The last two days have been more than a little stressful for me. My daughter is spending five months doing volunteer work in Ashdod, Israel, and she called me on Tuesday evening to say that the air raid sirens had just gone off, but not to worry, she was safely ensconced in a local pub. Then, on Wednesday we got the horrific news of a bomb exploding across from the central bus station in Jerusalem, and later learned of one death and up to 40 more injuries, several of them critical. My daughter was scheduled to be in Jerusalem on Thursday. And, indeed, she did go to Jerusalem on Thursday, missing several other rockets landing in the Ashdod area. The schools are closed in Ashdod, as they are in Baltimore's sister city of Ashkelon, but, otherwise, life goes on, in what can only be described as a "new normal."

This week's parashah, Sh'mini, continues our reading in the Book of Leviticus. It is a book full of rituals and rules, many of which appear archaic to our modern practices, but which are described in great detail.  In Sh'mini we read of customs in the mishkan (and the unfortunate deaths of Aaron's two sons), as well as some of the laws of kashrut. Last week we read about sacrifices; before that it was slavery. How do we in 2011 relate to each of these commandments?

I don't know that we can relate to each commandment if we attempt to do so only literally. But, as we read the Torah as a whole, and think about the rhythms of life reflected in the rituals described, we can find comfort in our tradition that allows us to keep moving forward despite the stress and unpleasantness we may encounter. That is what has made Israel so resilient and what I have sensed in conversations with my daughter this week. I only hope that they return to the more mundane rituals of life soon.

May we all have a peaceful Shabbat and week to come.