“From Vision to Comfort with Grief in Between,” Rabbi Elaine Zecher’s Shabbat Sermon/Shabbat Awakenings
August 16, 2024 | 12 Av 5784
Welcome to Shabbat Awakenings, a weekly reflection as we move toward Shabbat. You can listen to it as a podcast here.
Last Shabbat was called Shabbat Hazon. It connotes divine communication, as quoted as the first word of the book of the prophet, Isaiah. It also means vision, an ability to perceive what is before us. We might even call it truth telling or refusing to enter into denial. To have vision is to see what others might refuse to acknowledge. Destruction and desolation would soon happen.
This Shabbat, we call Shabbat Nachamu. It is also from the prophet Isaiah, but most likely a different person who lived in the century after the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians who carried the Jewish community into exile. His words are doubled for emphasis. “Comfort, O comfort, my people.” In despair, people need to hear the emphasis of soothing words.
In between was Tisha B’Av, the yearly recounting of the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem and the many travails of the Jewish people that have happened across time and space. Attributing them all to one day places us in the depths to read from Lamentations, a forlorn narrative of loss and destruction embodied in a lonely city of Jerusalem.
On Tuesday this past week, the actual day of Tisha B’Av, some of the clergy were invited guests to the first reading by the cast of Leopoldstadt which will be performed at the Huntington Theatre. It is the autobiographical expression by Tom Stoppard of the perilous trajectory in Vienna from 1899 to 1924 and 1938 to 1954. You already have a vision of what will play out and how much into the depths he takes the story and offers whatever comfort could be mustered. But there is much grief and sadness and loss and denial. It ponders the creation of a Jewish state and wonders where and whether Jews could be safe then and now (it is a magnificent theatrical creation and I highly recommend you see the actual play being performed September 12- October 13.)
Where do we go from here? Can we remain immobilized between vision and comfort with grief in between? Or do we begin to climb out of despair toward possibility? Our calendar provides the response. We are in week 1 moving through 7 weeks until we arrive at Rosh Hashanah, summoned by the shofar to renew, retry, and rediscover that a new year lies ahead of us all with much possibility for life and blessing.
Shabbat Shalom! שבת שלום
- We celebrate Shabbat this week with Qabbalat Shabbat at 6:00 p.m. OUTSIDE. Register here to join on Zoom.
- On Shabbat morning, we gather at 9:00 a.m. in the library for a short Shabbat service and Torah reading followed by a lively discussion of this week’s Torah portion. All levels and abilities are welcomed. Register here to join on Zoom.
- Thank Goodness It’s Shabbat gathers at 10:00 a.m. No registration necessary.
- Gather online to say goodbye to Shabbat with a lay-led Havdalah on Zoom at 8:00 p.m
- See Temple Israel’s webpage for livesteam options.
I continue to value the many comments you exchange with me through these Shabbat Awakenings. Share with me what you think here. Your email goes directly to me!
Rabbi Elaine Zecher