Events over the last few days have been happening at a dizzying pace and have been hard to keep up with on so many levels.
Today I took the time to write to many friends in Israel, in the IDF, residents of the North, Center and South, and Chabad Rabbi friends in places like the Golan Heights, Metullah, serving in the IDF and elsewhere, who we have been helping through our community.
The messages we heard back, were a mixed bag with some sharing their feelings of the current challenges, and others talking about how they balance faith with the realities around them, and others who were full of confidence and determination.
I heard from the Chabad Rabbi in the Golan, who shared with me some details regarding his visit to the Druze town of Majdl Shams this week, as he spoke to the community leaders and parents of the children who were killed last Saturday.
I spoke to the Chabad Rebbitzen from Metulla on the Northern Border, who has been forced out of her home along with her family and everyone else in the town for over ten months (and has never stopped taking care of the families from their community throughout all of this). Her message was full of resilience, hope, faith and encouragement, as she reminded me of the verse in the Torah that the Rebbe always reminded everyone of, "a land in which G-d's eyes are on it from the beginning of the year until the end of the year" and how it is messages like these, and the knowledge that everyone around the world is praying for them, which give her the courage to keep going each and every day.
The stops and starts of the events, and where we as individuals find ourselves as it pertains to these events, is not always in our control. Yet our reaction to the events, and making sure we continue to be a source of light, care, good deeds, and strength and inspiration to those around us, is where so much of our focus can be, in order to make the difference that is needed.
In this week's Torah reading, we read the double portion of Maatot & Maasei, which means tribes and journeys.
The word Mateh, also means a "staff", a long stick used to walk with, to go on a journey with, or to navigate and point out things with.
A Staff (as was used by the leaders of the Jewish people), was not a fresh stick that was just broken off the tree. Rather a staff, was a branch that had been detached for a while and was now dried up and without any moisture in it.
Using a fresh stick, meant that it still had moisture within it, and therefore it could be bent easier and perhaps not as dependable to lean on. On the other hand, a staff was specifically from a branch that was dry and as a result it wouldn't bend, and would be a firm source of strength.
In other words, the staff became strong, through being detached from its source of vitality, drying up, but then becoming stronger.
Likewise as we read about the journeys of the Jewish people in the desert and throughout history, it is important to realize that so much of the robust growth and strengthening of our people, did not happen when it was all nice and beautiful, but instead happened or began to develop, during the very difficult moments of detachment and challenges that we have faced throughout history.
So often it is from the darkest and difficult moments, that we have seen the greatest strengths of our people come to the fore. It is true collectively and it is also true on an individual level.
As we continue on our march through history to the Promised Land, to a time when goodness shall prevail, let us remember to be strong like a staff, that hardens and becomes stronger from the moments of difficulty and detachment.
May our collective prayers and extra Mitzvahs help bring the blessings to Israel and the world, that are so needed.
Candle Lighting in Sudbury today is at 7:45pm and it is a great time to say a prayer for Israel.
Please join us tomorrow for the Shabbat Services as we discuss so many more contemporary messages from this week's portion, that directly apply to all of the events which have been happening in the world around us.
10am start / 11am Torah Reading & Discussion / 12:15pm Kiddush Luncheon
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
Yisroel