Have you ever attended a Bar Mitzvah? It is a Jewish coming of age ceremony for 13-year-old children.
It is a sacred time of celebration. Parents and grandparents usually participate in the joy.
Well, last year my friend Leo died the day before his grandson became a Bar Mitzvah. Leo had tried to hold on. But an unsuccessful stem cell transplant hastened his death.
Knowing Leo, I knew what pained him most at the end was missing his grandson's Bar Mitzvah. It was his dream. And he died with not having seen it fulfilled.
The most prominent figure of the Old Testament—Moses—also dies without seeing his dream fulfilled. He stands atop Mount Nebo and glimpses into the Promised Land. But he cannot enter it.
Some of us are luckier than Moses and Leo. We see our children grow, and we achieve our professional and personal goals.
But all of us live with dreams unfilled. That's part of being human.
In commenting on God's refusal to let Moses enter the Promised Land, Franz Kafka writes, "Moses fails to enter Canaan not because this life is too short, but because it is a human life."
The fact that some dreams remain unfilled in our lifetime does not mean they remain unfulfilled forever. God takes the fabric we weave today and puts it into the hands of those who come after us.
One of my dreams I have seen fulfilled is becoming a writer. You can learn more about my journey and which lessons I learned will guide you to achieve your own dreams in The Happiness Prayer: Ancient Jewish Wisdom for the Best Way to Live Today.
My friend and author Jeff Goins called it, "a generous guide to unlocking the power of our words -- to God, ourselves, and each other."
Wishing you a weekend of joy and dreams fulfilled, Rabbi Evan
Congregation Solel
1301 Clavey Road
Highland Park, IllinoisL 60035, United States
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