I hope your week has gone well. This week I spent some time sitting on a rock taking in the beauty of the ocean and the glorious blue sky - captured above. There is something incredibly serene, calming and even spiritual about watching the gentle movement of water and listening to its sounds. Then it dawned on me that the Torah alludes to this in this week's Parsha. Parshat Shelach concludes with the instructions to attach tzitzit (fringes/strings) to the corners of our four cornered garments, as a reminder of and a directive to observe G-d’s commandments. "Speak to the Israelites and instruct them to make tzitzit for themselves on the corners of their garments through all the ages; let them attach a cord of blue to the tzitzit of each corner. That shall be your tzitzit; look at it and recall all of G-d’s commandments and observe them..." The Rabbis wondered why G-d commanded the inclusion of one blue thread (which we no longer have - discussion for another time) among the white threads of the tzitzit. Rabbi Meir, in the Talmud, asks “Why is blue different from all other colours?” and answers, “Because blue resembles the ocean which is blue, which then reminds one of the sky, which is reminiscent of G-d's throne of glory. There you have it - making time to take in the ocean, the heavens and indeed nature in general, is not only beneficial for our physical and mental health, but for our spiritual health as well. As we allow ourselves to just be, to focus inwards, on our own wellbeing, and on our relationship with our creator. Give it a go! Wishing us all a peaceful and enjoyable Shabbat and a healthy week ahead. Take care, Rabbi Shmuel - See you on Zoom at 4:30pm for some pre Shabbat songs and prayers. |