Community Blog

Shabbat Shalom! Tonight we honor those within our own community who have devoted themselves to jobs of service: First Responders, Peace Keepers, members of the military, and committed and honest civil servants. The Torah portion this week is Parashat Re’eh, which reiterates some of the greatest hits of the commandments - tzedakah, shmittah, and kashrut. And then also more kashrut. 

In discussing the rules around which animals are suitable to eat and sacrifice, there is some additional information about the sacrificial rites and tithing practices, including the command to remember to bring enough to share with the priests and Levites. Deuteronomy 12:19 says, “Be sure not to neglect the [family of the] Levite as long as you live in your land.” The Tribe of Levi is not given a parcel of land in God’s division of the Promised land by tribes, with the intention that they will stay in Jerusalem to commit themselves to the Temple service. Thus, they cannot grow their own crops or raise livestock. They have no sacrifices of their own to offer to HaShem, and they have no means by which to sustain themselves in a world of agrarian families. It is crucial the rest of the nation honor the Levites’ sacrifice of “normalcy” by including the Levites in their tithes, and sacrificial meals. So, too, it is crucial that we honor the sacrifice of those who work in service to our country and community by paying all civil servants fair wages and ensuring their safety through any reasonable measures that may be possible. Obviously, some of the jobs we honor tonight are easier to take safety measures for than others. But, where possible, the safety of everyone must be considered when determining how to equip our communities for their professions. 

 Later in the parasha, chapter 15 says, “There shall be no needy among you—since your God will bless you in the land that your God is giving you as a hereditary portion… If, however, there is a needy person among you, one of your kin in any of your settlements in the land that your God is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kin. Rather, you must open your hand and lend whatever is sufficient to meet the need… For there will never cease to be needy ones in your land, which is why I command you: open your hand to the poor and needy kin in your land.” 

Rashi comments on this, “The poor of your city take precedence over the poor of a different city.” Of course, it’s not that the people whose poverty you have to witness are more important than those who are hidden from you. But as the Torah says, there will always be needy ones throughout the land. As the Rabbi Tarfon says, “The day is short, and the work is hard and the master is insistent… you are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to neglect it.” That is, there will always be more tzedakah needed in the world than any one person or family can give. And so, it makes sense to start at home. You can’t save everyone, but you can save one your own neighbor, sibling, fellow Ner Shalomer, someone. 

Start with raising kind and generous people (children, students, niblings, anyone of a younger generation you have the opportunity to help inform). Give to local organizations. Buy a sandwich for the homeless hungry person outside the Subway. Get involved in local politics, don’t just vote once every four years. Honor hometown heroes. Volunteer at your synagogue. These are the ways we build up a better world, one step at a time. Global change starts with local action. Social movements start with small communities committed to a better future. We can and must be willing to act small when we think big. 

May we come together in community care, communal welfare, and live to see a future of mutual aid, safety, and solidarity. Amen and Shabbat Shalom