We never really think about how connected we are with everybody else,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. “This week’s Torah portion emphasizes that Moses assembled the entire people of Israel in order to complete the tabernacle. Like the Israelites, to defeat this unseen enemy — COVID-19 — each of us has a role to play.”
As we focus on “social distancing” and staying healthy in the challenging months ahead, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch urges us “to focus on the things that really matter to us: life, family, friends, meaning, purpose.”
“Whether we want it to be or not, what we wear is important,” says Rabbi Rena Rifkin. “The Megillah is careful to tell us that, after fasting for three days, ‘Esther wore royal clothing.’ Who is Esther? She is Hadassah; she is a Jew; and she is the queen. Sometimes our attire helps us reveal what is really inside.”
“When we are anxious and afraid, we often act unintelligently — with little wisdom and with pervasive cruelty,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. As the coronavirus looms, what we need is a good, strong dose of courage, sense and heart.
On Shabbat Shekalim, we read that each Israelite was required to contribute a half-shekel as an offering to God. “The half-shekel is about each Israelite having representation and an equal voice,” says Rabbi Shira Gluck. As Jews outside of Israel, we can make our voices heard by voting in the World Zionist Congress elections.
Hanukkah is a time to ask “How to be a Jew in the world?” says Rabbi Shira Gluck. “Even some of the Maccabees had Greek names. The story of Hanukkah is not as simple as ‘us versus them.’”
