Rabbi's Message
In the middle of the desert, the Israelites discover a well ( be’er in Hebrew). At the discovery of this unexpected source of sustenance and hope, they burst into song. “Spring up, O well, sing to it!” [Numbers 21:17].
The Hasidic master, the Sefat Emet, quotes from the book of Proverbs 5:15: “Drink water from your cistern (bor) and flowing water from your well (be’er). And he asks, “What is the difference between a cistern (bor) and a well (be'er) ?
The difference in Hebrew is just one letter – the letter aleph. For the Sefat Emet, that aleph signifies the Source of all Life. The cistern just contains gathered water; its contents are limited by the size of the vessel that contains them. But add an aleph to the word bor, and the cistern is transformed into a living well, joined directly to the source of an ever-flowing spring.”
This can be a powerful metaphor for learning. Add an aleph to our study of Torah, and we can be transformed. We can move our Torah learning from academic exercises and/or debates taken out of context to deep waters of study that connect and sustain us all. When we study Torah, in all its fullness and complexity, it gives creativity and meaning to our lives. It connects us to beauty of the world around us but it also opens our eyes to the cruelty of the world around us. When we read the Torah, it demands that we ask ourselves, “What does the Torah have to say to me about this world of mine? And what does Torah ask of me today?”
I share this excerpt of a prayer by Rabbi Rachel Bearman, a prayer for those who strive to be what the Torah instructs us to be. (Her sermon can be read in its entirety here).
I pray that we will be like Eve who was willing to risk her safe existence in order to pursue knowledge.
I pray that we will be like Abraham and Sarah who hurried to welcome strangers into their camp and rushed to prepare a meal for them.
I pray that we will be like Rebekah who was judged as remarkable because of her kindness to a traveler.
I pray that we will be like Reuel who encountered a wanderer fleeing from his home, brought him into his community, and treated him like family.
I pray that we will remember Rabbi Akivah’s teaching at the heart of the Torah, the verse at the center of the scroll and at the center of the Jewish tradition, is Leviticus 19:18 which says,"Love your neighbor as yourself- V'ahavta l'reiacha kamocha."
This is my prayer for all of us and for all those who hold the bible as a sacred text.
Amen
