Netzavim -- 5776

The people gather once more to hear Grandfather Moses.  He talks and talks, yet they never tire of listening.  He won’t be with them much longer.  “You stand this day, all of you, before the Eternal your God – you tribal heads, you elders, and you officials, all the men of Israel, you children, you women, even the stranger within your camp, from woodchopper to water drawer, to enter into the covenant of the Eternal your God” (Deuteronomy 29:9-11).

This passage is read this week, and soon again at Yom Kippur.  Why the repetition?

Why did the people bother listening to Moses?  They’ve heard him intone week after week, sermon after sermon.  Why do they show up?

Perhaps the answer to both questions is the same.  We don’t show up for the High Holy Days simply because of the words, and perhaps our ancestors didn’t, either.  We show up to be together – men, women, and children, all of us as one.  On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, like no other days of the year, we experience our peoplehood.   There’s nothing like being in a crowd of folk who share your world views, experiences, values, and commitments.  That’s especially true for us, isolated as we are in the East Valley.  When we stand shoulder to shoulder in our hundreds, five hundreds, and thousands, we remember that we are part of something far bigger than ourselves, our family, or our circle of friends.  We belong to a great and ancient nation, and we are party to an eternal covenant.  There is no substitute for your tribe.

We’ll hear these stirring words this week, and again on Yom Kippur, and again and again (God willing!) in years to come.  We hear them because we need them, and because we need to be with our people.

Ki Teitzei -- 5776

“You shall make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself” (Deuteronomy 22:12).

This Biblical injunction is the basis for the tallit, or prayer shawl.  The knots of the tassels (here called “gedilim,” but called “tzitzit” in Numbers 15:38) remind us of the mitzvot, our ritual and ethical responsibilities.  But they also remind us of something else.

When, in the morning service, we pray the Shema, traditional Jews gather the four tassels into their hands, turning many strands into one.  This demonstrates that, although the world appears to be divided and complex, there is a fundamental Unity behind it.  We call that Unity God.

“As above, so below.”  As God is unified although apparently diffuse, so too is the Jewish people.  We are scattered amongst all the lands, speaking different languages and eating different foods.  Despite appearances, we are nonetheless one people.  Klal Yisrael, the Unity of the Jewish people, is real.  You feel it when you visit a foreign synagogue or you’re behind an Israeli family in the grocery store.  You know it when Israel is besieged. 

When we gather the four tassels, we are encouraging God to gather us from the earth’s four corners, fortifying Israel with our unity.

There are many meaningful ways to observe the High Holy Days and to engage in tshuvah.  Undoubtedly, one of them is to join with your people.  It is then that we realize that we are a thread in a much greater tapestry, and that we are not alone.