Dvar Torah 11/8
Dvar Torah 11/8 - Sarit Marmor, McMaster University
In this week’s parsha, Parshat Lech Lecha, in perek יג pasuk טז Hashem tells Avraham (still Avram at the time):
וְשַׂמְתִּ֥י אֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ֖ כַּעֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֑רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר ׀ אִם־יוּכַ֣ל אִ֗ישׁ לִמְנוֹת֙ אֶת־עֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ גַּֽם־זַרְעֲךָ֖ יִמָּנֶֽה׃
I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, then your offspring too can be counted.
This statement is clearly meant to be a blessing, setting the guidelines for the unimaginable size of a nation that starts with Avraham, just like the dust of the earth. Yet later on in the parsha, when Hashem comes to Avraham in a vision, He says to him in perek טו pasuk ה:
וַיּוֹצֵ֨א אֹת֜וֹ הַח֗וּצָה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַבֶּט־נָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֗יְמָה וּסְפֹר֙ הַכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים אִם־תּוּכַ֖ל לִסְפֹּ֣ר אֹתָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ כֹּ֥ה יִהְיֶ֖ה זַרְעֶֽךָ׃
[Then in the vision, God] took him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them”—continuing, “So shall your offspring be.”
After looking at both these pesukim the obvious questions emerge: Why is there the need to compare the Jewish nation to dust and stars? What is the connection between them?
In Masechet Megillah, Rabbi Yehuda Bar Ilai states that the dust and stars come together to teach us that when the Jewish nation descends, we descend to dust, but when we rise, we are like the stars above. In his commentary on pasuk ה, Haemek Davar writes that while the comparison to dust was already made, the shimmering stars represent the importance of each Jew. Additionally, the Radak comments that just as it is impossible to think of a world without stars and dust, so too it is impossible to think of a world without the Jewish people.
The combination of these commentaries draws on the critical message of recognizing that dust and stars can oftentimes be ignored, or forgotten, as they are merely elements on earth that exist everywhere at all times. Yet without their presence, the world would be a different place! This echoes a strong message about the impact that each individual can have on shaping the narrative of the Jewish nation, especially in today’s world. Though we are a people that make up less than 1% of the global population, we are constantly being given opportunities to shine our light upon the world amidst the challenges we may face. Whether it’s by standing up for Israel on campus or running an event that brings the community together, the image of the dust and stars that Hashem conveyed to Avraham thousands of years ago can be used in 2024 as an inspiration for us to continue to build our communities and stand up for our people.
High Holiday Olympics
Ezra Greenberg, Johns Hopkins University
While the laws of the Kohen Gadol’s Avodah on Yom Kippur may sometimes seem remote and arcane, they can become much more relevant when you are on trial to be the next Kohen Gadol for the coming year. With the High Holiday Olympics at Johns Hopkins University, that is the exact situation several students found themselves in. Following the Kohen Gadol’s service as described in the Mishna, students competed to demonstrate their expertise at completing the Kohen Gadol’s service. The games began with a Shofar blowing competition, in recognition of the holiday of Rosh HaShanah which had just passed. As the Kohen Gadol would stay awake the night the holiday began, engaged in learning, the next event was Yom Kippur trivia. The day soon arrived, and though we skipped the sacrifices, a race and havdalah bag making contest evoked the offering of the incense in the Holy of Holies. Next a college classic: cup pong, but with a variant set of rules reflective of the sprinklings on the curtain, 1 up and 7 down. The final contest reflected an activity that the Kohen Gadol had to do rather frequently over the day: who could change into and out of the clothes of the High Priest fastest? After all these events, only one student could emerge as the High Priest of Hopkins, but every one of us there had an exciting and educational time competing in the High Holiday Olympics. The High Holiday Olympics were as sweet a learning event as the year we hoped to have.
