Answers and Questions

Answers and Questions

At Jewish Newport

May 4 2019

by Aaron Ginsburg

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Last Saturday, at Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, spring was in the air. It was almost warm, inside and out, and tourists turned out en masse. We had visitors from Sharon, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Asheville, North Carolina. 

We also had a visitor from Salve Regina University, a student named Zachary, who had a very definite twinkle in his eyes. Zachary said, “I haven’t been to temple in three years. A few days ago I found a kippah in my pocket, then I found a clip to hold it in place. (I explained to him that the latest advance in Kipology is for the clip to be built in. I assume you are all checking to see if you are up-to-date.) I also heard Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein of Poway, California speak about the shooting at his synagogue a week ago, on the 8th day of Passover.” Zachary reached out to Rabbi Marc Mandel, and joined us for services. We look forward to seeing him in the future.

Rabbi Mandel spoke about the Poway shooting to the congregation. Rabbi Mandel mixed comfort with questions. Rabbi Mandel quotes from Maimonides’ “Thirteen Principles of Faith.” A quick look at an article in myjewishlearning.com shows that Maimonides got a little ahead of himself when he declared that the thirteen principles were dogmas that should be accepted without questioning. 

“As everyone is aware,” Rabbi Mandel began, “last Saturday, on the final day of Pesach, six months to the day since the tree of life shooting in Pittsburgh, there was another synagogue attack, at the Chabad of Poway, not far from San Diego.

“I want to thank Delia Klingbeil for sharing an article with me  written by Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, the rabbi of the synagogue in Poway, who was shot during the attack and lost part of his hands. This article was in the New York Times. 

‘Today should have been my funeral,’ Rabbi Goldstein said. ‘I don’t know why G-d spared my life in my Poway synagogue. I do not know God’s plan. All I can do is make this borrowed time matter.’

“It is a powerful message that Rabbi Goldstein wrote in the New York Times. The Los Angeles Times had an article with the title, ‘Rabbi sounded in synagogue attack becomes messenger of faith.’ In the Los Angeles Times article, Rabbi Goldstein said, ‘Recently astronomers revealed a photo of a black hole, a place in the cosmos so dark it sucks in light. But around it was a ring of light. Our job is to find that light.’

“There was tragedy in this week’s parsha too. Two of Aharon’s children also died in a synagogue, sucked in by something that sounds like a black hole. Yet despite the tragedy Aharon continued to serve in the Temple, just as Rabbi Goldstein continued to lead his congregation, even though he was shot and was bleeding. He continued to pray and sing, ‘Am Yisrael chai the people of Israel live.’ 

“The Parsha connects with the current events. Just like Aharon hakohen continued to work in the Temple after the tragic loss of 2 of his sons, Rabbi Goldstein continued to lead the Shabbat service even though he had been shot. Where do people find their faith in God in difficult situations? Maimonides, in one of his "Thirteen Principles of Faith," writes, ‘I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the messiah. And even if he tarries I will wait every day for him.’ 

“Some people have this intrinsic faith that no matter how bad things are, God will redeem His people. How did people keep their faith during the Holocaust? Surrounded by so much darkness and horror, some people maintained their faith. Let us strive to learn from these people and may we merit to see better days for the Jewish people.” 

Shabbat Shalom from Jewish Newport!

Thank you to Rabbi Mandel for sharing his 

d'var and to Beth Ginsburg Levine for editing.