Community Blog

          Shabbat Shalom. This week’s Torah portion is Parashat Vayera, which begins with Abraham welcoming in strangers who may or may not be messengers of God but in any case, foretell that barren Sarah will give birth to a son within a year. The parasha ends with Abraham nearly sacrificing that son. The haftarah for this week mirrors these two bookends as well. The prophetic passage for this week comes from II Kings, chapter four, in which the prophet Elisha foretells that a barren Shunammite woman will give birth to a son and later revives that son when the boy meets a strange and sudden death at a young age. Although Abraham does not actually slaughter Isaac, the last-minute intervention of the angel and the ram seem to have a similar mood of resurrection as that which Elisha performs on the Shunammite lad.

          As Reform Jews, we have done away with resurrection theology. I don’t believe the Moshiach will come and usher in paradise on earth or that all who have died will rise again in body or soul. But I do believe that we have opportunities to revive our lives and our communities, and I do believe that we can carry the souls of those we have lost as we build toward a better future in the everlasting struggle toward perfect justice on earth. I believe we can look at moments when everything nearly collapsed, when promises felt ripped away, when a future we dreamed for felt hopeless, and we can still rise again out of those moments.

          It is not easy. There may not be an intervening angel or a prophet who knows some prehistoric Divinely inspired CPR to help redirect the tragedies and traumas in our lives. And it’s not necessarily true that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Some stuff does cause permanent damage. But every experience, good and bad, is a learning opportunity and a chance to affect positive change – whether in your own life or for others.  

          This Shabbat, let us feel fortified in our abilities to revitalize our lives and communities, let us commit to resuscitate justice and righteousness, and let us resurrect our spirits in order to work together toward a more peaceful future for us all. Amen and Shabbat Shalom.