Whether it’s a short trip from your home to camp in the summer, or venturing out to explore the world, the traveler’s prayer can connect us to our hearts, and the grounding of home.
Abram and Sarai (before their names are changed to Abraham and Sarah) are on a road trip, one initiated by God’s powerful command to lekh lekha. Go forth! Go to yourself! Go for yourself! But go, get out. Leave where you have been, because I have something to show you, a place I want to give you, a promised land.
When we take the time to take in the rainbow, to pause and remember that the covenant God made comes with expectations of humanity to treat one another with kavod, respect, we renew our covenant with God and create a kehillah kedosha, a holy community.
How often do you take the time to take a step back, zoom out, and just marvel at a moment in time? What about a project or event? After each part of creation, the text teaches us that God “saw that it was good.” This action models presence and gratitude in a way we might not be accustomed to.
As we begin Sukkot with a variety of blessings to usher in the holiday, from leisheiv basukkah (sitting in the sukkah) to al n'tilat lulav (shaking the lulav) to the Shehecheyanu, may we use these blessings as opportunities to find and recognize other blessings in our lives and hopefully tap into some much-needed joy along the way.
As we enter the new year, may we strive to embody the call given to Abram: “You shall be a blessing.” May we bless others with our actions, with our compassion, and with our presence. May we find the courage to say amen to the challenges we face, trusting that even in our struggles, there is an opportunity for growth and connection.
We as Jews are the people of the book, which means we’re the people of stories. There are stories we tell ourselves, sometimes hold us back, and stories we hear that teach us and allow us to grow.
