Today, the 15th of Kislev, is my 44th birthday.

It was on this day, on a snowy Friday in 1981, that G-d decided that He has a mission for my soul, and blessed my parents with their second child, four years after the birth of my older brother Yochanan. At my Bris I was named for my paternal great-grandfather, Reb Shaul Bruk, a Ukrainian Chossid that emigrated to Israel in the 30’s after spending time in soviet prisons. He was a brilliant Talmudic scholar, spiritual mentor to hundreds and a man who lived for his students both in Tel Aviv and Rishon LeTsion. Birthdays stir up for me an array of emotions, more recently infusing me with a feeling of vigor, pondering my mission, thinking about those who came before and whose legacy I carry forward, and pushing me to look inward and find the inner me.

In this week’s Torah portion, Vayishlach, we read about Jacob wrestling with the angel near the Jabbok River. While Jacob defeats the angel, he is injured in the process, and it’s only then that G-d has his name changed to Israel. Jacob had many challenges before this moment; he escaped from Esau, lived with Laban, had four wives who didn’t always see eye-to-eye, and just encountered his wicked brother Esau who was unpredictable. Yet, it was only now when Jacob stood alone wrestling with his nemesis through the night, did his name change to the superior representation of Israel. Jacob is the Jew who is holding on to the heel of the enemy, hoping to be seen, Israel is the Jew who stands tall with a win under his belt.

On my birthday I celebrate the “Israel” Jew, the “Israel” in me. There’s a sense of peace and serenity that comes with age, infused with gratitude for all that I have and what I’ve overcome to get here. My heart is full of appreciation for my parents, grandparents, my dear Chavie, my kids, my friends and my community, both local and virtual. I will always strive to grow more, I will always seek to find a stronger inner self, but I will also celebrate the wins, the antagonizing angels who have been beaten, the peaks that have been climbed and the tumultuous waters that have been waded. I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with all of you in good health.

Happy Birthday to Me!

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!

It’s been a wild week.

On Sunday I was blessed to attend the Upshernish of Shimon Spiero in Great Falls. On Monday I had the honor of placing Mezuzos on a new Jewish home in Big Sky. On Tuesday evening, after the JLI class, we escaped to Billings for 36 hours of family time that included a visit to Scheels, fun at Lava Island and dinner with our colleagues Rabbi Shaul and Mushky Shkedi and their beautiful daughters who are a beacon of Chassidic light and transforming the Jewish experience In Billings and across Eastern Montana.

We really do live differently. A boy’s third birthday is a major milestone of Upshernish. A new home can only be inaugurated with Mezuzos of blessing and protection on the doors, and we Jews don’t just live for ourselves but live to service our fellow Landsman and are there for each other through thick and thin.

In this week’s Torah portion, Vayeitzei, we read about Jacob in the distant home of his uncle Laban. He moves there to escape the rage of his wicked brother Esau. In the process he marries Leah and Rachel, along with Bilhah and Zilpah, being blessed with eleven sons and a daughter (Benjamin was born later). And he works wholeheartedly, day and night, for his cheating uncle. How did he remain spiritually intact? How come he didn’t lose his mind? The Midrash says that he would recite the fifteen Psalms that begin with “Shir Lamalos” all the time. He remembered his parents Isaac and Rebecca, never took his eye off the ball of eventually taking his family to Israel, and he prayed, prayed and prayed some more to remain wholesome, thus remaining uncharacteristically stable in an unstable world.

Modern America is full of distractions. We must shop because it’s Black Friday. We must go online because it’s Cyber Monday. We must give charity because it is Giving Tuesday. The world is vying for our attention, for our hearts, for our wallets. Yet, as Jews we don’t need to surrender. We have Mezuzos, Shabbos, Upshernish, Kosher, Yom Tov, Mikvah, Jewish calendar, holy books; we can live with stability, it’s our choice. While the chaos ensues and the noise can mess with our heads, let us remember that Yaakov didn’t lose focus and merited loads of blessings in an unholy environment. We can, and should, put on Judaism’s noise cancelling headphones and tune it out. Joe Rogan doesn’t need your attention, Israel will survive without you being a middle east expert on their behalf, and Washington DC will remain dysfunctional with, or without, you.

Don’t get sucked in; you simply don’t have to!

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!