“Are you going out tonight?”
This is no endorsement, and not all versions of this are created equal, and it’s not for everyone or all ages or temperaments – but most college students know what “going out” means, so there should be no need to explain it. But wait, this name of this week’s Torah portion “Ki Teitzei” literally means: when you go out!
The Torah verse is actually talking about going out to war, and despite whatever you think of these places, it isn’t referring to any of the bars downtown. But this week, with all that’s been happening in Texas with Hurricane Harvey, there can be another way to look at this phrase “going out”…
Two hashtags were trending high this week: #HoustonFlood and #HoustonStrong. The implications behind both of these hashtags cause people to leave their homes and get out. The former is due to fear and danger, the latter is built on hope and help. #HoustonFlood forces people out of their homes, while going out of your home to help others be #HoustonStrong is a choice.
We once shared how uncomfortable we were when they put up EXIT signs at the old Shabbos House. After all, we strive to provide a warm, welcoming and inviting atmosphere. It’s odd for us to have the brightest, boldest, largest words in the room tell you how to get out. But then we realized an important message. EXIT isn’t only a sign for an emergency. It’s an ongoing, ever-relevant message and direction. Shabbos is an exit from the weekday, the Baal Shem Tov taught how every Mitzvah is a window, Chabad Chassidus is all about how we can rise above the ordinary, seek beyond, transcend our own horizons and limitations…
So “going-out” can mean a lot more than just having a good time. In fact, while this week’s Torah portion is “Ki Tzeitzei” which means “when you go out”, next week’s Torah portion is “Ki Tavo” which means “when you enter”. Jewishly, going out helps us enter on a totally different level. By transcending our own limitations, by going out of our comfort zones, we enter a higher, deeper, better dimension of ourselves.
In a time of crisis and distress it’s important that we not sit home comfortable at UAlbany and ignore the situation while enjoying the beautiful weather we’ve been having up here. Instead, let’s try to do something, even if it is small, to make a little bit of a difference. OK, we can’t drive down to Texas and help families peel wet sheetrock off their walls and schlep out water-logged clothing and furniture to dump at the curb, but we can go out (of our comfort zone) in some way, to do something to help those affected by #HoustonFlood be more #HoustonStrong.
Going back to the original going-out theme, we’re doing something this coming week called “Get Carded for Houston“. Click on the link to see what that means and how you can you help.