Keep Cool

Preparing for this coming Shabbat by keeping cool sounds like good advice. Looking at our Torah reading for this week Moses confronts several crises. The Israelites are hot and tired. They have been journeying for over two years since leaving Egypt.

The desert is hot and dry. Yes, God has provided the people with Manna to eat, but they are complaining that they miss the “good old days” where meat and fish, fruits and vegetables were plentiful. They have no control over their lives.

Often we believe we are in control, but then something happens and we find we are not. As we enter the season of summer travel, perhaps we need to look more carefully at this torah portion.

Having recently returned from a trip to Morocco and Spain, I read this sedra with new insight. Karen and I were on a packaged tour. We had no input into our itinerary other than what was published.

A five star trip was advertised and indeed our first hotel in Casablanca was lovely. A well-known city, we of course wanted to experience every site including Rick’s Café which unfortunately was disappointing. As we journeyed through some incredible cities and towns, the desert and the coast, we found that only the hotels at the beginning and end were five star. We also found that we had no control over our destiny as Karen tested positive for Covid-19 about five days into the tour and we were bumped off the majority of the tour.

Fortunately, Karen was asymptomatic and I did not catch it. On our own, we made the best of our time in the exotic city of Marrakesh. Masked and hot, we visited some interesting sites and actually made friends with some members of the Jewish community in Marrakesh. Then coming back to the States we both tested negative.

So, while we can’t control everything, with temperatures soaring to the high 90’s here in Atlanta, it’s time to cool off and join with our friends and temple family here at Temple Emanu-El. We will be in the sanctuary where the A/C will keep us comfortable. I invite you to join guest soloist Kyra Goldman and me for an uplifting Shabbat experience.