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Welcome
to Beyond Twelve Gates. Learning is the result of asking questions.
Isador Isaac Rabi (with a name like
that, you're wondering if he was Jewish?) was
one of the world's most renowned physicists. Rabi related that when he
came home from school every day his mother would ask, "Did you ask
any good questions today, Isador?"
You'll notice that she didn't ask "What did you learn
today?" In some families it is standard
practice to have a baby's first pair of shoes bronzed.
However, in traditional Jewish families, a child's first question is even
more highly prized than the baby's first shoes. . As the age-old
saying goes, "When you have all the answers, you haven't asked
all the questions."
Parshas Bereishis Genesis 1:1 -- 6:8
This first portion of the Torah begins with G-d's
creation of the world in six days and His 'resting' on the
seventh. Some suggest that an allusion to baseball can
be found in the Torah's first verse -- In the Big Inning
(Beginning). All was created during this first week;
from the separation between light and darkness, to the establishment of the sun, moon and
stars, to the creation of Man (Adam) and Woman (Eve) in G-d's image and their placement in the Garden of Eden.
Adam and Eve are given one command -- to refrain from eating the fruit of
the Tree of Knowledge. Eve is enticed by the snake to eat of the
forbidden fruit, and she offers some to her husband as well. G-d punishes
them for their transgression, and they are banished from the paradise of Eden.
After
the expulsion their first two sons, Cain and Abel,
each bring an offering to G-d. In jealousy
Cain kills his brother, and G-d sends him into exile to wander the
face of the earth.. The Torah then gives a
genealogy of the first ten generations of the world, beginning with Adam
and leading up to the birth of Noah and his three sons.
Rabbinic
Ruminations
Genesis
4:15 "....and G-d placed a sign upon Cain.."
The Oral Torah teaches that the sign placed upon Cain's forehead was the
Hebrew letter vav -- one of the letters found
in G-d's Holy four-letter name. What did
the letter vav represent to Cain?
One function of a vav in Biblical
Hebrew is to change a verb tense from past to future. For example, a
vav before the word
'was' may change it to ' will be.' In other words, the
letter vav represents
.....transformation.
G-d's message to Cain was that just as a vav can transform past into future, so too Cain could
do tshuva (return to G-d) and literally
transform himself into a better human being. This timeless message
applies to each of us. A past mistake or even a previous
lifestyle can become a stepping stone to a better 'us', and to a
closer relationship with G-d.
Quote
of the Week
Outside
of the killings, we have one of the lowest crime rates in the country --
former Washington D.C. Mayor Marion Barry
Joke
of the Week
Hilarious True Headlines:
FITNESS
CLUB CLOSES, GOING BELLY UP
BAN
ON RUNNY YOLKS NOT GOING OVER EASY
INCLUDE
YOUR CHILDREN WHEN BAKING COOKIES
NO
SQUEEZE EXPECTED IN CORSET INDUSTRY
FATHER
OF TEN SHOT; MISTAKEN FOR RABBIT
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Gates'. Comments, questions, requests to be added to our email
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to know more about Nusach Hari
Bnai Zion Congregation? Check us out at
www.nhbz.org If you enjoyed Beyond Twelve
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