From the Rabbi's Desk...
Rabbi Irwin Huberman
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January 27, 2012
A Giant Celebration
It is written in the second Book of Samuel, Chapter 23, Verse 12:
“…Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.”
Three thousand years later, on February 5, 2012, in the middle of a field in Indianapolis, the Giants of New York will engage in combat with the Patriots of New England. We hope for similar results.
And on that day, CTI will be holding a Super Bowl party, as we gather around our big screen television and watch the big game together. We will enjoy good food, good companionship, and good spirits. We will also recite the Borei Pri Hagafen blessing over champagne after the game.
The event is being organized by the CTI’s Men’s Club and will begin at 6:00pm with kickoff at 6:30pm.
Let’s huddle up for the New York Giants.
Programming Notes
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Rabbi Molly Karp’s class on the books of Joshua and Judges has been rescheduled to this Saturday at 7:00pm. Last week’s scheduled class was postponed due to the weather.
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Rabbi Isaac Mann’s class on the Talmud will be running every Thursday night at 7:30pm from now until the end of February. Prior to Rabbi Mann’s arrival, I will be holding a pre-class session at 7:00pm.
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The first of CTI’s scheduled classes on the “Great Rabbis of the 20th Century” has been rescheduled from this Tuesday evening, to Sunday, February 19 at 7:30pm. The series will be taught by individual congregants. The first session, led by Dr. Marty Shooman, will feature the life and philosophy of Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik.
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Binnie Goldhirsch’s Yoga and the Hebrew alphabet continues this Monday evening at 7:00pm.
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Rehearsals continue this Wednesday at 7:30pm for this year’s Purim Schpiel. The theme this year is Shushan Night Fever. Here’s a link to some of the great songs:
http://www.purimshpiels.com/shushan.php. Actors, singers, dancers, and stage hands—old and new—are welcome!
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A Common Hope, A Common Destiny
This week's Torah portion provides us with an interesting lesson: that we as Jews are not alone in our suffering on this earth.
The Parashah (weekly portion) tells us that when the embattled Pharaoh finally consented to "let our people go," it was not just Jews who departed. The Torah tells us that erev rav allah, a mixed multitude. went with them.
So who were these people?
Our texts tell us that alongside the Israelites walked other slaves, along with some Egyptians who did not support slavery, including legend has it, Batya, Pharaoh's daughter.
The Torah tells us as well that Egyptian sympathizers placed gold, silver, and jewels in the pockets of departing slaves.
Indeed, these apparent acts of lovingkindness, empathy, and civil disobedience seem to fly in the face of our stereotypical accounts of the brutal Egyptians who. as a cohesive nation subjugated Israel. But it was not so.
The Israelites’ slavery in Egypt was initiated by the Pharaoh and his supporters, and it would be naïve of us to hold that everyone was responsible. Egypt, like our world today, was a complex place, inhabited by people of different opinions and perspectives.
Indeed, while the archeological jury is still out today with regard to what really happened in Egypt, the central metaphor of the Torah rings true.
We, as a people, are a nation of underdogs who have risen from the depths of Egypt to become God's unique people—champions of justice and freedom. And we have done this by embracing the themes of history rather than obsess about the exact facts.
For example, we cherish the rituals of Passover. We sit at the table together and recount the story of Passover, and each in their own way interprets the story of Passover as the Torah commands us, in ways that can best be absorbed by our children.
Passover is about freedom. It is about understanding both the physical and spiritual slavery of others. It is about inclining ourselves towards alleviating the suffering of others.
But let us also be careful that we do not build a fence around any one nation, nationality, or religion and assign them uniform characteristics. Indeed, we as a Jewish people have borne the brunt of that injustice so many times in our history.
It is said that people truly defines themselves as Jews when, after they hear of a crime committed, they look at the name and ask "Was he Jewish?" For as history has often proven, when one of us commits an indiscretion, often all Jews are linked to the event.
But we ourselves know better.
We need to remind ourselves that the entire religion of Islam is not responsible for some of the past and current acts of violence. Neither are all Christians responsible for acts committed during the Holocaust.
Perhaps one of the most difficult challenges we face as a Jewish people is to refrain from grouping others as enemies.
Rather, we need to embrace goodness and godliness wherever it is found. Indeed, thousands of years ago, non-Jews worshipped at the holy temples of Jerusalem, just as today we welcome those of any faith or background to attend and participate at our own synagogue.
Anyone of a mixed marriage, anyone who comes here with a spirit of openness and love, anyone who comes to study or worship with us—they are indeed welcome.
The Torah portion this week reminds us that we were not, and are not, the only nation on earth to suffer. It is one reason why, in the fields of the south two hundred years ago, African Americans chanted the spiritual "Let my people go," throwing their spiritual lot with Moses and the Jewish people.
Afro-Americans were inspired by the same metaphors from the Exodus story as we were, and continue to be so.
Let us remember that, when it was time to depart Egypt, we were joined by the multitudes: many nations, tribes, and families who also suffered. And on the way out, Egyptians who felt our pain loaded us with precious gifts.
We commit an ongoing error if we group any one people as our enemy. We have been victimized by this philosophy and therefore should never impose it on others.
We should be open when a person of another religion or background reaches out.
Indeed, as the great Conservative Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, "No religion is an island. We share the kinship of humanity and the capacity for compassion… the creation of one Adam promotes peace… no one can claim my ancestry is nobler than yours."
Let us not close our hearts to others. Cooperation with other religions and backgrounds are important as together we work to heal the world.
Most importantly, our synagogue must continue to be a place where all people are welcome to pray, to love, and to seek truth. For indeed, we all ask the same questions of life. And, like the multitudes who departed Egypt, as the Torah teaches us this week, we are all in this together.
Shabbat shalom.
Best wishes to every for a Shabbat of peace and reflection.
Kol tuv (with all goodness),
Rabbi Irwin Huberman
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