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March 27, 2026 Commanded Dear Friends, Recently I had an interesting conversation with a friend. We were discussing how we feel about our lives and accomplishments to date, questioning and examining what we do and have done, compared with the potential of what we could and perhaps should be doing. Maybe it was brought on by the phase in our lives in which we find ourselves, in our mid-40's, with families and children of different ages, and the fascinating convergence of our intelligence and maturity beginning to peak, while our bodies gradually losing the ability to do what we've always done. The conversation centered around the concept of responsibility: what does it mean to have responsibility to someone? If we say we have a responsibility to contribute as much as possible to the world, what does that mean? Could we be doing more in our work than we are? Could we be doing more volunteering and pursue social action more than we are? And at what cost? If doing more for our work or for the world takes time we could be spending with our families, and vice versa, where do we find the balance? And to whom are we responsible for all of that? Our parents? Our children? Our extended families? On our friends from growing up? The name of this week's Parasha is Tzav, which is the command form of the verb "command." So, essentially, Moses is commanded to command his brother Aaron and his sons, the High Priests of the Israelite people, how to properly offer the different sacrifices we learned about in last week's portion. Aaron is fortunate that he is able to execute the sacred work of the priesthood with his sons, but what about their families? What about Tziporra, Moses's wife? What about Gershom and Eliezer, Moses' sons? We barely hear anything about them. Was their sacrificing time with their families necessary for their leadership of the people? Perhaps. And we will never know what impact that had on them, for better and for worse. We all feel the pressure of the world around us, the commercials and emails and social media posts that tell us to live each day as if it were our last, that YOLO, "you only live once," and everyone dreads the vicious FOMO, the "fear of missing out." If we make the most of time with our families, to soak up every moment we can while we have the chance, are we missing opportunities to strengthen our community and world? If we fill our free time with volunteering to do so, are we sacrificing quality time with our children and grandchildren? I don't know. I don't know what the answer is, what the perfect balance of it all would look like. But I do know this: all we can do is the best we can do. The days and hours we are blessed with are certainly numbered, but we can't know exactly how much we have. We need to provide for ourselves and our families, invest in the most sacred relationships with our families and friends, and strive to leave the world a little bit better than how we found it. That's a lot of pressure, and a lot of responsibility. We make the best choices we can in each moment, and hope that the resulting equation is satisfying and fulfilling, helping us to feel like our lives are being lived well and fully. And whatever choices we make, they are, at the very least, good enough. Give yourself some compassion, give yourself a break. There are only so many hours in the day. As we enter into our season of renewal and rebirth with Pesach, also known as Chag Ha-Aviv, the holiday of spring, I pray that we find balance, harmony, and meaning in the sacred work of living our lives. May we renew within ourselves a love of the one life God has given us to maximize and enjoy. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Joshua Strom
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