Two of our students went to concerts last week and I (Rabbi Mendel Rubin) asked them to come back with a meaningful Jewish message to share with fellow students at the next Shabbos Lunch. Here’s what we got:

by Eliot H.

I’m really into Paramore, so it was super exciting to go to the concert. I entered into the raffle for the Meet and Greet prior to the concert, but was disappointed when that didn’t pan out. Guess what? During the concert the lead singer took my phone and attempted to take a video with it, which was even more exciting than the Meet and Greet would have been! The lesson? Often life doesn’t work out exactly as planned, but instead of being disappointed we ought to look forward to whatever new opportunities and rewards may be around the the next bend, which may be even better than anything we planned for or expected. (That happened with Yosef, too. He couldn’t have planned for how things turned out in the end, truth is often stranger than fiction).

by Zach G.

In this week’s Torah portion we read about Joseph, who went through a lot of in life and eventually became the viceroy of Egypt. He made it big, but always remembered his roots, always knew where he came from. I felt a similar message at the Macklemore concert. While he did become a  famous rapper and does very well for himself, he talks a lot about where he came from, his challenging journey through addiction and recognizes and appreciates those who helped him get to where he is today.