Weekly Torah Portion

Kleenex made a killing last Sunday night. Attending dinners and gala events supporting institutions we care about is part of life. But the JSU Central Florida banquet on Sunday night was something else. It was a spiritual experience.

As we sat and listened to the teen leaders speak, those of us in the audience were filled with emotion. There were many tears. There was a sensation of being frozen in time, as the insanity of the world around us was overpowered by the strength and pride of these Jewish students affirming their faith and belief in direct opposition to a society at-large demanding otherwise.

It was incredible to hear the voices of these individual students describing with such clarity and emotion how their relationships with JSU and the Nabatian family has connected them to Torah and given each of them the courage to continue on their individual Jewish journeys.

In this week’s Torah portion we are exhorted to support our fellow Jew financially. The Ohr HaChaim commentary writes that this is really an additional commandment to support our fellow Jew by giving them access to Jewish knowledge and Torah learning; if one is poor in Torah learning one is obligated to teach them.

The Torah is not meant to be in the hands of a few elite scholars; it is the rightful inheritance of every Jew, and anyone who knows anything, however small, is obligated to share that knowledge with anyone else who wishes to learn.

Last Sunday night we saw how the chain of Jewish continuity is perpetuated. From parent to child, teacher to student, as a nation, as long as we continue to teach, to share our gift of Torah, the Jewish nation remains vibrant and alive. This chain was on display at the JSU banquet.

The Nabatians spoke beautifully, but it was the JSU seniors who brought the house down as they spoke about what they learned on their individual journeys and took the opportunity to encourage the incoming seniors to maximize their time with JSU. They were using their Torah knowledge and sharing it, on stage in front of many, many people.

Seeing our teens expressing their commitment to Judaism and a Jewish future just as many of them prepare to head to campuses where they will be looked at as the enemy, was truly a spiritual experience.

I consider myself proud to be Jewish. Proud to be a link in our chain. But on Sunday night that chain was on fire. It was breathtaking in its beauty, and it was alive. Am Yisrael Chai.

-Message based on the book Mussar Haskel: Courage to Change (Yeshivas Toras Chaim)