Bnei Akiva Dallas

Shabbat April 18, 2015; 29 Nissan 5775

BNEI-AKIVATON
Times | Information for Shabbat | Upcoming Events | Awesomeness

The Stepping Stones to Holiness

Shabbat/Bnei Akiva
Zmanim

A Dvar Torah on Parshat Shemini by Heidi Kravitz

Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Maariv 7:00pm

Shabbat begins-

7:41

High School Oneg at Zollers1- 10

Shabbat Morning Minyanim-

Snif-

8/9am
6:15pm

Mincha-

7:25

Maariv~

8:35

Motzei Shabbat-

8:42

Weather for Shabbat

Friday:
High-81 Low-65
Scattered
Thunderstorms
Shabbat Kodesh:
High-84 Low-60

A

  clash

  of

  the

  heavens

 
Upcoming Dates

Tuesday evening-Yom
HaZikaron
Wednesday evening-BNEI AKIVA
YOM HAATZMAUT EVENT @
SHAARE (check out our Facebook page
for updates)

May 6-Lag BaOmer

Facebook page: facebook.com/bneiakivadallas

1) Zoller address: 5951 Bonnard Dr.

In Parshat Shemini, Hashem lists all the

permitted animals we may eat, teaching us
the laws of kashrut. Shemini concludes its
identification of kosher species with the
following verse: Because I am Hashem who
brought you out of Egypt to be your G-d.
Therefore, since I am holy, you must also
remain holy (Vayikra 11:45). Some
commentaries suggest that the laws of
kashrut fall into the category ofchukkim,
mitzvot lacking reasons as to why they are
performed; however, some would disagree
saying that there is an explanation for why
we are commanded to keep kosher. So what
is the practical connection between
observing the laws of kashrut and holiness?
Is it some spiritual link that is beyond our
comprehension? Perhaps there is an
underlying relationship between the two, but
if one equates holiness with striving for
righteous behavior, then there is also a very
practical link between the Torahs emphasis
on watching what we eat and developing
proper middot.
The very first commandment given to
Adam Harishon, and his very first sin,
involved eating, and of the ten trials in the
desert through which Bnei Yisrael tested
Hashems patience, six of the ten involved
complaints or misconduct related to food or
drink. Why does the Torah put so much
emphasis on eating? It is common knowledge
that food is one of the most basic
requirements for human survival. One can
suggest that eating is our most
fundamentalyetzer harato the extent that
a lack of food, whether its slight hunger or
true starvation, will cause most people to
lower their moral standards. Luckily, food
is ample for most nowadays, and the average
person cannot relate to the horrors of
starvation. Yet, we can still recognize that
when someone is hungry, they tend to act
more irritably, losing lots of sensitivity,
patience and tolerance.
The Torah includes several narratives and
commandments relating to eating because
how we approach eating forms our attitudes
toward other moral values and standards.
The Torah provides a model of conduct
applicable to other temptations in life by
requiring that we exercise self-control and
discipline in the area of eating, thus using
food as a stepping stone for spiritual growth
rather than self-gratification. Eating is the
most fundamental example of a physical
activity that the Torah regards a holy act if
controlled for spiritual purposes. For this
reason, the tables at which we eat are
compared by halachic sources to
amizbeach an altar on which sacrifices

were oered to Hashem. In the Bablylonian

Talmud (Chagigah 27a), it is stated that in
the absence ofkorbanot, a person's table can
bring atonement through showing hospitality
to poor guests.
If we can avoid indulging in the wrong
foods, we can manage ouryetzer hara.
Success in this area can lead to great spiritual
accomplishment. Nonetheless, if we do not
follow the Torahs guidelines in the area of
food, and prioritize our own cravings over
Hashem's will, then our lack of restraint can
lead us down a self-destructive path. The
common challenge of food is to find the
perfect balance between eating enough for a
proper diet and crossing the line into
overindulging.
Food is an exclusive realm in which
children can either be taught to exercise selfcontrol for their betterment, or they may
become habituated to a lack of discipline,
ultimately to their detriment. Eating is one
of the most frequent activities in a childs
life, and thus there is no better context in
which to repeatedly model self-control in
age-appropriate ways. The constant
repetition of appropriate conduct instead of
unsuitable behavior in the sphere of eating
over many years will certainly have an eect
on a childs character traits. According to
Rav Hirsch, the practice we are seeking for
our children are opportunities to practice
being good even when it is unpleasant, and
to avoid evil even when it tempts our senses.
What better context in which to teach this
than in the area of food and eating; where
the things that taste the best, can in fact be
the worst for us.
In conclusion, return to the Torahs
reproach inParshat Sheminiafter relating
the laws of kashrut:Because I am Hashem
who brought you out of Egypt to be your Gd. Therefore, since I am holy, you must also
remain holy. Now we can understand how
developing self-control and discipline in the
area of food represents the pathway to
holiness.
We are hap
py

to be hosting
our Boger, Ar
i
Bnei Akiva of
the US & Can
ada! In
addition to ass
isting the Ma
drichim, he wil
l be
leading an act
ivity Shabbat
morning for the
graders.
6-8
Marder, from

MARK YOUR
CALENDARS:
Yom HaAtzm
aut
this Tuesday
(April 22)!!!
Bnei Akiva wil
l be hosting an
event for the
whole
family at Shaar
e! The event wil
l begin with a
special Maari
v led by Rabbi
Sabo, followed
by a
BBQ and activit
ies for the wh
ole family.
Information reg
arding the tim
e and RSVP wil
available on our
l be
Facebook pag
e Sunday eve
ning.

Bnei Akiva Dallas

Shabbat April 18, 2015; 29 Nissan 5775

Song of the week: Nkadesh

.
'
.
. ,

Transliterated: (tune can be found on YouTube)

Nekadesh et shimcha baOlam k'shem
shemakdishim to bishmei marom. Yimlokh
HaShem leolam, Elokaich tziyon l'dor va-dor.
Hallelukah. Ve'Ata Kadosh,Yoshev
TehilotYisrael Yisrael Kel na.

Translation:
We will make Your name holy in the
world. We sanctify Your name on earth,
even as all things, to the ends of time and
space proclaim Your holiness; your God,

O Zion, from generation to generation.

Hallelujah! And You are Holy, enthroned
upon the praises of Israel, do not.

Israel Update

the prospect of this in mice and will likely know

within the next five years if it will be possible in
humans. This is an incredible medical research
breakthrough, and Israel is right at the cutting
edge.

When one gets a haircut, their hair grows back. When

one cuts their nails, they too, grow back. When one has
a heart attack and survives, however, they lose billions of
a dierent type of cell called cardiomyocytes, which
causes the quality of life of the survivor to lessen. Our
bodies are not able to easily reproduce heart cells, so it is
nearly impossible to make up the lost cardiomyocytes
after a heart attack that are so crucial to a healthy life.
All of that is about to change. Last week, scientists from
the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and the
Victor Chang Institute in Sydney have figured out how
to stimulate the heart muscles in a way that will cause
them to make up the lost cells. They explored the way
that salamanders and fish are able to reproduce these
same cells and figured out a way to possibly reproduce a
similar mechanism, possibly even with medicines that
already exist and are healthy for humans. They studied

J
E
O
L
Z
C
H
I
K
G
I
Z
K
Y
C

K
T
I
D
A
A
Z
A
R
V
U
O
T
K
C

C
O
M
L
N
M
Z
Z
C
D
R
I
U
L
C

G
M
H
I
W
X
I
Y
X
B
S
M
R
U
D

G
M
H
A
N
A
G
N
A
X
I
P
H
E
E

N
C
K
A
N
W
R
N
A
H
G
U
S
C
A

S
J
D
V
J
I
O
C
P
Q
M
R
A
M
H

Y
A
V
I
P
T
M
A
Y
O
W
I
K
J
X

V
Y
N
H
D
A
J
P
G
P
P
T
J
M
B

E
V
K
U
E
Y
D
K
G
O
E
Y
H
E
C

This week, on Thursday the 27th of

Nissan, the Jewish people marked
Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance
Day, a day when the memory of those
who perished are remembered, and
the world stops to recall this horrific
event. On this day in 1943, 35,000 Jews
in the Warsaw Ghetto who had not yet
been deported, staged an organized
uprising. Countless individuals risked
their lives for their community and their
Judaism despite the consequences.
Whether in 1943 or 2015, the Jewish
Peoples faith stays strong. As a nation,
we do not give up, and we stand up for
what we believe in and for what is right.
This week and every day of the year, we
should continue to carry the memory of
every soul that died in the Holocaust,
the lives that were cut short, and live to
make them proud for what they died
for.

Bnei Akiva word of

the week!
Hanhaga noun \hawn-hu-gaw\
: Word meaning a council or
youth leadership team, made
up of high school youth.

Joke of the week!

Who was the best business
woman in the Torah?

parshah

  word

  search
S
Q
S
X
G
W
B
K
X
U
U
B
O
F
S

This week in Jewish

History: 27 Nisan

S
T
C
E
S
N
I
L
S
B
C
E
P
Q
H

F
I
R
E
U
W
A
S
H
I
N
G
R
S
I

S
N
O
I
T
A
R
A
P
E
R
P
I
C
P

F
A
F
S
S
W
P
Q
L
H
G
F
B
D
B

words:
1. Kohanim
2. Korbanot
3. Preparations
4. Washing
5. Fire
6. Schinah
7. Nadav
8. Avihu
9. Kashrut
10.Animals
11.Fish
12.Birds
13.Insects
14.Impurity
15.CreepyCrawl
ies

Bat Paroh! She

pulled a profit
out of the
water!!