Shelach 5776

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Parshat Shelach 25 Sivan 5776 1 July 2016

Service Times Shabbat (Mevarchim) Kabbalat Shabbat

19:30

(Candle Lighting)

19:55

Shacharit

09:00

Leining

10:00

Seudah & Mincha at the Portnoys, welcoming the Israeli soldiers

20:30

Shabbat terminates

22:57

Weekday

Security team: Purple

Page No.s Artscroll Gutnick Hertz

Leining

Haftarah

798 941 623

1184 1451 635

Thought For The Week If In Doubt, Keep It Out

Shacharit

Mincha & Ma’ariv

The final part of this week’s parsha is very

explains that the Torah omits the word

Sun

09:00

19:30

familiar to us, because we say it twice

‘Emet’, in case someone think that it is

Mon

07:00

19:30

Tues

07:00

19:30

every single day. The third paragraph of

actually connected with next week’s par-

Wed

07:00

19:30

the Shema is taken from Parshat Shelach.

sha. This is easier than we think because a

Thur

07:00

19:30

However, there is one extra word that

Torah scroll is written without any punc-

Fri

07:00

19:30*

appears in our daily prayers which is

tuation.

Candle Lighting

20:00

not mentioned in the original source in

* Mincha & Kabbalat Shabbat

the Torah. The Shema finishes with the word ‘Emet’ (true), and is linked to the

Chayim Arukim

to all those who have Yahrzeit this week as follows Robert Goodall Adam Wiseberg Gillian Cohen Howard Hymanson

Father Mother Mother Mother

Sun

Terry Krell Helen Krell

Father Husband

Wed

Beverley Rosenthal Brother Brenton Walshaw Father Alan Becker Wife

‫שבת‬

226JulySivan 3 July 27 Sivan 6 July 30 Sivan

Fri

8 July

2 Tammuz

Sybil Weisberg

Mother

next paragraph in the Siddur, but is not mentioned in the parsha. The question is why?

A crucial lesson can be learnt here. The Torah would never leave a word our if it really belonged there. However, the danger of thinking that destructive arguments are considered ‘Emet’, - especially given our natural inclinations to get caught up in

Rabbi Isaac Bernstein z”l bases his reason

them - was so likely, that Hashem had no

on the primary focus of next week’s par-

choice but to keep that crucial word out

sha. Next week, we will read the story of

of the Torah entirely. This should empha-

Korach and his followers. Korach sought

sise to us how we must train ourselves to

to challenge Moshe’s leadership, and suc-

avoid negative and destructive arguments

cessfully rallied over 100 people to join

at all costs.

Kiddushim

him in his protest. This did not end well

2 July Linda & Barry Price

for Korach or his group, and remains one

9 July Lynne & Jimmy Attias Jonathan Ferster

the Wilderness. In fact, Korach’s dispute

Shabbat Weather

is used as the archetypal example of a

AM Scattered Storms

16 July Nursery Leavers Shabbat

destructive argument. Rabbi Bernstein

17o High

Rabbi Nick Kett

of the saddest episodes that took place in

11o Overnight Low

Parsha

verview

First Aliyah - 20 verses G-d allows Moses to send scouts to examine the land of Canaan in preparation for their anticipated invasion. One member of every tribe, with the exception of the tribe of Levi, was chosen for this task. Moses instructs the scouts to bring back a report regarding the nature of the land, and to bring back samples of the land’s produce.

Second Aliyah - 20 verses After forty days, the scouts return with a negative report. The Jewish people spend the entire night wailing, preferring to return to Egypt rather than be defeated in battle.

Third Aliyah - 18 verses The Jewish people reject the pleas of Joshua and Caleb. G-d informs Moses of His decision to wipe out the Israelites in a massive plague due to their persistent lack of faith. Moses successfully invokes G-d’s mercy. However, that generation are forbidden from entering the Land.

Fourth Aliyah - 27 verses The Israelites must wander in the desert for forty years. During that time, all males over the age of twenty will perish. The next generation will enter the Promised Land. The ten scouts who brought back the frightful report die immediately. A group of people try to enter the Land of Israel alone, but they are massacred by the Amalekites and Canaanites.

Fifth Aliyah - 9 verses Discusses flour offerings to be brought with various sacrifices.

Sixth Aliyah - 10 verses Details the mitzvah of challah, and a situation where the Sanhedrin erroneously permits an act of idolatry.

Seventh Aliyah - 15 verses Lists the punishments for one who worships idols. A man who desecrates Shabbat is executed.

The final parsha talks about the mitzvah of tzitzit, which aids us in remembering all the commandments.

pray at ent to Calev w chpela e of Ma the Cav hould hat he s to ask t ha urn wit not ret like report negative . er Spies the oth

S L E W

JE

M S I DA

U J F O

Delve into the deeper side of Judaism This week we examine the significance of Tzitzit

On The Fringes The mitzvah of tzitzit has been our uniform and badge of honour for over 3500 years, when we received the biblical command to attach fringes to the corners of four-cornered garments. In orthodox practice little has changed or been contested in respect of what they are for, how they are made, and when they are worn.

However, the mitzvah of Tzizit - Tallit Katan (as opposed to the large Tallit we use in Shule) is one of the very first observances that we teach a child. In many communities, it is a custom to present a child with his first Tallit Katan on his third birthday. From then on, it is constantly worn day-in, day-out.

There are, of course, considerable insights into the wearing of Tzizit, written in the Torah itself, and from our sages going back many centuries. For further reading I highly recommend Aryeh Kaplan’s book, ‘Tzizit’. I wish to focus on why a man or boy in our modern world that is South Manchester, might reach for this garment as he wakes up, every day of his life.

Rabbi Akiva Tatz explains that there is a relationship between our thoughts and our action. We think of something to do and then we do it - simple. However, it is also possible to do something, then to think about it.

A mitzvah acts as an ‘external stimulus’ to our natural thinking pattern.

Something which may not make much sense, can

Tallit Katan... is one of the first observances that we teach a child...

From then on, it is constantly worn. open channels of spirituality between ourselves and Hashem, which we cannot just intuit in other ways.

Thus, when we properly perform a mitzvah, it opens a level of consciousness that we might have never found from our own intellect.

So what makes Tzizit so powerful that it is on an even higher level than wearing a kippah?

In the Zohar it states ‘woe

to the person who simply understands Torah as a bunch of stories, with no impact in the world, like an outer garment’. Similarly we must not be so shallow to see the Tzizit as some antiquated undergarment with no relevance to our modern thinking!

Unique only to this and two other mitzvot, (Mezuzah and Tefillin), Tzitzit act as a constant reminder of all the Mitzvot. The action of wearing, and thus seeing Tzizit, reminds us to ‘think spiritually through action’, and affects everything we do. It is a call for men to act! By wearing Tzizit, we remind ourselves that we need to act in order to think spiritually. (Women do not need this reminder, and are therefore exempt from the mitzvah). Children respond well to visual aids.

Therefore, we train them from a very young age.

If you would like to obtain a free pair of Tzitzit for your child, please contact the Shule office or North Cheshire Primary School. .

Adapted from ‘On the Fringes’

by Ben Sallon

If you would like to share your words of wisdom, please submit your article of no more than 500 words to nick@hale-community.org.uk

Parsha Stats Shelach is the 37th of 54 sedras 4th of 10 in Bamidbar Written on 198 lines in a Torah 119 verses - ranks 21st (6th in Bamidbar) 1540 words - ranks 27th (5th in Bamidbar) 5820 letters - ranks 27th (4th in Bamidbar)

Only the fringe tassels are called Tzitzit. The garment is called a ‘Tallit’.

The strings and knots are a physical representation of the Torah's 613 do's and don'ts. It works like this: Each letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a corresponding numerical value. The numerical values of the five letters that comprise the Hebrew word Tzitzit add up to 600. Adding the eight strings and five knots of each tassel, and the total is 613.

Over time, wearing your Tallit can cause damage to the strings, to the point where the Tallit may be unfit for use. If you would like your strings checked and if necessary, replaced, please contact Rabbi Portnoy, Rabbi Aharon, or Rabbi Nick, and they will gladly assist you.

QA &

Read through the Parsha in English and find answers to the questions.

LOLLIPOPS WILL BE AWARDED TO ANYONE WHO READS THROUGH IT, AND TELLS RABBI NICK THE CORRECT ANSWERS!

Who was appointed as the scout from the Tribe of Menashe?

What did they cut from the Valley of Eshkol?

What did they think the Nephilim thought about them?

How long did the Spies spend scouting the Land of Israel?

How many times is the word ‘tzitzit’ mentioned?

When do we say ‘Vayehi Binso’a Ha’Aron’ (10:35-36)?

Did You Know Three mitzvot are mentioned in this week’s parsha: 2 positive commandments, and 1 prohibition.

Part of the problem with sending spies was that the Jewish People should have had flawless faith in Hashem that He would have taken them into the Land of Israel safely.

The day on which the Jewish People wept because of the Spies’ report, was the 9th Av. Since then, many of our national tragedies have occurred on this day, including the desruction of both Temples.

The Jewish People should have entered the Land of Israel merely months after leaving Egypt. Their punishment meant they could not enter until 40 years had passed.

Just For Fun Question: What do Challah and martial arts have in common?

Answer: Judo!

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: 1. 25-50. 2. Short blasts. 3. Judah.

4. Cucumbers, Melons, Leeks, Onions, Garlic.

5. Chatzeirot.

BONUS: Before taking the Torah out of the Ark.

L

KING AHEAD

COMMUNITY

EDUCATION

In The Spotlight Linda & Barry Price This week Linda and Barry are inviting the whole community to a kiddunch in Shule to celebrate their Pearl Wedding Anniversary.

Since becoming members of Hale Shule 30 years ago, they have developed a strong connection with the community, and wish to emphasise that their simcha is for everybody to enjoy.

Linda and Barry met 36 years ago, when Barry asked Linda’s brother if he had any sisters. Thankfully he did!

They were one of the first Jewish weddings in Tatton Park in those days, and since then ran Swimtime together for the last 20 years, and currently head our local Chevra Kaddisha.

They have two daughters, Robyn and Rachel. Rachel, together with her husband, Yaakov, and three children, Akiva, Gavriel and Rivka, have made the journey from Jerusalem to celebrate this weekend.

This week we welcome our visiting soldiers from Israel

BEYOND HALE

We wish Mazaltov to proud parents Rosalind and Eddie Price, and Pat and Danny Herman, and we wish Linda and Barry many more years of health and happiness together. We thank them for their hospitality.

Mazaltov to For more information, please contact Rabbi Aharon - 07817 780 193

If you would like to sponsor an edition of ‘Something For Everyone’, in honour of a simcha or for a yahrzeit, or for any reason, please contact the Shule office on 0161 980 8846 or admin@hale-community.org.uk

Linda & Barry Price on their forthcoming Pearl Wedding Anniversary.

Caroline & Charles Levine on the occasion of Adam & Natalie’s forthcoming marriage on Sunday.