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Divrei
Rabbi Jerry
Rabbi
Jerry Seidler
TempleSinai
Reflections on Visiting Israel
My family and I enjoyed a splendid and revivifying trip to Israel in December. Our daughter Arielle is doing exceptionally well on her program, making friends and learning so much. My wife, Kathy and younger daughter Lydia were totally excited finally to be there. They did not want to get on the plane and leave.
As for me, I had never been in Israel during the winter. While the oft-chilly weather may have placed an occasional damper on the visit for us, for Israelis it was a noteworthy blessing, since generally arid Israel relies on winter rainfall for its sustenance. The weather and Israeli reaction to it made deep impressions on me as a spiritual Jew.
The seasons of Israel are reflected in our amidah standing prayer, especially in the second blessing which deals with divine powers. From Simchat Torah to Passover, we insert a clause acknowledging God as the power who makes the wind blow and the rain fall. During the rest of the year we instead confirm God as the one who drops the dew upon the earth. Living here in the States, these prayer modifications inspire little meaning since they do not truly correspond to our weather phenomena. Even in Israel, I had not been drawn in by the clause over the dew because dew is not a particularly noticeable thing to me in the summer. I will pay more attention to it now, I assure you. It was amazing to encounter the blustery wind and the down-pouring of rain not only in Tel Aviv and Haifa, but even in Jerusalem. I was assured that the Galilee experienced similar weather patterns, but we did not spend any time there. Oh yes, and there was some snow in the higher regions, including Jerusalem and in the desert mountains of Jordan around Petra. Only in Ein Gedi and Eilat did we not see rain, yet the nights were plenty chilly there as well. My praying the part about God as the power who makes the wind blow and the rain fall came alive for me during this visit to Israel. For the first time in my life, I viscerally felt the connection between Judaism, the seasons and seasonal weather. I had understood it intellectually, but never felt it in my soul. It has been transformative for me, and I am devoting time meditating upon what it means for me personally, especially as an American Jew. I am concentrating upon enlivening the seasonal aspects of the Jewish holidays, Jewish ethics and Jewish prayer for me and us. I want to share some of this with you at our Tu B'Shevat Seder on Friday, February 2, at 6:00 p.m., during which we will also enjoy another communally warm Yachad Get Together Shabbat Pot Luck Dinner followed by our family service. Tu B'Shevat is the Jewish New Year of the Trees, and this year we will be adding new features to this seder to mark our own Buffalo area tree-related seasonal weather realities. It will be a moment of contemplation, pause and celebration. It will, I hope, be an occasion when the relationship between Judaism, the seasons and the weather can touch your souls, too. May we continue to pray and work for peace for Israel, her neighbors, and everyone.Reconstructionist Judaism Makes the Heart Joyful, Sharpens the Mind, Brings Peace to the World. A Teaching from Rabbi Jerry
Blessings,
Rabbi
Jerry
Rabbi
Jerry H. Seidler
Temple
Sinai
50 Alberta Drive
Amherst
, NY
14221
(716) 834-0708
www.jrf.org/templesinai
Updated:
Saturday, January 27, 2007
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