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As our season turns and we bid farewell to our holy days, I look forward to beginning the Torah once again. The juxtaposition of the last words of Torah and the first is quite jarring. In the final words of the Torah we are reminded of the death of Moses and that never again would there be a prophet like him who would lead us through such trials and tribulations from slavery to freedom. And then, we seamlessly return to the very beginning and read those amazing words of Genesis, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth,” a biblical reset of sorts rolling back time to the dawn of existence with all of life’s potential yet to be realized. We know all the stories that will follow, we know how the Torah will end when we reach the final verses next year; so, what’s new? How will this year’s reading be different?

I like to ask my B’nai Mitzvah students if they know what algebra is, specifically, what a variable is. Because you see, Torah is like algebra and WE are the variables. Whenever the variable changes, the outcome of the equation changes. We all have experienced another year of life- some of it was amazing, some of it was difficult. Some of our questions were answered, but new ones also arose. With each experience, we change. Each time we are changed, we have the potential to interpret words of Torah with a fresh perspective. Some years we may be able to relate to Jacob better than Moses, or Sarah more than Miriam. Some stories that seemed innocuous in the past may now stir us and challenge us. I invite you to listen to this year’s reading of Torah with the awareness that you are not the same person who heard its words last year or in the years prior. The answer to this year’s Torah equation will, in fact, be different, because we are different. Who knows what revelations await us!

May this year of Torah make us stronger and wiser, motivating us and giving us purpose.

Shabbat shalom,

Beth