This talk has evolved from an initial focus on the Israel Gaza to emphasize instead the spiking levels of antisemitism here in America. Despite this shift in focus, the thematic content of this parshah, Chayei Sarah, could not be more pertinent while Israel buries its 1300 slain family members and continues its war against Hamas.
There’s a certain power in offering blessing one person to the other in moments of transition. While the siddur is a beautiful guide for the notion of prayer, the prayers are meant to be just that, a guide, not a set-in-stone limit to what we can offer.
Click to view the November/December 2023 issue of Neveh Shalom’s Chronicle Please note that the file is large, thank you for your patience.
While we can’t predict the future, perhaps we can use what we know from the past and present to steer ourselves toward the world we wish to build.
One of the messages of Parshat Lech Lecha is that change is possible, and it can have enormous consequences, but it only happens when, individually, we decide the journey is worth it.
How did every type of animal live peacefully during their time on the ark? Our commentary suggests that these animals, unlike the society Noah was from, somehow recognized the dire situation and were able to put aside their natural enmity and cohabitate peacefully in the ark. It was only when the danger was over that they went back to their old habits.
For our sake, for our children’s sake, and for our community’s sake, it’s important that we find ways, even in dark times, to ground ourselves. If we’re to move forward at all, we must physically plant our feet on the ground, push them into the earth, and feel the earth pushing back. We cannot stand for what’s just and what’s right if we’re not first connected in some way to the ground beneath us.
