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Shabbat and Candle Lighting
for Friday, June 7, 2019 / 5 Sivan 5779
Light Shabbat candles at 7:53 p.m
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Dear Co
ngregation Kehillah and Friends,
Bamidbar, meaning 'in the desert,' is the name of the fourth book of the Torah detailing the next
38 years of our ancestors' wanderings. It is also the name of its first parasha. The English name,
Numbers, comes from the commandment in the opening verses to take a census prior to their
conquest of the land of Israel. The Hebrew language of this command,
se'u et rosh kol adat b'nai Yisra'el,
literally means "Raise/lift up the heads of the entire community of Israel."
There are two ways to count people - individually and collectively. The interesting language of
'raising/lifting up the heads' seems to suggest to us a reminder that while census taking is
concerned with reaching an aggregate number, we need to do so cognizant of the uniqueness of
each individual and his/her special attributes, needs and concerns. This is what we seek to do in
Congregation Kehillah, fulfilling the commandment to 'raise/lift up' the heads, hearts and souls of
the
kehillah
(community) both individually and collectively, making us stronger, healthier and more
whole.
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A
kavannah
for candle lighting for
Shabbat Bamidbar:
Dear God, please 'raise up my head' so that I may see the good in others and cherish them for
the Divine spark they hold within (even as they differ from me in ways I may not fully understand),
and help others to both see and acknowledge the special person I am, too. Please help me to
celebrate my own uniqueness and special attributes, knowing that I, too, have been created in
Your image!
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Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman
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Today (June 5) is the anniversary of the start of the Six-Day War:
...As Nasser had foreseen, Israel was forced to respond: the threat of annihilation could not be ignored. Accepting the closure of the Straits would have been interpreted as a sign of weakness and capitulation to Egyptian aggression; the economic strain of prolonged mobilization and the psychological effect of suspense and fear would have been unbearable. After a "waiting period," requested by United States President Lyndon Johnson who wished to reach a peaceful resolution of the conflict, a "national unity" government was formed in Israel on June 1.
Bolstered by the support of world Jewry and the sympathy voiced by western public opinion, Israel attacked on the morning of June 5. Six days later, at the cost of 676 lives and over 3000 wounded, the Arab coalition formed against Israel was routed. The Israeli army occupied Egyptian Sinai, the Syrian Golan, the Jordanian West Bank, and Arab Jerusalem. The Egyptian and the Syrian governments accepted a cease-fire agreement and U.N. observers were posted along the Suez Canal and on the Golan Heights. Nasser announced his resignation, but withdrew it in the face of mass demonstrations demanding his return. In his resignation speech he made clear the part the Soviets played in bringing on the war.
In the brief history of the State of Israel, the Six-Day War constitutes a major turning point. This swift and total victory saved the Zionist entity from destruction, ensured its physical existence, and disillusioned those of her enemies who had hoped that the Jewish State was just a passing phenomenon. On the other hand, these densely-populated territories regarded as "liberated" by some Israelis and as "occupied" by others, created a whole series of insurmountable problems -- political, social, economic, moral and religious -- unresolved to this day. The future of the State of Israel, its character and its place among nations, now depends on their solution.
From
A Historical Atlas of the Jewish People,
published by Schocken Books
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