Transition periods are always rough. Sometimes you go into them prepared, sometimes not. You almost always hope/wish/expect that they are short. Although you anticipate there will be some pain, you pray it will be a quick jab, not a long, drawn out twist of the knife.The pain of the Beth Sholom transition is nothing as dramatic as the long twist of the knife, but it is proving to be more than a quick jab. We're coming close to the resolution of our building and rabbi issues--at least for now. But there's still so much uncertainty as to what our community will look like and on what basis will we function. Things are changing, that's for sure--change is necessary for the life of our community.
In Deuteronomy 25:17-19, we are told to blot out the memory of Amalek in response to their attack on the Israelites when we were first left Egypt--an attack that preyed on those who were ". . .famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear." But we are also told not to forget. Some commentators take that as lesson that we should make sure to care for all in our community, not just those in the forefront.
As we move forward on the transitionary path, we should remember that it is compassion that will create a place where we will endure. And that compassion needs to be spread wide to encompass all in our community, leaving no one behind.
No comments:
Post a Comment