Announcements - Western Marble Arch Synagogue

27th June ‘15 /10 Tammuz 5775
Ministers: Rabbi Lionel Rosenfeld Rabbi Sam Taylor
Announcements
Parashat Chukat
Hertz
Cohen Stone Gutnick
Sedra
652
898
838
988
Haftarah
664
911
1187
1456
Shabbat begins 9.08pm
Shabbat ends
10.28pm
Parashat Chukat
“This is the statute of the Torah which the Lord has commanded saying,
‘Speak to the Children of Israel and they shall take for you a red heifer…”‘
The mystical ritual of the red heifer is a ‘chok’, a commandment we follow not because it is rational, logical or moral, but
because it is divinely ordained. The very notion of the priest purifying an individual who has been defiled by contact with
a dead body, through the process of sprinkling him or her with the ashes of a red heifer mixed with spring waters, seems
irrational. The ritual is even paradoxical, because those priests involved in preparing this mixture are in fact themselves
defiled by the process. How can a substance with the capacity to purify the defiled, simultaneously defile those who are
pure? If the ritual of the red heifer were limited to its function of purification, it would belong in the book of Leviticus
(Vayikra), alongside the biblical portions about impurities and purification. Why does the Torah place it in the book of
Numbers (Bamidbar), right after the rebellion of Korach and immediately before the transgression of Moses at the rock?
Moreover, the portion of Chukat is read near the yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menahem Mendel
Schneerson, the greatest Jewish leader of the 20th Century.
The red heifer ritual provides a fascinating commentary on his life. The kohen-priest is our teacher and guardian, our
religious inspiration and guide; his special garb reflects his unique vocation (Ex. 28:4-42). The shoulder strap of his apron
(ephod) and the breastplate (choshen mishpat) worn next to his heart bear the names of the Twelve Tribes of Israel,
demonstrating his love and responsibility for the nation. And inscribed on the headplate placed on his forehead - the seat
of the mind - are the words “sacred to the Lord,” expressing his commitment to teaching Torah and sacred living in
accordance with G-d’s commandments. Clearly, love and commitment to nation combined with intellectual propagation of
Torah are the twin building blocks of the kohen-teacher’s vocation. How are these ideals related to the mystery of the red
heifer?
For nearly 300 years, East European Jews had two models of religious leadership: the Lithuanian rosh yeshiva, and the
chassidic rebbe. The former devoted most of his attention to the priestly headplate (tzitz) - the intellectual pursuit of
Torah - while the latter was concerned with the breastplate and shoulder strap - pastoral concerns of his flock. I’d like to
suggest that the paradox of the red heifer ritual, the fact that it is the very mixture which purifies those who are defiled
while defiling the people involved in the act of purifying, will serve to bring together the kohen’s love for his people with
his commitment to teach them. After all, if my friend falls into a mud pile, will I not naturally become sullied and muddied
myself in the process of lifting him out? Built into the very enterprise of purifying the defiled is the fact that the purifier
himself must be touched by some of the impurity! This is why the kohen must always bless the nation “out of love”; and
bring his love for his people to his vocation of teaching them Torah. When the kohen-leader truly loves every Jew, he
assumes a new level of responsibility. In his desire to rescue fellow Jews from contact with spiritual death, he must
willingly sacrifice some of his own comforts and even some of his spirituality. A loving leader must be ready to leave the
religious comfort of yeshiva and a Torah-true community to go far away on occasion, in order to infuse the light of
spirituality
This is what G-d tells Moses when he sends him away from his ‘Torah study’ - his unique rendezvous with the Divine at
the time of the Golden Calf: “Get down from the supernal heights of Mount Sinai and go down to the errant Jews
worshiping the Golden Calf; the only reason I bestowed greatness upon you, Moses, was for the sake of Israel; if your
nation is sinning, what need have I of you?” (Talmud Berakhot, 32a). From the beginning of his ministry, Moses is totally
committed to his people. When he kills the Egyptian taskmaster to defend an Israelite slave he sacrifices his position as
an Egyptian prince and risks his own life. However, the endless carping, ingratitude and insurrections of the Israelites
finally wears him down, so that eventually, he calls the Israelites “rebels,” striking the rock instead of speaking to it, which
we understand to be an act of displaced anger against his stiff-necked nation.
Herein lies the connection between the two parts of our biblical portion: the ritual of the red heifer, and Moses’ sin and
punishment. Once a leader loses even the smallest amount of his capacity to love his people, even if his feelings are
justified by the shabby and derelict way they have rebelliously treated him, he can no longer to lead them.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe was a profound scholar, and leader of his people. The timeless and constant message of the
Chabad movement is love: “Be among the disciples of Aaron, love humanity, and with that love, you will bring everyone
close to Torah” (Ethics of the Fathers, 1: 12). The preservation of the eternal Torah requires a people strong enough and
determined enough to devote their lives to it, and even to risk their spiritual lives for it. The Lubavitcher Rebbe raised an
army of emissaries (shluchim) whose love for and commitment to our nation is so great that they readily leave batei
midrash (study halls), their families and communities for the farthest recesses of the globe to bring Jews back to our
Torah.
When I asked the Lubavitcher Rebbe for a blessing before leaving New York City for the uncharted hills of Efrat, he said:
“The Almighty will extend your ministry in Efrat until the coming of the Redeemer, but I must send emissaries all over the
world who will be modern on the outside and Chabad on the inside.”
Shabbat Shalom!
From a D’var Torah by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Chief Rabbi of Efrat.
Chazan Emeritus: Moshe Dubiner
Mazal Tov—Bar Mitzvah
We wish a hearty Mazal Tov to Shachar Elstein, his
parents Yigal & Ayelet and grandparents Gila &
Shaul Elstein and Rachel Kaminitz on the occasion
of Shachar’s Bar Mitzvah. Yigal & Ayelet invite the
congregation to Kiddush in the Bloomstein Hall
after the service to celebrate.
(Ladies: we would like help with the Kiddush rota. If you
are able to assist us, please contact Linda Sharpe directly
on: 07914766255 or: [email protected])
Seudah Shlishit—Guest Speaker: Rabbi Lord Sacks.
Rabbi Sacks will be giving a D’var Torah based on
his new book: “Not in God’s Name” following
Mincha. Mincha is at 9:15pm, Rabbi Sacks will
speak at 9:45pm.
We thank Andrew Tobias for sponsoring this
enhanced Seudah in memory of his father, the late
Myer Tobias z”l.
Breakfasts:
We thank Moshe Dubiner for sponsoring this week’s
breakfast to mark the occasion of his special birthday—
Ad Meiah V’Esrim!
Happy Birthday to:
Mickael Topial Juliette Offenbach Julien Green Robin
Ladow Ari Lefkovits Bertha Capper Ron Feldman
Louise Benisty Esther Isaacs Katya Silver
Gail Ronson
DBE Maurice Collins Juliet Levy
Clive Rayden Sheila
Grossman Zachary Balcombe
Happy Anniversary to:
Victoria & Lance Joseph
Celeste & Bernard Heilpern
Claire & Gaby Salem
Fiona & Raphael Grunschlag
Jennifer & David Pears
Debra & Michael Ziff
Carolyn & Nicholas Balcombe
Eleonora & Clive Rayden
Louise & Albert Benisty
Ruth & Philip Cymberg
We wish a Refuah Shlemah to:
Menachem ben Aliza and Yosef ben Miriam
Eliyahu ben Devorah,
Zelig ben Etta Rasha,
Emily bat Sarah,
Devorah bat Avraham
Avraham Mordechai ben Chaya Basha Sarah,
Gita Chaya bat Chanah, Evelyn bat Sarah Devorah,
Habachur Yaakov Gavriel Yehudah ben Dina Chanah—
Jacob Ziff
Harav Pinchas Shmuel ben Pesya — Paul Laderman
Dalia bat Patricia, Shulamit bat Tamar, Sultana bat Tamar
Zorach ben Sarah,
Condolences:
We share the family’s sorrow on the loss of baby Katy Parnes,
and wish long life to parents to Lauren and Daniel and to
grandmother Mandy Miller.
SERVICES ON FRIDAY EVENING, SHABBAT MINCHA AND
WEEKDAYS TAKE PLACE IN THE
MINTZ BETH HAMIDRASH
Friday 26th June
7.30am
Shacharit followed by breakfast and Haftarah
Shiur by Ervin Landau
7.15pm Mincha & Kabbalat Shabbat followed by
D’var Torah by Rabbi Lord Sacks
9.08pm
Candle lighting
Shabbat 27th June
8:45am
Shiur by Ervin Landau
9.15am Shacharit, Bar Mitzvah of Shachar Elstein
and sermon by Rabbi Sacks
8.30pm
Shiur in Pirkei Avot with Rabbi Sam Taylor
9.15pm Mincha, followed by Seudah Shlishit &
D’var Torah at 9:45pm by Rabbi Sacks
10.28pm Ma’ariv and Havdalah
Sunday 28th June
8.30am
Shacharit followed by breakfast and D’var Torah
by Alan Goldberg
Monday 29th June
7.30am
Shacharit followed by breakfast and
D’var Torah
10.30am Rabbi Rosenfeld’s Shiur for Ladies
6.40pm
“Cheder for Grown-Ups” with
Rabbi Rosenfeld
8.00pm
Krav Maga @ WMA
This Shabbat:
We are honoured to welcome
back Rabbi Lord Sacks, our longterm spiritual leader and the man
HRH Prince Charles described as
“a light unto this nation”. Come
and hear one of the world’s
foremost Jewish leaders &
thinkers speak at Kabbalat Shabbat, before Musaf, and
at our enhanced Seudah Shlishit to which you are all
invited. Looking forward to an inspirational Shabbat.
(Please note: the Young Professionals Dinner on Friday
Night with Rabbi Lord Sacks is fully booked, and there is
a long waiting list.)
Wednesday, 15th July:
Sunday, 19th July
Jnetics Event: “Take the test not the risk”
10.00am—1.00pm @ St John’s Wood Synagogue.
A community screening for nine severe Jewish genetic
disorders, including Tay-Sachs—1 in 5 people of Ashkenazi
origin are carriers of a Jewish genetic disorder.
A simple blood test can identify if you are at risk.
To book a place please email: [email protected]
For more information visit www.jnetics.org
Tuesday 30th July
7.30am
Shacharit followed by breakfast and D’var Torah
By Rabbi Yosef Vogel
8.00pm
Gemara Shiur with Rabbi Taylor
Wednesday 1st July
7.30am
Shacharit followed by breakfast and D’var
Torah by Ervin Landau
Thursday 2nd July
7.30am
Shacharit followed by breakfast and D’var Torah
1.00pm
Rabbi Tali Lowenthal’s lunchtime learning
session for men
Friday 3rd July
7.30am
Shacharit followed by breakfast and Haftarah
Shiur by Ervin Landau
SUNDAY 28TH JUNE — THURSDAY 2ND JULY
WEEKDAY MINCHA & MA’ARIV 7.30PM
PLEASE HELP US TO ENSURE A MINYAN THIS
SUNDAY EVENING - WE HAVE NOT HAD A MINYAN THE
PAST 3 SUNDAYS
Next Shabbat: Parashat Balak
3rd July 2015
Commences—9.06pm
Mincha & Kabbalat Shabbat - 7.15pm
For full details of service times and events please see our website:
www.marblearch.org.uk
Western Marble Arch Synagogue, 1 Wallenberg Place, London W1H 7TN Tel: 020 7723 9333 Email: [email protected]
Website: www.marblearch.org.uk — Registered Charity No: 1154188