Shavuah tov. A good new week to you and yours. I hope that this will be a week of peace, learning and joy for everyone. I specifically pray for all those who live in fear or sadness or pain.

This week’s Torah portion is a double portion which comprise the last two portions of the book of Nunbers, Matot/Ma’asei. This week’s linked commentary is by a rabbinical school colleague of mine, Rabbi Andrea Lerner and is titled “My Word: The Laws of vows teach that our words have the power to create holiness between us.”. If you would like to dive a bit deeper into the power of words, she has also written a drash/commentary on “A Woman’s Word”.

Go, learn and enjoy!

Today terrorists from Arafat’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs brigade set off a bomb near the central bus station in Tel Aviv, killing one woman, Ma’ayan Na’im, and injuring many more. You can read coverage from Ha’aretzor the Jerusalem Post or Ma’ariv. May all those injured have a speedy and complete recovery. May Ma’ayan’s family find comfort and solace from family, friends, and the knowledge that many of us are saddened by her murder.

Yes, I have been out of the blogging (and news reading & relaying) loop. I just learned today that NATO has invited Israel to join 6 other Middle Eastern countries in a “NATO Partnership.” You can read more about this on Ha’artez. Hopefully, this will help Israel’s place on the world stage. (I’m not terribly hopeful, but it would be nice.) Let’s just hope that NATO does not take the same steps as the UN does about Israel and be completely swayed by the hate and bias amongst some of the delegates.

Leah at Jerusalem Wanderings and her family survived what could have been a deadly gas poisoning. They were saved by her daughter’s arrival home and quick actions. Read all about it.

May all our family and friends live in safety and in the presence of G-d’s miracles.

One of the main stories in this week’s Torah portion, Balak, is the story of Balaam and the donkey. In short, Balaam works for Balak who orders him to go and curse the Israelites. Balaam rides his donkey and along the way the donkey speaks to Balaam. The donkey is able to see an angel of G-d in their path and Balaam is not able to do so. Even when Balaam ignores the donkey, hits him and yells at him, the donkey sticks with his mission, recognizes G-d’s presence and helps Balaam realize that his mission is to bless the Israelites and not curse them.

A few years ago, I heard a wonderful drash by parents to their son who became bar mitzvah with this parashah. His parents told him to learn the lessons of this week’s portion, including that even when it is difficult and people don’t want to hear you, stick to it and be the donkey!

This week’s link is from Daf HaShavuah from United Synagogue London. One excerpt of it is (note that they spell Balaam Bile’am),
“From Bile’am, we see that challenges often beat us. Even changing positions did not enable him to successfully curse the Jewish people. However, in the challenges that we face, in our struggles to succeed, maybe we should try to view the situation from a different angle, from a new perspective or with a fresh approach. In this way, we might find that a problem is not insurmountable, that what appears to be a blessing is not always so and that a curse is not necessarily a curse.”

Read the whole commentary.

Go and study!
Be the donkey!

Naomi Shemer, Israel’s composer, died during Shabbat. She composed famous songs like Yerushalayim she Zahav (Jerusalem of Gold), Lu Yehi and the musical setting of Rachel’s Kinneret to name just some of the most famous. You can read about her life a number of places, including Jerusalem Post. May her memory and her music be a blessing.

Today as I prepare for Shabbat, I take pride in Israel and especially in the support within and for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in Israel. Today was the Tel Aviv Pride Parade as reported in Ha’aretz. Supporting this segment of our Jewish world is important, for they face much discrimination – sometimes even within the Jewish community itself. Such discrimination, closed-mindnedness and hatred is a shanda. We are ALL created b’tzelem elokim, in the image of G-d, and we all deserve respect and honor of the divine image within regardless of whom we love.

May your Shabbat be filled with pride in self and in the Jewish soul.

UPDATE: Read Shai’s blog post about the parade – including many pictures.

Boker tov (good morning). I have a new email address for this blog, shalom.blog@gmail.com – I look forward to speaking with you there if not in the comments!

This week’s Torah portion is Chukkat and covers Numbers 19:1-22:1. In this parashah, the Israelites get instruction on the red heifer (more to come on this), Miriam dies, Moses hits a rock when G-d instructs him to speak to it, and Aaron dies as well.

What do we do with the odd rituals of the red heifer which are in response to death? Is there a connection between these rituals and the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, two of the leaders of the people and Moses’s siblings?

One way to deal with the pain of death is to go into the world and do good, thus “Combined, tears and tzedakah create a cleansing “water of lustration.” This is just one quote from a drash by Lawrence Bush and Jeffrey Dekro titled The Waters of Lustration: Tears and Tzedakah. (Although this drash is from 2001 I think you will enjoy it. I choose it especially because of a conversation I had with a dear friend today.)

Go and study!