D'var Torah

Over Pesach this year, I heard a variation on this sentence quite a few times: “We are such terrible Jews. We had to do seder on a Saturday instead this year!” Or, “I feel so embarrassed that we went to Disney and decided to skip our seder.” Or, even, “My kids got so fed up with Passover I gave them hot dogs with a bun only three days in!” Why are we so worried about being a “good” or a “bad” Jew? 

In other words, what’s with all the guilt? 

The wonderful thing about this week’s Torah portion, Emor, is that it can allow us to let go of that guilt and explore the ways we can find intention in the everyday activities of our lives. Being Jewish isn’t only about how much time we spend in the synagogue (although, that is part of it!) but about how we bring the sacred into the mundane. 

Emor goes into the details of how and when we should celebrate Shabbat. Through Emor we discover the sacred nature of time- and that “keeping Shabbat” might not mean coming to services here at TRS every week. We are aware that time is precious, and that we want to spend it in a quality way.

The Torah teaches us that we must live out our lives with intention by taking time for sacred rest. Perhaps, for you, that is reading a book on the couch on Saturday morning. Or enjoying a quiet walk in the woods with your family. Or, perhaps it is cooking your favorite meal and savoring the meditation you find in chopping the vegetables. Or maybe it’s finding a simple peace in the chores we do each day- feeling the warm water running over our hands as we wash dishes or humming to ourselves while folding laundry. Emor wants us to take note of our time, and savor it, and find a little Shabbat therein. 

So, in the spirit of this wonderful Torah portion, I welcome you to let go of feelings of guilt and welcome in those of noticing and appreciating the sacred nature of time. Take some quiet moments to yourself this weekend, allowing yourself to let go and live fully in the present. Even for just a moment, I hope you find that those minutes are nourishing and holy in their own way. 

Wishing you a Shabbat shalom, 

Cantor Rachel Rhodes