This coming Shabbat, we will celebrate Rosh Chodesh Nisan. It is customary to recite Hallel on Rosh Chodesh and some have the custom to add the following verse from Bereishit, the first book of the Torah, “Now Abraham came with days, and G-d blessed Abraham with everything.” What does the phrase, “came with days” mean and what is its connection to Rosh Chodesh?
Perhaps, we can suggest the following explanation. Abraham accomplished so much in his life, bringing the idea of monotheism to the world, winning a world war, saving his nephew Lot’s life and displaying hospitality to complete strangers. He made every day of his life count, so that at the end of his life, “he came with his days.” Some recite this verse on Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of the month, in order to remind us to make every day of the coming month count.
I won’t share the exact number of days that I have spent on this planet or how many of them I failed to make count, but I can safely say that the few days that I spent in Budapest last week were among those that truly counted. The students in Budapest have limited opportunities for Jewish experiences. I am grateful that I was part of an exceptional team of American teachers and students that was able to provide these experiences for the Hungarian students.
Personally, I would have enjoyed more time learning Torah in the classroom with the Hungarian students and the opportunity to forge relationships through the learning. However, the very fact that we could interact in an informal way and the students had an opportunity to have discussions, sing, dance, play games and dine with a Rabbi undoubtedly made an impression.
I sincerely hope that even after we have returned home, we can continue to work to provide Jewish experiences for our friends in Budapest. I certainly hope that we can continue to make all of our days count.
It has been a pleasure blogging.
Rabbi Furman
