>> Torah portion cm) 3 0in v s for a healthy start to the school year Parshat Reeh, Shabbat Rosh Chodesh: Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17; Isaiah 66:1- 66:24. T he choices we make in life can be a blessing and have positive influence on our own lives, our family, community and the world. Or our choices can have negative conse- quences. Moses presents that choice to the Israelites: "See, this day I set before you blessing and curse: blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin upon you this day; and curse, if you do not obey the com- mandments of the Lord your God, but turn away from the path that I enjoin upon you this day and follow other gods, whom you have not experienced7 (Deuteronomy 11:26-28, JPS translation). I find the last clause "whom you have not experienced" to seem redundant. Moses has said if you don't follow God's commandments, you will be cursed. Why further emphasize to not follow other gods "whom you have not experienced"? Every word in the Torah has intention. It is inevitable that when the Israelites enter Canaan without Moses they will have new experiences. The Torah con- tinues with a repetitive emphasis to only pray to one God. God seems apprehensive about the Israelites leaving Moses, leaving what they have known for a new land. The apprehension begins to subside, perhaps God or Moses recognizes that there are only so many times that you can repeat yourself. Moses moves from tell- ing Israel what not to do, to laying out a framework for the Israelites to experience Judaism without him. He explains how to live life with inten- tion — including how we eat (kashrut), celebrate (Passover, remember your past as slaves and as strangers) and care for the Earth (farming). These intentions are con- nected to communal past experiences, but the people will implement these practices in their own unique ways. Jewish practice will be rooted in tradition but evolve and grow with future generations. It is the middle of August and I, as a Hillel professional on campus at the University of Michigan, and my Hillel col- leagues across North America, are prepar- ing to welcome 100,000 Jewish freshmen. A staggering 85 percent of American Jews attend college. It's a time when parents have a lot to say to their new Wolverine, Spartan, Warrior or (insert mascot here). In these last few weeks of summer, parents often urgently impart their notions of the world to their children; these same Jewish students, like all American col- lege students, have their own set of dreams, desires and interests when preparing to leave for school. Parshat Reeh is emphasiz- ing the opportunity before the Israelites for their lives to be a blessing based on their choices. The parshah transitioned from Moses telling the Israelites what not to do, to offering a frame- work for experiences that would connect the Israelites to their past and inform who they will become. Each August, parents and students are presented with this same transition. I urge parents to share with your chil- dren why being Jewish is important to you. What are the practices or values of Jewish life that have meaning for you? How did they become important to you? Share with them the stories of how you figured out what is important to you (or how you're still in the process of figuring it out). Send your child off to college knowing why being Jewish is important to you. I think this will encourage your college student to make choices that will be a blessing. Sunday, August 30 • 1-3 p.m. Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital Campus /► FUN FREE EVENT FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY Free Parking • Free Refreshments Free Entertainment • Free Adult Health Screenings Enter to win prizes* Activities for the whole family • Live Stage Show • Arts and Crafts • Stuffed Animal Clinic • Therapy Dogs • Emergency Vehicles • Field Games ❑ • Panda One Ambulance • Airbrush Tattoos • Bounce House • Photo Sessions • Back to School • Giveaways Davey Rosen is associate director of University of Michigan Hillel and a 1994 graduate of Hillel Day School of E Commerce Rd DMC HURON Metropolitan Detroit. comm erce HOSPITAL/ Richardson Glengarry Rd Conversations • Everyone makes mistakes; how can learning from our mistakes turn a curse into a blessing? • Thinking about when your child returns home from school and hopes to share with you new experi- ences, consider a time in your life that you wish someone had listened to you with more openness. Pontiac Trail DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital Map e 12Mile Rd. 1 William Carls Drive Commerce, MI 48382 For more information, visit www.hvsh.org *You must be present in order to win. Employees of the Detroit Medical Center and their family members, doctors in any way affiliated with the Detroit Medical Center or their family members, and doctors affiliated with other medical entities or hospitals and their family members, are ineligible. 2017300 August 13 • 2015 63