A Thanksgiving Tale: Welcoming Afghan Families to Atlanta

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A Thanksgiving Tale: Welcoming Afghan Families to Atlanta

By Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal

There is a wonderful ritual on Thanksgiving of sharing those things for which we are thankful. This usually happens during the meal and is not very complicated. One person starts by sharing gratitude followed by the next person and, then, the next, culminating in everybody eating that sweet potato casserole with the marshmallows melted on top. This is a beautiful tradition, but it's a bit strange for the holiday of Thanksgiving. How so? Well, it's all in the name! The holiday is called, "Thanksgiving," not "Giving Thanks Day." If the holiday is about giving thanks, then we need to name it that. That should be another holiday. I propose maybe a weekly holiday that starts with sundown on Friday night and goes until sundown Saturday night. I'm just spit-balling here, but, maybe, we can start this weekly "Giving Thanks" holiday with lighting a candle…. no, wait… let's light two candles! Maybe we can bake twisted bread with enough sugar that we should call it cake, but we don't. You come up with a name and I think we are on to something here.

Since the holiday on the last Thursday in November is called Thanksgiving, I think we need to do what the name implies and 'Give' that which we are thankful for. I know that many people already do this as Thanksgiving is a wonderful day of volunteerism. Those of us thankful for food on our table volunteer at shelters or our Atlanta Community's Hosea Feed the Hungry event on Thanksgiving. Those of us grateful for time with family volunteer at assisted care facilities and hospitals to give orderlies and attendants some time off to be with their family. There are so many ways to give to others that which we ourselves are thankful for. That is what I believe the name of Thanksgiving implies. And I couldn't be prouder of our spiritual family this past week when they gave of their gratitude for a safe, secure, and warm home.

Our very own AARI (Ahavath Achim Refugee Initiative) set up an apartment for two single Afghani mothers and their children. This project started many months ago as our co-chairs of AARI, Carol Glickman and Randy Crohn, began exploring the possibilities for our community's engagement with the refugee communities here in Georgia. AARI joined New American Pathways and its warehouse arm, The Welcome Co-Op, as well as the International Rescue Committee, in furnishing an apartment in Clarkston for Afghan refugees recently arrived in Atlanta. This family consisted of two single mothers with four young children between them. AARI sought to make their apartment show that we are happy they are here. Our AARI task force provided comfy bedding, towels, cookware, tableware (even some child-sized glasses and cutlery!), and a beautiful dining table where everyone could sit down at one time. The AARI set-up team of four (Myrtle Lewin, Dan Finer, and Patsy and Bill Little) worked with John, Clay, and Jonathan from The Welcome Co-Op to make beds (from the frame up!) arrange the kitchen and checked to make sure all systems were working (including finding out where to turn on the water heater, and how to get the plumber to the apartment fast).

This project, however, was more than just interior design. AARI started many months ago with a call for furniture and other household donations, and our spiritual family (YOU) have given generously. Being Jewish means that we understand what it means to be a stranger in a strange land. Our Torah repeatedly commands us to love the stranger because we were strangers in Egypt. AARI not only put our Thanksgiving value into action but also our Torah values. On behalf of our AARI task force, synagogue staff and leadership, we wish you a very meaningful and joyous Thanksgiving. Thank you for your generosity and giving of yourself so freely and graciously.

Thanksgiving 2021/Chanukah 5782 – As We Light the Candles

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Thanksgiving 2021/Chanukah 5782

As We Light the Candles

This year, as we conclude the Thanksgiving weekend celebration, we begin the eight days of Chanukah. The Atlanta Jewish Times invited rabbis of the community to share eight blessings for which they are especially thankful. Hopefully we have all been the recipients many blessings with some even seeming miraculous. The ceremony of lighting the candles can be enhanced when accompanied by a brief reflection of a blessing that enriched your life.

What follows is my submission to the AJT:

FOR THE BLESSING OF …

THE GIFT OF LIFE created in the Divine image, the gift I share with every human being.

THE GIFT OF FREEDOM to live in free democratic countries – in the United States and in Israel

THE GIFT OF JERUSALEM where I have spent the past 20 years of my life, and where, on Friday afternoon, as stores close and traffic thins, I sense the Shabbat Queen slowly descending from heaven.

THE GIFT OF FAMILY CONTINUITY that is evoked every Shabbat as I bless my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

THE GIFT OF TORAH STUDY that has informed my life. The unlimited treasure trove of teachings in the Bible, the Talmud, and rabbinic sources through the ages until this very day continues to inform and shape my life.

THE GIFT OF COLLEGIALITY that enables me to relate to study with colleagues and students of all ages. There is great wisdom in the rabbinic observation that this blessing sustains us emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Were this lacking, my life could well atrophy.

THE GIFT OF ZOOMING that has been an antidote to the loneliness and separation during this pandemic. We have zoomed to create family reunions, to stay in touch with loved ones and friends, and to bring synagogue services into our homes. We have zoomed to share in a simcha, to be present at a funeral, and to comfort mourners during Shiva.

THE GIFT OF MODERN MEDICINE and the miracle of the human body. The pandemic impacted and threatened our lives, but scientific and medical advances have enabled us to be immunized. This Thanksgiving, I am especially thankful for the skill of the surgeons who attended to my fractured hip and for my body's capacity to heal.

May the blessings of good health, good tidings, and fulfillment of the wishes of our hearts for good brighten all our lives and those of our loved ones.

—

From the holy city of Jerusalem my best wishes for a happy Thanksgiving, a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach and a festive celebration of Chanukah.

Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
Senior Rabbinic Scholar

In Support of Those Who Walk

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In Support of Those Who Walk

A Statement of Gratitude for Those Participating in the Komen 3-Day Walk for a Cure

Judaism believes that the whole body is an instrument of praise and gratitude to God, an apparatus for bringing holiness and God's presence into our material and ordinary world. The psalmist declares, "My whole being blesses God" (Psalm 103:2). Each morning, as we flutter our eyes open and place our feet on the ground, we use those first moments of movement to recite blessings and bring God into our forward momentum. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, when asked what it felt like to march for Civil Rights in Selma, Alabama, famously stated, "like I was praying with my feet."

Prayer is an important part of spiritual life. It helps us focus on what is important, sacred, and holy. But, like all things, prayer begins to rot if not followed by action. There is a beautiful tradition at the Shabbat table that once we wash and recite the blessing for washing our hands in preparation for offering a blessing over the Challah, we shouldn't speak until we taste the Challah. The reason being that too much gab can lead to dally and eventually, our prayers become meaningless. Prayer without action becomes debased. Even Moses learned this important lesson from none other than God:

Rabbi Eliezer: God said to Moses, "There is a time to shorten [one's prayers] and a time to lengthen [one's prayers]. My children are distressed, the sea is closing, the enemy is pursuing, and you are standing there going on and on with prayer?!? Say to the children of Israel, 'Go forth!'"

Rabbi Joshua: God said to Moses, "There is nothing else for Israel to do except go forward. Go forth: when their legs go forth from the dry land to the sea, you will see the miracles that I will do for them" (Shemot Rabbah 21:8).

One month ago, our congregation celebrated Worship in Pink, a Shabbat morning dedicated to educating our community, strengthening those amid the battle and remembering all those we lost to the ravages of cancer. This coming weekend, members of our spiritual family are transforming our month-old prayers into action. The words from our lips are being manifested into the movement of their feet. Rina Wolfe, Roslyn Konter, Susan Sandler, and Donna Newman are heading to San Diego for the Komen 3-Day walk For the Cure, turning their prayers for a world without breast cancer into action.

We send blessings to Rina, Roslyn, Donna, and Susan – hazak, hazak, vniet'hazek – May they be strengthened by each step towards a cure. We are so proud of them and grateful for the holiness they bring to our world.

If you would like to support Rina, Roslyn, Donna, and Susan with a monetary contribution, please donate to their Angels4Angels fund or any of the other important cancer causes below.

Angels4Angels

The team of Rina Wolfe, Roslyn Konter, Donna Newman, and Susan Sandler will walk 60 miles over the course of three days in San Diego (November 19-21, 2021). They train for months, fly out to California, and push themselves to the limit to raise money for the Susan G. Komen foundation. This is Angels4Angels's 15th year! Please consider supporting these four Sisterhood members in meeting their financial team goal in their walk to eliminate breast cancer. 

IFF

The Ian's Friends Foundation (IFF) for pediatric brain tumor research was begun by Cheryl and Phil Yagoda, the children of AA congregants Rita and Arthur Bodner, when their son Ian was diagnosed with a brain tumor as a young student at AA Epstein preschool. Thankfully, Ian is a thriving high school student today, in part due to the funding from IFF to focus on pediatric brain cancer research. Please consider joining the Bodners in supporting their grandson's foundation. 

Chemoflage

In May 2003, AA congregant Cookie Aftergut founded Chemochic, a cancer program now under the guidance of another non-profit organization. After being honored as a 2006 Yoplait Champion, Cookie formed Chemoflage, Inc., a non-profit organization for the sole purpose of offering immediate help to women who are undergoing cancer treatment. Please consider supporting Chemoflage today.

TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation

TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation is a nonprofit established in 2003 in response to the unmet survivorship needs of individuals with breast cancer in Greater Atlanta and has cared for over 40,000 patients with breast cancer. TurningPoint's clinic provides rehabilitation for individuals with breast cancer, including physical therapy, exercise, lymphedema management, massage therapy, counseling, and nutritional counseling. Many of TurningPoint's services are complimentary and a financial assistance program is offered to allow all patients to access care. Sisterhood co-president Jennifer Rosenfeld volunteers weekly at Rising Creek horse farm for Reins of Hope foundation, a partner agency that offers free weekly therapy horseback riding for cancer survivors. Please consider supporting TurningPoint.

Building Construction Update

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Building Construction Update

Dear AA family,

I hope that each of you and your families are enjoying both the start of the New Year and the fall season, as the leaves have begun to change, and more moderate temperatures now dominate.

As most of you are aware, we commenced our most recent AA Capital Campaign more than seven years ago, successfully raising nearly $8 million to build Ahava, our state-of-the-art Early Childhood Learning Center, to modernize our HVAC and related infrastructure, and to reimagine and renovate both the Cohen Pavilion and our beloved sanctuary. I am pleased to share with you that, at last, it appears that we are just weeks away from having our Fulton County construction permit in-hand, enabling us to commence with the Sanctuary renovation by early November.

Under the supervision of Architect Elihu Siegman, principal with Siegman & Associates, Inc. (SAI), our planned construction period is approximately ten (10) months. SAI possesses extensive design/build experience, specifically working with Congregations in the Southeast on projects of the nature being contemplated. Thus, God-willing, we look forward to enjoying next year's High Holidays together in our newly renovated sanctuary.

On behalf of our Officers, Directors, and Clergy, we extend our deep appreciation to all the hundreds of our AA donors who have made this project possible. Moreover, we thank the members of our Renovation Committee who have so generously devoted their time, talent, and energies over the past seven years to bring this exciting project to fruition:

  • Mark Stern
  • Mark Cohen
  • Michael Habif
  • George Nathan
  • Jill Vantosh
  • Gerry Benjamin
  • Rabbi Neil Sandler
  • Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal
  • Barry Herman

Watch your inbox for our weekly Wednesday eblasts for periodic pictures as our newly envisioned sanctuary begins to unfold. We look forward to keeping you abreast of the progress of the pending renovation as well as event and facility scheduling during the ensuing ten months.

With warm regards,

Gerry Benjamin, President
Barry Herman, Executive Director

A Moment of Torah with Rabbi Sandler – Parshat Toldot

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A Moment of Torah with Rabbi Neil Sandler

Parshat Toldot

Last week, I received my Covid booster vaccination. How can any of us receive these life – saving vaccinations and not express gratitude for the trailblazing individuals who created them in such a brief time? We bless these life savers and thank them for their committed and successful efforts.

We are also grateful for the efforts of people like the pharmacist who administered my booster last week. He was very nice and engaged me in conversation so that I wouldn't think too much about the needle he was about to stick in my arm. This man was no trailblazer. He simply used the tools that others had created to keep me and others healthy. In that sense, he serves as a link to a better future for all of us.

In our parsha, Toldot, Isaac is hardly a trailblazer. Unlike his father, Abraham, and son, Jacob, Isaac neither travels a new path with the Holy One nor gives his new name, Yisrael, to an entire people. In comparison to Abraham and Jacob, Isaac appears to be passive. However, in what many have viewed as a symbolic act, Isaac is an inextricable link to a Jewish future.

Isaac and his family had gone to Gerar at a time of famine in the Land of Israel. When they eventually departed to return to the Land, we read:

Isaac dug anew the wells which had been dug in the days of his father, Abraham, and which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham's death; and he gave them the same names that his father had given them (Gen. 26:18).

Commentaries suggest that digging the wells anew and giving them the same names Abraham had given them was a symbolic act of assuring continuity. By stopping up the wells, the Philistines had metaphorically sought to bring an end to Abraham's unique contributions. By digging those wells anew and giving them the same names his father had given them, Isaac reclaimed more than the wells. He was acting to assure that the new paths Abraham had created would be maintained and become of benefit to others. As Rabbi Ellen Weinberg Dreyfus framed it, "(Isaac) understands the need to reclaim his father's traditions and to ensure their survival."

No, Isaac was not a trailblazer, but he still made an invaluable contribution.

Few, if any, of us will be trailblazers. Yet each of us makes a difference in so many ways. Among those ways, each of us can "dig anew" some of the traditions of earlier generations, maintaining and perhaps giving new meaning to them. In whatever ways we may choose to do so, may our efforts bring blessings.

Shabbat Shalom.

A Moment of Torah with Rabbi Neil Sandler – Parshat Vayera

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A Moment of Torah with Rabbi Neil Sandler

Parshat Vayera

If you were Abraham, recovering from a recent circumcision, how would you have responded to the approach of three people you did not recognize? Would you have gotten up to greet them? Would you, along with your spouse, have begun to hurriedly prepare a meal for these people, as Abraham and Sarah did?

At the outset of our Torah portion this week, we read that the Holy One appeared (va'yera) to Abraham. Rashi, the medieval commentator links this divine appearance directly to the visitors – (God appeared to Abraham) "…through the arrival of three angels in the guise of men." Notice that Abraham didn't offer sacrifices to elicit the divine presence. He didn't cry out to God. Abraham and Sarah just acted sincerely to welcome individuals they did not know. That is how they recognized the Holy One's presence.

The message is a potentially powerful one. We evoke our awareness of God's presence through our actions. In Parshat Vayera, the emphasis in that regard is on hachnasat orchim, the welcoming of guests.

Fifteen years ago, Dr. Ron Wolfson of the American Jewish University, wrote a book, The Spirituality of Welcoming. It's not just the importance of welcoming; it is its spirituality, implying something about God's presence being tied to acts of welcome. Dr. Wolfson writes:

The spirituality of welcoming elevates both the guest and the host. A warm greeting eases the unspoken anxiety a guest feels at being a stranger and immediately answers the first question anyone in a strange place asks: "Will I be welcome here?" The act of hospitality…is an invitation for connection between human and human and, in that meeting, between human and God.

What is true for individuals is also true of a community in its interactions with individuals. What can a congregational community like ours do to welcome people so that our awareness of God's presence will be enhanced? What can we do to emulate something of Abraham and Sarah's actions and recognition of the Holy One in our midst? Our congregation offers many welcoming and caring acts. Still, we ought to continue to ask the question.

Lech L'cha 5782 – A Sufficient God

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Lech L'cha 5782

A Sufficient God

"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, 'I am El Shaddai. Walk in my ways and be blameless… I give to you and your descendants to come all the Land of Canaan as an everlasting holding. I will be their God'" (Genesis 17:1, 2, 8).

Whereas Elo-him is always translated as God and Ado-nai, as Lord, the origin or the meaning of Shaddai is obscure and commentators, through the ages, have wrestled with the term. Often, as in the above verse, Shaddai, remains untranslated as is the case with Onkelos, who translated the Bible into Aramaic.

Rashi quotes a Midrash that parses the word as sheh-dai (literally, "that which is sufficient"). (The English translation of dai is "enough," as in the Haggadah, where dayenu means, "it would have been enough for us.") God is thus pictured as saying, "I am the sufficient Source of all well-being in the world. I created the world and ultimately it is I who determine the blessings and the benefits that accrue to all creatures, human and non-human."

For Maimonides when God identifies Himself as El Shaddai, He is in effect saying, "I am sufficient to Myself. There is no other is at My side, and it is I who order the universe as I please."

In the book of Job, God is referred to as Shaddai thirty times as compared to but eleven times in the rest of Scripture. Job accepts that God alone orders the universe and therefore, indicts Him as being totally cavalier in dispensing good and evil. Job, of course, ultimately does come to terms with the reality that El Shaddai will always have the final say.

The Latin vulgate translates Shaddai as powerful, and, since El is but an abbreviation for Elohim, El Shaddai is translated as God Almighty, who has the whole world in His hands.

Our tradition interprets Shaddai as an acronym for Shomer Dlaatot Yisrael, the Guardian of the doors [to the homes] of Israel, and associating El Shaddai with the mezuzah. Shaddai is thus written on the reverse side of the parchment that contains the Shema and the Biblical verses that follow, and the mezuzah case is traditionally adorned with a shin, the first letter of Shaddai or with the word itself.

The affixed mezuzah is, in effect, a prayer that Shaddai, whom we embrace as the Guardian of our homes and communities, will spread His Tabernacle of peace over us and over all humanity.

—

From the holy city of Jerusalem, my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach, a Shabbat of peace and blessing.

Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
Senior Rabbinic Scholar

A Moment of Torah with Rabbi Neil Sandler – Parshat Lech Lecha

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A Moment of Torah with Rabbi Neil Sandler

Parshat Lech Lecha

Have you ever had a "Lech-lecha" moment? "Lech-lecha" – sound familiar? I hope so.

At the outset of our Torah Portion this week, the Holy One instructs Abraham, "Lech-lecha… go forth from your native land and from father's home to the land that I will show you" (Gen. 12:1). Although Abraham and other family members have already begun their journey toward Canaan, this is the moment of the divine call to Abraham. This is the moment that begins the relationship between the God of Israel, Abraham and everything in the Torah that will follow.

Why did God choose Abraham? The Torah does not say. But the well-known midrash about a young Abraham smashing the idols in his father's shop illustrates his rejection of them. It points to an Abraham who is ready to follow the Holy One.

But that word "lecha," may indicate some hesitancy on Abraham's part.

"Lecha" literally means "to you," as in "go forth to yourself…" Clearly, Abraham is to engage in a physical journey, but, to do so, he will need to "go to himself…" He will first need to turn inward. Perhaps the Torah's reference to "native land" and "father's house" as places that Abraham must depart represent Abraham's consideration of whether he can really depart from the life he has led. Whether that conjecture is accurate or not, "Lech-lecha," turning inward, may have represented some struggle and change on Abraham's part. Rabbi Mordechai Yosef of Izbitza (19th century) in his work, Mei Ha – Shiloach, understands "Lech-lecha" along these lines, "Go forth to find your authentic self, to learn who you are meant to be" (appears in our chumash, Etz Hayim, page 70).

I don't think any of us would compare ourselves to Abraham and his "Lech-lecha" moment. Yet many of us have likely had our own "lech" moments (when we are called to act) that required us to go "lecha" (to turn inward in serious reflection and consideration). The reality of life, no matter our age, is that we may face other such times. If and when we do so, I pray we will have a sense of God's reassuring presence. May our personal "Lech-lecha" moments bring blessings to us and to others.

Shabbat Shalom.

A Moment of Torah with Rabbi Neil Sandler – Parshat Noach

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A Moment of Torah with Rabbi Neil Sandler

Parshat Noach

"These are the generations of _________ (your name)." After you have filled in that blank with your name, what words would follow? Naturally, the most common response to that question would be the names of your family members – children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, if you are so fortunately blessed. In the past year, Susan and I have been particularly blessed with the addition of our granddaughter, Remi, and then our daughter-in-law, Rachel. Our "generations" are growing!

One of the themes of the Book of Bereisheet is family lines. In many instances, among Genesis' primary figures, we see the words "These are the generations of ________" followed by any number of family members' names. Eventually that is the case regarding Noah in this week's Torah Portion (at the beginning of chapter 10). But when we are introduced to Noah at the very beginning of the parasha and see the familiar words, "These are the generations of Noah," we don't immediately see a list of names. The Torah does mention Noah's three sons, but, first, it shares the following with us:

These are the generations of Noah – Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age (Gn. 6:9)

What is the significance of the phrase "These are the generations" followed immediately by a characterization of Noah? The medieval commentor, Rashi, provides us with keen insight:

Preceding this phrase ("Noah was a righteous man") with "the generations" of Noah teaches you that the essence of the generations of the righteous is their good deeds.

Noah had three sons, none of whose names come easily to most of us. Yet most of us remember that Noah was "righteous." It may be that the Rabbis debated just how righteous Noah was relative to the righteous qualities of Abraham but, again, we remember Noah's righteousness.

As dear as our generations are to us, Rashi reminds us of an enduring truth. People know and will remember us, most significantly, through our actions and what those actions say about us.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "Your actions speak so loudly, I can't hear what you are saying." May our worthy actions speak loudly and in lasting fashion.

Shabbat Shalom.

A Moment of Torah with Rabbi Neil Sandler – Parshat Bereisheet

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A Moment of Torah with Rabbi Neil Sandler

Parshat Bereisheet

From the time we get up each morning until we return to our beds at night, we are doing. We are making. We are creating. We prepare meals. Some of us go off to our workplaces for much of the day. Perhaps we make sales there. We create documents. We help people based on our professional expertise. Some of us spend more time at home. We may have hobbies or other activities in which we participate and create or do something. All of us enjoy relationships with other people. We create in that realm too, including feelings and impressions that can have an impact on those relationships.

Of course, in all instances, we are the ones who are doing. We are responsible for our actions. However, our tradition, as interpretively expressed in Parshat Bereisheet this week, adds a partner who lies at the foundation of our lives and actions. An awareness of the presence of this partner, the Holy One, may have an impact on our actions and how we view them.

At the conclusion of the Creation story, God ceases all creative activity. The relevant sentence (Gn. 2:3) ends somewhat awkwardly with the word, "la'asot," an unusual verbal form here. The medieval biblical commentator, Ibn Ezra, suggests this strange sentence construction hints at the Holy One's empowerment of all species to reproduce themselves. More popularly, Ibn Ezra's take on this sentence is understood as the basis for saying that creation is never really concluded. Moreover, God does not act alone in the work of creation. Every single one of us potentially joins the Holy One in acts of creation.

Some of us create in large ways. Some of us create in small ways. To the extent possible, let us seek to view ourselves as God's partners and thereby raise up the meaning and significance of what we do each day.

Shabbat Shalom.