A heavy, beautiful, powerful week
If only I could make the pain go away.
This week we confronted the shattering reality of two fathers taken too soon, leaving their wives and children devastated. As I sat at shiva, I kept thinking: this is real life. The world is a tapestry turned upside down. We see knots and frayed threads. No words can explain such pain or mend what feels so wrong.
And yet, watching a community show up to support a woman in her deepest distress, I saw how the guidance of Torah lays down a pillow beneath the fall. It does not erase the wound. But it holds the broken. When it hurts, we cry out. And still, the same loving G-d who permits a world of loss also wove a network to carry another through the unthinkable.
This week I also sat near the bedside of a man dying just six months after the birth of his first child. It was sudden. The family was in shock, utterly unprepared for any part of what was unfolding. They were considering cremation, mostly because burial felt financially out of reach. I sent out a few messages, a rallying cry to unite for this family. In just over twenty-four hours, nearly one hundred people raised close to twelve thousand dollars. For someone they had never met. They didn’t even know his name. Who is like Your people, G-d? To belong to this people, this family, is a gift.
This week, as we read the portion Mishpatim, filled with do’s and don’ts, I saw the laws in action. No longer a list to memorize, the mitzvot are the framework that holds life together. Some we understand, others we don’t, yet all form a system that works because an all-knowing, ever-loving G-d assures us it will.
Every life has its turns, its plunges, its freefalls. Yet, we were given the gift of community and sacred directions that hold us when the ground disappears. No one would choose the embrace of shiva, burial, communal care. Yet when it comes, that embrace comforts body and soul.
We flew back from New York this week. On the plane train in ATL, we met a pilot. Turns out he was Jewish. Right there, in the middle of chaos, the constant rush of the rat race, he paused for a moment of connection. To his soul. To his purpose. To his
G-d. To his people. Others walked by, glancing, busy with places to go and things to do. But that pause is the real reason the whole airport exists. We are created for connection. We are not here only to catch taxis, make dollars, and check off lists. We are here to connect. To each other. To the soul.
People say religion is a crutch. I would call it a lifeline. A thread of connection in a very disconnected world.
This week was heavy. And indescribably beautiful.
Light Shabbat candles in Dunwoody, GA today Friday, Feb 13th before 6:02 PM
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Zalmy Goldberg
PS Support Michal at this link. LINK Michal has been part of the Mitzvah House community and can use all the love she can get right now.
PPS Help with the remaining costs of the burial here
PPS Schools out! Bring your kids to do volunteer cooking this Monday morning. Fun and rewarding. RSVP below
Featured Event: Mitzvah Kitchen – Family Service Day Mon, Feb 16th | 10:30 AM RSVP
Men's Brunch Club Sun, Feb 15th | 11 PM
Breakfast with all the fixings. Morning meditation. Sunday morning connection.
RSVP
80's Big Play Purim Tue, March 3rd | 5 PM
Purim goes 80s. Games, activities & kosher food. FREE LASER TAG BOWLING ARCADES WITH RSVP (only with RSVP)
RSVP
Big Babka Bake
Thurs, March 12th | 7 PM
An annual favorite. Want to host a table? Baking babka is even more fun with friends.
RSVP
This post is from the Mitzvah House email newsletter, first sent February 13, 2026. For current programs, see upcoming Mitzvah House events. Questions? Call 678.769.4833 or email Hello@MitzvahHouse.com.