Torah Study Blog

The Bible tells us that, with the help of God, Moses overcame great odds to free the Israelites from bondage to the Egyptians; then he lead the people on travels of great distances, while having to quell uprisings among his easily disgruntled followers; and, finally, Moses led the people to the Promised Land.

It would be reasonable to expect that, after all this hard work, Moses would be able to rest on his laurels and enjoy his final years in the Promised Land in comfort. However, in our Torah portion this week, God tells Moses that, from a mountaintop, “You may view the land from a distance, but you shall not enter it – the land that I am giving to the Israelite people” (Deuteronomy 32:52).

Martin Luther King Jr., in his classic invocation titled “I Have Been to the Mountaintop” stated that, “He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!”

Moses and Martin Luther King Jr. understood the importance of upheaval, and then laying a foundation for a people. They did not know what the future held, but they looked to the future and saw it as full of possibility. Our world today is faced with great upheaval. Rabbi Jaech pondered with us what foundation will be left behind after our current pandemic, civil unrest, and political intrigue have settled. Both in the wider world, and in our own temple community.

We took a look at a calamity in Jewish history to see how the Israelite people were impacted. In 587 BCE the Babylonians defeated the Israelites, destroyed their Temple, and forced the exile of the community’s leaders. This action provided the stimulus for the Israelite community to collect and canonize our sacred texts. It was during this exile that our Torah started to be created.

Another calamity in Israelite history was the Roman defeat of Jerusalem in the 1st century CE. The Talmud tells us that a Roman general named Vespasian came to Jerusalem and told the Israelites to simply put down their swords and surrender, then there would be no killing and destruction.

A group of Israelites, called Zealots, vowed not to surrender. Rome surrounded the town and cutoff all access – causing a famine which led to the decimation of the population. The Romans defeated the Israelites, and the Temple was destroyed for a second (and final) time.

At the same time the Zealots were holding out, there was a rabbi named Yohanan who urged his followers to acquiesce to Rome. When the famine became widespread, and knowing the impending bloodshed and destruction that would come, Yohanan arranged to be secreted out of Jerusalem. He found his way to the Roman general Vespasian. Vespasian, having heard that Yohanan advocated for surrender, pledged to give Yohanan whatever he wished. Yohanan requested to be able to go to a town where he could teach and pray. Vespasian agreed.

The Zealots met their final end at the siege at Masada, where there were no survivors. Rabbi Yohanan started the Rabbinic Judaism that is still being practiced today – 2000 years later. Judaism is now centered in rabbis and study of teachings, not in the animal sacrifice that used to be carried out in the Temple. We may say that Yohanan was a sellout. But because of his efforts, Judaism exists today. Progress is messy and there is never unanimity. With the benefit of history, we can see how steps taken by the Israelite people when faced with calamity helped our people to make it into the future.

There is a rabbinic saying that it is not up to you to complete the task, but neither are you free to refrain from it. The task before our community today is to think about what future we want to have for Reform Judaism in Northern Westchester. With the global crisis, and the crisis at home, not all of our members have supported the Temple in the way they used to. Even though most temple activities are being done remotely, Rabbi Jaech still feels the vibrance and sense of connection in our community, and we hope the members also feel that. If we want Temple Israel of Northern Westchester to have a future, we must have the support of the entire community. Without your support, that future may never occur.

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misquotes or misunderstandings in what Rabbi Jaech taught us are the responsibility of Tara Keiter