Vayechi D'var Torah

Vayechi

Jacob was getting pretty close to dying, so he asked Joseph to bury him where his ancestors were buried, not in Egypt. Some time after, Jacob was ill, so Joseph went to see him. Jacob told him that Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph’s sons, would be treated just like Jacob’s sons and that they would be fertile and numerous. Jacob then blessed Ephraim and Manasseh, but he placed his right hand on Ephraim, the younger brothers’ head, and his left hand on Manasseh, who was older (this was backwards, apparently the right hand is supposed to go on the older one’s head). Joseph saw this and tried to switch Jacob’s hands to the right way, but Jacob said that it was on purpose, and although Manasseh would become a people and he would be great, Ephraim would be greater and his offspring would be plentiful enough for nations.

Jacob called all of his sons in to tell them what would happen to them after he died. According to Jacob, Reuben, his first-born, would no longer continue to excel, and that he was unstable as water. He decided that Simeon and Levi would not be counted in his council, because “For when angry they slay men, And when pleased they maim oxen.” He promised to divide them in Israel. Jacob then praised Judah, and said that good things would happen to him and he would continue to rule. Jacob continued to go through his sons, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, and Naphtali. He then gives Joseph many blessings, and ends with Benjamin. His last words instructed his sons where to bury him, in the same place as Abraham, Isaac, Sarah, Rebekah, and Leah were buried. At the age of 147, Jacob then died. His sons buried him, and at the end of the portion, Joseph died as well.

December SATO Snap

     Now, more than ever small businesses are struggling through the lockdown. With stay-at-home orders and everyone buying things online, it’s hard to know who you’re supporting. Buying from big corporate companies can’t always be avoided, but as much as you can, try to buy from smaller, more ethical businesses, even if it means paying a few more dollars. Big sites like Amazon have the option to only search products that are sold by local and small businesses, so you can still support them through big websites. Many restaurants are also struggling through the pandemic and don’t get enough support. A great thing to do is get takeout from local restaurants instead of getting fast food like pizza hut and taco bell. Another huge plus about supporting smaller businesses, is a lot of them tend to be more ethical and better for the environment. An easy way to tell if a company is ethical is by looking at the “about” section of their websites. Almost all companies that go out of their way to be more ethical are proud of it and write about it online. It’s a huge red flag when businesses do not state where their materials are sourced. However, you don’t have to spend money to support struggling small businesses. Many of them have social media pages that you can follow and support as well!

Vayigash D'var Torah

This portion finishes the story of Joseph. At the beginning of the portion, there was a famine, so Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to ask for food. Joseph asked them to bring their youngest brother, Benjamin with them. So his brothers went back to Jacob and asked to take Benjamin with them, and he allowed them to, as long as they promised to return him safely. When they returned, Joseph couldn’t contain himself anymore, and so he started crying and made them leave the room. He then called them back and told them that he was their brother (who they thought to be dead), Joseph. Joseph then gave them lots of provisions and told them to bring Jacob to him. His brothers returned to Jacob, and they brought all of their kids and Jacob’s grandkids, for a total of 70 people travelling with them. Joseph told them to settle in the land of Goshen, and Jacob decided that he was ready to die having seen Joseph alive.

Miketz D'var Torah

 In this parsha, Pharaoh has his famous dreams about 7 fat cows and 7 plump ears of corn eating 7 skinny cows and 7 skinny ears of corn. He calls on Joseph to interpret these dreams, and Joseph does, telling Pharaoh that the land will be stuck with 7 years of bountiful harvest before 7 years of famine, and that Egypt should save up their food for 7 years to have enough to eat during the famine. Pharaoh appoints Joseph to a high advisory position, and Joseph goes around the land preparing the people for the famine. When the famine hits, Egypt has plenty to eat, but Joseph's brothers do not, so they go to Egypt to ask for food. When Joseph sees them, he plays a trick on them, as they do not recognize him, and sends them away, telling them to return with their younger brother, Benjamin. When they come with Benjamin, Joseph sneaks a goblet into Benjamin's bag, and takes Benjamin as a prisoner.

Israel affairs December

 December 11 2020

Just like in the US Israel is making plans to distribute the covid-19 vaccine made by Pfizer. Israel is planning to start distributing vaccines on December 27 and their goal is to administer 60,000 vaccines per day once they start. The Israeli government is also giving people who are vaccinated green passports and are letting them move around freely. Hopefully the vaccine will be able to be distributed safely to Israeli citizens on December 27.

Vayeshev D'var Torah

Jacob loved his son Joseph more than all the others, so he made him a special “ornamented tunic.” Joseph also had a couple dreams that made him seem superior to his brothers. Due to this, his brothers were not happy with him. They were plotting to kill Joseph, but before they did, Reuben stepped in and suggested that they just leave him in a pit in the wilderness, so they did that. However, before they left, Judah saw a group of Ishmaelites and suggested to instead sell Joseph to them as a slave, and so they did. When Reuben came back to the pit and saw Joseph was missing, he got scared, so they dipped Joseph’s tunic in blood and brought it back to Jacob, which conveyed that Joseph may have been killed by a wild animal. This devastated Jacob, so he mourned Joseph. Meanwhile, Joseph had been sold in Egypt to Potiphar, a courier of Pharaoh.

After some time, Joseph had risen to be in charge of his masters’ household, because his master saw that God was with Joseph. Subsequently, his masters’ wife decided that she liked Joseph and asked him to sleep with her. Joseph refused, but she continued to try to convince him. After many attempts at trying to lure in Joseph, his masters’ wife framed Joseph and pretended that he was trying to seduce her and that he ran away before she could call for help. Joseph was sent to jail for his supposed crime.

Some time later, Pharaoh sent his chief cupbearer and chief baker to the jail where Joseph was. One night, they each had a dream, and Joseph was willing to help explain them, since God was with him. The cupbearer told Joseph his dream, and Joseph interpreted it to mean that Pharaoh would free him in three days. Joseph also asked the cupbearer to mention him to Pharaoh when he gets freed, to maybe help free Joseph. Then, the baker told Joseph his dream, and Joseph interpreted it to mean that he would be executed in three days. Sure enough the dreams came true, the baker was killed and the cupbearer was released. However, the cupbearer didn’t remember Joseph as he was asked. 

Vayishalach D'var Torah

 Esau was about to come visit Jacob, so Jacob split up his possessions, he got presents ready for Esau, and he sent himself and his family across a river to protect them from Esau. That night, when Jacob was alone, a divine being came and wrestled him all night. In the morning, as the divine being left, he said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed.” 

When Esau came the next day, they were very happy to see each other and Jacob gave Esau a present.

Jacob and his children travelled to Shechem, another city. One day, Shechem, who was the chief of the land Shechem, abducted and raped Dinah, Jacob’s only daughter. Shechem’s father, Hamor, went to Jacob to speak with him. He requested that Dinah marry Shechem, and he said that if Shechem could marry Dinah he would let Jacob’s sons marry the women of his city. Jacob responded with a deal: their families could intermarry but only if every male in the city of Shechem got circumcised. 

All the men got circumcised, but since they were adults, it was probably very painful. So, while they were all in pain, Simeon and Levi (two of Jacob’s sons) killed every adult male in the city, including Shechem and Hamor. They retrieved Dinah and then the rest of Jacob’s sons went throughout the city, collecting all of their possessions. Jacob then got mad at Simeon and Levi for ruining his reputation and increasing the possibility of them being attacked, but they answered, “Should our sister be treated like a [prostitute]?”

As Jacob continued his travels, God blessed him and said, “You whose name is Jacob, You should be called Jacob no more, But Israel shall be your name.” This is when Jacob’s name is officially changed by God to Israel. Soon after, Rachel became pregnant again, and had another boy, but she died in childbirth. The boy was named Benjamin. Overall, Jacob had 12 sons- Leah’s sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; Rachel’s sons, Joseph and Benjamin; Rachel’s maid Bilhah had Dan and Naphtali, and Leah’s maid Zilpah had Gad and Asher. After the birth of Benjamin, Jacob returned to Isaac, who was 180 years old, and he died.

Vayetzei D'var Torah

As he was travelling, Jacob had a dream about a ladder, and God spoke to him, which made him realize that God was helping him and he was in a holy place. Later, he ran into his cousin Rachel, who took him to his uncle, Laban (Rebekah’s dad). Laban had two kids, Rachel, who was beautiful, and Leah, who was not (in Jacob’s opinion). Jacob then agreed to serve seven years for Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel, and the seven years went by fast. Once the time was up, Jacob asked Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is fulfilled, that I may cohabit with her.” So Laban gathered all of his people for a feast, and then he gave Leah to Jacob to spend the night together. Apparently, Jacob somehow didn’t realize that he was given Leah until the morning, and so he asked Laban why that happened (when Jacob asked for a wife, he meant Rachel). Laban replied, “It is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the older. Wait until the bridal week of this one is over and we will give you that one too, provided you serve me another seven years.” Therefore, after a week, Jacob was given Rachel as well, they were intimate, and Jacob served Laban another seven years. God saw that Leah was “unloved” and he “opened her womb,” but Rachel was barren. Leah had four kids, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah.

Rachel was jealous of Leah, so she told Jacob to, “give me children, or I shall die.” Rachel gave Jacob her maid Bilhah to have a child, and they had two children together, Dan and Naphtali. Then, Leah gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob, and they also had two children together, Gad and Asher.

Some time later, Reuben came across some mandrakes (plants) and brought them to Leah. Rachel asked Leah for some, but Leah complained, “Was it not enough for you to take away my husband, that you would also take my son’s mandrakes?” So Rachel allowed Leah to sleep with Jacob for a night in return for the mandrakes. Leah had two more kids after this, Issachar and Zebulun. She also had a daughter, Dinah. God remembered Rachel, and opened her womb. She had another kid, Joseph. After this, Jacob and Laban agreed to split up Laban’s sheep as payment for everything Jacob had done for him, and so Jacob became increasingly prosperous. Then, Jacob took all of his possessions, and Rachel and Leah, and ran away from Laban. Laban chased after him, and was warned by God to not do anything to Jacob on the way there. Previously, Rachel had stolen Laban’s idols from his house, and so he went searching from them in Jacob’s camp. Rachel hid them under her and made an excuse that she couldn’t stand up. After this, Laban and Jacob made an agreement that Laban wouldn’t try to harm Jacob and Jacob wouldn’t take any wives besides Rachel and Leah. Laban then left Jacob’s camp.

Toldot D'var Torah

Isaac and Rebekah eventually got married and had kids named Esau and Jacob. Isaac liked Esau more, he was into hunting and outdoorsy stuff, and Rebekah liked Jacob more, he was more mild and stayed in camp most of the time. Jacob was cooking a stew, and Esau came in very hungry. Esau asked for stew, but Jacob made Esau give up his birthright to eat.

There was a famine, so Isaac went to Abimelech, who was the king of the Philistines. However, Isaac pretended that Rebekah was his sister, so that the men wouldn’t kill him so that they could have Rebekah. After some time passed, Abimelech looked out his window and saw Isaac and Rebekah having relations, and he realized that they were married. He sent for Isaac and asked him why he lied, and after Isaac explained, Abimelech made it so that anyone who did anything to Isaac or Rebekah would be put to death. During the rest of the time Isaac spent with the Philistines, he continued to become wealthier and wealthier, until Abimelech kicked him out, since Isaac had become too good for them.

When Isaac was old and mostly blind, he asked Esau to go out and hunt him something good to make something to his liking, so he could give Esau his “innermost blessing” before he died. Rebekah overheard this and told Jacob to get her some sheep from their own flock so she could make a good meal and give it to Jacob. They also covered Jacob in animal skins to make him hairy, like Esau, so Isaac would be fooled. Isaac ate and then blessed Jacob, and right after that, Esau came and made his own meal. When he brought it to Isaac, they realized that Jacob had taken the blessing, which was irreversible. This made Esau sad, and then mad. He decided that he wanted to kill Jacob. Rebekah then told Jacob to run away from Esau to protect himself, and he did.

Israel affairs November 15 2020

November 15 2020

Like in the United States, Israel is also going through the covid 19 pandemic. Since school has started they have been doing mostly in person school. Recently, in an attempt to make school more accessible for everyone they have approved filming classes under strict guidelines. Some of the guidelines that teachers and school faculty have to follow when using a video is: it has to focus on the teacher, they can’t make a recording unless they notify all parents and the school principal and the recording has to be deleted no more than a week later and they have to try not to focus the camera on students unless they need to for class conversation and then it is at the teacher’s discretion.

Chayei Sarah D'var Torah

To start this portion, Sarah died and Abraham buried her. Then, Abraham asked his servant to go to the land that Abraham was from to get Isaac a wife, but not to bring Isaac there and to bring the woman to Isaac. The servant went to the city of Nahor, Abraham’s birthplace, and found a spot to try to find a good wife for Isaac. He encountered a woman, Rebekah, who offered him and his camels water, and then allowed them to spend the night at her house. The servant told Rebekah and his family his story, and they allowed him to take Rebekah with him. They went back to Isaac, and Isaac loved Rebekah. After this, Abraham and Ishmael both died.

D' var torah of Vayera

     

   The Torah potions of Vayera are about Abraham and Sarah, Issac, and Lot and his family. Abraham and Sarah are approached by three visitors, who announce Sarah will soon have a son. Soon after, Abraham argues with God about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Meanwhile, Lots home is attacked by the people of Sodom and he escapes with his two daughters. Lot and his family had instructions not to look behind him while escaping, but his wife did not listen and got turned into a pillar of salt. At the end of the portions, Abraham and Sarah have their son Issac, and God tests Abraham by telling him to sacrifice Issac.

The haftorah of Vayera includes the profit of Alyshia. The story contains two miracles. The first miracle started with a widow who was in debt, dealing with creditors threatening to take her two children into slavery due to her little amount of money. Elisha asked what the widow had at home and she responded by saying she only had a vile of oil. Elisha then told her to gather as many empty containers as possible, she did as told borrowing many from neighbors and friends. He then told her to pout oil into each of the vessels. When the widow did this, each vessel started to fill with oil. She sold the oil and made a hefty profit, and was able to save her children from slavery.

The second story of Elisha started off when Elisha was visiting the city of Shunam. He was welcomed into the home of a hospitable couple, who made a guest room for him to stay. In return, the profit blessed the couple with a child. Years later when the child was working, he complained he had a headache and died shortly after. The couple layed his body on the guest bed where Elisha once slept and the mother of the child went on her donkey to get Elisha. Elisha quickly went to the house when he heard the news, and miraculously brought the child back to life. The child sneezed three times before waking up.

Lech Lecha D'var Torah

God told Abram to leave his native land and go where God tells him; God promised to make Abram a great nation, to bless him and make his name great, to bless those who bless Abram and to curse those who curse him. Abram followed God’s directions and left his home, Haram, with his wife Sarai and his son Lot. The group traveled throughout Canaan, building some altars to God. After a while, there was a famine in Canaan, so Abram needed to go to Egypt to get food.

Before he entered Egypt, Abram said to Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. If the Egyptians see you and think, ‘She is his wife,’ they will kill me and let you live. Please say that you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may remain alive thanks to you.” After they entered Egypt, Pharaoh fell in love with Sarai and because of her, Abram was given good treatment as well. However, God afflicted Pharaoh and his household with plagues because of Sarai. Pharaoh then got frustrated with Abram that he lied that Sarai was his sister, and he kicked them out of Egypt.

Abram and Lot both had become very wealthy at this point, with lots of cattle, tents, and resources. Abram suggested that they split up because of this, so they did. However, the area where Lot went was soon invaded, and the invaders captured Lot. When Abram heard of this, he went to where Lot was being held captive, and Abram and his men defeated the invaders and took back Lot, all his possessions, and the other things that were stolen. After this, Abram was offered a reward by the King of Sodom, the place that was attacked, but Abram declined. Some time after this, God made a promise to Abram assigning him and his offspring the whole land of Canaan.

Sarai and Abram wanted to have kids, but they weren’t able to yet. Sarai had a maidservant named Hagar, and she suggested to Abram that he should try to have kids with Hagar. Soon after, Hagar and Abram had a baby together, and this made Sarai mad and jealous. In response, Abram gave Sarai permission to do whatever she wanted to Hagar, so Sarai treated Hagar harshly and Hagar ran away. God sent an angel to find Hagar, and the angel told her to go back to Sarai and have the baby, and the baby would be named Ishmael and he would be important and have many offspring. At the end of the portion, God establishes a covenant with Abram, and changes his name to Abraham (because God will make Abraham the father of a multitude of nations). Abraham’s part of the deal is that all of his descendants must be circumcised, to uphold the covenant. God also changes Sarai’s name to Sarah, and God promises that Sarah will give birth to a baby with Abraham and that she will give rise to nations and rulers and have many important descendants. Abraham laughed at the fact that Sarah was 90 and he was 100, and God said they would have a baby, but God still said that they would have a son, and he would be named Isaac. God also blessed Ishmael and promised to make him “exceedingly numerous” and be the father of 12 chieftains. God left Abraham, and then Abraham, Ishmael, and every other male in Abraham’s household all circumcised themselves to uphold the covenant with God.

D'var Torah - Noach

 Parshat Noach begins by telling us the Noah was, "blameless in his age," often interpreted as meeting that Noah was not actually blameless and perfect, but he appeared so in comparison to the other people around him, who were incredibly violent and horrible. Because all of humanity has fallen into chaos, God decides to start over. God tells Noah this, and then tells Noah to build and ark that can hold himself, his family, and two (or more) of every type of animal. (There were seven of the kosher, or "clean," animals.) Noah does as God tells him to. God makes it rain for forty days and forty nights, covering everything. Eventually, the rain finally stops and the ark comes to rest on top of Mount Ararat. To make sure that it is safe to leave the ark, Noah sends out a Raven, who comes back without anything, not having found a single dry place where it could stand. Noah tries again with a dove, who returns with an olive branch. Noah releases a second dove, who does not return at all, signaling that it is now safe to leave the ark. God creates a rainbow in the sky. God tells Noah that it is a symbol of God keeping the promise that God will never destroy the world again. Because of this, there is a tradition that when one sees a rainbow, they say the blessing: Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who remembers the covenant, and is faithful to His covenant, and keeps His promise." At the beginning, the parsha has a gloomy, end-of-the world connotation, but it can also be read as a message of hope for the future, that even though things are bad now, they don't always have to be. The rainbow represents that hope, however because God has promised not to destroy the world in such a fashion again, we can harness that hope and use it to help God repair the world through Tikun Olam.

October Tikkun Olam Snap

With the presidential election coming up, everyone hears that voting and voter registration are one of the best ways to create change in the world, as voting is one of the easiest and most important ways that citizens are able to change their country and work towards Tikkun Olam. As teens in USY, most of us can't vote, but that doesn't mean we can't use Tikkun Olam and Jewish values to create change in the world. Small changes are just as important and significant as the big ones, and it is up to us during this crazy time of COVID to help create these changes. Educate yourself about current events around the world and at home, and use your voice to help create positive change through social action to help repair the world.

SATO snap October

 Things we can do right now to reduce your carbon footprint!! 

Your carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by you individually. Greenhouse gasses are gasses that trap heat and ultimately cause global warming. The main gasses are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases. So many things in our daily lives lead to greenhouse gasses being released. 

Calculate your carbon footprint: https://www.conservation.org/carbon-footprint-calculator?gclid=Cj0KCQjwjer4BRCZARIsABK4QeWvqTjSO51lRHjedJnvYx4vbo1HI2L59zQC4N4A-79B31WtSMtkA2waAkuyEALw_wcB#/

-Try to use less hot water when you can. This includes warm or cool showers, cold setting on the washing machine, etc. This saves at least 500 pounds of carbon dioxide per year! 

- Think about your transportation. Try to be in the car less. Try to use public transportation, biking, walking, or try to carpool when possible. And if you do use a car a lot remember to tell the driver to go easy on the gas and breaks, using cruise control for longer rides, don’t use air conditioning if you can help it, and check your tires, by having them pumped correctly. This can save around 2.6 tons of greenhouse gasses a year. 

-Think about your diet. It can be hard, but reducing your meat or dairy consumption can help a lot. Red meat alone produces over 6 pounds of carbon dioxide per serving. To put that in comparison apples produce less than 80 grams. 

- Waste less. The average American wastes 40% of the food they buy. Don’t be average. To do this, make sure you plan your shopping trips to avoid buying things you don’t need as well as frequently organized your pantry and fridge to make sure you know what’s in it. Try to be careful of how much of on food you buy at the store, regardless of price, and try to avoid bulk when you can. Make sure to plan how much food you need so you don’t cook more than you need. Also, compost if you can. 

Fires force evacuations in Israel on October 9 2020

On october 9 fires in Israel forced people to evacuate. There are multiple blazes near major  highways. In one community multiple houses were on fire and thousands were evacuated from near the fires. The windy conditions made the fire fighters' jobs harder. Firefighters also used plains to help put out the fires. The military said that they sent soldiers to lend aid to the firefighters at the fires. In one incident two people were lightly burned but there are no known casualties.

D'var Torah- Bereshit

 Bereshit

The beginning of the Torah comes along with the beginning of Earth. To start this portion, God creates the world over the first week of time. On the first day, God creates light and then separates it from the darkness. On the second day, God creates the sky, and uses it to separate the already existing water. On the third day, God gathers the water into one area, so that land can form in the other areas. God also creates vegetation; plants, fruits, seeds, and trees. On the fourth day, God creates the sun and the moon. They are created to tell time and to show a difference between night and day. On the fifth day, God creates fish and birds. On the sixth day, God creates animals, and one man in God’s image. Then, God blessed the seventh day, Shabbat, made it holy, and rested.

Next, God creates the Garden of Eden and puts the man in it. God tells the man that he can eat anything, except from fruit from the tree of knowledge. Then, God creates a woman for the man, to give man a “helper.” The man and the woman were naked, but they did not feel ashamed.

After this, a snake comes up to the woman and suggests that she eat from the tree of knowledge, and she does. She then gives some to the man, and he eats too. However, eating the fruit caused “their eyes to open,” and they realized they were naked, so they made loincloths. The man and the woman then hear God coming in the garden, so they hide because they were naked. This causes God to realize that they ate fruit from the tree. Since they broke the rules, he punishes each one of them. The snake is cursed to crawl on its belly forever, the woman is cursed to have pain while giving birth, and the man has to work to earn food. Then, the woman is named Eve (it doesn’t explicitly give a time when Adam is named), and God makes clothes for Adam and Eve. God then banishes them from the Garden of Eden.

Adam and Eve have two kids, Cain and Abel. Cain becomes a farmer, and gives God a fruit offering. Abel becomes a shepherd, and offers God his best sheep. God pays attention to Abel’s offering but not to Cain’s offering, which makes Cain sad. Cain then kills Abel while they are working, because he is mad. God then asks Cain where Abel is, and Cain lies and says that he doesn’t know. However, God says that he knows that Cain killed Abel. God then curses Cain to fail at farming and become a ceaseless wanderer. God also puts a mark on Cain to protect him, so that anyone who kills Cain would suffer 7 times as much as Cain.

The portion then goes on to list all of the descendants of Adam, all the way down to Noah. Next, God sets man’s maximum lifespan to 120 years. Finally, God realizes that men are not all good people, and he regrets that he made them. He vows to get rid of all men, animals, and living things. This is a sad way to end the portion, but the last line reads, “But Noah found favor with the Lord,” suggesting that humans might have one more hope in Noah!

Israel affairs update

Many people go on to the streets in israel protesting prime minister Netanyahu

People in jainism in the last months have been protesting prime minister Netanyahu. Now there has  been 11 weeks of protesting.People are demanding Netanyahu to step down. Aslo Netanyahu is facing a trial for corruption and people have accused him of not properly handling the covit-19. 

    On saturday August 29th midia shows photos of protesters near the home of Netanyahu being dragged by police. The protesters in Jerusalem marched from the entrance of the city to the residence of Netanyahu. Midia says that around 20,000 attended the protests in Jerusalem but organizers of the protests on saturday say 37,000 people attended the protests. 

    These protests come when Netanyahu is starting his corruption trail. And he was charged with fraud, breach of trust, and bribery which are giving the protests more momentum.

Isabels Bio

Isabel Pravda is the Social Action vice president for this year's USY board.

Matthew's Bio

Matthew is currently the Vice President of Religion and Education for the USY Board, and this is his first year on the board. He is entering 9th grade at Framingham High School. Matthew is a big sports fan, and he loves the Red Sox and the Patriots. In his free time, he plays tennis and piano and he loves to play board games. Matthew enjoyed coming to Temple Israel every Saturday for Shabbat services and seeing his friends when that was allowed. He is very excited to start his journey this year with USY!

Gabe’s Bio

Gabe Klawans is the communications Vice President of Natick USY. He is going into 9th grade at Natick High School. He has played the trumpet for nearly 5 years and has participated in honors and jazz bands. He spent the summer of 2019 at Ramah New England and hope to go back. Every Sunday during the school year He would attend Prozdor. He was also a madrich in the Ida and Charles Gilvarg Religious School. He looks forward to the coming school year in USY.

Ari's Bio

Ari Klawans is currently a President of Natick USY. He is also an incoming Junior at Natick High School, where he is a part of the Improv club. He also helps out in a hebrew school classroom through the Madrichim program in the Ida and Charles Gilvarg Religious School and attends Prozdor. He likes filmmaking, editing, and writing. For the last two summers, Ari attended Camp Ramah in New England. This summer, he attended the virtual Ramah program. Ari is looking forward to an amazing year with USY!

D'var for Beha'alotcha

Sorry I skipped out on the last two weeks. Anyway, this week’s parsha, Beha'alotcha, God God tells Moses about the role of the Levites, explaining how the Levites will be cleansed through being sprinkled with special water, shaving their bodies, and washing their clothes. God says that Levites would work in the Tent of Meeting from ages 25 to 50, after which they could retire. God tells Moses about the holiday of Passover. The parsha tells us that the Tabernacle was covered by a cloud during the daytime and a fire at night. When the cloud left that position, the Israelites followed the cloud until it settled, and the Israelites set up camp there. God outlines a system in which various numbers of trumpet blasts signal different things, such as people assembling at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

The Israelites complain, wishing that they had meat to eat. Moses asks God for help, and God says that if the Israelites purify themselves, there would be meat the next day. God brings the people quail, which they eat, but then God strikes the people with a plague. Mirriam, Moses’s sister gets this plague after speaking against Moses. Moses prays to God, saying, “Oh, God, pray heal her,” which is the phrase that we use in the prayer in which we ask for healing of people in our community.

D'var for Bamidbar

Chazak Chazak v’Nitchazek! We have finished the book of Leviticus and are beginning the book of Numbers! In Parshat Bamidbar, we get a lot of the logistics of living in the desert. God tells Moses to take a census of Israelite men aged 20 and up so as to form an army. The census finds the population of each of the 12 tribes. The Levites don’t participate in the army as they take care of the Tabernacle. The setup for where the Israelites will encamp by tribe surrounding the Tabernacle is laid out. More logistics and censuses are laid out by God, and Moses and Aaron do as they are told.

D'var for Behar-Bechukotai

This week is a double parsha, Behar-Bechukotai. In Parshat Behar, God lays out the laws concerning the Sabbatical and Jubilee years. The land is given it’s own Shabbat, once every seven years for the whole year. People would not work with the land that year, but could eat what the land produced on its own. To accommodate this, God promises enough food in the sixth year to store for the seventh. Every 50 years was the Jubilee year. During the Jubilee year, land was returned to the people whose ancestors had owned it. More laws concerning property follow this.

In Bechukotai, God lists blessings for if the people follow God’s laws and punishments for if they do not, as well as other laws.

D'var for Emor

In this week’s parsha, Parshat Emor, God tells moses to tell the priests about the laws that they will have to follow, such as forbidding them from coming into contact with a dead body, excluding specific close relatives, (the High Priest couldn’t come into contact with any dead bodies at all,) forbidding shaving any part of their beards, who the priest could and couldn’t share the meat of sacrifices with, and others. Important parts of the Jewish calendar are layed out, including the holidays of Shabbat, Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanna, Yom Kippor, and Sukkot. The parshah ends with a story of a man who said God’s name in blasphemy, breaking one of the ten commandments. God declares that this man and anyone else blasphemed God would be put to death.

D'var for Achrei-Mot-Kedoshim

Looks like I forgot to do this last week. (A shame because last week’s double parsha, Tazria and Metzora are about diseases, very applicable to today.) Anyway, this week's double parshiot, Acharei Mot-Kedoshim, focuses on various other laws. In Acharei Mot, God explains the sacrificial rituals of Yom Kippur, such as the tradition of the two goats, one which is sacrificed, and the other sent into the wilderness. The parsha then describes what is now referred to as the “Holiness Code.” Oxen, sheep, or goats meant for sacrificing may not be slaughtered without being brought to the Tabernacle as an offering. Other laws described include being forbidden from consuming blood, forbidding various types of relationships. In Kedoshim, more laws are stated, and the 10 Commandments are repeated.

D'var for Shmini

In this week’s parsha, Shmini, an eight-day ceremony is finished. During the ceremony, the priests were ordained and the Tabernacle was consecrated. Aaron makes the last sacrifices, blessed the people of Israel, and then the Presence of God appeared to all of them.

Then, in one of the more confusing sections of the Torah, Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, offer a sacrifice of “alien fire.” This was not commanded by God, so God let the fire of the altar consume them. They died, and when Moses told Aaron this, Aaron said nothing. Moses also told Aaron and his other two remaining sons not to mourn Nadav and Avihu. They are commanded not to enter the Tent of Meeting while intoxicated. 

A bit later, God then explains laws of Kashrut and purity.

D'var for Tzav

In this week’s parsha, Tzav, God tells Moses about the ritual component of the sacrifices that Aaron and the priests will be performing in the Mishcan. (I’m sparing you - and myself - the gorey details of some of these.) The first described is the burnt offering, which was left burning, the priests continually adding wood every morning. The meal offering was only partially burned on the altar, and the rest of it was eaten by the priests. The sin offering was also eaten by a priest after being slaughtered at the same place as the burnt offering. The guilt offering was also slaughtered in the same place, and the priest ate it’s meat as well. The peace offering was made up of meat alongside “unleavened cakes” or “wafers with oil.” The meat had to be eaten on the day it was offered, or, in special cases, within two days. Meat that had come into contact with anything that was unclean had to be burned, and was not eaten.

God then instructs Moses to bring all of the Israelites together. In front of everybody, Moses washed Aaron and his sons, and then put the priestly vestments onto Aaron. Moses anoints and consecrates Aaron, his sons, and the Tabernacle. Aaron and his sons sacrificed a bull and two rams.

D'var for Vayikra

This week’s parsha is Vayikra, the first parsha in the book of Leviticus. In Vayikra, God tells Moses about the laws concerning burnt offerings in the Tabernacle, such as which animals could be sacrificed as burnt offerings and how. There was also a meal offering, which was salted and unleavened flour with oil, which was cooked in a pan. A portion was burnt on the altar, but the priests ate the rest of it. Also described in gorey detail are “sacrifices of well-being,” sin offerings, and guilt offerings.

D'var for Vayakhel-Pekudei

This week is a double-parsha, Vayakhel-Pekudei. In parshat Vayakhel, the building of the Tabernacle, or Mishcan, commences. Moses collects gifts from the Israelites of materials that will be used to build it, and he invites the people with the skills to make the Tabernacle, it’s furnishings, and the priests’ clothes. God singles gives the skills to construct the Mishkan to Bezalel and Oholiab. The tabernacles curtains, coverings, boards, the ark, the golden menorah, and the altar.

In parshat Pekudei, the making of the Mishkan finishes. Bezalel, Oholiab and their coworkers make the priest's clothes. Moses blesses the people who made the tabernacle and then God tells Moses to put the Tabernacle together, and he does. Once he has completed his work, God’s presence takes on the form of a cloud, and God covers the Tabernacle.

D'var for Tetzaveh

In this week’s parsha, Tetzaveh, God instructs Moses and the Israelites on various things that they will need to do for the Mishcan, or Tabernacle relating to the Kohanim, or priests. It describes the breastplate, robe, sash, headdress, frontlet, and breeches for Aaron, the high priest. The priests then sacrificed a bull, two rams, and some unleavened bread and cakes. God tells Moses to make an incense altar of acacia wood and gold.

D'var for Terumah

In this week’s parsha, Terumah, God gives the instructions to make the Tabernacle (Mishcan), a portable Temple that the Israelites would bring with them through the desert to worship God. God tells Moses to tell the Israelites to, if they wish, bring gifts of various valuable materials to make the Tabernacle, so that God can dwell among them. The parsha continues to list the instructions for things that would need to be made, including two gold cherubim, a seven-branched gold menorah, walls made of acacia wood, a blue, purple, and crimson curtain, an altar of acacia wood, and an enclosure of fine twisted linen.

D'var for Beshalach/Shabbat Shirah

In this week’s parsha, Beshalach, Pharaoh finally lets the Israelites go. They are led by God, taking the form of a pillar of clouds by day, and a pillar of fire at night. They camp by the red sea, and then Pharaoh has a change of heart and sends his army after them. God tells Moses to lift out his rod over the sea, and he does, and the sea splits into two walls of water so that the Israelites can cross through. The walls of water crashed down on Pharaoh’s army, and they drowned. Miriam leads the Israelites in the Song of the Sea, thanking God for delivering them from the Egyptians.

The Israelites wander through the desert, but complain because they have no water or food. God provides water, mana, and quail. At the end of the parsha, Amalek attacks the Israelites. Moses held up his hand, and the Israelites were winning, but when Moses’s hand got tired and fell, they were losing. So, Aaron and Hur hold up Moses’s hands, and the Israelites win. 

Parshat Bo: USY Shabbat!

Go to USY Shabbat and hear Natick USY President Noah Abraham’s d’var!

D'var for Vaera

Sorry I skipped last week, I had midterms and was really busy. 

Anyway, in this week’s parsha, Vaera, God tells Moses to go before Pharaoh and tell him to let the Israelite slaves go free. Moses is unsure of himself at first, arguing that nobody will listen to him, as he has a speech impediment. God tells Moses that his brother will accompany him and speak for him. They go before Pharaoh and ask him to let the Israelites go free, but Pharaoh will not allow this. Moses and Aaron performed miracles before Pharaoh to show him God’s power, but Pharaoh's magicians were able to recreate the same thing, and Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened. 

God instructed Moses to go to Pharaoh again, and say that if he does not let the Israelites free so that they can worship God in the wilderness, God will turn the water of the Nile River into blood. Pharoah refuses, so Moses holds his staff above the Nile and God turns its water into blood. But Pharaoh’s magicians are able to do the same, and Pharoah’s opinion is unchanged.

Seven days later, Moses goes before Pharaoh again, and pleads again to let the Israelites leave Egypt, this time with the threat that God will send a plague of frogs. Pharaoh says no, and the frogs appeared everywhere. But Pharaoh's magicians were able to conjure up frogs as well. 

Eventually, Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and told them that if they removed the frogs, then he would let the Israelites go and worship God in the wilderness. So, God struck down all of the frogs, but after God did so, Pharaoh's heart was hardened again, and he would not let the Israelites go. This process repeats for the plagues of lice, cattle disease, wild beasts (or insects, depending on the translation,) boils, and fiery hail.  However, the magicians are eventually unable to recreate the plagues. Regardless, Pharaoh does not let the people go.

D'var for Vayigash

So it turns out I misread my calendar and wrote about this week’s parsha, Vayechi, last week. So this week, I will do last week’s portion, Vayigash.
In Vayigash, Joseph’s brothers return to Egypt and beg Joseph for food during the famine. This time, at Joseph’s request, they have brought Benjamin, the youngest son of the family and their father, Jacob’s new favorite. Judah, the oldest, had to convince his father to allow this by promising that no harm would come to Benjamin. For if Benjamin did not return, Jacob would die of sadness, as his former favorite (meaning Joseph) was presumed dead. Judah explains all this to Joseph, who cries. Joseph then reveals himself as their brother, and asks if their father was still alive. But, they are frightened of him, now that he is in a position of power, and can punish them for what they did to him. Joseph assured them that it was thanks to God that he is in this position, and all was meant for good, so he could save everyone from the famine. He tells them to go back to Jacob and to bring their households to Egypt, which they do. Jacob’s family settles in the land of Goshen in Egypt, where they multiplied.

D'var for Vayechi

I kind of took off the last couple weeks while on break. I skipped out on almost the entire Joseph story. Oh well… Anyway, here’s this week’s d’var:
In this week’s parsha, Vayechi, Jacob is on his deathbed. Joseph brings his sons, Ephraim and Menasheh, to see him, and Jacob blesses them. Then, Jacob gathers his sons around him and tells each of them of their future, some good, some bad. Jacob dies at 147 years old, after asking to be buried at the cave of Machpelah with his ancestors. Now that Jacob had died, Joseph’s brothers were worried that Joseph would punish them for the evil they had done to him. Joseph was sad when he heard this, and explained to them that even though they had evil intentions, God meant it for good, so that everyone could be saved. Joseph dies at 110 years old, and is buried in Egypt. This is the last parshah the end of the book of Genesis. Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek!