Shabbat Shalom GRJC

Weekly Emails to the Congregation

Parshat Behar 2008

Shabbat Shalom to the GRJC family,

We light our Shabbat candles this week at 7:50 pm.  Our Friday evening service will begin at 8 pm and our Saturday morning services will begin at 9 am.  Jonathan Leibu will become a Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat.  The Leibu family invites the entire congregation to participate in services this Shabbat.

JUNIOR CONGREGATION is on for Saturday morning at 10 am.  Students and parents are invited to stretch, sing, read from the Torah, and more…

We read this week from parshat Behar, the second to last Torah portion in Sefer Vayikra, the Book of Leviticus.  The parasha teaches us this week the following lesson:

“But the land must not be sold beyond reclaim, for the land is Mine; you are but strangers resident with Me.”(Lev. 25:23)

In this verse, God teaches us that human beings are temporary residents on Earth.  The planet truly belongs to God who created it.  Our ownership of the land is also temporary.  In the Jubilee year, the fiftieth year following the cycle of seven seven-year periods, the Torah teaches that land returns to its original owners.  The verse above is a reminder to the ancient Israelites to be serious about the notion that they could not hold onto land in the Jubilee year that did not originally belong to them.  The Torah is referring specifically to the Land of Israel, but we will see that the wisdom of this verse applies to the entire planet.

Rabbi Avraham Elimelech Weinberg (1804-1884), known as “Chesed  le’Avraham”, poses a thoughtful question regarding the verse above.  He writes:  “This verse seems to be surprising, doesn’t the land in the end return to those who owned it in the first place?”

Rabbi Weinberg suggests that there is an internal disagreement within the Torah.  On the one hand, God teaches that the land ultimately belongs to God.  On the other hand, the Torah suggests that the land returns to those who originally own it during the Jubilee year. The land the original owners possess will stay in their possession forever, and so, perhaps, God is only a partner in the land, not its ultimate owner.

He answers this dilemma:

“The reality is that each of the Children of Israel has an eternal part of the holiness of the Land of Israel.  The inheritance of each individual from the division of land, that was done through God’s word, remains with each person and his/her offspring forever.”

We can take from Rabbi Weinberg’s interpretation that each of us has inherited not only a part of the Land of Israel but also part of the entire planet.  That is to say, we all have a responsibility to maintain and care for both the environment as well as the people who live in and on the land, the people in our communities.  While Rabbi Weinberg ends up writing about the inheritance of land itself, he begins with a statement about holiness.  Through our care for the earth and other people, we honor God who has given us the opportunity to experience the holiness of life in this special corner of the universe.

A practical way to care for the Earth:  Please consider purchasing reusable grocery bags at your local supermarket.  Using these bags decreases the amount of plastic and paper bags that must be produced and then later discarded.  Many markets will give money back for using these bags, and so, after several trips they pay for themselves.

With blessings for the amazing natural world that surrounds us, and wishes for a peaceful Shabbat to everyone,

Rabbi Tow


ANNOUNCEMENTS

Saturday, May 17
10:00-11:00am: Junior Congregation in the Youth Lounge

9:00(sharp!) – 11:00pm:  GRJC Comedy Nite in the Social Hall.  BYO kosher “beverages” (soda and coffee will be supplied with dessert).

Sunday, May 18
9:00am-3:00pm: GRJC Nursery School Garage Sale in the parking lot or, in case of bad weather, in the Social Hall.  “Something for Everyone”.

9:00am-noon: Final on-site Religious School registration for the 2008-09 school year. Take advantage of the convenience and cost savings of registering your children this Sunday morning.  $50 fee per family (before June 1; $90 thereafter). Checks, cash and credit cards accepted.  No tuition payments due until late summer.

9:15am-12:30pm:  Kitah Achat and Kitah Shtaeem Trip to the Judaica Museum.  Bus will load at the GRJC.

2:00-4:00pm: Jersey to Jerusalem 2 Kickoff event and reunion for J2J 1 travelers at Temple Emanuel of Pascack Valley, in Woodcliff Lake.  Come if you have an interest in the upcoming February 2009 trip and/or want to see your friends from the 2007 journey.

3:30-5:00pm: El Al Youth Group activity:  Movie and ice cream sundaes, in
the youth lounge.

Monday, May 19
7:30-9:45pm: Melton I Adult Ed Class in the Social Hall

Tuesday, May 20
9:30-10:45am: Mommy & Me

7:30-9:30pm: Interfaith Bible Study Class with Rabbi Tow and Pastor Roger Spencer (Good Shepherd Lutheran Church).  Last class of the 5-class session.  All are welcome.  A second session is planned to begin late fall.

Wednesday, May 21
9:30-10:45am: Mommy & Me

Thursday, May 22
9:45 am: Senior Aerobics

7:00 pm:  Join us to celebrate the “grand opening” of our newly-renovated library.  Israeli author Eva Etzioni-Halevy will visit us for a lecture and discussion of her novel The Garden of Ruth.  We will also explore the library’s new resources and recognize those members who began and helped complete this six-month project. Admission is free; refreshments will be served. If you are planning to attend, please RSVP to MichelleStrassberg at mstrassberg@hotmail.com
 

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