Welcome to the short, practical Lelamed Weekly Dvar and Daily Aliyah. As always, you can Order The Daily Aliyah <https://mosaicapress.com/product/the-daily-aliyah/> and receive your hard copy of these daily practical and relevant Torah thoughts (all proceeds go to Daily Giving), or join this Whatsapp group <https://chat.whatsapp.com/DnAFialrvmy6hNahBkU61F> to receive one per day. I hope you connect with this... _______________________________________________ Parashas Beshalach records the song the Jews sang as they escaped the final Egyptian threat. The second line of the song includes the word “V’anveihu,” or “this is my G-d” (15:2), which Rashi says could mean “I will dwell with Him” or “I will beautify Him.” Yet another translation from the Gemara suggests that it combines two words, “ani” and “v’hu,” meaning that we are one with G-d by imitating Him. Being that this is the beginning of the song as well as a fairly famous phrase that we repeat in davening regularly, shouldn’t the translation of the words be less ambiguous? Rabbi Yochanan Zweig explains that healthy relationships require respect and appreciation. Deeming something beautiful creates a reverence that’s healthy and works to preserve that affinity. Our question now becomes its own answer, as all these elements of the word are key to preserving not only our relationship with G-d but also a framework for maintaining relationships between people. To admire and imitate the qualities of a loved one is to be one with them, allowing them to shine and appreciating our proximity to their greatest attributes. Shlomo Ressler _____________________________________________ Quotation of the week: "Authenticity connects us, and connections heal us."