The recent rocket attacks on Israel demonstrate the need for bomb shelters. As the rockets penetrate deeper and deeper into Israel, more and more of the land must be equipped with bomb shelters. It isn’t enough to have a huge bomb shelter in the center of town. Rather, every area needs at least a small bomb shelter nearby. Quick and easy access literally saves lives.
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In the Torah portion of Mas’ei we read about the apportioning of the Land of Israel to the Jewish people. Each tribe is given an inheritance. Except for one – the tribe of Levi. The Levites were the spiritual representatives of the Jewish people, serving in the Holy Temple. They were not given a portion in the land.
Instead, 48 cities were designated as Levite cities. These cities were spread out among the provinces of all the tribes.
The Levites were not punished with the lack of a homeland; rather they were privileged to serve as beacons of spiritual light throughout the land. (They also were better equipped to receive the Levitical gifts – saving on travel time and costs).
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In life we also have our “Levite within.” Most of life is mundane. The minority are the holy moments. The times spent in prayer, observing a mitzvah, or studying Torah. These are our Levite moments.
We are often tempted to relegate the Levite within to a specific time and place. “I’ll be a good Jew on Yom Kippur, or on Shabbat. I’ll wear my yarmulke to synagogue. I’ll be on my best behavior when I’m with my parents.”
The Torah tells us that’s a very vulnerable approach.
The Jewish way is to populate all of our provinces with Levites. Fill all your months, weeks and days with snippets of sanctity. Turn your home into a sanctuary. Actually, turn every room of your home into a sanctuary.
Make Torah and mitzvot so ubiquitous that you always bump into them.