Today I would like to tell you about this week's parasha starting more toward the end than the beginning.

וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙ כׇּל־יְמֵי־נֹ֔חַ תְּשַׁ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וַחֲמִשׁ ִּ֖ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּמֹֽת׃  

“And all the days of Noah came to 950 years; then he died” (Genesis 9:29).

Isn't it curious that Noach has lived so long? In fact, after the flood, humanity never again has the privilege of enjoying life for such a long time. But... was there so much to do back then that they needed so much time?

Apparently so! Well, according to the Midrash (Tanchuma Noach 5), it took Noach one hundred and twenty years to complete the task entrusted to him by God of building the ark. What is the reason for this? Well, our Sages teach that God was waiting for the repentance of the generation of the flood, something that finally never happened.

There are things that take time. Each one has their own processes and honestly, whether we like it or not, they take as long as they have to and they cannot be rushed.

We have a finite life and many times we need to put our foot down the accelerator to get everything done on time. I often go to bed asking God to give me one more day of life because I feel that every day is a blessing if we become aware that we are not the masters of our time.

Which, however, does not prevent us from dreaming. A new year is beginning for our people and it is an excellent time to think about all that we want to fulfill internally and externally.

So I would like to take this opportunity to invite you once again to participate in a very special project, Shaaray's trip to Argentina.

There are a total of 10 congregations participating together with their Cantors. My personal vision is that it is not only about learning about the history of music and Jewish culture in one of the countries with the largest Jewish population in the world. But it would be wonderful for me to be able to share with you those experiences that transformed me into who I am today. You will have the opportunity to travel with a local and discover the landscapes with different eyes.

You are my community, I couldn't imagine a nicer activity to spend quality time together and get to know each other better!

I look forward to you joining this proposal that is so important for me and my family and celebrating our daughter's first birthday together.