Dear Friends,
This past week we have all seen heightened advertisements enticing us to buy gifts for Father’s Day….Mostly the ads say: Do you have your gift ready?
Interestingly, our Torah portion of Naso includes the gifts brought to the Tabernacle by each of the Nesi’im [the chiefs] of the 12 tribes of Israel. Each one of the tribal leaders is named as we call people to the Torah – the person’s name, son of the person’s father’s name.
Clearly these were all men. Presumably all were fathers. But they were not the recipients of the gifts. They were the bearers of the gifts, as representative of their respective tribes.
For those of us who want to honor our fathers with a gift this weekend, the act of buying a gift and of giving the gift can be very meaningful and very joyous.
Just imagine the intensity of the joy attached to the bringing of the gifts to the Tabernacle, in the name of an entire tribe!
Gifts are an expression of gratitude, of respect, of love.
May we all be blessed with many occasions to give and to receive the blessings of gratitude, of respect and of love in our lives, in our families, in our communities and in our world!
Shabbat Shalom and a happy Father’s Day!
Rabbi Gilah Dror
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