| :Lessons from a 90-Year-Old Skydiver and Parshas Balak This week in Salisbury, North Carolina, a 90-year-old man did something extraordinary: he jumped out of a plane at 14,000 feet. But that wasn’t even the most daring part—Ray Schehr later admitted he hadn’t told his wife he was going skydiving. Let’s pause for a moment and admire this remarkable man who was more afraid of his wife than of jumping from the sky! There’s something powerful in his story: live with courage, embrace adventure—but don’t forget to be wise and sensitive. After his safe landing, Ray summed up his experience with a quote that framed it all: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” It’s the kind of line you’d find embroidered on a pillow or printed on a fridge magnet—but it speaks to something real. We often sleepwalk through life until something shakes us awake. Sometimes that shake is 14,000 feet in the air. And sometimes… it’s a talking donkey.Enter Parshas Balak. In one of the most surreal scenes in the Torah, Bilaam—the non-Jewish prophet hired to curse the Jews—is stopped in his tracks by his own donkey. The donkey sees what Bilaam, the “seer,” cannot: an angel blocking the road. It swerves, stops, and finally speaks—rebuking Bilaam for his aggression. Missing the MomentHere’s the obvious question: if your donkey suddenly talked, wouldn’t that take your breath away? Imagine walking your French bulldog and it says, “We really need a new route.” You’d probably check yourself for sanity. But not Bilaam. He argues back, as if it’s just another frustrating moment. The encounter was divine—meant to shake him into awareness. But he was so locked into his agenda that he missed the miracle entirely. He saw, but didn’t see.He heard, but didn’t listen.He lived, but wasn’t fully alive. Moments That MatterRay Schehr’s skydive teaches the same lesson Parshas Balak urges us to remember: life isn’t about how many days we live—it’s about how many moments we truly experience.Are we awake enough to notice the turning points, the miracles, the soul-stirring signs—even when they come through unexpected messengers? Ray jumped out of a plane to feel alive. But Torah offers us a weekly jump—moments that invite awe, growth, and transformation. Shabbos is that sacred pause. It pulls us away from screens and schedules and brings us back to what matters—family, community, and self.There are other Jewish jumps too. When we perform a mitzvah with intention—like listening deeply to someone’s pain, giving tzedakah, or helping without being asked—we don’t just act. We awaken and realize—my life matters. There’s no greater breath of fresh air than that. The Kotzker Rebbe was once asked, “Where is G-d?” He replied, “Wherever you let Him in.”Mitzvos are G-d’s way of nudging us to let Him in—to engage more deeply with Him, with ourselves, and with why we’re here. Try it. Do a mitzvah with purpose. Let it take your breath away—then breathe it in deeply. The Angels on Your PathWherever you are in your Jewish journey, let yourself be inspired—not just by a 90-year-old’s bravery, but by the Torah’s invitation to notice the angels on your path. They may appear on Shabbos, during a mitzvah, or in an unexpected reconnection. Taking the LeapAnd one more lesson from Ray: the next time you face a challenge, ask yourself—am I really afraid of the jump, or just afraid of who I’ll have to tell afterward? For many Jews, the scariest leap isn’t skydiving—it’s walking into a Shabbos meal for the first time, stepping into a shul, or reconnecting with mitzvos after years away. Often, it’s not the risk that holds us back—it’s the fear of how others might react to our courage.Real growth begins when we stop letting fear—of judgment, failure, or awkwardness—stand between us and the life we’re meant to live. So go ahead—take the leap. You don’t need a parachute. Just a little faith in yourself. Shabbat Shalom |
