Cities of Refuge — No Place to run to — No place to hide . . .
What is a ‘place’ of refuge?
A place to ‘hide away’ or is it a place to ‘bring us closer together’?
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Some of you may remember Rabbi David Wolpe as he grew up here in the Philadelphia area before going off to the Jewish Theological Seminary of America — a place where were both classmates and friends. He is retiring from the congregational rabbinate this year and has chosen to offer this reflection on his years as a congregational rabbi. His words here are both poignant and important to the future of Judaism, to Jewish congregational life, and the important role that community can play in all of our lives, (regardless of the tradition from which each of us comes). I hope you will take the time to have a look at it. It is well worth the read.
(NOTE: Check out this article from The New York Times.– Because I’m a subscriber, you can read it through this gift link without a subscription).
As a Rabbi, I’ve Had a Privileged View of the Human Condition – New York Times Article
GUEST ESSAY — NYT — JULY 2, 2023 — RABBI DAVID WOLPE
As a Rabbi, I’ve Had a Privileged View of the Human Condition
Excerpt:
For over a quarter century now, I have listened to people’s stories, sat by their bedsides as life slipped away, buried their parents, spouses and sometimes their children. Marriages have ended in my office, as have engagements.
I have watched families as they say cruel, cutting things to one another or, just as devastating, refuse to say anything at all. I have seen the iron claw of grief scrape out the insides of mourners, grip their windpipes, blind their eyes so that they cannot accept the mercy of people or of God.
After 26 years in the rabbinate, as I approach retirement, I have come to several realizations. All of us are wounded and broken in one way or another; those who do not recognize it in themselves or in others are more likely to cause damage than those who realize and try to rise through the brokenness.
