Last week, Boaz and I, like so many fellow congregants, made the trek out to Orchard Park to see the new Highmark Stadium. As part of the open practice, we were given carte blanche to see the entirety of the stadium from field level to the stadium top. Together we walked around the beautiful concourses, saw the offensive and defensive linemen up close in their drills, bought stadium popcorn, and tried to pinpoint the obstructed view seats. There are so many great spots that highlight both the Bills and Buffalo. One of our favorites was the overlook on the 400 level, where you can look out across the entire expanse of Western New York. It was a clear day that Tuesday and downtown Buffalo was clearly visible to the naked eye. But further away down Lake Erie was another massive skyline that was so far away it was difficult to exactly pinpoint where it was. “That’s Toronto,” one of the fellow fans told us. And, while it looked distinctly like Toronto, imagining that we could see over sixty miles out in the distance
was hard to even imagine.
There is a limit to how far the human eye can see. There is a limit to how far the human brain can imagine. This week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, asks us to look far into the future to a settled land, full of ripe and delicious fruits. While the Torah officially ends at the foot of Mount Tavor overlooking the Holy Land, we, the reader, know where our journey will eventually take us. We have thousands of years of historical record, from conquest to destruction, from death to renewal, from monarchy to statehood. This is the time of year we imagine what lies right around the bend, the possibilities gleaming like apples and honey on our Rosh Hashanah table. Just like at Highmark stadium there are limits to our views, but we are free to imagine. So, while I am not one hundred percent sure if we actually saw Toronto, I’d love to believe that we did.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex