Dayenu!

How grateful to the Lord I am for our Kol Dodi Family. God has truly given us a remarkable group of individuals with hearts who “give themselves first to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God” (2 Cor. 8:5). And He continues to call more “set apart ones” to come, be planted, and flourish at Kol Dodi (Ps. 92:13).

A great example of this is Joy’s testimony of response this past Shabbat when, at Service’s end, she asked for volunteers to help at the upcoming Passover Seders. “So many of you answered the call to help”, she wrote. I counted at least twenty names.

It reminds me of a portion out of this past week’s Parasha, in Exodus 35-36 when Moses had called for the people to bring an offering and their skills to assist in constructing and decorating the Mishkan (Tabernacle) with it’s furniture and priestly garments.

“Everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the LORD’S contribution for the work of the tent of meeting and for all its service and for the holy garments.”
“And they said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the LORD commanded us to perform.” - Ex. 35:21; 36:5

The response was so abundant that he finally had to ask them to stop! Dayenu! i.e. enough for us (the Hebrew word “dye” is used)! We sing the joyous song every Pesach during our Seder. “You have done for us more than we deserve, O’ God” - I call it the Romans chapter 8 of the Seder.

The Torah mentions three qualities of heart that were expressed in the Jewish people’s response to Moses’ call. I mentioned them Saturday, and will do so again here:

Chacham Lev
Nasa Lev
Nadav Lev

Wise hearts, Uplifted hearts, and Willing hearts.
Divine Intelligence, Divine Enthusiasm, and Availability to the Divine.
And how are these qualities acquired? By:

my submission to the Word of God - being teachable (James 1:21; Jn. 8:31-32)
my yielding to the Spirit of God - being prayerful (Eph. 5:18-20; Jn. 6:63)
taking my place with Messiah on his Tree - dying to self (Gal. 2:20; Jn. 12:24)

I believe that the response and blessing at Kol Dodi is due to people who are praying , hungry hearts for God, and healthy Biblical teaching. It is God’s chen (grace), not a formula. We must grow in both solidity as well as fluidity, in structure with great flexibility.

That is why we have initiated our Discovery and Network Classes, defining what it means to be Family, learning individual gifting for service, and more.

“I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth”, said the Sh’liach Yochanan (Apostle John) - 3 Jn. 1:4.

I feel the same way about our Family members at Kol Dodi.

Shavua tov b’Yeshua,
Rabbi Ken