A moment of reflection with Rabbi Shaanan Gelman
As a child, I’d spend summers at the beach. At the end of the season, I recall the strange feeling of becoming reacquainted with my home, my backyard, and the tree I loved to climb. It was daunting, unfamiliar, and at the same time, special. The return home was meaningful because the familiar was made, briefly, unfamiliar.
The Talmud teaches that before a baby is born, he or she is taught the entire Torah, and is subsequently made to forget everything, only to have to spend a lifetime recouping that lost treasure. The most meaningful relationships, the Talmud says, are the ones you’ve lost and later rediscovered.
We’ve been away from family, friends, and synagogues for months. As the world reopens, we are uncovering those sacred places and rediscovering those closest to us. Let's use this time to uncover the long-lost spaces and people from our lives and fall in love all over again.
Rabbi Shaanan Gelman, Kehilat Chovevei Tzion |