CANTOR’S CORNER

Cantor Eyal Bitton shares a few thoughts on prayer and the parasha of the week.

2023-05-27: Shavuot II Shabbat

 

As we gather on this Shavuot Shabbat, we are reminded of the significance of Israel as a people and the importance of connection to our homeland and to the Jewish people. Our Torah reading this week, Deuteronomy 16:16, instructs all Israelite men to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the holidays. This commandment was a call to all Jews to come together in unity and celebrate our shared identity as a people.

We, the Jewish people have a deep and abiding connection to the land of Israel, both historically and spiritually. We see this connection reflected in the words of the Psalmist, who wrote, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning” (Psalms 137:5). The blessings after the chanting of the haftarah implore God to “show compassion to Zion, our true home” (rachem al Tziyon, ki hi beit chayeinu). On Shavuot, as well as on the other festivals, we recite during the Musaf Amidah, “we have been exiled from our land and removed from our soil… Bring us in joyful chorus to Zion, Your city, to Jerusalem” (galinu me’artzeinu v’nitrachaknu me’al admateinu… Vahavienu l’Tziyon ircha b’rina, v’lirushalayim). 

We have a unique relationship with Israel. Our identity as a people is inextricably linked to our connection to the land and to our covenant with God. Just as the Levites had a sacred duty to carry and protect the holy objects of the Tabernacle, we too have a sacred duty to protect and nurture our connection to Israel and to the Jewish people.

As we reflect on the importance of Israel as a people, we must also recognize the challenges that Israel faces today. Internal division only helps those who seek Israel’s destruction, and indeed, there are many forces working against the existence of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people. The threats existed in 1948 and have continued to this day, in various forms. We must stand firm in our commitment to Israel and our identity as Jews. I pray that we stand together as a people and work to ensure that the Jewish homeland remains a strong and vibrant home for all Jews.

We must also remember that our connection to Israel is not just about the land itself, but about the people who inhabit it. The Jewish people are a unique and special people, with a rich history and culture that has survived millennia of persecution and adversity. We have a responsibility to each other and to the world to ensure that this legacy continues.

This year, as we celebrate Shavuot and reflect on the significance of Israel as a people, let us commit ourselves to strengthening our connection to our homeland and to our fellow Jews. Let us recognize that our shared identity as a people is a source of strength and resilience, and that it is up to us to ensure that our people and our land continue to thrive. Let us remember the words of the Psalmist and the commandment to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and let us do all that we can to ensure the continued existence and flourishing of Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people.