This week’s parshah, Emor, invites us to reflect on the power of sacred time and sacred action. When days blur together and we often rush from task to task, Emor reminds us that time is not just something we pass through — it’s something we can elevate.

Judaism doesn’t just bless love—it blesses committed, ethical, sacred love. This week, take time to reflect on the relationships in your life—romantic, familial, communal. Consider how you might bring more intentionality to the way you show love, build trust, and uphold sacred commitments. Holiness isn’t only about what we avoid—it’s about what we build.

What if we treated our words and our health as equally sacred? What if we offered gratitude not only for physical healing, but for the chance to speak kindly, to start fresh, to repair what was broken? In doing so, we echo both Birkat HaGomel and Baruch She’amar—giving thanks for survival, and honoring the creative holiness within every word.

At this moment in time, when we’re bombarded daily with competing narratives, when justice and truth both feel elusive, we must embrace the responsibility of discernment. Let us commit to seeking clarity in our decisions, ensuring that our actions reflect holiness and integrity. May we use the skill and blessing of discernment wisely, for the betterment of ourselves and the world around us.

There are the “fires” of hatred and division, but also the fires that can ignite hope—a candle in a dark place, a flame passed from one generation to the next, a community rallying to rebuild.

Judaism teaches that gratitude must lead to action. When we say Hamotzi, we don’t just acknowledge the bread before us; we recognize that food is not guaranteed, and that we have a role in ensuring that others are nourished too. Just as the Mincha offering was shared in the Mishkan, we are called to share our sustenance with those in need.

The joy of reopening the doors, of placing a Torah back in the aron kodesh, is akin to the moment when the Shechinah filled the Mishkan in Pekudei. The blessing of matziv gvul almana reminds us that while destruction can be devastating, restoration is always possible.