This is the weekend we toast, faithfully, every year my Irish Jewish grandmother. The one I am named for Marguette Sullivan Sicher Levy. She was born in Ireland in County Cork at the turn of the previous century, and she came to this country, to Milwaukee and was adopted by a Jewish family in Chicago. The L. Fish furniture people. She was an amazing woman who I didn’t know very well. She worked, or maybe it was volunteered at the Women’s Exchange in Saint Louis as an accomplished seamstress (but a lousy cook I am told). As part of that, she and her husband took in a young girl from Germany. Greta came to live with my mother and aunt when she was in 3rd grade.  My mother and Greta were in the same Girl Scout troop.  

In many places this Shabbat is called Girl Scout Sabbath and yes, there will be Girl Scout cookies at the end of the evening. My grandmother was the first cookie mom anywhere in the country. I doubted this story until my mother’s best friends who were also in that troop confirmed it one year. My mother and aunt were both leaders, as was I, who remain a life long Girl Scout.  I learned much from my years of Girl Scouting, Much about camping and the out-of-doors. Much about the entrepreneurial nature of cookie sales. Much about leadership.

Tomorrow, we finish reading the book of Exodus, Sh’mot, which means Names. Exodus does a pretty good job of preserving some of the women’s names: Shifra, Puah, Miriam, Yocheved, Zipporah. All of them are strong women in their own unique ways.  

At the end of a book, while everyone is standing we say, “Chazak, chazak v’nitchazek.” Be strong, be strong and be strengthened. It is an aspirational blessing. We need that these days. 

What does it mean to be strong?  

• having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks. “she cut through the water with her strong arms” 

• 2. able to withstand great force or pressure. “cotton is strong, hard-wearing, and easy to handle” 

 In Hebrew there are at least three words for strong: chazak, koach and oz.  

Oz we know from the song from the Book of Psalms, “Ozi v’zimrat Yah. G-d is my strength and my might and my song.” 

Koach, we know from the greeting, “Yasher Koach. More power to you” or more accurately “May your strength be enriched” or “May your strength be straight.” 

We also talk about a person who is gibor, strong. 

 Chazak not only has the sense of be strong but also: 

• to be bound to
• to be attached to
• to support
• to preserve
• to strengthen
• to have courage
• to hold fast
• to encourage
• to retain / to keep
• to prove helpful
• to uphold
   

 At one point the Girl Scouts ran an ad campaign with the tag line, “Girl Scouts, where girls grow strong.” I think my mother objected to this line. Her argument: Girls are already strong. Perhaps it should be “where girls grow stronger.”   

 So when we wish someone chazak, chazak v’nitchazek, be strong, be strong and be strengthened, what do we mean? 

 May we strengthen each other. May we be there, one for another. May we find a way to keep going and never give up.  May we have courage.

In preparing for this discussion, I found another Rabbi, Rabbi Ari Lev who also was writing about “Chazak, chazak v’nitchazak.” He found an article written by Paston Eri Wathan 

After Easter to express her thanks for her leadership, much like I do after the High Holy Days:  
“In writing a letter of gratitude my people, I wrote that it takes a whole village of volunteers to make all of this happen…. But then I found myself hitting the backspace button. Because “volunteer” is not quite the right word for what our people do at church… In other words, it’s what you do at a place that is important to you–but not at a place that belongs to you… I’m not sure the word “volunteer” does justice to the depths contained in the work people actually do in their churches…” 

He said and I echo: This resonates deeply for me. Synagogue leadership is not about volunteering, it is about service. I am extremely grateful to each and every person who has given of their time and skill… I offer you each the same blessing that we use to mark completion in our Torah cycle.” https://www.kol-tzedek.org/rabbis-blog/chazak-chazak-vnitchazek  

We know that the rabbis taught there are no extra words in Torah. While this isn’t Torah per se, why do we repeat chazak? I have been taught that the first chazak represents individual strength. We hope that being part of a community, feeling connected inspires each of us to be strong, to be resilient, to cultivate our own inner strength. The second chazak is the collective strength, the strength of the community that comes from taking the individual strengths and putting them together. There is nothing we can’t do if we do it together for the good and the strength of the community. We can lean on the strength of one another and the gifts that we bring to the community, We have the opportunity to see that in all sorts of ways here at CKI. Through acts of lovingkindness, through study together, through those of you who take an active role in leading services, Or just by your showing up, week after week and lending your strength to the wider community. The last part, “v’nitchazek” urges us to be strong into the future. To actively strengthen one another, that it is ongoing and intentional. We strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued, included and supported. We feel we belong. That’s when everyone feels strengthened. As I said this is an aspirational blessing. We live in hope of creating just such a community, Just such a world.  

Maybe the tagline of Congregation Kneseth Israel should be Chazak, Chazak nitchazek, Be strong, be strong and be strengthened. CKI, where we all grow stronger.