By Rabbi Jason Levine, Temple Beth Am
Who says that we only get one chance for a first impression?
We are currently in the midst of reading D’varim, the book of Deuteronomy, the final book in the Torah. The crux of this book is a series of farewell addresses by Moses to his people as they stand on the banks of the Jordan River, ready to cross into the Promised Land. Moses recounts what has befallen the people over the past 40 years, reiterating many of the lessons and teachings. The word “Deuteronomy” itself means “second law,” as does Mishnah Torah, one of the Hebrew nicknames for the book. Therefore, one would expect that this book is mostly duplication.
However, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch notes that while the series of speeches in essence repeats text from the earlier books of Torah, of the 100 mitzvot issued in Deuteronomy, 70 of them were actually new. Moses was giving these instructions to an entirely new generation: With only a couple of exceptions, none of the original slaves who left Egypt remained. This generation was certainly not like the last, and needed new laws and directions to guide them. Once a ragtag bunch of former slaves, Moses and his judges had built this community into an organized, structured, and lawful nation, unified in its collective purpose and shared destiny.
In Deuteronomy 6:20-22, we find passages recognizable from our Passover sederim. The fourth child, the one who is too young to ask, is told, “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and God freed us from Egypt with a mighty hand. God wrought before our eyes marvelous and destructive signs and portents in Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his household.”
Consider the audience: Not one of those listening and reciting these verses was a slave in Egypt. But they had already accepted upon themselves the shared communal history and responsibility of their parents. We, as the Jewish people, repeat this bold statement every year at our seder table.
To me, that moment on the banks of the Jordan River represented a major milestone in the building of their community. Regardless of their unique individual experiences, the Israelites realized they must unite as they stepped into the unknown, as another chapter of their collective history began.
This pivotal moment in our text reminds me of our own community here in Seattle. Although I have only been in Seattle for a year, it seems that we, too, are beginning a new chapter. In the past couple of years, there have been new heads to many Jewish organizations, including the Federation, Hillel, Jewish Family Service, and day schools. There has been a high level of rabbinic turnover, even in the past few months, as was detailed in a recent issue of JTNews.
Perhaps for some it is the end of an era. For me, I see it as a new beginning.
There is such an unbridled joy of being part of a community that is unique and significant to our Jewish people. I once had a non-Jewish teacher who had taught a large number of Jewish professionals, and he commented on how amazed he was that “community” was the ever-present trope for each of them. In Judaism, we need community to pray, to mourn, and to celebrate. We support each other through difficult times as well as times of triumph. Community is central to who we are as a people.
Yet at times we can feel so segmented, living in our own silos. The geography of this region and restrictions on our time create obvious buffers, but it needn’t be this way. To be engaged in more than just your own synagogue, school, or organization is not a drain, but rather an expression of our shared values and destiny. Just a few weeks ago, two dozen Jewish agencies came together in solidarity with the State of Israel, including synagogues of many denominations, organizations with vastly different missions, and, perhaps most excitedly, Israel organizations, which, in many communities, would never collaborate. But here, in Seattle, we made it happen! We stand together, as one people. I was honored to witness such a communal gathering.
We are just turning the page on a new chapter of life in the Seattle Jewish community. Let’s build it together! Let’s building meaningful relationships and connections with Jews you might not otherwise meet, so we can teach and inspire each other. I encourage our community to push ourselves to explore someone else’s Jewish journey, uniting in shared experiences and rejoining in our different paths. It is an exciting time ahead in 5775 in Seattle’s Jewish community. It’s our first chance to make a second impression, as the turn the page to the next chapter of Seattle’s Jewish community. Let’s write the future together!