The Bells-Parshat Tezaveh
I went to the Kotel last night.
It had been so long since I was there, too long.
Which made being there that much more appreciated and beautiful.
I stood there with both a joyous and a heavy heart.
The night was cool and crisp.
There were people but I could be in that space where I needed to be which was to be accompanied but alone.
I felt so grateful.
To be there.
To be alive and breathing air.
The little outing took a bit of effort on my part.
A bit of longing on my part.
Yes, even quite a bit of walking on my part.
And of course for all the things that needed to fall into place last night for me to get there which had nothing to do with my doing at all.
A class canceled that I had every intention to attend.
Enough time to get there and still meet my son exactly at the time when I had planned.
Weather that was neither too cold nor too hot.
So many things that fall into place, whether you are aware or not.
Which makes me think of all our daily doings and all our daily outings whether we go anywhere or not.
How much goes into everything, how much thought.
Things that we are aware of and things which we are not.
The Cohen HaGadol, the High Priest, had bells on the bottom of his beautiful garbs, the ones he wore when he was alone, on the holiest day of the year, going into the Holy of Holies.
What were these bells for? And all those gorgeous, decorative clothing?
Yes, they were for the honor of his holy work, the honor of representing Israel before the King. "Honor and Glory" for those to see and those to feel.
But in the Holy of Holies there was no one there!
And so he had those bells there, as Abarbanel explains, to remind him, the Cohen HaGadol of what he was doing and who he was representing.
You think that he would need reminding?
Yes!
Because anyone at any time, even in those moments and even in those places when you wouldn't think you could forget, needs a reminder to be aware.
Of who you are, what you are doing. To remember that YOU are a representative of holiness! A person with a holy mission. You are standing before the King.
Yes, at all times in all places, remind yourself because it is so easy to forget if even in the holy, connecting moments that how much more so in those moments, those daily moments when you get caught up in the laundry or the dishes, of who you are and the greatness of what you are doing?
Grab your bells and fasten them tight!
May these words be leilu nishmat my dear father in-law, Avraham Alberto ben Mazal z'l who passed away a year ago from today. A humble, noble man who always acted with regality. He always knew who he was, which was a representative of a holy nation to the King of all Kings. The glory and the splendor was inside of him as much as out. He did this by mastering the art of how to treat every person with respect. Always felt secure, never needed to try to convince, persuade or prove that he was right. May we learn from him and follow in his footsteps.
Shabbat Shalom and Purim Sameach,
With blessings,
Elana