Ooh Freedom, Ooh Liberty, Ohh Leave Me Alone To Find My Way Back Home (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia -"Liberty")

          Another week passed by, and another horrific shooting occurred in the United States. Like Pittsburgh, and Charlottesville before, this time it was Buffalo. The perpetrator is an avowed racist who included a 180-page manifesto “justifying” his actions with a mix of “Replacement Theory” conspiracy and white paranoia (otherwise known as “white supremacy”) he acquired from Tucker Carleson, QAnon, and assorted hate forums like 4Chan. Over the course of ingesting “Replacement Theory”, white paranoia, and racism for these past several years, a young man’s idea of citizenship, community, democracy, and sacred words of a liberal democracy found in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution became twisted and perverted. Instead of viewing liberal democracy as aspirational affording all people with opportunities for “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”  he now saw liberal democracy as a dystopian place where a Jewish Kabal has organized and manipulated people of color to replace Christian white men and their traditional hierarchy. 

          This week we read from Parsha of Behar. For most of  Vayikra (Leviticus), we learned how the Kohen Gadol, the individual, and a community attains holiness both in terms of interpersonal relationships and with God.   B’nai Israel had been instructed to create “Holy” Time in terms of the seasons, and “Holy” spaces in terms of their proximity to the Mishkan.  Now we read about the laws in which we acknowledge the holiness of Eretz Canaan Israel. We learn that the Jubilee is similar to  Shemitta except on a grander scale, leaving the land to lie fallow for a year while it rests. We learn about the Yovel, the Jubilee year, and all that it entails in terms of our behavior. 

          During the discussion of the Sabbatical year, we read: V’Kidashtem Eit Shat HaChamishim Shana Ukratem Dror Ba’Aretz L’chol Yoshveha Yovel Hi Tiheyeh Lachem V’Shavtem Ish El Achuzato V’Ish el Mishpachto Tashuvu – You shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land for all its inhabitants; it shall be the Jubilee Year for you, each of you shall return to his ancestral heritage and each of you shall return to his family  Lev 25:10. The context of this verse is clear. During the 50-year cycle, whether the indentured servant has served the usual minimum of six years or not, all indentured servants are to be freed. Everyone returns to their tribal land of origin and everything is then, according to modern parlance, “rebooted”.  The Hebrew word for “freedom” that appears in the verse is Dror. The more common Hebrew word for  “freedom” is “ChoFeSh.” In  Ex. 21:2 Ki Tikneh Eved Ivri Shesh Shanim Ya’avod U’Vashviit Yeitzei LaChofshi Chinam If you buy a Jewish servant, he shall work for six years; and in the seventh, he shall go free (LaChofshi), for no charge. The word Dror, in the context of “freedom,”   appears once in the entire Torah in this context, “Proclaim Liberty throughout the land…” The word Dror appears in one other place in an apparently unrelated context.  In Ex. 30:23 Dror appears as a term for  “pure myrrh”. Why would the Torah use a less common word Dror that has another seemingly unrelated meaning as opposed to the more common word Chofshi (Free/freedom) to describe the declaration of Jubilee? 

          Certainly, the word “Freedom” is more commonly used than “Liberty”.  However, when Patrick Henry made his famous statement, he used the word “Liberty”. “Give me Liberty or give me death”. The Declaration of Independence speaks of “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.  The political theorist Hanna Fenichel Pitkin observed that liberty implies ”a network of restraint and order”, hence its use by America’s Founding Fathers in its founding documents and the Liberty Bell.“Proclaim Liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants thereof". Lev 25:10”.    R’ Avraham Bedersi, a late 13th century French Rabbi, explained that both terms Chofesh (Freedom) and Dror (Liberty) are the opposite of bondage.  However, Dror (Liberty) denotes clarity and purity, without any contaminates like "pure Myrrh".  It is not accidental that the Torah uses a word that is the opposite of bondage but connotes “pure” freedom. Throughout the book of Leviticus, the overarching themes have been purity and holiness.  

          So it would make sense that Dror would connote the holiest or purest sense of the concept of Freedom.  R’Avraham Bedersi suggests that Chofesh (freedom) implies the mitigation of slavery, or “freedom from”. Whereas Dror (Liberty) suggests the purest form of freedom, a holy sense of freedom that only exists within the laws and restraints presented in Torah, in other words, a “freedom for” a more sacred purpose. Indeed, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, et al, understood Rabbi Bedarsi’s comments.  Liberty” is a Godly concept.  Liberty invokes holiness and therefore something to which those that live in a democracy ought to aspire. “Declaring Liberty throughout the land”, is an aspirational call for all the inhabitants of the land to live lives of holiness. Declaring a Jewish Cabal that plans and organizes people of color to replace white Christian men perverts and twists the very words that appear on the Liberty Bell. 

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Some Folks Trust To Reason, Others Trust To Might (Robert Hunter, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart - "Playing In The Band")

As my children,  wife, and I continue to watch the news, two people have earned our trust. Two people are worth our attention and trust. They are Governor Cuomo from New York State and Dr. Anthony Fauci.  Apparently, we are not alone. In a recent poll, 62% of Americans trust Dr. Fauci, and roughly 36% trust the President.  Needless to say, whenever the President speaks, we assume that he lies. We assume that there is no truth, no plan, no idea of how to respond to the ongoing crisis of Covid19.  There is no leadership; there is only the bluster of a self-serving carnival barker. As this self-serving carnival barker continues to espouse conspiracy theories and dismiss science, and lie, my children ask why I shake my head in disgust. I explain that when the  Leader of the Free World is so untrustworthy,  he diminishes the office of the Presidency as well as America. A diminished America is not good for any country based upon democracy,   

This week, we again read a double portion, Parsha Behar and Parsha Bechukotai. These are the last two Parshiot of Sefer Vayikrah (Book of Leviticus). Throughout the entire book, we have read how to elevate our lives with holiness. We elevate our lives by thanking God and atoning to God, through a variety of Korbonot. We elevate our lives by avoiding behavior that defiles us; we don’t marry our sisters. We elevate our lives in every day physical behaviors; we only eat certain types of food. We elevate our lives by consciously setting aside holy times throughout the day, week, and season. In Parsha Behar, we elevate our lives and our land with holiness by setting aside another type of sacred time, Shmita (the seventh year.) Just like the seventh day (Shabbat) is a day of rest. Shmita is a year of rest. Every seventh year, all outstanding debts are canceled. The land lies fallow. Slaves and servants are set free. Agriculturally speaking, there is a benefit. Resting the soil for a year allows for the replenishment of nutrients. Rabbinically speaking, less time devoted to agricultural concerns meant more time devoted to Torah study! Parsha Bechukotai, being the end of Leviticus, tells us the ramifications for behavior. “If you’ll keep the commandments… then I’ll send the rains in their time, the earth and trees will give forth their produce, you’ll settle securely in the land…I will multiply you…I will walk with you” (Lev. 25:3-10). If we don’t live up to these standards, if we neglect to add Kedushah (holiness) to our lives, if we “don’t perform these commandments, if we consider these decrees loathsome, if we reject these ordinances, if we annul the covenant, then I will do the same to you…. (Lev. 26:14:17) God will annul us. All blessings will become curses. 

While the Torah does not paint a very pleasant picture, both parshiot reflect the vital importance of Bitachon, trust in God. In Behar, we may consider this notion of Shmita to be quite nice. All debts are canceled. On the other hand, if the land is to lie fallow, what would people eat? We are urged to trust God. “I will command my blessing upon the sixth year and it will bring forth (enough) produce for three years (Lev. 25:20-21).  The Chatam Sofer, (Rabbi Moshe Shreiber from Frankfort on the Main, Germany 1762-1839) explained the importance of reminding us that the Mitzvah of Shmita originated from Sinai just like the Mitzvah of gathering the Manna while B’nai Yisroel wandered and traveled to Eretz Yisroel.  God provided a double portion of Manna on Friday thereby guaranteeing enough food for Shabbat during their time of wandering; so too God will “guarantee” enough produce in the sixth year when they are living in the land. B’nai Yisroel won’t starve in the seventh (Shmita) year nor will they starve in the first year of the next cycle while they are waiting for that year’s harvest.  

So what does the Torah teach us? We learn that every rung climbed towards Kedushah, confirms our trust in God. Rather than diminishing ourselves out of ignorance and arrogance, we remind ourselves of God’s presence in all aspects of our lives including the harvest, the Jubilee year, and helping those most vulnerable. Because of this constant reminder, we trust that God is Holy, otherwise, we would have no need to be holy. We trust that everything pure and good is attributable to God. Otherwise, we would constantly defile ourselves. We trust that we are created in God’s image. Otherwise, there is no reason to treat people with kindness first. Trust in God, in a sense, is a spiritually individualized Mishkan. The Mishkan was built so that God would dwell among us. Similarly, if our purpose is to attain higher and higher levels of Kedusha, we trust that the end result is God’s dwelling within us. Leviticus teaches us that God is involved in our daily routine. Our struggle for Kedusha is our way of reminding ourselves of this fact. Failure to remind ourselves means we fall away from God and our faith diminishes. When we lack in faith and trust in God, it diminishes the Jewish people. When the Leader of the Free World cannot be trusted, well, my son will watch me continue shaking my head in disappointment as the diminished of the United States and in concern all societies that cherish freedom and democracy. 

Peace, 

Rav Yitz 

Hearts Of Summer Held In Trust, Still Tender Young And Green (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Days Between")

Spring has belonged to the Toronto Raptors. Indeed they have captured the hearts of the city. People walk around town wearing Toronto Raptors jerseys and hats. Even though the Raptors won one seven-game series earlier in the month; Toronto fans still carry decade’s worth of numerous heartbreaks for its professional sports teams. As a result of all this heartbreak; Toronto fans struggle with faith in their team. When the Raptors had lost the first two games to the Milwaukee Bucks in Milwaukee, people call into Toronto sports radio and I heard them say things like, “well they had a really good season, we should be happy about that”, or “there is no way they can come back against Milwaukee,” or, “they had their chance in Game 1 and choked.” My son’s friends are die-hard fans, and prior to the two recent games played in Toronto, they collectively hung their heads and all but threw in the towel. Prior to these two recent games in Toronto, they spoke with little or no conviction or faith that the Raptors could win two games. Soon, my son started to sound like his friends and that is when I sat him down for the “playoff talk”. First, losing the two road games of a seven-game series means nothing. It only means that “Home court” advantage is just that, a home court advantage. Second, if the team had one of the two best records in the league, then statistics would indicate that the team had an incredibly good home record. The players, the coach, the organization, and especially the fans, must know that it plays better at home. After our talk, I heard my son speaking to his friends. He shared his faith and supreme confidence and told his friends not to worry because being down 0-2 and returning home was neither in an impossible nor hopeless situation. Needless to say, after the dramatic double overtime win in Game 3 and a blowout in Game 4; my son’s prophetic words to his friends (which originally were mine) have elevated him into a sort of basketball/playoff authority.

This week we read from Parsha Behar, the second to last Parsha of the Sefer VaYikrah, (The Book of Leviticus). Except for the very beginning of Sefer Vayikra, when God “Karah” called out to Moshe, every time God spoke to Moshe or Aharon and Moshe it was with the phrase, Vayidaber Hashem El Moshe Leimor And God Spoke to Moshe saying:”. Now, the second to last Parsha of VaYikra begins with Vayidaber Hashem El Moshe B’Har Sinai Leimor Hashem Spoke to Moshe on Mount Sinai saying. Obviously, the words Behar Sinai has been added to this very standard phrase. So far, we have read how to elevate our lives with holiness. We elevate our lives by thanking God and atoning to God, through a variety of Korbonot (sacrificial offerings). We elevate our lives by avoiding behavior that defiles us; we don’t marry our sisters. We elevate our lives in every day physical behaviors; we only eat certain types of food. We elevate our lives by consciously setting aside holy times throughout the day, week, and season. Until now, the focus of holiness has been relationship specific, time specific, location (as in Mishkan) specific. Now for the first time, the focus is upon the covenant land specific, Eretz Yisroel. In Parsha Behar, we elevate our lives and our land with holiness by setting aside another type of sacred time, Shmitta (the seventh year.) Just like the seventh day (Shabbat) is a day of rest. Shmitta is a year of rest. Every seventh year, all outstanding debts are canceled. The land lies fallow. Slaves and servants are set free. Agriculturally speaking, there is a benefit. Resting the soil for a year allows for replenishment of nutrients. Rabbinically speaking, less time devoted to agricultural concerns, to mundane concerns, meant more time devoted to Torah study.

We may consider this notion of Shmitta to be quite nice. All debts are canceled. On the other hand, if the land is to lie fallow, what would people eat? We are urged to trust God. Just like we stood at Sinai and entered into a covenant with God, that covenant had to be based upon trust. Ultimately, that was a covenant is based upon - trust between two parties.  Here again, the notion of Shmitta is based upon Bitachon, - Trust in God.  How much trust do we need in God in order to fulfill the laws of Shmitta? At the end of the 6^th year, the harvest must be bountiful enough to cover the Shmitta year, (7^th year) and the end of the planting and harvesting of the first year of the next cycle.   V’Chi Tomru Ma Nochal BaShana HaShviit Hein Lo Nizrah V’Lo Ne’esof et Tevu’ateinu And if you will say: What will we eat in the seventh year: Behold we will not sow and not gather in our crops! V’Tsiviti et Birchati Lachem BaShanah H’Shishit V’Asat et Hatvu’ah Lishlosh HaShanim I will command my blessing upon the sixth year and it will bring forth (enough) produce for three years (Lev. 25:20-21). Just like God provided a double portion of Manna on Friday and thereby guarantee enough food for Shabbat, so too God will “guarantee” enough produce in the sixth year. B’nai Yisroel won’t starve in the seventh (Shmitta) year. Instead, we are going to acknowledge God’s presence in our lives and in the land. We are going to acknowledge that God is the Primary Force, not nature.

We understand that we cannot teach Trust nor can we teach Faith. Trust and Faith are functions of experience. A Child trusts the parent to return to his/her room only after the parent has left and returned enough times for the baby to learn it. When a team wins enough Game Seven’s or wins close games in a consistent manner, or when an organization has won many championships; the fans will have learned faith in that team’s inevitable success. Just think about the great sports dynasties in hockey, basketball, baseball, and football; the fan base just assumed that winning and championships were inevitable and therefore faith in the dynasty was easily learned and maintained.  Our trust in God is a direct function of our ability to reach various levels of Kedusha. We learn that every rung climbed towards Kedusha, we have the opportunity to engage in a more intimate relationship with God. That intimacy helps us confirm our trust in God. We trust that God is Holy; otherwise, we would have no need to be holy. We trust that everything pure and good is attributable to God. Otherwise, we would constantly defile ourselves. We trust that we are created in God’s image. Otherwise, there is no reason to treat people with kindness first. That place in our soul where trust in God resides, that place is our own individualized Mishkan. The Mishkan was built so that God would dwell among us. So faith or trust in God allows God to dwell within us. Now that Toronto’s series with Milwaukee has boiled down to the 2 out 3 games; hopefully for Toronto Raptor fans, God will be dwelling on the Toronto side of the bench.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

I Hope You Will Believe What I Say Is True (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "They Love Each Other")

It has been and continues to be a very exciting time to be a basketball fan in Toronto. Yes, you heard me: a basketball fan in Toronto. Make no mistake, this is still a hockey crazed city; cable TV is televising minor league hockey playoffs. In America, I think 14 people might watch minor league hockey playoffs. Spring has belonged to the Toronto Raptors. Indeed they have captured the hearts of the city, people walk around town wearing Toronto Raptors jerseys and hats. Even though the Raptors  won one seven game series earlier in the month; Toronto fans still carry decade’s worth of numerous heartbreaks in its professional sports teams. As a result of all this heartbreak; Toronto fans lack faith. When the Raptors had lost the first two games to the Cavaliers in Cleveland, I heard people say things like, “well they had a really good season, we should be happy about that”, or “there is no way they can come back against Cleveland, we are proud that the Raptors got this far.” Those are some of the things I hears from die-hard fans. I think about a high school friend of mine growing up in the 80’s who was a die-hard Celtic fan; when the Celtics had Larry Bird. The Celtics could have lost by fifty point in each of the first two road games, been completely out played, out hustled and out coached. Of course I would have been mocking him, suggesting that he could forget the NBA playoffs and focus on baseball. He would always tell me two things. First, losing the two road games of a seven game series means nothing. It only means that “Home court” advantage is just that, a home court advantage. Second, he reminded me that he had complete faith in his Celtics winning at the Boston Garden. So with Toronto down 0-2; I have been telling my worried congregant to have faith, have faith in the team, have faith in the home court, have faith in what is known in Toronto as “Jurassic Park”. So the Raptors have now won their two games. The snake-bit Toronto faithful now need to have faith that “Home Court” will prevail until game 7 returns to Cleveland. Then Raptors fans should pray for a miracle.

This week we read from Parsha Behar, the second to last Parsha of the Sefer VaYikrah, (The Book of Leviticus). Except for the very beginning of Sefer Vayikra, when God “Karah” called out to Moshe, every time God spoke to Moshe or Aharon and Moshe it was with the phrase, Vayidaber Hashem El Moshe Leimor (And God Spoke to Moshe saying:”. Now, the second to last Parsha of VaYikra begins with Vayidaber Hashem El Moshe B’Har Sinai Leimor: (Hashem Spoke to Moshe on Mount Sinai saying :”). Obviously the words Behar Sinai has been added to this very standard phrase. So far, we have read how to elevate our lives with holiness. We elevate our lives by thanking God and atoning to God, through a variety of Korbonot. We elevate our lives by avoiding behavior that defiles us; we don’t marry our sisters. We elevate our lives in everyday physical behaviors; we only eat certain types of food. We elevate our lives by consciously setting aside holy times throughout the day, week, and season. Until now, the focus of holiness has been relationship specific, time specific, location (as in Mishkan) specific. Now for the first time the focus is upon the land  of Eretz Yisroel as a part of the covenant. In Parsha Behar we elevate our lives and our land with holiness by setting aside another type of sacred time, Shmitta (the seventh year.) Just like the seventh day (Shabbat) is a day of rest. Shmitta is a year of rest. Every seventh year, all outstanding debts are cancelled. The land lies fallow. Slaves and servants are set free. Agriculturally speaking, there is a benefit. Resting the soil for a year allows for replenishment of nutrients. Rabbinically speaking, less time devoted to agricultural concerns, to mundane concerns, meant more time devoted to Torah study!

Behar, we may consider this notion of Shmitta to be quite nice. All debts are cancelled. On the other hand, if the land is to lie fallow, what would people eat? We are urged to trust God. Just like we stood at Sinai and entered into a covenant with God, that covenant had to be based upon trust. Ultimately, that was a covenant is based upon - trust between two parties.  Here again, the notion of Shmitta is based upon Bitachon, - Trust in God.  How much trust do we need in God in order to fulfill the laws of Shmitta? At the end of the 6^th year, the harvest must be bountiful enough to cover the Shmitta year, (7^th year) and the end of the planting and harvesting of the first year of the next cycle.   V’Chi Tomru Ma Nochal BaShana HaShviit Hein Lo Nizrah V’Lo Ne’esof et Tevu’ateinu And if you will say: What will we eat in the seventh year: Behold we will not sow and not gather in our crops! V’Tsiviti et Birchati Lachem BaShanah H’Shishit V’Asat et Hatvu’ah Lishlosh HaShanim I will command my blessing upon the sixth year and it will bring forth (enough) produce for three years (Lev. 25:20-21). Just like God provided a double portion of Manna on Friday and thereby guarantee enough food for Shabbat, so too God will “guarantee” enough produce in the sixth year. B’nai Yisroel won’t starve in the seventh (Shmitta) year. Instead, we are going to Acknowledge God’s presence in our lives, in the land, and that God is the Primary Force not nature.

We understand that we cannot teach trust nor can we teach faith. Trust and Faith are functions of experience. A Child trusts the parent to return to his/her room only after the parent has left and returned enough times for the baby to learn it. When a team wins enough game 7’s, or wins close games in a consistent manner, or when an organization has won many championships; the fans will have learned faith in that team’s inevitable success.  Our trust in God is a direct function of our ability to reach various levels of Kedusha. We learn that every rung climbed towards Kedusha, we have the opportunity to engage in a more intimate relationship with God. That intimacy helps us confirm our trust in God. We trust that God is Holy; otherwise we would have no need to be holy. We trust that everything pure and good is attributable to God. Otherwise, we would constantly defile ourselves. We trust that we are created in God’s image. Otherwise, there is no reason to treat people with kindness first. Trust in God, in a sense, is a spiritually individualized Mishkan. The Mishkan was built so that God would dwell among us. Similarly, if our purpose is to attain higher and higher levels of Kedusha, we trust that the end result is God’s dwelling within us. For Toronto Raptor fans, hopefully God will be dwelling on the Toronto side of the bench.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Hearts Of Summer Held In Trust, Still Tender Young And Green (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Days Between")

           It is crunch time in our house. With Pesach out of the way, my wife’s attention has turned towards our youngest daughter’s bat mitzvah. It seems as if there is a never ending list of things for my wife to do. Dresses, shoes, caterer, Shabbat meals, theme, centerpieces, colors, hotel rooms for some out of town guests, Shabbat hospitality for other out of town guests, her speech, and seating arrangements need to be accounted for. One of the big questions that I am sure most people are wondering about is if my wife worries and deals with all these variables then what do I do? My job seems much simpler. I study with our daughter. We study about the topic of her choice. We learn together and I help her write her speech and present it. Of course, if my wife doesn’t see me learning with our daughter, or she doesn’t see our daughter writing her speech or practicing her speech, well then it’s just another thing for her to worry about and focus upon. With so much to do, so much to worry about both very important and, let’s be honest, somewhat less important and even the stuff that is downright narishkeit and irrelevant (my opinion only and I am no party planner); my poor wife wakes up in the morning already feeling overwhelmed stating her hope beyond hope that she can “start crossing things of the To Do List!” Honestly, I try to help. I say things like, “Don’t worry, it will be terrific and our daughter will be wonderful. Our guests will have a lovely time.” Or I will say something like, “Why are you worrying so much? We have done this twice before and it worked out fine.” While those words may be comforting, (although I am starting to think that they are not), the fact that I say it while sipping coffee, and watching the first few minutes of Morning Joe (my news show) at 6:15am, acting, as if, according to my wife, I don’t have a care in the world, might not be the best way to deliver that message.  Before she says another word or gives me a look, I just remind her that she needs to trust the moment, and trust in her guests. Everything will be wonderful, not necessarily because my wife has worried about and taken care of every detail, but rather everything will be wonderful because our daughter will speak passionately and intelligently, and our guests are sharing in our daughter’s simchah.

This week, we read, Parsha Behar.  For the last several Parshiot, the Torah has provided us with numerous examples of how to elevate our lives if we happen to be Kohanim, or if we happen to be anything besides Kohanim. For the past several weeks, the Torah has provided us numerous examples of holy relationships and unholy relationships as well as more sacred times and less sacred times.  Now, in Parsha Behar we are taught how the land of Eretz Yisroel can elevate our lives in holiness, Shmitta (the seventh year.) Just like the seventh day (Shabbat) is a day of rest. Shmitta is a year of rest. Every seventh year, all outstanding debts are cancelled. The land lies fallow. Slaves and servants are set free. Agriculturally speaking, there is a benefit. Resting the soil for a year allows for replenishment of nutrients. Rabbinically speaking, less time devoted to agricultural concerns meant more time devoted to Torah study!

            Perhaps most important aspect of Parsha Behar is implicit in the Mitzvah associated with Shmitta, the notion of Bitachon, trust in God. In Behar, we may consider this notion of Shmitta to be quite nice. All debts are cancelled. On the other hand, if the land is to lie fallow, what would people eat? We are urged to trust God.   V’Tziviti  Et BirChati Lachem Ba’Shanah Ha’Shishit V’Asah Et Hatvuah Lishlosh Ha’Shanim - I will ordain My blessing for you in the sixth year and it will yield  a crop sufficient  for the three-year period (Lev. 25: 21). Just like God provided a double portion of Manna on Friday and thereby guarantee enough food for Shabbat, so too God will “guarantee” enough produce in the sixth year. B’nai Yisroel won’t starve in the seventh (Shmitta) year.

In the process of climbing the rungs of the Kedusha ladder, we ultimately need to learn to trust God. Successfully achiever each level of Kedusha confirms that sense of Bitachon, Trust. We trust that God is Holy; otherwise we would have no need to be holy. We trust that everything pure and good is attributable to God. Otherwise, we would constantly defile ourselves. We trust that we are created in God’s image. Otherwise, there is no reason to treat people with kindness first. Trust in God, in a sense, is a spiritually individualized Mishkan. The Mishkan was built so that God would dwell among us. Similarly, if our purpose is to attain higher and higher levels of Kedusha, we trust that the end result is God’s dwelling within us. From where I sit first thing in the morning sensing my wife’s stress while I drink coffee and watch Morning Joe, I know that if we have done our job and put in the effort, then we have to learn to trust that our daughter is prepared, trust the fact that our guests are there to share in our daughter’s simchah, trust that our family just want to beam with pride that their sister, granddaughter, niece, and cousin has achieved this milestone, then everything else, (except paying for it), will take care of itself. Of course my wife reminds me how easy it is for me to “trust” since I “trust” that everything will be taken care of and will work out beautifully because she did it all. Well I guess she is kind of right.

            Peace,

Rav Yitz