Chevre,

It’s sometimes hard to believe that I have been learning at the Hartman Institute now for two weeks?! The Rabbinic Leadership Initiative Fellowship is intense. This summer’s themes are Jewish Peoplehood and Israel Today and Tomorrow. The days are long and the learning intense, but the scholarship is top notch, challenging, and inspiring. I feel especially blessed to be learning with a cohort of 27 rabbinic peers from across North America and Israel.

Today we learned post October 7th Poetry with Rachel (enunciated as Hebrew) Korozan. Poetry is the language of the soul. And Israel’s soul, at this moment is still in Shivah. Even the Hebrew denotes the emotion. In English we refer to that day as a date, October 7. In Hebrew it’s Shiva’h b’October. Shiva’h can mean the number 7 or it can mean Shiva, the first seven intense days of mourning.

Israel, 9-months since Hamas brutality attacked Israel is still in a state of shock. I’m in Jerusalem, which is a bubble – not in the south, nor in the north. There are lots of people here. Walking. Talking. Going out to dinner. Last night was an Ishay Ribo concert. People are going about their daily business. But there is a sadness, a cloud, that hovers over everyone.

Things seem the same, yet everything is different. Michael Zatz in his poem “Illusion” captures this notion poignantly.

Amazing
How everything looks
Unchanged,
Even
When nothing
Remained
The same.

The poem came to him walking his dog in Modiin. Modiin is a city between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It too is sort of in a bubble, not directly touched by the war, yet deeply touched. Walking his dog, he noted how his neighborhood is the same, unchanged, yet he, and every Israeli are not.

Yet Israelis are doing amazing things to support each other, to serve the People, and to defend the People. These stories are inspiring. Though some fractures of society are peeking around the corner again, most Israelis continue to engage with each other with a shared sense of purpose. And that ultimately is what gives me hope that we will emerge from this crisis with possibility and an opportunity for renewal.

This week’s Torah reading Hukkat provides us with a hint of how to do that. Take a look at these verses:

קַַ֣ח אֶת־הַמַטֶֶּ֗ה וְהַקְהֵֵ֤ל אֶת־הָעֵדָה֙ אַתָה֙ וְאַהֲ רן אָחִִ֔יךָ וְדִבַרְתֶֶּ֧ם אֶל־הַסֶֶּ֛לַע לְעֵינֵיהֶֶ֖ם וְנָתַַ֣ן מֵ ימָָ֑יו
וְהוֹצֵאתָָ֨ לָהֶֶ֥ם מַ֙יִם֙ מִן־הַסִֶ֔לַע וְהִשְקִיתֶָ֥ אֶת־הָעֵדֶָ֖ה וְאֶת־בְעִירָָֽם׃

“You and your brother Aaron take the rod and assemble the community, and before their very eyes order the rock to yield its water. Thus, you shall produce water for them from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their beasts.”

וַיִקֶַ֥ח משֶֶּ֛ה אֶת־הַמַטֶֶ֖ה מִלִפְנֵַ֣י ה כַאֲשֶֶ֖ר צִוָָֽהו

Moses took the rod from before ה, as he had been commanded.

וַיַקְהִִ֜לו משֶֶּ֧ה וְאַהֲ רן אֶת־הַקָהֶָ֖ל אֶל־פְנֵַ֣י הַסָָ֑לַע וַיַ֣ אמֶר לָהֶֶּ֗ם שִמְעו־נָא֙ הַ מרִִ֔ים הֲמִן־הַסֶַ֣לַ ע הַזִֶ֔ה
נוֹצִֶ֥יא לָכֶֶ֖ם מָָֽיִם׃

Moses and Aaron assembled the congregation in front of the rock; and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels, shall we get water for you out of this rock?”

וַיָָ֨רֶם משִֶ֜ה אֶת־יָדֶּ֗וֹ וַיֶַּ֧ךְַּ֧ אֶת־הַסֶֶּ֛לַע בְמַטֵֶ֖הו פַעֲמָָ֑יִם וַיֵצְאו֙ מַַ֣יִם רַבִִ֔ים וַתֵֶ֥שְתְ הָעֵ דה
{ובְעִירָָֽם׃ {ס

And Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod. Out came copious water, and the community and their beasts drank.

As one of my colleagues this week noted, Moses and Aaron were commanded to engage with the Israelites together. Yet Moses alone takes the rod and struck the rock. Even leaders need other people for counsel, for community, and for support when we too “lose it.” We are all human and respond to crisis and trauma as humans. When we do so in community, together, we stand a better chance of making better choices.

It's not obvious that one would come to Israel at this time when everything has changed. But being here together with Israelis and colleagues worldwide is comforting. Amazing. Inspiring.

Shabbat shalom,

Reb Steve