Rabbi's Corner

Message from the Rabbi

וַיַּקְרֵ֖ב אֶת־הָעֹלָ֑ה וַֽיַּעֲשֶׂ֖הָ כַּמִּשְׁפָּֽט׃
He brought forward the burnt offering and sacrificed it according to regulation. (Leviticus 9:16)
This week I have added the original Hebrew text so you can see the wordplay. The Hebrew word for sacrifice is Korban (the root of the word is krb).  The Hebrew word for to draw close is VaYkrav (the root is also krb).  The point of this word association is show that the way the Jewish people would draw close to God was through sacrifice, giving something of themselves 
This is true of the relationships in which we find ourselves. If we want to deepen our connection to someone else, we must be willing to give something of ourselves.  We receive gifts from people on birthdays and anniversaries.  This shows people are thinking of us.  Some even evaluate how much someone cares about us by the cost of that gift.  I would suggest that relationships ought not be evaluated by the gifts that are given on special occasions but by what another person gives us when it is not a special occasion.  When people give us their time, attention and presence, that is the true marker of connection.