Our weekly Torah portion, “Naso,” opens as Moshe Rabenu is commanded to “raise up” the heads of all of “Shevet Levi” and assign each family it’s everlasting role in the service of the “Beit Hamikdah.” As The Slonimer Rebbe reminds us on many other occasions, in light of the fact that The Holy Torah is everlasting so it’s commandments are everlasting. Thus, if we were blessed to receive the building of “Bayit Shlishi” right now, the “Shevet” of Levi would assume its rightful roles in The Holy Temple.

   In fact there are certainly aspects of “everlastingness” that we emphasize year in year out. The Exodus from “Mitzraim,” for example, “where every person needs to see him / herself as if he / she is leaving” “Mitzraim right now.” Servitude remains in our lives and it is our job to find the ways to break out and “raise up” our spiritual freedom.The Kohen blesses Am Yisrael in Beit Knesset every day, with the words of prayer found in this week’s Torah portion. ” May Hashem bless you and guard you, Hashem should shine His Countenance upon you with grace and kindness, Hashem should “raise up” His Countenance towards you and place you in Peace (Bamidbar 6.24-26). As parents we bless our children each Friday night at the glowing Shabbat table with the same words and sentiments as The Kohen does. …. “May you be at Peace.” And the blesser is blessed back. May we all be at Peace.

   When someone gives me a gift the most appropriate response is for me to receive it with open hands and an open heart, regardless of whether that is the gift that I wanted right now. The important part is that someone cared enough to bring me a gift. When someone goes to receive a blessing one must go with an open heart to accept the blessing.As such this blessing from The Holy Torah is everlasting and alive. The blessing is waiting for us. As a people we need to be open to receiving it together, no matter whose way is closest to right. It is not the “right” that we want, but rather the Truth. The Truth comes alive through humility. Humility in front of my Creator, humility in front of my brothers and sisters, regardless of their opinions. When that humility is actualized, it transforms itself to love. This the love between each other that Hashem asks us to create. Along with this love we must have a keen living awareness of how much He loves us. Only with truth and humility can I feel that true love.

   It feels to me like it’s time for me to finally strive for that high goal of self-humility. What we are experiencing today is an open invitation from Hashem to receive His gift. This is not simply a blessing for an individual who needs sustenance or God forbid is hurting for good health. We are being faced with an opportunity to pray for a gift for the entire “klal Yisrael.” We need to show Hashem that we really want to receive this complete blessing.

   That being the case, perhaps then I can have the holy chutzpah to ask Hashem to change the equation a bit. I understand that He has been waiting a long time for us to not only recognize our suffering in this world, but also be willing to fix our individual selves so that we can merit that final gift of the ultimate Peace. I would like to humbly request that He change the curriculum a bit by recognizing our shortcomings even more than He has before. We need to understand that, just as in the time of The Torah and all of our illustrious history, it is the same God and we are the same the same nation. No change there. Perhaps we need to all pray for a little change in the required curriculum to show Hashem that the Geulah is simply so dear and special to us. Or in other words, that we really do want to be blessed to receive this precious gift now. We are no longer afraid for that ultimate of blessings and all that it brings with it to our world.

Shalom,
Yehudah