Weekly Torah Portion

Our family and Lowe’s hardware store have a great relationship. Mostly via texting, but we meet in person every month or so.

When a sweet employee who met us shopping for garden supplies invited my children to join an upcoming kids’ workshop, we were interested but then politely declined once we realized it was held on Saturday and we would not be able to join on our Shabbos.

I thought that was the end of the conversation. Then Debbie, of the blue Lowe’s vest, asked for our number.

I started getting texts from Debbie letting us know she had saved and set aside workshop materials for the kids and we could stop by anytime to pick them up. Debbie texts us updates and we go pick up the materials about once a month. After hearing us share about our Shabbos, Debbie took note and took it upon herself to make sure we wouldn’t miss out.

This week’s Torah portion tells how Moshe Rabbeinu (our teacher, Moses) was commanded by G-d to speak to a specific rock so water would miraculously flow. Instead, he hit the rock.

Because of this, Moshe was told he would not be privileged to enter the land of Israel with his people—not even at all.

Moshe, who led the Jews out of Egypt, stood by them through many hardships, defended them after the sin of the Golden Calf, and guided them for 40 years—was denied entry to the land they had all dreamed of? The punishment feels disproportionate.

Our Rabbis explain: though hitting the rock still resulted in a miracle, people could relate to it more easily. It had a cause and effect. Touching is a physical act we understand.

If Moshe had spoken as instructed, the miracle would have been more profound. Speech, while powerful, does not register as instantly effective. That missed spiritual opportunity is why Moshe was held accountable. His job was to magnify G-d’s greatness.

When our family shared why we wouldn’t make it to to the Lowe’s workshop, it was just a fact mentioned casually, but apparently mentioning even one bit of our connection to G-d and His mitzvos, in our relationship with Shabbos, was enough to make Debbie decide to take us on as her personal project.

We are not always tasked with splitting the red sea. Sometimes we are just expected to represent G-d as well as we can in a world that needs to recognize Him more.