Dear TBZ community:
After a two-month hiatus of writing Shabbat N’kabla weekly messages I now return to this weekly practice. I hope your summer has been nurturing and that you have found some space and time to enjoy the beautiful (and rainy weather) with loved ones.
These are confusing times. Frustrating times. Sad times. That is how I feel. Many of us were hopeful and felt as if the worst of the pandemic was behind us. How many of us celebrated a first hug? Or the first time we went out to a restaurant? Or the first time we had people over in our home? With each new opening, we felt that things would only get better. At TBZ we re-opened for services, following strict Covid guidelines, and we were hopeful that by the High Holy Days, things would look almost normal again, that we were going to lighten some of those restrictions.. But we are not there. Instead of moving forward, it seems we are moving backwards. And that is confusing, that is frustrating and it is also very sad.
This week's parasha, is parshat Re’e. This Torah portion begins with God placing in front of us two options:
רְאֵ֗ה אָנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם בְּרָכָ֖ה וּקְלָלָֽה
See, this day I set before you blessing and curse
We might expect that after this verse, we would read what a blessing looks like and what a curse looks like, but no. Instead what follows are laws to observe which will determine blessing or curse. The message seems to be that it is up to you - it is your choice and your responsibility to choose a path that brings blessing or else curse. But there is a very important distinction -- the YOU in this sentence, is the plural YOU. נֹתֵ֥ן לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם, To you, as a people, To you, as a community, To you, as a collective. The choice of blessing and curse is not set in front of you as an individual but in front of US as members of a society.
What has saddened and also angered and frustrated me during these past weeks is that too many people in our country read the “YOU” as a singular you. “I get to make my own choice. It is up to me.” But their choices are taking us back to a place we thought we had left. As Rabbi Shira Shazeer wrote in her commentary to this week’s parasha: “Today, as much as ever, we find ourselves facing a future that holds the potential for both blessing and curse.”
We all know some version of the story of the two people in a boat and one of them makes a hole on “their” side of the boat. When the other person complains that the boat will sink and they will drown, the one who made the hole, says, “Why do you care? I made it on my side of the boat.”
This one powerful verse of the Torah comes to tell us that we are part of a collective destiny. There is no “my side of the boat.” We are responsible to and for each other. The word YOU is a collective one.
Rosh Hodesh Elul begins this Sunday and Monday. This is the beginning of our journey of Teshuva and of recalibration to start anew the year. At TBZ we are getting ready for the High Holy Days. On Monday we sent to TBZ members THIS email with our plans, as of now, for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. At the center of our planning and decisions is the health and well-being of all who join us. And for that reason, we are following strict covid guidelines, including required vaccination for all in-person attendees over twelve years old and required masking regardless of vaccination status. You can read in the email the detailed covid guidelines.
In preparation for the Holidays, Noah Weinberg, TBZ’s Musical Prayer Leader, and I are spending time singing together and choosing some new songs to introduce to our community for these High Holy Days. We want to bring you along and invite you to sing with us!
Beginning next week each Shabbat N’kabla will be dedicated to bringing you one new song. It will include the words, perhaps some teaching about the meaning of the song and a video of us singing it. We are hoping that these emails will inspire you in the journey of Elul.
My blessing to all of us, is that perhaps this moment of uncertainty and confusion can inspire us to recognize our responsibilities in the collective. That the month of Elul comes with blessing and not with curse. And that soon, soon, we can be together.
May this Shabbat and New Month 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 of spirit
May we have a joyful and restful Shabbat!
Shabbat Shalom
