Esnoga Bet Emunah
7104 Inlay St. SE, Lacey, WA 98513
Telephone: 360-584-9352 - United States of America
© 2009
E-Mail: gkilli@aol.com
Triennial
Cycle (Triennial Torah Cycle) / Septennial Cycle (Septennial Torah Cycle)
|
Three and 1/2 year
Lectionary Readings |
First Year
of the Reading Cycle |
|
Sivan 6/7, 5769 – May 28/30,
2009 |
First Year
of the Shmita Cycle |
BS”D
Chag Shabuot Sameach! Happy Festival of Pentecost!
Candle Lighting
and Havdalah Times:
|
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 8:22 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 8:23 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 9:24 pm |
San Antonio, Texas, U.S. Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 8:21 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 8:22 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 9:21 pm |
|
Baton Rouge & Alexandria, Louisiana, U.S. Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 7:42 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 7:42 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 8:41 pm |
Sheboygan
& Manitowoc, Wisconsin US Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 8:04 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 8:05 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 9:17 pm |
|
Bowling Green & Murray, Kentucky, U.S. Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 7:39 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 7:39 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 8:43 pm |
Brisbane, Australia Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 4:44 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 4:44 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 5:39 pm |
|
Chattanooga,
& Cleveland Tennessee, US Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 8:29 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 8:30 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 9:32 pm |
Bucharest, Romania Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 8:31 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 8:31 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 9:34 pm |
|
Miami, Florida, US Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 7:48 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 7:48 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 8:45 pm |
Jakarta, Indonesia Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 5:26 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 5:26 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 6:17 pm |
|
New London, Connecticut USA Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 7:46 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 7:46 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 8:55 pm |
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 7:01 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 7:01 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 7:52 pm |
|
Olympia, Washington, U.S. Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 8:37 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 8:38 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 9:55 pm |
Manila
& Cebu, Philippines Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 6:02 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 6:03 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 6:56 pm |
|
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania USA Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 8:02 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 8:02 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 9:09 pm |
Singapore, Singapore Eve of
First day Shabuot Thurs. May 28, 2009 Candles at: 8:22 pm Eve of
Second day Shabuot Friday May 29, 2009 Candles at: 8:23 pm Shabbat, May 30, 2009 Havdalah 9:24 pm |
For other places see: http://chabad.org/calendar/candlelighting.asp
Roll of Honor:
This Torah commentary comes to you courtesy of:
His Honor Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David and beloved
wife HH Giberet Batsheva bat Sarah,
His Honor Paqid Adon Mikha ben Hillel
His Honor Paqid Adon David ben Abraham,
Her Excellency Giberet Sarai bat Sarah and beloved
family,
His Excellency Adon Barth Lindemann and beloved
family,
His Excellency Adon John Batchelor and beloved wife,
His Excellency Adon Ezra ben Abraham and beloved wife HE
Giberet Karmela bat Sarah,
Her Excellency Giberet Sandra Grenier
His Excellency Adon Stephen Legge and beloved wife HE
Giberet Angela Legge
His Excellency Adon Tracy Osborne and beloved wife HE
Giberet Lynn Osborne
His Excellency Rev. Dr. Adon Chad Foster and beloved
wife HE Giberet Tricia Foster
His Excellency Adon Fred Dominguez and beloved wife
For their regular and sacrificial giving, providing
the best oil for the lamps, we pray that G-d’s richest blessings be upon their
lives and those of their loved ones, together with all Yisrael and her Torah
Scholars, amen ve amen!
Also a great thank you and great blessings be upon all
who send comments to the list about the contents and commentary of the weekly
Torah Seder and allied topics.
If you want to subscribe to our list and ensure that
you never lose any of our commentaries, or would like your friends also to
receive this commentary, please do send me an E-Mail to benhaggai@GMail.com with
your E-Mail or the E-Mail addresses of your friends. Toda Rabba!
This
Torah Seder commentary is dedicated in honour of HE Giberet Keziah bat Tricia
born on Friday, May 22 at 9:17pm by natural birth and weighing 7 pounds and 1
ounce and in very good health. We join in the joy of the proud father and
mother HE Rev. Dr. Adon Chad Foster and his beloved wife HE Giberet Tricia Foster.
Mazal Tov! May her parents be blessed to see her live a long and healthy life
and may she grow to be like our matriarchs Sarah, Rivkah, Leah and Rachel, and
of great blessing to her parents and our most noble and beloved people Yisrael,
amen ve amen!
Eve
of First day Shavuot
- Thursday, May 28, 2006
Tikun Leil Shabuot - a Night of
Vigil and Study for Shabuot (Pentecost) `- We have a custom on the night of
Shabuot to stay awake all night and study the Torah. It is called the 'tikun'
of Shabuot. A tikun implies a repair. We stay up to “repair” the damage. Our
Sages in the Midrash tell us that the Israelites went to sleep on that
all-important night, and when Ha-Shem came down onto Mt. Sinai, the people were
sleeping.
Frantically, Moses had to wake them up telling them that the “groom”
(Ha-Shem) is here already awaiting his “bride” (Israel). How could this happen?
How could they have slept? Our sages explain that the Jews didn't just go to
sleep like any other night. They thought that the Torah would be given to them
through prophecy, and like most prophets, Ha-Shem appears to them in a
dream-like appearance. They thought that the happiness of the holiday and its
meal, together with a pleasant sleep would create a happy feeling in order to
receive the prophecy. Moshe had to wake them and tell them that Torah is not
like prophecy. One must be fully awake with a clear head and a sharp logic. He
taught them that otherwise we wouldn't be able to learn and study the Torah
with clarity. Receiving the Torah is greater than prophecy! The Talmud (Baba
Batra 12) says that a Hakham is greater than a prophet. We must utilize all of
our senses to learn Torah. Therefore it had to be initially received with
clarity. This is why the Torah makes a point that they “stood” (vayityatzvu) at
Mt. Sinai.
The whole experience at Mt. Sinai is referred to as Ma'amad Har Sinai, the
standing at Har Sinai, to imply that they stood on their own two feet and used
their clear senses. This is why we stay up all night to study Torah, to be
awake with open eyes and an open mind. Ha-Shem gave man an unbelievably
powerful intellect. Man can develop almost anything. We see this all the time with
man's scientific and technological advances which are mind boggling. Why did
Ha-Shem do this? Because the Torah in itself is mind boggling! He gave us a
great mind to meet the challenge of Torah study. Let's grab that opportunity!
Texts for study: Psalm 119; 2
Lukas (Acts) 2:1-47
Questions for reflection:
- In 2 Lukas
2:1 we literally read in the Greek “And in the day of the Pentecost
being fulfilled, they were all with one accord at the same place.” Why
does the text need to emphasize the facts that the Talmidim were “all
with one accord” and “at the same place”? Were they not allowed to have
differences of opinion, and to sit in the Temple each one with their own
families and friends? And by saying: “they were all with one accord at
the same place” what does Hakham Shaul want to teach by the hand of
his scribe Dr. Lukas?
- Where is
the antecedent in the Torah for the statement in 2 Lukas 2:2 – “and
there came suddenly out of the heaven a sound as of a bearing violent
wind, and it filled all the temple where they were sitting”?
- Is there
any antecedent in the Torah (Pentateuch) for the statement in 2 Lukas
2:3-4 – “and there appeared to them divided flames, as it were of fire;
it sat also upon each one of them, and they were all filled with the Holy
Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, according as the Spirit
was giving them to declare” ?
- Why is
fire a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and what is the meaning of this symbol
as explained in the Hebrew Scriptures?
- Why is the
festival of Pentecost associate with the 70 languages of the Gentiles and
not necessarily with Hebrew?
- Why did
this miracle happened only to the Talmidim and not to the rest of the Jews
congregated in the Temple for this solemn occasion? And what does this
incident has to say about some of the gifts required to be a Hakham
(Rabbi)?
- Why did
the Jewish people in the Temple asked the Talmidim “What shall we do, men,
brethren?” (2 Lukas 2:37), and not “what shall we believe?” What are the
quantitative and qualitative differences between “believing” and “doing”?
- Hakham
Tsefet answered (2 Lukas 2:38) “Return, and be immersed each of you on
the authority of Yeshuah the Messiah, to remission of sins, and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The word in Hebrew is “Shuv” which means
“return,” and since all in the audience were Jews celebrating the feast of
Pentecost, to what did the Jewish audience understood they needed to
return? Why does it state “the gift of the Holy Spirit,” if before two
conditions are mentioned (return and immerse) in order to receive it?
- In 2 Lukas
2:41 we read: “then those, indeed, who did gladly receive his (Hakham
Tsefet’s) word were immersed, and there were added on that day, as it
were, three thousand souls.” The text says that they “did gladly
receive his (Hakham Tsefet’s) word.” Since all the audience were Jews
from many places in the world who had come in obedience to the Word to
celebrate Shabuot, how come now the text says that “did gladly receive
Hakham Tsefet’s word”? Did Hakham Tsefet added anything that was not
already mentioned in the Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures)?
- Why did
this miracle of flames of fire and speaking in different languages
happened in the Temple at Jerusalem and not in Rome, Athens or Alexandria?
- After
mentioning this miracle at Shabuot in the Temple, the text now says (2
Lukas 2:44-45): “and all those believing were at the same place, and
had all things common, and the possessions and the goods they were
selling, and were parting them to all, according as any one had need.”
Why is the theme of community intimately related here to the act of
receiving the Holy Spirit? How is this related to Psalm 133? How did the
Talmidim understand the relationship between the degree of indwelling of
the Holy Spirit and the degree of community bonding?
- In 2 Lukas
2:46 we read: “Daily also continuing with one accord in the temple,
breaking also at every house bread, they were partaking of food in
gladness and sincerity of heart.” Why did the Talmidim found it
necessary to continue “with one accord in the Temple”? And why does
the text emphasize the word “daily,” had they not work to do to
earn a living? Who was “daily” at the Temple? All who were added to the
Nazarean group or only some of them? Why were they “daily” in the Temple
and not in the street proclaiming their message?
- What
commandments are taught to be obeyed by all who call themselves disciples
of the Master of Nazareth?
- Why does
Smikha (ordination) to be a Hakham (Rabbi) is so intimately connected to
the festival of Shabuot? And in relation to this subject what is one of
the main purposes of Tikun Leil Shabuot (Lit. “Reparation of the Night of
Pentecost”)?
- Why were
the Talmidim not expelled from the Temple (since they attended daily there
for many years)?
- According to
Psalm 119:1-8 why is the study of Torah so vital for any human being? And
why was the Study of Torah so essential for the Talmidim that they went
daily to the Temple to teach and study Torah?
- The Temple
is called in Hebrew Bet Hamiqdash (House of Holiness). What relationship
is there between strophe Bet in Psalm 119:9-16 and the Temple or the
individual’s home (household)?
- Why does
the local Nazarean Synagogue should be the key and central passion to any
follower of the Master of Nazareth? The Synagogue is symbolized by the
word Delet (Door), what does Psalm 119:25-32 have to teach regarding the
Synagogue and its importance to the life of a follower of the Master of
Nazareth?
- The Holy
Spirit is known as G-d’s agent in bringing life (Hebrew Chai – starting
with the Hebrew letter Chet). What does Psalm 119:57-64 has to say about
living a life in the Holy Spirit?
- The Hebrew
letter Yod is the first letter of G-d’s name and also of Messiah’s name.
What does Psalm 119:73-80 has to say about the Messiah ben David, and our
relation to him? According to this portion who can truly call him/herself
a G-d fearer and a disciple of the Messiah the Master of Nazareth?
Shabuot –
Pentecost
First Day –
Morning Service
Torah: Shemot (Exodus) 19:1 – 20:26 + Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:26-31
Reader
1: Shemot 19:1-6
Reader
2: Shemot 19:7-13
Reader
3: Shemot 19:14-19
Reader
4: Shemot 19:20 – 20:14
Reader
5: Shemot 20:15-23
Maftir: Bamidbar 28:26-31
Ashlamatah: Ezekiel 1:1-28; 3:12
Shabuot –
Pentecost
First Day –
Afternoon Service
Ruth
1:1 – 3:7
Azharot:
The Positive Commandments
Shabuot –
Pentecost Second Day – & Shabbat
Morning Service
Torah:
Debarim (Deuteronomy) 14:22 – 16:17 & Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:26-31
Reader
1: Debarim 14:22-29
Reader
2: Debarim 15:1-18
Reader
3: Debarim 15:19-23
Reader
4: Debarim 16:1-3
Reader
5: Debarim 16:4-8
Reader
6: Debarim 16:9-12
Reader
7: Debarim 16:13-17
Maftir:
Bamidbar 28:26-31
Ashalamatah: Habakkuk 2:20-3:19
Shabuot –
Pentecost Second Day – & Shabbat
Afternoon Service
Ruth
3:8 – 4:22
Azharot:
The Negative Commandments
For
study on these two days see:
http://www.betemunah.org/shavuot.html
& http://www.betemunah.org/freedom.html
HH
Rosh Paqid Adon Hillel ben David will be taking the Sunday morning class for me
and he will be expecting that all have read the above two documents as he will
ask those present questions about the above two studies.
Chag
Sameach Shabuot ve Shalom Shabbat!
Hakham
Dr. Yosef ben Haggai