The Voice | June-July 2020

CLERGY REFLECTION: WHAT COMES Dreaming OF

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By: Rabbi Dana Saroken

As I write this reflection, imagining what could come next, it’s Memorial Day weekend, and I sense that we’re all poised in a liminal space between what was and what will be. It feels as if the people in our community and our country are ready: to return to the world that was, to see our friends again, to gather again, and to enjoy our freedom and the fullness of life. It makes sense, the sun is shining brighter, the weather getting warmer, and summer is finally here. Who among us isn’t yearning to put this all behind us?

the spread of infectious disease, our ancestors isolated themselves - often for 14 days - before returning to the community. And of course, I’ve repeatedly revisited the stories of Bamidbar , the Fourth Book of the Torah , which describes our ancestors’ journey through the unknowns of the wilderness. In reading those stories, we are constantly reminded of human beings’ struggles amidst uncertainty. Through all of these stories, though, I keep holding onto the end. Our ancestors eventually made it through the wilderness of the unknown and reached their Promised Land. It wasn’t a quick or easy journey, but our People

Yet I pray that we won’t move too quickly; that we’ll stay put a while longer until we’re safer. It always helps me to turn to the Torah for guidance, and the Torah has been a constant source

It wasn't a quick or easy journey. But our People ultimately endured. I pray that we will too.

ultimately endured. I pray that we will too.

In addition to the Torah , a poem

has stayed with me through this pandemic, written by Kitty O’Meara:

And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began

of inspiration and hope to me as we’ve navigated this pandemic. I’ve revisited the stories of our ancestors when they faced countless plagues and the stories of their liberation when they least expected it. I’ve revisited the biblical stories that tell us how, in an effort to contain

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