אַחַ֤ת ׀ שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יְהֹוָה֮ אוֹתָ֢הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ שִׁבְתִּ֣י בְּבֵית־יְ֭הֹוָה כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיַּ֑י לַחֲז֥וֹת בְּנֹעַם־יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה וּלְבַקֵּ֥ר בְּהֵֽיכָלֽוֹ׃
I ask of You one thing, Hashem, that I seek to live in Your house all the days of my life to gaze on Your beauty and to visit Your courtyard - Tehillim 27
From the moment that the Jewish calendar enters the month of Elul we begin to say the 27th chapter of Tehillim known as L’David. Like most any tefillah that we say, we rush through it. Yes, it is true, it is added to the end of Shachrit and Maariv and, therefore, we are rushing out anyway. Perhaps, this year, we can take a closer look at a line that has so much to share and whose place is so often forgotten.
Dovid, the author of Tehillim, Hashem’s most loyal subject, wanted nothing more than to build a permanent home for Hashem in the form of the Temple, the Beit HaMikdash. Yet, disregarding his protesting, Hashem denied Dovid’s opportunity ultimately to hand it over to his son, Shlomo, who succeeds his father and ultimately brings his father’s dream to life. Dovid yearned to see Hashem’s home, to take a peak at its final form and, even if for just a fleeting moment, to walk inside its walls. That would never happen in Dovid’s lifetime.
Instead, Dovid shared his passion, his grief and loss over not being able to see Hashem’s manifestation on this earth. He did not see the Kohanim, the priests, bringing the daily sacrifices nor the singing of the Levi’im nor did he experience a Yom Kippur on Har HaBayit, the Temple mount. Dovid’s only contribution to the physical structure was to share its meaning and the impression he hoped the Jewish people after him would hold dear. The understanding that being able to forge a relationship with Hashem is a gift to be treasured, a privilege to be held in great esteem and not something to ever be taken for granted.
This week’s parsha, Parshat Ki Tetzei, explores the challenges of war and choices that it thrusts upon its victor. How do we interact with the members of the captive nation? Do we share in their culture and how do we treat their lands and crops? The questions seem foreign and, yet, they are asking something far deeper than the surface lets on.
Just a few hours removed from the first day of the 2023-2024 school year, how can you not feel the excitement, the passion, the energy and the potentiality that is oozing out of the walls, the floors and bright smiles of all of our students. Walking through the halls at Robert M. Beren Academy you feel at home, in a place where deeply rooted Jewish values are being taught and lived, where you start the day with the sound of the shofar and you end it exploring history, science and math. Hashem’s chochmah, His wisdom, in action all around.
Our parsha asks us not to contemplate simply how we act in times of war. It asks us how we act in times of peace and tranquility. How are we to mesh the world around us with the sacred world inside? How do we ensure that our Torah values are the guiding light through the wilderness of today?
Dovid HaMelech wrote the answer thousands of years ago.
Ask and explore the wisdom Hashem laid out for us for understanding.
Seek and internalize the values and messages that He builds into the foundation of His wisdom.
Gaze and contemplate your role in Hashem’s vision.
Visit and engage over and over again with His words, His torah, and His hope for the Jewish people.
As we enter the month of Elul, as we contemplate the Jewish year as it comes to a close, it is the year that is just beginning that provides us strength and guidance on how we are to empower ourselves, embolden ourselves, and design ourselves to go M’chayil el Chayil, from strength to strength.