This Week’s Vort

Matot-Masei

Photo by Lomig on Unsplash

In this week’s Torah portions, the tribes of Reuben and Gad make a request to Moses: they want land that’s good for their livestock and their families. Seems reasonable enough, right?

But Moses senses something … weird. They tell about their animals before they do about their children. Moses, not one to let that sort of thing pass him by, is like, “Honk it down there, folks. Cows second, kids first.”

Classic Torah mic drop. 🎤💦

It’s a small, potent moment. Because, let’s face it, life today isn’t that dissimilar. All of this frenetic multitasking – work and deadlines and bills and brunch plans and the occasional existential crisis – leaves us feeling like we’re juggling chain saws with our bare hands. And lost in all that madness is the Jewish identity of our kids – squeezed between “let’s finally get someone to fix the damn WiFi” and “let’s see what that new show everyone’s been talking about looks like.”

But to the Torah, that means telling us, at top volume: Jewish values and education aren’t meant to be a B-team lifestyle. They’re not bonus features. They’re the core programming.

And no, it’s not just that I mean Hebrew school (though shoutout to the brave souls who run those). It’s about the way we live and love at home: Shabbat dinners, Hanukkah candle…