In these next two Torah portions, we find Jacob alone, struggling in the darkness. We see Jacob fleeing from home, afraid that his brother will kill him, and years later, summoning up the courage to return.

And in the middle of it all, we read about Jacob’s dream. “There was a ladder going up to heaven,” the Torah tells us, “with angels going up and down it, and Adonai stood on top of it… and God said, ‘I will be with you.”

“And Jacob awoke,” the Torah tells us, “and he said, ‘God is in this place, and I did not know.”

There are so many times when we feel alone, when we feel that there is no one who understands us. And for some us, there are times when we feel that God has abandoned us.

But in truth, we were never alone. God is with us where ever we go – in the beauty of the sunset, in the people who love us, in the small things that we do to help each other.

These last fifty days have been hard for us. We’ve seen our brothers and sisters tortured, the world turn against us, and a spike in antisemitism. And like Jacob, some of us have wonder how we will survive.

But there’s a strength that the Holy One has planted within us – a will to survive, a will to find healing, a will to bring light into the world. And that strength has kept us alive through thousands of years.

I pray that by the time you read this, some of the hostages will be released – women and children who have experienced unimaginable trauma. And I pray that the spark of holiness – the strength that keeps them alive – will remain within them.

We Jews are all one. And must open our hearts to these children. Despite our political differences, despite our opinions of the Israeli government, we must care for our brothers and sisters.

The hard times for Israel are far from over. But we can never give up hope. We must never despair. And we must never forget that God is with us, that there are countless things we can do to bring God’s presence into the world. In the words of Nachman of Breslov:

Everywhere we go, there are holy things to do – praying or eating, and saying prayers before and after.   Even the simplest Jew has holy work that he can do.  For in truth, the Holy One puts us where we need to be, so that we can repair the brokenness around us.  We find ourselves in places that we never imagined, in places we’d rather not be.  But wherever we are, even the simplest of us can repair the world.

Shabbat Shalom,
Art