If we experience an uplifting, inspirational moment, we should take that experience with us through to the rest of our lives.
We learn this important lesson from the portion of Behar. Within this portion, the Torah introduces us to the concept of Yovel, the Jubilee celebrated once every fifty years. But what is the derivation of the term Yovel?
Rashi explains that it means the sounding of the shofar. There was a very special ceremony at the conclusion of the year when the shofar was blown and heard in an extraordinary manner by the people there.
The Ramban disagrees. He says that if Yovel means the sounding of shofar, you’re not going to name the entire year preceding it after one brief moment.
Rather, says the Ramban, Yovel means taking something forward. And he learns it from the book of Yeshayahu, chapter 23, where the prophet says, “yovilua deracheha,” enable your steps to take you forward. And we know that in modern Hebrew lehovil means to schlep, to take something with you. And if you’re in Israel, and you see a van with the word hovala written on it, that means it’s a removals van, where you’re taking items from one place to their next destination.
So, the Ramban says that the message of Yovel, therefore, is that when you experience that extraordinary moment of the sounding of the shofar, which takes place only once every fifty years, don’t cast it into your past, but take it with you through to your future, so that it will continue to guide and inspire you always.
This is the context within which, in the havdalah ceremony at the end of every Shabbat, we smell the spices, the besamim, to enable the spirituality of Shabbat to permeate through to the week that follows. It’s also for this reason that we have the concept of Isru Chag, the day after a festival, to guarantee that the special flavour of the Yom Tov will continue thereafter.
So therefore, from the concept of Yovel, let us always remember that if we are blessed to have a highly inspirational, and wonderful, memorable moment in our lives, let’s not just leave it in our past.
Let’s guarantee that the Yovel moment will accompany us through to the rest of our lives.
Shabbat Shalom.