I apologize for having disappeared from the blog for a couple of weeks. I was in Israel with a group of congregants, and only just got back on Sunday. During our ten-day trip, we were in fact writing a collective blog about our experiences, and I kept meaning to post HERE about that other blog. But the time got away from me, and instead I posted nothing. I'm sorry. If you would like to read about our adventure, you can find our blog here:
http://ohevmilkandhoney.blogspot.com
It was a wonderful trip (a food tour, no less!), and I was very glad that we went. But it's also very, very nice to be home. As you'll see below, this week's blog post is heavily influenced by our trip to Israel (not to mention that all the photos come from the trip...). Thanks for sticking with my blog, despite my absence.
I want to take a little liberty with the Hebrew text of this week's Torah portion, Shoftim. I hope you will indulge me. I want to offer an
inaccurate translation of the first verse of our reading, simply because it helps me make a point. But hey, at least I'm being honest and upfront about it, right? The verse begins, "Appoint judges and officials for yourselves, from each of your tribes, in all the towns which Adonai your God is giving you" (Deuteronomy 16:18). My rereading is based on a peculiar phrasing in this verse. It says "Ti-tein lecha," meaning "give to yourself [judges and officials]." In light of our recent synagogue trip to Israel and everything we experienced there - and with the help of this strange, reflexive formulation - I want to interpret this verse in a new way.
Rather than "appoint judges and officials for yourselves," I would like to read this verse as saying "Judge for yourself." The verse goes on to talk about the city gates, the tribes, and the entire people of Israel.
It is incumbent upon all of us to see, with our very own eyes, the cities, communities, and indeed the entire State of Israel, and to form our own opinions. Every time I go there, I am struck by how fundamentally different things are on the ground from what's being reported in any and all news outlets. I could try to explain to you what I mean, but that would really defeat the purpose. You would still be getting it through a third party! Our Torah portion is telling us to see it for ourselves: ti-tein LECHA - give YOURSELF this opportunity. And it's not even phrased in the plural (yourselves), but it's the obligation of each and every individual.
How can I fully describe to you what we felt, walking along the boardwalk in Tel Aviv, seeing Arab families next to ultra-Orthodox families next to secular teenagers, each group barbecuing in the grass, but living side-by-side in (relative) harmony? Or leaving a Jerusalem
restaurant after dinner, to find a spontaneous dance party in the streets with secular Jews, Orthodox Jews, and everyone in between dancing together seemingly unbothered by the threat of terrorism that we thought was supposed to be pervasive and oppressive in Israel? I saw so many scenes on this trip, just as I do every time I go, that defy what we are told is the ubiquitous narrative throughout Israel. But you probably don't believe it. OR you are trying to reconcile my images with those you read or hear or see elsewhere. And then again, we are back to our original problem. You can't take my word for it or really ANYONE else's; you simply have to "ti-tein lecha," give yourself the chance to experience Israel and see it through your own eyes. And if you went once, ten years ago, I'm afraid your narrative has a layer of dust on it and your filters need cleaning.
Our wonderful synagogue group spent last Shabbat, just one week ago, praying with a modern Israeli service looking out at the sunset over the Mediterranean, and then with a Conservative/Masorti synagogue in the trendy Tel Aviv neighborhood of Neve Tzedek. And there we began the Hebrew month of Elul, which will lead us into Rosh Hashanah.
Elul is a month of introspection and self-examination. A chance, perhaps, for some dusting and filter cleaning. It is a reminder to us all to look at our lives with a fresh perspective. I just spent four paragraphs talking about Israel, but that's just because I returned four days ago and I'm still jetlagged! A new perspective is often needed in MANY areas of our lives, not just our relationship with Israel. What is your relationship like with prayer, community, and Shabbat? Or, perhaps to hit a bit closer to home, your relationship with family, partner, work, and self-care? Elul is the perfect time to "ti-tein lecha," to "treat yourself," to work on taking a little bit better care of yourself and to making some much-needed improvements. But I can't tell you what to do, can I? Ultimately, there's only one judge and one official who decides what you do - you. So is it time for some change? You be the judge.
Photos in this blog post:
1. The Haifa skyline from our first day in Israel.
2. Our group celebrating Shabbat on the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee)
3. Exploring the Davidson Archaeological Center, along the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. (Right around the corner from the Kotel, the Western Wall)
4. Joining Beit Tefilah Yisraeli, a modern Friday night service on the Tel Aviv boardwalk. It's hard to describe what it felt like to sing Shabbat songs as the sun set over the Mediterranean.
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