Dear Friends,
In this week’s Torah portion (Emor), the Torah provides an early glimpse of how the Bible attempts to shape the sacred nature of our lives by setting celebrations and events along the course of a calendar year. In it, we find a very rudimentary version of the Jewish calendar we use today. Included in early calendar we find commandments regarding a weekly Sabbath, Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, and the three Harvest Festivals (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot).
It is interesting to note that each sacred observance involves some kind of sacrifice. On the Sabbath we sacrifice work, during the festivals we sacrifice the harvest and on Yom Kippur we sacrifice consumption of any kind. These sacrifices help make time sacred and holy. They bond us as a people. They enable us to express appreciation for all we have.
This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and while it may not be in the Bible, the day is sacred to mothers, fathers and children alike. It is a day set aside to express our gratitude for all the sacrifices made by our mothers, and it is a way for us to elevate the sacred nature of motherhood.
Happy Mother’s Day to all moms. May this be a day filled with blessings of love, joy and gratitude.
L’Shalom,
Steve