1. religion and spirituality
2. judaism

May 30, 2015 12 Sivan, 5775
Friday Night Mincha: 6:30 PM
Shabbat Candle Lighting 8:03PM
Morning Services: 9:00 AM
Shabbat Mincha & Mussar – 7:50 PM
Shabbat ends: 9:04PM
Kiddush Levanah: after Shabbat ends
Nasso
Shul Announcements
Page 748 (Torah)
Page 1181 (Haftarah)
Mazel Tov & Thank you for
Creating a Jewish legacy at Mfjc!
We have reached our initial goal of 18 Commitments to the MFJC Chayei Olam Circle!
We now need your support to reach our year 2 goal of 18 more commitments!
Upcoming Birthdays &
Anniversaries
This Week:
 May Birthdays: Allyssa Gresser (26 ), Justin
th
th
th
Shulman (26 ), Ryan Winter (26 ), Oritte Bendory
th
th
(28 ), Rachel Brandt-Greenfeld (28 ), Sarah Dabah
th
th
(28 ), Louise Levine (28 ), Yonaton Tammam
th
th
(28 ), Shayna Chevinsky (29 ), Daniel Spielman
th
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(29 ), Daniel Geary (30 ), Andrew Hanrahan (
th
st
st
30 ), Aaron Nessel (31 ), Zachary Nessel (31 ),
st
Ron Rubenstein (31 ).
 May Anniversaries: Joel & Marla Katz (25th), Alan
th
& Jennifer Gellerstein (26 ), Barry Ginsberg &
th
Lauren Cooper (28 ), Stuart & Carol Kerievsky
th
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(28 ), Rav Menashe & Donna East (29 ).
 June Birthdays:: Rebecca Arian (2nd), Jessica
rd
May 29-30: Welcome Reb Daniel Epstein
May 30: Kiddush and Torah, Baum Hall with Reb
Daniel “Women of Tanach, The Ruth's of
Mashiyach”
May 30: Shalosh Seudot Torah Class, Reb Daniel, “The
Politics of religion and the religion of politics”
May 31: Israel Day Parade, join the MFJC Banner,
Meet at 1:10PM, 52nd St, Between 5th and 6th
Aves, Section 7W
June 2: Interfaith Holocaust Memorial,MFJC,730PM
June 4: Torah Thursday, 10AM
th
Goldblatt (3 ), Elana Dickman (5 ), Linda Koval
th
th
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(5 ), Brooke Levey (5 ), Betty Reich (5 ), Emily
th
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Rosenbaum (5 ), Adam Blitz (6 ), Beverly Zagofsky
th
th
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(7 ), Jocelyn Levine (8 ), Gloria Lieberman (8 ),
th
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Jordan Winter (8 ), Laini Sweifach (9 ), Ilan Gutkin
th
th
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(11 ), Adina Heistein (12 ), Paul Fishbein (13 ),
th
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Jenifer Gellerstein (14 ), Susan Rudzinski (14 ),
th
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Saritte Bendory (15 ), Max Krosser (15 ).
 June Anniversaries: Greg & Jill Saxon (1st), Lee &
th
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Linda Rosenbaum (4 ), Marc & Anne Beacken (6 ),
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Jonathan & Jamie Ramsfelder (6 ), Geoff & Marilyn
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Lampel (8 ), Rich & Ellen Ezra (10 ), Steve & Carol
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Gelb (10 ), Al & Laurie Ptalis (12 ), Steve & Helen
th
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Schwartz ( 14 ), Aron & Marla Shalit (14 ), Jack &
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Phyllis Yacker (14th), Rob & Susan Gaynor (15 ).
MFJC INFO ~ www.mtfjc.org
Address: 1209 Sussex Tpk., Randolph 07869
Phone Numbers: Office: 973 895 2100
Rabbi: 973 895 2103; Rabbi’s Cell: 201 923 1107
Rabbi’s Office Hours: Mornings: Tues - Fri, 9-1PM;
afternoons/evenings: 3-6PM; or anytime by appt
Menashe East rabbi@mtfjc.org
Office Hours: M-Th, 10- 5PM; F, 10-4PM
David Paris office@mtfjc.org
Upcoming Events:
June 6: Irene Billinson Bat Mitzvah!
June 7: Talmud Study, 9AM
June 8: Annual General Meeting, 8PM
June 13: Graduation Kiddush – Celebrate our Grads and
Sponsor the Kiddush!!! & Shabbat Mevarchim
June 13: March of the Living presentation – Joel Katz and
Marcella Rozenwasser
June 17-18: Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
June 20: Hillman family sponsored Kiddush!
June 21: Father’s Day
June 25: SPECIAL COMMUNITY EVENT, Guest Speaker,
Gary Kenzer from Honest Reporting, 7PM, MFJC
July 21: June Shared Kiddush, contact the office to be a
sponsor!
MFJC SERVICE TIMES:
Weekday – 6:45AM
Weeknight – Upon Request (Yahrzeit)
Sunday & National Holidays – 8:00AM
Shabbat Services – 9:00AM
Fri Eve: Summer – 6:30PM; Winter – Sunset
Thank you to those who made donations in the month of April 2015!
April 2015 Tribute Donations to MFJC
Tributes In Honor Of
Tributes In Memory Of
Birth of Maya Esther Klar
Hezy & Janet Cohen
Harry S. Katz
Glenn & Barbara Davis
Birth of Goldman Grandchild
Hezy & Janet Cohen
Muriel Wallach Gelbert
Hezy & Janet Cohen
Gloria Rosenberg
Rita Karmiol
Darsi Beauchamp
Lou & Madeleine Pasteelnick
Rabbi East
Herbert & Susan Deitz
Virginia Baker’s Continued Good Health
Michael & Rochelle Zeiger
Ron Rubenstein’s Continued Good Health
Paul & Ilana Fishbein, David & Meryl Rehaut
Toby Messer’s 1st Yahrzeit
Arthur & Robin Shulman
Tree of Life Leaf Donation by:
Mark & Debby Brafman and
Michael & Rochelle Zeiger
Yizkor Donations
Ron & Lillie Brandt In Memory of:
Alter Pinchas Brandt, Dora Brandt, Martin
Kapelusz & Rene Pearl Kapelusz
Gabrielle Edgell
Robert & Susan Gaynor
April 2015 Yahrzeit Donations to MFJC
IN MEMORY OF:
Ann Rocklin
Benjamin Gruss
Claire Hershbain
Florence Preiser
Hyman Fishbein
Lillian Silitsky
Shelia Mollen
DONOR
Seymour Lerner
Joel Spielman & Leah Gruss
Aron & Marla Shalit
Louis & Madeleine Pasteelnick
Paul & Ilana Fishbein
Steven & Deborah Ann Smith
Lisa Monday
IN MEMORY OF:
Sidney Saltz
Sophie K. Rippel
Sylvan Schwarz
Toby Lasker
Toby Lasker
Toby Messer
DONOR
Lou & Linda Koval
Marlene Selke
Lew Schwarz
Howard & Roz Krosser
Ruth Levine
The Messer Family
There are many ways to honor a person, commemorate an occasion, or memorialize a
loved one at Mt. Freedom Jewish Center
Please call the office at 973-895-2100 with any questions.
Graduation is Coming!
Celebrate with your friends at MJFC with a
special
Graduation Kiddush
in your graduate’s honor!
Do you have a child or family member
graduating from Nursery, Elementary,
Middle or High School?
Or from College or Graduate School
or any special Graduation??
Be a part of this Special Kiddush on
Shabbat, June 13th
Let us know if you would like to participate by contacting the
Shul office. Cost is $54 per family.
Please send in a photo of
your Graduate with your response.
7 Morris County Synagogues, and the CRC of
Greater MetroWest welcomes
Mr. Gary Kenzer
Honest Reporting’s North American Executive Director
at the Mount Freedom Jewish Center
1209 Sussex Turnpike, Randolph, NJ
June 25, at 7:30pm
Mr. Kenzer is one of a small staff of Israeli employees stationed throughout the world.
Honest Reporting culls dozens of international news outlets - in print, radio, & TV - for
misleading, erroneous, contradictory & incorrect information on Israel & the MidEast. Once
“something” is identified, Honest Reporting requests an immediate retraction or correction.
Mr. Kenzer’s presentation is highly animated with numerous visual examples of misleading
news reports. Honest Reporting attempts to set the record straight without subjectivity or bias.
You won’t want to miss this informative event. All are welcome. To ensure ample seating
please contact the Mount Freedom Jewish Center’s office with your reservation: 973-8952100 or office@mtfjc.org
Sponsored by the Adath Shalom of Morris Plains, Chabad Center of Northwest NJ in White
Meadow Lake, Morristown Jewish Center Beit Yisrael, Mount Freedom Jewish Center,
Temple Hatikvah of Flanders, Temple Shalom of Succasunna, the White Meadow Temple
and the Commuity Relations Committee of Greater MetroWest NJ
Caregiver Support Group
Are you caring for a loved with Alzheimer’s or
Related Dementia Disease?
This group will offer:
 Emotional and educational support
 An opportunity to network with other caregivers
DATES:
Last Thursday of the month - May 28, June 25, July 30,
August 27, September 24
TIME:
1:00 – 2:00 pm
LOCATION:
Mt. Freedom Jewish Center
1209 Sussex Turnpike, Randolph, NJ
For more information about the Caregiver Support Group,
please call 973-765-9050
There is no charge for this program.
This group will be co-facilitated by:
Alyson Kaplan, LSW & Alexandra Nagy, LSW, Jewish Family Service of MetroWest
WEEKLY PARSHA
By Rabbi Dov Linzer, Rosh HaYeshiva and Dean
of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Parshat Nasso
|
May 29, 2015 / 12 Sivan 5775
A Thought on Parashat Nasso
The book of Bamidbar begins with the organizing of the Israelite camp with themishkan at its
center. In this parasha, the Torah now turns to what it means to be outside the mishkan, to be in the
camp, and to continue to orient oneself to God's presence. This emerges, I believe, from the section
relating to sotah, the wife suspected of adultery. This section addresses how discord between
husband and wife, and the suspicion of infidelity, creates a status of tumah, impurity. This situation,
this tumah, is paradoxically brought to the Temple to be resolved, so that purity can be
reestablished, and that husband and wife can return to the camp and once again live their lives with
the proper orientation towards God's presence.
The parasha of nazir continues this theme. It is a possible solution of how to connect to God and a
life of kedusha outside of the mishkan. The solution of the nazir is to attempt to recreate
the mishkan in the camp, at least for him or herself personally. Like the Kohen Gadol, he or she does
not come into contact with the dead, even with his or her closest relatives. He or she not only
refrains from intoxicating drink, as do Kohanim, but does not even eat grapes or mixture of grape
products, and - unlike the Kohanim - allows his or her hair to grow wild. These last two extensions
ensure that he or she will be cut off from outside society, so that s/he can live in a
protected mikdash-reality while outside the mikdash.
However, this form of kedusha is not the ideal. First, it is a kedusha of denial, or rejection. It is not
a kedusha that taps into the most creative part of ourtzelem E-lohim and seeks to give it
expression. But beyond that, what makes this kedusha so problematic, is that it is a kedusha that is
self-serving and self- indulgent. It is all about one's own spiritual growth and reflects no sense of
responsibility to the larger society or to bringing that kedusha into the real world. This is why I would
argue the nazir brings a chatat, a sin-offering. The Gemara and rishonim debate whether one should
infer from this that the naziris a sinner, or whether the nazir is kadosh (and the sin is that s/he
terminated the nezirut). I would argue that he or she is both. The nazir is kadosh, but it is a type of
a kedusha that is somewhat sinful, because it is completely self-serving.
Thus, the nazir's pursuit of kedusha is not only more restrictive than that of the Kohanim, but - more
to the point- lacks the dimension of service that the Kohanim embody. Even the Kohen Gadol, who
does not exit the Temple when a relative dies, is present in the Temple so that he can serve the
people by doing the avodah and by representing them to God. Kohanim are shluchei didan, our
representatives in the Beit HaMikdash; the nazir represents only himself. It is for this reason that
when Amos condemns the people, he distinguishes between the nazir and the navi: "and you have
made the nazirsdrink wine, and you have commanded the prophets - 'do not prophesy!' (Amos 2:12)
- the nazir can only be corrupted, while the navi serves a greater function - to admonish and direct
the people, so that when one opposes thenavi, it is by silencing him and preventing him from doing
his duty and his role.
The problematic nature of the nazir is most highlighted in the prohibition of contact with the dead.
Coming in contact with the dead, on the one hand transmits the highest form of tumah. At the same
time, a person so ritually defiled, and even a corpse itself, is allowed in the camp of the Levites, the
closest camp to the mikdash. Dealing with the dead is both a very physical, this-worldly experience,
and is the most profound encounter with death and one's mortality. Hence it is in strong contrast to a
pursuit of kedusha and its focus on the spiritual, non-physical realm and in opposition to the
immortality of God, the source of all life. On the other hand, dealing with the dead is one of the most
profound mitzvot. It is a chesed shel emet, a true selfless kindness, and the helping of the ill, the
dying, and those who are dead is one of the most significant and weighty mitzvot that one can
perform. The two cases of dealing with the dead in the Torah are exactly in the performance of such
mitzvot - Moshe's carrying of the bones of Yosef, and the people who were impure and could not
bring the korban pesach, and who became impure because, as Chazal tell us, they had been
burying the bodies of Nadav and Aviyhu.
Thus, the nazir's removing himself from the contact with the dead is the removing of himself from the
most basic act of engagement with this world, with people, and with their most human needs and
concerns. Chazal could not accept this complete divorcing of oneself from the world, and hence
stated that even the Kohen Gadol and even the nazir must become impure for a met mitzvah, a
corpse whom no one is burying. When there is no one else, then no one can forswear his obligation
to respond to this profound human need.
It is for this reason that there exists a special category called nezirut Shimshon. To explain how
Shimshon could have been a nazir and nevertheless regularly come in contact with the dead, Chazal
stated that there exists a type of nezirut known as nezirut Shimshon which allows one to
become tamei li'met, impure to the dead. On the face of it, this is a very bizarre phenomenon, since
the prohibitions of the nazir are always bundled together and there is no clear explanation why
coming in contact with the dead should be allowed to be an exception. Given the above, however,
the explanation is obvious: Shimshon's nezirut was tied into his leadership of Bnei Yisrael: "because
a nazir to God the child will be from the womb, and he will begin to bring salvation to Israel from the
Philistines." (Shoftim 13:5) A nezirut of Shimshon is a nezirut of being a shofet, being a leader. It is
not a self-serving religious pursuit, but a religious leadership. And to lead the people, one needs to
be mtamei li'metim, one needs to get one's hands dirty in the physical world, in the suffering, the
losses, and sometimes the wars of the people. One cannot remain completely pure in such
circumstances, but this is undoubtedly the highest calling.
This kedusha of the nezirut of Shimshon is thus like the kedusha of the Kohen, a kedusha of kehuna,
literally, of service. It is a kedusha of being present in the mikdash, but also of serving the people
even when one is in themikdash. It is a kedusha of bringing the kedusha of the mikdash to the
outside world and of the focusing much of one's activities outside the mikdash(Kohanim only served
1 week out of 24 in the mikdash) - "they will teach Your laws to Jacob and Your teachings to Israel."
And hence the parasha of thenazir is immediately followed by the parasha of birkhat Kohanim, of the
priestly blessing. For it is the role of the Kohanim to connect to God, but ultimately to bring God's
blessing to the Jewish people.
Shabbat Shalom!
Shabbat Shalom
Parshat Nasso (Numbers 41:21 – 7:89)
Efrat, Israel – Few passages in the Bible are as well known as the Priestly Benediction. In Israel,
thekohanim (priests) rise to bless the congregation every morning, while in the Diaspora Ashkenazi Jews are
permitted to include this special benediction only on festivals. Nevertheless, there are many life-cycle
celebrations such as circumcisions, redemptions of the first born, bnei mitzva and even weddings which are
punctuated by this blessing. In effect, the kohen stands as God’s representative, as the “agent of the
Compassionate One,” as the spiritual leader and as the Torah teacher, and in this role of teacher and guide he
calls on God to bless the congregation. As Moses declares in his final blessing to the Israelites: “[the Priests
and Levites] shall guard Your covenant, shall teach Your laws to Jacob and Your Torah to Israel¦” (Deut. 33:910).
Both the Talmud (the ninth chapter of Berachot) and our prayer liturgy declare: “At the time of the priestly
blessings, the congregation responds: ‘Master of the Universe, I am Yours and my dreams are Yours.'”
Apparently our sages saw a profound connection between the dreams of the nation and the function of its
priest-leaders. What is the nature of this connection? I would suggest that, first and foremost, true leaders and
educators must inspire their students, congregants and/or nation with a lofty vision. The Psalmist of Israel,
King David, declares in the Psalm which we recite each Sabbath and festival before reciting the Grace after
Meals: “When the Lord returned with the restoration of Zion, we were as dreamers” (Ps. 126:1). After all, if
the Jews had not dreamt of the return to Israel throughout their long exiles, we never would have come back.
One recognizes the very same idea—but from an opposite vantage point—when one understands the cause
behind the tragedy of the Book of Numbers. In Numbers, the Jewish people descend from the great heights of
the Revelation at Sinai to the disastrous depths of the sin of the scouts, the rebellion of Korah, the sin of Moses
and the destruction of that entire generation in the desert. What caused such a mighty fall? The Bible itself
begins its account of the descent with the words: “And it happened that the nation ‘kvetched’ (mitonenim) in
an evil fashion” (Num. 11:1). The Netziv, an 18th-century commentator, explains the difficult
word mitonenim as meaning “wandering hither and thither” aimlessly, from the Hebrew anna (literally “where
to”). Simply put, this great Torah leader was saying that the Israelites had lost the dream which they had at
Sinai, when they accepted the Divine mission of being “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
Secondly, the Hebrew word for dream is halom, and—with a simple switch of letters—it spells hamal, which
means love and compassion. The leader who inspires with his dream must first and foremost love his nation;
only if he loves the Israelites will they believe themselves worthy of being loved, and believe in their ability to
realize the dream. Great leaders such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and David Ben-Gurion
lifted their respective nations to unheard-of heights because they helped make them believe in themselves.
Third, the same Hebrew word halom, with another switch of letters spells lohem, which means fighting—if
need be—to achieve the necessary goals. A great measure of imparting a dream is to sanctify idealistic
sacrifice on behalf of that dream. Fourth, the word halom can also be rearranged to spelllehem or bread; a
dream must be nourished with the material necessities of programs, tactics and strategy. Fifth, the
word halom is also an anagram for melah, or salt. Salt symbolizes tears—the tears of sacrifice and
commitment—as well as eternity, since salt never putrefies. Salt is therefore the symbol of our covenant with
God, which guarantees Jewish eternity and ultimate redemption. And finally, halom is linguistically tied
to halon or window, a light to the outside world. The dream with which the kohen must inspire the Israelites is
a dream which encompasses the entire world, the dream that “Through you shall be blessed all the families of
the earth,” the dream that “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”
Yes, the Jewish people—as well as its leaders—must be dreamers. And perhaps only those who believe in a
God who is invisible will dare to dream the impossible, and only those who dream the impossible will ever
achieve the incredible.
Shabbat Shalom
How Far Will We Go?
This Shabbat, we read the longest single portion in the entire Torah, Parshat Naso. At the center of the portion,
we read of five mitzvoth that are aimed at community development, family, person, God. These mitzvoth help
make a more concrete communal and personal relationship to the Tabernacle. The holy place is not simply a place
for sacrifices, libations, and offerings – in short, the sacred realm. The opposite; the Temple is meant to be at the
center of the communal affairs.
It is interesting to note that the message is not wholly consistent. The first mitzvah lists the banishment of the
ritually impure from the holy camp. God resides there; God is the God of life – ritually impurity is always
associated with death. The internal contradiction that would arise – a camp that uplifts life affirming values cannot
– at the same time - contain the people who embody death.
However, the third mitzvah in the list is the commandment of the jealous husband who suspects his wife of
infidelity, the Isha Sotah. This would seem to be a base, even petty spousal squabble. If we think of the holy realm,
we think of harmony. The virtue of Shalom Bayit, family harmony, emerges from the first Bayit, the first home
and that is the home of God. God’s home is meant to be place a peace, a model of harmony. The prophet calls for
the day when God’s house will be called the house of prayer for all people of the world, Jew and non-Jew alike.
The ideal of a peaceful home draws from the peace in the sanctuary. Our homes are miniature Temples. The evil
prophet Bilaam, later in the book of Numbers, understood the hidden power of the Jewish people when he
looked out upon our encampment, trying to curse, but blessing us instead: ‘How goodly are your tents Jacob,
your dwelling places, mishkinotecha, Israel.’ The dwelling place, the mishkan in Hebrew, is of course, the name of
God’s abode. The two homes are parallel structures – family and sanctuary are meant to be synonymous.
Yet, the Sotah represents the breakdown of family. The fourth mitzvah in the set is the section of the ascetical
Nazarite. In explain the juxtaposition of the Sotah and the Nazirite, Rashi understands the extreme separation and
self-abnegation to come about as a result of the negative reaction from witnessing the Sotah. (See Rashi, Numbers
6:2)He wants to flee from the messy complications that families often face. So, he foreswears wine and other
indulgences; he denies his own vanity and his own familial responsibility in the face of death.
The reaction to the Sotah seems consistent with the Temple attitude. The place is holy and the goal is to create
the holy family and our response to the failure of the holy family is to run toward an even more severe, more
demanding holiness.
So, we wonder, what is the third mitzvah, the mitzvah of Sotah, doing in the list of these commandments? Simply
put, the Sotah and the jealous husband, though they may be perilously near the precipice, are not yet a shattered
family. In this respect, the Sotah belongs in the Temple. The family in trouble is not the same as the impure
person. The family in disharmony can recover its harmony. In a romantic flourish common to the closing
messages in many tracts of his legal code, Maimonides says that God is so committed to peace in the family that
He will allow His ineffable name to be erased in the waters of the Sotah to bring about reconciliation. (Final
Halacha, Laws of Chanukkah.) God hopes in the family, even at the expense of some of His sanctity. How far will
we go to preserve those holy ones who are dangerously close to the edge; those who are on the brink of falling
out?
Shabbat Shalom Umevorach,
Rabbi Menashe East