Dec. 4, 2020: People finding the light; and the weekly question: what is the origin of the minyan?
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Dear Friends,
Another week goes by, and next week is Hannukah.
Hannukah (next Thursday) feels particularly meaningful this year. We are all in need of light.
What is unique about the Hannukah story is that it is truly a story of people finding light.
The light of Hannukah is not a light that is given to us. Human beings, the Maccabees, defeated the Greeks, re-consecrated the Temple, lit the menorah, and then that light was made to last eight miraculous days.
On one level, this period has been about each one of us finding the light in our lives, not waiting for anyone else to find it for us, seeking out the means and resolve to flourish in difficult conditions, and to be clear eyed about our lives, and find inner strength.
Our prayer is that the light that we kindle will catch a heavenly wind and grow into a great blaze.
We have a full schedule for all of you to enjoy - a full Hannukah this year.
There will be a candle lighting every night at 6:30 pm led by one of our members. These candle lightings will be open to everyone. It is a chance to share Hannukah with the broader community, to see old friends and meet new friends. I highly encourage you to attend the lighting ceremonies.
We also have two separate Hannukah music programs with our very own Cantor Figa. Also, our regular classes will be Hannukah themed, and on the final night of Hannukah, we will have a joint musical event with Oak Park Temple. Please see the flyer below.
If you are in need of assistance due to the pandemic, we would like to help. Please be in touch with our Caring Committee by clicking here.
---- Now for our weekly question.
On Shabbat, our president Juli Geldner asked me, what is the origin of the minyan?
It is an interesting question.
Jews have always been about community. We were slaves in Egypt together. We left and crossed the Red Sea amid great miracles together. We received the Torah together on Mount Sinai, saying “yes” to God’s offer to make us a holy nation. We grumbled through 40 years of wandering through the desert together.
In Biblical times, Jews were not permitted to make sacrifices in their own backyards. They had to go to the Temple in Jerusalem, and yes – they did it – together.
Finally, once the Temple was destroyed and our sacrificial cult was transmuted into prayer (avodat sheba-lev/ worship of the heart), we continued to mandate this togetherness in our religious life.
The Talmud, using its hermeneutical magic/ logic analyzes several verses in the Torah that speak of the congregation of Israel travelling through the desert together with God’s presence amidst them, and deduces that for “things that are holy”, a congregation is required.
The idea, expressed in different Talmudic passages, is that God dwells where there is more than one person. It is almost as if together we create a vessel that enables the Divine to enter the world.
It was decided that ten was the number. When we have a minyan we can say kaddish, the barkhu (call to worship), and the kedushah (the 3rd blessing in the Amidah) that is considered the holiest moment in each service.
Later wisdom in the Kabbalah linked the ten people in a minyan to the ten Sefirot (divine qualities that make up the universe). Thus, each person in a minyan is holding one of the Sefirot and together are creating a mini-universe.
On another level, after the destruction of the Temple, the rabbis understood Jews would be living in inhospitable lands as a minority, and that community was the key to keeping Jewish identity, religion, and civilization alive. They therefore did all that they could to ensure that we stuck together. I have been at many a minyan around the world, where there is visible tension and disappointment in the room when there are only eight people. In Israel, one can be at any street corner and a person will usher you inside promising you are the 10th (usually inside one finds out that one is really the 5th). It is a millennia-old religious culture that promotes Jews coming together, sharing a meal together, and finding connection.
I conclude with one of my favorite stories about the power of communal prayer.
One day the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hassidism was praying with his Hassidim and he was on fire with prayer. He continued to pray for hours. The Hasidim remained with him, but after a certain amount of time, they left the room one by one. When the Baal Shem Tov emerged from his prayers, he was all alone in the house of worship. Later in the day, when the Hasidism gathered together again, he related a story to them. The inhabitants of a distant land saw the most beautiful bird they have ever laid their eyes on at the top of the tree. They desperately wanted to bring it as a gift to the king but could not reach it. Finally, they realized if they got on each others' shoulders they could make a ladder to the top. They did just that and brought the magnificent bird to the king. The Baal Shem Tov turned to his students and said, “We were making a ladder to heaven to bring a beautiful present to the Sovereign. When you stepped out, the ladder and all of our prayers collapsed.”
The message of the story is that when our davening voices meld together and we find a joint kavvanah (intention), our prayers are amplified and they create a great spiritual power that reaches up to the higher realms.
Hannukah Sameach, may we each find new light and share it with one another to bring illumination to our world.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Adir Glick
West Suburban Temple Har Zion
1040 N. Harlem Avenue
River Forest, IL 60305
708.366.9000
