Before sharing a short word on the parsha, Nora, myself and all the kiddies want to express out gratitude towards you all! The outpouring of love and support has given us such a sense of warmth from the community. Thank you!
Now to the Parsha. This week’s Parsha is jam-packed; not with stories but with instructions and mitzvot. It contains, 51 mitzvot, more than almost any other Parsha. It deals with such issues such as: lying, taking interest from fellow Jews, cursing judges who decide against us, pressuring lenders to return money, the obligation to lend money and many more. One such mitzvah, is the prohibition of causing harm (verbal, financial, emotional…) to a widow or orphan (Shmot 22:21.)
Rashi points out that although this prohibition applies to harming any person, the Torah mentions the widows and orphans because of their potential vulnerability.
The Torah, as expressed in the Oral Torah is masterful in translating such a lofty ideal, into practical human terms. Therefore, Maimonides, instructs that this prohibition against afflicting an orphan or widow pain applies even if they are wealthy- in other words, even if they are often in a position of power and advantage, we are still called upon to be mindful of their inner world and experience.
Maimonides teaches that they must always be treated with honor and spoken to pleasantly and one must not speak to them harshly.
To highlight the level of sensitivity called upon us, Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, founder of the Mussar approach to character refinement, used to say that if someone for example, wants to be meticulous in the baking of their Passover matzos, (which must be baked with haste), they must make sure that if the person kneading the dough is a widow, they do not put undue pressure so as not to violate this prohibition.
Sometimes, in the haste of doing the right thing, we might overlook the feelings and experience of others. So the Torah calls upon us to be mindful and to be considerate of the person before us. Perhaps they’re going through a hard time- a family struggle, Parnassa, mental health etc… Truly, “everyone is facing a battle we know nothing about” So let’s be super kind!
Shabbat Shalom!
Virtual Services: Kabbalat Shabbat- 4:30 pm
Baby Bergman Simcha
Please stay tuned for final details of a:
- Virtual drop-in Shalom Zachar on Friday afternoon
- Virtual Bris- Sunday late afternoon
Purim 2021
Thursday, February 25
Fast begins: 5:28 am
Ma’ariv (at Clearfield Gym)- 6:20- RSVP HERE
Megillah Reading- 6:30
Fast Ends- 6:29
Friday, February 26
Shacharit: 7:30 followed by Megillah (around 8 am)- at KOT
Second Megillah Reading: 12 pm
Please RSVP HERE (same link as above)