Shabbat Shalom
and an almost Happy Pesach!
This message finds it origins in a post I
wrote for my previous community on March 26, 2010.
It was about responses to the passage of
the Affordable Care Act.
Do you remember how high emotions were
running after that?
So, now, we find ourselves in a new
place...or, mostly, in one place
We are in our homes. We are staying here to remain healthy and
safe. We are not cowering in our
residences, though, or, at least, we shouldn’t be.
The steps we are taking are grounded in
wisdom and good information. As the
worldwide pandemic continues around us, we are doing our best to keep our home
fires burning, so to speak, and, also, to be sure that “home” extends to family
and friends in any ways possible. We
are reaching out. We are studying. We are discussing topics we may never have
had time to address in our own reading or in Zoom group discussions. The flames we are lighting through our
ingenuity and creativity have enabled us to stay in touch. Our interconnections still burn bright.
We are, in some ways, like the priests in
the Torah portion for this Shabbat, Tzav, in Leviticus, Chapter 6. The passage speaks about a fire that was
kept burning continually on the altar in the ancient Tabernacle, the Israelite
site for worship. That fire was not
allowed to go out.
Some commentators likened that physical
fire to the fire that can burn inside of each of us that reflects our spirit,
our beliefs, and our passion for life and community. That is a fire that can offer warmth and
comfort for our souls and spirit. That
is a flame that can enable us to focus on hope rather than pessimism. It can lead us to act out of courage and
resolve rather than fear. It can
increase our generosity at a time when more people need our help and
support.
“A fire inside of us” can signify offering
other people the best of ourselves, even while we are in the middle of a time
of social distancing and challenge. May
the fire in our minds and souls become a torch that leads us all to healing and
liberation, to gratitude and peace, and to freedom, so that we will remember
that we are all in this together.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry
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