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Friday Night Blessings

SHABBAT MORNING @ 9 AM

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TORAH & HAFTARAH BLESSINGS & READING

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**NEW & REVISED**

Abbreviated Shabbat Liturgy

This Shabbat

A Word from Rabbi Finley

Dear Meirav,

Dear Friends,

In the building of the Mishkan described in our Torah portion, several very deep turns of speech are used to describe the Building Crew: “Wise hearted persons,” “wise hearted women,” “hearts elevated by wisdom,” “endowed by God with wisdom,’” and so on. This is our annual opportunity to discuss the nature of Wisdom, the single power that can lead toward transformation, the power that all other spiritual powers serve. Friday night and Shabbat morning we will discuss Wisdom, how to acquire it, cultivate it and use wisdom as a way to change our lives.

Rabbi Mordecai Finley

About this Shabbat Evening

A Word from Rabbi Manning

Hello Friends,

This week we study Parshat VAYAKHEL which means "and he [Moshe] assembled" referring to Moshe gathering all the Israelites together to report to them what G-d has commanded them to do. Last week in KI TISA we learned about the sin of the Molten Calf after which Moshe said: "Whoever is for HaShem, join me!" --and all the Levites gathered around him (32:26).  Rashi teaches that from this response we learn that the entire tribe of Levi was righteous.  Moshe then told the Levites that HaShem said the Levites should "kill his brother, every man his fellow, and every man his near one" (32:27).  The Levites acted as instructed and killed 3,000 people that day (32:28).  But which people did the Levites kill and how was this determined? Rashi and Rashbam, Rashi's grandson, rely on an earlier verse in Sefer SHEMOT: "One who brings offerings to the gods shall be destroyed--only to HaShem alone!" (22:19). We also read that "HaShem struck the people with a plague, because they had made the calf that Aaron had made" (32:35). We don't know how many more died from the plague or why these people were killed but we presume they also participated in the worship of the Molten Calf.

We can imagine a chaotic and frightening scene. Those left alive must have wondered if they would be punished next, or would G-d ever forgive them and restore their lives to anything approaching normal. From the chaos, anger, death and fear in the aftermath of the sin of the Golden Calf comes our Parsha, and with it, restoration of order and community purpose. The first thing Moshe tells the Israelites is to remember Shabbat. Next he solicits voluntary donations of the materials needed to build the Mishkan and everything in it. The people brought so much that they had to be told to stop. Moshe tells the people that G-d has chosen Betzalel to execute G-d's vision and be the general contractor and head craftsman. Every "wise-hearted" person is endowed with the skills needed to perform all the creative tasks. Everyone got busy with the work.

What does it mean to be wise-hearted and how does this quality transform chaos into order filled with holy purpose?

I look forward to learning with you.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Sheri Manning

Thoughts on 

Parashat Vayakhel

The Silent Work

Rabbi Mordecai Finley, Ph.D.

This week’s Torah portion, Va-yakhel, is the first of two Torah portions concerned with the building of the Mishkan. In next week’s portion, Pekudei, we find the actual dedication of the Mishkan. I would like to focus in these few words on what happened just before the people got to work on building the Miskhan.

We’ll go back to a midrash on the giving of the 10 Commandments in Exodus chapter 20, a well-known rabbinic commentary on that foundational event in the Jewish religion. Think of this commentary as a poem. Here is my paraphrasing and commentary on the poem.

When God began to speak the 10 Commandments, the people said “This is too much to bear. Just speak the first commandment, and let Moses tell us the rest.”

If God would speak to you right now, say a few things that you must know and must do, and a few things you must never do, do you know in your heart of hearts what God would say? Could you bear it? We might say, “Whatever You need to say to me, God, please just keep it brief.”

CONTINUE READING >>

Poetry Reading

A Note from Shanti

The reading for this Friday night March 8, 2024, is “Blessed Are You Who Bear the Light” by Jan Richardson. You can read it by clicking here.

Thank you,

Shanti