The young lady on the phone with me in Tel Aviv was helping prepare the orders of toys in between the sirens. Finally it was time to pay and the lady refused to take the payment for the delivery charge. I asked her to let us pay, but she responded, "no, this is so moving, I would like to do my part for this too".
I never met the lady, I don't even know her name, but she loved the fact, that a community across the world, was trying to help young Israeli children running in and out of bomb shelters, and told us how touched she was and wanted to be a part of this.
VaYakhel, is the them of the weekly portion, as Moshe gathers together the Jewish people, and conveys to them many important instructions and ideas. Vayakhel, means gathering together, bringing together, unifying the people, revealing what is beneath the surface of all of us, and finding a way to make that intrinsic connection come to the forefront of our existence.
For over forty years, the Lubavitcher Rebbe would speak each Shabbat and then edit his talks to be published. The very last talk that the Rebbe began to edit before he had his stroke was his message on the portion of Vayakhel, and the theme and emphasis was all about unity and overcoming differences.
Today more than ever, in a world that has fractured and ruptured relationships on many levels, with wars raging in Israel and elsewhere, and with antisemitic threats seeking to cause chaos, our seeking to strengthen our unity and connecting in meaningful ways, despite potential differences, is the tool we have at our disposal to trigger blessings that bring strength, clarity and blessings to the world.
Over Purim, we had people at our events with family members in Iran, and others with family members in Israel. Yet we all know that we are all connected.
The lady in the store in Tel Aviv knew that, and everyone here who has sought to make a difference to others locally and for those in Israel over the last few weeks, know that.
In the weeks that come, as we prepare for Passover, the holiday of Freedom, we plan on redoubling our efforts to connect, touch and make a difference to others, locally in a very big way so that everyone feels connected to the Jewish community, and that everyone can have a touch of joy of Passover, and also for what we do for Israel and others, we will continue to do our part as a community, to make a positive difference and bring some holiday joy to as many as possible.
With blessings for an uplifting and peaceful Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos.
Yisroel