Shalom All,

As summer arrives, the rhythm of synagogue life changes. The religious school is quiet, many families travel, and the pace of communal activity slows. There can be a temptation to see this season as a pause in Jewish life, a period between busier moments. Yet our Torah readings during these weeks suggests something different.

Throughout much of the summer, we read from the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar, in Hebrew, literally meaning, “In the Wilderness.” The Israelites are no longer at the dramatic moment of Sinai and not yet at the fulfillment of entering the Promised Land. They are in-between. The great miracles of Egypt are behind them, and the future remains ahead. They walk, camp, complain, organize themselves, struggle, and continue forward one step at a time.

At first glance, the wilderness can seem uneventful. But the Torah reminds us that some of the most important work happens during quieter periods. The wilderness was where a people learned who they were. It was where they built community, established routines, learned responsibility, and discovered how to live with one another.

Summer can be like that wilderness experience for us. We often think that growth happens during life’s dramatic moments: the holidays, major celebrations, or milestones. But spiritual life is also shaped in ordinary days. It is built through regular acts of kindness, a few moments of prayer, a conversation around a dinner table, reading a meaningful book, or simply taking time to notice the world around us.

The quieter pace of summer gives us opportunities that busier seasons sometime do not. We can ask ourselves: Who am I becoming? What habits am I building? What kind of community member, family member, and Jewish person do I want to be?

The Israelites discovered that the wilderness was never empty space; it was sacred space. Perhaps our quieter summer days can become that for us as well.

I wish you all a great summer. We’ll see you soon.

Rabbi Todd