Exhiliration and Exhortation

During this morning's classes we traipsed over to another building for a lecture - hartza'a - from a Conservative rabbi (born in Israel).

He spoke (in Hebrew, of course) for an hour and I "got" it. The subject was dispersion and galut/exile, especially in the book of Genesis / Bereishit and how it is emblematic of the lives of Jews and the lives of all humans - that we are born - leaving the comfortable womb, then leave our parents' home and thus, spend the rest of our lives being "on the way" to a new home. Like Moses we usually are able to see it, but don't quite make it and have to recognize that there will always be that part of what we want/hope "home" to be that is beyond our reach.

I know that teachers and lecturers work on keeping their language simple, but it still was an exhilarating feeling to be able to just listen and not have to strain to put thoughts together before he moved on.

He was a good speaker, the topic was one with which I was familiar and I was able to lose the sense that I was listening to something in another language than my native one.

By the end I had tears in my eyes - partly from his message but mostly from being in Eretz Israel listening to the story of our people in the language of our people.

The little bit of Hebrew that our children acquire in Hebrew school is paltry and impoverished compared to what exists. We owe them more.

When you want it for your own children - for yourselves - let me know and we'll work on making more of what we have to give ourselves, and them, as parents, teachers and Jews. It's their inheritance - it's our inheritance. We settle for just enough and then consider it done. This is not competence in math or basketball. This is the very essence of who we are.

As rich and beautiful as the quilt present for me is - so is what we can be - together.

I so look forward to our days, months and years together. Thank you for this experience.

Rabbi Heath