Parshas Kedoshim
IYAR, 5779
Interpreting Artifacts
As in the gift of Manna, so it is in the memory of artifacts
After the exodus from Egypt, Hashem gifted the Jews with manna, ’heavenly bread’, to consume during their travels in the wilderness.
Hashem furthermore commanded Moshe:
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר משֶׁ֗ה זֶ֤ה הַדָּבָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוָּ֣ה הֹ' מְלֹ֤א הָעֹ֨מֶר֙ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ לְמִשְׁמֶ֖רֶת לְדֹרֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם לְמַ֣עַן יִרְא֣וּ אֶת־הַלֶּ֗חֶם אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֶֽאֱכַ֤לְתִּי אֶתְכֶם֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר בְּהֽוֹצִיאִ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם
“Moses said, This is the thing that the Lord commanded: Let one omerful of it be preserved for your generations, in order that they see the bread that I fed you in the desert when I took you out of the land of Egypt.”
Like the saved Manna, the Torah is providing us with a template to preserve the meaning of the Holocaust artifact.
***********************************************D’VAR TORAH
Dear Friend,
Rav Yechiel Michel ha-Levi Epstein (1829-1908), often called "the Aruch HaShulchan", was the Rav and posek in Navahrudak, Lithuania.
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We are presently immersed in the period of Sefiras HaOmer. During this time, not only do we count the days toward the bringing of the omer, we also commemorate the deaths of the talmidim of Rabbi Akiva through practicing customs of mourning.
The Aruch HaShulchan points out that the expression of mourning is not solely related to the deaths of the 24,000 students, but is also a time that we reflect on all communal tragedies that befell K'lal Yisroel throughout galus.
Although we mourn over these terrible events, we also must be inspired.
This is an opportunity for us to recognize that despite the challenges that Klal Yisroel has faced over the centuries, we continue to persevere and grow as a community. As we said just a couple weeks ago at the Seder table, שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר עוֹמְדִים עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם!
To schedule a school visit or to donate artifacts,
contact Amud Aish at: 718-759-6200 or info@amudaish.org