Rabbi David Wilfond’s Message – Friday, June 9, 2023
June 7, 2023A Message from Patty Goldstick June 2023
June 15, 2023| The Challah Path Forward Dear Friends, Have you ever had a panic attack? Have you ever felt anxieties suddenly grow larger than you thought you could control? This is precisely what happened to the Jewish people in this week’s Torah portion. 12 scouts return from a recognizance trip to the Land of Israel. The scouts report the land devours its inhabitants and is filled with giants. This negative news inflames their fears. Panicked, “They said to one another, ‘Let’s go back to Egypt.” (Numbers 14:4) With all the good they experienced in escaping slavery (the ten plagues and the miraculous crossing of the sea) was not enough to fortify them from their fears. They shockingly (or maybe not shockingly), yearn for the familiar, even when it means a return to slavery. Fear of an uncertain future is more than they can handle. (continues here) The people attack Joshua and Caleb and actually stone them for bringing them to this moment. God has to step in to restore order and prescribes an interim period for spiritual growth. God explains the forth-coming years in the desert will enable the community time needed to do its inner-work for healing from past traumas. The Torah portion, concludes with the familiar mitzvah of Challah bread. The meaning of Challah is that it is woven together. Separate strands become one loaf. This symbolizes how our lives as a community are woven together by good times and bad, by times of shared trauma and by times of journeying to a promised land. Challah provides us nourishment. May we nourish each other as we do the inner work to move beyond fears of the unknown and journey together toward a shared future woven as a community like the strands of a challah. |