A Gift of the Whole Heart - Va'ani Ashir Uzecha

Va'ani Ashir Uzecha

A Gift of the Whole Heart

Va'ani Ashir Uzecha - Josh Warshawsky

Actualizing Intention and Bringing Your Whole Self

Dear Friends,
On September 6th, 2018, right before Rosh Hashanah, I put Emet into the world, setting an intention of Truth for the Jewish year of 5779. We are now almost halfway through this year, and are about to actualize a dream I had back in 2015, to create an engaging and intentional collection of melodies for prayer and Jewish texts, along with immersive videos and all of the resources that go along with the songs available online. And to do all of that with dear friends and a wide open community. "Chaverai Nevarech," "Friends, Let Us Bless." Let us bless because we are blessed. I am so grateful to you for coming along on this journey with me. 

This week's Torah portion is Parashat Vayakhel, where the people of Israel actually come together to build the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, that we have been talking about for weeks. The Torah says,

"וַיָּבֹאוּ כָּל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר נְשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר נָדְבָה רוּחוֹ אֹתוֹ הֵבִיאוּ אֶת תְּרוּמַת ה'
(שמות ל"ה:כ"א)"

“And everyone whose heart was lifted up and everyone whose spirit moved them came, this they brought with them, an offering for God (Exodus 35:21)”

What does it mean when it says "Everyone whose heart was lifted up and everyone whose spirit moved them?" Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai (The H"IDA, 1724-1806) said that there is a big difference between thought and action, between good intention and actualization. Many a good intention evaporates before it becomes an action. Many people have intentions rising up within them which by all means are good, but they never act on them. And, therefore, the Torah tells us that regarding the offerings for the Mishkan, there was not a single person like this: “Everyone whose heart was lifted up” and “everyone whose spirit moved them,” all those who had an intention in mind to give, it could have stayed as just an intention, but rather they “brought with them an offering for God,” they actualized their intention.

And how did they do that? The Torah says, "אֹתוֹ הֵבִיאוּ," "This they brought with them," "This" is their heart. It’s not just that they donated to the Mishkan, they brought their contribution with a full heart.

I have poured my full heart into this music, and I am so grateful to be able to share all of it with you. I hope it has inspired you, moved you, held you, and motivated you, and that it continues to do so. Thank you to all those who helped me actualize this intention. Thank you for giving of your whole hearts as well to make this possible. 

May we all continue to sing our strength together. It is You who allows me to sing mine - Uzi Eilecha Azamerah.

Shabbat Shalom,
Josh


This track is sponsored by the Meskin Family