Storahtelling

Mile High Mavens present - The Closer
Aspen Jewish Congregation, July 23.
Bnai Vail July 24.

Written by:
Caryn Aviv producer maven
Eliot Baskin character Moses
Bruce Shaffer lead maven

Birdie Becker, Torah leiner
Cherie Karo Schwartz maven mentor

Parashat Va’Etchanan
D’varim 3:23-25; 26-29; 4:1-4

Sometimes even Moses, CEO of Israelites, Inc., needs to get away from it all.So, Mile High Mavens packed up the van, belted him in the back seat, and headed up to Aspen Jewish Congregation and B’nai Vail (yep, really) for Shabbat Vaetchanan. Road trip!

Moses had been in a deep funk about the orders from the One upstairs, that after leading the Company for 40 years to within a chip shot of the Promised Land Development, Gen-J(oshua) was going to close the deal. So he did what any leader of greatness and humility would do (aliya 1): he begged, “he pleaded”, he kissed … ahem. Bad news (aliya 2): the Boss was not impressed. “Hand over the Company manual to Joshua, and you take a hike -- up the mountain.”

What’s a guy not ready for the golf course to do? But, aaaah, those simple Aspen mountain folk, they know. (Stretch) “Moses, were you listening? ‘Ascend Mount Pisgah, look all around.’ Get a fresh view.” With a Starbucks and a good morning stretch in the Vail valley, Moses could hear even more: “Can you see what you have accomplished, and make the most of that?”, they queried. Moses took that to his office, and soon returned (aliya 3) to begin his retirement speech, the closing of the greatest legacy gift of all: the Torah.

Mile Highers R.Eliot Baskin, R.Birdie Becker and Bruce Shaffer debuted Storahtelling in Aspen at the invitation of the AJC’s new rabbi and cantor, David Segal and Rollin ?????, and were enthusiastically welcomed back for our second maven at B’nai Vail, led by R. Debra Rappaport. We’re looking forward to return engagements next summer, and hoping to add Breckinridge, Telluride and Durango added to the tour. Road trip!