June 26
Media
Part of Nageela West
Title
June 26
extracted text
Korach
5780
june 26th
2020
OUR
150TH
EPISODE!
have a
ly Publication
A Kid Friendly Week
Candle
Lighting:
yfully Jewish
Jo
t
as
Co
t
es
W
la
of Nagee
Slippery Korach
by Rabbi Dani Locker
D
S
Scottsdale 7:23
San Diego 7:42
Henderson 7:43
Las Vegas 7:44
Irvine 7:47
Los Angeles 7:50
Reno/ Tahoe 8:12
Oakland 8:17
Experiences
Season 4
Episode 29
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
@NAGEELAWEST
id you know the Korach was the secretary of the Treasury in
the Egyptian government? But more on that later.
lippery Steve was a truly talented pickpocket. He could slide
behind anyone, bump into them softly, mumble an apology, and
walk away smiling with a new wallet, watch, phone, and sometimes
even a pair of socks. He was that good.
O
ne of Steve's favorite places to stalk was Krunchy's Kosher
Korner- a restaurant whose customers were wealthy businessmen.
Steve would sit at the bar sipping some champagne, and when he
saw a likely target, he would pass by the table, on his way to
the bathroom. A quick slip and a bump. A mumbled apology,
and a very full wallet. Business was good. Then Krunchy (the
restaurant's owner) caught on.
A
fter a bunch of complaints from his customers, Krunchy realized
there must be a pickpocket frequenting his establishment.
He played back the security tapes, and was amazed (and angered)
by what he saw. Even playing back the video in slow motion, it
was hard to see the nimble fingers do their damage. He made up
his mind to do something about it. The next time Slippery Steve
THIS WEEK
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Help the children get outdoors!
visit nageelawest.org/donations to do your part!
walked into the store, and ordered his customary champagne,
Krunchy asked, "Would you like some handcuffs with that?"
"
"
What do you mean?"
I know you've been stealing from my customers. As soon as
you walked in to the restaurant today, I called the police.
They're on their way, and your quick hands are going to be covered
in iron." Satisfied with his clever speech, Krunchy smiled widely.
"
Wait!" cried Steve. "It doesn't have to be like this. I promise
I have never, ever stolen from you. Your restaurant is safe
from me. How about if I give you some cash, and we forget about
this whole thing? Remember, I haven't caused you any loss!"
K
runchy frowned at Steve. "What a ridiculous suggestion.
You've caused me huge losses! Every time a customer orders
their dinner it costs me money. Then when it comes time to pay
and their wallet is stolen... who do you think loses?"
W
hile in Egypt, Korach kept the key to all of Pharaoh's
treasure houses. When the Jews left Egypt, he took all
the treasure with him, which he was criticized for. At first it
might be hard to understand what was wrong. After all, he simply
took Pharaoh's money. But if we think about Slippery Steve, we
realize that Korach actually took money away from the rest of
the Jews, as they were the ones who were going to receive all
the treasures of Egypt.
S
ometimes it's not enough to look at the situation for what it
IS, and we need to look at what it CAN BE or WILL BE. Looking
ahead and making our decisions with the best future in mind.
THIS WEEK'S NAGEELA SHABBOS IS SPONSORED IN MEMORY OF
CHAYA BAS AVRAHAM DAVID, WHO WOULD TOLERATE NO LASHON HARA
to sponsor an episode of Nageela
Shabbos, please contact dlocker@
nageelawest.org
Hi Rabbi,
Balance Transfer
I hear that if I speak badly about someone I get all of their sins, and
if they speak badly about me, they get all of mine. Is this true? How
would it work?
Thanks,
Tyler Raedin
Dear Ty Raedin,
We take proper speech really, really seriously.
As we discussed last week, any talk that is
either degrading (negative) or damaging
(hurtful) to a person is called Lashon Hara.
It’s SOOO serious that some people make the
claim that you’ve mentioned in your question.
So is it true? Let’s take a look.
Joe and Sari don’t get along very well. That’s
because Joe is a pretty horrible person, and
Sari is as close to goodness as a person can
get.
Sari collects and gives out toys to homeless
children in her neighborhood.
Joe likes to grab the toys away and make
the kids cry.
Sari studies hard for her test and always
does her homework on time.
Joe set his schoolbooks on fire, and his
teachers don’t even know what he looks like.
Sari rescues injured puppies and cares for
them.
Stump the Rabbi is a
forum where kids can ask
ANY Jewish question.
Have a question? Please
send it in to
stump@nageelawest.org
Questions here are real. Names
and some wording have been
For years and
changed.
years, they carry
on t h i s w a y.
Sari doing good deeds and generally being an
awesome person; Joe committing crimes against
humanity, school supplies and food. Now after
many years, they both pass away on the same
day, and are standing next to each other at
the gates of heaven (with appropriate social
distancing, of course).
If you hear someone
speaking negatively
about you and you
DON’T hit back,
you’ve just gained a
tremendous merit,
“Sari!” booms the angel in
charge. “You lived a sinful
and selfish life. You were cruel
and uncaring.”
“There must be some mistake!” wails Sari. I
spent my life doing good. Was there a glitch in
Joe uses a BB gun to shoot squirrels in his
the system or something?”
back yard, for fun.
pay closeThe angel checks his iPad and scrolls through
attentionthe
to details. “Oh.” he says. “I see what happened.
Joe puts pieces of lego on the floor where he
our
online
knows people will walk barefoot.
You did lead a good life. But just once, in 30
and social
Sari vacuums the rug so that her parents media years of knowing Joe, you spoke negatively
pltformsabout him. What you said was true, but it
won’t have to.
this week was
for mean, and because of that, you now own
info
on
both
Sari eats Twizzlers.
all of the things that he did. Have a pleasant
of theseafterlife!”
fun virtual
Joe eats Red Vines.
programs
continued from previous page
Ummm.
Does that sound like it makes sense to you?
Yeah. No. Me neither.
So is it fake news? Not really. The concept
of transferring the merits and sins due to
Lashon Hara is sourced in pretty early,
important works like the Zohar and the Maggid
Meisharim (names of holy books, in case you
were wondering). So what does it mean?
There are a couple of opinions. Some opinions
believe that this statement is not literal.
You don’t actually lose or gain your merits.
If you never ate a pork, then when you get
‘upstairs’ they won’t say you did. What it
means (according to this opinion, advanced
by Rabbi E. Dessler) is that there’s a general
exchange of merit. Meaning, if I speak LH
about you, then I lose some of my heavenly
‘bank credit’, and you gain some bank credit
because you’ve suffered. You don’t get specific
mitzvos and aveiros, but a general flow and
exchange of credit.
The Chofetz Chaim (seemingly supported by
Chovos Halevavos) takes it more literally. This
approach seems to feel that you could actually
take ownership of something you did not do.
However, I would like to suggest that it’s very
far from being ‘all or nothing.’ Lashon Hara is
serious enough that if Sari consistently, over
the course of her lifetime, spoke negatively
about Joe ALL THE TIME, then she would
end up with the bill for a lot of Joe’s negative
actions. Every time she speaks, a bit gets
chipped off of Joe’s bill and goes to her. It’s so
incredibly important that we teach ourselves
to only speak positively (or just don’t speak
about people at all), because it would be a real
shame to work hard our whole lives and lose
some (or a lot) of what we've gained.
On a positive note, if you hear someone speaking
negatively about you and you DON’T hit back,
you’ve just gained a tremendous merit, and
you’ve recovered some of your own debt.
the Rabbi.
Have a Nageela Shabbos,
Who complained when Moses
destroyed the golden calf?
Cow-Rach!
OUCH! GROAN!
got a better joke? Email it to dlocker@nageelawest.org
D E E P HAPPYBIRTHDAY!
Birthday to family members
THOU Happy
who have celebrated recently:
GHTS
Harrison Clayton
Eve Moga
What does
Miracle Moga
Avi Gewirtz
cheese say
Netanel Gazala
Aaron Polonsky
when it gets its
Rabbi Shua Rose
picture taken?
?
to Miracle and
Eve Moga who are
celebrating their Bat
Mitzvahs!
To the Naiman family upon the
birth of a baby girl!
Quick Fix
We're extremely excited
to announce our revamped overnight IN PERSON
camp, starting next week! If you know someone
who could use a great Jewish summer program,
please contact us for registration, rates and info
on our COVID-19 safety protocols.
09 30
DAYS TO CAMP
NAGEELA WEST
GIRLS SESSION
DAYS TO CAMP
NAGEELA WEST
BOYS SESSION
Find out about our summer 2020 and see photos from GT2019 at
nageelawest.org
It doesn't get much better than Moses, right? I
mean, he's the ultimate leader. He's literally saved
the entire Jewish nation many, many times, and
he's their teacher, guide, advisor and advocste.
Now this dud Korach (a cousin of Moses) startd
a rebellion. Korach gets obliterated. The ground
literally opens up to swallow him. His followers get
burned by a heavenly fire. Moses is proven right
and everyone is happy, right?
Nope!
The very next day, pretty much everyone
comes complaining to Moses that he has used
disproportionate force. He caused people to die.
Ahhhh! What does Moses do? He prays for the
people so that God won't be too angry at them.
Lesson 1: No matter how many times you prove
someone wrong, or how well you do it, they'll
always find a way to challenge you.
Lesson 2: No matter how many times people try to
hurt you, take a lesson from Moses. We want the
people to change their thoughts and actions. We
don't people to get hurt, even if they have hurt us.
www.nageelawest.org
Nageela West breaks the
mold of old school Jewish
outreach by providing out- ofthe- box social and educational
programs for Jewish children
across the west coast. Through
afterschool activities, weekend retreats and our signature summer
camp, we engage elementary and middle school children in a fun and
meaningful experience.
Our “questions encouraged” mindset makes Nageela a comfortable
learning and growing environment for Jewish children of all
backgrounds.
844-NAGEELA www.nageelawest.org info@nageelawest.org
5780
june 26th
2020
OUR
150TH
EPISODE!
have a
ly Publication
A Kid Friendly Week
Candle
Lighting:
yfully Jewish
Jo
t
as
Co
t
es
W
la
of Nagee
Slippery Korach
by Rabbi Dani Locker
D
S
Scottsdale 7:23
San Diego 7:42
Henderson 7:43
Las Vegas 7:44
Irvine 7:47
Los Angeles 7:50
Reno/ Tahoe 8:12
Oakland 8:17
Experiences
Season 4
Episode 29
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
@NAGEELAWEST
id you know the Korach was the secretary of the Treasury in
the Egyptian government? But more on that later.
lippery Steve was a truly talented pickpocket. He could slide
behind anyone, bump into them softly, mumble an apology, and
walk away smiling with a new wallet, watch, phone, and sometimes
even a pair of socks. He was that good.
O
ne of Steve's favorite places to stalk was Krunchy's Kosher
Korner- a restaurant whose customers were wealthy businessmen.
Steve would sit at the bar sipping some champagne, and when he
saw a likely target, he would pass by the table, on his way to
the bathroom. A quick slip and a bump. A mumbled apology,
and a very full wallet. Business was good. Then Krunchy (the
restaurant's owner) caught on.
A
fter a bunch of complaints from his customers, Krunchy realized
there must be a pickpocket frequenting his establishment.
He played back the security tapes, and was amazed (and angered)
by what he saw. Even playing back the video in slow motion, it
was hard to see the nimble fingers do their damage. He made up
his mind to do something about it. The next time Slippery Steve
THIS WEEK
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Help the children get outdoors!
visit nageelawest.org/donations to do your part!
walked into the store, and ordered his customary champagne,
Krunchy asked, "Would you like some handcuffs with that?"
"
"
What do you mean?"
I know you've been stealing from my customers. As soon as
you walked in to the restaurant today, I called the police.
They're on their way, and your quick hands are going to be covered
in iron." Satisfied with his clever speech, Krunchy smiled widely.
"
Wait!" cried Steve. "It doesn't have to be like this. I promise
I have never, ever stolen from you. Your restaurant is safe
from me. How about if I give you some cash, and we forget about
this whole thing? Remember, I haven't caused you any loss!"
K
runchy frowned at Steve. "What a ridiculous suggestion.
You've caused me huge losses! Every time a customer orders
their dinner it costs me money. Then when it comes time to pay
and their wallet is stolen... who do you think loses?"
W
hile in Egypt, Korach kept the key to all of Pharaoh's
treasure houses. When the Jews left Egypt, he took all
the treasure with him, which he was criticized for. At first it
might be hard to understand what was wrong. After all, he simply
took Pharaoh's money. But if we think about Slippery Steve, we
realize that Korach actually took money away from the rest of
the Jews, as they were the ones who were going to receive all
the treasures of Egypt.
S
ometimes it's not enough to look at the situation for what it
IS, and we need to look at what it CAN BE or WILL BE. Looking
ahead and making our decisions with the best future in mind.
THIS WEEK'S NAGEELA SHABBOS IS SPONSORED IN MEMORY OF
CHAYA BAS AVRAHAM DAVID, WHO WOULD TOLERATE NO LASHON HARA
to sponsor an episode of Nageela
Shabbos, please contact dlocker@
nageelawest.org
Hi Rabbi,
Balance Transfer
I hear that if I speak badly about someone I get all of their sins, and
if they speak badly about me, they get all of mine. Is this true? How
would it work?
Thanks,
Tyler Raedin
Dear Ty Raedin,
We take proper speech really, really seriously.
As we discussed last week, any talk that is
either degrading (negative) or damaging
(hurtful) to a person is called Lashon Hara.
It’s SOOO serious that some people make the
claim that you’ve mentioned in your question.
So is it true? Let’s take a look.
Joe and Sari don’t get along very well. That’s
because Joe is a pretty horrible person, and
Sari is as close to goodness as a person can
get.
Sari collects and gives out toys to homeless
children in her neighborhood.
Joe likes to grab the toys away and make
the kids cry.
Sari studies hard for her test and always
does her homework on time.
Joe set his schoolbooks on fire, and his
teachers don’t even know what he looks like.
Sari rescues injured puppies and cares for
them.
Stump the Rabbi is a
forum where kids can ask
ANY Jewish question.
Have a question? Please
send it in to
stump@nageelawest.org
Questions here are real. Names
and some wording have been
For years and
changed.
years, they carry
on t h i s w a y.
Sari doing good deeds and generally being an
awesome person; Joe committing crimes against
humanity, school supplies and food. Now after
many years, they both pass away on the same
day, and are standing next to each other at
the gates of heaven (with appropriate social
distancing, of course).
If you hear someone
speaking negatively
about you and you
DON’T hit back,
you’ve just gained a
tremendous merit,
“Sari!” booms the angel in
charge. “You lived a sinful
and selfish life. You were cruel
and uncaring.”
“There must be some mistake!” wails Sari. I
spent my life doing good. Was there a glitch in
Joe uses a BB gun to shoot squirrels in his
the system or something?”
back yard, for fun.
pay closeThe angel checks his iPad and scrolls through
attentionthe
to details. “Oh.” he says. “I see what happened.
Joe puts pieces of lego on the floor where he
our
online
knows people will walk barefoot.
You did lead a good life. But just once, in 30
and social
Sari vacuums the rug so that her parents media years of knowing Joe, you spoke negatively
pltformsabout him. What you said was true, but it
won’t have to.
this week was
for mean, and because of that, you now own
info
on
both
Sari eats Twizzlers.
all of the things that he did. Have a pleasant
of theseafterlife!”
fun virtual
Joe eats Red Vines.
programs
continued from previous page
Ummm.
Does that sound like it makes sense to you?
Yeah. No. Me neither.
So is it fake news? Not really. The concept
of transferring the merits and sins due to
Lashon Hara is sourced in pretty early,
important works like the Zohar and the Maggid
Meisharim (names of holy books, in case you
were wondering). So what does it mean?
There are a couple of opinions. Some opinions
believe that this statement is not literal.
You don’t actually lose or gain your merits.
If you never ate a pork, then when you get
‘upstairs’ they won’t say you did. What it
means (according to this opinion, advanced
by Rabbi E. Dessler) is that there’s a general
exchange of merit. Meaning, if I speak LH
about you, then I lose some of my heavenly
‘bank credit’, and you gain some bank credit
because you’ve suffered. You don’t get specific
mitzvos and aveiros, but a general flow and
exchange of credit.
The Chofetz Chaim (seemingly supported by
Chovos Halevavos) takes it more literally. This
approach seems to feel that you could actually
take ownership of something you did not do.
However, I would like to suggest that it’s very
far from being ‘all or nothing.’ Lashon Hara is
serious enough that if Sari consistently, over
the course of her lifetime, spoke negatively
about Joe ALL THE TIME, then she would
end up with the bill for a lot of Joe’s negative
actions. Every time she speaks, a bit gets
chipped off of Joe’s bill and goes to her. It’s so
incredibly important that we teach ourselves
to only speak positively (or just don’t speak
about people at all), because it would be a real
shame to work hard our whole lives and lose
some (or a lot) of what we've gained.
On a positive note, if you hear someone speaking
negatively about you and you DON’T hit back,
you’ve just gained a tremendous merit, and
you’ve recovered some of your own debt.
the Rabbi.
Have a Nageela Shabbos,
Who complained when Moses
destroyed the golden calf?
Cow-Rach!
OUCH! GROAN!
got a better joke? Email it to dlocker@nageelawest.org
D E E P HAPPYBIRTHDAY!
Birthday to family members
THOU Happy
who have celebrated recently:
GHTS
Harrison Clayton
Eve Moga
What does
Miracle Moga
Avi Gewirtz
cheese say
Netanel Gazala
Aaron Polonsky
when it gets its
Rabbi Shua Rose
picture taken?
?
to Miracle and
Eve Moga who are
celebrating their Bat
Mitzvahs!
To the Naiman family upon the
birth of a baby girl!
Quick Fix
We're extremely excited
to announce our revamped overnight IN PERSON
camp, starting next week! If you know someone
who could use a great Jewish summer program,
please contact us for registration, rates and info
on our COVID-19 safety protocols.
09 30
DAYS TO CAMP
NAGEELA WEST
GIRLS SESSION
DAYS TO CAMP
NAGEELA WEST
BOYS SESSION
Find out about our summer 2020 and see photos from GT2019 at
nageelawest.org
It doesn't get much better than Moses, right? I
mean, he's the ultimate leader. He's literally saved
the entire Jewish nation many, many times, and
he's their teacher, guide, advisor and advocste.
Now this dud Korach (a cousin of Moses) startd
a rebellion. Korach gets obliterated. The ground
literally opens up to swallow him. His followers get
burned by a heavenly fire. Moses is proven right
and everyone is happy, right?
Nope!
The very next day, pretty much everyone
comes complaining to Moses that he has used
disproportionate force. He caused people to die.
Ahhhh! What does Moses do? He prays for the
people so that God won't be too angry at them.
Lesson 1: No matter how many times you prove
someone wrong, or how well you do it, they'll
always find a way to challenge you.
Lesson 2: No matter how many times people try to
hurt you, take a lesson from Moses. We want the
people to change their thoughts and actions. We
don't people to get hurt, even if they have hurt us.
www.nageelawest.org
Nageela West breaks the
mold of old school Jewish
outreach by providing out- ofthe- box social and educational
programs for Jewish children
across the west coast. Through
afterschool activities, weekend retreats and our signature summer
camp, we engage elementary and middle school children in a fun and
meaningful experience.
Our “questions encouraged” mindset makes Nageela a comfortable
learning and growing environment for Jewish children of all
backgrounds.
844-NAGEELA www.nageelawest.org info@nageelawest.org