Parashat Vayera 5785.
By Rabbi Freedman.
It’s a story Jewish children learn in Hebrew School, and for good reason. Because the narrative around Abraham caring for strangers by his tent contains a core teaching of what Jewish values look like in action. And as adults, we can understand this on a deeper level.
Parashat Vayera begins when Abraham rushes out of his tent on a dog-days-of-summer hot day to welcome three strangers. Magnanimous in every way, Abraham offers to bring them a snack and then basically proceeds to serve Rosh Hashanah lunch combined with Thanksgiving dinner. Of the very best food he could offer. This demonstrates Abraham’s signature value of hospitality, Hachnasat Orchim, which has since been part of Jewish spiritual DNA.
There is a small detail I want to look at closely. Before Abraham offers them food, he says “Yukach Na Me’at Mayim V’Rahatzu Ragleichem V’Hi’sha’anu Tachat Ha’Etz. Let a little water be brought, wash your feet, and recline under the tree” (Gn. 18:4). Recall that on a hot desert day, water is more precious than money. And here Abraham wants to give invaluable water to the strangers…to wash their feet. Why? The Pshat, simple, interpretation is what the Etz Hayim Humash says: “Water for bathing one’s feet was a much-appreciated comfort to travelers with their sandal-like footwear and the pervasive dust of the roads.” This fits with Abraham’s sincere generosity.
Notice that Abraham doesn’t ask any questions of the travelers, like who they voted for, as it were. If there is one thing that was for certain, these men are not Jews. Impossible, for only Abraham’s family are Jewish. But this religious distinction – which is central to Abraham – falls second to their shared humanity.
Here is what Rashi says about why Abraham washed their feet, a Drash, creative interpretation: Abraham believes these are men who worshiped idols on the ground, and he is strict not to allow any idolatry into his house. In other words, he has serious religious differences with them. The water isn’t to make them physically comfortable – like a moist towelette for their feet. The water makes Abraham emotionally and spiritually comfortable by washing away all traces of idolatry. But not even polytheism stops Abraham from reaching out to the travelers. If Abraham can be a good neighbor to these travelers with profoundly different worldviews – then we should too.
This verse also inspires a Midrash quoted by the Etz Hayim Humash: “God promises Abraham, ‘As you brought a little water to My emissaries, I will give your descendants water in the desert. As you brought them bread to eat, I will sustain your descendants with manna for 40 years. As you gave them shade under a tree, I will give the Israelites a cover of clouds to protect them from the desert sun.’” In other words, the kindness Abraham offers the strangers boomerangs to directly benefit Abraham’s future offspring. Then and now, kindness begets kindness.
By Hazzan Jenna Greenberg.
At the very beginning of Parashat Lech L’cha, God commands Avram to go from his home to a land that God will show him. God continues with the following: “I will make of you a great nation,
And I will bless you; I will make your name great, And you shall be a blessing.”
As I first wrote this Thursday Thought on Election Day, long prior to any final results coming in, my sentiments ring true for these days after when results are now clear.
I can’t help but think of this idea of ‘being a blessing’ and how important it is for us to understand this in light of political diversity in our congregation, in our community, in our country. There is no question that presidential elections can have great potential to cause division among us. But I think it is important to remember the blessings of this week, regardless of the final results, which cause some to mourn and others to celebrate.
So what are some of the blessings of this week?
And for all of these, we must remember that each of us, as descendants of Avram, are blessings. May all of our names be made great by the ways we act to improve upon this country and the world in which we live.
Rabbi Alex Freedman.
The weekly Torah reading that highlights Noah has a peculiar beginning: “These are the offspring of Noah – Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations; Noah walked with G-d. – Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japeth.” Why would the Torah tell us that Noah had offspring and then go on a tangent before actually naming his sons? Is the Torah distracted by something? The Rabbis find a deeper lesson.
Here is the Artscroll commentary: “The verse began to introduce the list of Noah’s offspring, but once he was mentioned, Scripture praised him as a righteous man. According to the Midrash, theTorah means to teach that the primary ‘offspring’ of the righteous are their good deeds, for the worthwhile things that a person does are his primary legacy (Rashi).”
In other words, Noah’s first offspring was actually his good deeds. Those came before his children in time, because Noah lived his own life before his children came around.
I appreciate that this interpretation gives such weight to our actions. They are not merely choices to make during the day and ones that fade away into history. Instead our actions are a record of who we are, one that follows us forever, we hope for the good.
This is the first week in a whole month without a Jewish holiday, and 5785 still feels fresh. I hope we retain the sense of renewal that we felt on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. As we re-enter the familiarity of the normal part of the calendar, like Noah, let us give extra attention to our actions post-holidays. Let us treat our choices and actions with the same care we offer our own children.
By Hazzan Jacob Sandler.
This Simchat Torah, we will dance through tears remembering a full year since October 7th, 2023. Many are wondering what, exactly, this is going to look like. The first three hakafot (circuits of dancing) will be recognizably similar to the past few years, with a focus on engaging the children and indulging in the joy that defines the holiday. The fourth hakafah, which is the exact middle, will be slow and somber allowing us to memorialize the yahrzeit of October 7th. We won’t dance. We may even cry. And we will highlight our special new Torah cover as we sing the familiar songs that have carried us through this painful year. The fifth hakafah will serve as a transition back into the joy of the holiday. We will dance again! And we will do so using melodies that inspire hope and celebrate Israel’s strength. Our final two hakafot, informed by the full breadth of emotions we’ve had to hold all year, will be traditional, and joyous with themes of redemption and Jerusalem.
For an outline of the evening’s hakafot:
The annual “Limbo Hakafah”
By Hazzan Jenna Greenberg.
On the first two days of our upcoming holiday of Sukkot, we read from Vayikra 23:42-43 about the mitzvah of dwelling in sukkot for seven days: “All citizens in Israel shall live in sukkot (huts). This is so that future generations will know that I (God) settled B’nei Yisrael in sukkot when I brought them out of Mitzrayim (Egypt). I am God your Lord.”
According to these verses, a sukkah is a kind of shelter and it’s important to remember the shelter that God gave to our ancestors when they left Mitzrayim.
But what kinds of shelter were they? As is often the way in Jewish tradition, a midrash shares two rabbinic opinions. R. Eliezer says: They were actual sukkot, or huts. R. Akiva says: They were clouds of God’s presence.
But could both of these opinions be right? R. Eliezer focuses on the literal, physical hut, whereas R. Akiva considers the metaphorical and spiritual experience of this commandment.
While this is a very hands-on holiday, building and dwelling in a sukkah, even assembling and shaking the arba’at haminim (the 4 species) throughout the week, the physicality inspires the spiritual. When we dwell outside and shake the lulav and etrog, these tangible experiences in and with nature remind us of God’s presence in the world, both over our sukkot and in the creation of everything.
So let us rejoice in God’s creations this week, as we are also commanded in the Torah to be happy on this holiday: V’samachta b’chagecha v’hayita ach sameach, You shall rejoice on your festivals, and should be fully happy!
Chag Sukkot Sameach!!
By Hazzan Jacob Sandler.
It’s hard to believe we’ve passed the one year mark since October 7th 2023. It’s unfathomable that 101 hostages remain in Gaza. I can’t make sense of the rising antisemitism and I remain deeply heartbroken for all we’ve endured this year.
The truth is, every Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, we are called upon to imagine that we stand at the precipice of life and death. However you may feel about the imagery of Unetaneh Tokef and the “Book of Life” in which we seek to have our name inscribed and ultimately sealed, these High Holy Days serve as an opportunity to examine one’s own mortality, and, in so doing, their deeds. If you had asked me on Rosh HaShanah or Yom Kippur last year what I thought the year ahead would bring, I would have surely said something positive. One of my dearest friends and I always go into the new year saying, “This is going to be our year!” As it says in the Mahzor, a year of abundance, a year of blessing, a year of good fortune…a year of song, a year of fulfilling life… a year of rest, a year of consolation, a year of abundant joy, a year of delight…” and it ends with that passage from the people of Sharon, which until this moment I always found puzzling: “May it be Your will, HaShem our God and God of our ancestors, that their homes not become their graves.” (Mahzor Lev Shalem p. 333-334)
And looking back, there were some of those things. There were beautiful babies born, and weddings and b’nai mitzvah and all our usual holidays. And all year, was shadowed by October 7th and its aftermath. I couldn’t have known then that, just as I thought I’d crossed the finish line of the Tishrei holiday season, an entirely new challenge would arise.
I am so honored that in this week of Teshuva, I could lend my voice to the local Port Clinton gathering, organized by those incredible Shamash women. I’m in such awe of their commitment to Israel, their leadership and their strength. I am so honored that I could represent Beth El alongside Rabbi Schwab, Wendy Abrams, Consul General to the Midwest Yinam Cohen and Congressman Brad Schneider at the JUF memorial event on Monday night. It’s moments like these, in community, that I find strength and hope that carry me. At Beth El, we will mark the yahrzeit on Simchat Torah, and I hope you will join us. Because we will dance again. And we will acknowledge that our joy is diminished by this too.
As we approach Yom Kippur, I see with new eyes just how mysterious the year ahead is. I see how little I can take for granted, and I pray that God lives up to the name “Av Harachamim” the merciful Parent. I pray, with my whole, yet heavy and still broken heart, that we be forgiven, individually and as a people. And though it can be hard to ask “Who shall live and who shall die?” I want to raise up the final words of that Unetaneh Tokef prayer: “Uteshuvah, utefillah utzedakah ma’avirin et roa-hag’zerah” Repentance, prayer and acts of loving justice can lessen the harshness of the decree. May we all be blessed for a better year. May we all be sealed in the book of life. May our intentions, our emotions and actions help us to create the world we need – one of peace, safety, truth, and love. G’mar Chatimah Tovah.
By Rabbi Alex Freedman.
We all say “Shanah Tovah” around Rosh Hashanah, and we all say “Happy new year” around January 1st. But they do not mean the same thing.
“Shanah Tovah” means “Have a good year.” And “good” does not always mean “happy.”
Of course I wish we all do have a happy 5785, but that feels out of touch right now. With the horrors of October 7th fresh in our minds; antisemitism incidents at record numbers; the plight of the hostages still in Gaza pressing down on our hearts; and the uncertainty of Israel’s immediate future because of what is happening in Lebanon, this is decidedly not a happy time for the Jewish people. And yet we will gather soon as families and a Beth El community to celebrate the new year with its renewed potential. And we should still say “Shanah Tovah” with conviction.
“Shanah Tovah” means “Have a good year.” And “Tovah/good” takes us to the beginning of Genesis, when G-d creates the world and sees each feature as “Tov/good.” In fact, there is actually one day when G-d creates something and does not declare it to be “good.” The second day is when G-d creates the firmament, the atmosphere that divides the lower waters from the upper. Something about that does not merit the appellation “G-d saw that it was good.”
We keep reading and see that the phrase “G-d saw that it was good” then appears twice on the third day, when G-d gathered the lower waters into oceans and later created seed bearing fruit. What accounts for this unique placement?
The Etz Hayim Humash cites Rashi and shares: “The Sages explain this as due to the act of separation on that day, which may be necessary but is never wholly good…” In other words, what is “good” for the Torah is when an action is complete and makes whole. Division is the opposite.
In this light, we should each wish each other a “Shanah Tovah,” a year when we become more whole, more united, and more complete. May 5785 bring such blessings to all of us.
By Hazzan Jenna Greenberg.
In parashat Nitzavim, we read the following in Deuteronomy 29:28: “Concealed acts, hanistarot, concern the Lord our God; but with overt acts, haniglot, it is for us and our children, Lanu ul’vaneinu, ever to apply all the provisions of this Teaching, HaTorah hazot.” In the context of our parasha, hanistarot and haniglot are acts understood as concealed sins and revealed sins, respectively.
Rashi explains that the concealed or hidden things are between us and God, but the overt or revealed ones have greater potential to affect others. In other words, Kol Yisrael aravim ze bazeh: All Jews are responsible for one another.
Another commentator, the Netziv, explains that this verse is letting us know what our job is to understand about the world. The “hidden things” are the reasons God knows for why things happen, and it’s not our job to worry about those things.
When thinking about this idea of “hidden things,” I am also reminded of Psalm 81:4, the Psalm for Thursday: “Sound the shofar on the New Moon, the festival day when the moon is hidden.” We say these words in the Rosh Hashana Ma’ariv service. This imagery evokes our senses: what is missing in our sight is celebrated with the very audible primal sounding of the ancient shofar, a sound that we’ve been hearing each morning of this final month of 5784.
This announcement during Elul wakes us up each morning, hopefully driving the hidden personal goals within each of us to be revealed by the actions we take. The shofar reminds us that we are accountable to ourselves, a private agreement within each of us, but also to others, in the public ways we act in the world.
May that wake up call drive each of us to make this new year better for us as individuals and for all of us as a community.
Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova.
By Hazzan Jacob Sandler.
In the sixth Haftarah of consolation one of the primary themes is light. It begins,
ק֥וּמִי א֖וֹרִי כִּ֣י בָ֣א אוֹרֵ֑ךְ וּכְב֥וֹד ה’ עָלַ֥יִךְ זָרָֽח׃
“Kumi, ori, ki va oreich; u-chevod Hashem, alayich zarach.”
“Arise, shine, for your light has dawned; The Presence of God has shone upon you!” To paraphrase the next verse or so, Isaiah prophesies a time when the world will be covered in darkness, but the nations of the world will walk by our light, which is a reflection of God’s light.
Later in the haftarah, Isaiah 60:19 further inspires us, “No longer shall you need the sun for light by day, nor the shining of the moon for radiance [by night]; For HaShem shall be your light everlasting.”
I’ve been reflecting in Elul as one ought to do. I’ve been working hard to prepare [professionally] for the High Holidays while also being sure to prepare [personally] for the High Holidays. In my daily journaling, one thing I’m coming to terms with is how hard things often seem to be. All year has been trauma after trigger after tragedy since October 7, and the world does seem to be covered in darkness. And what’s worse, I’m not sure I’ve fully processed the Pandemic and all the emotional baggage incurred then. And on top of those two major historic, communal traumas, I am not immune to my own personal challenges. And I know that’s true in varying degrees for us all.
So when do we get to the comforting light Isaiah described? How do we shine? It’s right there in the first verse. Our light has dawned, and it is a reflection of the Presence of God shone upon us. One of my Elul journaling prompts, from Rabbi Simon Jacobson’s “60 Days” noted the connection between the Hebrew word for face (Panim) and innermost (p’nimi). We might ordinarily think of a face as being the outside, surface level. But our faces are the reflection and gateway to our innermost selves. When we allow ourselves to live authentically, albeit vulnerable at times, we let the light of our souls shine through. Our smile and our words come from the mouth. Our eyes can smile too, and our tears can make our eyes shimmer. Our ears that listen deeply demonstrate our presence with each other. Even our cheeks can glow or blush letting some of our innermost self be on the surface.
I think that’s the idea. For this High Holiday season, we need to return to ourselves. We must find ways to express the innermost holiness and light that is uniquely ours, and is a reflection of God’s presence. We need to live into, and up to our humanness – which is flawed, but also the best representation of God’s divine image in this world. We need to act with integrity, and honesty so that our light can shine forth a path through the darkness. It is that eternal light in our soul which can never be extinguished.
And one last thought: If you need a reminder of your shining light between now and the next time we read Ki Tavo, look no further than Kabbalat Shabbat.. In the 5th verse of Lecha Dodi, we sing “Hitoreri, hitoreri, ki va oreich kumi ori!” a reference to this very passage and weekly affirmation that our light has shined, we must arise and shine it.
By Rabbi Alex Freedman.
We are just a few weeks away from October 7th, 2024, which will mark a full year since that awful day. For me, it feels like both a short time and a long time ago.
Of course we will mark that important day as a community. It’s important for us to do so as a larger Chicago Jewish community, as well as a Beth El synagogue community. And it is vital to commemorate both the English anniversary, Monday, October 7th, as well as the Hebrew anniversary, the holiday of Simchat Torah.
To that end, we will commemorate both occasions. On Monday, October 7th, we encourage our shul community to tune into a special JUF memorial event featuring Chicago Jewish community leaders, including Rabbi Schwab and Hazzan Sandler. Seats are no longer available, but we can all view the livestream. That same evening at Beth El following 7:30 pm Minyan, we will also have a brief ceremony for those of us in the building.
The evening and morning of Simchat Torah will be the time that our Beth El community does something special in house. A few months ago, congregant Marissa Rosenberg approached me and asked if we could participate in an international commemoration called The Simchat Torah Project. The idea behind it is to use a new Torah cover for Simchat Torah dedicated to one of the victims of October 7th. In this way we will “dance with tears” and strike an impossible balance between honoring the sadness of October 7th while still enabling the joy of Simchat Torah, a deep Simcha that should not be diminished. We accepted.
Just last week another congregant, Allison Nemirow, flew to Israel to participate in this project, along with participants from many parts of the world. She was there to bear witness to the devastation of October 7th, meet families of the victims, attend the Shiva for Hersh Goldberg-Polin Z”L, and receive our unique Torah cover. She did so and shared her poignant reflections in last week’s Shabbat sermon. She also printed out photos from her trip, which are kept in the binder on the table dedicated to the hostages. Allison displayed the beautiful Torah cover and shared that it is dedicated to Aner Shapira Z”L, best friend of Hersh, who fell in combat while defending innocents at the Nova Music Festival. Grenade after grenade was lobbed into the small shelter where he and others were hiding, and he heroically threw out seven before the next one exploded, tragically killing him. It is Aner’s name that will be on the Beth El Torah cover.
On Simchat Torah, we will use this Torah cover for the first time, remember the destruction of October 7th, and tell the story of Aner. We will do so before a special Hakafa, circuit, dedicated to the victims. And then we will dance with tears in our eyes. Because the joy of Simchat Torah is a deep Jewish joy that must never be extinguished.
In Israel, Allison was on the ground for Hersh’s Shiva and shared with his parents that all of us Beth El had him in our hearts and send them so much love. It brings me comfort knowing that one of us from Highland Park was able to be there on our behalf.
Marissa is organizing a second project where each of us can send the Goldberg-Polin Family a note. She will turn them into a display that will contain many brief handwritten notes to the family, similar to the small prayer notes deposited in the Kotel. Please participate by taking one of these special papers from the synagogue office and leaving it there by October 4th. The “wall” will be framed and shipped to Israel upon completion.
Please join our community at these two important events marking one year since October 7th.
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