Shakespeare wrote that “Silence is the perfectest herault of joy. I were but little happy if I could say how much”. All week long, I’ve been trying to share my feelings of unyielding joy, and for the first time in my life I am speechless. Perhaps with passing days, I will find the words, but for now silence it is. A week of celebration, including Menny reading from the Torah and hundreds attending his Bar Mitzvah celebration at the Armory, has left me and Chavie overwhelmed with happiness and our hearts filled with gratitude for all those who celebrated with us in person and those who sent celebratory wishes from afar. Seeing Menny shine in song, speech and ritual tugs my soul deeply.

In this week’s double Torah portion, Behar-Bechukosai, we are taught about the Sabbatical year when G-d commands the Jew to leave their Israeli fields to rest. Every seven years we pause our workload, we don’t stress it, we allow our trust in G-d to actualize, and G-d assures us that He’s got our back and we won’t go hungry. As Menny said in his speech “we take a year off to focus on our spiritual growth, while trusting that G-d will bless our land and care for our financial stability”. It’s not easy to let go, but it’s a value worth internalizing as it’s a game changer for serenity and faith in Hashem.

We all love to control outcomes. We all want to see our children live a life of meaning and carry the baton that we’ve handed them, a baton of warm and insightful Judaism, to the next generation, but we can’t control what they do with the baton. As parents we need to recognize that our job is to shine and role model ethics, morality and kindness, we need to live with Jewish vibrancy and joy, and we need to instruct our children with the values that we believe makes our world a better place. Then, we pray that they take all those values and illuminate their lives as teenagers and adults. Our wish for Menny and his sisters is that they stay in love with Judaism and remain connected to the Tree of Life; we’re doing our part to pass on the holy baton, now they need to grab it and run with it.

Mazal Tov!

May G-d guard our brethren in Israel and the world over from harm and send us Mashiach speedily. May G-d protect the armed forces of Israel and the United States wherever they may be!

Baruch Hashem It’s been a busy week. Preparations are underway for Menny’s Bar Mitzvah celebration, we enjoyed lesson two of our “For All Humankind” JLI course, over twenty men joined together for an epic Men’s Mensch Club at Dan Bercu’s home in Bridger Canyon, and on Monday we hosted a group of students of Heritage Christian School who came with their teachers for a crash course in Judaism where I lecture for an hour and then answer their many thoughtful questions. Conversations are so important because they help us discover our commonalities and allow our humanity to shine.

Today is Pesach Sheini, the Second Passover. During the time of the Holy Temple, if an individual Jew was spiritually distant (impure) or physically distant (carelessly traveling) during the first Passover, and they then show a willingness to experience Passover, G-d gives them a second chance to show up in His presence. It’s a life lesson on the ability to change. G-d wants our heart, He wants our sincerity, He wants our authenticity, but it can’t remain abstract, because He also wants us to do the practical work. Instead of saying “it’s all good; you are forgiven”, G-d says please show up and do the Mitzvos of Passover and walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk. Perhaps a month ago you were slacking or uninterested, but today you can choose to connect and act holy.

Sadly, in today’s age of division and chaos, we don’t even give our fellows a first chance. We don’t talk to those with whom we disagree, we aren’t willing to compromise, and while we are great “talkers”, we are horrible “listeners”. Jane Goodall said, “Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right”. It was my message to the Christian students: never be fearful to have a conversation and always allow yourself to listen to what others are sharing and think critically. Pesach Sheini reminds me that if G-d can give second chances to spiritual delinquents, we can, and should, give others a chance to share, perhaps we will even learn a thing or two.

Give a conversation a chance!

May G-d guard our brethren in Israel and the world over from harm and send us Mashiach speedily. May G-d protect the armed forces of Israel and the United States wherever they may be!

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