Shabbat Blast

It’s hard to believe, but the chagim, the Jewish  holidays, have finally finished their season. Routines are getting back to normal and everything we put off until after the holidays is coming rushing in. Let’s hit the ground running!

I just came from a beautiful morning at Solomon Schechter of Nassau County where I joined 5-11 year old Jewish children in Kabbalat Shabbat. Their voices and excitement over Shabbat melted my heart. I loved every moment of this experience, from the way the kids and teachers twirled their hands during Lecha Dodi, to the sounds of the oldest kids calling pages in Hebrew. The best part was joining my father, Rabbi Morris Bernstein, who works at Schechter in teaching the next generation.

I was asked to share some Torah for the little ones on Parashat Bereishit in which we read in what ways the world was created. I gave my interpretation of a Midrash that asks why the Torah states that God created two great luminaries (the sun and the moon) and then it describes the moon as the lesser one? What happened within the verse to make the moon smaller? The midrash describes the moon trying to usurp power from the sun and being punished, but I gave the kids a different interpretation. The school wrote it up for their Friday newsletter and I will share that here:

Rabbi Bernstein entertained us with a delightful story about the creation of the sun and the moon. She explained that when the moon was first created, it felt that it could not shine as bright as the sun, and it was feeling less important.  After careful consideration, the moon realized that it was very important in many ways such as brightening the sky at night, providing just enough light to navigate our way and telling us when it is time for Rosh Chodesh. The moon came to understand that even though the sun shone brightly during the day, the moon had just the right amount of light in the evening and was very beneficial to all the people of the world.

My lesson was that we often feel that we are not as important as those who are loudest or get the most attention, but we each shine in a way that is appropriate for us. It was directed to kids, but we each need an ego boost every once in a while as well.

This morning of joy was so necessary after watching the pain and escalating tension of over 12 terrorist attacks in Israel and the West Bank since last week. It is hard to believe that there are individuals who were once innocent children who now perpetrate such acts of violence. In a week that begins with the story of creation, it seems that all we are witnessing is destruction. Our hearts and prayers stay with those who have been affected by these attacks and we pray that no one else is harmed.

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Bernstein