By Rabbi David Wilfond, Director of Education
Today, Wednesday, the teens concluded their Chavaya Experiences. These are four-day activities during which the teens explored an interest with a likeminded group of participants. The choices included: Gadna, an Israel Defense Force immersion; Tikkun Olam Social Justice projects; and a hike from the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean Sea. On Wednesday evening, after the Chavaya experiences wrapped-up, the students re-grouped as before. When they returned to their original groups they shared presentations with each other about what they experienced in their “Chavaya” programs.
Tomorrow, we will visit the mystical mountain top town of Tzfat. In 1492 when the Jews were expelled from Spain, a large number of Jewish refugees decided it was time to go back home to the Land of Israel. They settled in the quiet and pastoral town of Tzfat, nestled high in the green mountains of the Galilee, in order to be close to the grave of the famous mystical Rabbi, Shimon Bar Yochai, considered to be the author of the Zohar, arguably the most influential book of Jewish Mysticism. The Spanish Jewish community was traumatized by the expulsion from a country where they had been for hundreds of years. They had fully integrated into a multicultural and tolerant society in which Christians, Muslims and Jews lived side by side in harmony for centuries. Suddenly, a new King and Queen, Ferdinand and Isabelle, came to power with the goal of remaking Spain. To achieve this, they said the Jews would have to go.
Sometimes when one is oppressed physically, the only way to cope is to expand spiritually. This is thought to be what led so many Jews to become mystic seekers at this time. They wanted answers to why the world had become so unstable and unsafe. They went to Tzfat for safety and for answers. In Tzfat, there stand synagogues that are almost five hundred years old, built by those refugees who were in search of hope and meaning. One of the most famous is called the Synagogue of the Ari (The Lion). He was a mystic teacher who taught that every Shabbat is a mystical wedding during which the Jewish People and God get remarried on a weekly basis and then celebrate their joy. One of the Ari’s congregants, Shlomo Alkabetz, wrote a mystical wedding poem, Lecha Dodi, which is probably the most popular Shabbat song today. After the expulsion, the Jews were hungry for joy, which is reflected in the liturgical poetry of the time. Lecha Dodi is the song par excellence of Shabbes joy! We want the participants to know that this song that is sung in every Reform Synagogue was born in Tzfat and was created to inspire the soul with happiness and hope.
Another major teaching of the Ari is a concept of “Tikkun Olam” (Repairing the World). The Ari taught that our deeds here on earth have cosmic implications and can increase the amount of good in the world so much that the scales of spiritual balance can be tipped so that the good in the world can exceed the bad in the world. This medieval mystical teaching has become a core principle of Reform Judaism, inspiring our work for social justice. A visit to Tzfat teaches our participants about Jewish values that have become central to Reform Judaism.
On Thursday, the group will also visit the cemetery of the first kibbutz in Israel. Here the participants will learn about the pioneers, the young idealists who came to rebuild the Land of Israel into what would eventually become the State we have today. These idealistic dreamers were poets and engineers, writers and farmers. They were encouraged to dream and to take their dreams seriously. Their dreams blossomed into the lush verdant farms that flourish along the shores of the Sea of Galilee today. We want to encourage our teens to take their dreams seriously and to dream big!
