Parshas Mattos-Masei: Out of the Box

“These are the journeys of Bnei Yisrael who left the land of Mitzrayim, in their legions, under the hand of Moshe and Aharon.” (Bamidbar 33:1)

There’s a parallel between the journeys in the Wilderness to the journeys of the Jewish People throughout our current exile. We were exiled from Eretz Yisrael because of our sins, and we still have not merited the final redemption. What’s the goal of our journeys in this exile? (Rabbi Binyomin Adler, Shabbos Ta’am HaChaim)

GoChesed, an organization run by Rabbi and Mrs. Ettlinger, originated as GoBidud to help people in the throes of the corona epidemic. When thankfully that organization was “put out of business,” they shifted their focus to general chesed. And then the war broke out.

According to kabbalistic teachings, our mission is to draw out the holy sparks in every land where we sojourn. In this sense, we’d think that we’ve fulfilled our mission successfully, as Am Yisrael have settled and subsequently been exiled from so many lands. Yet we’re still in galus.

GoChesed was galvanized into action, and among other projects, the “Shabbos boxes” were born. Not a stone’s throw from our city is a pretty yishuv of small homes and flowering gardens. The first week of this Shabbos program, Miriam, my friend who is the liaison to GoChesed in our city, posted a spreadsheet on our Neshei email list asking for food donations to send Friday night meals to five families in the nearby yishuv whose husbands were serving on the front lines. Within five minutes, literally, the spreadsheet was filled, and there were more women begging to join, vying for the opportunity to drive the boxes to their destinations.

The Gemara (Shabbos 119b) states that Jerusalem was destroyed because of chillul Shabbos. What makes Shabbos so unique that our redemption from this bitter exile hinges on its observance? Shabbos is akin to living in Eretz Yisrael. The Shem MiShmuel writes that one can reside in the Diaspora in an insulated Torah environment, yet if the atmosphere in one’s proximity is polluted by foreign influences, then one cannot spiritually survive. Shabbos, however, is the atonement for the spiritual deficit that one may experience during the week. Thus, Shabbos is the equivalent of Eretz Yisrael while we are in exile.

The Gemara (Shabbos 118b) states that were the Jewish People to observe the Shabbos, they would be redeemed. It’s incumbent upon every individual to observe the Shabbos to the best of his ability. Then we will all merit observing the Shabbos collectively, and we will see our final redemption.

Since that first week, the list has grown and each Shabbos and Yom Tov, the deliveries continue. The residents of the yishuv represent the whole gamut of observance within Israeli society. For some, these Shabbos seudos are the only ones they’ll have. For others, they appreciate the extra care and assistance, not having to worry about cooking as another Shabbos approaches. Often there’s so much food, Shabbos day is taken care of as well.

Some women have even started getting together and having the Friday night meals as a community. The highlight of their week is when they sit and read the personal notes of support and appreciation included in the boxes. One woman said she saves these weekly notes in her siddur. When Pesach approached, she was faced with the dilemma of saving or discarding these many notes. But she’s keeping them — they’re too precious. This past Rosh Chodesh, the women of my city joined with the women of the yishuv for a brunch. It was a warm gathering where women who may not appear similar or connected were drawn together through the magic of Shabbos. “It was so emotional to meet the women behind the boxes,” says Miriam, her voice resonating with feeling. “We connected, we bonded, and we felt that we really knew and appreciated each other.”

With each box, these women know that they’re not forgotten and their sacrifices and challenges are appreciated. Over the months the recipients change as soldiers return and others go to the front. But some soldiers are on their second or third round of duty, and there are a couple of families whose husbands and fathers are so critical to the security effort they’ve barely been home all year. Nothing is stable in their lives, but there are Shabbos seudos every week. In these difficult times, Shabbos is helping us strengthen each other. Through challah and chicken soup, this language of love emerges victorious.

 (Originally featured in Family First, Issue 904)