spirituality >> Torah portion

III

"Independence is very
important to me. I love spending
time with my children instead
of needing their help."

11- *

•

Seeiq Beauty
innty4World

Parshat Nasso: Numbers 4:21-7:89;
Judges 13:2-13:25.

W

—Fox Run resident Beverly Schwartz

Discover an active and worry-free lifestyle at Fox Run,

the most popular address for vibrant retirement living in Novi.

Maintenance, repairs and 24-hour security are all handled by

our expert staff, giving you more opportunity to focus on the

things you love to do. A move to Fox Run is a smart decision

for you and your family, so take the next step today!

Learn more about our vibrant

community. Call 1-800-989-0318

today for your free brochure.

hen I was in elementary

school, I used to love
the annual school book
fair. It wasn't because I had a love
for reading nor because I knew we
would miss some class
time for a special visit to
the fair. It was because I
knew there would be cop-
ies of that year's Guinness
Book of World Records for
sale.
And that meant that I
got to read about unique
people from all over the
world and their incredible
feats.
Well, if Guinness had
a Jewish version of their
book, this week's Torah portion,
Nasso, would surely be in it; because,
not only is this the longest portion of
the year with 176 verses, it also con-
tains unique and bizarre rituals.
Nasso opens with a census of the
Levite clans and an outline of their
duties. It continues with the journey
in the wilderness as laws of purity
are given, and a description of the
ancient form of the "War of the
Roses" for a wife that is suspected of
committing adultery, is provided.
We learn about the Nazirites, who
abstained from drinking wine and
who grew their hair long. And then,
we get to some of the most well-
known words in this portion, words
that make up a blessing that dates
back more than 2,700 years.
It's a blessing that is recited in
some synagogues every day by the
kohanim, descendants of the priestly
class, or, on Friday night at the
Shabbat table, as families ask God to
bless their children.

We call it the threefold priestly
benediction: "May God bless you and
protect you. May God shine upon
you and be gracious to you. May God
bestow divine favor upon you and
may God grant you peace"

(Numbers 6:24 27).
What does it really
mean to be blessed?
For thousands of years,
our people have tried to
understand these words
and have interpreted them
in many ways.
Some rabbis believed
that being blessed meant
that God provided us with
the many blessings that
are outlined in the Torah.
For others, it meant material wealth.
And still for others, it meant God
blessed us according to our needs —
a student with intelligence, a football
player with strength, etc.
But there was one additional inter-
pretation that I found particularly
meaningful — when we ask God to
bless someone, we're asking God to
give that person the ability to rec-
ognize the good that is in their life.
We're asking that God help them see
beyond any hardships and see the
positive. We're asking that God give
them the ability to see the beauty
in the world and the people around
them.
As we recite these words this week,
may that be the blessing that we ask
for. May God grant all of us the ability
to recognize the many blessings that
are a part of our lives.

-

❑

Daniel Schwartz is a rabbi at Temple Shir
Shalom in West Bloomfield.

Conversations

Fox Run

Add more Living to your Life®

Novi

• If there were a Jewish Guinness Book of World Records, what
incredible feats of the Jewish people would you include in it?

• What does it mean to you to be blessed?

• What are some of the blessings that are in your life?

42

May 29 • 2014

