The "birthday of the trees" is a time for seders, tree-planting and more. BY MY JEWISH LEARNING https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/tu-bishvat-ideas-beliefs/ The name of this festival is actually its date: “Tu” is a pronunciation of the Hebrew letters for the number 15, and it falls in the Hebrew month of Shevat. Traditionally, Tu Bishvat was not a Jewish festival. Rather, it marked an important date for Jewish farmers in ancient times. The Torah states, “When you enter the land [of Israel] and plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden for you, not to be eaten” (Leviticus 19:23). The fruit of the fourth year was to be offered to the priests in the Temple as a gift of gratitude for the bounty of the land, and the fifth-year fruit–and all subsequent fruit–was finally for the farmer. This law, however, raised the question of how farmers were to mark the “birthday” of a tree. The Rabbis therefore established the 15th of the month of Shevat as a general “birthday” for all trees, regardless of when they were actually planted. Fruit trees were awarded special status in the Torah because of their importance in sustaining life and as a symbol of God’s divine favor. Even during times of war, God warns the Israelites, “When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees… Are trees of the field human to withdraw before you into the besieged city? Only trees that you know do not yield food may be destroyed” (Deuteronomy 20:19-20). At a later time, the Rabbis of the Talmud established four “new years” throughout the Jewish calendar–Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish new year for the calendar date; a new year for establishing the reign of kings; a new year for tithing animals of Jewish farmers to be given to the Temple; and finally, Tu Bishvat, the new year for the trees (Mishnah, Rosh Hashanah1:1). The Rabbis discussed why this date was chosen; saying that Tu Bishvat falls after mid-winter (usually in February), they concluded that the majority of the annual rainfall has usually already fallen by this time in the land of Israel, thus yielding a healthy, water-logged soil in which to plant new trees (Talmud,Rosh Hashanah 14a). In medieval times, kabbalists (Jewish mystics) gave Tu Bishvat greater spiritual significance. Seeing in Tu Bishvat a vehicle for mystical ideas, the kabbalists imbued Tu Bishvat with new religious significance as well as created elaborate new symbolic rituals. According to Lurianic Kabbalah (which is a form of mysticism studied by the students of Isaac Luria), all physical forms–including human beings–hide within them a spark of the Divine Presence. This is similar to some kinds of fruits or nuts, which hide within them seeds of new life and potential growth. In Jewish mysticism, human actions can release these sparks and help increase God’s presence in the world. On Tu Bishvat, the kabbalists would eat certain fruits associated with the land of Israel as a symbolic way of releasing these divine sparks. In modern times, Tu Bishvat has become a symbol of both Zionist attachment to the land of Israel as well as an example of Jewish sensitivity to the environment. Early Zionist settlers to Israel began planting new trees not only to restore the ecology of ancient Israel, but as a symbol of renewed growth of the Jewish people returning to their ancestral homeland. While relatively few Jews continue to observe the kabbalistic Tu Bishvat seder, many American and European Jews observe Tu Bishvat by contributing money to the Jewish National Fund, an organization devoted to reforesting Israel. For environmentalists, Tu Bishvat is an ancient and authentic Jewish “Earth Day” that educates Jews about the Jewish tradition’s advocacy of responsible stewardship of God’s creation as manifested in ecological activism. Among them, contemporary versions of the Tu Bishvat seder, emphasizing environmentalist concerns, are gaining popularity.

This common symbol for Judaism and Israel is newer than one might think. BY MY JEWISH LEARNING The six-pointed Star of David is a common symbol for both Judaism and Israel. Known in Hebrew as a Magen David (shield of David), geometrically it is two triangles superimposed on each other, forming the shape of a hexagram. Though today the symbol popularly communicates Jewishness, its associations with Judaism are newer than one might think. Some historians trace it to Jewish communities in the Middle Ages, but these claims are neither fully substantiated nor widely accepted. What we do know is that in the 17th century, the Jewish quarter of Vienna was marked with a hexagram, to distinguish it from the rest of the city. Around this time, the star also became part of synagogue architecture both in Europe and in the Middle East and North Africa. After the Dreyfus Affair in the 19th century, the star was adopted by the Zionist movement at its 1897 Congress, and this gave the symbol more international prominence. In the 20th century, the star became even more evocative of Judaism when it was used by the Nazis to mark Jews for persecution. And after the Holocaust, the same star became part of the flag of the nascent State of Israel. What exactly does it symbolize? Many explanations have been suggested, but none is universally accepted. According to the Zohar, a medieval book of Jewish mysticism, the six points of the star represent the six male sefirot (attributes of God), in union with the seventh sefirah of the female (the center of the shape). A more modern, existentialist commentary on the Star of David was advanced by the philosopher Franz Rosenzweig in the Star of Redemption, which he wrote on postcards during World War I. Rosenzweig described two interlocking triangles — the corners of one representing creation, revelation, and redemption; the corners of the other representing Man, the World and God. Today, the Star of David is incorporated into Jewish jewelry design, and it is also commonly found on Judaica objects — from Kiddush cups, to mezuzahs and kippot (and in some Jewish communities, it is engraved on coffins). In Israel, the equivalent of the Red Cross is call Magen David Adom — the “red Star of David.”

-Announcements -Candle Lighting Times for Shabbat (Ontario, CA) -Office Hours -This week’s 10-Minute Torah -Adult Torah Study -Judaic Studies -This week's Upcoming Shabbat services -Hebrew School -Adult Hebrew Class -Family Fun Learning Day:Tu B'Shvat Seder -Tu B'Shvat -Miller Course Introduction to Judaism -Mi Sheberach List *For your information, I have included below my schedule, including office hours for the next two weeks and specific classes in which I am involved. ** Please note that recent security issues have been resolved and I am now transitioning to using the templesholomofontario.org email platform, but some emails will continue to go out from this address. ***For your convenience and information, Zoom links will be provided in separate emails for security purposes. ****I have updated our Mi Sheberach מי שברך list for those in need of healing by removing the names of those of whom we were uncertain. Please advise if any names were removed in error. For your convenience, I am attaching this revised list to this email that only goes to members of Temple Sholom of Ontario. Thank you. Shabbat Times for Ontario, California, USA Candle lighting: 5:04pm on Friday, Feb 3 Shabbat Shirah occurs on Saturday, Feb 4 This week's Torah portion is Parashat Beshalach Havdalah (50 min): 6:14pm on Saturday, Feb 4 Powered by Hebcal Shabbat Times שבת פרשת בשלח February 3 - י״ב שבט Candle lighting 5:05 Shabbat ends 6:03 72 minutes 6:37 Office Hours this week: Monday, January 30, 2023 9:30 am – 1:30 pm Tuesday, January 31, 2023 9:30 am – 1:30 pm Friday, February 3, 2023 2:00pm - 7:30pm (Friday Night Shabbat Ma'ariv @ 7:30pm) Monday, February 6, 2023 10:00 am – 2:00 pm Thursday, February 9, 2023 2:00pm - 7:30pm (Board Meeting @ 7:30pm) Friday, February 10, 2023 2:00pm - 7:30pm (Friday Night Shabbat Ma'ariv @ 7:30pm) (Subject to change. Please call for appointments) This week's 10-Minute Torah (February 4, 2023): Parashat Beshalach 5783 https://youtu.be/xxNirKTmkcw Parashat Beshalach is the 16th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 13:17-17:16 Commentary and Divrei Torah: Sefaria OU Torah Jewish Theological Seminary American Jewish University Soncino Chumash: pp. 265 - 274 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 265 - 281) Artscroll Chumash: pp. 366 - 382 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 366 - 393) Etz Chaim Chumash: pp. 399 - 414 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 399 - 322) Adult Torah Study Class Next Session: Monday January 30 at 7:30 pm PT Zoom Links sent in separate email Monday morning. Please reply if you do not receive them. Parashat Beshalach 5783 / פָּרָשַׁת בְּשַׁלַּח 4 February 2023 / 13 Sh'vat 5783 https://youtu.be/xxNirKTmkcw Parashat Beshalach is the 16th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 13:17-17:16 Beshalach (“When He Let Go”) describes the splitting of the Red Sea and the song the Israelites sing upon crossing through. In the desert, God sweetens bitter water and provides manna and quail. The portion ends recounting the victory of the Israelites against an attack by the Amalekites. [1] Triennial year 1 1: 13:17-22 · 6 p’sukim · 2: 14:1-4 · 4 p’sukim · 3: 14:5-8 · 4 p’sukim · 4: 14:9-14 · 6 p’sukim · 5: 14:15-20 · 6 p’sukim · 6: 14:21-25 · 5 p’sukim · 7: 14:26-15:26 · 32 p’sukim · maf: 15:22-26 · 5 p’sukim · Haftarah for Ashkenazim: Judges 4:4-5:31 · 52 p’sukim Commentary and Divrei Torah Sefaria OU Torah Jewish Theological Seminary American Jewish University Soncino Chumash: pp. 265 - 274 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 265 - 281) Artscroll Chumash: pp. 366 - 382 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 366 - 393) Etz Chaim Chumash: pp. 399 - 414 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 399 - 322) Judaic Studies Next session: Thursday, February 2, 2023 @ 7:30pm Come join us for a lively discussion of various topics on Judaica. We will continue reading Ecclesiastes (Kohelet), the Biblical book that includes such familiar English quotations as “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity” and “The race is not always to the swift” and “For everything there is a season.” In class we will use the new Jewish Publication Society translation available on Sefaria, but any translation you have will be fine. You can find Ecclesiastes in any Hebrew Bible. Upcoming Services Shabbat Ma'ariv Service Friday, February 3, 2023 @ 7:30 pm Note new start time Shabbat Shachrit Service Saturday, February 4, 2023 @ 9:30 am Note that start time Zoom Links sent in separate email Friday afternoon. Please reply if you do not receive them. Parashat Beshalach 5783 / פָּרָשַׁת בְּשַׁלַּח 4 February 2023 / 13 Sh'vat 5783 https://youtu.be/xxNirKTmkcw Parashat Beshalach is the 16th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 13:17-17:16 Beshalach (“When He Let Go”) describes the splitting of the Red Sea and the song the Israelites sing upon crossing through. In the desert, God sweetens bitter water and provides manna and quail. The portion ends recounting the victory of the Israelites against an attack by the Amalekites. [1] Triennial year 1 1: 13:17-22 · 6 p’sukim · 2: 14:1-4 · 4 p’sukim · 3: 14:5-8 · 4 p’sukim · 4: 14:9-14 · 6 p’sukim · 5: 14:15-20 · 6 p’sukim · 6: 14:21-25 · 5 p’sukim · 7: 14:26-15:26 · 32 p’sukim · maf: 15:22-26 · 5 p’sukim · Haftarah for Ashkenazim: Judges 4:4-5:31 · 52 p’sukim Commentary and Divrei Torah Sefaria OU Torah Jewish Theological Seminary American Jewish University Soncino Chumash: pp. 265 - 274 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 265 - 281) Artscroll Chumash: pp. 366 - 382 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 366 - 393) Etz Chaim Chumash: pp. 399 - 414 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 399 - 322) *Note that we are now doing the Triennial reading for our Shabbat Torah services. 5783 will be Triennial Year 1 **We are holding live Shabbat services back in the synagogue. We will still continue to broadcast on Zoom for those unable to come to the sanctuary. Please call the office for more information if you'd like to attend. Shabbat Shirah 2023 / שַׁבָּת שִׁירָה 5783 Shabbat of Song 🕍 Shabbat Shirah for Hebrew Year 5783 begins at sundown on Friday, 3 February 2023 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, 4 February 2023. This corresponds to Parashat Beshalach. Shabbat Shirah (“Sabbath [of] song” שבת שירה) is the name given to the Shabbat that includes Parsha Beshalach. The Torah reading of the week contains the Song of the sea (Exodus 15:1–18). This was the song by the Children of Israel after the Passage of the Red Sea. Hebrew School at Temple Sholom of Ontario Next Hebrew School will be Sunday, February 12, 2023 Hebrew School preempted for our Tu B'Shevat seder (See below) First Session Sunday 10:00am - 10:40am Second Session Sunday 10:50am - 11:30am Hebrew school is back on at Temple Sholom of Ontario. We will continue in the fall hold classes virtually on Sundays starting at 10:00am PT. There will be two sessions, 40 minutes each, with a 10-minute break in between. Details will follow soon. The first session will focus on Hebrew reading and prayers. We will read from the week's Torah portion using a Chumash and an online site. Besides the main prayers used in our services, we will also learn Torah and Haftarah blessings. The second session will be a general learning session of that weekly sedrah/portion. We will also discuss notable Jewish personalities, from celebrities to prophets and kings. There will also be special topics such as gossip and evolution. Please let us know if you'd like to join us and of course if you have any questions. Family Learning Sunday! Sunday, February 5, 2023 @ 10:00am PT Our next Family Learning will Sunday, February 5 @ 10am for a special Tu BiShvat Seder. Come learn and celebrate the New Year for tree with a special seder developed by Kabbalists to celebrate the Earth and Nature's/Hashem's bounty Tu BiShvat 2023 / טוּ בִּשְׁבָט 5783 New Year for Trees Tu BiShvat for Hebrew Year 5783 begins at sundown on Sunday, 5 February 2023 and ends at nightfall on Monday, 6 February 2023. Miller Course: Introduction to Judaism Coming Soon! Your Jewish Journey Starts at Miller Intro to Judaism Welcome to the Miller Intro to Judaism Program! We invite you to explore Judaism with us. Whether you are in an interfaith relationship, re-discovering your Jewish heritage, or seek to convert to Judaism, we are here to support your journey. The core of the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program is an 18-week course that surveys Jewish living and practice, including history, ritual, culture, texts, and values. Classes are designed to be highly interactive, with much time for discussion and questions, and include personalized instruction in reading Hebrew. ***I have updated our Mi Sheberach מי שברך list for those in need of healing by removing the names of those of whom we were uncertain. Please advise if any names were removed in error. For your convenience, I am attaching this revised list to this email that only goes to members of Temple Sholom of Ontario. Thank you. *The titles in blue and underlined are "hyperlinks". If you click on any of those, it will lead to that site/URL. The hyperlink gives a descriptive title with the actual link embedded in that title. Anyone who is concerned about clicking a link or hyperlink can access any of these resources by going to my website, www.modernrabbistephen.com. You can find them in the "Blog" and "Videos" sections, as well as the "Instagram Links" by clicking on the various pictures.

https://youtu.be/xxNirKTmkcw Parashat Beshalach 5783 / פָּרָשַׁת בְּשַׁלַּח 4 February 2023 / 13 Sh'vat 5783 Parashat Beshalach is the 16th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 13:17-17:16 Beshalach (“When He Let Go”) describes the splitting of the Red Sea and the song the Israelites sing upon crossing through. In the desert, God sweetens bitter water and provides manna and quail. The portion ends recounting the victory of the Israelites against an attack by the Amalekites. [1] Triennial year 1 1: 13:17-22 · 6 p’sukim · 2: 14:1-4 · 4 p’sukim · 3: 14:5-8 · 4 p’sukim · 4: 14:9-14 · 6 p’sukim · 5: 14:15-20 · 6 p’sukim · 6: 14:21-25 · 5 p’sukim · 7: 14:26-15:26 · 32 p’sukim · maf: 15:22-26 · 5 p’sukim · Haftarah for Ashkenazim: Judges 4:4-5:31 · 52 p’sukim Commentary and Divrei Torah Sefaria OU Torah Jewish Theological Seminary American Jewish University Soncino Chumash: pp. 265 - 274 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 265 - 281) Artscroll Chumash: pp. 366 - 382 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 366 - 393) Etz Chaim Chumash: pp. 399 - 414 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 399 - 322) Here we have a pivotal moment in our history. Israel has just left Egypt. Pharaoh had been devastated by the plagues to the point where he finally gave in and let Israel have our freedom. After they left, his hardened heart acted up again and he now regretted that decision. He couldn’t see that Hashem had really won and his/Egypt’s false gods were no match for the trued G-d. Pharaoh now assembles his troops and goes after the Israelites. They are stopped at the Sea of Reeds by the pillars of fire and clouds while Israel marches through the split waters and hardened ground. As Pharaoh’s troops pursue, the Sea now closes in on them and they are all drown. Pharaoh is now completely defeated, and Israel is free. A key point of this parashat are all the miracles. There is the splitting of the Sea, finding water, manna and quails (meat). It is easy to see the miracles from a distant past, but what about today? Consider today’s miracles: the State of Israel thrives; Jews are overrepresented in a lot of professions; after devastation of the Holocaust, a mere seventy years later and our population has returned to previous numbers. As we pray every morning, Hashem continues to sustain us by daily miracles. Shabbat Shirah 2023 / שַׁבָּת שִׁירָה 5783 Shabbat of Song 🕍 Shabbat Shirah for Hebrew Year 5783 begins at sundown on Friday, 3 February 2023 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, 4 February 2023. This corresponds to Parashat Beshalach. Shabbat Shirah (“Sabbath [of] song” שבת שירה) is the name given to the Shabbat that includes Parsha Beshalach. The Torah reading of the week contains the Song of the sea (Exodus 15:1–18). This was the song by the Children of Israel after the Passage of the Red Sea. Parashat Beshalaj 5783 4 febrero 2023 / 13 Sh'vat 5783 https://youtu.be/xxNirKTmkcw Parashat Beshalach es la decimosexta porción semanal de la Torá en el ciclo judío anual de lectura de la Torá. Porción de la Torá: Éxodo 13:17-17:16 Beshalach ("Cuando Él Suelte") describe la división del Mar Rojo y la canción que los israelitas cantan al cruzarlo. En el desierto, Dios endulza el agua amarga y proporciona maná y codornices. La porción termina relatando la victoria de los israelitas contra un ataque de los amalecitas. [1] Trienal año 1 1: 13:17-22 · 6 p'sukim · 2: 14:1-4 · 4 p'sukim · 3: 14:5-8 · 4 p'sukim · 4: 14:9-14 · 6 p'sukim · 5: 14:15-20 · 6 p'sukim · 6: 14:21-25 · 5 p'sukim · 7: 14:26-15:26 · 32 p'sukim · maf: 15:22-26 · 5 p'sukim · Haftarah para Ashkenazim: Jueces 4:4-5:31 · 52 p’sukim Comentario y Divrei Torá Sefaria OU Torá Seminario Teológico Judío Universidad Judía Americana Soncino Chumash: págs. 265 - 274 Año Trienal 1 (Kriyah completo págs. 265 - 281) Artscroll Chumash: págs. 366 - 382 Año trienal 1 (Kriyah completa págs. 366 - 393) Etz Chaim Chumash: págs. 399 - 414 Año trienal 1 (Kriyah completa págs. 399 - 322) Aquí tenemos un momento crucial en nuestra historia. Israel acaba de salir de Egipto. Faraón había sido devastado por las plagas hasta el punto en que finalmente se rindió y permitió que Israel tuviera nuestra libertad. Después de que se fueron, su corazón endurecido volvió a actuar y ahora se arrepintió de esa decisión. No podía ver que Hashem realmente había ganado y que los dioses falsos de él/Egipto no eran rival para el Di-s verdadero. Faraón ahora reúne a sus tropas y va tras los israelitas. Son detenidos en el Mar de Juncos por las columnas de fuego y nubes mientras Israel marcha a través de las aguas divididas y la tierra endurecida. Mientras las tropas del faraón los persiguen, el mar ahora los cierra y todos se ahogan. Faraón ahora está completamente derrotado e Israel es libre. Un punto clave de esta parashá son todos los milagros. Está la división del Mar, encontrando agua, maná y codornices (carne). Es fácil ver los milagros de un pasado lejano, pero ¿qué pasa hoy? Considere los milagros de hoy: el Estado de Israel prospera; Los judíos están sobrerrepresentados en muchas profesiones; después de la devastación del Holocausto, apenas setenta años después, nuestra población ha vuelto a los números anteriores. Mientras rezamos cada mañana, Hashem continúa sosteniéndonos con milagros diarios. Shabat Shirah 2023 / שַׁבָּת שִׁירָה 5783 Shabat de la Canción 🕍 Shabat Shirah para el año hebreo 5783 comienza al atardecer del viernes 3 de febrero de 2023 y finaliza al anochecer del sábado 4 de febrero de 2023. Esto corresponde a Parashat Beshalach. Shabbat Shirah (“Shabat [de] canto” שבת שירה) es el nombre que se le da al Shabat que incluye a Parasha Beshalach. La lectura de la Torá de la semana contiene la Canción del mar (Éxodo 15:1–18). Esta fue la canción de los Hijos de Israel después del Paso del Mar Rojo.

MyJewishLearning-Woman of Valor This chapter from the Book of Proverbs can be read as a roadmap to happiness. BY SARA ESTHER CRISPE What adjectives would you use to describe a Jewish woman? Maybe you would think of your grandmother, your bubbe: loving, worrying, maker of chicken soup. Or if a religious woman comes to mind, maybe modest or passive. Or even the obnoxious Hollywood stereotype: loud and overbearing. It might surprise you, but the quintessential adjective for a Jewish woman is valor, which the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as“strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness: personal bravery.” The text dedicated to honoring the Jewish woman of valor, traditionally sung on Friday night, comes from Chapter 31 of the Book of Proverbs. Its title, Eshet Hayil, means “Woman of Valor.” But the Hebrew word for valor, hayil, can also mean soldier. These two concepts are related. Valor is one of the principal qualities of a soldier. A soldier must be someone with strength of mind and spirit, who can encounter danger with firmness and bravery. But more so, a soldier strives to win a battle while balancing their own needs and those of others. If there is an opportunity to take out an enemy but doing so would expose other soldiers (or innocents) to danger, the needs of the collective must prevail. Similarly, Eshet Hayil describes a woman who takes care of herself while ensuring that her spouse and children likewise have their needs met. An Eshet Hayil rises in the night to provide for her family. She plants a vineyard and tends to her business. She gives to the poor and oversees the workings of her household. She is trustworthy and a source of stability. Her family praises her. She looks for wool and flax, And sets her hand to them with a will. She is like a merchant fleet, Bringing her food from afar. She rises while it is still night, And supplies provisions for her household, The daily fare of her maids. Such a woman, the text tells us, “opens her mouth with wisdom.” She is a woman whose children “stand and rejoice in her,” and who is “clothed in strength and splendor and laughs until her last day.” The Eshet Hayil, as described in this text, is thus a model for how to achieve to happiness. The Eshet Hayil knows how to care for others while caring for herself. But it takes a little digging underneath the surface to see this. Consider the verse about wool and flax. On its face, this verse seems to be describing a typical domestic duty in antiquity — the making of fabrics. But the particular materials mentioned, wool and flax, have deeper symbolism. Wool is soft. It can absorb almost 1/3 of its weight in water. It is an insulating fabric, which makes it popular in winter. When we relate these qualities to emotive attributes, wool is compared to chesed, lovingkindness: Soft, kind, protective, insulating, connective. Flax is the plant that gives us linen, a durable and tough fabric. It does not stretch and is known to keep one cool when it is hot. So if wool is lovingkindness, flax represents the quality of gevurah, loosely translated as strength. It is often associated with the idea of having boundaries and definition, as opposed to the fluidity associated with lovingkindness. If we were to summarize the two fabrics, wool is what you wear when it’s cold and you want to retain your heat, while linen is the right choice when it’s hot and you want to stay cool. One attaches to you and insulates, the other detracts and keeps things away. Both these fabrics have their place. But here’s the catch: There’s a Jewish law known as shatnez that prohibits the wearing of any garment that contains both wool and linen. Just as kosher laws prohibit mixing milk and meat in food, wool and linen cannot be mixed in clothing. Lovingkindness should not be intertwined with the establishing of boundaries. But there’s an exception: three garments that are not only allowed to have wool and linen mixed, but must have both. The first is the clothing the high priest wore in the Temple in Jerusalem. The second is the tallit, the prayer shawl. And the third is tzitzit, the ritual fringes worn under clothing. All three are considered holy garments. All three have specifications and are required to be worn by Jewish law at certain times. And all have a mixture of wool and linen. The woman of valor who works with wool and linen is the woman who creates holy garments, the only ones in which these fabrics can be mixed. She understands to mix lovingkindess and boundaries at the proper time, and to keep them separate at others. Sometimes she takes a softer approach, other times a stronger approach. Sometimes the garment is only wool and other times only linen. And most of the time we must ensure they not be mixed. And then there are those special, holy times when they must go together. A woman who knows when to be fluid and when to be firm, when to exercise lovingkindness and when to establish boundaries, and who recognizes those rare occasions when it’s proper to exhibit both is a woman whose mouth speaks wisdom, whose children celebrate her, and who laughs into age old.

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-eight-genders-in-the-talmud/?utm_source=mjl_maropost&utm_campaign=MJL&utm_medium=email Judaism has recognized nonbinary persons for millennia. BY RACHEL SCHEINERMAN YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE Sex and Sexuality 101 GENDER & SEXUALITY Sex & Sexuality Quiz QUIZZES Thought nonbinary gender was a modern concept? Think again. The ancient Jewish understanding of gender was far more nuanced than many assume. The Talmud, a huge and authoritative compendium of Jewish legal traditions, contains in fact no less than eight gender designations including: Zachar, male. Nekevah, female. Androgynos, having both male and female characteristics. Tumtum, lacking sexual characteristics. Aylonit hamah, identified female at birth but later naturally developing male characteristics. Aylonit adam, identified female at birth but later developing male characteristics through human intervention. Saris hamah, identified male at birth but later naturally developing female characteristics. Saris adam, identified male at birth and later developing female characteristics through human intervention. In fact, not only did the rabbis recognize six genders that were neither male nor female, they had a tradition that the first human being was both. Versions of this midrash are found throughout rabbinic literature, including in the Talmud: Rabbi Yirmeya ben Elazar also said: Adam was first created with two faces (one male and the other female). As it is stated: “You have formed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.” (Psalms 139:5) Eruvin 19a Rabbi Yirmeya ben Elazar imagines that the first human was created both male and female — with two faces. Later, this original human being was separated and became two distinct people, Adam and Eve. According to this midrash then, the first human being was, to use contemporary parlance, nonbinary. Genesis Rabbah 8:1 offers a slightly different version of Rabbi Yirmeya’s teaching: Rabbi Yirmeya ben Elazar: In the hour when the Holy One created the first human, He created him as an androgynos (one having both male and female sexual characteristics), as it is said, “male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27) Said Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani: In the hour when the Holy One created the first human, He created for him a double face, and sawed him and made him backs, a back here and a back there, as it is said, “Behind and before, You formed me” (Psalms 139:5). Genesis Rabbah 8:1 In this version of the teaching, Rabbi Yirmeya is not focusing on the first human’s face (or, rather, faces) but on their sex organs — they have both. The midrash imagines this original human looked something like a man and woman conjoined at the back so that one side has a women’s face and a woman’s sex organs and the other side has a man’s face and sex organs. Then God split this original person in half, creating the first man and woman. Ancient history buffs will recognize this image as similar to the character Aristophanes’ description of the first humans as both male and female, eventually sundered to create lone males and females forever madly seeking one another for the purposes of reuniting to experience that primordial state. (Plato, Symposium, 189ff) For the rabbis, the androgynos wasn’t just a thing of the mythic past. The androgynos was in fact a recognized gender category in their present — though not with two heads, only both kinds of sex organs. The term appears no less than 32 times in the Mishnah and 283 times in the Talmud. Most of these citations are not variations on this myth, but rather discussions that consider how Jewish law (halakhah) applies to one who has both male and female sexual characteristics. That the androgynos is, from a halakhic perspective, neither male nor female, is confirmed by Mishnah Bikkurim 4:1, which states this explicitly: The androgynos is in some ways like men, and in other ways like women. In other ways he is like men and women, and in others he is like neither men nor women. Mishnah Bikkurim 4:1 Because Hebrew has no gender neutral pronoun, the Mishnah uses a male pronoun for the androgynos, though this is obviously insufficient given the rabbinic descriptions of this person. Reading on we find that the androgynos is, for the rabbis, in many ways like a man — they dress like a man, they are obligated in all commandments like a man, they marry women and their “white emissions” lead to impurity. However, in other ways, the androgynos is like a woman — they do not share in inheritance like sons, they do not eat of sacrifices that are reserved only for men and their “red discharge” leads to impurity. The Mishnah goes on to list ways in which an androgynos is just like any other person. Like any human being, “one who strikes him or curses him is liable.” (Bikkurim 4:3) Similarly, one who murders an androgynos is, well, a murderer. But the androgynos is also unlike a man or a woman in other important legal respects — for instance, such a person is not liable for entering the Temple in a state of impurity as both a man and woman would be. As should now be clear, the rabbinic interest in these gender ambiguous categories is largely legal. Since halakhah was structured for a world in which most people were either male or female, applying the law to individuals who didn’t fall neatly into one of those two categories was challenging. As Rabbi Yose remarks in this same chapter of the Mishnah: “The androgynos is a unique creature, and the sages could not decide about him.” (Bikkurim 4:5) In many cases, the androgynos is lumped together with other kinds of nonbinary persons as well as other marginalized populations, including women, slaves, the disabled and minors. For example, concerning participation in the three pilgrimage festivals (Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot) during which the Jews of antiquity would travel to the Temple in Jerusalem, the mishnah of Chagigah opens: All are obligated on the three pilgrimage festivals to appear in the Temple and sacrifice an offering, except for a deaf-mute, an imbecile, and a minor; and a tumtum, an androgynos, women, and slaves who are not emancipated; and the lame, the blind, the sick, and the old, and one who is unable to ascend to Jerusalem on his own legs. Chagigah 1:1 As this mishnah indicates, it is only healthy, free adult men who are obligated to appear at the Temple to observe the pilgrimage festivals. People who are not adult men, and men who are enslaved or too old or unwell to make the journey, are exempt. As we have already stated, the androgynos was not the only person of ambiguous gender identified by the rabbis. Similarly, the rabbis recognized one whose sexual characteristics are lacking or difficult to determine, called a tumtum. In the mishnah from Bikkurim we cited earlier, Rabbi Yose, who said the androgynos was legally challenging for the sages, said the tumtum was much easier to figure out. The rabbis also recognized that some people’s sexual characteristics can change with puberty — either naturally or through intervention. Less common than the androgynos and tumtum, but still found throughout rabbinic texts, are the aylonit, who is born with organs identified as female at birth but develops male characteristics at puberty or no sex characteristics at all, and the saris, who is born with male-identified organs and later develops features recognized as female (or no sex characteristics). These changes can happen naturally over time (saris hamah) or with human intervention (saris adam). For the rabbis, what is most significant about the aylonit and the saris is that they are presumed infertile — the latter is sometimes translated as “eunuch.” Their inability to have offspring creates legal complications the rabbis address, for example: A woman who is 20 years old who did not grow two pubic hairs shall bring proof that she is twenty years old, and from that point forward she assumes the status of an aylonit. If she marries and her husband dies childless, she neither performs halitzah nor does she enter into levirate marriage. Mishnah Niddah 5:9 A woman who reaches the age of 20 without visible signs of puberty, in particular pubic hair, is deemed an aylonit who is infertile. According to this mishnah, she may still marry, but it is not expected that she will bear children. Therefore, if her husband dies and the couple is in fact childless, his brother is not obligated to marry her, as would normally be required by the law of levirate marriage. A nonbinary person who does not have the same halakhic status as a male or female, but is something else that is best described as ambiguous or in between, presented a halakhic challenge that was not particularly foreign for the rabbis, who discuss analogs in the animal and plant kingdoms. For example, the rabbinic texts describe a koi as an animal that is somewhere between wild and domesticated (Mishnah Bikkurim 2:8) and an etrog — yes, that beautiful citron that is essential for Sukkot — as between a fruit and a vegetable (Mishnah Bikkurim 2:6, see also Rosh Hashanah 14). Because they don’t fit neatly into common categories, the koi and the etrog require special halakhic consideration. The rabbinic understanding of the world was that most categories — be they animal, vegetable or mineral — are imperfect descriptors of the world, either as it is or as it should be. In recent decades, queer Jews and allies have sought to reinterpret these eight genders of the Talmud as a way of reclaiming a positive space for nonbinary Jews in the tradition. The starting point is that while it is true that the Talmud understands gender to largely operate on a binary axis, the rabbis clearly understood that not everyone fits these categories.

-Announcements -Candle Lighting Times for Shabbat (Ontario, CA) -Office Hours -This week’s 10-Minute Torah -Adult Torah Study -Judaic Studies -This week's Upcoming Shabbat services -Hebrew School -Adult Hebrew Class -Family Fun Learning Day:Tu B'Shvat Seder -Miller Course Introduction to Judaism -Mi Sheberach List *For your information, I have included below my schedule, including office hours for the next two weeks and specific classes in which I am involved. ** Please note that recent security issues have been resolved and I am now transitioning to using the templesholomofontario.org email platform, but some emails will continue to go out from this address. ***For your convenience and information, Zoom links will be provided in separate emails for security purposes. ****I have updated our Mi Sheberach מי שברך list for those in need of healing by removing the names of those of whom we were uncertain. Please advise if any names were removed in error. For your convenience, I am attaching this revised list to this email that only goes to members of Temple Sholom of Ontario. Thank you. Shabbat Times for Ontario, California, USA Rosh Chodesh Sh'vat occurs on Monday, Jan 23 Candle lighting: 4:58pm on Friday, Jan 27 This week's Torah portion is Parashat Bo Havdalah (50 min): 6:07pm on Saturday, Jan 28 Powered by Hebcal Shabbat Times שבת פרשת בא January 27 - ה׳ שבט Candle lighting 4:58 Shabbat ends 5:57 72 minutes 6:30 Office Hours this week: Monday, January 23, 2023 9:00 am –2:00 pm Friday, January 27, 2023 10:00am - 7:30pm (Friday Night Shabbat Ma'ariv @ 7:30pm) Monday, January 30, 2023 9:30 am –1:30 pm Tuesday, January 31, 2023 9:30 am –1:30 pm Friday, February 3, 2023 2:00pm - 7:30pm (Friday Night Shabbat Ma'ariv @ 7:30pm) (Subject to change. Please call for appointments) This week's 10-Mi nute Torah (January 28, 2023): Parashat Bo 5783 https://youtu.be/Aht3kguOItI Parashat Bo is the 15th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 10:1-13:16 Adult Torah Study Class Next Session: Monday January 23 at 7:30 pm PT Zoom Links sent in separate email Monday morning. Please reply if you do not receive them. Parashat Bo 5783 / פָּרָשַׁת בֹּא 28 January 2023 / 6 Sh'vat 5783 Parashat Bo is the 15th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 10:1-13:16 Bo (“Come”) recounts the last three plagues that God inflicts on the Egyptians: locusts, darkness, and death of firstborns. God commands the Israelites to offer a Passover lamb sacrifice. After the last plague, Pharaoh and the Egyptians demand that the Israelites leave. [1] Triennial year 1 1: 10:1-3 · 3 p’sukim · 2: 10:4-6 · 3 p’sukim · 3: 10:7-11 · 5 p’sukim · 4: 10:12-15 · 4 p’sukim · 5: 10:16-23 · 8 p’sukim · 6: 10:24-29 · 6 p’sukim · 7: 11:1-3 · 3 p’sukim · maf: 11:1-3 · 3 p’sukim · Haftarah: Jeremiah 46:13-28 · 16 p’sukim Commentary and Divrei Torah Sefaria OU Torah Jewish Theological Seminary American Jewish University Soncino Chumash: pp. 248 - 252 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 248 - 262) Artscroll Chumash: pp. 340 - 347 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 340 - 365) Etz Chaim Chumash: pp. 374 - 379 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 374 - 394) Judaic Studies Next session: Thursday, January 26, 2023 @ 7:30pm Come join us for a lively discussion of various topics on Judaica. We will continue reading Ecclesiastes (Kohelet), the Biblical book that includes such familiar English quotations as “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity” and “The race is not always to the swift” and “For everything there is a season.” In class we will use the new Jewish Publication Society translation available on Sefaria, but any translation you have will be fine. You can find Ecclesiastes in any Hebrew Bible. Upcoming Services Shabbat Ma'ariv Service Friday, January 27, 2023 @ 7:30 pm Note new start time Shabbat Shachrit Service Saturday, January 28, 2023 @ 9:30 am Note that start time Zoom Links sent in separate email Friday afternoon. Please reply if you do not receive them. Parashat Bo 5783 / פָּרָשַׁת בֹּא 28 January 2023 / 6 Sh'vat 5783 Parashat Bo is the 15th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 10:1-13:16 Bo (“Come”) recounts the last three plagues that God inflicts on the Egyptians: locusts, darkness, and death of firstborns. God commands the Israelites to offer a Passover lamb sacrifice. After the last plague, Pharaoh and the Egyptians demand that the Israelites leave. [1] Triennial year 1 1: 10:1-3 · 3 p’sukim · 2: 10:4-6 · 3 p’sukim · 3: 10:7-11 · 5 p’sukim · 4: 10:12-15 · 4 p’sukim · 5: 10:16-23 · 8 p’sukim · 6: 10:24-29 · 6 p’sukim · 7: 11:1-3 · 3 p’sukim · maf: 11:1-3 · 3 p’sukim · Haftarah: Jeremiah 46:13-28 · 16 p’sukim Commentary and Divrei Torah Sefaria OU Torah Jewish Theological Seminary American Jewish University Soncino Chumash: pp. 248 - 252 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 248 - 262) Artscroll Chumash: pp. 340 - 347 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 340 - 365) Etz Chaim Chumash: pp. 374 - 379 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 374 - 394) *Note that we are now doing the Triennial reading for our Shabbat Torah services. 5783 will be Triennial Year 1 **We are holding live Shabbat services back in the synagogue. We will still continue to broadcast on Zoom for those unable to come to the sanctuary. Please call the office for more information if you'd like to attend. Hebrew School at Temple Sholom of Ontario Next Hebrew School will be Sunday, January 29, 2023 Hebrew School preempted in honor of Martin Luther King Day First Session Sunday 10:00am - 10:40am Second Session Sunday 10:50am - 11:30am Hebrew school is back on at Temple Sholom of Ontario. We will continue in the fall hold classes virtually on Sundays starting at 10:00am PT. There will be two sessions, 40 minutes each, with a 10-minute break in between. Details will follow soon. The first session will focus on Hebrew reading and prayers. We will read from the week's Torah portion using a Chumash and an online site. Besides the main prayers used in our services, we will also learn Torah and Haftarah blessings. The second session will be a general learning session of that weekly sedrah/portion. We will also discuss notable Jewish personalities, from celebrities to prophets and kings. There will also be special topics such as gossip and evolution. Please let us know if you'd like to join us and of course if you have any questions. Tu BiShvat 2023 / טוּ בִּשְׁבָט 5783 New Year for Trees Tu BiShvat for Hebrew Year 5783 begins at sundown on Sunday, 5 February 2023 and ends at nightfall on Monday, 6 February 2023. Family Learning Sunday! Sunday, February 5, 2023 @ 10:00am PT Our next Family Learning will Sunday, February 5 @ 10am for a special Tu BiShvat Seder. Come learn and celebrate the New Year for tree with a special seder developed by Kabbalists to celebrate the Earth and Nature's/Hashem's bounty Miller Course: Introduction to Judaism Coming Soon! Your Jewish Journey Starts at Miller Intro to Judaism Welcome to the Miller Intro to Judaism Program! We invite you to explore Judaism with us. Whether you are in an interfaith relationship, re-discovering your Jewish heritage, or seek to convert to Judaism, we are here to support your journey. The core of the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program is an 18-week course that surveys Jewish living and practice, including history, ritual, culture, texts, and values. Classes are designed to be highly interactive, with much time for discussion and questions, and include personalized instruction in reading Hebrew. ***I have updated our Mi Sheberach מי שברך list for those in need of healing by removing the names of those of whom we were uncertain. Please advise if any names were removed in error. For your convenience, I am attaching this revised list to this email that only goes to members of Temple Sholom of Ontario. Thank you. *The titles in blue and underlined are "hyperlinks". If you click on any of those, it will lead to that site/URL. The hyperlink gives a descriptive title with the actual link embedded in that title. Anyone who is concerned about clicking a link or hyperlink can access any of these resources by going to my website, www.modernrabbistephen.com. You can find them in the "Blog" and "Videos" sections, as well as the "Instagram Links" by clicking on the various pictures.

https://youtu.be/Aht3kguOItI Parashat Bo 5783 / פָּרָשַׁת בֹּא 28 January 2023 / 6 Sh'vat 5783 Parashat Bo is the 15th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 10:1-13:16 Bo (“Come”) recounts the last three plagues that God inflicts on the Egyptians: locusts, darkness, and death of firstborns. God commands the Israelites to offer a Passover lamb sacrifice. After the last plague, Pharaoh and the Egyptians demand that the Israelites leave. [1] Triennial year 1 1: 10:1-3 · 3 p’sukim · 2: 10:4-6 · 3 p’sukim · 3: 10:7-11 · 5 p’sukim · 4: 10:12-15 · 4 p’sukim · 5: 10:16-23 · 8 p’sukim · 6: 10:24-29 · 6 p’sukim · 7: 11:1-3 · 3 p’sukim · maf: 11:1-3 · 3 p’sukim · Haftarah: Jeremiah 46:13-28 · 16 p’sukim Commentary and Divrei Torah Sefaria OU Torah Jewish Theological Seminary American Jewish University Soncino Chumash: pp. 248 - 252 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 248 - 262) Artscroll Chumash: pp. 340 - 347 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 340 - 365) Etz Chaim Chumash: pp. 374 - 379 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 374 - 394) Here we have the last three plagues inflicted on Pharaoh by Hashem. After seven previous natural assaults on Egypt, Pharaoh still does not relent and allow Israel its freedom. We also learn that G-d “hardens Pharaoh’s heart”. This topic has been discussed many times. Is Hashem setting Pharaoh up to destroy Egypt’s first born? Most commentators agree that “one is led on the path they wish to pursue”. Someone, therefore, who pursues evil is shown the way. Psychologically, consider that when someone engages in a character trait most or all of their life, it is engrained in them. It becomes who they are. We’ve all heard the saying, “you can’t teach a dog new tricks”. Pharaoh was not at the mercy of G-d, he was at the mercy of himself, his own evil character, his reluctance, unwillingness, to change his ways. Thus he sealed his own fate. Parashat Bo 5783 / פָּרָשַׁת בֹּא 28 enero 2023 / 6 Sh'vat 5783 Parashat Bo es la decimoquinta porción semanal de la Torá en el ciclo judío anual de lectura de la Torá. Porción de la Torá: Éxodo 10:1-13:16 Bo (“Ven”) relata las últimas tres plagas que Dios inflige a los egipcios: langostas, tinieblas y muerte de los primogénitos. Dios ordena a los israelitas que ofrezcan un sacrificio de cordero pascual. Después de la última plaga, Faraón y los egipcios exigen que los israelitas se vayan. [1] Trienal año 1 1: 10:1-3 · 3 p'sukim · 2: 10:4-6 · 3 p'sukim · 3: 10:7-11 · 5 p'sukim · 4: 10:12-15 · 4 p'sukim · 5: 10:16-23 · 8 p'sukim · 6: 10:24-29 · 6 p'sukim · 7: 11:1-3 · 3 p'sukim · maf: 11:1-3 · 3 p'sukim · Haftará: Jeremías 46:13-28 · 16 p'sukim Comentario y Divrei Torah Sefaria OU Torah Jewish Theological Seminary American Jewish University Soncino Chumash: págs. 248 - 252 Trienal Año 1 (Kriyah completo págs. 248 - 262) Artscroll Chumash: págs. 340 - 347 Año trienal 1 (Kriyah completa págs. 340 - 365) Etz Chaim Chumash: págs. 374 - 379 Año trienal 1 (Kriyah completa págs. 374 - 394) Aquí tenemos las últimas tres plagas infligidas a Faraón por Hashem. Después de siete asaltos naturales previos a Egipto, Faraón todavía no cede y le permite a Israel su libertad. También aprendemos que Di-s “endurece el corazón de Faraón”. Este tema ha sido discutido muchas veces. ¿Está Hashem preparando a Faraón para destruir a los primogénitos de Egipto? La mayoría de los comentaristas están de acuerdo en que “uno es conducido por el camino que desea seguir”. A alguien, por tanto, que persigue el mal se le muestra el camino. Psicológicamente, considere que cuando alguien se involucra en un rasgo de carácter la mayor parte o toda su vida, está arraigado en ellos. Se convierte en lo que son. Todos hemos escuchado el dicho “no se le pueden enseñar trucos nuevos a un perro”. Faraón no estaba a merced de Di-s, estaba a merced de sí mismo, de su propio carácter malvado, de su reticencia, de su falta de voluntad para cambiar sus caminos. Así selló su propio destino.

-Announcements -Candle Lighting Times for Shabbat (Ontario, CA) -Office Hours -Martin Luther King Day -This week’s 10-Minute Torah -Adult Torah Study -Judaic Studies -This week's Upcoming Shabbat services -Hebrew School -Adult Hebrew Class -Family Fun Learning Day=Tu B'Shvat Seder -Mi Sheberach List *For your information, I have included below my schedule, including office hours for the next two weeks and specific classes in which I am involved. ** Please note that recent security issues have been resolved and I am now transitioning to using the templesholomofontario.org email platform, but some emails will continue to go out from this address. ***For your convenience and information, Zoom links will be provided in separate emails for security purposes. ****I have updated our Mi Sheberach מי שברך list for those in need of healing by removing the names of those of whom we were uncertain. Please advise if any names were removed in error. For your convenience, I am attaching this revised list to this email that only goes to members of Temple Sholom of Ontario. Thank you. Shabbat Times for Ontario, California, USA Candle lighting: 4:51pm on Friday, Jan 20 Shabbat Mevarchim Chodesh Sh'vat occurs on Saturday, Jan 21 This week's Torah portion is Parashat Vaera Havdalah (50 min): 6:00pm on Saturday, Jan 21 Powered by Hebcal Shabbat Times שבת פרשת וארא January 20 - כ״ז טבת Candle lighting 4:51 Shabbat ends 5:50 72 minutes 6:23 Office Hours this week: Monday, January 16, 2023 Martin Luther King Day Office Closed Tuesday, January 17, 2023 9:30 am –1:30 pm Friday, January 20, 2023 2:00pm - 7:30pm (Friday Night Shabbat Ma'ariv @ 7:30pm) Monday, January 23, 2023 9:30 am –1:30 pm Tuesday, January 24, 2023 9:30 am –1:30 pm Friday, January 27, 2023 3:00pm - 7:30pm (Friday Night Shabbat Ma'ariv @ 7:30pm) (Subject to change. Please call for appointments) This week's 10-Minut e Torah (January 21, 2023): Parashat Vaera 5783 https://youtu.be/bGVDLl-jdeI Parashat Vaera is the 14th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 6:2-9:35 Martin Luther King Jr. Day – January 16, 2023 Martin Luther King Day is observed every year on the third Monday of January — on January 16 this year. King was an influential civil rights leader — best known for his work on racial equality and ending racial segregation in the United States. His life and achievements are remembered and celebrated on this day. Adult Torah Study Class Next Session: Monday January 23 at 7:30 pm PT Preempted in honor of Martin Luther King Day Zoom Links sent in separate email Monday morning. Please reply if you do not receive them. Parashat Bo 5783 / פָּרָשַׁת בֹּא 28 January 2023 / 6 Sh'vat 5783 Parashat Bo is the 15th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 10:1-13:16 Bo (“Come”) recounts the last three plagues that God inflicts on the Egyptians: locusts, darkness, and death of firstborns. God commands the Israelites to offer a Passover lamb sacrifice. After the last plague, Pharaoh and the Egyptians demand that the Israelites leave. [1] Commentary and Divrei Torah Sefaria OU Torah Jewish Theological Seminary American Jewish University Soncino Chumash: pp. 248 - 252 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 248 - 262) Judaic Studies Next session: Thursday, January 19, 2023 @ 7:30pm Preempted this Thursday, January 12 due to monthly board meeting Come join us for a lively discussion of various topics on Judaica. We will continue reading Ecclesiastes (Kohelet), the Biblical book that includes such familiar English quotations as “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity” and “The race is not always to the swift” and “For everything there is a season.” In class we will use the new Jewish Publication Society translation available on Sefaria, but any translation you have will be fine. You can find Ecclesiastes in any Hebrew Bible. Upcoming Services Shabbat Ma'ariv Service Friday, January 20, 2023 @ 7:30 pm Note new start time Shabbat Shachrit Service Saturday, January 21, 2023 @ 9:30 am Note that start time Zoom Links sent in separate email Friday afternoon. Please reply if you do not receive them. Parashat Vaera 5783 / פָּרָשַׁת וָאֵרָא 21 January 2023 / 28 Tevet 5783 Parashat Vaera is the 14th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 6:2-9:35 Vaera (“I Appeared”) opens as God promises to redeem the enslaved Israelites and bring them to the Promised Land. When Pharaoh repeatedly refuses to let the Israelites go, God sends a series of plagues: water turning to blood, frogs, lice, wild animals, death of livestock, boils, and hail. [1] Triennial year 1 1: 6:2-5 · 4 p’sukim · 2: 6:6-9 · 4 p’sukim · 3: 6:10-13 · 4 p’sukim · 4: 6:14-19 · 6 p’sukim · 5: 6:20-25 · 6 p’sukim · 6: 6:26-28 · 3 p’sukim · 7: 6:29-7:7 · 9 p’sukim · maf: 7:5-7 · 3 p’sukim · Haftarah: Ezekiel 28:25-29:21 · 23 p’sukim Commentary and Divrei Torah: Sefaria OU Torah Jewish Theological Seminary American Jewish University Soncino Chumash: pp. 232 - 236 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 232 - 244) Artscroll Chumash: pp. 318 - 325 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 318 - 339) Etz Chaim Chumash: pp. 351 - 357 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 351 - 368) *Note that we are now doing the Triennial reading for our Shabbat Torah services. 5783 will be Triennial Year 1 **We are holding live Shabbat services back in the synagogue. We will still continue to broadcast on Zoom for those unable to come to the sanctuary. Please call the office for more information if you'd like to attend. Shabbat Mevarchim Chodesh Sh'vat Saturday, January 21 Molad Sh'vat: Sat, 56 minutes and 10 chalakim after 23:00 Any Shabbat that precedes and begins the week during which there will be a day or days of a new Hebrew month (Rosh Chodesh) is known as Shabbat Mevorchim (mevorchim means "they [the congregation] bless" [the forthcoming new month]. Hebrew School at Temple Sholom of Ontario Next Hebrew School will be Sunday, January 22, 2023 Hebrew School preempted in honor of Martin Luther King Day First Session Sunday 10:00am - 10:40am Second Session Sunday 10:50am - 11:30am Hebrew school is back on at Temple Sholom of Ontario. We will continue in the fall hold classes virtually on Sundays starting at 10:00am PT. There will be two sessions, 40 minutes each, with a 10-minute break in between. Details will follow soon. The first session will focus on Hebrew reading and prayers. We will read from the week's Torah portion using a Chumash and an online site. Besides the main prayers used in our services, we will also learn Torah and Haftarah blessings. The second session will be a general learning session of that weekly sedrah/portion. We will also discuss notable Jewish personalities, from celebrities to prophets and kings. There will also be special topics such as gossip and evolution. Please let us know if you'd like to join us and of course if you have any questions. Adult Hebrew Reading Course Sunday, January 22, 11:45 am – 12:45 am Adult Hebrew Reading Course preempted in honor of Martin Luther King Day A new Hebrew Reading course from NJOP. Rosh Chodesh Sh’vat 2023 / רֹאשׁ חוֹדֶשׁ שְׁבָט 5783 Start of month of Sh’vat on the Hebrew calendar 🌒 Rosh Chodesh Sh'vat for Hebrew Year 5783 begins at sundown on Sunday, 22 January 2023 and ends at nightfall on Monday, 23 January 2023. Start of month of Sh’vat on the Hebrew calendar. שְׁבָט (transliterated Sh’vat or Shevat) is the 11th month of the Hebrew year, has 30 days, and corresponds to January or February on the Gregorian calendar. רֹאשׁ חוֹדֶשׁ, transliterated Rosh Chodesh or Rosh Hodesh, is a minor holiday that occurs at the beginning of every month in the Hebrew calendar. It is marked by the birth of a new moon. Tu BiShvat 2023 / טוּ בִּשְׁבָט 5783 New Year for Trees Tu BiShvat for Hebrew Year 5783 begins at sundown on Sunday, 5 February 2023 and ends at nightfall on Monday, 6 February 2023. Family Learning Sunday! Sunday, February 5, 2023 @ 10:00am PT Our next Family Learning will Sunday, February 5 @ 10am for a special Tu BiShvat Seder. Come learn and celebrate the New Year for tree with a special seder developed by Kabbalists to celebrate the Earth and Nature's/Hashem's bounty ***I have updated our Mi Sheberach מי שברך list for those in need of healing by removing the names of those of whom we were uncertain. Please advise if any names were removed in error. For your convenience, I am attaching this revised list to this email that only goes to members of Temple Sholom of Ontario. Thank you. *The titles in blue and underlined are "hyperlinks". If you click on any of those, it will lead to that site/URL. The hyperlink gives a descriptive title with the actual link embedded in that title. Anyone who is concerned about clicking a link or hyperlink can access any of these resources by going to my website, www.modernrabbistephen.com. You can find them in the "Blog" and "Videos" sections, as well as the "Instagram Links" by clicking on the various pictures.

https://youtu.be/bGVDLl-jdeI Parashat Vaera 5783 / פָּרָשַׁת וָאֵרָא 21 January 2023 / 28 Tevet 5783 Parashat Vaera is the 14th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 6:2-9:35 Vaera (“I Appeared”) opens as God promises to redeem the enslaved Israelites and bring them to the Promised Land. When Pharaoh repeatedly refuses to let the Israelites go, God sends a series of plagues: water turning to blood, frogs, lice, wild animals, death of livestock, boils, and hail. [1] Triennial year 1 1: 6:2-5 · 4 p’sukim · 2: 6:6-9 · 4 p’sukim · 3: 6:10-13 · 4 p’sukim · 4: 6:14-19 · 6 p’sukim · 5: 6:20-25 · 6 p’sukim · 6: 6:26-28 · 3 p’sukim · 7: 6:29-7:7 · 9 p’sukim · maf: 7:5-7 · 3 p’sukim · Haftarah: Ezekiel 28:25-29:21 · 23 p’sukim Commentary and Divrei Torah: Sefaria OU Torah Jewish Theological Seminary American Jewish University Soncino Chumash: pp. 232 - 236 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 232 - 244) Artscroll Chumash: pp. 318 - 325 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 318 - 339) Etz Chaim Chumash: pp. 351 - 357 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 351 - 368) Our parashat starts out with Hashem confronting, almost chastising Moshe for trying to abrogate his charge to confront Pharaoh. Moshe and Aharon had already gone to Pharaoh to request that he let the Israelites go off for a three-day journey to worship Hashem, and the latter refused. Instead, he increased the burden of our ancestors to gather their own straw to make the same amount of bricks as per the original mandate. So Moses is blaming himself and telling Hashem he is not up to the task. Hashem, in very stern words, disagrees. Or is that really the case? Anybody, in the face of the Ultimate Force of the Universe, would be intimidated by the magnificence and power of so great a Being. But maybe G-d isn’t chastising him but rather trying to encourage Moses to reach beyond his human boundaries. Moses is about to become the greatest prophet of all time. He will ultimately fill that role. His insecurity and feelings of inferiority are only in his own mind. G-d sees his potential. G-d sees all of our potential. It’s important that we all reach past our own comfort zones, as did Moshe Rabbeinu. Hashem created us to be His light among nations. Let us continue to strive towards that lofty ideal. Parashat Vaera 5783 / פָּרָשַׁת וָאֵרָא 21 enero 2023 / 28 Tevet 5783 Parashat Vaera es la decimocuarta porción semanal de la Torá en el ciclo judío anual de lectura de la Torá. Porción de la Torá: Éxodo 6:2-9:35 Vaera ("Aparecí") comienza cuando Dios promete redimir a los israelitas esclavizados y llevarlos a la Tierra Prometida. Cuando Faraón repetidamente se niega a dejar ir a los israelitas, Dios envía una serie de plagas: agua que se convierte en sangre, ranas, piojos, animales salvajes, muerte del ganado, furúnculos y granizo. [1] Trienal año 1 1: 6:2-5 · 4 p'sukim · 2: 6:6-9 · 4 p'sukim · 3: 6:10-13 · 4 p'sukim · 4: 6:14-19 · 6 p'sukim · 5: 6:20-25 · 6 p'sukim · 6: 6:26-28 · 3 p'sukim · 7: 6:29-7:7 · 9 p'sukim · maf: 7:5-7 · 3 p'sukim · Haftará: Ezequiel 28:25-29:21 · 23 p'sukim Comentario y Divrei Torá: Sefaria OU Torá Seminario Teológico Judío Universidad Judía Estadounidense Soncino Chumash: págs. 232 - 236 Año Trienal 1 (Kriyah completo págs. 232 - 244) Artscroll Chumash: págs. 318 - 325 Año trienal 1 (Kriyah completa págs. 318 - 339) Etz Chaim Chumash: págs. 351 - 357 Año trienal 1 (Kriyah completa págs. 351 - 368) Nuestra parashá comienza con la confrontación de Hashem, casi castigando a Moshé por tratar de abrogar su cargo de confrontar al faraón. Moshé y Aharon ya habían ido a Faraón para pedirle que dejara a los israelitas partir en un viaje de tres días para adorar a Hashem, y este último se negó. En cambio, aumentó la carga de nuestros antepasados para recolectar su propia paja para hacer la misma cantidad de ladrillos según el mandato original. Así que Moisés se culpa a sí mismo y le dice a Hashem que no está a la altura de la tarea. Hashem, en palabras muy severas, no está de acuerdo. ¿O es realmente así? Cualquiera, ante la Fuerza Última del Universo, se sentiría intimidado por la magnificencia y el poder de tan gran Ser. Pero tal vez Di-s no lo esté castigando, sino más bien tratando de alentar a Moisés a ir más allá de sus límites humanos. Moisés está a punto de convertirse en el mayor profeta de todos los tiempos. En última instancia, desempeñará ese papel. Su inseguridad y sentimientos de inferioridad están solo en su propia mente. Di-s ve su potencial. Di-s ve todo nuestro potencial. Es importante que todos superemos nuestras propias zonas de confort, como lo hizo Moshe Rabbeinu. Hashem nos creó para ser Su luz entre las naciones. Sigamos esforzándonos por alcanzar ese elevado ideal.

Rabbi Elie Kaunfer Our most fundamental prayer, the Amidah, doesn’t mention Moshe by name. But the scene of Moshe at the burning bush is one of the central images of the Amidah’s first blessing. How does Moshe’s subtle presence change how we might experience the opening of the Amidah? The blessing known as Avot1—ancestors—opens with the words: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹקֵינוּ וֵאלֹקֵי אֲבותֵינוּ אֱלֹקֵי אַבְרָהָם, אֱלֹקֵי יִצְחָק, וֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקב. Blessed are You, YHVH, our God and God of our ancestors God of Avraham, God of Yitzhak, and God of Ya’akov Normally, in Jewish prayer, if a sentence begins with the words “Blessed are You, YHVH, our God” we expect the next words to be: “King of the universe.”2 But instead of “King of the universe” we say “and God of our ancestors.” This shift from the expected mention of “King of the universe” makes us pause and pay attention to the unexpected words that follow: “and God of our ancestors.” What is the significance of this shift? It is meant to draw us to the narrative of the burning bush, where this phrase appears. This is illustrated by the following midrash: מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל, מסכתא דפסחא טז ומנין שאומרים ברוך אתה ה' אלקינו ואלקי אבותינו אלקי אברהם אלקי יצחק ואלקי יעקב שנאמר ויאמר עוד אלקים אל משה כה תאמר אל בני ישראל ה' אלקי אבותיכם אלקי אברהם אלקי יצחק ואלקי יעקב (שמות ג טו) Mekhilta de-Rabbi Yishmael Bo, Pisha 16 (ed. Horowitz-Rabin, p. 60) What is the scriptural source for saying [in the Amidah]: “Blessed are You, YHVH, our God and God of our ancestors, God of Avraham, God of Yitzhak, and God of Ya’akov?” As it says (Exodus 3:15): “God said further to Moshe: ‘Thus shall you say to the children of Israel: “YHVH, God of your ancestors, God of Avraham, God of Yitzhak, and God of Ya’akov…’” This midrash connects the phrase in our Amidah—beginning with “v’elohei avoteinu” to the verse in Exodus 3:15 that begins “YHVH the God of your ancestors (elohei avoteikhem),” illustrated in this table: אלקי אבותיכם אלקי אברהם אלקי יצחק ואלקי יעקב ואלקי אבותינו אלקי אברהם אלקי יצחק ואלקי יעקב The midrash draws a connection—almost a hyperlink—between the Amidah and this section of the Torah, where God speaks to Moshe at the burning bush. In fact, in that scene (Exodus 3:1-4:5) the phrase “God of your/their ancestors, God of Avraham, God of Yitzhak, and God of Ya’akov” appears three times (3:6, 15; 4:5). This phrase appears nowhere else in the Torah. The Amidah could have said “God of Avraham, Yitzhak, and Ya’akov,” without repeating “God of,” as in I Kings 18:36.3 But by choosing to repeat “God of” three times in the Amidah, the author of the prayer suggests that the scene of the burning bush is the image that stands behind the first distinctive moment of the Amidah. When Moshe is 80 years old, working as a shepherd in Midian, God encounters him at the burning bush. After calling out Moshe’s name, God speaks to Moshe with the very words adopted by our blessing: שמות ג:ה-ו וַיֹּאמֶר אַל תִּקְרַב הֲלֹם שַׁל נְעָלֶיךָ מֵעַל רַגְלֶיךָ כִּי הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עוֹמֵד עָלָיו אַדְמַת קֹדֶשׁ הוּא: וַיֹּאמֶר אָנֹכִי אֱלֹקֵי אָבִיךָ אֱלֹקֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹקֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקֹב וַיַּסְתֵּר מֹשֶׁה פָּנָיו כִּי יָרֵא מֵהַבִּיט אֶל הָאֱלֹקִים: Exodus 3:5-6 [God] said, “Do not come closer. Remove your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. [God] said: “I am the God of your father, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitzhak, and the God of Ya’akov.” Moshe hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. By quoting the scene of Moshe at the burning bush, the Amidah offers a host of new associations that widen our understanding of the prayer. Indeed, with this link, we can interpret and experience these lines of our Amidah quite differently. One shift is the speaker of this line: in the Amidah, we, the worshipers, seem to be describing God as “God of our ancestors, God of Avraham, God of Yitzhak, and God of Ya’akov.” But in the biblical narrative, it is God who is speaking to Moshe. Connecting this fact to our prayer, we now have a very different orientation to the beginning of the Amidah. We start out not by speaking, but by listening. God is calling to us, like God called to Moshe at that very first moment of encounter. What might we hear—not just say—in this moment of prayer? In addition, God is sharing new information with Moshe: Moshe is descended from Avraham, Yitzhak, and Ya’akov. These are his ancestors. This is news to Moshe because he is, perhaps, unsure where he comes from. Amram is Moshe’s birth father, but he has never had a recorded conversation with him, and they are separated when Moshe is still a baby.4 Moshe grows up in Pharaoh’s palace, and perhaps Moshe sees Pharaoh as his real father figure.5 For most of his life, Moshe might see Yitro as his adopted father—the one whose family he marries into. Now, however, God is reminding Moshe about his real lineage: Avraham, Yitzhak, and Ya’akov. For us as worshipers, this may be a helpful reminder for our own connection to our past. To what extent are we ignorant or even alienated from our ancestry? How often do we adopt the surrounding culture as our assumed heritage, without connecting to our authentic, yet sometimes suppressed, origin stories? This line may remind us that reconnecting to our past—even after years of estrangement—is possible. This scene also helps us connect the Amidah to an intense, and new, personal encounter with God. The very first words that Moshe hears from God, after his own name, are the words quoted in the Amidah. Indeed, there is a connection between the burning bush (sneh) and the revelation on Sinai: פסיקתא זוטרתא (לקח טוב) ג:ב סנה. על שהיה עתיד ליתן תורה לישראל מהר סיני Lekah Tov Shemot 3:2, ed. Buber, p. 8b6 “Sneh”: On account that in the future [God] would give Torah to Israel from Mount Sinai. This midrashic tradition picks up on the linguistic similarity between the word sneh, translated as “bush,” and Sinai, the mountain on which God gave the Torah.7 This moment is a precursor of the larger revelation. Sinai was God’s moment of revelation to the entire people, but the burning bush (sneh) was the individual revelation. This might allow us to ask: in what way is God revealed to me personally through the Amidah I am about to recite? Finally, in the story of Moshe’s life, this moment of revelation comes at a time when he is quite removed from his people. Moshe had run away from the Jewish people decades earlier, married the daughter of a Midianite priest, and become a shepherd in a land far from the center of the Jewish story. But this is the moment when God invites Moshe back into the main narrative. Of course, Moshe is reluctant to come back in. Moshe’s first response to God’s introduction is: שמות ג:יא מִי אָנֹכִי כִּי אֵלֵךְ אֶל־פַּרְעֹה וְכִי אוֹצִיא אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם׃ Exodus 3:11 Who am I that I can go to Pharaoh and take out the people of Israel from Egypt? This reaction is also coupled with a lack of ability to speak. “Moshe said: ‘What shall I say to them?’” (v. 13) and later in the dialogue (4:10): “I am not a man of words.”8 The doubt expressed by Moshe might also be familiar to the worshiper of the Amidah. Perhaps I have a mission in life, but I am not ready to accept it. This allows the Amidah to also be a moment of self-reflection. Am I prepared to enter into the main story of my life? Or do I want to remain the proverbial shepherd in Midian, far from my life’s purpose? It is hard to change course in life to refocus our energies, even if it was why we were put on earth. Nevertheless, the Amidah can remind us of the potential we have to change and to accept the mission of our life. Understanding that the scene of Moshe at the burning bush stands behind the beginning of our Amidah opens up a wealth of interpretive possibilities: I am listening, and not just speaking, to God. I am connecting to my past in new ways. I have an invitation to step into the mission of my life. Will I move forward or resist? Sometimes, as I recite the Amidah, I imagine myself in the shoes of Moshe at the burning bush. I allow myself to be transported by these words to consider these questions in prayer. For me, this offers new meaning to well-worn words, and an opportunity to recognize the power of the textual links embedded in our Siddur. Shabbat shalom. 1 See Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 4:5. 2 Indeed, in Talmud Bavli Berakhot 40b, R. Yohanan states that any blessing without mentioning God as king is not a blessing. Certain authorities have tried to solve this dilemma as it relates to the Amidah, and some point to the word “king” toward the end of the blessing. See Tur OH 113; R”I bar Yakar, ed. Yerushalmi, p. 35; R. David Abudraham, ed. Braun, p. 64. 3 The repetition of the words “God of” in our phrase has also been explained in another way: each of the patriarchs had their own relationship with God, and one cannot rely on one’s parents’ relationship with God in order to forge our own connection. See Responsa of R. Meir Eisenstadt (1670-1744), Shu”t Panim Me’irot 1:39; R. Abraham Isaac Kook, Olat Re’iyah (Jerusalem: Mossad Ha-Rav Kook, 1996), vol. 1, p. 269. Solomon Schechter is also quoted as saying: “You cannot love God with your father’s heart.” 4 According to one midrash (Talmud Bavli Sotah 12a), Amram has to be convinced by Miriam even to have children at all; Amram is not a willing father. 5 Moshe might be aware that the Israelites are his brothers; see Exodus 2:11. However, it is the narrator, not Moshe, who identifies them as “his brothers”; we do not know if Moshe understands this to be the case. 6 See also Ibn Ezra to Exodus 3:2; Nahum Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary: Exodus (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1991), p. 14 and Meir Zvi Rabinowitz, Mahzor Piyyyutei R. Yannai, (Tel Aviv: Mossad Bialik, 1987), vol. 1, p. 272: “על הסנה בלהבים / ועל סיני בלפידים.” 7 Indeed, it is likely that the Torah itself sees these two mountains, both called “Mountain of God” (compare Exodus 3:1 to 24:13), as the same. See Sifrei Devarim #22, p. 33; Shemot Rabbah 2:4, ed. Shinan, p. 110. 8 This lack of confidence in speaking may also relate to our position as worshiper. How are we supposed to speak to God in prayer? Communicating in general is difficult, and all the more so to the Divine! But this scene offers us some hope: God wants to hear our words, even if we may falter in speaking, like Moshe. Prayer is not reserved for those with perfect expressive ability. My thanks to my colleague, R. Shai Held, for this perspective.

https://youtu.be/j6gTxLcdGDE Parashat Shemot 5783 / פָּרָשַׁת שְׁמוֹת 14 January 2023 / 21 Tevet 5783 Parashat Shemot is the 13th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Exodus 1:1-6:1 Shemot (“Names”) is the first Torah reading in the Book of Exodus. It opens describing the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt. Moses is born, placed in a basket on the Nile, and adopted into Pharaoh’s household. He later encounters God at a burning bush and begins his mission of demanding that Pharoah let the Israelites go. [1] Triennial year 1 1: 1:1-7 · 7 p’sukim · 2: 1:8-12 · 5 p’sukim · 3: 1:13-17 · 5 p’sukim · 4: 1:18-22 · 5 p’sukim · 5: 2:1-10 · 10 p’sukim · 6: 2:11-15 · 5 p’sukim · 7: 2:16-25 · 10 p’sukim · maf: 2:23-25 · 3 p’sukim · Haftarah for Ashkenazim: Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23 · 23 p’sukim Commentary and Divrei Torah Sefaria OU Torah Jewish Theological Seminary American Jewish University Soncino Chumash: pp. 206 - 213 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 206 - 224) Artscroll Chumash: pp. 292 - 301 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 292 - 317) Etz Chaim Chumash: pp. 317 - 326 Triennial Year 1 (Full Kriyah pp. 317 - 341) As we start the next book of Torah, Exodus or Shemot, we see the catalyst and background for the greatest event in our people’s history. As Israel had been living in Egypt for over 100 years, thriving and becoming part of Egyptian society, a new Pharaoh arises who knew not Joseph. Commentators seem to agree that Pharaoh probably did know of Joseph and his saving Egypt from a horrible famine. It is likely that he chose to ignore that and use the Israelites population to shore up his power. Using Israel’s numbers and the fact that they were a foreign people, Pharaoh stirred up suspicion and enslaved Israel. Now we are introduced to Moses, a Hebrew child sent off to spare him from the imposition Pharaoh’s new decree to kill all newborn male Hebrews to prevent what his astrologers foresaw as the beginning of a revolution. Moses, or Monios in Egyptian, is found and adopted by a princess in the court of Pharaoh. He now has both the Hebrew ancestry and Egyptian royal upbringing to make him the ideal agent for Hashem to rescue His people. With his royal status, he can now confront Pharaoh to “let my people go”. Parashat Shemot 5783 / פָּרָשַׁת שְׁמוֹת 14 enero 2023 / 21 Tevet 5783 https://youtu.be/j6gTxLcdGDE Parashat Shemot es la decimotercera porción semanal de la Torá en el ciclo judío anual de lectura de la Torá. Porción de la Torá: Éxodo 1:1-6:1 Shemot ("Nombres") es la primera lectura de la Torá en el Libro del Éxodo. Comienza describiendo la esclavitud de los israelitas en Egipto. Moisés nace, se coloca en una canasta en el Nilo y se adopta en la casa del faraón. Más tarde se encuentra con Dios en una zarza ardiente y comienza su misión de exigir que Faraón deje ir a los israelitas. [1] Trienal año 1 1: 1:1-7 · 7 p'sukim · 2: 1:8-12 · 5 p'sukim · 3: 1:13-17 · 5 p'sukim · 4: 1:18-22 · 5 p'sukim · 5: 2:1-10 · 10 p'sukim · 6: 2:11-15 · 5 p'sukim · 7: 2:16-25 · 10 p'sukim · maf: 2:23-25 · 3 p'sukim · Haftará para Ashkenazim: Isaías 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23 · 23 p'sukim Comentario y Divrei Torá Sefaria OU Torá Seminario Teológico Judío Universidad Judía Americana Soncino Chumash: págs. 206 - 213 Trienal Año 1 (Kriyah completo págs. 206 - 224) Artscroll Chumash: págs. 292 - 301 Año trienal 1 (Kriyah completa págs. 292 - 317) Etz Chaim Chumash: págs. 317 - 326 Año trienal 1 (Kriyah completa págs. 317 - 341) Al comenzar el próximo libro de la Torá, Éxodo o Shemot, vemos el catalizador y el trasfondo del evento más grande en la historia de nuestro pueblo. Como Israel había estado viviendo en Egipto durante más de 100 años, prosperando y convirtiéndose en parte de la sociedad egipcia, surge un nuevo faraón que no conocía a José. Los comentaristas parecen estar de acuerdo en que Faraón probablemente sabía que José había salvado a Egipto de una terrible hambruna. Es probable que haya elegido ignorar eso y usar a la población israelita para reforzar su poder. Usando los números de Israel y el hecho de que eran un pueblo extranjero, Faraón despertó sospechas y esclavizó a Israel. Ahora nos presentan a Moisés, un niño hebreo enviado para librarlo de la imposición del nuevo decreto del faraón de matar a todos los varones hebreos recién nacidos para evitar lo que sus astrólogos previeron como el comienzo de una revolución. Moisés, o Monios en egipcio, es encontrado y adoptado por una princesa en la corte del faraón. Ahora tiene ascendencia hebrea y educación real egipcia para convertirlo en el agente ideal para que Hashem rescate a Su pueblo. Con su estatus real, ahora puede enfrentarse al Faraón para “dejar ir a mi pueblo”.