Rabbi's Message

It has been difficult to find the words this week.  The news that reached us after Shabbat, that the remains of six hostages had been found, and the subsequent identification of them as Carmel Gat ^z"l, Ori Danino ^z"l, Eden Yerushalmi ^z"l, Alex Lobanov ^z"l, Almog Sarusi ^z"l, and Hersh Goldberg-Polin ^z’’l was heartbreaking.  Learning that they were executed by Hamas 2-3 days prior to being found made it even more devasting.  As Dr. Mijal Bitton wrote many months ago, this pain that we are feeling here, and our brothers and sisters are feeling even more acutely in Israel, is Peoplehood.  It is the connection that Jews near and far can feel for one another.  We feel it in joy, and we feel it at difficult times like this.

Yesterday was the first day of the month of Elul, the final month of the Jewish year.  It begins a 40-day period that leads us straight through Yom Kippur.  It is a month where we engage in self-reflection and introspection, teshuvah, to help prepare ourselves for a new beginning.  At its core, Elul challenges us with questions:  Are we capable of change?  Do we truly believe that we, and our world, can improve?  Judaism’s answer is a firm yes.  Teshuvah is always possible.  And yet this week, and this year, can make us wonder if this is really the case.

But it must be the case.  Otherwise, where would we be without the belief that we can change and things can get better?  This lesson was driven home to me this summer by Jon and Rachel Goldberg-Polin.  It was less than two months ago that I met Jon and Rachel.  I met Jon at their shul, and then again at a beautiful evening of song at the First Station in Jerusalem.  I told him that our shul, Temple Beth Sholom in Cherry Hill, was praying for Hersh and their family daily, along with all the hostages and their families.  He was gracious, and then quickly segued into Jewish geography which, as always, found people and places in common.  

Rachel spoke to our group at the Hartman Institute.  Her strength and determination to see her son again was remarkable.  She told us about Hersh, and reflected on how prayer and faith have helped them through this time. Most memorably, she told us that hope is mandatory.  She couldn’t go on without it.  It is a sad irony, then, that her hope was well-founded.  Hersh was alive for all these months until just a few days ago.  Even as she stood next to her son’s grave and eulogized him, Rachel expressed hope.  She hoped that his death “will be a turning point in this horrible situation.”  Jon also expressed this hope at Hersh’s funeral.  He quoted HaTikvah, saying Od Lo Avdah Tikvateynu – “We have not lost our hope” that the remaining hostages will return home.   Mima’makim Kiratikha Adonai – “From the depths I call out to you God,” it says in Psalm 130, “Listen to my prayer.”  As Jews have done throughout history, especially at our lowest moments, we hope and pray for a better world.

However, the great 12th-century rabbi Maimonides says that a better world doesn’t simply come about as a result of our hopes and prayers.  Rather, it comes from our actions.  In the Laws of Teshuvah he writes, “Free will is granted to every person.  If one desires to turn to the path of good and be righteous, the choice is hers.  Should she desire to turn to the path of evil and be wicked, the choice is hers…God does not decree that a person will be either good or evil.”  That is up to each of us. 

There is no simple way out of this terrible situation.  While Hamas, and its Iranian supporters, bear the primary responsibility, there are others responsible too, as the protests in Israel against the current government make clear. We in America must also turn up the volume of our voices so that our leaders truly understand the stakes for Israel, for us, and for the world. Hamas, along with Hezbollah, the Houti’s, and most of all Iran, the center of it all, along with other so-called allies that enable these terror groups, need to be confronted, along with those who wave the flags and shout the slogans of murderous terror organizations in our cities and on our campuses.  As it says in Pirke Avot, “The day is short and the task is great.”  Rising to this moment is our task, and our future depends on it.

Together, as a community, we will continue to do our part in this struggle.  We are here to help you take action, to learn, and to find comfort and support.  Your TBS clergy and staff are here for you if you want to talk or need advice.  Feel free to reach out anytime.  Israel, and Jewish pride, will also be a centerpiece in age-appropriate ways for our students in our Eric B. Jacobs ECEC, our Rabbi Albert and Sarah Lewis Religious School, and our HaMakom and Kesher High School programs.  Additionally, here are some ways for you to choose to make a difference:

Nihum Avelim (Comforting Mourners) – You can send a message of condolence to the Goldberg-Polin Family.  They are currently sitting shiva for Hersh and you can click here to leave a message through Padlet for the family. You can share words of comfort from the heart or leave the traditional words we say to morning of HaMakom Yenakhem Etkhem – “May God comfort you along with all of the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.”  

 

Tefillah (Prayer) – Every Shabbat and twice a day at our daily minyan we add prayers for the hostages and for Israel.  Additionally, next Thursday, September 12 Rabbi Wexler will be offering a healing service.  When you are feeling in need of community, come to one of our services to be with others.  

 

Limud (Learn) – On Sunday, September 22 at 7pm we will welcome Israeli journalist Haviv Rettig Gur to TBS.  He will speak about Zionism and Jewish Identity after October 7.  This kicks-off our Israel Today & Tomorrow Speaker Series.  We will next welcome Gil Hoffman, Executive Director of HonestReporting, for Shabbat November 1-2, and later that month, in partnership with our Dr. Jeffrey Kramer Bioethics Initiative at TBS, we will welcome Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody on November 18.   In addition to these special programs, our teaching on Shabbat morning and other classes throughout the year are also opportunities to learn and process together.   

 

Ometz Lev (The Courage to Stand Up) – We are here to support you in showing your pride in being Jewish and for Israel by wearing a yellow ribbon, Magen David, kippah, or other Jewish symbol.  If you or someone you know does encounter antisemitism and anti-Zionism in the community or on their college campus, we, along with our community partners, are here to help.  Organizations like our local JCRC, as well as the ADL and the AJC all have good resources for parents and students of every age to fight antisemitism and anti-Zionism.    

 

Hizuk (Strength) – We are proud to have run two TBS Missions to Israel since October 7, and I am planning on leading a third mission November 4-10, 2024.  Showing up for our brothers and sisters there, to bear witness, volunteer, and to give hizuk is still so important and meaningful.  If you are interested in joining me for this mission, please reach out or visit our website. 

As we move through the month of Elul, and into the new year, may that sense of Peoplehood give us the strength and support to overcome the challenges facing the Jewish people.  Together, let us support one another so that we can each do what we can to make it a better and sweeter new year. 

Shabbat Shalom