Re'eh 5773
I would like introduce you to a translation of the Torah that you may not have heard of before, by Dr. Everett Fox. Dr. Fox seeks to provide a translation of the Torah that sounds as close to the original Hebrew as possible. Here is an example from this week’s parsha, Devarim 15:7-8:
“When there is among you a needy-person from any-one of your brothers within one of your gates, in the land that God is giving you, you are not to toughen your heart, you are not to shut your hand to your brother, the needy-one. Rather, you are to open, yes, open your hand to him…”
Where most
translators would translate the original Hebrew as: “open your hand,” or “you shall surely
open your hand,” Fox strives to
translate in a fashion similar to the original Hebrew, “open, yes, open
your hand.” Here he is emphasizing a
phrase that grammarians call this the “infinitive absolute,” where the
verb is repeated in order to
emphasize the critical nature of this Biblical imperative.
In these verses, we are commanded not
to toughen our hearts and shut our hands. The parsha continues as if we did not
listen the first time, by repeating this in verse 11:
For the needy will never be-gone from amid the land; therefore I command you, saying: You are to open, yes, open your hand to your brother, to your afflicted-one, and to your needy-one in your land!
There are times
when I, and I am guessing many of you, wonder, when can this tzedaka work end?
Is it worth doing this if we will never be able to solve issues of poverty in
our world?
The Torah
emphasizes this harsh reality, while also encouraging us – yes, it is overwhelming.
Yes, there is a lot of poverty, hunger, homelessness, around us. And no, it is
not going away. But, still, patoach tiftach, open your hand, keep
working at it, for we must support our neighbors who need help.
It is around this time of year that we
ask for your help. In the end of August, we pack and deliver food for the
holidays for Jews in our community who otherwise may not be able to have
festive meals. We also have a food drive during the High Holy Days to support
the Ark. And, we are in high gear, with our Na’aseh, our social justice
committee, leading the charge in coordinating volunteers for the Uptown Café
and the Night Ministry. But we need your help. Please feel free to contact me
or Ashley Kain (ashleykain15@gmail.com).
Because if more of us are opening our hands, we can be the people who, even
though we don’t solve all of the world’s issues of poverty, can still make a
difference for those in our community who need help.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo
