Be'halot'cha 5769

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Be'halot'cha (Numbers 8-12 )

GOOD MORNING! One cannot love what one does not know. If one wants to appreciate and love being Jewish, he needs to learn the Torah and know the elevated world-view and ethics that were given to the Jewish people to be a role model to the world. Secondly, a person needs to know Jewish history -how we have impacted the world ... and how the world has impacted us.


Rabbi Ken Spiro is the resident Jewish historian at Aish HaTorah and on Aish.com. (He is also a world-renowned engaging, informing and entertaining speaker). You may find his articles on Aish.com and his lectures available on AishAudio.com for listening or downloading. (BCE = Before Common Era CE = Common Era)


Meanwhile, below is a brief synopsis that will look good taped to your refrigerator:


TIMELINE OF JEWISH HISTORY






1812 BCE Time of Abraham Begins
1712 BCE Time of Isaac Begins
1653 BCE Time of Jacob Begins
1544 BCE Joseph Sold into Slavery
1522 BCE Joseph Family Comes to Egypt
1428 BCE Israelites Enslaved in Egypt
1392 BCE Time of Moses Begins
1312 BCE Exodus from Egypt
1312 BCE Torah Given at Mt. Sinai
1272 BCE Conquest of the Promised Land
1106 BCE Time of Judges Begins
879 BCE Saul Anointed King
877 BCE Time of King David Begins
836 BCE King Solomon Begins His Rule
825 BCE First Temple Completed
796 BCE Israel Splits into Two Kingdoms
555 BCE Assyrians Overrun Northern Israel;
Ten Tribes are lost
547 BCE Sennacherib Attacks Jerusalem
422 BCE Babylonians Destroy Temple, 9 Av
370 BCE Return to Israel from Babylonian Exile
355 BCE Miracle of Purim
352 BCE Construction Second Temple Begins
347 BCE Time of the Great Assembly Begins
312 BCE Greeks Conquer Israel
245 BCE Torah is Translated into Greek
Greeks Persecute Jews
167 BCE Revolt of the Maccabees Begins
139 BCE Miracle of Chanukah
63 BCE Romans Invade Israel
37 BCE Herod the Great Begins his Rule
32 BCE Time of Hillel and Shammai
67 CE Jews Revolt Against Rome Begins
70 CE Romans Conquer Jerusalem
and Destroy Temple , 9th of Av
132 CE Rebellion of Bar Kochba
136 CE Rabbi Akiva Martyred
219 CE Mishna Compiled by Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi
312 CE Constatine Converts Rome Empire to Christianity
638 CE Islamic Conquest of Jerusalem
1040 CE Time of Rashi Begins
1096 CE Time of Crusades Begins

1135 CE Time of Maimonides Begins
1144 CE First Blood Libel
1263 CE The Great Disputation; Time of Nachmanides
1348 CE The Black Plague
1478 CE The Inquisition Begins
1492 CE Spain Expels Jews; Columbus finds America
1517 CE Protestant Reformation; Time of Martin Luther
1567 CE Jews Invited into Poland
1570 CE Time of the Ari and the Kabbalists
1648 CE Chmielnikci Massacres in Eastern Europe
1651 CE Time of Shabbtai Tzvi, false messiah
1654 CE First Jews Arrive in America
1692 CE Time of Ba'al Shem Tov & Chassidic Movement
1772 CE Time of the Misnagdim and Vilna Gaon Begins
1791 CE Emancipation of the Jews Begins in Europe
1791 CE Jews Resettled in Pale of Settlement in Russia
1810 CE Reform Movement Begins in Germany
1881 CE Jews Made Scapegoats by Tzar of Russia
1882 CE First Aliyah to Israel
1887 CE Conservative Movement Founded in America
1894 CE Dreyfus Affair in France
1897 CE First Zionist Congress
1917 CE British Mandate in Palestine; Balfour Declaration
1933 CE Hitler Comes to Power in Germany
1942 CE "Final Solution" Formulated by Nazis
1948 CE State of Israel Declared; War of Independence
1964 CE PLO Founded
1967 CE Six Day War and Reunification of Jerusalem
1974 CE Rabbi Noah Weinberg Founds Aish HaTorah

For more on "Jewish History" go to ShabbatShalomAudio.com!

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Torah Portion of the Week
Beha'alosecha

Aharon is commanded in the lighting of the Menorah, the Levites purify themselves for service in the Tabernacle (they trained from age 25-30 and served from age 30-50), the first Pesach is celebrated since leaving Egypt. The Almighty instructs the Jewish people to journey into the desert whenever the ever-present cloud lifts from above the Tabernacle and to camp where it rests. Moshe is instructed to make two silver trumpets to be sounded before battle or to proclaim a Yom Tov (a holiday).


The people journey to the wilderness of Paran during which time they rebelled twice against the Almighty's leadership. The second time they complain about the boring taste of the manna and the lack of meat in the desert. The Almighty sends a massive quantity of quail and those who rebelled died.


Moshe asks his father-in-law, Yitro (Jethro), to travel with them in the desert, but Yitro returns to Midian. (It has been said that the difference between in-laws and outlaws, that at least outlaws are wanted ... Of course, in this case the father-in-law was wanted.)


Miriam, Moshe's sister, speaks lashon hora (defaming words) about Moshe. She is struck with Tzora'as (the mystical skin disease which indicated that a person spoke improperly about another person) and is exiled from the camp for one week.

* * *

Dvar Torah
based on Growth Through Torah by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

When we open the Ark and take the Torah out, everyone recites a verse from this week's Torah portion:


"And it was when the Ark traveled, Moshe said, 'Arise Almighty and disperse Your enemies, and those who hate You will flee from You.' "


Why is this verse recited then?


Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, a Torah illuminary, who lived in the Old City of Jerusalem until 1932, answered this question at the dedication of a Yeshiva. "Whenever someone wants to start some worthwhile Torah institution or project, there are always people who will try to stop him. Therefore, when we take out the Torah we ask that the Almighty should disperse the enemies of torah and prevent them from causing trouble."


Torah is the lifeblood of the Jewish people. Our enemies knew that if they could keep the Jewish people from learning Torah, the Jewish people could be swayed and conquered. Therefore, for the Jewish people to be strong and to continue, we must give our support for every effort to teach and spread Torah. Any Jewish leader who does not throw his support behind efforts to teach Torah and expand Torah schools for our children, sorely lacks the fundamental principle crucial to our survival!

* * *

My friend, Eliezer Heyman - also known as "Eliezer ben Boca Beach" has a love for taking photographs of seagulls, Yiddish and above all, his grandchildren. He has combined his love in making a children's book for his grandchildren: Erev Shabbos Mit Eliezer Siegal and His Mishugena Mishpoche. www.FloridaJewish.com/book


CANDLE LIGHTING - June 12
(or go to http://www.aish.com/shabbat/candlelighting.asp)

Jerusalem 7:10
Guatemala 6:13 - Hong Kong 6:49 - Honolulu 6:55
J'Burg 5:04 - London 8:59 - Los Angeles 7:47
Melbourne 4:49 - Mexico City 7:57 - Miami 7:54

New York 8:09 - Singapore 6:53 - Toronto 8:41

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

A generation which ignores history
has no past and no future.
--  Robert Heinlein

 
With Deep Appreciation to

Jonas Mimoun

for his friendship & support

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Kalman Packouz

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