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Relevance.  Anytime I am planning a session for Torah study, I strive to ensure that the lesson which emerges from the learning is one that will be relevant in some way to the lives of participants.  Study that leads to relevant and realizable applications of Jewish wisdom is one way to show that Judaism remains a living, dynamic, contemporary and vital expression of our values each and every day of our lives. 

While there are indeed passages within Torah where pertinent and contemporary lessons seem to be a bit more difficult to extract, those portions are balanced by weeks such as this one, where the relevance and applicability of Torah wisdom for our daily lives jumps out of the text.  This week’s Torah portion, Acharei Mot-Kedoshim, also known as the Holiness Code, features verses that provide foundational ideas for our moral code:   

• “Do not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest… leave them for the neediest and for the stranger in your midst; I am Adonai.”(Lev. 19:9-10)
• “Do not stand by while your neighbor bleeds; I am Adonai.”  (19:16)
• “You shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart… Love your fellow as yourself; I am Adonai.”  (19:17-18)

Inherent in each of these verses (and in others in the portion) is the central Jewish belief that all of humanity – each and every person -- are created in the image of the Divine and, therefore, are all equally deserving of compassionate and just treatment.  Further, “I am Adonai” at the end of each verse is like a “holy exclamation mark,” intended to add Divine emphasis to our ethical imperative. 

If we truly want to see how very relevant and applicable these teachings are, then we need look no further than Temple Sinai, where innumerable examples of congregants and programs dedicated to the imperative to “love our fellow as ourself” are evident each and every week.  At our outdoor Shabbat service tomorrow evening, in fact, we will pause to recognize and show appreciation to our Sinai members who have volunteered their time, shared their love, and shown a genuine belief in our common humanity as part of the Family Promise program.  We will also have the honor of hearing from a Family Promise recipient family during services.

I hope to see you at our beautiful outdoor Shabbat services, and I hope as well that the coming week provides each of us with meaningful and relevant ways to infuse Jewish expression and values into our daily lives.   Wishing you all a Shabbat shalom.