My Shabbat Morning Message:
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Shabbat Shalom. I want to take a quick moment this morning to thank you for being here to pray and worship, and soon to eat together with us on this fine Shabbat morning. As I was preparing this short message, I was reminded of how important it is for us to gather together and to pray each week.
It does mean we have to agree on any matters politically, religiously or philosophically or anything except that we agree we’re suppose to get together. Even when we pray, we do so in a minyan. And when we eat and given thanks, we do so in a minyan. And when we mourn, we do so in a minyan.
In this weeks parshat, Emor, we are reminded of this fact. As Jews we’re commanded to have a “holy convocation,” as we see here this morning. Shabbat, Jag HaMatzot, Shavuot, Yom T’ruah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. All of our major holidays, we commanded to come together as a community. Isn’t that interesting?
In previous weeks we studied the various korbanots or offerings in excrutiating details that we are required to bring to HaShem. Although many of them are individual offerings, it is not surprising that one of them is the shlamimi, or translated as a feast-peace offering. This type of offering is a special kind. It has a 48 hours (or 2 day) deadline after presenting the offering and it must be eaten. Now the offering is for us to repair and reconnect with HaShem in peace, hence the name. But more interesting is that the offering has this peculiar deadline where we must finish eating this whole thing in 2 days or our request will be rejected.
Even the most diehard meat loving person would not be able to finish a lamb in its first year in 2 days. And if you are a vegan, forget it! According to the website sheep101 it can be about 30 pounds. I don’t know about you, but even in my active athletic days I can’t put more than 3 pounds of food per meal, let alone 30 pounds in 2 days.
So I want to submit to you this morning that the commandment is not for us to go it alone, but for us to share and eat in community—just like we do after every Shabbat service. That’s why it’s call the shlamim offering (or the feast-peace offering). We can see that even in our korbanots we’re reminded and commanded to do it in community. Because, how can a person eat and share one another and not be at peace with them, especially with something like a korbanot.
I can go on and one, but I won’t. Instead, I want to leave you with a thought or rather a challenge. Whether you think world peace is a good idea (or not), one thing is certain we can’t have it if we don’t agree on and have our peace here at home—to gather together to eat, share and be reminded of why we are giving this offering. Our community has been divided for a long time. When is it time, if not today to make peace, first with Our G^d then with each other? Remember, we only have 48 hours after our offering to complete it. Shabbat Shalom.