By Rabbi Fryer Bodzin
Dear friends,
Our parashah this week begins with:
וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־תָב֣וֹא אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָ֑ה
“When you enter the land that Adonai your God is giving you as a heritage…” (Deuteronomy 26:1)
There is something wonderfully direct about the opening words of Parashat Ki Tavo. The Torah imagines the Jewish people not simply as people who believe in the Land of Israel, pray toward Jerusalem, or speak about Israel from afar, but as people who come to the land.
To come to Israel is to encounter a place that is both ancient and immediate. It is the land of our texts and traditions, and also a living, complicated, vibrant place filled with people, challenges, beauty, and possibility. And good food, beaches, gorgeous people and traffic jams.
This November, Beth Tzedec is offering a very special opportunity to do more than visit Israel.
We are going to volunteer in Israel from November 24 to December 3.
This is an eight-day experience for can-do travelers who want to volunteer, reconnect, and renew together.
Based primarily in Tel Aviv, the mission will include two nights in the north, day trips to Jerusalem and the South, and meaningful opportunities to contribute through hands-on volunteering. We will work alongside Israelis and experience the country not simply as tourists, but as members of a Jewish community with something to give.
VOLUNTEER
We will volunteer approximately 4 to 6 hours each day, wherever our help is needed most. Projects may include helping renew communities damaged by the war in the north or south, assisting farmers who have lost their workforce, and providing logistical support where it is needed. Think packing, sorting, cleaning and painting.
CONNECT
We will have opportunities to listen, learn, and build relationships with Israelis whose experiences are very different from and connected to our own.
EXPLORE
This trip is not all work! There will be ample free time to explore Israel and visit your favourite places.
In our parashah, we don’t read “When you come to Israel, eat Golda ice cream and take a selfie.” It immediately goes on to describe what the Israelites are to do once they enter the land. Coming to the land creates responsibility. Being connected to Israel is not only about what we receive from it; it is also about what we bring to it—although I really enjoy the ice cream too.
There are moments when Israel needs us to show up. This is one of those moments.
Our mission is designed for adults ages 25–70 and is heavily subsidized, making it possible for more members of our community to participate. The program includes lodging at four-star hotels, programming, health insurance, and select meals. And it includes FLIGHTS.
But what we hope you will take home cannot be listed on an itinerary. You will come home with new friendships, stories and a deeper connection to Israel. You will come back to Toronto with a renewed sense of Jewish peoplehood. And perhaps you will come back with the feeling that you didn’t simply visit Israel—you showed up for Israel.
Our parashah starts with the words:
כִּי תָבוֹא אֶל הָאָרֶץ
“When you come to the land”
This November, come with me to Israel. The time is now.
Experience Israel together with Beth Tzedec.
November 24 to December 3 | Ages 25 to 70 | Heavily Subsidized
To register, click here>>
I will be leading the trip, but please direct pre-trip questions to Yacov Fruchter at yfruchter@beth-tzedec.org
Space is limited. Registration closes on September 14.
See you in Israel.
Shabbat shalom and an early Shanah Tovah,
Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin