Recap for 19 Sivan 5777 (Parsha Behaalotecha)

This Shabbos we discussed Parsha Behaalotecha, including commentary from Rav Yeager.  The learning was in memory of Howard’s mom, Bracha Bas Menashe M’choel.  We also learned in honor of Menashe’s mother’s yeirzeit, and made this a special Kiddush and Learning to say goodbye to Yakoov who has been with us but is now going home. 

Howard’s mom, Barbara Zimmerman, had a life full of service work and doing Tikun Olam.  She started collecting money for charity at age 11.  She volunteered her time to help many organizations and people through-out her life.  She helped in the effort to improve literacy and provide services to the blind.  She served on a “God’s unfinished business” committee.  She was a librarian, who advanced in her career to hold the position of law librarian in the 6^th circuit Federal Court.  

Rav Males gave a dvar Torah, in which he talked about one of the beliefs many of us had in the past that there was no creation, and that everything we see around us always existed.  He talked about how now we know from both science and Torah, that time and creation had a beginning.  One of the things that Howard once shared at our learning, that made an impression on me and I still remember, was that science may be able to explain a lot of things, but it can never be able to explain something coming from nothing.  This was the same point that Rav Males made this Shabbos.

David spoke this Shabbos about how we can continue to honor and keep our parents spirit going here on Earth, by using their memory to inspire us to do mitzvah, Tikun Olam, and/or continue whatever their mission and purpose was in their life.   David spoke about how we can grow spiritually during our lives, which helps us get ready for the world to come.  

David shared that his father, George N Schlesinger, HaRav Natan Ben HaRav Shmuel , would refer to this as “getting ready for the opera”.  It's still possible to enjoy some aspects of an opera, if we are not ready, but those who are ready get the most out of the experience. Although we may no longer be able to perform mitzvah, in this world and get "ready for the opera" after we have passed, those who are still living and have been inspired by us and hold us in their memory, can spiritually continue much essence of our life and continue enabling us to be rewarded in the world to come.  This is a beautiful idea.    

We discussed the Parsha, and how Moshe was given special trumpets to blow.  The trumpets would be blown and we would follow the clouds when it was time for us to move on, during our journey towards Israel.  We were on our way to Israel, and expected to be there soon.  However, we discussed a possible reason why Yitro did not want to journey with us, which is that he possibly knew we would be spending many years in the dessert, and were certainly not ready to go to the promised land.

We discussed how in this week’s Parsha, we celebrated our first Pesach.  Since this was the first time doing it, we made mistakes from which we should learn.  Many of us were impure and unable to bring the special sacrifices.  It was thus necessary to have a second Pesach.

This Shabbos we discussed some of the halakuh related to being left handed and how this affects our performance of mitzvah.  In particular, we discussed putting on tefillin, which we do on our weakest hand, so that those who are left handed put the tefillin on their right hands.   

This is a summary of what we discussed.  No halachic rulings are intended or should be inferred.