Life can be quite the whirlwind.
Last week Morocco…this week Baltimore.
While the destination may not be quite as exciting, the reason for being here is!
We have been blessed with a granddaughter, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to come and meet her.
Gila is her name.
Gila means joy and she was born at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Adar which is the time when we increase our connection to joy.
Hence her name.
Shortly after arriving at our daughter’s home, a dear friend came to say hello.
After all the appropriate Mazel Tov wishes she shared a challenge which is facing her family. Her father collapsed a few months ago and has been in a coma ever since. His children watch helplessly as he hovers in a limbo from which he may never return.
Then she said something majestic.
She mused that perhaps these days or even weeks provide the opportunity for the children to fulfill the commandment of honoring their father.
They do this by going to the hospital daily, diligently caring for their mother, and getting along with one another in this very stressful time.
They may not be “accomplishing” anything, but through this challenging time, in this struggle, they are actually achieving a great deal.
It brought to mind a message from this week’s Torah portion which is called Terumah.
This portion is the first Capital Campaign in Jewish history and it exceeded it’s goal by far.
(A dream for every development professional!)
Gd wants the Jewish people to build a Tabernacle, a place where Gd’s presence can dwell, and the call goes out and the Jews donate precious stones and metals and all the materials needed to build the Tabernacle and create all its furnishings.
The Jewish people respond generously, until Moses has to beg them to stop bringing donations.
One of the items that was to be built was the Menora, a beautiful and extreme ornate candelabra which was to be created out of one solid block of gold.
Gd gives Moses ample instruction on how to make the Menora. It was to be a highly decorated object, replete with decorative flowers and knobs.
Yet, despite the intricate instructions, Moses is left at a loss.
He simply can’t figure out how to make the Menora.
Finally, Gd tells Moses to take a large block of gold, throw it into a blazing fire and Voila, miraculously the Menora emerged in all its glory.
Rabbi Alter, a 19th century scholar known by his main work as the Sfas Emes, inquires about this chain of events.
If it was physically impossible for Moses to make the Menora, why was it necessary for Gd to go through the whole rigamarole and share so many details about its creation, if ultimately Moses could not do the job?
Why didn’t Gd just skip the whole narrative and tell Moses to throw the gold in the fire?
Answers the Sfas Emes, it was the process that was important. It was imperative for Moses to make the effort, to go through the experience and learn all the lessons that could be gleaned along the way.
Gd could make the Menora, but Moses needed to try.
That was the message Gd was sending.
In life, we have no control on the final product, but what we can control is our output, our effort and our attitudes, these inform the lessons we can learn along the way.
It’s not the outcome - it’s how we come out!
So here in Baltimore MD I am feeling very joyful.
I got to meet little Gila, who is, please Gd, at the beginning of a long and growth oriented life, and I experienced the deep joy of a daughter, seeing meaning in her efforts to accompany her Father as he approaches the end of an impactful life. She may not be able to change the final outcome, but the efforts she and her siblings are making, are truly eternal.
And that’s joy!
May we each find meaning and joy in the journey.
Shabbat Shalom and so much love!