Cantor's Blog

In the TV show “The Big Bang Theory,” Dr. Sheldon Cooper, a brilliant but socially awkward physicist, navigates social situations by mastering scripted patterns of etiquette. According to Sheldon, cultural convention dictates that when a person is upset, you offer him a hot beverage. Sheldon usually offers the hot beverage without expressing a genuine sense of empathy. He makes the gesture because it’s what he thinks he should be doing, not because he has compassion for the person he is trying to comfort. He can’t see the bigger picture. 

            In this week’s Torah portion, Vayera, Abraham exhibits a sense of social etiquette and hospitality that is far more sophisticated than Sheldon’s – even though he doesn’t look at the big picture, either. In fact, Abraham’s kindness was almost reckless – when surprise visitors descended upon his tent, he ran towards them and greeted them with a bow. One might argue that Abraham’s trust was an act of faith – after all, God had just appeared to him – Vayera – as the parsha is called. Abraham assumed – correctly, in this case – that these three visitors were emissaries from God. Having just made a covenant with this one God in the form of circumcision, thereby becoming the first Jew, Abraham was gung-ho to complete every task God set before him. This includes – later in Vayera – his willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac. But that’s a whole other story.

            Despite not knowing who these visitors were, Abraham showed a remarkable display of hospitality that should be a model to all of us as we strive to create warm and welcoming communities. Genesis 18:4-5 reads:

"Please, let a little water be taken, and bathe your feet, and recline under the tree. And I will take a morsel of bread, and sustain your hearts after you shall pass on, because you have passed by your servant. And they said “So shall you do, as you have spoken.”

Abraham arranged for Sarah to prepare his guests a bountiful feast, without knowing where they came from and why they were visiting. The men were also exemplary guests in the sense that knew pretty much everything they could know about Abraham and Sarah, seeing as they were messengers from God, but made sure to ask questions of their welfare regardless. Let this be a lesson to us who can find out so much information about people through Facebook and Google in advance of meeting them – even if we think we know, we should ask anyway!

            In Genesis 18:9, the visitors ask specifically about Sarah – even though they know who she is and that she was inside the tent. After all, their primary mission in visiting Abraham and Sarah’s home was to tell Sarah that she would soon give birth to a child! Rashi explains that asking this question was more than just a way of making conversation. The Talmud notes that when a person visits someone in his or her home, he or she should always ask the husband where the wife is and the wife where the husband is. This is more than just a social convention akin to Sheldon providing his guests with a hot beverage. It’s a way of making sure that both husband and wife are thanked during the Grace After Meals. In addition, it shows respect to the privacy of the spouse who chooses not to make an appearance at a gathering. They are thought of, but not coerced into participation.  

Several years ago, I was studying Parshat Vayera with a group of eighth and ninth grade students. Their class has a particular focus on Jewish Ethics, so we read a scripted version of the Parsha that was structured as a series of vignettes. At the end of the section where Abraham welcomed the strangers, I asked them if they thought Abraham did the right thing. The overwhelming response was that while he did show kindness, he put himself into a potentially dangerous situation. What if the strangers had an ulterior motive? What if they tried to rob him or, worse, kill him? 

These days, when we meet a stranger, even if we see someone in need – we need to do more than just offer him a hot beverage. But we also can’t be recklessly faithful, as Abraham arguably was. We must learn to be compassionate while being vigilant; welcoming while maintaining boundaries. Once we are sure of our safety, we should then be as kind as Abraham was to the angels who paid him this surprise visit, putting their needs before our own and making sure that they are being treated with compassion and care.

Tonight, we commemorate the anniversary of Kristallnact – a time when we as Jews were once treated as the stranger. Our experience as outsiders is just one reason why today’s Jewish communities have become champions of inclusion and social justice. This weekend, we also commemorate Veteran’s Day, where we as Americans offer thanks to those who have served to protect our country. Their bravery reminds us that we cannot take our freedom for granted. 

In honor of these occasions, coupled with an homage to this week’s Torah portion, Hallel B’Shir will share three musical selections related to this theme of “Welcoming the Stranger.” My hope is that these melodies will remind us of different ways the Jewish people have demonstrated inclusion and hospitality throughout our history. The songs we are singing tonight incorporate liturgy, Israeli and American national identity, and a contemporary message to stand up for justice.

Tonight’s first piece, “Shalom Aleichem,” is the most literal reflection of Abraham and Sarah’s experience in this week’s Torah portion. We sing “Shalom Aleichem” each Friday night to welcome angels into our homes (or synagogue, as the case may be) each Shabbat. We welcome the angels in peace, ask for blessings of peace, and wish them a peaceful departure - just as Abraham and Sarah did.  

The setting of “Shalom Aleichem” that we will sing tonight was the last piece ever composed by the beloved Jewish composer Debbie Friedman. In fact, I was in the sanctuary of Central Synagogue in New York City when this piece was first performed at a memorial service honoring thirty days since Debbie’s passing. Debbie makes a change to the text in the final verse. Instead of “tzetchem l’shalom” – the angels will depart in peace – she writes “shuv’chem l’shalom” – the angels will return in peace. The original lyrics highlight the angel’s journey on Shabbat, but Debbie’s edit captures the continuation and cycle of this journey. There are always angels coming and going in our world, as our own choir of angels will now demonstrate.

Shalom Aleichem by Debbie Friedman:

https://youtu.be/-Gm-4rlCXD8

            The next piece is a unique mash-up of two well-known melodies: The Israeli National Anthem, “Hatikvah,” and the American folk and gospel song, “Wayfaring Stranger.” I cannot think of a more appropriate combination of pieces for our commemoration of Kristallnacht tonight – not to mention that we have the perfect cast of characters to sing it, between myself and Eddie. Kristallnacht represents the beginning of the persecution that decimated the Jewish community during the Holocaust, and Hatikvah represents the hope that came through after the Land of Israel was established as a homeland and safe haven for the Jewish people.

            Jack Gottlieb wrote “Duet of Hope” as part of a song cycle commissioned in honor of the Bicentennial of the United States of America. “Inspired by the universal themes in the teachings of the Prophets, it is an affirmation of their relevancy today, and for all times,” writes Dr. Alvin I. Schiff in the foreword to the folio that includes the complete collection. “In addition, we are reminded how the origins of American civilization are steeped in Biblical history: places, persons, and ideas.”

“Wayfaring Stranger” reminds us that the United States was also founded by immigrants seeking religious freedom – and that various ethnic groups within our own country have not always been treated with dignity and equality. The lyrics, drawn from scripture, illustrate the life of a Christian longing for their home of God's kingdom as a "wayfaring stranger" on earth. The song resembles a German-language hymn from 1816, which leads historians to believe that the song may have traveled to the United States with a German immigrant and was integrated into early nineteenth-century American folk singing. During and for several years after the American Civil War, the lyrics were known as the Libby Prison Hymn. This was because the words had been inscribed by a dying Union soldier incarcerated in Libby Prison, a notorious Confederate prison in Richmond, Virginia. There is some historical disagreement over whether the song came to this country as white folk song or as an African American spiritual. Today, it is heard widely in both circles – and tonight you’ll here it’s juxtaposition with Zionist hope and freedom.

Duet of Hope by Jack Gottlieb

https://youtu.be/er2Li8m7Cxg

            Our final piece tonight, called “The Stranger” is by our own Laura Copel. I would like to invite Laura to share a bit about her inspiration behind this catchy and poignant piece, which she will sing with Hallel B’Shir. Her comments and song are included in the video link below:

Laura speaks and sings: “The Stranger”

https://youtu.be/HM0wnvAPfeI