Torah Tidbits

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Messaging and Momentum for Mitzvoth
Shabbat Parashat Korach
Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
June 8, 2013 – 30 Sivan 5773

Messaging and Momentum for Mitzvoth

This Shabbat offers us many opportunities for mitzvoth and I hope you will join us at Rodef Sholom Temple this Friday evening and Saturday morning as we celebrate Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, and the bar mitzvah of Adam Stein.  Mazal tov to Adam and to his entire family!

According to our Torah portion, Korach, the quintessential rebel, succeeds in gathering “all the people” to confront and to challenge Moses and Aaron’s leadership.

Korach’s messaging played on people’s sense of alienation, divisiveness or anger.  And, sadly, he succeeded in getting a huge multitude of people to go along with his agenda which was one aimed at tearing down “the system.”

Our Sages note that getting people together to tear down a system is oftentimes much easier than motivating people to come together for the sake of a holy “mitzvah moment”.

Rosh Chodesh is a time for new beginnings.

My prayer for this new Jewish month of Tammuz is that we succeed in gathering ourselves together with renewed “momentum for Mitzvoth.”

I pray that our messaging will inspire us to be active participants in the collective  work of “ma’alin ba’kodesh,” of raising ourselves and those around us up to higher and higher levels of holiness, of healing, and of peace.

May our momentum for Mitzvoth make this Shabbat, and the coming days of Tammuz, days of increased blessing and of love, for us, for all the people Israel, and for all people everywhere.

Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov (a blessed month)!

Rabbi Gilah Dror