Weekly D'var Torah

Read about the Israel Day Parade on June 9th

The Adath Shalom Delegation to the Israel Day Parade along with our friend from Ofakim (sister city) Daniel Ori.  BIG tip of the Rabbinic Shtreimel to Ilyssa Tepperman for leading and coordinating.  Yeshar Ko’ach- what a ride!

In this week’s Torah portion, BaMidbar, Moshe (Moses), Aharon and the Tribal Princes organize the nation for the trek to the Promised Land.

                      Artist’s rendering of the layout of the Israelite encampment on our way to Israel

I’ve always wondered why the long and involved process of accounting, organizing, erecting tribal banners, traveling tribe by tribe with each tribe tasked with a different mission: Judah as the vanguard, Dan as the rearguard helping those having trouble keeping up, and each tribe pitching in in their own way.

I mean, weren’t we all going to the same place?  Couldn’t Moses have just stood on a big rock and yelled, “Let’s go!  Thataway!”  Why the need for all the organizing?  We had food (Mannah), water (Miriam’s well) and a 24/7 guide: the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.  Why all the arrangements and marching order and banners and placement?

This past Sunday I learned.

Nearly two hours we waited on 52nd Street in the hot sun, the whole MetroWest contingent of marchers, for when we’d step out onto Fifth Avenue to take our part in the March for Israel.  Most years, I figure that the Jewish communities of greater New York don’t need our help for this.  It’s a long drive and a long day-

But this year, I had to go.  And for the first time in at least ten years, we sent a delegation along with hundreds of others from MetroWest… few or many, nearly all of our Morris County shuls were there.  Each Jewish community wore a different colored tee shirt to aid in organization and order as well as security. 

And it was incredible.

Even a grizzled old Rabbi with a bum knee schlepping along for fourteen blocks felt it: the sense of mission, of solidarity, of positivity, of joy of being together, of purpose and above all, of hope. 

In recent months, we’ve heard about the encampments that have sprung up endorsing destruction and hate, disseminating vile falsehoods, supporting terrorism and calling for the genocide of the Jewish people in its land.  Large, organized, well-funded campaigns based on demonizing, delegitimizing, destroying and denying, occupying, disrupting, excluding anyone daring to believe that Israel has the right to exist.

Against that, much smaller, much shorter in duration were gatherings like the marches in Washington and Sunday’s march down Fifth Avenue.  In contrast to the hate, the distortions, the calls for death, we are dedicated to moving forward: to the return of the hostages, to peace and safety, coexistence and dialogue.  Marching forward as communities, each community in its place, all of us together, unity without uniformity, a single strong message that did not sacrifice nuance and appreciation for the individual.  No slogans but the desire to bring the hostages home and the celebration of Jewish resilience: Am Yisrael Chai.

And that is the difference between an encampment of hate and a march of faith, between entrenched bigotry and directed positivity.  That is why our progress to the land of Israel was conducted as it was: the Twelve Tribes of Israel led by the Pillar of G-d’s Presence, centered in the Torah’s teachings of love and justice. 

The Adath Crew in Action

Dozens of folks photographed Len’s brilliant sign- will the tee-shirt be coming out soon?