Last week, I had an opportunity to watch the musical “Come From Away” at Shea’s 710 Theatre. The 2017 Broadway production tells the true story of the 38 flights stranded for several days in Gander, Newfoundland after 9/11. The seven thousand passengers more than doubled the size of the small town, requiring all the townspeople’s help to lodge and feed them. More than up to the task, the play is ultimately about the generosity strangers can show one another in the face of overwhelming adversity.
This week’s Torah portion Chayei Sara begins with the biblical version of “Come From Away.” Abraham is the sojourner who has yet to establish himself fully in the land of Canaan. This poses a problem after his wife Sarah dies and he has no place to bury her. Not to worry, the local residents, who happen to be Hitite, are more than happy to sell the Cave of Machpelah to him in the first official Jewish land purchase in the Holy Land. There are few times in Torah where our ancestors are directly supported by those outside of our own group.
Unfortunately, this original burial spot in Hebron, just outside of Jerusalem, has become a place of enmity and hatred. Perhaps, it would be wise to remind ourselves of the original story, and the way that strangers can, under the right circumstances, become the best of friends. May both the ancient tale and the contemporary one, inspire us to see the best in one another, never letting horrific acts like 9/11 rob of us the generous spirit that makes life so beautiful.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex