen goblet. Judah was willing to take the place of his youngest brother and become a slave. At the same time he knew he was also in deep trouble.

Joseph had intended to keep his identity secret however the conversation here convinced him that indeed his brothers had changed their ways and now spoke of their devotion to Jacob and their love for Benjamin. This meeting proved to be pivotal in bringing the family back together.

There is a great lesson here for our time. That Judah said he wanted to "speak softly" to Joseph tells us that if we really are sincere and if we really wish to solve a problem the best way to be heard is to speak softly rather than yell and scream our intentions. Shouting is a giveaway that your argument is weak and rather than hear you the person to whom you are speaking is formulating a rebuttal.

King Solomon said, "The gentle words of the wise are heard above the shouts of a king over fools" (Ecclesiastes 9:17). A soft voice can actually drown out a shout.

This Torah Portion is such an emotional journey. We hope you'll spend some time this Shabbat and read it carefully.

We'll be holding our regular service on 19 January and our Midrash (Study Session) on the 20th. Mark your calendar and may you have a peaceful Shabbat.  Candle lighting, by the way is tonight 4:30PM and Shabbat ends tomorrow at 5:35PM.

Shabbat Shalom!

 

Chanukah & This Week's Torah Portion

Tonight we will light the fourth candle on our Chanukah Menorah. (Remember to light before Shabbat begins...) Maybe because tonight we light the 4th candle and it is Shabbat it would be a great evening to break out the dreidel and have some family time. Don't know how? Here you go: 

Notice the Hebrew letters on each side of the dreidel, which represent the words, “A great miracle happened there,” referring to the miracle of the oil. Start the dreidel game with the proper supplies, which include 10 or 15 coins (real or of chocolate) for each player. Place one coin in the center pot. Have the first player spin the dreidel. Look to see which side faces up, once the dreidel falls down. Instruct the player to either take a coin from the pot or give up a portion of his or her coins, based on the following code:

• Nun– "nothing"– nothing happens
• Gimel– "all"– take everything in the pot
• Hey– "half"– take half of the pot (round up if necessary)
• Shin– "put in" – put one coin in the pot

Continue to play until one person has all of the coins.

A Chanukah Story

Before the USSR let the Jews leave for Israel, Jews used to hire a guide to smuggle them out of Russia. One Chanukah a group of Jews were playing "cat and mouse" with a Soviet army patrol as they approached the border. When the guide thought they had lost the patrol, he announced an half-hour break before continuing the trek. One of the escapees, hearing the "magic" number of "one-half hour" -- the minimum time a Chanukah candle must be lit to fulfill the mitzvah -- pulls out his menorah, sets up the candles, says the blessing and starts to light the candles. The other escapees immediately pounce upon him and the menorah to put out the candles -- when the Soviet patrol moves in and completely encircles them.

The head of the army patrol speaks: "We were just about to open fire and wipe you out when I saw that man lighting the Chanukah candles. I was overcome with emotion; I remember my zaideh (grandfather) lighting Chanukah candles .... I have decided to let you go in peace."

This Week's Torah Portion

This is Shabbat Mikeitz (Gen. 41:1 - 44:17). Mikeitz by the way is Hebrew for "at the end" yet we find those words at the beginning of parsha for this week. It has to do with counting the time since Joseph was sent to prison. It was time to begin the chain of events that would bring Jacob and his family to Egypt to fulfill the last part of the prophecy...that his offspring would be placed into slavery and persecuted (Gen. 15: 13-16).

The Torah says (Gen. 41:14) "So, Pharaoh sent and summoned Joseph, and they rushed him from the dungeon."

What is the Torah teaching us about life?

Rabbi Yisroel Meir Kagan, points out that when the time came for Joseph's liberation, he wasn't let out of prison slowly. Rather, he was rushed out of his captivity with the greatest of speed. This is the way the Almighty brings about redemption. The moment it is the proper time, not even one second is lost. "This is how it will be with the final redemption," said the Chofetz Chaim. "As soon as the right time comes, we will immediately be delivered from our exile."

What is the lesson here?  In every difficult life situation, realize that in just one moment the entire picture can change. Joseph had no time set for the end of his imprisonment upon which he could count on being set free. His imprisonment and freedom were not ultimately dependent on the whims of his mortal captors. Rather, the Almighty gave him a set time to remain in prison; as soon as the time was reached, Joseph was immediately saved from his plight.

Knowing this can give us encouragement in difficult times. Even where you can make no change for improvement and you do not see the situation changing in the future, your liberation can still come in the next moment. Remember: The salvation of the Almighty can come in the twinkling of an eyelash!

Happy Chanukah and have a wonderful Shabbat! 

 

 

This Week's Torah Portion & Chanukah

Adas Israel will hold it's monthly Shabbat Service on Friday the 8th of December at 7:15PM and our Torah Study is on Saturday the 9th at 10:00AM. The Torah Portion is from Genesis 37 - 40. We'll get to that in just a moment. What else is happening next week? Chanukah!  The first candle is lit on Tuesday evening the 12th of December.

So, why do we celebrate Chanukah (Or Hanukah or Hanuka...take your pick)? Over the years there have been two ways in which the enemies of the Jews have tried to destroy us: One is by physical annihaliation, the most recent example is the Holocaust. Second is by cultural assimilation. Purim is the celebration we have to mark surviving a physical attack while Chanukah is a celebration of winning the war against assimilation.

In the year 140 BCE the Syrian-Greek emperor, Antiochus, set out to destroy Judaism by imposing a ban on three mitzvot (commandments): The Shabbat, The Sanctifying of the New Month (establishing the first day of the month by testimony of witnesses who saw the new moon) and Brit Mila (entering the Covenant of Abraham through Torah-ordained circumcision). It was all very crafty and let's take them in order.

Shabbat (Sabbath) - Once each week Jews take a day to not only rest but also to link creation with G-d. We study the Torah, which is a blueprint for life, and we spend the day with friends and family...casting aside work.

Sanctifying the New Moon - Back in the day, long before calendars, we relied on the moon to let us know what month it is, what holidays were about to happen. Sanctifying the New Moon allowed us to know what was...when.

Brit Mila - Or circumcision is a sign of our special covenant with G-d and sets us apart with an identity. 

All three are critical items that maintain our cultural identity. Antiochus understood that he could wipe us out if he took away our ability to maintain our identity.

For the 8 days of Chanukah we celebrate that we are still here and give thanks to G-d for winning a real war with evil. 

This Week's Torah Portion portion includes four stories: 1) The selling of Yosef (Joseph) as a slave by his brothers -- which eventually positioned Yosef to be second in command in Egypt and enabled him to save the known world from famine 2) The indiscretion of Yehuda (Judah) with Tamar (Tamar) ... 3) The attempted seduction of Yosef by Potifar's wife, which ends with her framing Yosef and having him imprisoned 4) Yosef interprets the dreams of his fellow prisoners, the wine steward (who was reinstated and forgot to put in a good word for Yosef) and the baker (who was hanged).

What do all of these stories have to do with our life today? We'll answer that question Friday evening...and on Saturday morning. 

Remember, all are welcome to attend our services and our Midrash or study session.

See you in Shul!