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In this week’s parshah, when describing the 42 locations that B’nei Yisrael camped, Moshe Rabbeinu states, “These are the journeys of the Children of Israel.” If the subject matter is a list of encampments, why are they titled journeys? Why is there a need for the Torah to emphasize the journeys?

Usually, June is that whirlwind time where the end of the school year looms large and weddings and graduations dot the calendar, the entire month awash in the excitement of sleepaway camp, beckoning enticingly in very near future. 

Please recite Psalms 20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.

David ben Shima

Rabbi Yaakov Eliyahu Menashe ben Rachel

It was a drive-by wedding

In someone’s yard upstate;

We went to wave and say Mazal Tov,

Glad to participate.

Emet and Events. The two words have been synonymous for over 16 years, since Emet Outreach is known for hosting multiple events and Shabbatons each week. In the Women’s Division, these have included incredible experiences and trips, from Shabbat spent overlooking the Kotel to Shavuot in Lakewood and mother-daughter challah bakes in Queens. These memorable moments were in addition to daily classes and one-on-one learning sessions where relationships blossomed and connections with Torah and Judaism were made. Then came COVID-19, and the in-person dynamic that is the foundation of the organization, shifted to Zoom.

Boom, pow, bang – these are just a few of the sounds that residents of New York City have come to terms with over the past three weeks. Many in “The City That Never Sleeps” indeed have not slept at all, as illegal fireworks are fired off nightly into the wee hours, without any law enforcement intervention whatsoever. The Black Lives Matter protests have evolved into what many believe to be a general sense of lawlessness and anarchy, as youths of various denominations have found joy in keeping tired New Yorkers on edge.