From the Desk of Rabbi Stephanie S. Aaron | Congregation Chaverim

Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat Shalom

From the Desk of Rabbi Stephanie S. Aaron | Congregation Chaverim

Parashat Re’eh: Have a Look/See! Yisrael!

Sometimes, we just need a Shabbas pep talk especially now when as Rabbi Menachem Creditor states, “The world is so unsettled and unsettling.” Let us settle into Shabbas, become peacefully calm; let us draw Shabbas breaths and come to rest here. Yet the drama that is unfolding in our parashah appears to be anything but relaxing or is it?  Brought to us by Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Itzchaki, 1040-1105) and Joel Lurie Grishaver, Maggid in the City of Malachim, Los Angeles.

 

The parashah opens with Moshe rabbeinu, Moses our teacher, beginning one of his famous speeches. “Re’eh, Look! I am placing before you on this day a state of blessing and a state of curse.  The blessing: that you will hear the mitzvot of the Eternal your Gd, which mitzvot I command you this day…” Rashi looks at Re’eh and asks “What are we supposed to see?” He instructs us to look ahead in the parashah to verse 29.  Blessings are connected to Mt. Gerizim and curses to Mt. Ebal.  “And it will be when the Eternal, your Gd, brings you into the land you are going to inherit, that blessings will be given to you on Mt. Gerezim and the curse on Mt. Ebal.”

 

The Talmud, Sota 32a, paints the scene. Six tribes ascended the summit of Mt. Gerizim, six tribes ascended the summit of Mt. Ebal, and the Kohanim and Levites with the Aron HaKodesh, the holy ark, were positioned in the valley below.  In the center, were the Kohanim surrounding the ark, the Levites surrounding the Kohanim, and all of Yisrael, their Elders and officers and their judges stood on this side of the ark and that side…

 

The Kohanim turned their faces towards Mt. Gerizim and opened with the blessing: “Blessed be the person that maketh not a graven image.” And both parties on both mountains responded, “Amein.” Then they turned their faces towards Mt. Ebal and opened with the curse: “Cursed be the person that maketh a graven or molten image,” and both parties responded. “Amein.”  So they continued until they completed the blessings and curses.

 

We were there; we were all there, shouting out “Amein, may it be so!”, to all of the blessings and to all of the curses. Joel Grishaver reminds us to pay attention to the lesson here:  look at these two mountains. They represent the peaks of hearing and not-hearing Torah. Each of us knows what it is like on each summit. Each of us has been in the valley. We choose every day where we want to stand.

 

Re’eh awakens us to the great possibility of calling out “Amein!’ to the blessings that abound in our lives. The parashah also, shouts out to us through our own, “Ameins!”  that we recognize what the curse, the opposite of blessing, means in our lives. 

 

Rabbi Creditor urges us to be in gratitude even in these most challenging of times.  Awaken each morning with Modeh/modah/modim on our lips. We affirm what it is to be alive.  “I am defined by gratitude before the Divine that I am blessed to be here, alive and awake today.”  We are Yehudim, people of Todah, “Gratitude People.” 

 

Sink into the blessing of Gratitude this Shabbas! Shout out your Ameins to your blessings with your friends and your families! The curses we will repair, Gd willing, during the week to come.

This week’s torah portion calls us not only to observe but to truly notice the abundance and blessings around us—when we do, we cultivate hit’orerut—a sense of amazement.  Each week at the Tucson J is nothing short of amazing, and it is in large part because of YOU—our community. 

 

As we make our way toward fall (hot temperatures, aside), a number of programs are back at the J, including BBYO! This week is Rush Week, giving new and prospective teens a chance to experience chapter programming. Teens hosted their kickoff event at Jumping Cholla, with 41 teens in attendance to launch the first term of the year. On Monday, Abba hosted Abba Fued while the Kadimah BBG’s ran a Chopped competition at the J. On Wednesday night, Abba gathered for Wing Night with football at nearby Brandi Fenton Park, while the girls hosted a Spa Night at the J. Tonight both chapters will come together for a joint Shabbat program! 

Participants in our Taglit day program for adults with disabilities wrote resumes and practiced their interview skills—in their most professional attire!—as we prepare to open the DPS JShop in September. The shop is part of a new work-readiness-based pilot program, JJobs, that provides interns from Taglit the opportunity to build confidence, independence, and vocational skills right here at the J! Taglit also visited a local Cat Cafe for the first time—which was adorable, as well as an opportunity to socialize and reduce stress and anxiety. 

 

And yesterday, our Tzevet leadership team gathered together for the first time since camp started this summer (an extra busy time of year for our team!). Barney Holtzman, Chair of the 2025 JCC Maccabi Games, took a few minutes to thank the group with kind words and Eegees, for the many ways the team contributed to the success of the event. We also heard from Chloe Loos, Director of Arts and Culture, about her recent trip to Israel as part of the Reform Alumni for Israel group (RAFI). It was Chloe’s first time there and she shared about how powerful it was to be in a place with so much meaningful history, the beauty of the land itself, and the wide variety of opinions and perspectives she encountered! 

 

What were you grateful for at the Tucson J, or in your life this week? Where did you find a moment of amazement? Shabbat Shalom.

Reminders, Resources + Learning

Each week we share resources for more learning:

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Is there a topic you’d like to learn more about? Email Jenn Selco with requests.