Weekly Messages

If you were to read Parashat Bamidbar quickly, you would likely miss something amazing. Short on actual narrative, much of this week’s Torah reading deals with the physical layout of the Israelites’ encampment and the arrangement of the twelve tribes stationed around the Tabernacle that was in the center. In writing about this section, Rabbi Gordon Tucker points out that if you can zoom out in your mind’s eye and imagine what this arrangement actually looked like, you will see why having the people laid out this way was no accident. Situated around the Tabernacle, where billowing smoke would fill the sky, the Israelites were encamped in a way that resembled Mount Sinai at the overwhelming moment of revelation.

But why go through all the trouble to lay it out this way? What is the reason that while they are merely in their encampment, the Israelites had to be in this arrangement harkening back to this awesome moment of loud booming voices and sensory overload at Sinai?

Perhaps there is something we can learn from the fact that what appears to be a mundane scene is actually referencing what is perhaps the most important moment in all of Jewish history. There is something here that speaks to our human condition of our desire to constantly return to specific days, minutes or events in our own lives. Even in the seemingly ordinary moments, we still find ourselves thinking back to the events that shaped us. Whether that is our wedding days, welcoming a new baby into the world, or just the happy days of our childhood, we often try to recapture that spirit as well as the feelings and emotions that come with it.

There are certain triggers that transport us without us even having to take a single step. How often do we watch a movie, listen to a song, or put on a piece of clothing in an effort to bring ourselves back to a certain moment in our lives? We do little things that instantly transport us in our minds in an effort to recapture the magic of a time past. At God’s instruction, the Israelites are doing the same thing here. By arranging themselves in this specific way, they are keeping the critical scene of the revelation at Sinai in mind. This is a reminder that with the appropriate space and care, any moment in our lives can be made holier.

Rabbi Gabe Cohen

Since October of 2022, every day for me has been Mother’s Day. Nary an hour or even a minute passes where I am not preoccupied with thoughts of my mom and my craving for more time with her. I hunger to hear her laugh or learn a timeless lesson from her one of her sagacious quips.

Mostly, I wish I could tell her and show her how loved she was and is how blessed I feel to have had her, as my mom!

My brothers and I were talking about ways to honor my mom’s memory beyond a grave marker and yahrzeit plaque. After sharing our thoughts with a friend who is a much older Hassidic rabbi, he reminded me that honoring parents does not die when they die. The commandment of honoring parents is with us as long as we are alive. When we name children after them, keep their values, perpetuate their memory and mourn their absence, we are keeping the commandment of honoring a parent and demonstrating the essence of that commandment beyond the grave.

I found that teaching comforting because since the death of my mom, all I have wanted to do is demonstrate my appreciation and respect for her more to leave her no doubt.

Judaism teaches us that of the 613 commandments, only two afford us a reward in this and the next lifetime: forcing away the mother bird when taking its eggs and honoring a parent. Knowing that each day of our lives, not just the lives of our parents, is an opportunity to fulfill that command gives us more time from both sides to show love, respect and appreciation.

As we enter this special day, may all the moms of the world be graced with the love, smiles, respect, kindness selflessness, patience and goodness – just as you offer so brilliantly and lovingly every day.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner

Last Friday, just as Shabbat was starting, news began to spread of the death of Rabbi Harold Kushner at the age of 88. I never had the chance to meet or learn directly from Rabbi Kushner, but like countless people across the religious spectrum, I have been moved by his words, thoughts, stories and ideas. Rabbi Kushner is best known for his 1981 book, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People”, written a few years after the tragic death of his son, Aaron from a rare genetic disease just days after his fourteenth birthday. Remarkably, the book was initially rejected by two publishers before catapulting to the top of the New York Times best-seller list, a feat that indicated to Rabbi Kushner how much suffering there was in the world that people just didn’t know what to do with. Rabbi Kushner never promised to take away the pain of those dealing with loss, but through his writing, people found one more meaningful outlet for their grief.

And what has always amazed me considering the success of his book is that this was not a book that he had aspirations of writing in the first place. In the introduction to his seminal work, explaining why he wrote the book, Rabbi Kushner writes, “…I am not a formally trained philosopher. I am fundamentally a religious man who has been hurt by life, and I wanted to write a book that could be given to the person who has been hurt by life－by death, by illness or injury, by rejection or disappointment－and who knows in his heart that if there is justice in the world, he deserved better”.

I find myself thinking about this line often. Rabbi Kushner never set out in life to write a book about how to understand suffering from a Jewish perspective. While he was a rabbi by training and profession, he was first and foremost, a father who was suffering and trying to reconcile an event that has no justification. He knew that he was not the only one dealing with those complicated emotions, and that he had a message worthy of sharing for those other people. His story is a reminder that oftentimes, we do not have control over the events that change our lives and define who we are as people. But through his own pain, he found an opportunity to help others. The most challenging period of Rabbi Kushner’s life led him to write a book that has given comfort, solace and direction to countless individuals. His legacy will undoubtedly live on for years to come.

May the memory of Rabbi Harold Kushner always be a blessing.

Rabbi Gabe Cohen

This week, our state of Israel turned 75! It is an unbelievable feat. To celebrate this achievement, lets learn from Noa Tishby on some facts and data that makes Israel a constant miracle in our midst! CLICK HERE to learn more.

It’s Israel’s Independence Day! Israel is turning 75, and to celebrate that, here are 10 fun facts you might not have known about the tiny Jewish state in the Middle East.

1. Israel has the world’s highest concentration of tech companies outside of Silicon Valley and the world’s highest number of startup companies per capita. Some of the most innovative companies in the world are Israeli such as Mobeleye, Wix, and Waze.
2. Israel is the only country in the world that has more trees today than it did 50 years ago.
3. Israel is the only country in the world that has more water than it did 50 years ago, due to super advanced desalination technology. How does a country have more trees and more water?
4. Israel has the highest number of museums per capita in the world. It has more museums than McDonald’s.
5. Abortion is not just legal in Israel, it is actually paid for by the government under the universal national healthcare system.
6. Israel has the highest percentage of vegans per capita in the world, with an estimated 5% of the population following a vegan diet. And they don’t feel the need to constantly tell you about it.
7. Israel is the only country in the world that uses a language that has been dead for 2000 years! Hebrew! The one from the Bible.
8. According to the World Health Organization Israel has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, with an average life expectancy of 84.7 years.
9. Israel is the second country in the world to have a woman Prime Minister and Wonder Woman is Israeli too!
10. According to the 2022 World Happiness Report, Israel is the fourth happiest country in the world. Despite being constantly under attack and surrounded by some countries who are not that into her, the people of Israel are amazing.

They are patriotic, passionate and appreciative. Happy birthday Israel!

Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner