Twice a month, the Jewish Federation of Ottawa shares a Shabbat greeting from a member of our Board of Directors. This Friday, we are pleased to share this personal message from Evan Green.

Shalom Mishpacha,

We live in challenging times. As Jews, we sometimes look at the world around us and wonder how we can possibly make a difference. Our community may be small, our challenges may seem enormous, and the darkness can occasionally feel overwhelming.

But this week's extraordinary Parshat Vayera offers us a powerful message of hope, responsibility, and the incredible strength of Jewish unity.

The parsha opens with three beautiful words:

וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו ה׳ — And Hashem appeared to Avraham.

Avraham Avinu, 99 years old and recovering from his brit milah (circumcision), is experiencing an extraordinary Divine revelation. Yet when he notices three strangers approaching, what does he do? וַיָּרָץ לִקְרָאתָם — He runs toward them!

Our Gemara teaches that welcoming guests is even greater than receiving the Divine Presence (Shabbat 127a).

Think about that! Avraham doesn't abandon holiness when he turns toward those strangers. He reveals holiness through the way he treats them.

And perhaps that is the first great lesson for our community: The strength of a Jewish community is not measured by how many people belong to it, but by how deeply its members care for one another.

Later, Avraham learns of the impending destruction of Sodom. Here, the Midrash tells a heartbreaking story of a young woman who secretly provided food to a starving neighbour. When the people of Sodom discovered her kindness, they killed her (Bereishit Rabbah 49:6).

Imagine a society where compassion becomes a crime!

But Avraham represents the exact opposite. Rather than abandoning the people of Sodom — who embodied the opposite of his belief and practice of how to treat others — he pleads for their lives! He cries out: הֲשֹׁפֵט כָּל־הָאָרֶץ לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה מִשְׁפָּט — Shall the Judge of all the Earth not do justice?

Avraham teaches us that our responsibility to protect and stand up for the community around us remains, whether or not we hold all of the same beliefs and traditions.

And then comes one of the most beautiful teachings in the parsha.

Avraham and Sarah have waited decades for a child. Yet before Yitzchak (Isaac) is born, Avraham prays for Avimelech's household, which has been unable to have children.

Our Gemara derives an extraordinary principle from what happens next: כָּל הַמְבַקֵּשׁ רַחֲמִים עַל חֲבֵרוֹ וְהוּא צָרִיךְ לְאוֹתוֹ דָּבָר — הוּא נַעֲנֶה תְּחִלָּה. One who prays for another while needing that same blessing is answered first (Bava Kamma 92a).

What a remarkable expression of chesed (kindness)! Even while waiting for his own miracle, Avraham finds the strength to pray for someone else's.

Isn't that what a Jewish community is supposed to be? A place where another family's pain becomes our concern, another person's struggle inspires our tefillot, and someone else's blessing becomes a source of shared joy.

And finally, consider Hagar, alone in the wilderness, despairing over her son's survival. The Torah tells us: וַיִּפְקַח אֱלֹקִים אֶת־עֵינֶיהָ — Hashem opened her eyes. And suddenly she saw a well of water.

The Sfat Emet, drawing on the Midrash, teaches that sometimes what we desperately need is already before us. We simply may need Hashem's help to open our eyes to recognize it.

Perhaps our own community is surrounded by blessings we sometimes overlook: people willing to help, families devoted to Jewish life, children eager to learn, neighbours who care, and a shared heritage that has sustained our people for thousands of years.



We may be a small community, but we are not a community without strength.

Our strength is found in every person who shows up, every family that opens its doors, every act of tzedakah, every word of encouragement, and every Jew who refuses to let another feel alone ... as we follow in our father Avraham's footsteps.

The holy Rav Kook taught that the righteous do not merely complain about darkness. They increase the light.

And perhaps that is the great message of Vayera.

We cannot eliminate every storm facing our people. But we can ensure that nobody in our community has to face the storm alone.

Our size does not limit our significance. Our circumstances do not diminish our purpose. And the darkness around us must never extinguish the light within us.

May we be inspired by Avraham Avinu to open our homes, strengthen our bonds, deepen our responsibility and become a source of blessing to one another.

Shabbat Shalom,

Evan