Shabbat Shalom.

I have to tell you that I had an epiphany about six or eight weeks ago that I wanted to share with all of you. What was this great epiphany that I had six or eight weeks ago that I want to share with all of you? I love grocery shopping.

It’s true—I love grocery shopping. And in particular, I love grocery shopping at Meijer, Thrifty Acres. Costco is pretty good too, but Meijer—now that’s a grocery store. And I’ll tell you, not only do I love grocery shopping, but—judging by your reaction—all of you love grocery shopping as well. Grocery shopping actually causes me to give thanks to God. I walk in the door of any grocery store, but in particular Meijer, Thrifty Acres, and I say, “Thank you, God, for the abundance in this world and for the opportunity to take advantage of it.”

Now, I’ll tell you, I didn’t always love grocery shopping, and grocery shopping didn’t always cause me to give thanks to God. In full disclosure, for most of our marriage—at least the first part—Rebecca did the vast majority of the grocery shopping, often with one of the little kids in tow. And then, as she began working full-time outside of the house, we became a two-full-time-working-family, and therefore, grocery shopping got divided between the two of us. It was insane because you had just those few minutes of time, and you had to rush into the grocery store, try to get everything on the shopping list before the next appointment, the next meeting, the next obligation, the next commitment—whatever it was.

And it was a race through Meijer. I would make sure to wear my comfy shoes so I could go up and down those aisles like nobody’s business. And then COVID happened. Do you remember grocery shopping during COVID? By the way, COVID began five years ago this month. There’s a frame of reference, right? Do you remember grocery shopping during COVID? You put as many layers on as you could possibly put on. You covered yourself with a face mask. I felt lucky to wear glasses at the time. And you were ready to go into battle. You went into the grocery store, did all the grocery shopping you could as quickly as you could, and then came home. And did you just put the groceries away like you do now? No—you wiped off every box and every package of your groceries. Maybe it was a little insane, a little intense, but it was five years ago. It was the beginning of the pandemic.

As we began to emerge from the pandemic, all of a sudden, grocery shopping felt less like a chore and more like an opportunity—especially once we could go out without the masks on. Do you remember? All of a sudden, it was like the world had opened up. We could be near each other, could even pass next to somebody, and it was—it was going to be okay. And that began to evolve, and grocery shopping was fine. It was just something we needed to do.

Yes, time was still limited, but you know, it was fine. It was grocery shopping. And my kids know that there’s a difference between when Abba goes grocery shopping and when Ima goes grocery shopping. Yes, we have our grocery list, and when Ima goes grocery shopping, sometimes there’s an extra fruit or vegetable thrown in. But when Abba goes grocery shopping? An extra bag of potato chips.

The Meijer Fauritos. Did you know they’re Hechsher? Right—the fake Doritos at Meijer, because everything at Meijer is better. And the Meijer Chunky Chipster cookies. Are you familiar with the Meijer Chunky Chipster cookies? The best chocolate chip cookies.

Until about six or eight weeks ago, when—sure enough—I was rushing through the grocery store just like I always am, but I happened to find myself down the cookie aisle. It happens.

And I came across something called Post Malone Oreos.

Oh. My. God. Have you ever tried the Post Malone Oreos? Yeah, some of you have. Now, I have the opportunity because I know that my kids, from time to time, like a Post Malone song—he’s a musician. But we don’t usually buy Oreos—they’re a little more expensive than the Meijer brand. But I thought, “You know what? I’m going to do it.” And sure enough, I grabbed those Post Malone Oreos off the shelf. I took them home. We opened them up. Oh my God.

They are proof that there’s a Maker in heaven. I’m telling you, you have to try them. They didn’t pay me for this—you’re welcome to after this—but the Post Malone Oreo cookies? Proof that there’s a God. And it made me begin to think how blessed we are to walk into a grocery store and really have just about anything we want in that grocery store. Now, Costco is an interesting exception. Meijer is an interesting exception because, in the same grocery trip, you can buy a television and a toothbrush, toilet paper, and any fruit or vegetable you could want. It’s an interesting phenomenon. But oh my gosh—thank you, God, for letting us live in a day and an age when we can go to the grocery store and have essentially anything that we want, within reason.

How blessed we are. Thank you, God, for the abundance that is our world. And then, of course, talking about Meijer and Costco and my love of grocery shopping naturally brings us to our Torah portion this week, Parshat Tetzaveh.

We learn about how the Kohanim of old used to dress. The priests in ancient times wore very plain white outfits, except for one person—the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest. And he wore an outfit after which our Torah scrolls now resemble. There was a sash around his waist. He wore a beautiful robe, a gorgeous breastplate, a crown on his head. And on that crown was affixed something that would actually turn inward toward his forehead with the words “Kodesh LaHashem” written on it—”Holy to God.”

And on that plate that was pressed against his forehead was a reminder that his job, his role in this world, was to serve God in fullness and holiness. Not just that, but his robe was adorned all around with bells so that every move the Kohen Gadol made, he did with bells on. You could perceive and hear every move that he made. Now, if you’re the High Priest and you know that people are paying attention to your every move because you have these bells on, you’re going to elevate yourself a little higher and make sure that every move is done intentionally.

Rabbi Mordechai Gifter teaches that this is what a person of faith should strive for—to assume as if we have bells on, so that if every move we make is devoted to God, then everybody around us will hear the holiness of our actions. We should live our lives as if we have these same bells on so that each and every movement is dedicated to God.

I recently heard a beautiful story: each and every person of faith is gifted by God with two sets of glasses. One set of glasses attunes your eyes to all the suffering in the world—the sadness, the pain, the hunger, the deprivation. When wearing those glasses, every action should be dedicated toward healing the brokenness in this world. But there’s a second set of glasses, and when you put those on, you see the beauty of the world—the joy, the happiness, the blessing, the abundance that God has provided us.

As we approach Shabbat Zachor, may we remember to wear the right glasses at the right time—to see suffering and respond with action, and to see blessings and respond with gratitude. And the next time you’re in Meijer, Thrifty Acres, may you walk in with eyes wide open and give thanks to God for the abundance before you.