D’var Torah – May 23
This D’var Torah is dedicated both to Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, who were senselessly murdered on Wednesday in Washington D.C., outside the Capital Jewish Museum in a disgusting and depraved act of terrorism and antisemitism. This D’var Torah is also lovingly dedicated to our nation’s fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, and Space Guardians, who from 1775 through the present, have laid down their lives in every generation to protect our beloved country, our fellow Americans, and our cherished way of life. May their memories be for a blessing, now and forever.
Shabbat Shalom.
I hope this finds you all well.
There’s this guy. He buys a brand new jeep. He is so excited about his new ride. And he does everything with it- hauling equipment, off-roading, the daily commute, long family trips, going to the grocery store…you name it. When his wife offers to drive them somewhere in her car- nope, it has to be the jeep. Even when he has the option to walk, bike, or use any other type of transportation, he still uses that darn jeep. Well, as one can imagine, that beloved new toy of his doesn’t last too long.
When we think of the word “rest”, especially in a Jewish context, we think of Shabbat, the seventh day, the divinely-ordained day of rest. We read in Sefer Beresheit (the Book of Genesis): “And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it He rested from all His work which God in creating had made.” (Genesis 2:3*).
But who is this rest actually for?
In Sefer Shemot (the Book of Exodus) we find out. We are told, “Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of Adonai your God: you shall not do any work – you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements.” (Exodus 20:8-10*).
This idea of mandating all of God’s creations and manifestations to have rest and renewal goes further, when in this week’s combined parsha of Behar-Bekhukotai (Leviticus 25:1-27:34) we are commanded, “When you enter the land that I assign to you, the land shall observe a sabbath of Adonai. Six years you may sow your field and six years you may prune your vineyard and gather in the yield. But in the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath of complete rest, a sabbath of Adonai you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.” (Leviticus 25:2-4*)
Cars need tune-ups, aircraft need inspections and parts changed out, ships need repairs in dry dock, people and animals need rest, and the land needs to go fallow from time to time. All things need rest. We simply can’t go a million miles an hour all the time, nor demand that of others. We need to make sure we get relaxation and resiliency both for ourselves and those around us.
Bizrat HaShem, with God on our shoulders and in our hearts and minds, may we all practice and realize the importance of rest and renewal.
Wishing you a Good Shabbos.
Bivrakha,
Rabbi Aaron Stucker-Rozovsky
Beth El Congregation | 520 Fairmont Ave, Winchester, VA 22601
(540) 667-1889 (office)