The Bible reminds us more than once that the Torah was given in a desert, and for the forty years of their “Plan B,” the Jewish people lived in the desert. Traditionally, the commentaries note that being given in a desert teaches us that Jewish life can be lived anywhere (indeed, the late Rebbe of Lubavitch noted “It is a lot easier to be a Jew in Siberia than suburbia.”)

But there is another lesson: a desert is an empty expanse. You don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees because there are no trees. You can see for miles.

And sometimes what you see is a mirage. It’s literally unreal. But we are so desperate to escape the desert we let ourselves believe in something that isn’t actually there.

Elected officials and policymakers need to help everyone see the way out. They need to move them from the middle of the desert to an area that’s habitable and hospitable. And, they need to avoid the mirages along the way.

G-d pulled the Jews through the desert and out on the other end at their destination. Political leaders must do at least that. Deserts are places of despair; they are also where dreams are nurtured and plans hatched.

Words to consider. Ideas to ponder. Politics and the parsha.

We are instructed to count seven weeks from Passover. That will be Shavuous, the Feast of Weeks. It is, tradition teaches, the day the Torah was given at Sinai.

A teacher of mine, Rabbi Abba Bronspigel, remarked we count up to Shavuous. Each year as we replicate that first count, we begin with day one and end at forty-nine rather than counting down 49 to zero. That is because, he noted, we are counting towards revelation. It is not a countdown waiting to be done with something, similar to a child counting the days left of school until summer vacation. It is a count to something special.

In government, and politics, often we look at things in the way as obstacles to be avoided or hurdles to jump. We do not look to each milestone as something special.

But perhaps its time we did. Perhaps instead of counting down it’s time we looked forward. Not to an election day or Sine Die or a recess but to solving hard problems, meeting tough challenges (or challengers) and defending values.

So too in our personal and professional lives. Imagine, for example, looking forward to finishing a budget for our local nonprofit we volunteer with.

Words to consider. Ideas to ponder. Politics and the parsha.

There are bad days, and horrific events. Of course, we must respond to them. But we still must go on. We still have our dreams and our jobs and even, our dream jobs. Still, standing at a tragedy, or at a low point, and looking forward is one thing. To actually move forward is another.

Margaret Thatcher, who was buried this week, was such a person. Her politics and policies, we can leave for debate later. But her undying belief that better days for Great Britain lay ahead is something everyone can agree on. We see a resiliency in #BostonStrong this week that does not forget tragedy, but still moves forward.

G-d, the Bible relates, speaks to Aaron after the death of his eldest sons. He instructs him in some specifics relating to the mourning, but overall, he just tells Aaron to carry on in his role as High Priest.

That is the lesson. It is sadly, timely today.

Words to consider. Ideas to ponder. Politics and the parsha.

In memory of those killed, with prayers for the injured & with gratitude to the heroes of Boston & of West.

Why does the Bible require such public shaming of the “leper?” Yes, it’s a mistranslation but there is no other English word. Going forward, we will transliterate the Hebrew: metzora.