To My Dear Students,

This week, we open the third Book of Torah, Leviticus, which discusses sacrifices in the ancient Temple of Jerusalem.

Years ago, an advertisement for an automobile appeared on television whose goal was to highlight the smooth ride of this particular model.  In the back seat sat a diamond cutter who was so confident in the car’s ability to glide over bumps in the road that he took a hammer and chisel and struck a precious diamond.  It split perfectly.

This diamond cutter made it look so easy.  Yet, we must realize that he did not just sit in the car at that moment and cleave the diamond.  The advertisement did not tell us about the years and years of apprenticeship that he must have served.  It did not tell us about all the strokes he had missed in his training.  It did not tell us how many hours he had to study that diamond, examine its facets and its basic structure, and then and only then could he strike the blow and even then the stroke had to be not too hard and not too gentle.

Years of sacrifice went into that moment that appeared so effortless.  Nothing is handed to us on a silver platter.  No one is an “overnight success.”  There are no shortcuts to what is worthwhile.

A life of sacrifice is the foundation of any good and blessing we enjoy today.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Miller