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December 15, 2023 (25 Kislev 5784) Parasha Miketz - Our Cup Overflows
Dear Friends, I hope this correspondence finds you doing well, having enjoyed a wonderful Hannukah with family and friends. Please join us this Saturday morning for Shabbat services at 10:00am. This Shabbat we will not only welcome Cantor Joe Flaxman back to the Bimah, but we will also have the opportunity to express our gratitude to several members of the community who “religiously” volunteer their time and talents to our congregation. Our Kiddush HaKavod will allow us to thank several folks including: Gabbai Fred, who assists at the podium each Shabbat and diligently updates our website; Dr. Avraham Yacobi, who graces us on a regular basis with his expert skills as a Baal Korei and has recently commenced leading a weekly conversation group; and Beth Gerson & David Isaac, noted Holocaust scholars and museum docents, who together have supported our services by Davening and offering Divrei Torah (particularly in the Rabbi’s absence), while additionally helping to spearhead two ongoing Holocaust Memorial projects. In these trying times in which we live, it easy to be swayed by the pejorative rabbinic concept of ירידת הדורות, (Yeridat HaDor), meaning literally "the decline of the generations." This is a concept in classical Rabbinic Judaism that expresses the belief that subsequent and contemporary Torah scholarship is intellectually inferiority to that of past generations. In the Talmud, Shabbat 112b: R. Zera said in Raba bar Zimuna's name, “If the earlier [scholars] were sons of angels, we are sons of men; and if the earlier [scholars] were sons of men, we are like asses...” Many extend the metaphor not only to academic scholarship, but sociologically to our overall devotion, connection to the Divine, degree of spirituality, adherence to Torah & Mitzvoth, morality, and even our ability to successfully function as transmitters of our precious tradition. Between intermarriage statistics, the decline in synagogue affiliation, the disconnect of so many Jews, the situation in the Holy Land, and even the expression of Jewish self-hate, it is easy to be enveloped by a pessimistic outlook when considering the promulgation of Jewish values and the future of our Jewish community. In contrast, this week’s Torah reading of Mikketz describes the incredible salvation of the Divinely assisted Yosef, who swiftly ascends from prisoner to viceroy of Egypt. Yosef’s saga teaches us that even if it is late in the proverbial fourth quarter (for you football fans) or third period (for you hockey fans), an inspired comeback is always possible. Of course, these last hours of Hanukkah similarly impress upon us the possibilities of the impossible and the power of Divine light to illumine the world. From personal experience, I will share that I just returned from the wedding of my niece, Shira, to her bridegroom, Aaron, in Tampa, Florida. On the morning of the wedding, I visited the grave of her father and my brother, Rabbi Joel, and thought of sadness, tragedy, and the fragility of life. In the afternoon, however, I witnessed hundreds of Shira and Aaron’s exhilarated friends rejoice with them while dancing to a hip-hop version of a Hanukkah medley. Friends, with the energy, love, and enthusiasm of throngs of young, charming, educated, and compassionate Jews, I know that our spiritual future is in good hands. I know that we will be collectively more than okay and that there will be an emergence of new Jewish leaders. I know that the light of the Jewish people will continue to shine and bring us each day, closer to redemption, peace, and global harmony. Our Naches over this Shabbat should be to bask in the glory of miracles of Hanukkah, to be proud of the ascent of Yosef, as described in the Torah, and to be optimistic regarding the next generation of our Jewish communities. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Eric L. Wasser, EdD, Hon.DM
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