Welcome to
The Jewish Community of Kansai
Kobe City
JAPAN
4-12-12 Kitano-cho, Chuo-ku ,Kobe
Tel: 078-221-7236 Fax: 078-242-7254
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✡ The
Jewish Community of Kansai✡
Kobe,
Japan
www.jcckobe.org
Weekly
Newsletter
Friday
June 11, 2009
20
Sivan, 5769
(Editor: Michael Fox)
Shabbat
Kindling הדלקת
נרות
at 6:56
Arvit: 7:30 p.m.
Latest Shema 8:20 a.m
Shachrit 8:45 a.m.
Nightfall 7:59
(three stars צאת
הכוכבים -
ג'
כוכבים )
Rosh
Chodesh Tammuz begins
Monday evening: June 22
This
Week's Torah Reading:
Parshah Shelach
Numbers
13:1-15:41
Shabbat
Mishpacha
Takenouchi co-sponsored the shabbat in honor of
son Maiki's bar-mitzvah. Maiki Ben-Smadar
proudly read the Maftir. Amir Suisa and Mouli ha-Kohen both
came from afar for the Bar-Mitzvah as did Amit Millis
from Sendai. Amir read the Haftara and its
Brachot, to honor his father's yortzeit, and co-sponsored
the kiddush. Photographer Serge Attal from France,
now in Kyoto on assignment, was also on hand. Shifra
Joseph of New Mexico, USA, a student
at Ritsumeikan U. in Kyoto, came for
the first time
This shabbat will be sponsored by Mouli
ha-Kohen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The
Parshah in a Nutshell
Parshah
Shelach - Numbers 13:1-15:41
Shelach
Numbers
13:1-15:41
Moses
sends twelve spies to the Land of Canaan. Forty days later
they return, carrying a huge cluster of grapes, a
pomegranate and a fig, to report on a lush and bountiful
land. But ten of the spies warn that the inhabitants of the
land are giants and warriors "more powerful than we"; only
Caleb and Joshua insist that the land can be conquered, as
G-d has commanded.
The people weep and profess that they would rather return
to Egypt. G-d decrees that Israel's entry into the Land
shall be delayed forty years, during which time that entire
generation will die out in the desert. A group of
remorseful Jews storm the mountain on the border of Land
and are routed by the Amalekites and
Canaanites.
The laws of the menachot (meal, wine and oil offerings) are
given, as well as the mitzvah to consecrate a portion of
the dough (challah) to G-d when making bread. A man
violates the Shabbat by gathering sticks and is put to
death. G-d instructs to place fringes (tzitzit) on the four
corners of our garments so that we should remember to
fulfill the mitzvot (Divine
commandments).
Parsha
Commentary
Minority
Truths
By
Yossy Goldman
In democracies as well as in Jewish Law, majority rules. A
Beth Din (court of Torah law) must always consist of an odd
number of judges so that there should always be a majority
opinion.
But the fact is, sometimes the majority gets it
wrong.
The story in this week's Torah reading story of the twelve
spies sent by Moses to the Promised Land is a case in
point.
Only two of the dozen, Joshua and Caleb, remained faithful
to their leader, to the purpose of their mission and to
G-d's assurance that it was a good land. The other ten
spies went awry.
The Spies were sent on a reconnaissance mission to
determine how best to approach the coming conquest of the
land of Canaan. Instead of doing what they were sent to do
-- to suggest the best way forward -- ten of the twelve
spies brought back a negative report that was designed to
intimidate the people and discourage them from entering a
ferocious, "land that devours its inhabitants," and which
signed off with the categorical conclusion that "we cannot
ascend."
The people responded accordingly. They cried out to Moses,
lamenting their very departure from Egypt. So G-d decreed
that this generation was not worthy of His precious
Promised Land. Furthermore, this day of weeping, on which
they cried for no good reason, would become a day of tears
for generations. Indeed, our sages explain, it was the
Ninth of Av, the day that would become a day of mourning
for the destruction of our Holy Temples and many other
national calamities throughout history.
Now, the question I'd like to pose here is why did the
people not follow the two good spies, Joshua and Caleb,
instead of the others? The obvious answer: they were
outvoted and outnumbered. 10 vs. 2 -- no contest. Majority
rules.
Tragically, though, they backed the losers. And the result
was an extended vacation in the wilderness for them, and a
tragedy for all of us to this day.
So, although we may be staunch democrats and believers in
the democratic process, clearly, there will be times when
the minority is right.
The saintly Rabbi Yisroel Meir HaKohen Kagan, better known
as the "Chofetz Chaim," was once challenged by a fellow Jew
who was a somewhat educated cynic. "Rabbi," he argued,
"doesn't the Torah itself say that we must follow the
majority? Well, the overwhelming majority of Jews today are
not religious. So you religious Jews must come over to our
way of thinking!"
The Chofetz Chaim replied with a story.
"Recently, I had occasion to be travelling by coach back
home from an important trip. On route, the coachman
distributed generous helpings of vodka to his passengers to
keep them warm and content. The coachman, too, helped
himself to much more vodka than he should
have.
"When we came to a crossroads, there was confusion as to
which way to turn. Most people argued that the left road
was the correct path. I was one of the only sober
passengers on board and I knew without a shadow of a doubt
that we needed to take the road to the right. So I ask you,
my friend, should I too have followed the majority? They
were hopelessly drunk and their was judgment impaired.
Thank G-d, I prevailed."
All too often, the values and judgment calls of "The World"
are simply wrong. No matter how outnumbered moral people
may be, we will continue to follow the path of decency and
sanity.
We Jews have never played the numbers game. Always, we have
been the smallest of nations. We are not known for our
majority but for our morals.
Not so long ago -- I think it was at the time of the
fictitious Jenin "massacre" -- Kofi Anan questioned, "Can
it be that the whole world is wrong and Israel is right?"
Guess what. He was spot on. The whole world was wrong and
Israel was right. There simply was no
massacre.
My wife has taught high school for many years. Once, a
former student of hers asked if she could speak to her
privately. She needed some guidance. She was now a young
woman and everyone was telling her she was crazy for
insisting that she be a virgin at her wedding. She sought
my wife's affirmation that she hadn't lost her
sanity.
All too often it is the world that is stark, raving
meshugga, veering drunkenly out of control. It takes
substantial strength of character to resist the pull of the
drunken majority.
May G-d aid us to be men and women of stature, of spirit.
May we be inspired with the courage to stand up and be
counted, even if it means being that lone voice in the
wilderness. Otherwise, we may never get to our
destination.