VAYAKHEL: ASSEMBLIES
By: Suri Davis
There are numerous times throughout this torah portion where the term Chacham Lev Ladaat/wise of the heart, to know. The term is jam packed with deep meaning of the world reality.
We think of wisdom stemming from our minds and not our hearts. A wise heart is a deep concept. One would take it for granted that one wants wisdom so that she can know.
So let’s break it down to components of what I experienced this week.
I experienced two unique assemblies this week. One was a worldwide assembly of righteous women from diverse walks of life, who gathered to take affirmative action to bring the final redemption. The second was the fortunate opportunity provided to me by New York State Assemblywoman Missy Miller, who brought me to her office in the NYS assembly in Albany, the essence of diversity.
My great nephew, four year old Akiva Gross, had an art fair in school this week. He made a copy of a famous painting out of teeny, tiny dots, each dot unlike any other dot in size, placement or color. It is the neo-impressionist genre, of Georges Seurat, called pointillism. The dots come together in the eye to form a beautiful coherent picture.
After thousands of years of Jewish persecution at the hands of their host countries, it might seem logically unreasonable to continue to hope for redemption. But that logic is tempered with a soulful/heartfelt knowledge that if we continue our faith and our observance and prayer, G-d will send the Messiah to redeem us, so that we could fully realize our religious practice. It is not chachmah/wisdom from the head, pure rational logic, but it is insightful knowledged, tempered by the knowledge in our soul.
To know what? To know that all wisdom which is tempered by the soul is given this insight by G-d, to know, is to know that G-d is at the core of all knowledge, insight, activities and events. Our efforts/hishtadlut is the effort put into making the dots, the overall picture is G-d driven and directed. What we see is experiential tempered by the glasses or perspective we have, which should always be faith-driven.
What I saw in the assembly was diversity. Many dots. Assemblymen and women, from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, races and religions. I was interested to see how the dots would connect, and what I would see. I was pleasantly surprised to see integration and cooperation.
Yes there is animus between the Democrats and Republicans, but it has not frozen the law-making process, as it has done in D.C.
As a working mother, I was interested in learning how Assemblywoman Missy Miller balances her day. I was awe struck. She ends her day, caring for her special needs son, wonderful Oliver at midnight. Wakes at 4:30am to care for him in time to get herself together and leave before dawn for her daily commute to the state’s Capitol, Albany, many times driving both ways herself in one day.
Missy sits in her office speaking with her many constituents who call asking for favors, with comments and complaints. She oversees a busy community-centric schedule, and very detailed care for her son, Oliver, and her daughter, Katy. She is a member of the sandwich generation, which means she is caring for her mother as well.
So what is in the hearts of the women who gathered around the world to pray for redemption? What brings Missy Miller to commute to Albany daily? Another term used many times in this week’s parshah, Nediv Lev, those who have a kind and giving heart. Those with special needs children spend so much of their time, energy and money to help their children, but only a few will take up their children’s cause to ensure that all New Yorkers who have special needs or have children or relatives or friends with special needs are accommodated and are funded to ease their lives.
It takes the insight of those with soulful wisdom to couple it with a giving heart or nature to be part of a coming together of individuals, to make a community or assembly for the purpose of a giving to a united cause, like a holy temple, or, this Saturday evening, to attend a gala for the benefit of Oliver’s Hope, a charity operated to support care for Oliver, this Saturday night, March 2nd, at the Sands Atlantic Beach from 6pm-10pm.
I asked Missy the secret to her being able to balance her children, husband, mother and career, and what her motivational force is in her work as Assemblywoman. She replied: “I believe firmly that I am not in control of the big picture – what happens, will happen. I am only in control over how I respond to what happens. I choose to respond with positivity and try and help other people. This is the motivational force in most everything I do!”
Shabbat shalom.
-Suri