A Note from Rabbi Raina
The Jewish festival of Shavuot begins this evening. It is the time of the first harvest, the time of the giving of the Torah, and the season of revelation.
This is a season unlike any other. No one would disagree about that. Way back 50 days ago, we were preparing for the first Zoom Seder ever. Since then, there have been dozens of online meetings, sessions, classes, services, get-togethers and so forth. And tonight, as we gather around our computers to study Torah with some terrific scholars, we will be Zooming Shavuot. I am looking forward to being a student in the zoom crowd as well as a teacher at 9pm Central “How to Chant the Book of Ruth”. Learning is a gift. Below in the Shavuot information is a link to attend.
I think we have learned a great deal from others during this pandemic. Some good. Some not so good. We have seen violence, persecution, threats but also compassion, understanding and love.
And as we have learned about each other, we have also learned about our country. The racial divide, the political divide, the class divide, the economic divide and the truthfulness divide has become fully apparent. We have been told it was always there by those who felt it but many of us may have tucked it away under the file of 'not really my problem.' But now it is our problem. Indeed, our problem is the violence, but our problem is also the excusers of the violence, the lies, and the hate.
I am quite certain by now that this country has fundamentally changed due to the virus. Of course, we have no idea how much so, but it is possible that the pain we are feeling now will be the trigger for healing and self-awareness. I could be dreaming, of course, but I would rather dream of a better future than despair of the future if it is like the present.
As we enter into the Shavuot season, we also enter into the book of Numbers. This is not a coincidence. The experience of the exodus from Egypt freed us. The experience at Sinai defined us. The desert experience molded us. And in so many places in the book of Numbers, there was division, anger, jealousy, hatred and strife. You know, what happens when two Jews have three opinions! (Old joke, I know, but true). But in the mind of the Jew, having disagreements is not a bad thing. Even getting angry is not a bad thing. The Torah may have a judgement against the rebellions and anger and jealousy but it never commands us to repress it. The Torah knows we can't. No, the Torah is a document of the story of how we emerged as a people out of the desert. Going through the desert was the easy part. Getting out as one people was harder part.
Today in America, we are in the middle of desert of racism, anti-Semitism, political fratricide, and what seem to be insurmountable problems. They very well might be. We may sink so low that even the most creative and optimistic among us may simply give up. But that is not the Jewish way, ever. In the Torah there was Moses who wanted to give up until God convinced him not to. We ought to learn from that.
In relatively short order, this virus will be history. (I am assuming there will be a vaccine or cure). We will have traveled a terrible path together. But just because our path was terrible, does not mean that we have to be. Jews learned a long time ago 'הִנֵּ֣ה מַה־טֹּ֭וב וּמַה־נָּעִ֑ים שֶׁ֖בֶתאַחִ֣ים גַּם־יָֽחַד׃ 'How wonderful it is and how comforting it is to dwell together as brothers and sisters.' The hatred will stop when we see one another as traveling the same desert.
5/28 Webinar: The 1st Ever ... Small Congregations Tikkun Leil Shavuot 5780!
REGISTER HERE FOR THE SCHEDULE & LINKS
Thursday, May 28, 6:00pm Central - Friday, May 29, 7:00 am Central
I will be teaching "How to Chant the Book of Ruth" at 9pm Central.
May you continue to be blessed. Stay safe and please wear your masks. Don't forget to stop, breathe and connect with us.
Let me know how I can help you and what you need. I am here by phone 310 800-4243, text and email.
L’Shalom,
Rabbi Raina Siroty
