March 2023
Dear Friend,
I hope this letter finds you and your family well. The haftarah for Shabbos Chol Ha-Moed Pesach is Ezekiel’s famous and enigmatic prophecy of the “dry bones.” God shows Ezekiel a valley full of dry bones. He instructs Ezekiel to “prophesize” to the bones three times. The first two times, God fulfills the prophecies, reconstituting the bones into skeletons, then into bodies and subsequently breathing life into them. The third prophecy, which Ezekiel delivers after the people complained that their bones are dry and that their hope is lost, is that God will open up their graves and bring them to the Land of Israel.
The rabbis in the Gemara, Sanhedrin 92b, discuss whether this passage was a parable or if it described something that actually happened. Rabbi Eliezer, the son of Rabbi Yosi Ha-Galili, said that the dead that Ezekiel revived made aliyah to the Land of Israel, married, and had sons and daughters. Rabbi Yehudah ben Beteira said that he was a descendant of one who was resurrected. The Gemara also discusses who these people were. One opinion is that they were members of the tribe of Ephraim, who left Egypt prematurely, before Moses, and were slaughtered. Another opinion is that they were the people who denied the idea of resurrection. “Rabbi Yirmeyah bar Abba says that these were people in whom there was not even the moist residue of a mitzvah…” In other words, they were not the most righteous or worthy people, and yet God brought them back from the dead.
Pesach celebrates the redemption from Egypt; it is also traditionally seen as the time of the future redemption. Yitzchak Abravanel, the late 15th, early 16th century exile from the Spanish court and commentator, notes that the resurrection and return to the land of Israel will be for all Jews, both the righteous and the wicked, although the latter will be judged. God will not abandon us. Ezekiel's prophecy encouraged our ancestors during the Babylonian exile and should encourage us as well. God can bring and will bring redemption, but we need to do our part. We should not be so devoid of mitzvos as to be dry bones. Moreover, as bad as things may appear, we should never give up hope, since ultimately, God will be there for us and will restore us. As we prepare ourselves for Passover we should use these words to energize ourselves to meet and overcome whatever challenges lie ahead.
We had a good fall at Old Broadway. The holidays, beginning with Selichos led by Orrin Tilevitz through Rosh Hashanah with Rabbi Reuven Hoff and Yosef Tannenbaum were lovely. Sukkos and Hoshanah Rabba also went well. Attendance has been improving at all services. Moshe Jennings discusses the parashah every Friday night and Rafi gives an in-depth derashah every Shabbos morning. Our Women’s Rosh Chodesh Group has been meeting monthly under the leadership of Rhonda Taylor Ramsuer and Laura Radensky. Rabbi Avi Heller has been giving excellent shiurim each month with topics such as “Insights into Parashas Vayera,” “Vigilante Justice: When Can You Take the Law Into Your Own Hands?“ “Encountering God in the Prayers of the Avos,” and “Character Development in the Megillah.” We had a very lively Chanukah celebration with arts and crafts and the accordionist Aron Gershman, and we had a very successful Purim with live music at night and a very thoughtful shiur in the morning. This fall we also partnered with the Center for Traditional Music and Dance and hosted five well-attended klezmer concerts.
As spring approaches we are looking forward to celebrating Passover and our annual planting of our courtyard garden, organized by Dale Brown, on May 21st. Dale is also organizing our annual congregational visit to the Riverside Cemetery, on June 25th. We are currently taking a break from our klezmer series as we approach Passover and the Omer period. We look forward to continuing the series after Shavuos in late May.
Our building is approaching its hundredth anniversary – the cornerstone for our synagogue was placed in fall, 1923. We are making plans so that our shul can be as well used in its next century as it has been in its first century. Our long term goals are to upgrade the electrical system, restore the walls (some of which had elaborate decorative schemes) and restore our tin ceiling. Shorter term projects include reinforcing the Kiddush Room floor, strengthening the two staircases and restoring the lobby’s tile floor. We hope to report more on these initiatives in subsequent letters.
Your support has enabled us to do all that we have done. With your help, we will continue, God willing, to be a warm spiritual home and a makom Torah in the spirit of Rabbi and Mrs. Kret, זכרונם לברכה. We are grateful for your support and hope that we will continue to be worthy of your assistance going forward.
Warm wishes for a sweet and kosher Pesach
President
