D'var Torah

Dear Friends,

The events of this week in Gaza and Israel have been so difficult, with the tragic deaths of the six Israeli hostages, including 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who lived for a few years in Richmond, before moving to Israel. He, along with 5 other Israeli hostages (Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Master Sgt. Ori Danino), who were each reportedly shot in the head before Israeli soldiers found them in a tunnel in Gaza, were expected to be part of a cease-fire hostage release, according to news reports. Their deaths touched off new protests in Israel, that news reporters said were larger than any protests they’ve witnessed since October 7.

The Jewish people need consoling. We are saddened by the continued loss of life, and the ripples that the war against Hamas is having on all people, including here at home. We don’t have to look further than our own congregation to see how torn apart we are over this. Some members of TRS have decided our congregation is not right for them because we are not supportive enough of Israel. Others have decided our congregation is not right for them because we are too supportive of Israel. Yes, you heard that right. Our world, our country, our community is so divided that we can’t even come to consensus on what is best for the safety and security of the Jewish people.

Maybe we need to listen to Isaiah.

Each week following Tisha B’Av (the 9^th day of the Hebrew month of Av) on which day it is said that the first and second Temples were destroyed, and other calamitous actions have happened against the Jewish people in history, there is a special Haftarah that is read in synagogues all over the world. These “Haftarot of Consolation” are read for seven weeks following Tisha B’Av. In the same way that our tradition ascribes that we should observe a 7-day period of shiva when a loved one passes away, our tradition holds that we observe these 7 weeks of mourning for our people. Each of these Haftarot are from the prophet Isaiah who preaches consolation in stages starting from the simple act of comfort, to a vision of hope and peace for Israel’s future. In the same way that we understand the stages of grief to go from the most profound to eventually a new normal.
Yes, this year has seen a lot of grief, personally and communally. But Isaiah reminds us that we need to take time to grieve, console one another, understand what each person is going through, and then build our resilience to know that hope and a bright future is ahead.

We can look at what our sister congregation in Israel Kehilat Raanan – Beit Samueli, whom we visit on every TRS trip to Israel, is doing to help us understand this. TRS gave a sizable donation for their congregation after the October 7 crisis, which they have used to create opportunities for families whose lives have been upended by the events of October 7. Please read this letter from Rabbi Chen Tsofoni about how they are doing in the light of this week’s news, and what they’ve done to utilize TRS’s donation to them.

May we find solace in the words of Isaiah this week, when he says “I am the One who comforts you,” on this, the 4^th week of consolation.

Shabbat Shalom,
Cantor Michael Shochet