Dear Congregation Beth Israel members and friends,

As we begin the month of March, we’re reading from a Torah portion that describes the vestments made for Aaron, the first High Priest, woven from blue, purple, and crimson yarns. One particular facet of his outfit is standing out to me this year: the breastplate that he wore over his heart, holding twelve cut gemstones to represent the twelve tribes of Israel.

The High Priest carried the names of all twelve tribes over his heart – “for remembrance,” Torah says. Spiritually speaking, he carried the whole people on his shoulders. The breastplate adorned with gems was there to help him remember his responsibility for the whole community. Not just one tribe, or a few tribes; not just the ones who might have agreed with him; everyone.

The role of the rabbi is not the same as what the High Priest used to do. But as I read about Aaron carrying the names of the twelve tribes over his heart, it resonates. As a rabbi I carry each of you on my heart. That’s part of my job. I pray for each of you; that’s part of my job too. And I believe that our community needs each and every one of us in order to be whole.

If one of the stones fell out of the breastplate, Aaron’s priestly uniform would not be complete. He couldn’t be all that he was called to be without all of those he was called to serve. I feel the same way. All of you, in your diversities of opinion and passion, help to make this community what it is and help to make me the rabbi that I am. It’s my job to help all of your gems shine.

On March 9 we’ll gather at CBI for a program planned by the Israel / Palestine Adult Education Working Group called Drawing Through Conflict. Facilitated by an artist and an art therapist, the workshop will use the medium of comics to help each of us express our hearts, our stories, our fears and our hopes for the Mideast. All of us are welcome. I hope that many of us will attend.

I sometimes imagine that one of the upsides of living in a big city like New York is having a wide range of synagogues to choose among. And, I think one of the upsides of living here is precisely that we don’t have that wide range! Because that means we have to figure out how to be in community with each other even when we don’t all see the world the same way.

We don’t all see Israel and Palestine the same way. We have different experiences and associations with those places and their peoples. I’m excited to have the chance to delve into our stories and hopes and fears together, getting to know each other a bit better, and practicing the art of sitting with our differences while still being in community with one another.

I look forward to learning and making art with you on March 9 – and again on March 23 at our second session of Making Art About Torah! Six of us took part in the first session and I think it was really lovely. We created six very different artistic responses to things that intrigued us in that week’s Torah portion, and also had the opportunity to just chat and be together.

All are welcome at the Drawing Through Conflict program and/or at our Making Art About Torah programs (just RSVP beforehand so we know to save you a chair). No artistic skill or previous Torah knowledge is required. All that’s required is a curious mind and an open heart… which are pretty good qualities for any part of spiritual life – or any part of life, in general.

Blessings to all for the coming of spring,

— Rabbi Rachel