In this moment in time, it is difficult to imagine enduring much more. October 7th pummeled the heart of the Jewish people. Over the course of the year, we are no longer shocked by daily incidents of antisemitism. Pogroms in Amsterdam; terror threats in Thailand; desecration of Jewish businesses in Pico-Robertson. Jew-hatred exists everywhere and publicly showcasing our Judaism has become an act of courage and resistance.
One can’t help but be a little tired.
Tired of the hatred. Tired of the tragedies. Tired from navigating a world in which being Jewish shouldn’t have to be so hard.
But the Torah gives us the guidance we need. Beresheet 22:17 reads, “I will bestow My blessing upon you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore; and your descendants shall seize the gates of their foes.” The Kli Yakar, a Torah commentary by Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz, explains that sometimes, the Jewish people are referred to as the stars in the sky and sometimes, the sands on the seashore. He teaches that when we experience moments of greatness and glory, we will feel like the stars in the sky. Numerous, bright, expansive.
But, he cautions, we will also face moments of distress, disappointment, and fear. In those moments, we must remember that we are like the sand on the seashore. It feels as if waves of hatred, isolation, anger, and prejudice are never ending. Crushing waves from an ocean in which there is no finality. But, says Kli Yakar, the Jewish people are referenced as sands on the seashore for a specific reason. Sands break impending waves. Even as other nations throughout time sought to destroy our spirit, grain by grain, like sand on a beach, we broke the waves seeking our demise.
Sometimes, we are like stars in the sky and sometimes, we are like sand on the seashore. Perhaps the challenge is trying to be both. Shining brightly even through the face of terror. Spreading light even while we break down evil outside our doors.
God’s blessing to Abraham remains as true as it did thousands of years ago. May we continue to be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sands on the seashore. Nothing will stop us from illuminating the heavens and bringing light to the darkest ends of the earth.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Nicole Guzik is senior rabbi at Sinai Temple. She can be reached at her Facebook page at Rabbi Nicole Guzik or on Instagram @rabbiguzik. For more writings, visit Rabbi Guzik’s blog section from Sinai Temple’s website.
