Looking around our congregational sanctuary and you will see much in the way of old technology: Torah scrolls, candle sticks, Yahrzeit lights, and, for that matter, prayer books. We are preservers of tradition, diligently passing down hard earned knowledge from generations past. From cooking, to prayer melodies, to spinning dreidels, we pass on fads long after they have ceased to be fads, proclaiming to the world, as the first chief rabbi of Israel, Rav Kook once said, that the “old can become new, and the new holy.” This is true in our times, and, perhaps for as long as there have been Jews.
We see it prominently in this week’s Torah portion, Chayei Sarah, which features Abraham burying his wife in the cave of Machpelah, Abraham’s servant pledging to help find Isaac a wife by holding on to his master’s thigh, and Rebecca providing water for that same servant’s camels as a sign she was Isaac’s intended. By the time that these stories in Genesis were written down much of these practices would have been unfamiliar to the reader. Ground level cemeteries, written contracts, and horse drawn carts had replaced essential elements of the story. And, yet, we continue to teach these archaic practices today. The question is why? And, I offer you three responses:
- Tradition! – In addition to being a line from Fiddler on the Roof, it is the fundamental way that we honor our ancestors. This helps us with societal continuity and in forming a connection with those who have come before us.
- Necessity – Sometimes we actually need the old technology, especially when the new technology isn’t working so well. Having a candle during a blackout is very helpful.
- Meaning – By moving back in time, we are reminded to slow down, to cherish the important things in life, to take care of one another.
Our world today may look very different than that of our ancestors, but it does not mean it is better. By embracing the old as well as the new, we can appreciate the ingenuity that has gone into creating the world we now reside.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex