THE UNITED JEWISH CONGREGATION OF HONG KONG
Welcoming all who seek a Progressive vision of Jewish life
SHABBAT SHALOM
6 — 7 December, 2013
4 Tevet 5774
Parashat Vayigash
(Genesis 44:18-47:27)
Rabbi Stanton M. Zamek
Education & Programming Director Rabbi Martha Bergadine
Cantorial Soloist/Programming Assistant Diego Edelberg
From the Rabbi’s desk
Our Sages of blessed memory were realistic idealists. They saw, with great clarity, the imperfections of this world, but
they also believed that the world could be healed. They had a vision for a perfected existence, a world in which all
enjoyed peace and plenty, but they did not expect to see this world realized overnight. They knew that the road between
the world as it is and the world as it should be is a long, twisting path.
Reflecting on the magnitude of the world’s afflictions, it is all too easy to succumb to inertia and despair. When millions
suffer from poverty, disease, ignorance, and violence, the effort of an individual to help, however well intentioned, seems
meaningless, a futile gesture at best. This is perhaps a natural response, but the Rabbis will not allow us to sink into
defeatism.
Despair is simply not the Jewish way. “What difference will it make” is not a Jewish sentiment. We are meant to walk as
far as we are able down the road that leads to a better world. Thus Rabbi Tarfon said:
Lo alecha ham’lacha ligmor, v’lo atah ben chorin libateil mimena.
It is not incumbent upon you to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it. (Pirke Avot 2:16)
When we engage in the work of Tikkun Olam, we must have faith that we are moving the world, however incrementally
toward perfection. We must also bear in mind that while our efforts may be modest when measured against the great
challenges facing our planet, on the microcosmic level we have the power to truly change the world. For a hungry person,
hunger is not an abstraction. An empty belly is a lived affliction that a meal can alleviate. For one without adequate
clothing, a coat can change the world. For one without access to adequate sanitation, a bar of soap can be the difference
between health and debilitating disease. So we see why Tarfon insists that we must not desist from “the work.”
The UJC is about to put the realistic idealism of our teachers into practice. Sunday, December 8th is our third annual
Mitzvah Day. 176 Mitzvah Day volunteers, from three months old to seventy, will fan out across Hong Kong to do the
work of Tikkun Olam. In many small, but meaningful ways, we will change the world this Sunday. True, there will still be
human want and environmental degradation on Monday, but a bit less than there was the day before.
For logistical reasons, Mitzvah Day sign-ups are closed at this point. Even if you were not able to join a Mitzvah Day
team, you can still help out this Sunday. We are assisting Hong Kong International School in an effort to resupply Logan
Elementary School in the Philippines. This school was completely destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan. Thanks to the
generosity of the Krotman family, we have a large supply of backpacks to include in the HKIS shipment. We want to fill
these backpacks with school supplies. If you would like to make a small, but very real difference in the life of a child,
please bring packages of new pencils, erasers, and notebooks to services this coming Friday night and Saturday morning.
If you are participating in Mitzvah Day, we will also take these donations on Sunday morning.
Lo alecha ham’lacha ligmor — of course the entirety of the recovery from Typhoon Haiyan is not incumbent upon us.
That is obvious. Rabbi Tarfon’s teaching tells us more than this. He is telling us that it is self-defeating to dwell overmuch
on the mismatch between the immensity of the need in the Philippines and our ability to help. Our attention needs to stay
focused on what we can accomplish right now. Lo atah ben chorin libateil mimena — We may not shirk from it. When we
can help some, when we can put a backpack full of school supplies into the hands of a child and so enable that one child
to learn, that is something that must be done. And we must understand that this is an act that changes the world.
It is not incumbent upon us to finish the work, but neither are we free to desist from it. Rabbi Tarphon’s words are an
antidote to despair in this suffering world and a summons to all of us to fulfill those tasks the Holy One has set before us.
All Blessings
Rabbi Z (rabbizamek@ujc.org.hk)
5th December 2013
Office: Jewish Community Centre, 1 Robinson Place, 70 Robinson Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong
Tel: 2523-2985 • Fax: 2523-3961 • Web: www.ujc.org.hk • E-mail: ujc@ujc.org.hk