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Dear Friends,
This week we will read Parshat Emor, which opens with rules limiting the exposure of the Kohanim to death. In a lovely commentary, JTS Professor Yitz Landes quotes the Izbicer (R. Mordechai Yosef Leiner 1801–1854) who reads the passage as speaking about the challenges that face a religious person when they encounter death or other tragedies. “A person like this,” the Izbicer says of the religious person, “can become angry with God’s actions.” By contrast, someone who sees tragedy merely as happenstance cannot truly become angry with God. The Izbicer explains that such frustration is not a failure of faith but is actually an expression of faith. This is a striking inversion of how religious anger is often perceived. True faith carries with it the burden of expectation, and with expectation comes disappointment. The Izbicer reminds us that we should hold on to that disappointment, remain invested enough in the world to be troubled by it, and fight and strive for something better. I value this affirmation of anger at God as a justified expression of faith.
This week we will share a basic Kiddush in Hersch Hall after services.
Important announcement: Please SILENCE your phones while you sit in Library Minyan services. Electronic sounds are very disruptive to our communal prayers.
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