Last Shabbat, I, and several others from our Buffalo Civic Leaders Israel trip had a chance to pray at the first Reform congregation in Israel, Kehilat Har-El. Founded in the early 1960s, the community is situated in a small two-story structure about a fifteen-minute walk from the Dan Panorama Hotel where we were staying. Immediately we felt at home, invited into the synagogue by a friendly face and the offer of a prayer book and pentatauch. My friend Evan Cohen, the synagogue Cantor, welcomed us with a joyous smile. He even offered me the great blessing of an Aliyah. Most meaningful was being able to hear the recitation of the Ten Commandments.
This Shabbat, we continue with a list of commandments in Parashat Mishpatim. Most have to do with property law and theft, vital to a legal code, but not unique to the Jewish faith. Nearly sixty verses pass (fifty-seven to be precise), before we arrive at the seminal Jewish commandment: “You shall not wrong a stranger nor oppress them, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 22:20).
The word used for stranger is Ger, which Medieval commentator Rashi says is the equivalent of foreigner. Taken from the root for settle, a Ger feels out of place in their new surroundings. There is another possible name for this type of individual – “a guest.” What a difference it is to be invited into a place, as we were at Kehilat Har-El.
This past week, my group and I were welcomed into many places: an Arab store, a Jewish settlement, the Dead Sea, an interfaith public school, a youth village, an Ethiopian Heritage Center, amazing hotels and restaurants, and the homes of families from our partnership region in the Western Galilee. At no point did anyone in our group – whether Jew or Christian – feel like a stranger. Our goal should not merely be not to wrong a stranger, but to welcome guests. How incredibly appreciative our entire group was for our amazing traveling experience. I can’t wait to tell you all about it at services on Friday night.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex