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Shabbat and Candle Lighting
for Friday, July 13, 2018 / 2 Av 5778
Light Shabbat candles at 7:22 p.m
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Dear Co
ngregation Kehillah and Friends,
I hope that you have been enjoying your summer and that it has been restful and restorative, and hope that you enjoy these Shabbat candle lighting reminders and their messages, as well as the beauty that Shabbat itself brings. There is nothing quite like taking a moment from the hectic pace of life to catch our breath, to show appreciation for the many gifts that have been given us, to reconnect with our loved ones (whether they are far away or nearby), and to do our part to (literally) bring some more light into the world!
It's all about the journey...
This week's Torah is a double parasha - Mattot and Masei which means "journeys". The reading enumerates the 42 different stages in the journey of the newborn Jewish nation from the land of Egypt until its entry into the Land of Israel. The Baal Shem Tov (founder of Chasidism) taught that these 42 stages in our people's journey are mirrored in the life of every individual as we proceed from birth (our personal "exodus from Egypt") through "the Land of Life".
As we near the end of the fourth book of Torah, Sefer Bamidbar/Numbers, our ancestors were close to reaching the Land of Israel 40 years after having left Egypt.
Two tribes of Israel, Gad and Reuven, requested to settle in lands that the Israelites had captured, but other than what was assigned to them. They wanted to be east of the Jordan River, feeling that those lands were better suited for their cattle and them. Moses was opposed and accused them of abandoning their people at a critical time as they were about to go into a war. He, along with the leaders of Gad and Reuven, entered into an ultimately successful negotiation worthy of serving as a case study in organizational management and leadership. Based on this parasha, the Talmud (Baba Kama 20b) extrapolates that an act is allowable if "one side gains and the other side does not lose", aka "a win-win". They convinced Moses of their integrity, stuck to issues, considered proposed compromises and assumed a leadership role in supporting their brothers and sisters (leading the troops in battle) and then settled down in their desired lands east of the Jordan.
A pressing question arises: even as we choose to live outside our ancestral homeland, the Land of Israel (our version of 'east of Jordan'), do we still sense that "kol Yisrael arayvim zeh b'zeh/all Israel is responsible for one another" (B. Talmud Shavuot 39a)? How do we live that value? What can we do to support our family in Israel (or in any other place)?
None of us stand alone, or as the great Jewish philosopher Martin Buber reminded us, we exist in relationship to others and the world in which we live.
And, I add, to the One Who created us all.
A
kavannah for
Shabbat Mattot-Masei
Holy One, help us to remember and to lovingly honor our relationships and obligations to one another in all of our families, including our Jewish family and our human family. Help us to understand that no one stands alone and that we are fundamentally connected to one another. As I light these Shabbat candles, bringing light into my home, may I also commit to doing what I can and then one act more to honor my responsibility to my Jewish family.
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Thank you for being part of our collective journey in building this
kehillah (community) as we enter our tenth year! May the path ahead lead to growth and be a source of inspiration, compassion, love and blessing.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman
The Kehillah office will be closed Sunday, July 22 / 10 Av for Tisha B'Av.
Your weekly
Connections newsletter for Monday, July 23, will be a combined Connections and Rabbi's Shabbat message, with information about Tisha B'Av.
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