I have a soft spot for graduations.

The attendees are in a great mood. 

Parents are relieved that their children have accomplished their goals and a tuition milestone is behind them. 

Graduates are relieved that they have accomplished their goals and a bright, perhaps scary, but possibility filled future lies ahead. 

And, the teachers are relieved that they have accomplished their goals and their charges are no longer their responsibility. 

The unrealized potential in the room is palpable. 

The possibilities are endless. 

The next part of the story is waiting to unfold and come to life as each individual progresses on the next chapter and will move forward - depending on their personal motivation. 

I had the honor of participating in two graduations today, one in person and one via zoom. 

Our granddaughter graduated from nursery school. I am not biased when I tell you her smile was ginormous and her performance stellar. 

But she absolutely won my heart when she ran off the stage momentarily to give her little sister a hug. 

Now, as sisters go, these two are close. But they still have their arguments, and the big sister is often frustrated and annoyed when the little one destroys her toys or art projects. It was heart warming to see that in this milestone moment, she put it all aside to give her sister a hug. 

The second graduation was in person. 

It was the commencement ceremony of a small girls high school. 

The charge to the graduates was offered by Rabbi David Goldwasser, a noted author and lecturer. 

He addressed this week’s Torah portion which is called Behaalotcha, which means when you go up. (That refers to the commandment to Aaron, the High Priest, regarding his going up to light the Menora in the Tabernacle.)

Rabbi Goldwasser referenced another incident in the portion where Moses is overwhelmed by his responsibility of tending to the Jewish people. 

They lodge a constant litany of complaints and Moses can take  it no longer. 

Moses tells Gd he cannot bear the burden. 

He just cannot do it. 

According to the Sages, Gd tells Moses you CAN do it, you have the hidden powers inside that you can accomplish great things. You just need to know how to unlock that potential. 

There was a famous Kabbalist known as the Baba Sali. He lived in Morocco in the early 1900s till he moved to Israel. (His granddaughter was my roommate!). When the Baba Sali lived in Morocco the area he lived in was dangerous and crime ridden. Going out alone at night was not recommended. One evening the Baba Sali announced to his attendant that at midnight he would be going to the ritual bath/Mikva as he was wont to do before any major occasion. The attendant was concerned but accompanied him in the dark. When they reached the door of the Mikva the attendant tried to unlock the door. No matter how hard he tried, the lock would not yield. Finally the Baba Sali took the key and the lock  turned effortlessly. 

He told his attendant 

“if you really want to open doors in this world, if you put all your effort into it, doors will open for you.”

Don’t have a fixed mindset. 

You CAN do it. 

Perhaps what one accomplishes is different than what one initially anticipated. 

Perhaps what is perceived as a burden is in fact the key to unlocking one’s potential. 

Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz, 20th century Torah teacher, explains that we have infinite strengths to handle our tasks. 

He says “ if not for this moment I have made you royalty, 

there is no greater command than reality! 

If you have the ability, 

it is this ability that forces you! You must necessarily bear it. 

It is an error to think I cannot bear it alone”

I often speak of a beloved friend who grew up with every gift and opportunity. She had no challenges in her life. 

And then her third child was born with severe disabilities. 

He is unable to talk, walk, speak of feed himself, now over thirty years later. 

When this child was born I could not imagine how my friend would survive it. 

She had never borne any burdens, let alone something of this nature. 

And since that initial thought, 

I have watched with endless admiration as she has lovingly taken care of her child, bearing all the challenges and rising to the occasion again and again. 

She does not view him as a burden, but rather as a precious soul, entrusted to her for safekeeping. 

She is truly achieving her maximum strengths , exhibiting resilience that was only in potential, and revealing her own magnificent and Royal essence. 

She has found the key to unlock her hidden power. 

In this week’s portion, Moses is able to overcome the challenge of dealing with his difficult people. 

He does so by praying to see their Chen, Hebrew for inner charm. 

Instead of seeing the nation as a bunch of nagging ingrates, he prays to be able to see their essence, their potential and goodness. That will allow him to overcome the challenge of caring for them. 

It will help him to see them as precious souls instead of burdens. 

What a powerful way to start our day, with a prayer on our lips that we may see the goodness and inner essence of the people in our orbit. It will guide us in relating to them as gifts instead of burdens. 

Graduations are definitely about unlocking potential. 

But a graduation may also be the vehicle to showing some love, overlooking the annoyances, seeing the “burden” as a gift of love and connection. 

The high school graduation was uplifting. 

But my granddaughter’s gesture of loving devotion to her sister is my inspiration. 

Shabbat Shalom and so much love!