Dear readers,

Dnt u lv txt wrds th@ lil kids understand so intuitively but leave the rest of us scratching our heads? “Gr8” is short for “great,” and “lol” means that something is funny. But, sometimes, there is wisdom hidden in these nuggets. For example, there is something great about eight.

You see, seven is ordinary and routine. There are seven days of the week, seven visible heavenly bodies and seven musical notes. In fact, our very world was created in seven days. Then there is eight, that which is above fitting into the neat little slots of our lives. The number eight evokes the transcendental and the G‑dly.

This week’s Torah reading, Shemini—which means “the eighth”—tells of how the Tabernacle, G‑d’s home on earth, was finally inaugurated, and G‑d, who is beyond time and space, made His home in the confines of its walls. When inviting G‑d into our homes, our lives, our souls, our selves, we sometimes need to reach beyond what is good and reach that which is great.

Wishing you a great week—all seven days of it!

Menachem Posner,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team