Mission Impossible?
In such a time as this, with the contentious state of today’s economy and the impending health care reform, is this mission impossible? David Rosen, President and CEO of Wexner Heritage Village, doesn’t think so
“Wexner Heritage Village isn’t just a nursing home ...
Introducing a sustainable model of health for our community.
It is well known that in Jewish tradition the number 18 is considered a "lucky number" because it stands for the word "chai", which means life. This is the reason that when Jews make charitable donations, their gifts are often in multiples of $18. "18=chai/life" is probably the best known example of what is known as gematria. Gematria is the ancient system of assigning numerical value to words or phrases, because every Hebrew letter has a numerical value. Thus the letters that spell chai (chet + yud) equal 18 because chet (the eighth letter) equals 8, and yud (the tenth letter) equals 10. Gematria is based on the belief that words or phrases with identical numerical value bear some relation to each other, or bear some relation to the number itself as it may apply to a person’s name, his/her age, the calendar year, etc.
A person who looks at Hebrew words or phrases through "gematria-glasses" might note that although the new year 5770 is usually written tav, shin, ayin, it could also be written tav, shin, kaf, nun, which can spell the words tishkon (you will dwell). From the root shin-kaf-nun we get the word Shekhinah, the Divine Presence.
From this, it is not surprising that when one hears the word tishkon, I hear the words of the Shabbat Kedushah: "B’karov b’yameynu l’olam va’ed tishkon—Dwell there (in Zion) speedily in our days—a petition to G-d to return His presence to Zion and Jerusalem, and thus inaugurate the Messianic age.
Thus, the year 5770 spells out tishkon can be understood as yet a heightened affirmation of our collective hope that G-d will bring about the long-hoped-for Redemption, b’karov b’yameynu, speedily in our days (THIS year!!)
But the word tishkon can also be interpreted not just as
a declarative phrase "You will dwell", but also as a simple
invitation: Tishkon—come, dwell; come, be among us. Thus, the word—the year itself 5770—can be an invitation to G-d to dwell in our lives—in the life of our community, and in our own individual lives.
And yet, that won’t happen automatically. Although that same Kedushah prayer affirms m’lo kol ha-aretz k’vodo-- the whole world is full of His glory-- the Hasidic teaching is also true: "Where can G-d be found? Wherever He is let in. " The world is full of G-d’s glory and the Divine Presence can be felt and experienced anywhere and everywhere.
To be sure, 5770 spells tishkon, but "defectively" this tishkon is missing a vav. The vav is a letter that stands straight
up with its head always raised heavenward. The lesson seems clear: for our invitations that the Divine Presence dwell among us, we as a community and as individuals must consistently face in the right direction—with open eyes and with open hearts.
May this year of 5770 be a year when G-d’s Presence dwelling in our midst is experienced more keenly by all of us, and may we be more open to seizing those opportunities when we can make this happen.
Wexner Heritage Village
1151 College Ave.
Columbus, Ohio 43209