Key Notes:
In this week’s video Rabbi Jack Melul discusses valentine inspiration and Parshat Terumah (פרשת תרומה). Life is filled with inspiration. Many begnning start with a burst of inspiration. The question is how can we maintain that inspiration? Can you count how many books have you read but did not finish? How many ideas do we come up with but don’t quite get to putting them into action? How many times have we started a project only to stop trying when it starts to become a challenge? Our lives are filled with bursts of inspirations right from the beginning but we must know those moments aren’t really ours, they are just gifts. It is the time spent after that really shows we own it.
The Rashbam explains that when the Jewish people dedicated the tabernacle they were told to donate as much gold, silver, copper, expensive materials, and stones as they wanted. Within no time at all the materials were given. The next torah portion Tezaveh talks of the work done inside the tabernacle. The sons of Aahron were commended to light the menorah every day. This was a simple task yet it needed a commandment. It needed discipline. Why? The answer is starting something big is great, but it does not compare to the efforts of doing something small every day. Take another example, the Jewish people were taken out of Egypt by an unimaginable gift. However, the test was really shown in the daily battles of the desert where there was no one besides them and the creator.
People around the world celebrated valentines day this week. One huge bouquet of flowers does not compare to one flower given consistently on a weekly basis. The same is seen in love. Love at the beginning is a beautiful gift but doesn’t compare to the long term love that comes from effort and commitment because that is when you really start to own it.
To hear Rabbi Jack Melul talk about inspiration and how consistency is key click the video above.
Shabbat Shalom,
AishLIT Los Angeles
