Rabbi's Message

This week we learned the tragic news that Omer Neutra, another American-Israeli who was thought to held hostage by Hamas, was actually killed on October 7.  For 423 days, his parents, Ronen and Orna, believed he was alive, and advocated tirelessly for his release.  As is often the case, TBS has a close connection to the Neutra family. Rabbi Joel Levenson, who was our Associate Rabbi, is the Neutra’s rabbi on Long Island and has also been fighting for Omer’s release.  Our love and comfort go out to the Neutra family, as well as to Rabbi Levenson and the Midway Jewish Center community.  The American Jewish Committee has set up a site where you can send a condolence note to the Neutra’s, you can access it by clicking here.  Supporting each other in times of loss is such a powerful expression of Peoplehood, of our deep connection to one another.  This idea is expressed in a midrash on the opening story of our parashah this week, Vayetze.  Jacob has left home and is on his way to find a bride in Haran.  On the way, he goes to sleep and dreams of a ladder with angels ascending and descending.  Our sages teach that the ladder and the dream represent the essence of world history.  The angels that Jacob sees going up and down each represent a nation of the world.  Each nation rises to dominance and then eventually falls back down.  For the midrash, these nations are Greece, Egypt, Persia, and Rome, but we can extend the metaphor to the rise and fall of great powers through their own time.  As Jacob witnesses these angels on the ladder, the Torah says, “And behold God was standing beside him.”  And then God blesses Jacob, as God blessed Abraham and Isaac.  God says, “And you shall spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.  All the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you and your descendants.”  Through all the upheavals of history, God will be with us.  Not only that, but the people of Israel also have a role to play.  As history marches on, so do we, working to spread blessing throughout the world as a people with a shared history, mission, and concern for one another.  We have all gotten a crash course in Peoplehood these last 426 days.  And now we are in the month of Kislev, where we will celebrate Hanukkah.  It inspires us to cut through the darkness, both literal and metaphorical, by spreading light.  In addition to the tzedakah projects that we have going on at TBS, I want to encourage you to consider adding an extra candle when you light you hanukiyot this year.  The Hostages and Families Forum, which is the organization in Israel that is working to support the families of the hostages and advocate for their release, has created a “Bring Back the Light” candleholder.  You can purchase one here. The proceeds go to supporting their work.  It is one more powerful way that we can remember our brothers and sisters who are still in captivity in Gaza, and to pray for and demand their immediate release.  Powers, including evil ones, rise and fall. Still, our solidarity and commitment to being the light, to fulfilling God’s command to be the blessings, remains throughout the generations, right up to today.