In the Desert

 Shabbat Shalom from Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow

 

June 3-4, 2022 / 5 Sivan 5782 / 49 Omer

Shabbat Bamidbar

Torah: Numbers 1:1 - 4:20 / Haftarah: Hosea 2:1 - 2:22

 

“In the Desert”

 

Dear Friends,

 

The fourth book of the Torah, which we begin this week, is entitled BaMidbar – In the Desert. What is so special about the desert?   It was in the wilderness that Moses encountered the burning bush.  It was in the desert that the Ten Commandments were revealed. It was in the desert that the Children of Israel grew from a slave band to an independent nation. One Biblical commentator described the desert as a crucible for purifying gold.  First, you must put the raw ore into a furnace and heat it to remove the slag from the precious metal. Through this analogy, we see that the Israelites needed the forty years of wandering in the hot desert to find that refinement.

 

Our Torah tradition teaches us that each one of us can find spiritual growth and clarity if we will spend some time in the wilderness.  This might include going for a walk, visiting a park or nature preserve, or spending extended time away from your normal routine.  Disconnecting from the distractions, pressures, and demands of daily life can often allow us to perceive new insights and growth.  Like our biblical ancestors, we too can find enlightenment in the desert.

 

Zay a Mentsch – Be a Good Person.

 

Shabbat Shalom,

 

Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow