Rabbi Sherman - Honorable Mensch-ion

The Torah can be divided into two parts. The Rabbis teach, dorosh dorash Moshe, the first half of the Torah is Moses asking questions. That is the essence of Jewish education-asking questions, and that is the crux of our Pesach Seder. The Rabbis explain the second part of the Torah is vayishma Moshe, Moses listened and learned.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was asked during the Six Day War, “Why are you so dreadfully desperate?” His answer: “Imagine that in the entire world there remains one copy of the Bible and suddenly I see a brutal hand seize this copy, the only one in the world, and prepare to cast in in flames….”

Four years ago, the world shut down. I remember during the Seder that year, there was a global call to open our doors and windows and sing Eliyahu Hanavi, welcoming the prophet into our Passover in hope for a time of redemption.

Betsalel is the architect of the mishkan, the Tabernacle. Yet, what was unique about Betsalel is not how he built the structure, but rather, how the structure was built.

Yosef Haddad is an Israeli Arab who grew up in Haifa surrounded by Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Druze. He said that the differences went away on the soccer field. The ball dropped, the game started, and difference melted away.

Some 5 million people tuned into the NBA All-Star Weekend to see Lebron James in his 20th All-Star Game, Mac McClung win the dunk contest, and the world’s best three-point shooters Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu square off.

I am always struck by the uniform of the New York Yankees. Each player is identified by their number, but their last name is not written on the back.

I am not a Lego builder. My children, on the other hand, are experts. I watch as they go page by page building intricate designs. What started as simple houses has now turned into complex Marvel scenes and replicas of famous landmarks. It is nerve wracking knowing that one misstep can derail the entire project.

Today is Rosh Chodesh Adar. As we enter this month, the Rabbis teach us that our joy should increase. Yet, how can it be? Many feel awkward rejoicing when our people are still grieving, when our future is in flux. This year is a leap year in the Jewish calendar where an additional month is added before we celebrate the holiday of Purim, putting on our costumes, shaking the gragger to drown out Haman’s name, and ultimately dancing again.

While we learn that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh in the first book of Torah, it is only this week where remembering Shabbat becomes a commandment for all time. The mitzvah is twofold: We fulfill the mitzvot relating to Shabbat and we refrain from work.