“The Power of the Elderly” | December 31st, 2021
While some believe it impolite to ask people’s ages, too often in society issues of power and responsibility are mixed up with issues of age. We make assumptions about the hot-headed natures of the young and the slow thinking of the old. We presume that only people with significant “life experience” are qualified to hold important jobs, yet ageism is rampant among hiring departments. Age and power are often inseparable parts of the way we view others.
In our parsha, Vaera, we get a sense of just how frequently our assumptions about age are wrong. The leaders of the great slave rebellion against the Egyptians and the leaders of the liberation of the Israelites are not young idealistic revolutionaries. Our parsha teaches that “Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three, when they made their demand on Pharaoh.” (Exodus 7:7). In the context of the Torah, it’s clear, their ages are not a disadvantage. If anything, the wisdom they have acquired over their years has helped them see the necessity in their action and given them confidence and gravitas when approaching Pharoah. Together, they shoulder a heavy burden of leadership while preparing the people of Israel for the leadership of future generations.
That the Torah highlights their advanced ages, even though they both live for another 40 years, reminds us that the elderly in society have much to contribute to society, and for making the world a better place. Moses and Aaron teach us that revolution and fighting for what’s right isn’t just for the young, it’s for anyone who can see the world needs improving. And often those who can see the best are the ones who have experienced the most. The more we expect and accept the contributions of all generations, the more full and more free our world will be.
Rabbi Jeremy Fineberg
“Parashat Vayehi” | December 17th, 2021
Parshat Vayehi wraps up the stories of Joseph and Jacob, culminating in their deaths and entombment for future burial in Israel. With the conclusion of the Joseph narrative is the end of the book of Genesis. As that chapter closes so too does the focus on family and relationships in the text.
Next week, when we begin the book of Exodus and then continue through the subsequent three books of the Torah the singular focus is on nationhood, not personalities. There is little character development. Beyond Moses and a glimpse of Aaron and Miriam, we do not get deep dives into any of the behaviors, thought processes, and values of essential personas in the Bible.
This reminds me that all of life and our paths begin with a solid foundation with our family. If we do not create a basis for love, compassion understanding, and appreciation for what makes people tick, we cannot develop a nation or a career or a path towards tomorrow. Humanity is always our foundation. From there, we grow forward and outward.
We might finish Genesis and the exploration into characters and personas in the Bible this Shabbat, but our connectivity to that foundation in our lives and our study is sacrosanct and never ending. Let that be our focus always!
Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner
“The Silver Platter” | December 10th, 2021
It’s impossible for me to think about this week’s parsha, Vayigash, without thinking about the poem “The Silver Platter” by the Israeli poet Natan Alterman. The word for platter, magash/מגש, comes from the same root as the name of the parsha- Vayigash/ויגש, “And he drew near.”
The Silver Platter tells a story of the sacrifices made and lives lost to establish the state of Israel, which reaches its peak in the voice of two of those soldier-sacrifices, who describe themselves as “ the silver platter / On which the Jews’ state / Was presented today.”
Their statement, voiced in the present, means that the State of Israel as we know it wouldn’t exist without the sacrifices of so many young men and women, “Dressed in battle gear, dirty / Shoes heavy with grime.” Alterman challenges us with the idea that nothing of value can be achieved without putting something of equal value on the line.
When he makes that claim, he is in direct conversation with Judah’s behavior in our parsha. He knows that he cannot succeed in saving his brother Benjamin’s life from the designs of the seemingly evil Egyptian viceroy (really Joseph in disguise) without offering up something of equal value. So Judah draws himself near to the Egyptian and offers himself instead: “therefore, please let your servant [me] remain as a slave to my lord instead of the boy [Benjamin]” (Gen. 44:33).
Judah’s drawing near and offering himself shows Joseph that he can trust his brothers. It’s a heavy burden, but Judah’s act as a silver platter saves and guarantees the Jewish future. The story and the poem remind us that there is a heaviness in drawing close, but if we want to achieve anything, whether a homeland for the Jewish people or a reconciliation of estranged family members, we all have something worth offering.
Rabbi Jeremy Fineberg
“A Second Shamash and the Miracle of Kindness” | December 3rd, 2021
Most of us are familiar with the story of Chanukah and know that there are 2 miracles associated with the holiday. The miracle that is first applied to the story of Chanukah is the surprising military defeat of the Seleucid-Greeks at the hands of the Maccabees and the subsequent rededication of the Temple as the central site of Jewish worship. The second miracle is one that is recounted in the Talmud regarding the small jug of oil used for the lighting of the Menorah in the Temple that should have lasted for only one day but lasted for eight. To this day we light the Chanukiah, the Chanukah menorah, to recall these miracles as each night we light one Shamash, the helper candle, and a series of lights corresponding to the day.
But there is a Jewish community, that to this day, lights another Shamash to recall a modern miracle that happened to them. The following tradition is explained by Joseph Mosseri, the Brooklyn Syrian Jewish community’s local historian:
“Those from Spain who lived in Aleppo had and have a special Chanukah custom till today. Those Spanish Aleppo Jews light one extra light on each night of Chanukah. On the 1st night when all the Jews of the world light 2 lights (1 plus the shamash), they light 3 (one plus the shamash plus an extra shamash). By the end of the holiday when we all have 9 (8 plus the shamash), these Spanish Aleppians have 10 (8 plus the shamash plus the extra shamash).
The reason for this custom is that after the expulsion from Spain they finally found haven in Aleppo but the indigenous community would not accept them into the community at first. But by Chanukah, they were finally accepted. This of course caused them much joy, they deemed it a miracle for themselves and their families for all times that they decided to light an
extra light each night of the holiday.”
On this Shabbat of Chanukah let’s remember and commit ourselves to bringing light to the world through kindness. While most of us do not light another shamash, maybe we should as a reminder of the kindness that we can do to one another and the miracle it would be if we all acted with the fullest of good intentions and kindness towards all.
Rabbi Jeremy Ruberg
“Thanksgiving Message” | November 25th, 2021
Inherent in the word for a Jewish soul, Yehudi, is the root word for Hodu, which translates to thankful. This means that at the essence of the Jewish identity is an attitude of gratitude and a posture of gratefulness.
One of an observant Jewish person’s first acts each morning is to offer a short summation of prayers that recognizes our Creator for all our bodily functions and abilities that we too often take for granted.
That prayer loosely translates to: Thank you God for making our bodies with intricacy and detail. You have fashioned us with veins and arteries, canals and ducts. If one of those that should be opened, closes or one that should close, opens, we are unable to serve humanity and the world.
Being able to realize the intricacy and complexity of humanity is one of countless items we too often take for granted. This is one of the reasons why the sages of old aspired for every person to recite 100 blessings each day. By doing so, we would be trained to have a perspective of appreciation and realizing the miracles, small and large, that surround us every day.
On this holiday of Thanksgiving, let us never lose our posture of gratitude and thankfulness for the blessings that abound. From the sun rising in the sky to the blood that pumps through our bodies, we are surrounded by miracles and blessings that deserve appreciation and acknowledgement every day, if not at least on this sacred holiday for all humanity.
Dori and our children wish you and your loved ones a blessed, safe and thankful holiday where you can realize and appreciate the miracles and blessings that surround us every day.
Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner