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I want to tell you about my daughter Abigail. She is a vibrant seven-year-old who loves to dance and sing, color beautiful pictures of our family, swim like a fish, and cuddle with our dog, Pepper. She is so much like me it’s scary. My Grandpa Roy would say she is a tough broad. She is also walking through life, facing challenges in a way I barely knew existed before she came into my life.

Parashat B’haalot’cha has many lessons for us. From the impact of racism and misogyny to governance structures and obligations to our community and G-d. It bounces from holiness to the most mundane, and from mistakes to punishment to prayer to recovery. Our people are transitioning from slavery to freedom and self-governance, and it isn’t easy.

The Reform Movement’s long commitment to reproductive rights is grounded in the belief that each person should have agency and autonomy over their own bodies and is inspired by the Jewish value of kavod ha’briyot, respect for individual dignity. Abortion is key to our fundamental rights and freedom to control our bodies, health, and our futures. We must raise our voices to protect abortion rights and the fundamental rights to bodily autonomy of all people.

My favorite prayer from the liturgy has always been the one beginning, "Grant us peace, Your most precious gift, and give us the will to proclaim its message to all the peoples of the earth." I remember it from my childhood, especially the evening services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – although, of course, then it was the more formal Union Prayer Book II version beginning, "Grant us peace, Thy most precious gift, O Thou eternal source of peace, and enable Israel to be a messenger of peace unto the peoples of the earth."

Parashat B’midbar is the first Torah portion in the book of “Numbers” and is referred to as “Numbers”, based on the census that takes place among the Israelites. However, the word literally means “In the desert” (or wilderness). In the end, we see how both of those translations are important and very telling about where the Israelites were at this point in their existence.

One of the basic tenets of Judaism, Torah study, is particularly significant to WRJ. Over the years, WRJ has also advocated for equal rights for women in Jewish learning and participation in and leading worship. WRJ brings a unique, feminist perspective to Reform Jewish study and provides a bounty of resources from which to learn and pray. Many people participate in Torah study for Shavuot, and WRJ has these resources for you.

In 2014, I founded Tkiya to create participatory music experiences that meet families where they are - physically, psychologically, and spiritually – and find their unique connection to Jewish culture and community. One thing I’ve always been proud of is Tkiya’s reputation for making Judaism welcoming, accessible, and inclusive. However, it wasn’t until a few years ago that we started to learn how to articulate and incorporate JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) in a more intentional way. This year, we received a grant from WRJ to deepen this work through our Wee Jam for Justice program. The learnings that we’ve had through this experience have had an incredible impact on Tkiya and the communities that we serve in such a short time.

Though ‘curses and blessings’ are presented in this parashah, our bigger takeaway is that it is up to us to make good choices and take action. I am proud that Women of Reform Judaism has always done the right thing and more than 100 years of our resolutions continue to address the needs of the hungry, the poor, our environment, along with the rights of all peoples and so many relevant and important issues. The smiles we have on our faces and in our hearts come from the joy we share with others.