Good Friends, Good Relationships

This week we will continue presenting the ideas taught by Dr. Sara Barris at the recent joint Puah and OU conference on intimacy.
Dr. Barris stated that studies have shown that the basis for good relationships and an intimate happy marriage is that husband and wife are good friends. Couples who show up for the long haul share things with each other, from the simple and unimportant things like what was your favorite game growing up as a kid, to the essential and important issues that keep you up at night.

TTriddles

TTRIDDLES…
are Torah Tidbits-style riddles on Parshat HaShavua (sometimes on the calendar). They are found in the hard-copy of TT scattered throughout, usually at the bottom of different columns. In the electronic versions of TT, they are found all together at the end of the ParshaPix-TTriddles section. The best solution set submitted each week (there isn’t always a best) wins a double prize a CD from Noam Productions and/or a gift (game, puzzle, book, etc.) from Big Deal

Last issue’s (Balak) TTriddles:
[1] 1005-7: kit, eke, ilk
TT issues 1005 thru 1007 covered the sedras of Korach, Chukat, and Balak. Those are three-letter names, with the letter KUF going from first position in Korach to second position in Chukat to third position in Balak. This was represented by the K taking similar positions in the three three-letter words in the TTriddle.
[2] Clintonsterdam
That’s Bill Clinton and Amsterdam. Taking the missing first parts together, we get Bill-Am, as in Bil’am.
[3] Right holds firm; left up six
Right = YAMIN (YUD-MEM-YUD- NUN); left = S’MOL (SIN-MEM-ALEF -LAMED). In Parshat Balak we find YAMIN USMOL (right and left) in the context of the third time Bil’am’s donkey saw the angel and had no room, neither right nor left to veer from the path, so he just sat down under Bil’am and suffered a third beating. The word YAMIN holds firm (spelled as it always is), but S’MOL has an extra VAV (SIN-MEM-ALEF- VAV-LAMED) increasing its numeric value by six.

Divrei Menachem

In this week’s parsha, Moshe is bidden by Hashem to take vengeance on the Midianites for all the trouble they caused Bnei Yisrael in the matter of their recent idolatrous and immoral behavior with the Moabite and Midianite women. In response, Moshe addresses the people urging them to provide soldiers for battle in order to wage war on Midian, “to serve as vengeance for Hashem against Midian.”

Between Happy and Unhappy Couples

As we wrote last time, over the next few weeks we will present some of the highlights of the recent Puah Conference together with the Orthodox Union entitled Intimacy and Fertility.
One of the presenters was Dr. Sara Barris who is a religious clinical psychologist with many religious clients. She is the Co-director of Support Services for the American Fertility Association, which is one of the largest support groups for fertility in the world.
Dr. Barris spoke about the dynamics of intimacy throughout the different stages of life and about how to make marriage and intimacy last a lifetime together. How to maintain relationships over the long haul.

Upholding our Words Holds up the World

This week’s portion of MATOT begins (30:2-17) with the laws of vows, NEDARIM and oaths, SH’VU’OT, where a person obligates himself by cause of his own words. If a person vows to G-d to do or not to do something relating to an object, or makes an oath that he himself will refrain from doing something or will do something, he is obligated to uphold what he promises - LO YACHEIL D’VARO, K’CHOL HAYOTZEI MIPIV YA’ASEH. This section teaches us the importance of our words.

Parsha Points to Ponder

1) Why were the laws regarding how to nullify vows taught specifically to the heads of the tribes and not to the entire nation (30:2)?
2) G-D tells Moshe to take revenge from the people of Midian for what they did to the Jewish people (31:2). Why does Moshe change the wording and tell the people that they will take revenge for what the people of Midian did to G-D (31:3)?
3) Why did the tribes which wanted to remain on the eastern side of the Jordan present their case to Moshe, Elazar, and the princes of the congregation (32:2)? Why didn’t they speak to Moshe, alone?

Parsha Points to Ponder by Rabbi Dov Lipman
Rabbi Lipman is an educator, author, and community activist in Bet Shemesh and also serves as Director of Anglos for Am Shalem. [FACEBOOK: “Anglos for Am Shalem”] http://www.rabbilipman.com

Ponder the questions first, then see below

Word of the Month

A weekly feature of Torah Tidbits to help clarify practical and conceptual aspects of the Jewish Calendar, thereby better fulfilling the mitzva of haChodesh HaZeh Lachem…