Rabbi Howard Morrison

In this week's Parsha, we read of those who are sent out and brought back for specific purposes. At the outset of the Parsha, the post-partum woman is sent out and brought back after her liminal time is completed. Similarly, an Israelite, male or female, boy or girl, is sent out for a temporary period of time if he/she has contracted a contagious skin disease. Ultimately, that person is reintegrated into the camp, which cannot move on until everyone is united with each other.

These days, we can relate to the Parsha in that men and women, boys and girls, have had to leave the "camp of Israel" in different ways. Some were taken hostage on October 7. Others have had to leave their families and the geography of Israel in order to root out Hamas and defend our people. We pray that on both levels, our brothers and sisters will be returned home safely and securely. The contemporary "camp of Israel" can be united only when all of our people are integrated back into Israeli society.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Howard Morrison