This Thursday I visited my dear friend Paige in the infusion wing of the hospital.

I hadn’t seen her in 5 years, and despite being pumped with chemo chemicals to battle her Hodgkins disease, her soul glowed with the unceasing joy and radiance that is so natural to her.

Paige’s Hebrew name is “Pherach” which means blossom, or flower.

This Shabbat was her first time living in her new apartment, and her first time lighting Shabbat candles as a Jewish adult in her own home.

Between her illness, and her fulfilling the powerful mitzvah of Shabbat candles for the first time, I was not surprised (though very excited) to see her mentioned in this week’s Torah portion - parshat “Korach.”

Bamidbar - Numbers: Chapter 17: Verse 23:

כג וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת, וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה אֶל-אֹהֶל הָעֵדוּת, וְהִנֵּה פָּרַח מַטֵּה-אַהֲרֹן, לְבֵית לֵוִי; וַיֹּצֵא פֶרַח וַיָּצֵץ צִיץ, וַיִּגְמֹל שְׁקֵדִים.

23 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and put forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and bore ripe almonds.

This verse comes soon after a terrible plague is removed from the Jewish people who had rebelled against G-d in their rejecting Moshe and Aaron as leaders of the Jewish people.

Our sages teach us that the words of each week’s Torah portion directly relate to the goings on of the world that very week - both personally, and globally for the entire world.

May we all merit to find personal guidance through the weekly Torah portion.

And may Hashem send my friend Paige (”Pherach bat Sarah”) a speedy recovery. Amen.