BS"D || Rabbi Geier
Naso 5784
Cohanim, in those times and through our parents and teachers today. A blessing that desires grace, light, protection, care, and peace for Israel.
‘Yevarechecha Adonai veyishmerecha’: May God bless you and keep you.
‘Yaer Adonai panav elecha veichuneka’: May God shine His face upon you and be gracious to you.
‘Isa Adonai panav elecha ceyasem lecha shalom’: May God turn His face toward you and grant you peace.' (Numbers 6:24–26)
A crescendo in which we move—in Hebrew—from three words to five and then to seven. A blessing that over the years has helped us to trust ourselves and others, despite our fears and the chaotic times, of terror and permanent anguish, that we have experienced and continue to experience. A blessing that shows the movement from protection and care, to light and grace, to reach peace.
For any project, and even more so for a community project that involves people in a congregation, it requires each and every one of its members. There will always be Nahshonim, but everyone is needed for the project to function and endure. Any task is simplified by the sum of wills. Any improvement is possible through collective commitment. Any growth is achievable if we all look in the same direction and unite our efforts and have the blessing of the Lord.
Samson or Nahshon? Which one do you choose?