From the Rabbi’s Study…Shabbat, June 14-15, 2024/8-9 Sivan 5784
This is an early Shabbat Drash due to the Shavuot. Light your Yahrzeit candles first then the Yom Tov candles. Same prayer as Shabbat ending with L’hadlik Ner Yom Tov!
Z’Man Matan Toratenu! The Torah portion continues with the enumeration of Levite families and their duties. The removal of unclean persons from the Israelite camp. One finds the law of jealousy, the Nazirite Code, the Priestly Blessing, and offerings of the tribal chieftains.
As always each week the Torah parsha/portion seems to shout out to us that even though the Torah is ancient the words speak out to every future generation.
Ma’al: Trespass has a myriad of examples and this one; “When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to commit a trespass against the Lord…they shall confess their sin…and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full” (Numbers 5:6-7) A sage wrote about someone who committed a wrong against another person has sinned against G-d because G-d requires each of us to deal with everyone justly. Human beings expect G-d to forgive us if we have made amends for our actions.
Today, our country has been seeing our court system in action with many laws and juries. While each of us have our different opinions, when on a jury one must follow the laws. One must take their personal bias out of the verdict and judge based on factual information given. Then the person should follow the instructions of the laws of the country they live within. Not all the time the verdict comes out the way the defendant may have hoped for. In our country one is presumed innocent and not guilty. Other countries the defendant is guilty and has to prove their innocence. Many defendants can appeal their verdict. We are blessed to have the Torah to guide us. We are blessed to live in a free country, and we should never take our freedoms for granted.
As I write this Torah drash we will be celebrating Shavuot with our guest Cantor Sam Cohen. If you have my book, “A Novice’s Guide Through The Jewish Holidays”, you may have already read the chapter on Shavuot. One usually says the phrase “Z’man Matan Toratenu! (time of giving the Torah)” to Jewish people. How many Jews know what these words mean?
Here is a short lesson on the Festival of Shavuot and Matan Torah, Giving of the Torah:
Passover to Shavuot the Jewish people count the Omer and then celebrate the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. While the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt, G-d already knew He was going to give the Torah to the Jewish people. The Torah was to be the ultimate objective to the Exodus. Now let us travel back in time…You are about to study from the Talmud, since the night before Shavuot the firstborn should study Torah throughout the night!
The First Passover was on 15 Nissan, 2448 (1313 B.C.E.), and 50 days later, on Shabbat which was the 6 Sivan, the Israelites received the Torah at Mount Sinai. Moses had the two tablets, and everyone there heard the G-d’s speak the First Commandment, and they died. G-d brought them back to life. The Second Commandment, the Israelites died again and G-d brought them back to life. The Israelites realized that hearing from G-d directly was too much for them, so Moses had to inform them of the remaining 8 of the Ten Commandments.
The lesson of “Doing and Hearing” appears in these verses from the Talmud. The thunder and lightning from Mount Sinai and Moses on the top of the mountain everyone knows (or saw in the Ten Commandments with Charleston Heston). Now what you may not have known… Heaven met Earth, G-d lifted Mount Sinai above all the Israelites, and this created the “Creator/G-d and Human Beings Relationship! When Heaven met the Earth every Jew was alive there, their souls not born yet and the converts ever to be born!
The lesson of Doing is to do mitzvot and acts of righteousness. The Hearing is that Jews follow G-d’s Torah and pass it to their children, their children’s children to all the generations to come.
FOUR HOSTAGES WERE RESCUED and One IDF Commander was killed during this heroic Rescue! May ALL the Hostages be rescued and returned to their families speedily.
Am Ysrael Chai! Long Live Israel!
Shabbat Shalom v’Z’man Matan Toratenu,
Rabbi Helene Ainbinder
