Ekev - Weekly Torah Portion

For seven consecutive Saturdays after the 9th day of the month of Av we get to read some of the most comforting portions of prophecy of the prophet Isaiah, this week from chapter 49, verse 17. “Your sons shall make haste; Your destroyers and those who laid you waste Shall go away from you.” In some interpretations of the Hebrew original, it is suggested that the reading should be “Your destroyers and those who laid you waste Shall come from within of you.” However, it is fair to ask if this is what the meaning Isaiah would intend it to mean? If that would have been the case it would not be a comforting thought whatsoever. The explanation for this interpretation is probably a political one. The prophet calls upon us to open our eyes and comprehend that those who tried to destroy us are leaving the place. He continues to argue, “Raise your eyes and look around; / All of them gather together, they come to you.” After an extended period of difficulty and misery it is tough to imagine a time of change, rebuild and success. The memories of the near past undermine the ability to believe that it is possible to succeed and it is necessary to revitalize our systems so that we realize the new situation.

In the portion of the Torah that we read this week Moses addresses the people, “If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?’ you are not to be afraid of them; you shall remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: the great trials which your eyes saw and the signs and the wonders, and the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by which the Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.” Times and situations of distress have happened, are happening and shall continue to happen. When we are smart enough, we can also identify the opportunities that come with them. Moses requests us to look also at such times of success, where miracles have changed the course of events that seemed to be unwinnable.

With that said, we must always remember that such success may not make us lose touch with reality. Looking into the future Moses warns, “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God by failing to keep His commandments, His ordinances, and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, and you build good houses and live in them, and when your herds and your flocks increase, and your silver and gold increase, and everything that you have increases, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; He who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions, and its thirsty ground where there was no water; He who brought water for you out of the rock of flint. In the wilderness it was He who fed you manna which your fathers did not know, in order to humble you and in order to put you to the test, to do good for you in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ But you are to remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, in order to confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

Success, especially grandiose success, can make us lose proportions, coming to the conclusion that we are better than others and therefore deserve or are entitled to more. When we get to this place the seeds of failure are sown and we are doomed to experience it sooner or later. It is a slippery slope, fast and dangerous. There is a long way that needs to be negotiated, at times it presents great risks and difficulties, the might of nature and the scare of wild beats, there are also places for respite and relief. Handling both should never cause a person to lose the cool and level-headed assessment of the situation. This is true at times of despair but also when riding the wild waves of success.

The Israel Reform Movement and its congregations has certainly had its fair share of negotiation with “the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions, and its thirsty ground where there was no water”. This was a wilderness purposefully laid before us by generations of Israeli governments. Possibly this was all so as “to do good for you in the end”. We have learned how to struggle and overcome the wilderness of dried economic support, prevention of access to places of prayer, use of foul language such as use by MK Gafni, or the childish and foolish attempt by MK Deri, to ignore MK rabbi Gilad Kariv when he delivered a speech in the Knesset. These come, and pass, we have struggled against worse than that. We are absolutely aware of the fact that it is not our might that brought us to where we are today, and that we are also not at the desired place where tranquility and peace are assured. With that said at all times we must continue “remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth”.

Congregation “Natan Ya” is spending the last months to petition to the city’s municipality with a request to extend the permit to use the facility occupied by us today. Now a decade has past since the decision made by the court and it is time to organize for the future. In addition to the petition to extend the time of use, we have also filed a petition to extend the building itself. Adding area and replacing its roof as the place is becoming too small for our congregation and its growing needs. As a congregation there are times where we walked in the wilderness – these times should not be forgotten. Even during times of success strains may appear – someone said COVID19? We may have to brace for another cycle where we will have to stand firm to exercise our rights. I do hope that the loss last time in the court, which the municipality did not appeal, still rings in their ears loud and clear. However, if the need may arise, they will find us strong as ever, bold as always, and ready to fight for the right of having a Reform synagogue in the city of Netanya. We shall then be blessed by the words of the prophet, “Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations / And set up My flag to the peoples; / And they will bring your sons in their arms, / And your daughters will be carried on their shoulders. / Kings will be your guardians, / And their princesses your nurses. / They will bow down to you with their faces to the ground”.

Shabbat Shalom and wishes for Good Health.

Reuven Marko, 30 July 2021, 22 Av, 5781