Dear Congregation Kehillah and Friends,
Parashat Ki Tavo ("when you will come into the Land..."), shares laws and ethics to live by as the Israelites prepare to enter the Land of Israel. It includes this verse: Baruch atah b'voecha, u'varuch atah b'tzetecha - Blessed shall you be in your comings and blessed shall you be in your goings" (when my Nana, z"l, probably drawing from this verse of Torah, wanted to offer expressions of love and support for a journey, she would always say to me in Yiddish as I prepared to leave the house: Gai gezundt un kim gezundt ("go well and come back well"). The Rabbis asked: which goings and which comings? Responses included: when preparing to do battle, at the time of one's death, or on any journey, so that one would return safely to loved ones and to study of Torah. Tefillat HaDerech, the Traveler's Prayer, came from this idea.
Each day is a journey and each moment can be seen as an opportunity for blessing. How beautiful for us to leave our homes each day with a blessing that we reach our destination in peace!
