We received a letter from our boys' school regarding this year's Purim. They said that they are banning cap guns and … I don't know the word in English, but here they are called "Shumim." Those little packages that when thrown to the ground, cause a bang. They are worried because of 1) people thinking there's a terrorist attack, and 2) PTSD.
I'm not one to like to play "victim" and say that everybody suffers from PTSD from every little thing. Soldiers, for example, for sure. Family members of said soldiers, for sure. Those in war zones, for sure. I never really gave thought or credence to the idea of civilians who haven't seen blood getting PTSD. Then, a few things occurred.
My son and daughter once spent a night at friends in Yerushaliyim. It was the night that that Yeminites fired their last missile in the area, which was easily intercepted. Nonetheless, the sirens went off in the middle of the night, and both of them jumped out of bed, called for their younger siblings (who weren't there, of course) urging them to get out of bed and run. Their friends "woke" them up and said, that they have plenty of time to get to the hallway of the building and they don't need to freak out. My kids are used to 15 seconds from siren to explosions. Their friends have a minute and a half from siren to nothing.
My wife took the kids to the park the other day where some boys made siren sounds, which caused all the little kids to run to their parents crying.
And finally, we had thunder last week early in the morning. One was so loud, my wife and 3-year-old jumped out of bed thinking there was an attack.
My wife spoke to a social worker recently who said that most kids from the north are suffering in some way, each according to their experiences. And the adults, while we're not suffering, whenever there's a boom, most of us go silent for a bit to ascertain what's going on.
So, I guess a lot more people, I won't say "suffer," but are affected by these things, than I originally thought.
Either way, I'm happy the schools are addressing this issue.
Okay, on to Torah.
If I may ask that everybody please daven for Yerachmiel ben Hadassah, one of my rabbeim from yeshiva. His wife, unfortunately, after a long illness, passed away several months ago, and now, he suffered from a major stroke.
He played a big part in helping me find my wife (she was hiding from me) and continued to be part of my life over the pass twenty years. He even spent Shabbos by us a few weeks before his wife passed away, and made sure to bring treats to all my kids, and to compliment my wife's ability to put up with me for so long. A truly special person, who has had an affect on hundreds, if not thousands of people.
Last week's parsha described in detail the building of the Mishkan and all the instruments within it. This week's parsha goes into detail about the clothes that the Kohanim and the Kohen Gadol had to wear. And at the end of the parsha, it describes the "Golden Altar" which was a small altar that was kept inside of the Mishkan, compared to the main altar which was out in the courtyard of the Mishkan.
It seems a little out of place. If anything, this "Golden Altar" should have been described in last week's parsha. Or at least at the beginning of this week's parsha, so it's connected to last week's parsha. Why is it at the very end of everything?
Rav Pinkus explains that each instrument in the Mishkan represents different aspect of one's service to Hashem. On the main altar, offerings were brought, each according to its halachos. This represents the need for a person to "sacrifice himself" if he wishes to grow spiritually. He needs to push himself to the max and even give up on things which his body desires, but which the Torah prohibits. There's the "showbread," which is kept out all week, which represents how we need to be careful in what we eat and how we eat. The Menorah, which represents wisdom, must be lit with the purest of oils, which in turn is costly and difficult to produce. But, if one wants wisdom, one must pay for it, both through money and through hard work. The clothing of the Kohanim represent how we must dress, whether in regards to halacha or in regards to modesty (being, not the halachically required modesty, but modesty on how we keep ourselves). Finally, we have the "Golden Altar," which is kept close to the "Holy of Holies" and which incense is offered upon.
Every aspect of our spiritual service requires work and sacrifice. Sometimes things are easier, sometimes things are harder. But, nonetheless, each one required constant work. And when a person perfects (or comes close to perfection of) each aspect, he arrives at this "Golden Altar," he gives off the pleasant-smelling incense, and all those who meet him can understand that this person is special. Sometimes they can see why and sometimes they can't, but they can "feel" that there's something special here. After all, incense is something that is not like touch or taste, it's something that is more spiritual in nature.
My wife and I had the honor of going to Rav Yaakov Hillel (a well-known and acknowledged kabbalist) on a few occasions when he was meeting the public. When my wife was expecting our first son, the doctors noticed a few "irregularities" on the scans and while they were not recommending abortion, they did bring it up (and had to, by law). Of course, we weren't going to, but nonetheless, we went to Rav Hillel, who dismissed it, gave us a slew of brachos (sphardi-style), and told us not to worry about it. And when you leave with those brachos coming from such a person, you leave with knowledge that everything WILL be okay. THAT is the incense. It's something that is given off by special people and it's something that you can't exactly put your finger on, but you know is there.
Of course, one does not have to be a giant in Torah to reach this point. There are plenty of people who are not, but nonetheless, are connected to Torah and who have worked on themselves hard enough, that they give off this "smell." The key is to find and recognize such people, and make sure you don't let them go.
With that, I wish you all a wonderful Shabbos!