My family commemorated the fifth anniversary of my father's death this week. Thanks to those who sent beautiful notes, left messages, shared cheese danish and stories, and joined our weekly minyan where I and some of my extended family recited Kaddish in memory of my father. He always appreciated the presence of community. You can find my thoughts on this 5th yarzheit and what has changed in the past 5 years here at https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/five-years-later-showing-gd-how-to-mourn/
The second portion of this week's double parasha, Mattot-Masei begins with a presentation of the Israelites' travels through the wilderness which Moses writes down for posterity. Va'yichtov Moshe et motza'ayhem l'masayhem al pee Adonai, v'eileh masayhem l'motza'ayhem/Moses wrote down the starting points of their journeys according to Gd's direction.These were their journeys to their going out points (Bamidbar 33:2). This unusual opening offers a multi-directional introduction to the people's travels. It begins with starting points of their travels and then redirects the focus to the entire journey, narrowing in on their starting points. So, which is it? What is supposed to draw our attention, the journey or the destination? How do our going out points inform our travels? How do our journeys stem from where we began? Zoom in to our sanctuary this Shabbat morning to explore this further. You'll find the link in our weekly email.
May our experiences continue to shape our journeys and may our travels provide stepping stones to mark the path.
Shabbat Shalom rg
Congregation Habonim 103 West End Ave New York, NY 10023
