Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Arnow with lots of Torah 5/21/2021
Dear Kol Rinah Family,
My heart will be a little more at ease this Shabbat, knowing that the inhabitants of the land of Israel are living with a ceasefire. And yet, all is not well. No one is safer than they were two weeks ago. People are traumatized, angry, sad. And none of the root causes of conflict have been addressed.
There's an amazing, spot-on insight that speaks to this situation that Ralbag - Rabbi Levi ben Gershon (aka Gersonides--France, 1288-1344) brings on this week's Torah portion, Naso. (Thanks to Rabbi Nelly Altenburger's Sefaria source sheet, where I found this comment.)
Commenting on the Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26), which culminates in the blessing of shalom, of deep peace, and wholeness, Ralbag looks back at the immediately previous sections of Torah, which can all be understood as how to deal with conflict in different contexts.
Numbers 5:5-10 deals with when one person wrongs another--interpersonal conflict.
Numbers 5:11-31 addresses confict in the home. (This is the problematic "Sotah" ritual. Suffice to say, if the husband accuses the wife of being unfaithful, regardless of the veracity, the marital home is not at peace, and it is certainly questionable about what kind of peace this ritual will actually bring.)
Numbers 6:1-21 describes the Nazirite, who vows to abstain from cutting hair, grape products, and contact with corpses, leading to a temporarily higher level of holiness, it seems. But this is really a way of dealing with internal conflict within a person. (We'll look at a fascinating example of this in Torah Talk today at noon.)
Explains Ralbag, "After [the Torah] recalled what someone would bring to get rid of a personal war within themselves, and to get rid of the fight, dispute, and injury from within the home, and from within the nation generally," only then does the Torah speak about peace. But if we haven't addressed the real causes of conflict, we won't arrive at lasting peace.
This is all to say that a ceasefire is great, but the Israelis and the Palestinians have have not addressed the real causes of conflict, and without doing that, they, we, will not arrive at true peace.
My sermon from last week, with more Torah reflections on the situation in Israel, is available here.
Also, I wrote a d'var Torah for the Jewish Light on how the Nazirite's reentry into regular life can be a model for us.
And a few years back, I wrote a d'var Torah on this week's parasha for MyJewishLearning.com, that was picked up and republished by the New York Jewish Week today here. I will say, it's probably my favorite piece of Torah ever.
Today at noon, I'll be teaching Torah Talk (link below). We'll look at an amazing story from the Talmud that reflects on the Nazirite from different perspectives.
Tonight at 6pm, we'll have mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat on Zoom. (Link below)
Candle lighting is at 7:53pm.
Tomorrow morning we'll be streaming from the sanctuary starting at 9:30am. (Link below).
We'll read Parashat Naso:
Torah: Numbers 5:11-6:27
Haftarah: Judges 13:2-25
Shabbat ends at 8:57pm.
We have lots of Shabbat things happening now in person - services Shabbat mornings, Shabbat afternoons, and we'll be having two in-person Friday night services each month as well. One per month will be our family Kabbalat Shabbat service, and one will be our classic musical Kol Rinah mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/maariv service. Check the website (next week) for dates and to sign up!
Shabbat shalom, and see you soon, I hope!
Rabbi Noah Arnow
ZOOM AND STREAMING LINKS
To join our Zoom Minyanim or classes, click on the desired meeting link, or call into either of the following numbers:
+1 312 626 6799
+1 646 558 8656
Then, when prompted, enter the Meeting ID of the desired minyan/class then press #. Then, when prompted, enter the password then press #.
Services (all times Central)
Evening Minyan on Zoom
Sunday-Friday evenings at 6pm (but not on Jewish holidays)
Morning Minyan on Zoom
Monday-Friday mornings at 7am; Sunday mornings and national holidays at 8am (not including Jewish holidays)
Learning Opportunities
Torah Talk with Rabbi Arnow or Rabbi Shafrin
Every Friday at 12pm
Join us for study and discussion of the week's Torah portion.
Shabbat morning
Saturdays, 9:30am
Click the link below, then click the triangular "play" buttom:
https://player2.streamspot.com/?playerId=3506a4c8
Until shortly before 9:30am, there will a filler screen, but livestreamed video and sound will both start around 9:30am.
You can also set your computer or device in advance so that this link will continue streaming continuously and you will not have to press any buttons on Shabbat. To make sure that your device will not shut itself down or do into sleep mode, follow the directions below to disable sleep mode:
For PC:
To disable automatic Sleep:
1. Open up Power Options in the Control Panel. In Windows 10 you can get there from right clicking on the start menu and going to Power Options
2. Click "change plan settings" next to your current power plan
3. Change "Put the computer to sleep" to never
4. Click "Save Changes"
For Apple Products:
1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click "Energy Saver."
2. Do either of the following:
a. Set the amount of time your computer or display should wait before going to sleep: Drag the “Computer sleep” and “Display sleep” sliders, or the “Turn display off after” slider.
b. Keep your Mac from going to sleep automatically: Select “Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off.”
My heart will be a little more at ease this Shabbat, knowing that the inhabitants of the land of Israel are living with a ceasefire. And yet, all is not well. No one is safer than they were two weeks ago. People are traumatized, angry, sad. And none of the root causes of conflict have been addressed.
There's an amazing, spot-on insight that speaks to this situation that Ralbag - Rabbi Levi ben Gershon (aka Gersonides--France, 1288-1344) brings on this week's Torah portion, Naso. (Thanks to Rabbi Nelly Altenburger's Sefaria source sheet, where I found this comment.)
Commenting on the Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26), which culminates in the blessing of shalom, of deep peace, and wholeness, Ralbag looks back at the immediately previous sections of Torah, which can all be understood as how to deal with conflict in different contexts.
Numbers 5:5-10 deals with when one person wrongs another--interpersonal conflict.
Numbers 5:11-31 addresses confict in the home. (This is the problematic "Sotah" ritual. Suffice to say, if the husband accuses the wife of being unfaithful, regardless of the veracity, the marital home is not at peace, and it is certainly questionable about what kind of peace this ritual will actually bring.)
Numbers 6:1-21 describes the Nazirite, who vows to abstain from cutting hair, grape products, and contact with corpses, leading to a temporarily higher level of holiness, it seems. But this is really a way of dealing with internal conflict within a person. (We'll look at a fascinating example of this in Torah Talk today at noon.)
Explains Ralbag, "After [the Torah] recalled what someone would bring to get rid of a personal war within themselves, and to get rid of the fight, dispute, and injury from within the home, and from within the nation generally," only then does the Torah speak about peace. But if we haven't addressed the real causes of conflict, we won't arrive at lasting peace.
This is all to say that a ceasefire is great, but the Israelis and the Palestinians have have not addressed the real causes of conflict, and without doing that, they, we, will not arrive at true peace.
My sermon from last week, with more Torah reflections on the situation in Israel, is available here.
Also, I wrote a d'var Torah for the Jewish Light on how the Nazirite's reentry into regular life can be a model for us.
And a few years back, I wrote a d'var Torah on this week's parasha for MyJewishLearning.com, that was picked up and republished by the New York Jewish Week today here. I will say, it's probably my favorite piece of Torah ever.
Today at noon, I'll be teaching Torah Talk (link below). We'll look at an amazing story from the Talmud that reflects on the Nazirite from different perspectives.
Tonight at 6pm, we'll have mincha and Kabbalat Shabbat on Zoom. (Link below)
Candle lighting is at 7:53pm.
Tomorrow morning we'll be streaming from the sanctuary starting at 9:30am. (Link below).
We'll read Parashat Naso:
Torah: Numbers 5:11-6:27
Haftarah: Judges 13:2-25
Shabbat ends at 8:57pm.
We have lots of Shabbat things happening now in person - services Shabbat mornings, Shabbat afternoons, and we'll be having two in-person Friday night services each month as well. One per month will be our family Kabbalat Shabbat service, and one will be our classic musical Kol Rinah mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/maariv service. Check the website (next week) for dates and to sign up!
Shabbat shalom, and see you soon, I hope!
Rabbi Noah Arnow
ZOOM AND STREAMING LINKS
To join our Zoom Minyanim or classes, click on the desired meeting link, or call into either of the following numbers:
+1 312 626 6799
+1 646 558 8656
Then, when prompted, enter the Meeting ID of the desired minyan/class then press #. Then, when prompted, enter the password then press #.
Services (all times Central)
Evening Minyan on Zoom
Sunday-Friday evenings at 6pm (but not on Jewish holidays)
Morning Minyan on Zoom
Monday-Friday mornings at 7am; Sunday mornings and national holidays at 8am (not including Jewish holidays)
Learning Opportunities
Torah Talk with Rabbi Arnow or Rabbi Shafrin
Every Friday at 12pm
Join us for study and discussion of the week's Torah portion.
Shabbat morning
Saturdays, 9:30am
Click the link below, then click the triangular "play" buttom:
https://player2.streamspot.
Until shortly before 9:30am, there will a filler screen, but livestreamed video and sound will both start around 9:30am.
You can also set your computer or device in advance so that this link will continue streaming continuously and you will not have to press any buttons on Shabbat. To make sure that your device will not shut itself down or do into sleep mode, follow the directions below to disable sleep mode:
For PC:
To disable automatic Sleep:
1. Open up Power Options in the Control Panel. In Windows 10 you can get there from right clicking on the start menu and going to Power Options
2. Click "change plan settings" next to your current power plan
3. Change "Put the computer to sleep" to never
4. Click "Save Changes"
For Apple Products:
1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click "Energy Saver."
2. Do either of the following:
a. Set the amount of time your computer or display should wait before going to sleep: Drag the “Computer sleep” and “Display sleep” sliders, or the “Turn display off after” slider.
b. Keep your Mac from going to sleep automatically: Select “Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off.”
Mon, May 5 2025
7 Iyyar 5785
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Evenings- Sun-Th 6pm.
Log in to view the Zoom Links page.
Thursday mornings 7am are in-person only.
Office Hours
Monday – Thursday 9am to 5pm
Friday 9am – 3pm
Phone: 314-727-1747
Friday 9am – 3pm
Phone: 314-727-1747
Mon, May 5 2025 7 Iyyar 5785