Dear CBO Families,
Shlach lecha, our portion which depicts the 12 meraglim (spies, agents, scouts…) seems to be the sequel to lech lecha. In Lech lecha, the protagonist, Abraham, needs to go on his own journey. He must grow from living in the unknown, away from the land of his father. He makes mistakes. He challenges authority and he starts something new. The growth in the Torah to Lech Lecha shows another protagonist, now Moshe. While we know he has his own journey, he now delegates others to go on theirs. It’s an evolution from the individual to the communal. Someone is able to delegate when they are more comfortable with their own leadership and self esteem when they have established themselves. We can ask ourselves where we are in the journey. It’s not a one way street. In one context, perhaps work, we operate in Lech Lecha, and in another, perhaps our home life, or social life, perhaps we’re in Shlach Lecha. This can be a tool for reflection and awareness about where we are and where we want to go.
As a community, I see us in Shlach Lecha. We are no longer one small congregation. We are many strong and are in a place where we will only be stronger if we delegate or, more importantly, ask people to join us in the exciting work we are doing.
In my second year here, I dressed up for Purim as Lucille Ball. I tried to get others excited for our TV Land Theme and Cantor Yavneh joined in with Ricki. This year, we spread the wealth and Marc Suntup and Cantor Kowitz dressed up with me as the band, Kiss. Joining together and empowering others is what adds depth and quality of experience (and fun) to our community.
Shlach lecha literally means, “send to yourself,” because when you empower others, you are strengthening yourself as well.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Bernstein
Affiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism