Shabbat Shalom ~ Terumah 2026

Shalom WJC Family,

Last Shabbat I spoke about the advice of Rabbi Yossi in the Mishnah (Pirkei Avot 2:9) that the most virtuous way to live is to always “be a good neighbor.” I explained that while news of important or tragic events far away understandably command our attention, they can also distract us from what is going on right in our own local community or wider connected community. “Therefore,” I said, “when we see terrible events going on around the country or the world, things like the militant methods of the Federal officers in Minneapolis and the tragic killings of two people there by officers, or the slaughter of tens of thousands of people by the tyrannical Iranian government, our job as Jews isn’t to shout the loudest, it’s to do a mitzvah. It is to put some goodness into the world in the places we can control and not be paralyzed by the events in places we cannot.” 

In other words, the response is to look at our neighbors and see how and where we can help and hope that people closer to the events we read about are acting as good neighbors too (In fact, there is a lot of evidence that folks who turned out in Minneapolis were trying to protect their neighbors.) The Torah, as Rabbi Yossi explains it, insists that we start from a stance of supporting our neighbors when they are in need. When someone is hungry, we feed them, we don’t worry about their immigration status. That is someone else’s job, not a neighbor’s. When someone is cold, we clothe them, we don’t check documents. That is somebody else’s job, not a neighbor’s.

When I taught this last Shabbat, I didn’t realize how quickly some of our immediate neighbors would be in need. On Monday, families in our community experienced a devastating house fire that has profoundly impacted their lives. Six children from the Mamaroneck School District were affected by this tragic event, along with ten adults. Fortunately, they are all safe after some minor injuries and treatment for smoke inhalation, but all were left homeless and without possessions. You can learn more about the fire here. This is a moment when our neighbors need obvious assistance, a moment ripe for mitzvah. I hope you will join me in contributing to the GoFundMe page created to help them with immediate needs such as clothing, temporary housing, food, school supplies, deposit for a new location and other essential expenses as they begin the difficult process of rebuilding their lives.

I also want to highlight that next week marks four years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I would like to suggest two mitzvot related to this grim anniversary. First, many of you will remember Father Kiril Angelov of St. Michael’s the Archangel Ukrainian Catholic Church in Yonkers. He was one of our guests at the interfaith discussion held on Yom Kippur afternoon. As a neighbor, Father Angelov never fails to show up for us (I recently saw him at the Westchester Jewish Council Gala). His church is hosting a candlelit vigil in honor of the anniversary of the war on Tuesday, February 24th at 7pm. I hope you will consider going and showing up for our neighbor community in Yonkers the way their spiritual leader shows up for us.  

We also have another kind of neighbor in Ukraine, Masorti/Conservative synagogues where Ukrainian Jews pray and learn together. In Ukraine this winter has been one of the coldest on record since the 1980s and the utilities like heat and electricity are unstable due to Russian attacks on production facilities. Alongside the physical hardship, the emotional and mental toll of years of war continues to deepen. Prolonged uncertainty, displacement, isolation, and constant stress are affecting children, parents, and elderly community members alike. Access to professional psychological and emotional support has become an essential need, and helping provide that support is a growing part of our movement’s ongoing response. You can learn more about the Masorti Olami Ukraine Emergency Campaign which is working to address all of these needs and help support that effort by clicking here.

Lastly, we are excited to have Danielle Butin, Founder and CEO of AFYA, a partner organization of UJA Federation, speaking in honor of our first Federation Shabbat. Danielle will speak during services on Saturday morning February 28th. AFYA does important work redistributing surplus medical supplies to compromised health systems around the world. In honor of the visit, we are also collecting basic hygiene items to be packaged on Spring Mitzvah Day (Sunday, March 15th).  If you would like to contribute items you can send them through SOJAC’s Amazon Wish List or check the list, buy items in local stores, and drop them off at the synagogue in the large collection bin.

The world needs our mitzvahs now as much as ever and there is so much good to be done right here in our neighborhood and for our neighbor Conservative Jews around the world. May participating in these mitzvot uplift our spirit and inspire others to do the same, making the world just a little bit more beautiful. And I hope you’ll join us to pray on all of this in synagogue this Shabbat. It is always encouraging when we can come together to pray and share fellowship (plus Shabbat Yoga meets this week!)

See you in shul,

RJA