Parshat Emor

This week’s parashah, Emor, teaches us about the mitzvah of counting the omer. As we make our way from Pesah to Shavuot, we count off each of the 49 days in between.

Often we think of the counting as an expression of anticipation. We are impatient to receive the Torah, to complete our journey out of Egypt, and so we count off the days until we reach Mount Sinai.

But the S’fat Emet understood the counting differently, not as an expression of impatience but of gratefulness for every moment here and now. We count to remind ourselves that, even during anxious, difficult transitions, evey day is precious and irreplacable. During times of in-betweenness, when we are neither here nor there, it is tempting to wish away the hours and days, to close our eyes and grit our teeth until we get where we are going. But the truth is that we never get where we are going as long as we are alive. Life itself is a journey. Living fully means being truly present even in times of uncertainty. It means counting those days too as days to be cherished.

As we search together for Mount Sinai, may we help each other to be grateful for each day along the way.

• The New Shul is closed for now due to the Covid-19 crisis. In the mean time, all are welcome to join us for our on-line classes and  events. To participate in any of the events below, please use this link: 
  https://zoom.us/j/8101222054
• In lieu of daily minyanim, join us for on-line study of Pirkei Avot, on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am, and on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm.
• On Friday afternoons at 5:15 pm, join online us for some songs from Kabbalat Shabbat and a drashah on the parashah of the week. All are welcome.
• Join us for virtual havdalah on Saturday nights. This Saturday May 9, the time is 8:00 pm.
• Our on-line Talmud class meets on Mondays at 5 pm, and our on-line Parashah-of-the-Week class meets on Tuesdays at 11 am.