Parshas Emor

SHABBOSCOMPANION

SponsorshipsTALMUD TORAH IYAR: Matt & Susie Schoenfeld l'iluy nishmos their grandparents whose beautiful lessons and teachingscontinue to inspire and live within their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren: Maurice & Selina Schoenfeld (Moshe benShimon Lev Halevi z'l and Sara Leah bas Dov Baer HaLevi z'l), Max & Sara Yablon (Menachem Mendel ben Dov Ba’er z'l andSara Yitta bas Ya’acov Sender z'l), Nat & Faye Holzman (Noach ben Avraham z'l and Fayge bas Meyer z'l) and David & SaraBrown (Dovid Shimon ben Yisroel z'l and Sara bas Yaakov z'l).WEEK OF LEARNING: Gregg and Rachel Levitan with a plea to Hakodosh Borchu to reopen our shuls in the zechus that whenwe return to Shul we daven with greater kavana and appreciation and refrain from conversation in shul.DAY OF LEARNING: Yaakov & Ruth Gordon l'zecher nishmas Esther Vishna bas Meir z'l, Ruth's mother.Mendy & Surie Eisikovic in memory of Mendy's mom, Chaya Sima bas Chaim Ezra z'l.Lester & Lily Ward in memory of their parents.Ingrid Fishman l'iluy nishmas Rabbi Chaim Gevantman, HaRav Chaim Fridel B"R Yitzchok Dov, founding Rav of SOTC.DAF YOMI: Ira & Miriam Grossman, Daf During Sefirah Sponsorship.Yossi & Chaya Statman in honor of our dear grandson, Sammy Statman, becoming a Bar Mitzvah.Yerachmiel & Sharon Buck and Family l'iluy nishmas Don Avery, Shalom Ber ben Moshe V'Sima z'l.David Kramer in hoda'ah to the Rofay Chol Basar Umafli La'asos.Uncle Mike, Daf During Sefirah Sponsorship.David & Roberta Schwartz in memory of David's mother, Toiva Huttel bat Yehudah Lev z'l.Bernhard & Marlene Kiewe in honor of the completion of Mr. Kiewe's cancer treatments.Dovid & Chanie Katz in memory of Dovid's father, Mr.Harry Katz, Gershon ben Yitzchak HaKohen z'l.Shmuel & Tzivia Davis in memory of Shmuel's mother, Rochel Basha bas Yitzchak Yehudah Leib z'l.Jerry and Leah Schwartz in honor of their parents, Yisrael ben Yonah HaLevi, Faiga bas Zev, Yudel ben Yisrael and Etka Perelbas Shneir Zalman.Bernhard & Varda Birnbaum in memory of Varda's beloved father, Hillel Langermann , Pinchas Hillel ben Shlomo z'l.Moshe & Risa Margulies in memory of Moshe's grandfather, David Jacos, Dovid ben Shmuel Naftali z"l.Yoni & Tova Herman in gratitude to Rabbi Silber, for all that he does, and as a zechus for a refuah shileima for all the cholim inKlal Yisroel.The Roms in Toronto in appreciation for Rabbi Silber's global Torah teaching and inspiration.Michael & Linda Elman in memory of Michael’s maternal grandmother, Bella Kowal, Etel Baila bas Yosef Chaim z'lDRASHAMarlene Resnick & Family in memory of her husband and son, Baruch Shimon ben Yehuda Leib z'l and Ben-Tzion Michel benBaruch Shimon z'l.DONATIONSHirsh & Gail Goldberg yizkor donation in memory of their parents, Herman & Ida Goldberg z'l, and son, Jonathan Goldberg z'l.Lawrence Suffness in honor of the yahrzeit 5/7 of his beloved mother, Nellie Miller Suffness, Naomi bas Meyer z’l and theyahrzeit 5/18 of his beloved father, Joseph Suffness, Josef ben Ruben z’l.Jackie Becker in honor of and gratitude to Rabbi Silber for all his wonderful shiurim and the health and well-being of Am Israel.

Member NewsMAZAL TOVDavid & Lisa Hackam on the upcoming Bar Mitzvah of their son, Yoni. The kehilla is invited to join a special Zoom celebration onFriday May 8th at 4:30 pm. Meeting ID: 831 5799 1257 | Password: 7504Dr. Michael & Rachel Lebowitz on the bas mitzvah of their daughter, Temima Sara.BIRTHDAYSMaya Bier, Pinny Ehrenfeld, Malka Esterson, Melvin Getz, Eli Goldstein, Gedalyah Jessurun, Ariella Kashnow, Atara Kelman,Shaindy Kelman, Akiva Khaver, Robyn Korobkin, Susan Lapin, Shoshana Lerner, Judah Milner, Zachary Chase Neuman, DinaRechthand, Rivka Freida Richter, Miriam Rogers Holy, Cheryl Rosenfeld, Binyamin Schwarzbaum, Philip Sharp, LeonSheynman, Matan Shiller, Yossi Silber, Mark Silverman, Akiva Strum, Lawrence Suffness, Olivia VolkinYAHRZEITSAvraham Chaim, Miriam Brum, Claire Dexter, Melvin Gladstein, Jack Nudelman, Ada Greenbaum, Emanuel Farber, WolfRotenberg, Eugene Klein, Hyman Lewis Weinblatt, Fay Stolero, Mary Joel Hoffenberg, Jacob Grossblatt, Simon Turniansky,Jacob Grossblatt, Rivkah bas Mordechai HaLevi

MEMBERS ANNOUNCEMENTS

From the time we are young children we count down to exciting life events. We count the days until a birthday and the end of school. As we getolder, we continue to count down. We count the days until graduation, a wedding, a much-needed vacation or other life milestones. In thisweek’s Parsha, God commanded us to count the days from Pesach leading up to Shavuos, when we would receive the Torah at Mount Sinai.

“And you shall count for yourselves, from the morrow of the rest day, from the day you bring the Omer as a wave offering seven weeks; theyshall be complete. You shall count until the day after the seventh week, [namely,] the fiftieth day, [on which] you shall bring a new meal

offering to the Lord.” (Vayikra 23:15-16) But why the need to count? How does counting imbue these days with any additional holiness? On a basic level, we are taught that our exoduswas not an ends; it was a means to receive the Torah. We were not taken out of Egypt simply to be free and without a human master. We wereemancipated because we had (and have) something to contribute. Our nation has the ability to be a light unto the nations. But in order for thelight to burn and illuminate - there must be fuel. The Torah is our fuel, the commandments the oil for our national wick, allowing us to burn brightand dispel the darkness. We count the days from Pesach to Shavuos to remind ourselves that our freedom must be used for spiritualaccomplishment. We count the days of Omer to remind ourselves of our national mandate to make this world a better place. There is something very interesting about the verbiage used in the verse quoted above. The Torah does not simply tell us “to count,” rather,God instructs us, “And you shall count for yourselves- u’sfartem lachem.” What is the meaning of this phrase “lachem (for you)?” It is intriguing that a number of our initial commandments and mitzvos share a common theme – time. The first national mitzvah was KiddushHaChodesh (sanctification of the new moon). God told Moshe, “HaChodesh HaZeh lachem Rosh Chodashim (this month is for you the first ofall months).” (Shemos 12:2) Again, we see this same word “lachem (for you).” Two of our initial commandments – both focused on time.Perhaps, God was trying to convey to us an all-important lesson for meaningful living. Kiddush HaChodesh (sanctification of the newmonth) reminds us that we control our months and Sefiras HaOmer (the counting of the days between Pesach and Shavuos) remindsus that we control our days and our weeks. We control our time. Time humbles all men. Influence, power and connections can get you many things. But the one thing that no amount of “protexia” can procureand acquire for you – is time. Time is a finite, non-renewable resource. No matter how much you yearn for more – you simply can’t create it.Although we can’t generate additional quantities of time – we can most definitely control the time we have been given. Time is the greatesttreasure God bestowed upon us as a free nation. It is the currency of accomplishment and self-advancement. Without it, you cannot doanything, go anywhere; with it, the sky is the limit. People often say, “if only I had more time - there are so many things I would like to do.”These mitzvos remind us that we have complete autonomy over how we use our time. It is true – there may not be enough time to accomplisheverything you want to accomplish – so choose carefully. Decide what is important and focus your energies. We are limited in the duration ofour time in this world but have sole discretion as to how to use the time we are given. Time is the start-up capital for our greatest initiative – life.Invest it wisely. Perhaps, this is why the Torah uses the word “lachem (for you)” by both of the aforementioned commandments. God is not simplytelling us to count. He is instructing us to “make it count for ourselves.” The month is yours – decide what you are going toaccomplish. The week is yours – decide what needs to get done. The day is yours – contemplate how to maximize and squeezeprecious meaning and productivity from every holy moment. Not a week goes by without a new “time saving device” being introduced in the technological marketplace. We are constantly connected, wiredand plugged in. Ostensibly the goal of our devices is to maximize productivity and “save time.” But have we really saved any time? And even ifwe have, how do we use this newfound time-windfall? The reality is that for many of us the time saved is just used for more work. Theadditional time has not gone to our family, to our learning or to acts of chessed; it has gone to more emails, more meetings and more deals. Forothers, this additional time has led to more time spent online wandering the internet, posting every last bit of information (much of it too personalfor public consumption) on Twitter or Facebook, or chas v’shalom losing one’s self in inappropriate sites and material. As William Penn wrote,“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” Our time on this earth belongs to each of us. My hours and minutes belong to me and it isup to me to use them purposefully. As we count the days until Shavuos, let us find the courage and strength to maximize our time and take advantage of each moment.

PARSHA ESSAY Free But Priceless

THE LIGHT THAT DRIVES AWAY THE DARKNESS: THE POWER OF LAG BAOMER

5/18 MON Special Online Shiur by Rabbi Shmuel SilberIncluded in daily email. Sign up at suburbanorthodox.org

Rosh HashanaYom KippurSuccosSimchas TorahPurimPesachShavuos

Parsha in PracticeDISCUSSION 1Many of the Yomim Tovim (holidays) are known by more than one name,Can you think of the many ways we refer to each holiday?

DISCUSSION 2Pesach Sheni offers the opportunity to bring a Korban Pesach (sacrifical offering) for those whowere in a state of impurity on Pesach. It's like a do-over! Think about something that happened onPesach that you might like to do over. What happened and what would you change?

Parsha SummaryThe Parsha begins by detailing the jobs of the Kohein and some rules he must follow in his dailylife in order to remain pure for the avodah (work). We learn about some rules of karbanos(sacrifices) and the animals used for them. Hashem talks about days on which we are not allowedto perform melacha (creative activity) including Shabbos, the first and last days of Pesach,Shavuos, Rosh Hashannah, Yom Kippur and Succos.

ACTIVITY: WORD SCRAMBLE Unscramble these Parsha words!1. ILEVO 2. HNKEO 3. ROEM 4. EMETLP 5. ASCRECFII 6. MIAHSNK 7. OMHSE 8. OAANR 9. SESPVAOR 10. ORNMHAE Answers: 1. ROEM emor, 2. HNKEO Kohen, 3. ILEVO olive, 4. EMETLP temple, 5. ASCRECFII sacrifice, 6. MIAHSNK mishkan, 7. OMHSE moshe, 8. OAANR aaron, 9. SESPVAOR passover, 10. ORNMHAE menorah

KIDS KORNER Compiled by Adina Schwarzbaum

Effective Chinuch in Challenging Times

5/18 MON at 8:30p with Rabbi & Rebbetzin Silber

Zoom details at suburbanorthodox.org