LEAD TIDBIT Smile at the thought of a Bar Mitzva boy preparing his sedra correct for Chu"L but coming to Israel for his special day - the day we read the sedra he did NOT prepare. Okay, don't smile that much, because it can be very upsetting. Then you ponder the way the sedras come back into sync. This year, so that we all enter the Three Weeks together. Other times, just in time for Tish'a b'Av. Sometimes in time for Shavuot. Very symbolic - when we are different and when unity wins. And then the mind wanders to different Tal Umatar schedules, how many days of Yom Tov, worrying here about whether fruits and vegetables have been "maisered" properly... and lots more. Then the thoughts go to the people. It is hard, especially for Olim - of any length of time - not to think in terms of us and them, when thinking of family and friends who have not made that major switch of countries and lifestyles. Then you think of the little prayer, ACHEINU KOL BEIT YISRAEL, which speaks of Jews wherever they are. You feel at one with Klal Yisrael and at the same time, you also are acutely aware of the differences. And maybe after reading this Lead Tidbit, and Joel Rebibo's excellent piece for Chizuk & Idud, you'll decide to clip them and send them to your folk "back home" and give them another nudge in the direction of the Jew's real home, without quotation marks (inverted commas). And for this Shabbat in particular... they are reading about the material gifts of the tribal leaders to the Mishkan. We are reading about the deeper, more intimate involvement of Aharon HaKohen with Mikdash service. Does that say anything to you? [The Parshat Naso Homepage]
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