For me, this is an optimistic portion. It brings me; it brings us hope.  

Last week we were told again to Listen, O Israel, Sh’ma Yisrael….this is language we know. Pay attention. Wake up! This week we are told to see. 

What are we to see? That there Is both blessing and curse in this world. It doesn’t mean that there will be no bad things that ever happen to us. No rather, there are blessings and curses, which later in Deuteronomy Moses and G-d will enumerate quite clearly.  

We can choose to see the blessing, even in the midst of what may feel like a curse. It isn’t easy. We are told by the rabbis of the Talmud that we should say 100 blessings a day. We should find 100 things we could be grateful for. Sometimes that seems impossible, even if our siddur gives us many blessings. Our services begins with Modah Ani, I am thankful for waking up again. Later in the service we say Modim Anachnu Lach, We thank You….sometimes I stand there I say to myself, just find one thing to be thankful for…and focus on that. It is part of my spiritual practice.  

And while we can focus on just one thing to find as a blessing, to choose that blessing, it can be harder when the world seems to be crashing down around you. That being said, I shy away from language like, “G-d never gives you more than you can bear” or “What lesson is G-d trying to teach you.” Those kind of phrases don’t help someone going through a real crisis.  

And yet, sometimes in the middle of a crisis, it is possible to see the good, to see the blessing. How do we do that?. It can be different for different individuals. Sometimes you can’t find the blessing until months or even years later. That’s OK!  

This portion tells us that there will be no needy amongst us—and then in the very next breath it says but if there are needy we have an obligation to take care of them. I am reminded of Tevye before his solo, “If I Were a Rich Man”, “G-d, it’s no shame to be poor, but it’s no great honor either.”  

Psalms teach us, and we sing in the full Birkat Hamazon, 

Naar hayiti gam zakanti v’lo ra’iti tzaddik neezav v’zaro m’vakesh lachem. 

I was young and I became old but I never saw a righteous person forsaken and his children searching for bread. (Psalms 37:25) 

Sadly, we have all seen people, even children, searching for bread, even in this, the land of plenty. Some Jews won’t even sing this line—both Chabad and Reconstructing Jews. But maybe there is there another choice? Mazon, a Jewish response to hunger, which CKI supports annually, says on their website: 

“There is no invisible line marking the boundaries of need. Hunger has not one face, but multiple. MAZON channels support from the Jewish community to end hunger in every community — a recognition that struggle is universal, and that human connection runs deep. Inspired by Jewish values and ideals, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is a national organization fighting to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel.” 

Mazon is a blessing—and there dedication to helping end food insecurity helps us live out this week’s portion. 

This week Rochelle just chanted again for us her Bat Mitzvah haftarah. We are so proud of her. Her Bat Mtizvah project was to support the Moore Center that works on food insecurity in Marengo. Those needs have only continued to go up during the pandemic and with rising inflation. I know that Food for Greater Elgin has seen a rise in need of 40% in this past year.  

Recently the Northern Illinois Food Bank has moved into a much larger space to handle their rising needs. It was featured on Channel 5 News. What fascinated me was their new t-shirts. Together we thrive. And their slogan. Neighbors. Empowered. The Moore Center, Food for Greater Elgin and the Northern Illinois Food Bank are all blessings. Rochelle, who saw a need—of needy people—and supported the Moore Center is a blessing. 

The last line of the parsha is that we should bring a gift according to the blessing that G-d has bestowed upon us. Literally, a blessing is a gift. At the end of this parsha we learn how to celebrate Passover, with it mtazah, lechem oni, the bread of affliction (and the afflicted) the bread of the poor and humble. We know that our seder begins with the line in the Haggadah, “Let all who are hungry come and eat.” That is the theme of the haftarah—even if you are hungry and have no money come and eat, come and buy bread.  

Continuing, we learn that for Sukkot we should rejoice before G-d. Yes, we should be joyful! We should find ways to be happy, even in the midst of tragedy. The Puritans under Governor WIlliam Bradford knew this. They chose these very verses to host the First Thanksgiving. They celebrated Sukkot, the Festival of Thanksgiving, even tho that first winter had been so rough and the losses so great. They were able to see the blessings even in the midst of what must have felt like curses.  

As we continue to come out of this pandemic we know that not everyone has survived and the loses have been great—whehter health related or economic. The challenge remains to us who did survive to see the blessings. 

Will there continue to be needy people—probably. We have yet to eliminate those economic struggles. 

We have the power to choose between blessing and curse.  

For me, this is an optimistic portion. It brings me; it brings us hope.  

Last week we were told again to Listen, O Israel, Sh’ma Yisrael….this is language we know. Pay attention. Wake up! This week we are told to see. 

What are we to see? That there Is both blessing and curse in this world. It doesn’t mean that there will be no bad things that ever happen to us. No rather, there are blessings and curses, which later in Deuteronomy Moses and G-d will enumerate quite clearly.  

We can choose to see the blessing, even in the midst of what may feel like a curse. It isn’t easy. We are told by the rabbis of the Talmud that we should say 100 blessings a day. We should find 100 things we could be grateful for. Sometimes that seems impossible, even if our siddur gives us many blessings. Our services begins with Modah Ani, I am thankful for waking up again. Later in the service we say Modim Anachnu Lach, We thank You….sometimes I stand there I say to myself, just find one thing to be thankful for…and focus on that. It is part of my spiritual practice.  

And while we can focus on just one thing to find as a blessing, to choose that blessing, it can be harder when the world seems to be crashing down around you. That being said, I shy away from language like, “G-d never gives you more than you can bear” or “What lesson is G-d trying to teach you.” Those kind of phrases don’t help someone going through a real crisis.  

And yet, sometimes in the middle of a crisis, it is possible to see the good, to see the blessing. How do we do that?. It can be different for different individuals. Sometimes you can’t find the blessing until months or even years later. That’s OK!  

This portion tells us that there will be no needy amongst us—and then in the very next breath it says but if there are needy we have an obligation to take care of them. I am reminded of Tevye before his solo, “If I Were a Rich Man”, “G-d, it’s no shame to be poor, but it’s no great honor either.”  

Psalms teach us, and we sing in the full Birkat Hamazon, 

Naar hayiti gam zakanti v’lo ra’iti tzaddik neezav v’zaro m’vakesh lachem. 

I was young and I became old but I never saw a righteous person forsaken and his children searching for bread. (Psalms 37:25) 

Sadly, we have all seen people, even children, searching for bread, even in this, the land of plenty. Some Jews won’t even sing this line—both Chabad and Reconstructing Jews. But maybe there is there another choice? Mazon, a Jewish response to hunger, which CKI supports annually, says on their website: 

“There is no invisible line marking the boundaries of need. Hunger has not one face, but multiple. MAZON channels support from the Jewish community to end hunger in every community — a recognition that struggle is universal, and that human connection runs deep. Inspired by Jewish values and ideals, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is a national organization fighting to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel.” 

Mazon is a blessing—and there dedication to helping end food insecurity helps us live out this week’s portion. 

This week Rochelle just chanted again for us her Bat Mitzvah haftarah. We are so proud of her. Her Bat Mtizvah project was to support the Moore Center that works on food insecurity in Marengo. Those needs have only continued to go up during the pandemic and with rising inflation. I know that Food for Greater Elgin has seen a rise in need of 40% in this past year.  

Recently the Northern Illinois Food Bank has moved into a much larger space to handle their rising needs. It was featured on Channel 5 News. What fascinated me was their new t-shirts. Together we thrive. And their slogan. Neighbors. Empowered. The Moore Center, Food for Greater Elgin and the Northern Illinois Food Bank are all blessings. Rochelle, who saw a need—of needy people—and supported the Moore Center is a blessing. 

The last line of the parsha is that we should bring a gift according to the blessing that G-d has bestowed upon us. Literally, a blessing is a gift. At the end of this parsha we learn how to celebrate Passover, with it mtazah, lechem oni, the bread of affliction (and the afflicted) the bread of the poor and humble. We know that our seder begins with the line in the Haggadah, “Let all who are hungry come and eat.” That is the theme of the haftarah—even if you are hungry and have no money come and eat, come and buy bread.  

Continuing, we learn that for Sukkot we should rejoice before G-d. Yes, we should be joyful! We should find ways to be happy, even in the midst of tragedy. The Puritans under Governor WIlliam Bradford knew this. They chose these very verses to host the First Thanksgiving. They celebrated Sukkot, the Festival of Thanksgiving, even tho that first winter had been so rough and the losses so great. They were able to see the blessings even in the midst of what must have felt like curses.  

As we continue to come out of this pandemic we know that not everyone has survived and the loses have been great—whehter health related or economic. The challenge remains to us who did survive to see the blessings. 

Will there continue to be needy people—probably. We have yet to eliminate those economic struggles. 

We have the power to choose between blessing and curse.