Quenching the Fire

Last Thursday, I woke up and grabbed my phone as I do every morning.  But, instead of looking at the headlines on the New York Times, I decided to check-out Twitter.  It was Thanksgiving Day after all!  I wanted to be inspired – perhaps there’d be a quip about gratitude, a picture from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, or a funny story about cooking a turkey.  Instead, my heart dropped as I read the shocking news from Israel: violence and hatred; devastation and destruction!  On Thanksgiving, a day of gratitude, family, and celebration, my spirit was saddened; my thoughts turned towards the Holy Land.

As we prepared for Thanksgiving in our country, Kehilat Ra’anan, a Reform synagogue in Ra’anana, was vandalized.  The beautiful exterior of the synagogue was spray painted with biblical hate filled graffiti.  Death threats were issued against leaders of the Reform Movement in Israel and abroad.  A knife was laid near the door of the shul, with words written in bright red letters, alluding to an ancient religious obligation to kill traitors.  This shocking and hate filled incident caused distress and nervousness throughout the Reform Jewish world.  For years, radical rabbis and extremists labeled anyone who was non-Orthodox, as a heretic, an animal, or worse.  And we know throughout our history that hate filled rhetoric can lead to violence.

At the same time, news came out from Northern Israel of a devastating fire.  Since last Tuesday, 110 fires blackened the landscape around Haifa.  It was the worst fire in Israel’s history: over 1,000 homes destroyed; 60,000 people displaced.  The police have reported that 30 – 40 of these fires were started by arsonists or perhaps even terrorists.  The dry Israel countryside like kindling, spread the fires quickly, devouring acres upon acres of precious land. 

This past week: we’ve watched as fires of hatred and fires of destruction scorched the very fabric of the land and state of Israel!  Although our Torah portion does not discuss fires per se, it does address animosity and ruin around a story about wells of water.   Our ancient ancestor Isaac, was a herder by trade.  One of the most important resources needed by a herder was wells of water to feed the flock.  The wells that his father Abraham dug were later filled-in by the Philistines who lived there.  Isaac took it upon himself to dig out his father’s wells, so that his flocks would have a place to drink.

Unfortunately, the Philistines had other plans.  Isaac and his servants dug out the first well and the Philistines quarreled with him and said “The water is ours.”  He named that well Esek, meaning “they opposed him.  And he moved on.  Isaac and his servants decided to dig another well and the Philistines also disputed over it, so he called it Sitnah, meaning provocation.  He moved from there as well.  Finally, he dug a new well, which was not one of his father’s wells.  This time, the Philistines did not quarrel with him.  He called that place Rehovot or Rehoboth, meaning “now I have ample space.” 

I love this story because of the lessons that Isaac teaches about dealing with conflict and struggle.  I believe that there are three major lessons of this story that continue to resonate with us today:

First, Isaac reminds us that we never give up.  Over and over Isaac dug out a well and the Philistines continued to antagonize him.  Isaac could have given up after the first incident or the second incident, but he didn’t fold.  He continued to stand firm.  As we look towards Israel, it often feels like our ability to affect change never happens.  For years we’ve discussed an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall, or the right of Reform rabbis to marry Jewish couples or perform conversions, or the ability to wrestle power away from the Ultra-Orthodox Rabbinate, yet the prospect of winning these battles remains more and more remote.  Isaac reminds us that we can’t give up.  We must continue to dig out those wells!

Second, Isaac reminds us that to be successful we can’t do what we’ve always done before.  Isaac began this endeavor by digging out the wells of his father.  Yet, this continued to lead towards misery and challenge.  Only when Isaac decided that he’d dig a new well, were Isaac and the Philistines able to come to terms with one another and achieve a sense of peace.

In Israel today, it often seems that the Orthodox and the non-Orthodox continue to butt heads.  The battles continue to rage.  The fights, the challenges, they never cease.  Perhaps we can take a lesson from Isaac and think about new ways of doing things.  Instead of holding on to the old battle lines, we can attempt to change the narrative or move the conversation into a new direction.

Finally, we are reminded that we must stand together.  Rabbi Weinberger teaches that in the first two wells, it says “they dug” meaning that Isaac and his servants dug the wells.  He explains that during those initial diggings, there was fighting amongst Isaac and his allies.  Only during the last well does it say and “he dug” meaning that Isaac and his servants finally worked together in harmony.  Rabbi Weinberger believes that when we all work together as one, our enemies are able to see our strength and make peace with us.  As Reform Jews living outside of Israel, the issues there sometimes feel remote.  Yet, our brothers and sisters in Israel need our support.  When Israelis know that American Jews are watching and listening, the entire conversation changes.  When we are present and actively involved, Israel changes for the better.

The fires around Haifa and the fires of hatred will simmer and the flames will die down.  Yet, with the dry weather, the kindling of anger, all that is needed is a small spark that will lead to a blaze that will overcome the land and the people.  What is needed is a well of water, to quench the fire and extinguish the flames.  Isaac’s well reminds us that only through perseverance will the fire truly be contained.  Only when our voices are heard and when we come together, will the living waters be restored.  May the flames die down, may the fire be extinguished, and may the living waters provide nourishment and strength for the road ahead.