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Category Archives: From the Rabbi
Rabbi’s Message for May
There are so many powerful images from the Boston Marathon bombing; indeed, there are many that I’m certain will stay with me for the rest of my life. But I think the one that resonates the deepest was one of the first I saw: It began a few seconds before the blast, with a procession of exhausted but happy marathoners limping across the finish line; then it showed a flash of fire and billowing smoke; and then, after an intense moment of shock and horror, it showed literally dozens of people sprinting towards the danger, leaping over the barricades or pulling them down—anything to get the injured, the suffering, the dying. There was no way for these first responders to know whether another bomb was about to explode and literally tear them limb from limb. It didn’t matter to them; their souls compelled them to go amongst the suffering, regardless of the cost. In Judaism there is a word for such behavior: We call it kedushah, or holiness. I am filled with awe as I contemplate these people, because I believe they have done one of the holiest things that a human being can do. As it happens, in that … Continue reading
Yesterday’s Tragedy
Israeli Poet Yehuda Amichai writes: The diameter of the bomb was thirty centimeters and the diameter of its effective range about seven meters, with four dead and eleven wounded. And around these in a larger circle of pain and time, two hospitals are scattered and one graveyard. But the young woman who was buried in the city she came from, at a distance of more than a hundred kilometers, enlarges the circle considerably, and the solitary man mourning her death at the distant shores of a country far across the sea includes the entire world in the circle. And I won’t even mention the crying of orphans that reaches up to the throne of God and beyond, making a circle with no end and no God. We are shocked and saddened by yesterday’s bombing. The only words that come to mind are: senseless, horrific, tragic. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. Last night a group of TBA women gathered at the home of Dina Davidyan for our monthly Rosh Hodesh Group. We commemorated Yom Hazikaron (Israeli Remembrance Day) and Yom Haatzmaut (Israeli Independence Day), by studying about Israeli women. Dina and I agreed that we … Continue reading
Rabbi’s Message for April
In the book of Leviticus we find this passage: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not remove completely the corner of your field as you reap and you shall not gather the gleanings of your harvest; for the poor and the proselyte shall you leave them; I am Hashem, your G-d.” (Leviticus 23:22). Rashi, the medieval scholar, comments that when one shares one’s bounty with the poor, it is as if it were offered on God’s altar. TBA has its own community vegetable garden. There is a strong movement to create gardens at congregations, both as an environmental action as well as a social justice one. The last congregation where I worked had such a garden; they called it a Peah Garden, after the passage cited above. Peah is a corner left for the poor to come and glean. It was about five times the size of our garden, and members or families each had a plot. Most of the produce was donated to a soup kitchen. There is also a local organization called Ganei Beantown (the “gardens of beantown”) that encourages, facilitates, and supports the creation of gardens in the greater Boston Jewish community. Our … Continue reading
Rabbi’s Message for March
Believe it or not, spring is around the corner, and so is Passover. Soon we will gather around our tables with family and friends and tell the story of our Exodus from Egypt. Our tradition teaches that the Exodus was not just an historical event; we are meant to tell the story as if we ourselves were actually slaves in Egypt. Indeed, the Sfat Emet, an early 20th century Chassidic rabbi, went further: He taught that Passover is a holiday not of the past, but of the present. The purpose of Passover is to create a narrative through which Jews come to see the existence of “Divinity” in themselves. What lesson of Passover generates this realization? We were once enslaved, and then we were freed—and none can be truly free while others are enslaved. As Americans, we are taught from an early age that freedom isn’t free. It must be fought for, and maintained with eternal vigilance. There are so many ways to fight for freedom in our world, and Passover is the perfect time for each of us to reflect: “What is my cause? And how can I bring a discussion of that cause into our seder?” Our community … Continue reading
Rabbi’s Message for February 2013
“More than the Jews have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jews.” (Ahad Ha’am) On January 12 the building was bustling with children and families who were at TBA to celebrate Shabbat. Once a month we host the PJ Library’s Shabbat Circle, led by our fabulous teacher, Stephanie Band. Families with young children sing, pray, and listen to stories. My son, Leo, loves coming, especially for the challah and juice. PJ Library Shabbat Circle is a program of the Robert I. Lappin Foundation, so it draws families that are members of TBA, as well as families from the larger community. Once a month we also host Junior Congregation for our older kids and their parents. It is led by a recent graduate of Brandeis University, Eliana Light. Deb Vozella met Eliana at the New CAJE convention, which is a gathering for Jewish educators. Eliana brings her strong Jewish background as well as her skills as a songwriter and performer to her services, which are engaging and educational. The next Shabbat Circle and Junior Congregation will be February 2. Our weekly Shabbat morning service is greatly enhanced once a month by Seth Landau. Seth continues to bring a richness … Continue reading
Responding to Tragedy
The news over the past few days has brought me, and countless others around the world, to tears. Each detail of the horrific tragedy in Newtown creates an ache in the depths of my being, and makes me want to hold onto Leo even tighter. Rabbi James Kahn of Rockland, Maryland teaches that trauma has that effect on us, scoring a direct hit on the soul. The Hebrew word for ‘soul’ (neshamah) acknowledges its connection to breath (neshima). Many of us felt that connection in our kishkes. The wind was knocked out of us… we were breathless, even speechless in the face of trauma. One of our responses this past weekend was to hold a special service on Sunday morning. The sanctuary was filled with children and adults alike. Sensitive to the fact that the younger children may not know the details of what transpired in Connecticut, we did not mention the event directly. Instead we focused on the need to be together as a community and to give thanks for each other. The children led most of the service – their beautiful voices simultaneously bringing tears to our eyes and healing some of the pain. Yet there is also … Continue reading
Rabbi’s Message for December
On November 18, the sanctuary at Congregation Shirat Hayam was filled with people coming together for the rally for Israel. Reflections were shared. Prayers were said for those who had been injured, for those who had been senselessly killed, and for the IDF soldiers to return safely home. Speakers expressed the pain we all feel when we have to use violence in order to defend ourselves. At the time of writing this article, we are in a cease-fire that we pray holds. As Israel goes, so go Jews around the world. Our hearts break. We are afraid. We seek solace in coming together. We long for peace so that our people can live in freedom and security—so that they can just live normal lives. This is always our hope. This is Hatikvah, the hope, the Israeli national anthem. It is said that Jews are assirei tikvah, prisoners of hope. Hope is of course a theme of Hanukkah. In the middle of a cold December, it can be hard to focus on light and hope. But our ancient story of the Maccabees reminds us that miracles come at the most unexpected times. As Jews around the world prepare to observe the … Continue reading
