Rabbi's Chayva's Chat

NOTE: Originally emailed on November 15, 2023.

Yesterday, on Rosh Chodesh Kislev (the beginning of the Hebrew month of Kislev), some Jews got together on the National Mall. Not just a few, in fact - the organizers say that they had expected 60,000 attendees, but the final count was approximately 290,000! If one assumed that all attendees were Jewish, then the March for Israel was attended by almost 4% of the U.S. Jewish population. As a friend commented, “Am Yisrael is very chai!” (The people of Israel very much alive!)

After weeks of grief and anxiety, it was such a mechayeh, such a life-giving thing, to see so much of the extended Jewish community come together. It reminded me of a Talmudic story about Rabbi Yochanan, who was so beautiful that he could heal people with the light that radiated from his skin. But even Rabbi Yochanan could not heal his own wounds, because, as the Talmud says, “a prisoner cannot free themselves from captivity.” We must lift each other’s spirits and bring light to our community wherever they may be, and yesterday I felt and saw that life-giving light of togetherness.

The month of Kislev is the darkest of the year, so we make an extra effort to bring light. We’re gathering this weekend for our retreat in Half Moon Bay, and if you’ve been on the fence, you can still come! Call the office at (415) 586-8833. We’re going to have great activities for kids around creating ritual items, trivia and a song session on Saturday night, and lots of great learning with Rabbis Hillary and Daniel Chorny, who are thoughtful teachers and each a gem in their own right. We have a great group going already, and even if you only come for one day, it will be worth it.

I want to highlight one other mechayeh coming up: as many of you know, my brother Gabriel is a cantorial student, and he’s local this fall. I am excited to share that he will join me on the bimah on Friday, November 24, and we’re going to make this all-in-the-family service one for our Am Tikvah family: we’re moving the services time up (just for that evening) to 5 pm to make it more accessible for young families, and we encourage you to bring some vegetarian Thanksgiving food to share together afterward. 

Whether you come with your family or come on your own, I hope these next two weeks will bring light to your life. Chodesh tov and Am Yisrael Chai!