*pictures above from my neighborhood; and the following words were shared in Shabbat services this morning (slightly adapted)
I am holding close a lesson from the gift of sabbatical time – and that is the value of pausing enough to notice details. From the details of a leaf or tree bark or spiderweb, there might just emerge some big idea or wisdom. We often forget, imagining ourselves as possessing a higher intelligence than all creatures — but time immersed in nature certainly balances that perception, reminding us of a vast and incredible intelligence animating the natural world.
I realize I’ve often missed a sacred detail in this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Pinchas – perhaps because it was at the very end of the Torah portion or because ancient rituals surrounding animal sacrifices can feel messy and of the distant past. In preparing for this Shabbat, I lingered a bit to absorb the details of the Sukkot offerings—a total of 98 lambs and 70 bulls! (By comparison, during the week of Pesach, the offering of bulls comes to 16 and other holidays less than that).
As noted in Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary (eds: Lieber, Harlow) on these verses, the rabbis were aware that the number of lambs and bulls was staggering. There must be a reason. There must be some big idea or wisdom behind these sacrificial details. According to the Talmud, the 70 bull offerings for Sukkot are thanksgiving offerings made on behalf of the 70 nations. In other words, it is our responsibility as Israel to remind the entire world that gratitude to God is a fundamental expression of our humanity, of our covenantal relationship with the Divine.
I find this a powerful suggestion as to one essential role of faithful people in the world. Our role in remembering the cultivation of gratitude is a critical link in our connection to the One, the Creator of All, the Breath of Life. It is one way we might respond to the questions why be Jewish, why gather here, online or in person on Shabbat and affirm our Jewish values?
Surely there have been other moments of insight in your lives as to the role of Israel among the nations, as to the way faith in general and Judaism in particular, brings light and healing into the deep fissures of our reality.
What would you offer on this Shabbat as a response to this question—what is one essential role of faithful people in the world, and particular our role as a Jewish community? In other words, why be Jewish, why be part of a faith community?
I am often asked, “If you had to distill Judaism down to one thing, what would it be?” This question harkens to a classic Talmudic story where a non-Jew asks Hillel to teach him the whole Torah while standing on one foot! Hillel famously replied, “Treat your neighbor as you would want to be treated—that is the whole of Torah.”
So, metaphorically speaking, standing on one foot, I say “At its best, Judaism is a dynamic conversation that inspires me to act in the world—over time, I realized it was something that I wanted to be immersed in, that I wanted to help shape. For me, Judaism is the path to discover my sacred purpose, and our collective sacred purpose as humanity in relationship with the Divine. Unlike a project deadline, or a graduate school class, there is no exact time frame, no checklist per se, no set curriculum–to find our sacred center takes deep reflection and courage and cultivating practices ancient and new. Judaism invites us to continually check-in with our soul, not only about where we have been, but where we are going.”
Poet e.e cummings says it best in his treasured piece, i thank You God for most this amazing day…
i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any—lifted from the no
of all nothing—human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)
Reflections by Rabbi Kim 