Closing Message - Rabbanit Bracha
View video version here.
I am not particularly a football fan. But I am a fan of the outstanding commercials shown during the Superbowl. This year, by far and away, the most poignant and touching commercial was by Jeep, with spectacular photography, narrated by and featuring Bruce Springstein. The message of the commercial is about moving away from the polarization we have experienced and our ability to find a middle ground where we can come together as a nation.
Unexpectedly, a phrase popped out that connects directly to this week’s Parashah - Mishpatim. As Bruce said:
“We can get there. We can make it to the mountaintop - through the desert.”
In last week’s Parashah, the Israelites assembled at the foot of Har Sinai and received the Aseret HaDibrot - the Ten Precepts from God in a sublime experience of lightning and shofar blasts. In this week’s parashah, God takes these same precepts and fleshes them out with over 50 laws, mostly pertaining to interactions between people. From slavery to manslaughter, reparations for wrongs done to others, laws of stealing, caring for other people’s property, justice in the court system, and a personal favorite - the commandment to help another, even and especially if that person is not your friend, and in fact, is your enemy.
Bruce Springstein said it so well:
“We can get there. We can make it to the mountaintop - through the desert.”
The Israelites are still standing by Har Sinai, watching as Moshe ascends towards God at the top of the mountain. The mitzvot in Parshat Mishpatim can be seen as a roadmap towards meeting in the middle, finding the common ground that this commercial speaks of. May we reach that middle by fulfilling these mitzvot, and treating one another with honor, fairness, and respect.
Reminder to all to take good care of ourselves and each other. Try to do something specific today that strengthens you, and something else that strengthens someone else.
