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November 8, 2024 - 9 Chesvan 5785 Parashat Lech L'Cha - Into The Unknown
Dear Friends, My son Gabriel auditioned for the school play this week. Of course, in today's world, the audition was recorded on video at home, rather than performed in person, which means he got a couple of tries at it before settling on one version we all felt good about. He read some lines and sang "For the First Time in Forever," as the show is Frozen, Jr., which is based on the popular Disney animated musical. I have been thinking about that song, as well as another song from the Frozen catalog, "Into the Unknown." As we read from Parshat Lech L'cha this week, and as we're just thankfully concluding another hard-fought election cycle, these songs speak to me. When Abram is called upon by God to leave all that he has known, to follow a God he cannot see, to go to a place he does not know, it is very much for him both "the first time in forever," as well as stepping bravely and boldly "into the unknown." He has faith in something greater than himself, and greater than any singular earthly being. He feels that God is with him. So, what was almost assuredly daunting and frightening for Abram, a decision I'm sure was not easy to come by, he went with his gut; he followed his heart. He led with openness and kindness, seeking deeper meaning and understanding of the mysteries of life and the world. We, too, in this moment are on the precipice of both "the first time in forever" and going forward "into the unknown." This is a moment in our nation's and people's history that is unpredictable, that can and will go in any of several directions. And yet, like Abram, I pray that we can venture into the unknown focusing on what binds us together, what we have in common with each other, which I still believe far outweighs what separates us. Like Abram, I pray that we step into that future with strength, openness, and perhaps most importantly of all, kindness and goodness; with an understanding that this is about all of us, not just some of us. Something much greater than our individual selves. No matter how the results of the election have made us feel, the world is still a beautiful place, and our tradition calls upon all of us to make it better for our children than how it was given to us. "It is not on you to complete the work," Pirke Avot tells us, "But neither are you free to desist from it." So, let's roll up our sleeves, remember the spark of the divine at the core of every single human being, irrespective of whom they voted for, and lead with kindness, as we get to work, building up our nation, building up each other. Amen. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Joshua Strom
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