Weekly Newsletters and Special Announcements

May 14, 2021 | 3rd of Sivan 5781 | Parashat Bamidbar |  47th day of the Omer 
 
Desperately Seeking Torah, Compassion and Days of Old 
 
The holiday of Shavuot commences three days from now, on Sunday night, May 16. In biblical consciousness, three-days of preparation and self-restraint precede two earth-shattering events in Israelite history:  Abraham binding his beloved son, Isaac, on the altar as a sacrifice and the Israelite’s acceptance of the Covenant at Mount Sinai. 72 hours of self-restraint and reflection are meant to guard against coercion and impulsivity in both expressions of dramatic faith. 
 
We re-receive the Torah every year on the festival of Shavuot.  Though not as colorful as our yearly reenactment of liberation from Egypt on Passover, the anticipation with which we approach the mountain of God every year can be awe-inspiring. Those who count the omer for 49 days and / or attend a tikkun – a night of learning prior to the morning of Shavuot - can feel the excitement build.   
 
This year, we are approaching “Sinai” with heavy hearts.  The tragic events going on in Israel leave many of us speechless and weary. All this senseless death!  And for what?  In his May 12 podcast “Ha’aretz Weekly with Simon Spungin,” reporter Anshel Pfeffer helps us better understand how a dispute over Jerusalem real estate that was being handled in the civil courts escalated into the most aggressive exchange of violence between Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs and Palestinians Israel has seen in years. 
 
Israel is still in the throes of trying to pull together a functioning government. America, Israel’s closest ally, is juggling so many problems of its own, no doubt our hope is that this current challenge in the Middle East simmers down as soon as possible, for everyone’s sake – most of all the innocent citizens of Israel and the Gaza strip whose lives are in peril. Heaven help us! 
 
In 2020, Shavuot began four days after George Floyd was killed. I still recall how, at our Shavuot Zoom program last May, Los Angeles participants could hear rioting in the streets below their apartments. It has been long and complicated year. 
 
On the 2nd day of Shavuot we will read the Book of Ruth– a heartwarming tale of tragedy turned into redemption and beauty. Every lead character in this story (Ruth, Naomi and Boaz) models rising to one’s best self, showing loyalty, compassion, sensitivity, optimism and generosity amidst poverty, loss and self-interest.  Now, in 2021, it is time for every leader, official and “regular Joe” to ask themselves, “What would Ruth or Boaz do to foster harmony in these turbulent times?” 
 
At the end of every Torah service, we describe Torah as “A tree of life for those who grasp it, and all who uphold it are blessed. Its ways are pleasantness and all its paths lead to peace.”  No one wants battle and bloodshed – not in Israel, not in America, not anywhere! What was the point of receiving the Noahide Laws, the Ten Commandments, the Five Books of Moses and all of our Rabbinic literature if not to help guide us during challenging times? 
 
On this Shavuot, may we fully open our minds and hearts to Torah and God.  More than ever we implore: “Help us turn to You [God], and we shall return.  Renew our lives as in days of old...” Please!

Shabbat Shalom and Hag Shavuot Sameah, 
Rabbi Marcia Tilchin 

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