Rabbi's message

As the winter chill passes, we are reminded that though in some very gray days when it seemed we would never again see the sunlight sparkling on the treetops, or feel the sun refresh our bodies and outlooks, we need to brush off the chilly doldrums – and have faith that the winter snow simply blanketed the new growth that will soon blossom!

Indeed, in the changing of the seasons, all is revealed. We revel in the bright and lovely days, feasting on the warmth. Yet in the short, colder days we may forget to draw upon the warmth inside us and the warmth of love and community that is all around us. We may allow the cold days or challenging moments of our lives, to make us feel isolated, disempowered or fearful. That is when we most need to be in joyful, loving contact with our families and our community. The ability to come together and share our love is the tangible emanation of faith – because it places us in partnership with others.

Sustained in faith, we walk with our eyes wide open through bright and cloudy days, clearly seeing what is before us and open to all constructive possibilities. In faith, we are willing partners in all holy efforts, trusting our family members, our community - and ourselves. We have the strength to offer more than we think we have, give more deeply, love more ardently, act more passionately than we otherwise could, because we are drawing not just on our strength, but on God’s.

Soon, we will gather for our seders and retell the story of leaving our bondage, reclaiming our heritage and bonding together for the most marvelous of reasons – a shared appreciation of a higher purpose.   The travails and glories of our ancestors’ journey teach us how to live in faith, and with a purpose greater than we may be capable of perceiving. Their story teaches us the characteristics we need to develop to fulfill our lives and God-given missions.

Like Moses, we need to learn that stubbornness is not equivalent to determination and that we must forgo our own egos and desires and to submit to God’s will for the greater good. Like the Israelites, we cannot go give up - we must step right into our own Seas of Reeds – aware of, but not bogged down by, the muddy path. Like them, we need to walk only forward in faith. They had to work through all the remarkable mishugas that they caused for themselves and one another, and face their external and internal demons to be worthy to enter the Promised Land – and so do we.

When we follow on that same path out of Mitzrayim (constriction) take our places as loving partners in our families and in our community, Then, the love we feel for one another will feel as warm as the rays of the sun, and we will be, as the prophet Jeremiah says, like trees planted by living streams, bearing fruit even in times of drought. Eliana Falk, Rabbi Beth El Synagogue; 444 Main Street North; Southbury, CT 06488 203 264-4500 (o); 203 214-7734 (c)