Vayera 5774
This week’s Torah portion, Vayera tells the story of the three angels who come to visit the tent of Abraham and Sarah. Abraham and Sarah exemplify the mitzvah, the commandment of hachnasat orchim; rushing out to greet the stranger, to welcome them into their tent, to show them hospitality and caring. This stranger relates to this elderly couple that they will have a child together.The story continues that these angels have another mission. They are enroute to Sodom and Gomorrah and they will destroy these cities. God shares this plan with Abraham and Abraham’s response is well known “will not the judge of the whole world, judge justly?” Abraham has the temerity to challenge God and to question God’s judgment.
We begin with 50, 40, 30, 20 then 10 souls; if found to be righteous can save Sodom and Gomorrah. The question that one might ask is, why not one? Wouldn’t it be worth saving Sodom and Gomorrah if there was one righteous person that lived there? Why should that one person be destroyed with the entire city? Didn’t God ever hear the famous rabbinic dictum, “if you saved one life, it’s as if you saved the whole world?” Why wouldn’t that apply here?
Our tradition weighs this question, and the answer is constructive. Ten people can save the world, one person can not. Ten people can go out and affect other lives, but one person can not save an entire world.
This is where we have the idea of a minyan, a prayer community. Ten people can bring God into the world; ten people can affect the world and even save it. That is the lesson. Leaders can inspire others, but ten people can save the world.
This is what a synagogue does, I believe. A synagogue is in the business of changing the world for the better. We invite people in, people are involved, [and] they are affected by what happens here. They are inspired by our tradition that is taught here. But the real test is how people go from here and make a difference outside the doors. And I know of the work of this community.
This past week, I had the privilege of attending The Conversation of the Century. It is the 100th [year] anniversary of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism; the Synagogue Arm of our Movement. And rather than having a convention, they had a conclave of conversations. From morning until night, small sessions took place on a whole variety of topics. All in an effort to energize congregations through out the country to take these conversations back, turn them into action and to change the world for the better. What was especially powerful for me at this gathering was to watch Rabbi David Ackerman, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Rabbi Daniel Burg, and Rabbi Charles Savenor, who was one of the principals of the event. Each one of these rabbis who all began their rabbinate here at Anshe Emet, are leading communities. Each one is making a difference. Each one is inspiring more than ten people to be sure to change the world.
What a remarkable lesson our Torah reading offers each of us. We can not do it alone. And so we need to be in a relationship with each other, we need to join together to make a difference in the world that needs our help, needs our caring, needs our voices and our hands. Let us take the lesson of Sodom and Gomorrah, let us join together with others, let us make a difference and perhaps we will do our part to save the world.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Michael Siegel
