Yes, We Are: Our October Shabbat

Just before we light the candles, the room is still settling, and I look out and see faces I know by heart sitting beside faces I am meeting for the very first time. And I am so grateful for the gift of Shabbat within community. I know we need this and I know it cannot be done alone. “It” is that elusive feeling of belonging and when I see us doing that in a way that also includes any first timers, I’m especially grateful.

New Faces at the Table

So many people joined us for the first time in October. Some found us online, some came with a friend, and some had been meaning to come for a while.

What moved me was not only that they came, but how they were received. Without anyone being asked, people slid over to make room, made introductions, and helped a newcomer find the right page. Within minutes, it was hard to tell who was new and who had been coming for years.

Yes, We Are

We have just begun reading the Torah again, and near its very beginning Cain asks a question that still echoes:

הֲשֹׁמֵר אָחִי אָנֹכִי

“Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9)

The Torah never records an answer.

In my Dvar Torah, I shared that I believe the rest of our tradition is the answer, and the answer is yes. We are each other’s keepers.

On Friday night I did not have to argue the point. I could see it in every chair that scooted over, every hand on a shoulder, every child who blessed our candles and shared challah.

This is what I believe Judaism is meant to be. Not a building or a membership list, but people showing up for one another, and for something holy, together.

Thank you to everyone who made that room what it was. And to those who walked in for the first time: you are part of this now.  We are family. 

With love and blessings,

Rabbi Amy