BAMIDBAR SHAVUOT 5779
ON THE STREETS UPON WHICH WE WALK
June 6, 2019
3 Sivan 5779
There is a midrashic teaching that the book of Ruth was written to remind us of the importance of performing acts of loving kindness. It is the beautiful story of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz whose lives were defined by their kindness.
During a raging famine in Judea, Naomi and her husband immigrated to Moab. While there, their two sons marry Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah. In short order, Naomi is bereaved of her husband and two sons and reduced to poverty. With her two daughters-in-law at her side, she sets out to return to Bethlehem. Upon reaching the border, Naomi urges the two young women to return to their parents' homes. Orpah does leave, but Ruth insists upon remaining. She assures Naomi, "wherever you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people and your God, my God" (Ruth 1:16).
They arrive in Bethlehem, penniless. Since it was the harvest season, Ruth arises early in the morning to gather some grain as a gleaner in the field of Boaz, who, aware of her loyalty to Naomi, sends her home with a large "care" package.
In a quick series of events, an enamored Boaz and Ruth marry. Naomi is thus not only lifted from poverty, but soon has the joy of embracing and caring for grandchildren.
Boaz is an exemplar of a mensch. He greets everyone with a blessing, and he opens his field – and is gracious – to the gleaners. Above all, he readily assumes responsibility for Naomi and her faithful Moabite daughter-in-law.
Naomi, despite her difficult circumstances, urged her two daughters-in-law to remain with their families in Moab and make new lives for themselves. Freeing these two young women was a selfless act by this elderly, widowed and childless woman.
Ruth, the heroine of the story, demonstrated kindness and loyalty. She would not abandon the ageing Naomi, even while aware that she would be without resources in a strange land.
Shlomo Carlebach recounts a conversation with a Tel Aviv street cleaner. Prior to WWII war he was a student of Kalonymus Kalman Shapira, the Grand Rabbi of Piaseczno, (a district of Warsaw), who continually reminded his students that the most important mitzvah is performing acts of loving kindness to others. The street cleaner, a survivor of the Holocaust, had no family and, in a moment of great depression, decided to end his life. The following morning, he went to the beach and slowly walked into the sea until he was almost completely submerged. He then suddenly recalled his Rabbi's teaching and returned to his job. Turning to Shlomo, he said, "Do you know how many acts of loving kindness one can perform on the streets of Tel Aviv?"
Thus, on the day we celebrate Divine Revelation, we honor the Torah whenever we are there for others – even and especially on the streets upon which we walk.
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From Jerusalem my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach – a Shabbat of peace and blessing, and a Chag Shavuot Sameach, a joyous and festive celebration of Shavuot.
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
B'CHU'KOTAI 5779
DWELLING IN SECURITY
May 30, 2019
25 Iyar 5779
If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My Commandments… You shall dwell securely in your land (Leviticus 26: 3,5).
Prior to the Exodus, God promised our enslaved ancestors that He would bring them to their ancestral land. The forty years in the desert prepared them to enter the Promised Land where, if they created a society based on the teachings and values of the Torah, they were assured they would dwell in safety.
Jews, the name by which the Israelites came to be known, governed the land for several centuries. Following the Babylonian conquest in 786 BCE, the large numbers of Jews taken to Babylonia in exile created the first Diaspora community. In succeeding centuries and millennia, Jews settled and lived in a vastly expanding Diaspora, where they often prospered, but far more often were the targets of anti-Semitic tirades, pogroms and expulsions. Sadly, the virus of Antisemitism continues to infect every Diaspora community to this day.
American Jewry has prospered in this blessed land with its commitment to freedom of religion and equality before the law. Yet, even here, we have often been confronted with Antisemitism. The Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee, founded over a century ago, continue to track, uncover and combat manifestations of Antisemitism in our midst. While we were heartened by the outpouring of support following the recent tragedies of Pittsburgh and San Diego, we remain concerned about threats to our safety and well-being.
Israel is the one country where Antisemitism is non-existent. While various Jewish groups and communities do suffer discrimination, it's not because they are Jews. Historic and economic factors are the sources of prejudice, but not Jewishness. Israel is the only society where Jews do not contend with internal Antisemitism.
The irony, of course, is that Israel, the only Jewish Nation State, is a perennial victim of international Antisemitism. Despite the protestation of its critics that they are anti-Zionists, not anti-Semites, there is all too often but a fine line separating the two.
Israel is aware of the internal challenge posed by the tensions between its Jewish majority and the significant minority of non-Jewish citizens. The Divine promise of dwelling in security in our own land will elude us, until all in our midst are treated fairly. I remain, heartened, however, that Israel, like every democratic nation, is a work in progress and moving in the right direction
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From Jerusalem my best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach – a Shabbat of peace and blessing. It was a joy to be at Ahavath Achim last Shabbat and with God's blessing, I look forward to future visits.
Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman
