Dear Friends,
Thinking about this week’s Torah portion, I couldn’t help but think of Joni Mitchell’s wonderful song, Big Yellow Taxi, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot!”
Here’s why. In our Torah portion, we read of the death of Moses’s sister, Miriam. The Israelites had been trekking through the desert, and Miriam died when the people arrived at the desert of Zin. But, it would be a compound loss. Not only did they lose their beloved spiritual leader in Miriam, with whom the women had danced with their timbrels when they crossed the Sea of Reeds while fleeing from Pharaoh’s charioteers – but they lost something else which was precious, as well.
Torah teaches that wherever they traveled, due to Miriam’s righteousness, a well of water went with her and the people were able to drink in the parched desert. A fable? Yes! But it is a critical part of the story, because when Miriam died, the well dried-up and the people were without their vital water. Thereafter, the thirsty Israelites complained to Moses, whom God instructed to speak to a rock and direct it to bring forth water. Instead, Moses angrily struck the rock with his staff, and although water did come forth, Moses was punished for not following instructions and demonstrating a lack of faith in God. For this sin, Torah and Tradition teach, Moses was disallowed from entering the Promised Land of Israel.
We may know that Moses struck the Rock and was punished, but we may not recognize the connection to Miriam, and her wonderful well. Miriam’s death resulted in not only the loss of their leader, but also their water source. “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone…”
That is so true. Many of us take so much for granted. We overlook the extra care which a neighbor offered, watching our house, picking up the paper, watering our flowers when we are away, and then he or she moves away and that little kindness disappears. We forget that the fabulous mandel bread came from Grandma, until she is gone, and so, too, her unmatched baking and generosity. Life is filled with so many little things which are attached to special relationships, and we simply overlook the connections.
It is a simple message, but such are some of our greatest teachings. Joni Mitchell sang it correctly in her beautiful ballad, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot!”
Let’s look around ourselves, recognize life’s little gifts, and extend our hands of appreciation, while we can!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
Thinking about this week’s Torah portion, I couldn’t help but think of Joni Mitchell’s wonderful song, Big Yellow Taxi, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot!”
Here’s why. In our Torah portion, we read of the death of Moses’s sister, Miriam. The Israelites had been trekking through the desert, and Miriam died when the people arrived at the desert of Zin. But, it would be a compound loss. Not only did they lose their beloved spiritual leader in Miriam, with whom the women had danced with their timbrels when they crossed the Sea of Reeds while fleeing from Pharaoh’s charioteers – but they lost something else which was precious, as well.
Torah teaches that wherever they traveled, due to Miriam’s righteousness, a well of water went with her and the people were able to drink in the parched desert. A fable? Yes! But it is a critical part of the story, because when Miriam died, the well dried-up and the people were without their vital water. Thereafter, the thirsty Israelites complained to Moses, whom God instructed to speak to a rock and direct it to bring forth water. Instead, Moses angrily struck the rock with his staff, and although water did come forth, Moses was punished for not following instructions and demonstrating a lack of faith in God. For this sin, Torah and Tradition teach, Moses was disallowed from entering the Promised Land of Israel.
We may know that Moses struck the Rock and was punished, but we may not recognize the connection to Miriam, and her wonderful well. Miriam’s death resulted in not only the loss of their leader, but also their water source. “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone…”
That is so true. Many of us take so much for granted. We overlook the extra care which a neighbor offered, watching our house, picking up the paper, watering our flowers when we are away, and then he or she moves away and that little kindness disappears. We forget that the fabulous mandel bread came from Grandma, until she is gone, and so, too, her unmatched baking and generosity. Life is filled with so many little things which are attached to special relationships, and we simply overlook the connections.
It is a simple message, but such are some of our greatest teachings. Joni Mitchell sang it correctly in her beautiful ballad, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot!”
Let’s look around ourselves, recognize life’s little gifts, and extend our hands of appreciation, while we can!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
