Marty Bates, of blessed memory, was not an ostentatious person. He was frugal and understated, except when it came to one thing – the large (and I mean large) Jewish star necklace he wore around his neck. Almost six inches in length, the symbol was with him wherever he went, so that everyone, no matter how far they stood away from him, knew he was Jewish.
I think of that necklace when I read this week’s Torah portion – Vayichi – a name that contains inside it the Hebrew word Chai, the ultimate symbol of Jewish pride. Chai meaning life is our defiant way of saying we are still here. For thousands of years adversaries have tried to wipe us out, and yet we, defying all odds, remain.
In the Torah, the word Chai is a sign not of life, but of impending death. In this case, it is our forefather Jacob, our namesake, who, after 147 long years (short in the Biblical record), approaches his death. This, perhaps, could have been the end of our saga, but it most assuredly was not. Vayichi, marks the end only of our first book, Genesis, and the beginning of many more to come.
This week the American Jewish Committee asked us to wear our Judaism loud and proud. Fear has crept into lexicon, it is time to remind one another and the world, that we are here to stay. At services last Friday, I asked people to send me pictures that represent their pride in their heritage. I received some of congregants standing in front of art work in their home, others of family gatherings on sacred occasions, and another of our own synagogue emblazoned by a Jewish star. It is these types of images that keep us strong even in hard times. These are the times we look to one another for support. This, I believe, is why Marty Bates wore the star in the first place. Not for himself, but for us. He wore his star as big as humanly possible to let us know we could all wear our Judaism in any way we so desire.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex
Last Updated on 02/03/2020 by Marc Slonim