Parsha Tetzaveh: Become a Priest

We all love to feel like a king or queen.  To sit in the spotlight.  To be on top.  To be number-one.

And as Ricky Bobby said in Talladega Nights: "If your not first, your last".

But what if there was another pathway that provided even more fulfillment?  What if there was an even better feeling than being number one?  What if the best feeling of all wasn't found in coming out ahead, but rather was found in coming out 'helpful'.

It is easy to get confused and to start to believe that what we are looking for in life is to achieve and to acquire.  But that is simply not true.

We are most fulfilled when we give.  We are most fulfilled when we become valuable to another person.  The best feeling in life is found in the opportunity to lift another person up and to make a difference in his or her life.  This is the essence of marriage.  Of parenthood.  Of friendship.  Of community.

So yes, the achieving and acquiring is important.  But only as a means towards a much more meaningful ends.  Giving.

Because the number-one feeling is ultimately found in being a very important number-two person for someone else.

Attached please find a Shu-Shine for the Torah portion of 'Tetzaveh': "Become a Priest".

May we all be blessed to discover how we can be the conduit of light and blessing and encouragement for someone else around us — someone who needs to feel the warmth of you believing in them.

With Love and a Smile,

~Shu