At Home in Nordstrom Rack
Have you ever been to a foreign country,
Heard English spoken in an American accent
And felt an instant connection with your fellow tourist?
A familiarity.
How about meeting a fellow Jew in the middle of nowhere?
The connection is instant;
You feel more safe- you’re not alone!
For me, this is true even in a random store in my hometown.
Just this week, I stepped into Nordstrom Rack and
Met my friend Moshe, a salesman there.
He happened to be with a customer, who turned out to be Jewish, too.
Her son was home from college and had shown up to shul
In dress clothes at least two sizes too small.
So in the middle of the suit aisle we started playing a game-
The famous Jewish geography: where her kids went to college,
Which had a Chabad on campus and who the rabbis were.
As we finished talking and said our goodbyes,
I heard a “Shana Tova” come from the stack of shirts beside me
And “have an easy fast” from the pants hanging on the other side.
I felt like I was in synagogue. At home.
These people- who I didn’t even know- understood me.
We didn’t have to discuss anything deep, or do anything at all;
There was simply a connection. A deep and strong bond.
When one thinks of relationships, there are different ways
One can express the bond you have with another person.
Think husband and wife or parent and child.
Compare that with the ultimate relationship a person can have;
The one we have with G-d- our Maker,
The source of life and everything we have.
When things are going fine, we doing things for each other,
Showing our friends and loved ones how much we appreciate them.
With G-d- this would be following the Mitzvot He asks us to do.
Sometimes, though, things can get a little rocky.
We drift apart or hurt our loved ones and
We need to remind ourselves (and show them)
How special and important they really are.
With a bouquet of flowers or a touching gift (and a sincere apology!),
A deeper level of connection is revealed and
Our tested love is even stronger.
This is Teshuvah (repentance)- more accurately:
Returning to G-d after a rough patch.
We have those close to us and
We try to remain attached to them
Through both the ups and the downs of life.
But life is often a rat-race (even when the going is good) and
It’s important to block out the noise, the busyness and routine,
And make time to simply be present and enjoy being with each other.
And that’s Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is a day that G-d tells us: I’m putting everything aside
I’m looking beyond your actions and ignoring your missteps.
I’m fully present because I want to spend time with YOU.
And He turns to us and asks us to show up the same way.
G-d asks us to focus by not eating or indulging in worldly pleasures,
To open ourselves through prayer,
And to be present by not occupying ourselves with work or tasks.
Yom Kippur is the day we set aside to bump into G-d
And remind ourselves: This is familiar.
I’m safe. I belong.
I’m home.