From the Desk of Rabbi Yeshaya Levin | Tucson Torah Center Rosh Kollel

Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat Shalom

From the Desk of Rabbi Yeshaya Levin | Tucson Torah Center Rosh Kollel

Habits are inevitable, good habits are invaluable, but even great habits can be dangerous.

 

In the Torah portion this week, Bha’alotcha, Moshe (Moses) is charged with instructing the Kohanim (priest) how to light the Temple Menorah; a daily service. After Aharon (the High Priest) receives the instructions, the Torah praises him that “[he did] just as G-d commanded Moshe.”

 

In a Torah where every letter is meant to teach us something, this verse seems unnecessary. Not only was Aharon cosmically pious, he was ALSO an excellent ‘employee’ of G-d! Why would the Torah need to praise the fact that he simply listened to instructions? 

 

Our Sages explain that the Torah is highlighting something very special.

 

As humans, we have a tendency to live our lives on auto pilot. Oftentimes, we fail to make the most of the opportunities that our habits and systems afford us simply because we grow used to them. The Torah is telling us that Aharon performed the daily service – day in and day out- with the same level of connection and intention as he did when he received the initial instructions. A rare expression of focus, self-mastery, and devotion that was so powerful it was worth a whole sentence.

 

We all have many beautiful habits. Some of them are verbal like “Have a good day,” “I love you,” “Please,” and “Thank you.” Some of them are actions like caring for family, visiting family, visiting the sick, prayer, lighting candle, and other mitzvot. 

 

It’s something worth thinking about:

 

What could we accomplish if we took one or two habits and focused on them? While we may lack the spiritual ‘firepower’ of Aharon, we are all very capable of achieving greatness! With the right energy we could slowly but surely develop ourselves into deeper, more grateful, and more connected people.

 

Shabbat Shalom!

As we move through our days, and the busy season of summer, it can be easy to overlook the extraordinary impact of the habits and routines that shape our lives. Yet when we approach familiar experiences with renewed purpose and presence, they become opportunities for growth, connection, and joy. Meaningful experiences are often built not from grand gestures, but from the moments we choose to return to again and again. From new discoveries made at Camp J, to new goals achieved in our fitness and wellness programs, and the many ways our community comes together to connect throughout the week, we see this in action each week at the Tucson J. 

 

Week 2 of Camp J was filled with both familiar and new experiences as campers explored this week’s virtue of hatmada (persistence/grit) ! Just a few highlights include: 

  • a community mural at the front entrance that each group participated in! Be sure to check it out if you haven’t.
  • building paper airplanes using different materials and then determining which was most conducive to flight 
  • making and enjoying “stone soup” (based on the popular children’s book about how everyone has something to contribute!) with veggies, broth, and pasta
  • getting moving in volleyball, tae kwon do, and gymnastics
  • moving and shaking to a blue grass concert for Wild West Day 
  • exploring how to express emotions in theatre
  • making everyone’s favorite sensory experience, slime
  • taking a field trip to the Pima County Air + Space Museum
  • traveling off campus for an overnight for our oldest group complete with Shaksuka  over the camp fire and building bush craft shelters

Camp kids weren’t the only community members practicing the virtue of persistence this week! It was the first week of our summer Volleyball and 3v3 Men’s Basketball Leagues, we danced our hearts out in Zumba, and got competitive at the Sarver Tennis Center. However you embraced your routine at the J this week, we hope you found moments of growth and connection.

 

In Early Childhood Education, kiddos learned about Tikkun Olam (heal the world) by planting zucchini seeds they will care for in the classroom and then transfer to the Shay Shay Community Garden. Over the next few weeks, part of their daily routine will be watering and observing the plants as they grow!   

 

As we head into Shabbat—another meaningful routine—we invite you to take a moment to reflect on the habits you return to. Are they enriching your life or holding you back? Where is there room to expand or eliminate in service of living in greater alignment with your goals and dreams? Shabbat Shalom. 

Reminders, Resources + Learning

Each week we share resources for more learning:

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Is there a topic you’d like to learn more about? Email Jenn Selco with requests.