August 11th, 2017 19th Av, 5777 When I finished Rabbinical School two and a half years ago, I thought I was done with first days of school. But Monday morning, I was at Oak Forest Elementary. I didnt fret about what I was going to wear or who my te
August 11th, 2017 19th Av, 5777 When I finished Rabbinical School two and a half years ago, I thought I was done with first days of school. But Monday morning, I was at Oak Forest Elementary. I didnt fret about what I was going to wear or who my te
August 11th, 2017 19th Av, 5777
When I finished Rabbinical School two and a half years ago, I thought I was done with first days of school. But Monday morning, I was at Oak Forest Elementary. I didn’t fret about what I was going to wear or who my teacher would be that year, but I did have other concerns on my mind. I wanted to make sure that every student felt welcome coming back to school. I never had to be fearful going back.
In wake of recent ICE raids in the Memphis area, many of these students and families were anxious to return, not sure what reality the school year would bring. This past Monday, interfaith clergy from all over Shelby County gathered at local schools with high Latino populations. Beth Sholom members were joined by those from Germantown Presbyterian Church and St. George’s Episcopal Church to welcome students back to school and greet them with smiles. As we stood there with signs of welcome and cheers, we received many waves from tired children as they filed into school, and even more grins and claps from parents. It made a difference to remind them that they matter.
In this week’s Torah portion, Ekev, we are asked a challenging spiritual question: “And now, Israel, what does Adonai your God ask of you?” (Devarim 10:12). The verses following this question give mostly vague responses: Revere God, walk in God’s ways, keep the commandments. But it then says that God upholds the cause of the orphan and the widow and befriends the stranger. What God asks of us, then, the Torah teaches, is to befriend the stranger, for we too were strangers in the land of Egypt. This commandment is the one reiterated the most in the entire Torah.
These verses give us a clue about how we are supposed to act in the world -- what God is asking of us. “Walking in God’s ways” is not a clear commandment, and we might not always know the right direction to walk. Yet, as we make our way through life, we can use these teachings as signposts. Is what I’m doing befriending the stranger? Am I looking out for those who are vulnerable? Am I trying to emulate God? These are meant to be guidelines for each of us to understand in our own way, and perhaps that path of walking in God’s ways will look different for each of us.
Let’s do our best to befriend each other and even the stranger. May this Shabbat and the week ahead be one where all of us find protection and comfort.
