This week’s parsha, Vayakhel, calls the Israelites to bring gifts “from everyone whose heart moves them” to build the Mishkan (Tabernacle), so that God may dwell among them. Building a space where God dwells also means bringing a sense of purpose, service, and sacred responsibility. Holiness is not abstract. It is lived. We build sacred community through the ways we show up for one another, especially in moments of fear, grief, and uncertainty.
This week, we feel the shock and heartbreak of yet more violent acts against the Jewish community. Our hearts are with the Jewish communities in Detroit and around the world who are experiencing devastating acts of antisemitism.
Strength (gevurah) calls to us not only as the strength embodied by the security personnel and Temple Israel clergy and leadership; it also refers to a quieter strength. It is the courage to choose connection, to live our Jewish values, and to gather together. At GFC, we teach our campers that strength is not only physical might; it is moral courage, spiritual resilience, and the willingness to support others. Strength is standing with our extended Jewish family no matter how many miles separate us. This week, that family includes our friends at Temple Israel of Detroit who are grieving, healing, and rebuilding.
Our Torah commands us to respond to violence not with despair but with presence. We offer our time, our prayers, our advocacy, and our unshakeable solidarity. We stand with the Temple Israel community and with the entire greater Detroit Jewish community, praying for healing, safety, and strength.
As we enter Shabbat, may the Source of Strength bring healing to Temple Israel, protection to all who guard and serve our Jewish institutions, and courage to each of us as we continue building a world rooted in justice, compassion, and peace.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Erin
Read URJ’s statement on yesterday’s attack on Temple Israel of Detroit here.