Shabbat Shalom – Parashat Ekev 2026

Shalom WJC Family,

The HaMotzi blessing said before eating bread is one of the first Hebrew prayers that most people learn. This is mostly because it is the blessing we say for challah when we recite the prayers before a Shabbat meal. Interestingly though, the obligation to recite a blessing before we eat is not found in the Torah. It comes from the rabbis. In this week’s parsha, Ekev, we are only told to recite a blessing after we eat. “You will eat and be satisfied, and you will bless the Lord your God…” This is what we now call Birkat HaMazon.

Why the emphasis on the Grace After Meals over the preliminary blessing? The Torah implies that anyone can be grateful for food when they are hungry; it is a much greater act of faith to give thanks when we are satisfied. It is a good reminder to stop, look around, especially during these concerning times, and give thanks for the good in our lives. In that spirit, I want to give thanks for two things related to the life of our shul:

1. The Magnificent Seven – This is my new honorary title for the seven wonderful souls who organize our daily services every morning and night. They spend so much time and effort (and worry) making sure we always have a minyan (the quorum of 10 people) so that all the prayers can be said, including the Mourner’s Kaddish. Thanks to them, we are going on over two years of reliable services for those who want/need them.

I want to call them out with gratitude today because as everyone travels during the summer, their task gets much more difficult. Please join me in saying thank you by making their lives a little easier. Sign up to attend a service this week by clicking here, or if you are already on the list of more than 100 people the magnificent seven contact, please try to be a little more responsive over this next month or two. And thank you for that too!

1. WJC Women’s Solidarity Mission to Israel – I am so grateful that, after multiple delays, our WJC Women’s Israel trip is on the ground in Israel, volunteering and connecting with the land and people. I am deeply grateful to trip organizers Susie Miller and Mia Mandel, as well as to Rabbi Dalton, who is staffing the trip. We are delighted to help facilitate this amazing opportunity for WJC members as well as other women from Westchester.

In fact, we are so excited about it that we are working on a similar volunteer mission to Israel for men – November 8-16, 2026. I will be staffing this trip, and I want to thank the trip organizers, Ron Mandel and Jonathan Treiber, for the work they’ve already put in and the efforts still to come. We are partnering with Birthright Israel (they’ve expanded their mandate) on this trip, which allows us to price the trip at $2500 including airfare, an extraordinarily low price for a trip like this (FYI, there are some extra requirements to be eligible for the subsidy, so talk to Ron, Jon, or me if you have questions). We need at least 20 people to run the trip, so we hope you’ll consider coming on this special experience. If you are interested and/or know someone else in Westchester who may be interested, learn more and sign up here. Please note, some details may change as the trip comes into greater focus.

And one more third item, I want to share how grateful I am to be a rabbi serving such an admirable, diverse, and menschlich group of people. Thank you to all of you for the opportunity.

See you in shul,

RJA