“Firm and Steady”

by Rabbi Dennis Ross

Having just closed the book on 2024, our Torah portion this Shabbat, Vayehi, closes the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis, with the portion Vayehi. In this portion, our ancestor, Jacob realized his life will soon end, and offered each of his sons a personal blessing with words that speak to us, just as they spoke to Joseph and his immediate descendants.

Jacob blessed Joseph with, “When archers deal bitterly with you and shoot you, your bow will remain firm and steady”; as if foreseeing our terrible future enslavement in Egypt. Archers may well have shot at us in that enslavement, just as the Torah records other challenges, including enforced labor, corporal punishment, threats of infanticide and more.

Yet, we persevered. We complained, and rightfully so, but as a people, our “bow” remained “firm and steady” and we carried on. And today, as well, when the archer strikes with arrows, threats, or other harsh words and upending events, we continue to stand firm.

As your rabbi, I have seen members of this sweet congregation, when confronted with personal setbacks or challenges, remain “firm and steady.” Whether the upset is minor or major, the loss distant or catastrophic, time and time again, our members rise to the moment. These are quiet triumphs of the spirit, acts of resilience and nobility, personal victories that are transformative yet never make the news headlines. And when it comes to events in the world — frightening, heartbreaking, upsetting and more — we stand together.

As we enter this new secular year, I know that when “archers deal bitterly,” the members of this community will continue to, in the words of the Torah, “remain firm and steady.”

With wishes for a year of health and peace from our home to yours,

Rabbi Dennis Ross