Dear Friends,
[While we are safely at home in Newburgh and elsewhere in the United States, our Israeli friends and family are sheltering from harm. This week, and in coming weeks as long as the war continues, I will bring us Divrei Torah from Israeli Reform Rabbinic colleagues, to share their community’s experience. The following D’var Torah was written By Rabbi Nir Barkin of the Reform Congregation Yozma in Modi’in, outside Jerusalem. Let’s appreciate his spiritual window into life in his community this week, while in bomb shelters.]
This week’s Torah portion – Ki Tisa - begins with something seemingly small, but quite profound: a donation of half a shekel. This is certainly not a large donation, nor is it an extraordinary gesture, but rather it is a donation that represents the equal responsibility that each one shares to the greater whole: Each one is to give a half shekel… The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not
to give less… (Exodus 30:13, 15) This is a clear and concise reminder that a community is not built by individuals, but by all working together as equal partners. And this message is not only relevant in regular, routine daily life; but also - and perhaps especially so - in times of emergency. When everyone contributes their part, the whole is created.
But our Torah reading does not remain in the human realm alone. It details great moments between man and God. Moses stands in the cloud, and hears God’s voice declaring: The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands… (Exodus 34:6) ” These attributes of mercy are not just a description of God; they are a call to us. These days - when our reality is literally shaking and we are surrounded by uncertainty - we are called upon to embody those same qualities: to act with mercy, patience, kindness, and truth. To see the
other, to hold each other, to be a source of strength and comfort for one another.
In our Torah portion, we read of this miraculous moment where Moses descends from the mountain, his face radiating light: When Moses came down from Mount Sinai..., he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. (Exodus 34:29) This light is the result of his intimate encounter with the presence of God. But then, after this extraordinary closeness, comes the moment
we are familiar with: hester panim (a Hebrew term meaning "hiding of the face," referring to a theological concept where God conceals God’s presence or providence, allowing history to appear driven by chance or human action).
We - who read these words year after year –understand that the light is not always visible. The face of God is not always present in our lives and in most cases, we must rely on ourselves. Since that meeting on the mountain, the world seems to be wavering between revelation and concealment. And today, many of us feel this concealment. Questions are many, answers are not always clear. And within this concealment, within the uncertainty that surrounds us, there is the deep human call to take responsibility. Not to wait for miracles, but to act. To build. To believe in the power of humanity.
This message is also at the heart of the Book of Esther. This is a book without a heavenly name, without any obvious divine miracles, but full of human courage, initiative, and responsibility. Esther and Mordechai do not wait, they act. They take their fate into their own hands, and in doing so, change reality. This is our story as well. In these days of concealment, we are called to be the light. In these times of uncertainty, we are called to be the anchor. And in these times of challenge, we are called to be a community. We wish all a week of strength, partnership, and hope.
Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Nir Barkin
To support Yozma, click here.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
[While we are safely at home in Newburgh and elsewhere in the United States, our Israeli friends and family are sheltering from harm. This week, and in coming weeks as long as the war continues, I will bring us Divrei Torah from Israeli Reform Rabbinic colleagues, to share their community’s experience. The following D’var Torah was written By Rabbi Nir Barkin of the Reform Congregation Yozma in Modi’in, outside Jerusalem. Let’s appreciate his spiritual window into life in his community this week, while in bomb shelters.]
This week’s Torah portion – Ki Tisa - begins with something seemingly small, but quite profound: a donation of half a shekel. This is certainly not a large donation, nor is it an extraordinary gesture, but rather it is a donation that represents the equal responsibility that each one shares to the greater whole: Each one is to give a half shekel… The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not
to give less… (Exodus 30:13, 15) This is a clear and concise reminder that a community is not built by individuals, but by all working together as equal partners. And this message is not only relevant in regular, routine daily life; but also - and perhaps especially so - in times of emergency. When everyone contributes their part, the whole is created.
But our Torah reading does not remain in the human realm alone. It details great moments between man and God. Moses stands in the cloud, and hears God’s voice declaring: The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands… (Exodus 34:6) ” These attributes of mercy are not just a description of God; they are a call to us. These days - when our reality is literally shaking and we are surrounded by uncertainty - we are called upon to embody those same qualities: to act with mercy, patience, kindness, and truth. To see the
other, to hold each other, to be a source of strength and comfort for one another.
In our Torah portion, we read of this miraculous moment where Moses descends from the mountain, his face radiating light: When Moses came down from Mount Sinai..., he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. (Exodus 34:29) This light is the result of his intimate encounter with the presence of God. But then, after this extraordinary closeness, comes the moment
we are familiar with: hester panim (a Hebrew term meaning "hiding of the face," referring to a theological concept where God conceals God’s presence or providence, allowing history to appear driven by chance or human action).
We - who read these words year after year –understand that the light is not always visible. The face of God is not always present in our lives and in most cases, we must rely on ourselves. Since that meeting on the mountain, the world seems to be wavering between revelation and concealment. And today, many of us feel this concealment. Questions are many, answers are not always clear. And within this concealment, within the uncertainty that surrounds us, there is the deep human call to take responsibility. Not to wait for miracles, but to act. To build. To believe in the power of humanity.
This message is also at the heart of the Book of Esther. This is a book without a heavenly name, without any obvious divine miracles, but full of human courage, initiative, and responsibility. Esther and Mordechai do not wait, they act. They take their fate into their own hands, and in doing so, change reality. This is our story as well. In these days of concealment, we are called to be the light. In these times of uncertainty, we are called to be the anchor. And in these times of challenge, we are called to be a community. We wish all a week of strength, partnership, and hope.
Shabbat Shalom! Rabbi Nir Barkin
To support Yozma, click here.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
