Dear Friends,
I hope you will join us this Friday night and Shabbat for Men’s Club Shabbat which promises to be great fun. I suppose it is “cause (or cows) and effect”, that we gather together on a few extra special Shabbatot as we gear up for Passover, hoping to be spiritually prepared for the great celebration of the Exodus in just a few weeks from now.
This Shabbat, Shabbat Parah [Cow Shabbat] is the 3rd of the 4 special Shabbatot before Pesach, with the Maftir Aliyah being all about the ancient ritual of the red heifer (as in, “cow”) and its purifying effect. Hence, this Shabbat is truly all about “cows and effect”!
What causes us to lift our heads up high? What spiritual heights can we reach for even as we take care of our daily lives’ chores? Our weekly Torah portion of Ki Tissa [literally: when you count, or when you raise up] the Jewish people, reminds us that we need special Shabbatot, special moments, special rituals, and especially a special sense of commitment to community, to help us meet our individual and shared challenges and to recognize our individual and shared opportunities, as well.
Our Sages have suggested to us that we are spiritually lifted up when we recognize mitzvah opportunities.
May this Shabbat be filled with joy and with special moments in which each one of us recognizes our unique and irreplaceable place in Jewish life and community and the special blessings that go with being a part of Jewish life and tradition, from generation to generation!
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Gilah Dror
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