spirit
Small Shul
torah portion
Big Horizons
My Jewish Mount Rushmore:
Four Figures who Changed the Course of Jewish History
Presented by Professor Howard Lupovitch
The Blessings
Of Birthright
Tuesday nights in July beginning at 7:30 p.m.
N
July 10: Jeremiah and the Invention of the Diaspora
July 17: Nachmanides (Ramban) - The Importance of Compromise
July 24: Sarah Schenirer and the Revolution in Jewish Education
July 31: Mordechai Kaplan and War on Jewish Assimilation
Tuition: $15 per session or $50 for the series
No charge for Beth Ahm members.
Advanced registration to 248-851-6880 or ablau@cbahm.org is requested.
co-sponosored by:
Congregation Beth Ahm
Big enough to enrich you. Small enough to know you.
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www.cbahm.org
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MEL DRYMAN
Raised in Detroit, Experienced in Arizona
Your Professional
& Dedicated
ARIZONA REALTOR
Mobile: (480) 239-8686
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July 5 • 2018
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o matter how far a Jew may
wander, each of us remains
deeply connected to the Land
of Israel. Geography notwithstanding,
the Jew is in Israel and Israel is within
the Jew.
What ties us so deeply to the Holy
Land? In Parshat Pinchas, we read of
three factors that determined
the Torah and mitzvot and
how the land was apportioned:
allow us to connect to Him.
As the progeny of Abraham
The third and deepest con-
and Sarah, every Jew inherit-
nection
is Torah as our inher-
ed a part of the Promised Land.
itance. A baby can inherit a
Then a specific portion was
fortune, by the virtue of who
given to each family, adjusted
he or she is, and we are con-
to fit the size of the family.
nected to God and His Torah
Lastly, a lottery determined the
Rabbi
Kasriel
at birth. It’s written into the
geographical location of each
code
of our souls, imprinted
Shemtov
family’s portion.
into
every
fiber of our being.
These three steps reflect the
As
we
enter
the Three
multi-tiered relationship we
Weeks, when we mourn the
have with our land.
destruction of Jerusalem and
Our portion was determined
based on family size, a logical determi- exile of our people, we are reminded
that despite our wanderings, we
nation.
remain deeply connected to His land
The lottery rises above our specific
needs, executed by God and His choos- through the intrinsic connection our
souls have with Him.
ing, transcending our characteristics.
This connection empowers us to
The third relationship is the deep-
make a positive impact in ways we can
est. Israel is our inheritance, which
scarcely imagine.
belongs to every Jew. Regardless of the
Whenever the Jews of Israel faced a
size of family or level of knowledge, an
crisis,
the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righ-
inheritance is a birthright, an inner
teous
memory,
would encourage Jews
union, an essential bond.
everywhere
to
increase
their Jewish
Our soul connection to Israel
observance,
light
Shabbat
candles,
reflects our deep connection with God.
install
kosher
mezuzot,
observe
We, therefore, see that our relationship
with God has three modalities, reflect- kashrut, study Torah, etc.
The Rebbe keenly understood that
ing the inheritance, apportionment
a mitzvah reaches deep into the core
and the lottery.
of our being, to the place where we
In the morning service we say:
are one with each other and one with
Ashrenu mah tov chalkenu (how fortu-
nate are we, how goodly is our portion) Israel, so that the physical distance is
of no consequence. When a Jewish girl
umah na’im gorelanu (and how sweet
lights Shabbat candles in Michigan, it
is our lot), umah yafah yerushatenu
(and how beautiful is our inheritance). helps her brothers and sisters in Israel.
This is what brought Israel bless-
Note the same three words: portion,
ings and miracles in the past; this can
lot and inheritance. Let’s examine
repeat itself again. Think of ways that
them.
you can reach deep into yourself, to
Just like the portion of Israel was
the place where you are Jewish simply
based on family size, our portion of
because it is your birthright, into your
Torah reflects our level of engagement
personal portion of Israel as it resides
with Torah and mitzvah observance.
The second layer of our soul connec- in your soul and be sure to express it in
physical action. •
tion transcends our limitations. It is
executed by God and by His choosing,
Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov is spiritual director of The
similar to a lottery, which is entirely
Shul in West Bloomfield.
controlled by God. He chose to give us
Parshat Pinchas:
Numbers 25:10-30:1;
Jeremiah 1:1-2:3.