B"H
Friday, Nissan 28, 5782 (13th day of the Omer)/ April 29, 2022
The Torah reading for this Shabbat will not be the same in the Diaspora as in Israel. The Torah reading in Israel will be Parshat Kedoshim, the seventh Parsha in the Book of Leviticus. In the Diaspora we will read Parshat Acharei - the sixth Parsha in Leviticus. Thus, Israel is one Parsha ahead of us in the Torah readings.
Also, in the Diaspora we will recite the first chapter of the Pirkei Avot (Chapters of our Fathers), and in Israel they will be reciting the second chapter. Here too, Israel is one week ahead of us.
Israel and the Diaspora will again be back to the same Torah reading on the last Shabbat in July.
This Shabbat we will bless the New Hebrew Month, Iyar. Rosh Chodesh will begin Saturday night, through Sunday and Monday.
One of the many instructions our sages give in the first chapter of Pirkei Avot is from the sage Antignos Ish Socho. He said, “Do not be like servants who serve their master for the sake of receiving a reward, but rather be like servants who serve their master without the intent of receiving a reward; and let the fear of heaven be upon you.”
Q. One of the thirteen principles of Jewish faith is that G-d rewards for the observance of mitzvot and punishes for desecrating them. So, why shouldn’t anyone do the mitzvot for sake of their reward?
A. A man came to a town and offered to walk across the river on a tightrope for one hundred gulden. Amongst the many people who gathered to watch the scene was Rabbi Chaim of Krasna, a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. Rabbi Chaim watched the man very intently as he was walking on the tightrope.
When asked why he was so interested in the man walking on the rope, Rabbi Chaim told his followers that watching this scene taught him a great lesson in the service of G-d.
"Here I saw a man putting his life at risk in order to earn 100 gulden. Yet, as I was watching him walking the rope, I realized that his entire concentration was on the task before him. Had he thought of the reward that he will receive he would have lost concentration and fallen into the river.”
"From this I learned,” said Rabbi Chaim, “that although G-d promised us reward for the mitzvot, yet, when we perform the mitzvah, our entire concentrationshould be to accomplish the mitzvah to the best of our ability and not think about the reward. Only then can we fulfill the mitzvot properly.”
SHABBAT SHALOM
Montreal candle lighting time: 7:41 / Shabbat ends: 8:49