I’m sure you’ve heard “life is a journey, not a destination.” One of the highest character traits in Judaism is being humble on our journey. It’s about our place in the world, our path to find that for ourselves, and to see a broader perspective and respecting others. We also think about the importance of self-acceptance as essential for our growth and life. It’s an important question as we celebrate PRIDE this month, a symbol of empowerment for the LGBTQ+ community. Some of you were in the midst of that support and celebration recently as you participated in Buffalo’s annual PRIDE parade. Its history goes back to 1970 when organizers here began the local event inspired by one in New York City, for Christopher Street Liberation Day after the Stonewall riots of 1969.
If you marched with JFS in the parade, you were, in a sense, with a tribe. In our holy book, we are part of tribes.
We recently began the book of Bamidbar, In the Wilderness, the fourth book of Torah, in which people in their tribes are counted through a census. Each one of us is important. Who we are in our unique, humble way is recorded.
When the census was taken, each tribe had its location and purpose, a direction. Find yourself on the ancient compass. Are you in the East, one of the tribes who face the rising sun. If this is you, open to new beginnings and possibilities. To the South, receive warmth, comfort and constancy. Maybe you are in the West, where a vision of your path leads you forward. If you are in the North, open to the wisdom of your ancestors, receiving their guidance and challenges. To the Heavens, the wide expanse, and to the Earth for grounding and support (R Shefa Gold. Torah Journeys. Ben Yehuda Press, Teaneck: New Jersey, p. 137).
Take pride in who you are and in the point on the compass where you stand. Be humble in who you are. Know that you count just as you are. Wishing you inner peace. Shalom, Salaam, as you go forth on your life’s journey.
-Rabbi Yonina
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