Dear TBZ community:
As we approach a year since the pandemic hit our lives, since we had to hunker down in our homes and change the ways of our life, many of us feel the weight of this past year. In my conversations with people this past week, I have heard a common refrain: We are “running out of gas.” Or we feel “not having any more to give.” Many of us are feeling pandemic fatigue despite knowing that a hopeful future is on the horizon. Although we know that the vaccine rollout continues and we know that more and more of us will soon be vaccinated, and we know that spring will come, our exhaustion is real -- it is heavy and it can obscure the promising emotion of hope.
כָבֵ֤ד מִמְּךָ֙ הַדָּבָ֔ר לֹא־תוּכַ֥ל עֲשֹׂ֖הוּ לְבַדֶּֽךָ
For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone
These words, from this week's parasha are part of the advice that Yitro, Moses' Father-in-law gives to him when he sees Moses working from morning to night, magistrating and supporting the people of Israel.
“You cannot do it alone” - says the Priest of Midian, to Moses, the greatest prophet of our tradition!
The full verse (Exodus 18:18) reads:
נָבֹ֣ל תִּבֹּ֔ל גַּם־אַתָּ֕ה גַּם־הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר עִמָּ֑ךְ כִּֽי־כָבֵ֤ד מִמְּךָ֙ הַדָּבָ֔ר לֹא־תוּכַ֥ל עֲשֹׂ֖הוּ לְבַדֶּֽךָ
you will surely wear yourself out, and these people as well. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone
The words used in the Hebrew: נָבֹ֣ל תִּבֹּ֔ל, translated here as wear yourself, is used in a verse in Isaiah 34:4:
וְנָמַ֙קּוּ֙ כָּל־צְבָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְנָגֹ֥לּוּ כַסֵּ֖פֶר הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְכָל־צְבָאָ֣ם יִבּ֔וֹל כִּנְבֹ֤ל עָלֶה֙ מִגֶּ֔פֶן וּכְנֹבֶ֖לֶת מִתְּאֵנָֽה
All the host of heaven shall molder. The heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll, And all their host shall wither like a leaf withering on the vine, Or shriveled fruit on a fig tree
Withering like a leaf or a shriveling fruit are images that capture this feeling of exhaustion and of fatigue. Yitro sees that in Moses, or at least sees the potential of that happening to him and teaches him, perhaps the greatest lesson that he learns as a leader: You cannot do it alone. In both images the leaf is still connected to the vine and the fruit to the fig tree. Perhaps we learn from this image that even when we continue to receive sustenance, something can get in our way. The fruit is not off the vine, neither is the leaf on the ground, and still they are drying off. But as Yitro teaches Moses, the connection to the whole, gives the opportunity to thrive.
What I find the most poignant about this advice to Moses, is the timing of his counsel. This same Torah portion that holds the story of revelation -- the most intimate encounter with God, of the giving of the Torah and the Aseret Hadibrot, the Ten Commandments -- holds the advice that You cannot do it alone.
The creation story tells us this from its beginning, when the first human being is created, God says: לֹא־ט֛וֹב הֱי֥וֹת הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְבַדּ֑וֹ It is not good for Adam to be alone. Although usually we read this verse in the context of the creation of a wife for Adam, the concept of partnership between human beings is what speaks clearly and deeply: We need one another.
So my message is simple this Shabbat: We cannot do it alone. We do it together. We do it in community. When we are feeling the exhaustion of this pandemic, when we are feeling the cold of the winter and the fears we hold for ourselves and our kids, when we feel we are withering and shriveling, we have each other. We can receive sustenance from the vine and the fig tree. We are connected. We are community.
If you are alone, if you need support, if you need community, if you know of someone in our community that needs that support, please let me know. Reach out to me directly or to Amy at hesed@tbzbrookline.org.
May this Shabbat bring renewal and blessings to all of you and your loved ones..
May we find strength, courage, and patience, and open our hearts with generosity.
May all those who are ill find healing.
May we have a joyful and restful Shabbat!
Shabbat Shalom,
