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Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah October 1-2 2018 22-23 Tishrei, 5779

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TORAH ORAH
TORAH TORAH Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on V’zot HaBracha
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A Each year, as we near the again”. (Deut. 3:26) Why? This is beginning: to think of ourselves
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end of the Mosaic books and the man who, eighteen times in as smaller than we actually are,
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Moses’ life, I find myself Tanakh, is called “God’s servant.” or greater than we actually are.
asking: Did it really have to No one else is so described except How are we to understand the
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M end that way, with Moses Joshua, twice. His own obituary in relationship between our
S denied the chance to even to the Torah reads: “Never again did mortality and fallibility and the
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set foot on the land to which there arise in Israel a prophet like almost-infinities of space and
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he led the people for forty Moses” (Deut. 34:10). Why was he time? Civilizations have
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Heavenly Court, could God among whose attributes are between the human and the
Justice not have yielded to
HAFTORAH HAFTORAH forgiveness and compassion? divine. In myth, the gods
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S Mercy for the few days it behave like humans, arguing,
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would have taken Moses to Clearly the Torah is telling us fighting and contending for
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cross the Jordan and see his something fundamental. What, power, while some humans –
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was Moses being punished? explanations, but I believe the divine. The Egyptians believed
Times One moment’s anger when most profound and simplest takes that pharaohs joined the gods
he spoke intemperately to us back to the beginning of after death; some were seen as
the Israelites when they beginnings: “In the beginning God gods even during their lifetime.
Hashkama 8:00 am were complaining about the created Heaven and Earth.” There The Romans declared Julius
lack of water? Can a leader is Heaven and there is Earth, and Caesar a god after his death.
Youth Minyan 8:30 am not be forgiven for one lapse they are not the same. Other religions have believed
in forty years? In the words In the history of civilization, one that God has taken human
Main 9:00 am of the sages: Is this the question has proved hardest of all. form. It has proved
Torah and this its reward? In the words of Psalm 8: “What is exceptionally difficult to avoid
Beit Midrash 9:15 am
The scene in which Moses man that you are mindful of him?” worshipping the human founder
climbs Mount Nebo to see in What is it to be human? We are an of a faith. In the modern age,
Yizkor approx. 10:45 am
the distance the land he infinitesimal speck in an almost the blurring of boundaries has
would never enter is one of infinite universe of a hundred been democratized. Nietzsche
Mincha 6:20 pm
the most poignant in all billion galaxies each with a hundred argued that we would have to
Maariv followed 7:17 pm Tanakh. There is a vast billion stars. We know that our become like gods to vindicate
by Hakafot midrashic literature that lives are like a bare microsecond our dethroning of God Himself.
turns Moses’ request “Let me set against the almost-eternity of The anthropologist Edmund
Candle Lighting 7:17 pm cross over to see the good the cosmos. We are terrifyingly Leach began his Reith Lectures
after land beyond the small. Yet we are also astonishingly with the words, “Men have
Jordan” (Deut. 3:25) into great. We dominate the planet. We become like gods. Isn’t it about
Wed. & Fri. 6:45/7:45 am high drama, with Moses have ever-increasing control over time that we understood our
mounting argument after nature. We are the only life form divinity?” As Jews we believe
Thurs. 6:35/7:45 am argument in his defense only thus far known capable of asking that this is too high an estimate
to be met by unbending the question, ‘Why?’ of our, or anyone’s, humanity.
Mincha 6:15 pm refusal from Heaven:
“Enough from you; do not Hence the two temptations that In the opposite direction
Latest Times for
speak to me of this matter have faced Homo sapiens since the humans have been seen, in
Shema/Shemoneh Esrei
October 1 9:47/10:46 am Mazal Tov to our Chatanim for Simchat Torah:
Chatan Torah: Aryeh Family
October 6 9:49/10:47 am
Chatan Maftir: Adam Rapp
Next Shabbat
Breishit Chatan Bereishit: Jason Mayer
Candle Lighting 6:12 pm Kiddush on Simchat Torah
Mincha 6:15 pm is sponsored by the Aryeh Family