LIGHT IT UP
CHANUKAH STARTS ON SUNDAY
RSVP: SHABBAT+CHANUKAH+DINNER = A WHOLE LOT OF WONDERFUL
DECEMBER ELEVENTH
(And, once you register, I can stop nudging)
The news of the violence that took place in San Bernardino and this morning in Cairo is heartbreaking. It seems that every week (and even multiple times per week) there is another act of terror and violence. However it's defined, the end result is the same innocent people being murdered. Every week the news seems unreal. How could this be? Again? When will it stop? We feel helpless. We feel ashamed. We feel scared.
We cannot give in to our fear. We must remind each other that there is a better way. We must demonstrate that we are going to continue to live our lives with compassion, kindness, integrity and strength. I want a world that is peaceful. I want a world where everyone is safe and has enough good food to eat and protective shelter. I want a world that prioritizes human life.
My new rebbe, Stevie Wonder (now I've got your attention), reminded me and the other 18,000 people attending his concert at the Garden last week, of an essential Jewish teaching, V'ahavta l'rei-a-cha kamocha - "LOVE your friend the way you love yourself", aka the golden rule, aka treat people the way you want to be treated.
The concert was amazing! He was funny, sentimental and his voice is still smooth and infectious. In between songs he sounded more like a preacher than a singer. He's nearing 70 and doing what(ever) he wants. "And what I want, is for people to just love each other. The world needs it and we can all give it." [Side note: At age 11, Stevie Wonder is still the youngest person ever signed to a record label. And he grew up in a home that didn't have a refrigerator or a stove!]
This week's Torah portion is "Va'yeishev" is about a lot but it ain't about love. Joseph, the youngest of Jacob's children, is thrown into a pit and sold into slavery by his brothers. They are jealous of him because they believe his father loves him more. And, apparently he can interpret dreams and they don't care for his interpretations.
Having read ahead to next week's parasha, we know, Joseph ends up in an Egyptian prison and ultimately rises to be #2 to the #1 Pharoah, who apparently does appreciate his talent for interpreting dreams. Joseph saves Egypt from total destruction by implementing a plan during times of plenty that will ensure survival during times of famine. But there is still no LOVE.
Tamar, yet another barren women in the Torah, has gone through two husbands and her father-in-law, Judah (one of Jacob's sons) won't give up his third son to marry her for fear of losing him too. She concocts a plan to get pregnant that involves pretending to be a harlot and sleeping with Judah - that's right, her father-in-law. It works! And there is still no LOVE.
The Torah didn't have The Beatles, "All You Need is Love", or Stevie Wonder. But we do. We need our national and world leaders to take real action and we need to also take real action by UPPING THE LOVE.
Mekor Ha'Chayiim, Source of life, as we move into Shabbat and the festival of lights, let us be reminded of the power we have to bring light into the lives of others. It's really simple and yet it's often neglected.
I am grateful for all of the light you have added to my life.
In blessing and friendship,
Laurie
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