This Week At Beth Or

 

  

D'var Torah

 

Parashat Tetzaveh/Shabbat Zachor - February 22, 2013

Rabbi Mark S. Kram, Temple Beth Or, Miami, FL

 

D'var Torah - On the Shabbat that precedes Purim, two Torah scrolls are taken from the ark; one for the regular parsha and one for the Maftir - 'Remember what Amalek did to you' (Dvarim 25). Because of this reading, it is called, Shabbat Zachor (Remember). The Haftorah also deals with Amalek.

 

On Shabbat Zakhor there are two mitzvot (commands from God) to remember and not forget what Amalek did to our people as they were trekking towards the Land of Israel - the "promised" land. The imperative to remember the deeds of Amalek was given permanence by Moshe at the command of HaShem

 

 

Shemot (Exodus) 17:14 HaShem said to Moshe, "Write this as a remembrance in the Book and recite it in the ears of Yehoshua, that I shall surely erase the memory of Amalek from under the heavens.

 

Annual Torah: Devarim (Deuteronomy) 25:17-19

 

Haftarah: Shmuel alef (1 Samuel) 15:1-34

 

Maimonides or Rambam (abbreviation for Rabbi Moses ben Maimon) in his Sefer HaMitzvot tells us that there are three specific mitzvot related to Amalek (of the 613 total mitzvot):

 

1. Positive mitzvah #188: "The extinction of the seed of Amalek":

 

Deuteronomy 25:19 Therefore it shall be, when HaShem thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which your God gives you [for] an inheritance to possess it, [that] you must blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget [it].

 

2. Positive mitzvah #189: "Remembering the nefarious deeds of Amalek":

 

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 25:17 Remember what Amalek did unto you on the way, when you were coming out of Egypt;

 

  

3. Negative mitzva #59: "Not forgetting what Amalek did to us":

 

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 25:19 Therefore it shall be, when HaShem thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which HaShem thy God giveth thee [for] an inheritance to possess it, [that] thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget [it].

 

But the Torah reading once a year on the Shabbat before Purim, we have the only Torah reading in which everyone is obligated to hear[2]:

 

Devarim (Deuteronomy) 25:17-19 Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; How he encountered you by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, [even] all [that were] feeble behind thee, when thou [wast] faint and weary; and he feared not God. Therefore it shall be, when HaShem thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which HaShem thy God giveth thee [for] an inheritance to possess it, [that] thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget [it].

 

There is a mitzvah in the Torah to remember Amalek and his descendants and to orally recall their iniquity. We are to tell our children in each generation what the people of Amalek did to us during our departure from Egypt. This mitzvah will be fulfilled completely only when we shall have caused Amalek's memory to perish, and their name to be erased from the world, together with the slightest remnant of anything that bears their name. As the Torah says: 'Remember what Amalek did to you on the way, upon your departure from Egypt'... 'You shall erase the memory of Amalek from beneath the heavens, you shall not forget.' Upon which the Sages have expounded: 'Remember,' orally - 'You shall not forget,' in your heart.

 

To properly fulfill this commandment, the Sages have prescribed the public reading of this passage from a Torah scroll, once every year, on the Shabbat which precedes Purim - so that the 'wiping-out' of Amalek might be adjacent to the 'wiping-out' of Haman, the latter being a descendant of Amalek.

 

And we read several interpretations of the above passage from Deuteronomy which is read on the Shabbat before Purim:

Where is Amalek? The answer I once heard from my father is: every nation that seeks to destroy the People Israel turns, according to the halachah, into Amalek... And hence we are commanded to fight against any nation that schemes to destroy us, and it is a "war of mitzvah," [of complete destruction].

--Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, "My Beloved Knocks," 1956 (major American Orthodox scholar and leader)

 

"Do not forget" this [obligation to wipe out Amalek] - in case there comes a time when you will want to be like Amalek, and like him to deny your [moral] obligation and not to know God, but will only seek opportunities...to exploit your power to harm others.

--Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, Commentary on the Torah, late 19th century (founder of "modern Orthodoxy" in Germany)

 

How we act, and how we treat others is paramount as we read and re-read this lesson each year.

 

 

 

Rabbi Mark

Shabbat Shalom!

 

 

Amy Lomaskin, on the yahrzeit of her father, Maurice

    Dann

Greta Larrison-Malkin, to Mark & Mindy Kram, on the

   engagement of their son David. 

 

Eileen Somerset, for a generous supply of Shabbos

   candles 

  The Honorary Event for

  

  

   

  

   

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

From now till May 5, 2013...

 

The nationally acclaimed children's exhibition Chagall For Children, that opened the Alper JCC's Lisa Ann Watson Children's Discovery Museum in 2003, is back to entertain and educate a whole new crop of youngsters.

 

The vibrant and interactive exhibit brings the colorful and dream-like world of artist Marc Chagall to life. In a series of 14 exploration stations, boys and girls use their senses to discover art principles such as color, composition, light and texture. The exhibit features music, computers and art and allows children to create with the childlike freedom of one of the world's greatest artists.

 

Chagall was born in Russia in 1887 and studied art in France. He learned from cubist, surrealist and fauvist painters, and developed his own imaginative style. His colorful paintings are nonrealistic and often include flowers, animals, workmen and musicians. In the exhibit, framed print images are arranged like those in an adult gallery, but each of these prints also includes an audio component and a hands-on activity.

 

Children create and color their own digital portraits, make crayon rubbings from a steel engraving, explore the effect of light on stained glass and rearrange a window as they would a puzzle. With the painting called 'Flowers,' children get to smell the flowers in the painting, and arrange actual flowers in a vase to recreate the bouquet like the one in the picture.

Chagall often painted faces in unusual colors. His painting "Green Violinist," is accompanied by a camera that takes a digital picture of one's face. Children are encouraged to use their imaginations, get inspired by Chagall's work, and color their portrait photo blue, green or red.

 

Museum visitors can learn about texture and art terms, when they compare two images - an oil painting to a bas-relief sculpture. The activity encourages kids to feel the sculpture's shape and then make crayon rubbings from the steel engraving.

Chagall for Children is designed to open one's eyes and to see the world a bit more colorfully. Although the exhibit's creators had young viewers in mind, people of all ages will enjoy the magical world of Marc Chagall.

 

The exhibit was created by the Kohl Children's Museum in Chicago, and runs through May 5, 2013.

 

  

  

  

  

Miami Beach JCC Klurman Family Day Camp

Open House and Pool Party March 10,  1-3 p.m. Everyone is welcome to have fun and learn about our summer camp!  

Ongoing Registration while space is available.

Weekly camp options also available.

Give your child a summer of great friends, exploration, activity, excitement and education. We offer a fun filled program in our brand new facility which includes a gymnastics studio, swimming pool with and interactive splash pad, art studio, sports field, and a full size gymnasium in the center of Miami Beach. Join one of our camp groups or try out a specialty camp with Prime Time Sports (Basketball and Football), Dance with Expressions Performing Arts, Robotics with DBP Robotics and Gymnastics with our very own MBJCC coaches.

 

For more information, email camp@mbjcc.org,, call 305.534.3206. Contact: Michelle Mavorah, Camp Coordinator or Nataly Yusim, Program Director and Camp Director-  nataly@mbjcc.org

 

 

Camp Sol Taplin of the Michael-Ann Russell JCC

 

Avoid the hassle of carpool lines and register for our FREE transportation pick-up and drop-off!

Early Registration Discount through Thursday, February 28

 

Camp Sol Taplin of the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center is a safe, exciting, and transformative summer camp experience for children ages 30 months to 15-years-old.

 

 

We offer Academy Camps, Swim Academy, Sports Academy, Variety Camps, Specialty Camps, Premier Camps, Extreme & Teen Camps, Special Needs offerings, and more.

 

For more information, call 305.932.4200 x145/146 or visit www.marjcc.org  to download our Camp Sol Taplin brochure.

 

  

 

 

 

Dave and Mary Alper JCC

A summer of fun with 2, 4, 6 or 8-week sessions where campers choose from more than 50 Hobby Hour activities including canoeing, fishing, photography, rocketry and Lego/K'nex.

 

No Registration Deadlines  

 

 

There's no place like camp at the Dave and Mary Alper JCC award-winning summer program for kids 13 mos. - 14 yrs. with a variety of camps including general, sports , performing arts and special needs.

For more information, call 305.271.9000 x271.