Weekly D'var Torah

This week’s Torah Portion, Nitzavim, is always read before the High Holidays.  It begins, “You are all standing here today…not only the ones here but the ones not yet here.”  In other words, Moses is speaking directly to us in the present tense.  On Rosh HaShanah, the nation truly does come together to combine into
Am Yisrael, the Jewish People, a spiritual entity that transcends time.

A while back, everyone was talking about “mission statements”, short, pithy phrases that would serve as a touchstone to what a business, organization or institution was all about.  From “Freedom and Justice for All” to “Good Food Cheap”, the idea of a mission statement was to encapsulate a vision, values, goals and even a culture into a few words that evokes them all.  It is important to remember our “mission statement”- Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad- One G-d, One Humanity, One Love, One Justice, One Israel.  “You are My Witnesses, My Light to the Nations,” HaShem tells us through Prophet Isaiah.  
To be a light doesn’t mean any kind of supremacy or self-righteousness.  It is a prescription, not a description.  To be a light is not to preach or try to convince others to be like us.  To be a light is no more and no less than to set an example of a family, a community, a people that strives to live the truth of our mission statement, the Shema.  It is to create that family, that community, that people.

I truly believe that this our moment, as Adath Shalom, thank G-d, grows and flourishes as a synagogue family, to mindfully, deliberately and joyfully live the values that we are proud of as a shul that is truly welcoming, inclusive and engaging.  I hear about members getting together going fishing (last time I tried that- oy… talk about seasick!), visiting historic ballparks, shooting hoops, going out for drinks, playing canasta, and yes, even attending Jewish events and services together!  Let’s do that more!  Let’s welcome our new member families by having them over for Shabbat dinners, making sure that our children get to know their children, developing friendships and connections.  These are the building blocks of community.  
 
Why does shul membership make sense?  There are a million reasons. But one of the most important is as a place of connection.  And more, our synagogue is a field of dreams.  If a member comes to me and asks if we have a grief support group, what is my answer?  If you want, we can create it together!  Or a mah jong game!  Or a Yiddish class!  Or a coffeehouse! Or to put up a play, a blood drive, a trip to Europe, a cooking class, a fantasy football league, a trip to New York City to visit an exhibit, literally anything that you envision and that matters to you; this is your field of dreams!

Recently, one of our members, Len Oppenberg, read about the horrific murder of Ma’ayan Idan, one of the 1,200 victims of the worst mass killing of Jews since the Holocaust on October 7th, 2023.  Len, as the father of a daughter, was tremendously moved to read that Ma’ayan was an aspiring volleyball player planning on continuing her love of the sport as a young adult and athlete during her IDF service.  Her dreams ended when her peaceful village of Kibbutz Nir Oz was attacked and one fourth of its members murdered or kidnapped. Her father Tzachi, later murdered by terrorists in Gaza among them. Len wanted to memorialize Ma’ayan, to make her life matter.  He came to me and working together, we created the Ma’ayan Idan Volleyball Scholarship, enabling children of all backgrounds to enjoy this international sport.  This is what I mean by a field of dreams.  We have reached out to Ma’ayan’s family and the Kibbutz, now rebuilding and hope to carry her legacy forward and to share with our neighbors and friends here in the United States the truth about Israel’s search for peace and co-existence and how the reckless hate that cut short Ma’ayan’s life will not stop the spiritual entity that is Am Yisrael from bringing blessing and being a voice, force and testimony for love, hope, compassion and life.

Whatever your vision is, I hope that you will see Adath Shalom as the place where you can make it happen, or take part in a way that makes sense to you.   The Talmud tells us that during the days of the Roman Oppression when practicing Judaism was a death sentence, a young man, Elisha, was seen by a Roman prelate putting on Tefilin.  The prelate drew his sword and broke into the house to kill Elisha who removed the Tefilin quickly and, holding them in his hand, tried to escape into the market of Tzipori.  Unfortunately, he was quickly caught by the Roman guards, still holding the banned items.  The prelate, still holding his sword, demanded to know what Elisha was holding. “A dove”, said the young man. “Open your hands, now!” snarled the prelate.   Elisha, consigning his soul to the Eternal, opened his palms and held his hands up and, miracle of miracles, a white dove with exquisite wings took flight from his hands that had held Tefilin hidden a moment before.  That is what Tefilin, what Judaism really is, wings to fly with.  Find your wings at Adath Shalom.  L’shana Tova!