Once In A While You Get Shown The Light; In The Strangest Of Places If You Look At It Right (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Scarlet Begonias")

           We have been preparing for this moment since last September’s first day of school. We have talked about it, and we have tried to anticipate our feelings. I tried to downplay it. Earlier this week, our son, our youngest child graduated from high school. Yes, we knew this was going to happen. We circled the date on our calendar. We became acutely aware of this moment with the crossing of various thresholds: acceptance to yeshiva in Israel for his gap year, college acceptances, end of classes, and finally, the completion of his last exam, his senior banquet, and class trip. Despite all the preparation, when our son’s name was announced, my eyes welled up. When his name was announced as the recipient of the Liberal Arts Award for Excellence in English and Humanities, I smiled proudly through tears in my eyes. As I watched him walk out of the auditorium with his diploma, his award, and the big smile on his face; I noticed his blue eyes. His eyes seemed different. Light shone from them. 

          This week we read the third parsha from The Book of Numbers, Parsha Be’Halotcha. In the previous two parshiot: Bemidbar and Naso, B’nai Yisroel takes a census and prepares for its upcoming journey from Sinai to Eretz Canaan. This week, the final preparations are ordered and executed and the departure from Sinai begins. Aaron, Moshe’s brother as well as the Kohen Gadol, lights the lamp for the Mishkan, the entire Levite tribe is purified, offerings made and their service for maintenance of the Mishkan begins. Final instructions for observing Pesach under these new conditions, (they were not leaving Egypt anymore nor had they arrived in the land) were offered, including the case of coming into contact with the deceased and becoming spiritually impure. The narrative tells us the manner in which B’nai Yisroel traveled: sheltered by a cloud during the day and protected by a pillar of fire at night. Then the complaining begins. They complain about the Mannah. They complain about the food. They complain about Moshe’s leadership. Moshe’s sister complains about his wife.

          The first few verses, from which the Parsha gets its name Be’Halotcha seem rather disconnected from the rest of the narrative. Rather, these first few verses seem more connected to the previous Parsha that discussed the various responsibilities of each Levi family and gifts brought by the twelve tribal princes. Left out of last week’s Parsha is the specific role of Aaron and his family.  Now, Aaron is responsible for lighting the Menorah, the Neir Tamid, the eternal light, every day. Aaron is instructed El Mul Pnei HaMenorah- to kindle the lamps toward the face of the Menorah (Num.8:2). What does it mean to kindle lamps (or lights) toward the face of the Menorah? The flames burn leaning towards the center, towards the main trunk of the Menorah.   R’ Ovadia Sforno, the late 15th and early 16th century Italian Rennaissance commentator explains that the three branches on the right side symbolize spiritual pursuits and the three branches on the left symbolize ephemeral pursuits. The flames of each branch bend toward the center to symbolize both the spiritual and the ephemeral bend toward God. The flames on the right symbolize Jewish wisdom and the lamps on the left symbolize secular wisdom. All the flames bend towards the middle to symbolize that all wisdom emanates from God. God is the source of the intellectual and spiritual light. God is the source of knowledge and wisdom.

          The menorah reminds us that knowledge and its pursuit is a Godly endeavor. Indeed, looking into my son’s eyes I saw within him a desire to learn, pursue knowledge, to engage in inquiry and investigation. I saw within him a desire to honestly pursue this intellectual curiosity with passion and honesty. I welled up again, understanding that our son was ready to fuel this light and this passion for learning and I have high school and his teachers to thank.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

There's A Fear Down Here We Can't Forget, Hasn't Got A Name Just Yet, Always Awake Always Around (John Barlow & Bob Weir- "Throwing Stones")

           For the past couple of weeks,  after dinner, my wife will go onto her social media, become visibly upset and report to me and our son the numerous Anti-Semitic attacks that have occurred. My son and I have sent the New York Times, The Times of Israel, and Washington Post Op-Ed pieces from Brett Stephens and Tom Friedman to our family "chat". This current round of Anti-Semitic attacks has come from those who view the conflict between Israel and Hamas in terms of racial justice, minority rights, and the “woke Left”. From this perspective, Hamas is an organization of “freedom fighters'' with no alternative but to respond to Israel's treatment of Palestinians except through justified violence. This lens conveniently leaves out an important but inconvenient truth; Hamas is a fundamentalist Islamic terrorist organization that routinely persecutes Gays and Lesbians, enslaves its citizens to build tunnels, and hides behind civilians and civilian institutions such as mosques, hospitals, and schools in order to launch its rockets and carry out its terrorist agenda. Regarding Israel, Hamas only desires Israel’s destruction and a Palestinian homeland that adheres to strict Islamic law.  Indeed the anti-semitic attacks from the “woke Left" have managed to conflate anti -Zionism and Anti-semitism.  Earlier this week,  a U.S. Congresswoman from Georgia compared the rules for mask-wearing similar to the Nazis making Jews wear a “gold” star. By the way, she is the same Georgia Congresswoman who claimed that the wildfires from last autumn were a result of an outer-space laser beam created by and controlled by Jews.   A few years ago, Nazis marched in Charlottesville, Virginia. There were Anti-Semitic attacks in Pittsburgh, outside of San Diego, in New Jersey. These comments, these attacks had very little to do with Israel, but everything to do with Jews as “other”, part of a conspiratorial group that runs the media, controls international finance and is a threat to the right-wing White Christian world. Extremism on the Left and extremism on the Right extremely is bad for the Jews and bad for Israel.  Indeed, extremism is a darkness that allows Anti Semitism to grow and thrive.

          This week we read the third Parsha from The Book of Numbers, Parsha BeHA'alotcha. In the previous two parshiot: Bemidbar and Naso, B’nai Yisroel takes a census and prepares for its upcoming journey from Sinai to Eretz Canaan. This week, the final preparations are ordered and executed and the departure from Sinai begins. Aaron, Moshe’s brother and the Kohen Gadol, lights the lamp for the Mishkan, the entire Levite tribe is purified, offerings made and their service for maintenance of the Mishkan begins. Final instructions for observing Pesach under these new conditions, (they were not leaving Egypt anymore nor had they arrived in the land) were offered, including the case of coming into contact with the deceased and becoming spiritually impure. The narrative tells us the manner in which B’nai Yisroel traveled: sheltered by a cloud during the day and protected by a pillar of fire at night. Then the complaining begins. They complain about the Mannah. They complain about the food. They complain about Moshe’s leadership. Moshe’s sister complains about his wife.

          The first few verses, from which the Parsha gets its name BeHA'alotcha seem rather disconnected from the rest of the narrative. B’Ha’Alotcha et HaNeirot El Mul P’nei HaM’norah Ya’Iru Shivat Ha’Neirot - When you kindle the lamps, toward the face of the Menorah shall seven lamps cast light (Num. 8:2)  According to Rashi, the flames on either side of the middle are bent towards the middle, and the middle flame burns brightest and longest.  Aaron is given the job to light the Menorah, the Neir Tamid, the eternal light, every day. According to the Talmud in Menachot 88, Aaron didn’t just light the Menorah, he had to clean the seven lamps out every morning prior to lighting the lamps. He would have to lean it over to clean it and the stand of the Menorah back up prior to lighting, thus ensuring complete functionality: Ya’Iru Shivat HaNeirot - so that the seven lamps will cast light (Num. 8:2) If only six of the seven lamps function properly, Aaron will not have fulfilled the commandment. Why is it necessary to make sure that all seven lamps are fully functional and lit? Will one unlit lamp on the candelabra really make a difference in terms of light? Rabbi Isaac Luria, “The Arizal”,  a 16th-century mystic, explained that the central shaft of the seven-branched candelabra (menorah) represents God’s divine light as manifest in Torah. The three branches on either side of God’s Torah represent science and other academic pursuits such as philosophy, and theology. For Sforno, the great Italian Renaissance biblical commentator, the right three branches symbolize the pursuit of enlightenment through spiritual endeavors and the left three branches symbolize the pursuit of enlightenment through secular and worldly knowledge. Like The Arizal, Sforno interprets the middle trunk of the Menorah to be the Divine Light of God, as illuminated throughout creation, and as a result, all the other flame leaned toward this Divine primordial light of the middle branch.

            By fulfilling the mitzvah of the Menorah, and making sure it was completely lit each and every day, Aharon understood what it meant to be a light to the people. Knowledge and enlightenment embrace both the Holy and the Secular, as does a complete and meaningful life. Like Aaron, the High Priest, the Jewish people are supposed to be  “a light unto the world”, a “nation of priests”. Judaism has a long history of being “woke”. Judaism is the original “truth to power”, and has always challenged authority and the status quo. The very foundation of Judaism is a response to extremism. Regarding the Torah, Jews are reminded to avoid drifting too far to the left and too far to the right, but rather stick to the middle (Deut. 28:14). Indeed, it seems that Judaism is the ultimate “canary in the coal mine” when it comes to mankind’s darkest recesses of the soul, inhabited by hate, extremism (political or religious), fanaticism, ignorance, and self-loathing. Perhaps the only response to Anti-Semitism is to continue lighting the seven branches of the Menorah and shining the light of Godliness upon those who are surrounded by the darkness of hate, extremism, and fanaticism.

 Peace,
 Rav Yitz

Though I Could Not Caution All, I Still Might Warn A Few ( Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia "Ship Of Fools)

          Our eldest daughter moved to Austin, Texas in order to manage a congressional campaign.  Before she embarked on her drive, I did the typical dad thing. I told her to make sure to bring the car in for a going over, make sure that everything worked perfectly, and when she was driving, make sure that the indicator lights are functioning properly.  Of course, her response was to roll her eyes and remind me that moving to a new city to work on a political campaign was not new for her or for me. She has been doing this for eight years. She has lived all over the U.S: north, south, east, west, coastal states, landlocked states, primarily agricultural states as well as big cities. Yet this move, from Boston to Austin, seemed different. It was different for three reasons. It was different because of the Covid 19 Pandemic, it was different because a video lasting 8:40 from Minneapolis shined a light on a racial pandemic that has burned for centuries. Her move was different because she was moving to Austin Texas. Make no mistake, Austin is a cosmopolitan place with a huge university, a thriving economy, a great music scene, and stereotypically has been a liberal-leaning place like most large cities in the north and on the two coasts.  However, Austin is in Texas, and because of my bias and my being a history buff, I appreciate that Texas is just different. As a dad, my worries were and remain simple yet existential. She has moved to a place where the Governor’s desire to “open early” has resulted in a spike of those being stricken with Covod-19. She has moved to a state where putting a mask is a statement of politics rather than a statement regarding the sanctity of life. She has moved to a state that doesn’t seem to respect a women’s right to choose but protects everyone’s right to own a firearm. My daughter reminded me that was precisely why she chose to manage this particular congressional campaign.  In terms of her car,  the drive from Boston to Austin was uneventful. The car ran fine,  and she paid attention to the warning lights.

          This morning we read from Parsha BaHalotcha. This Shabbat we read from Parsha Bahalotcha. For the previous two Parshiot, Bemidbar and Naso, Bnai Yisroel has counted and prepared for their journey from Sinai to Eretz Canaan. This week, the final preparations are ordered and executed and the departure from Sinai begins. Aaron, Moshe’s brother and the Kohen Gadol, lights the lamp for the Mishkan, the entire Levite tribe is purified, offerings made and their service for maintenance of the Mishkan begins. Final instructions for observing Pesach under these new conditions, (they were not leaving Egypt anymore nor had they arrived in the land) were offered, including the case of coming into contact with the deceased and becoming spiritually impure. The narrative tells us the manner in which Bnai Yisroel traveled: sheltered by a cloud during the day and protected by a pillar of fire at night. Then the complaining begins. They complain about the Mannah. They complain about the food. They complain about Moshe’s leadership. Moshe’s sister complains about his wife.

          As Bnai Yisroel finally begins its trek from Sinai towards Canaan, the Torah makes the following statement.  Vayehi Binsoah Ha’Aron VaYomer Moshe, Kuma Adoshem VeYaFuTzu Oyavecha, VeYaNuSu Misanecha MiPanecha. U’vNucho Yomar Shuva Adoshem Rivvot Alfei Yisroel – When the Ark would journey, Moshe said: ‘Arise Hashem, and let Your foes be scattered let those who hate You flee from before You. And when it rested, he would say, ‘reside tranquilly, O Hashem, among the myriad thousands of Israel. (Num. 10:35) Today we say the first part of the verse while we take the Torah out from the Aron before we read the Torah, and we say the second part of the statement when we have finished reading from the Torah and are returning it to the Aron.  In the Torah, this verse is enclosed by two brackets. The bracket is really an inverted letter, the letter “Nun”.   The Talmud in Shabbat 116a teaches us Mipnei Sh’ Sefer Chashuv Hu Bifnei Atzmo – Because it constituted a book on its own. This is a rather cryptic statement since it suggests that there are more than 5 books comprising the Torah. We normally think of the Torah as comprised of 5 Books (Breishit- Genesis, Shmot –Exodus, Vayikra – Leviticus, Bemidbar-Numbers, Devarim-Deuteronomy). Now the Talmud is suggesting that there is another book? 

          Perhaps the brackets are the indicator lights. The verse within the brackets is the one section of the User’s Manual that will constantly be referred to during this one aspect of the journey. Originally this journey was supposed to be a few weeks or months at the most. B’nai Yisroel had not yet been punished with 40 years of “wandering in the desert’.  Most of the Torah’s instructions were given in anticipation of B’nai Yisroel’s eventual arrival in Canaan. In the meantime, this is the verse that they will need to refer to, this is the section of the user manual that B’nai Yisroel will need in order to survive until their eventual arrival. In reality, this is the “Book” that they would use each day that they traveled, and each day that they would temporarily rest.  In today’s reality, there are all kinds of warning lights. There have been warning lights in terms of Covid 19. Certainly, there have been warning lights regarding race. For my daughter, there were plenty of other warning lights on her drive down and even in Texas. There were protests in the various cities she spent the night: Louisville and Little Rock. While wearing a mask, she received looks and sneers. She saw people behaving as if there was neither racial tension nor a pandemic.  Some people have chosen to ignore the warning lights.  Yet ignoring the warning lights doesn’t mean that a problem does not exist. Thankfully, my daughter pays attention to all the warning lights, heeds them, and wants to fix the problems.

Peace, 
Rav Yitz 

You May Be The Fate Of Ophelia, Sleeping And Perchance To Dream (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Althea")

I have always enjoyed it when Chanukah and Christmas overlap. On a very basic level, everyone is in the supermarket or the mall for the same reasons. They are buying food for the Holiday parties and feasts. So I happened to be at the supermarket this week and I bumped into a friend who, like us, has a daughter preparing to study in Israel next year. We discussed where our daughters applied, their first choice and what we hope they learn while learning for the year in Israel. The friend explained why he wanted his daughter to study at a particular seminary.  One of their considerations for applying to a Seminary was the institution’s ability to protect and shield their daughter from all the shmutz of modern society, all the hedonistic behavior, the drugs, and all the difficult things that teenagers have to deal with. The father continued and explained that he quietly hoped that she would spend not one but two years learning, meet a boy, return from her two years as very religious and very observant and gets married. I smiled and I pointed that it seemed like my friend was hoping that a year or two at Seminary would allow her to retreat from and provide a sanctuary and protection for his daughter from all the negative aspects of secularism, of hedonistic western culture. After he finished, I was prepared to depart and continue with my shopping. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of asking me my opinion.  So I offered my opinion. I explained that I had great difficulty in ascribing such power to an institution to protect my children from modern secular culture.  I explained that I was far more concerned that the institutions, like our home, offer our daughter the tools to deal with, and not deny the negative aspects of secularism in our everyday culture. The question, I said to my friend, is how assimilated will our children become, how assimilated with they be in their home, in their daily behavior, in attitude, and in the acknowledgment of the world around them. We wished each other good luck and continued with my Chanukah food shopping.

This Shabbat we read from Parsha Mikeitz. Mikeitz always coincides with Chanukah.  The Parsha begins two years from when VaYeishev concluded. Pharaoh has a dream. He is unsatisfied with all attempts to interpret it. Pharaoh's wine chamberlain remembers that Yosef accurately interpreted his dream while in prison. Yosef is released from prison and brought before Pharaoh. He interprets that soon will begin seven years of abundance followed by seven years of severe famine. Pharaoh appoints him as viceroy to oversee the project. Egypt becomes the granary of the world. Yaakov sends his sons to Egypt to buy food. The brothers come before Yosef and bow to him. Yosef recognizes them but they do not recognize him. Without disclosing his identity, Yosef sells the brothers' food but keeps Shimon hostage until they bring their brother Binyamin to him as proof that they are who they say they are. Yaakov refuses to let Binyamin go to Egypt, but when the famine grows unbearable, he accedes. Yehuda guarantees Binyamin's safety, and the brothers go to Egypt. Yosef welcomes the brothers lavishly as honored guests. When he sees Binyamin he rushes from the room and weeps. Yosef instructs his servants to replace the money in the sacks and to put his goblet inside Binyamin's sack. When the goblet is discovered, Yosef demands Binyamin become his slave as punishment. Yehuda interposes and offers himself instead, but Yosef refuses.

For the first time, beginning in last week’s Torah portion, VaYeishev and again in Mikeitz, we read about an individual encounter a dominant culture while still retaining his sense of code and morality. Avraham left the dominant culture and encountered it periodically but did so accompanied by his wife. Yitzchak encountered a different culture but had never left home in a spiritual nor a physical sense (he always remained in the land). Even Yaakov never had to confront a dominant culture. Yes, his uncle Lavan was an idol worshipper, but it was family and besides Uncle Lavan’s was a tribal culture. When Yaakov encountered Shechem, he did so accompanied by his sons. However, Yosef was in his late teens, early twenties when arrived in Egypt. He worked for Potifar. He had to stave off the sexual harassment of Potifar’s wife and accept the injustice of prison. At the beginning of Mikeitz, we find Yosef in prison, still referred to as Naar Ivri- Hebrew Youth even though he is 30 (Gen. 41:46).  Even after interpreting Pharaohs’ dreams, becoming a Viceroy, wearing Egyptian clothes, looking Egyptian, being clean-shaven like an Egyptian, speaking Egyptian, marrying an Egyptian woman (Asnat) and receiving an Egyptian name (Zaphenat Paneah), and essentially living an Egyptian lifestyle; Yosef somehow manages to maintain his tribal loyalty, his Jewishness, his sense of morality and code. When Pharaoh tells Yosef about his dream and is asked to interpret it; VaYa’An Yosef et Paroh Leimor, Biladai Elohim Ya’Eneh et Shlom Paroh – Joseph answered Pharaoh saying, That is beyond me; it is God who will respond with Pharaoh’s welfare.   The Or HaChaim comments that Biladai is not only a humble expression “that is beyond me”. Biladai means “this does not depend on me”. This is not only an indication of Yosef giving credit for his “Dream Telling Gift” to God. Yosef subtly indicates that his code and his theology will not waver within this overbearing and all-encompassing culture. Yosef adds the words Shlom Paroh- literally, the peace of Pharaoh. Yosef is merely a vessel, and he isn’t so much interpreting a dream, instead, he is providing a prophecy. As a result, Yosef must speak truth to power and cannot bend or interpret the meaning to satisfy some other agenda or plan except God’s plan.

Yosef, at the relatively young age of 30 has accepted the fact that his path, although his choosing, is part of God’s plan. Yes, some people are lucky to sense that a plan has been revealed to them. Yosef’s spiritual strength, his unwavering sense of belonging to a covenantal relationship means that no matter the name, no matter the clothes, no matter the culture, he is acutely aware that certain constants will keep him grounded in his relationship with God.  As parents, we don’t really know the paths any of our children are supposed to take. We can hope, and we can offer them guidance as they make their way along the path most suited to them, a path that fits their values and for which they are passionate. Eventually, they will need to make those decisions for themselves. While we light the Chanukah candles, we are reminded of Judaism’s survival within a powerful Hellenistic culture, we are reminded of Yosef surviving within a powerful Egyptian culture. We only hope that we have provided them enough tools, enough education and enough grounding in values that we deem important so that their decisions are an expression of a moral code and covenant to which they belong.

Peace,

Rav Yitz

Built To Last Till Sunshine Fails And Darkness Moves On All (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Built To Last")

Its’s final exam season in our home. Needless to say the stress level is unbearable. The slightest noise or parental request to put something away or empty the dishwasher is greeted a curt, frustrated response. One of the finals this week had to do with World History.  So in lull, when my knowledge and understanding of World History was sought I offered a brief lesson, with the aid of film clips from YouTube about the significant of the past week. Three historical events were commemorated this past week. The first historical event occurred 72 years ago this week and stopped the spread of Fascism, the cult of personality, authoritarianism and brought together the combined forces of four nations to battle evil. Seventy two years ago this week, D-Day (“The Longest Day”) brought together Canadian, British and American forces and the successful invasion of Normandy and the final allied offensive that would end the war in Europe nearly eleven months later. The second historical event occurred 50 years ago this week and stopped the aggression of three nations whose intention was to eliminated the state of Israel and push the Israelis into the sea. The Six Day War culminated in an Israeli victory that tripled the size in area, now controlling the Golan Heights, Gaza, The West Bank and Re-unification of Jerusalem. The third historical event did not involve a military victory. However all military victory’s mean that soldiers die.  Nearly 4500 allied soldiers died on that first day of the Invasion of Normandy. Far fewer Israeli soldiers were killed during the Six Day War: approximately 775. In the first week of June in 1968, while the Viet Nam war raged on in the jungle of South East Asia, one man was assassinated in Los Angeles: Bobby Kennedy. I suggested that in all these deaths, men were killed laying down their lives for their country, and for their beliefs. Then I asked my history students (our children) one question. In which of these events was the world saved from entering a period of protracted human darkness and evil?

This morning we read from Parsha BeHalotcha. This Shabbat we read from Parsha Behalotcha. For the previous two Parshiot, Bemidbar and Naso, B’nai Yisroel has counted and prepared for their journey from Sinai to Eretz Canaan. This week, the final preparations are ordered and executed and the departure from Sinai begins. Aaron, Moshe’s brother and the Kohen Gadol, lights the lamp for the Mishkan, the entire Levite tribe is purified, offerings made and their service for maintenance of the Mishkan begins. Final instructions for observing Pesach under these new conditions, (they were not leaving Egypt anymore nor had they arrived in the land) were offered, including the case of coming into contact with the deceased and becoming spiritually impure. The narrative tells us the manner in which B’nai Yisroel traveled: sheltered by a cloud during the day, and protected by a pillar of fire at night. Then the complaining begins. They complain about the Mannah. They complain about the food. They complain about Moshe’s leadership. Moshe’s sister complains about his wife.

As B’nai Yisroel finally begins its trek from Sinai towards Canaan, the Torah makes the following statement.  Vayehi Binsoah Ha’Aron VaYomer Moshe, Kuma Adoshem VeYaFuTzu Oyavecha, VeYaNuSu Misanecha MiPanecha. U’vNucho Yomar Shuva Adoshem Rivvot Alfei Yisroel – When the Ark would journey, Moshe said: ‘Arise Hashem, and let Your foes be scattered let those who hate You flee from before You. And when it rested, he would say, ‘reside tranquilly, O Hashem, among the myriad thousands of Israel. (Num. 10:35) Today we say the first part of the verse while we take the Torah out from the Aron before we read the Torah, and we say the second part of the statement when we have finished reading from the Torah and are returning it to the Aron.  In the Torah, this verse is enclosed by two brackets. The bracket is really an inverted letter, the letter “Nun”.   The Talmud in Shabbat 116a Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi teaches Mipnei Sh’ Sefer Chashuv Hu Bifnei Atzmo – Because it constituted a book on its own. His a rather cryptic statement since it suggests that there are more than 5 books comprising the Torah. We normally think of the Torah as comprised of 5 Books or Scrolls: Breishit- Genesis, Shmot –Exodus, Vayikra – Leviticus, Bemidbar-Numbers, and Devarim-Deuteronomy.  However Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi considers the fourth Book to really be three smaller books: Numbers A (chaps1-10:34); Numbers B (10:35-36) and Numbers C (10:37-36:13); for a total of seven boos of Torah. R’ Yehuda’s understanding of seven books of Torah seems to correspond with a verse from Mishlei (Proverbs (9:1): Chachmot Banta Veitah Chatzvah Amudeha Shiva- With all forms of wisdom did she build her house; she carved out its seven pillars. Perhaps this bracket of the Hebrew letter Nun and the enclosed verse; tells us something about the Lamp that was lit at the beginning of the Parsha. The word for lamp HaNeirot; that is to say “illuminate the lights” of the tabernacle. B’nai Yisroel for the first time was taking God’s light, this wisdom and carrying it amongst themselves, using it to create light within its camp and using it to ward off all the negative forces that would otherwise seek to destroy them. For the first time, B’nai Yisroel would now have to use its wisdom, its understanding of Torah, in order to bring light and holiness to the world.

One only needs to listen to the speeches of Bobby Kennedy, hear is idealism through his Boston accent, and his desire to make the world a better place. One only needs to appreciate that fact that he was the victim of Palestinian terror like so many Israelis because he tried to bring light to those who lived in darkness not only in the United States but throughout the world. One only needs to walk through gates into the Old City to appreciate the miracle that Israel manage to reclaim the Old City of Jerusalem. One only needs to stand at the Kotel to realize that Jerusalem, the City of Gold was now belonged to the descendants of King David and appreciate the spiritual light that emanates from this city. One need only stand at the beaches of Normandy and see row after row of those who died and look out at the waters of the English channel to not only appreciate the miracle that transpired but to also understand how all these men who fought on that day saved the world from darkness.  With the conclusion of the study break, our kids could see where and how events spanning several decades are intertwined and connected.

Peace,

Rav Yitz