The Hard Work of Kindness: Rabbi Weitzman's Weekly Shabbat Message

Dear Congregation Beth Emeth,

When parents tell us why they choose a Jewish education for their children, many give the same answer: they want their children to learn how to be good people. Years ago, at the Foundation for Jewish Camp, my colleagues found that kindness is the character trait Jewish camps teach most. The same holds true here at CBE. In the Einhorn Center, from our four-year-olds to our teen volunteers, so much of what we teach centers on how to be friendly, generous, and considerate.

This week’s Torah portion, Chayei Sarah, introduces us to the matriarch of kindness, Rebecca. “The servant ran toward her and said, ‘Please, let me sip a little water from your jar.’ ‘Drink, my lord,’ she said, and she quickly lowered her jar onto her hand and let him drink. When she had let him drink his fill, she said, ‘I will also draw for your camels, until they finish drinking.’” (Genesis 24:17-19)

Rebecca shows us that chesed, loving-kindness, has three parts. She is considerate: she sees that the camels, tired from a long journey, need water too. She is friendly: a stranger’s request does not startle or offend her. And she is generous: she expects nothing in return, though watering ten camels is no small effort. As Alan Morinis writes in Everyday Holiness, “It is not enough to hold warm thoughts in our heart or to wish each other well.”

Our congregational theme this year is “One Community, Many Voices: Building Our Future Through Sacred Conversation.” The servant asked only for a sip of water. Rebecca listened closely enough to hear the need he never put into words. Sacred conversation begins with that kind of attention.

Kindness sits at the core of Jewish education because it is hard, not because it is simple. Sometimes it does not even feel kind. Correcting behavior and asking people to take responsibility for their actions can feel unfriendly in the moment, even when it comes from a belief that someone can do better. Rebecca’s kindness was not effortless either. She ran back to the well again and again until the work was done.

As we celebrate 70 years on Academy Road, I think of the generations of teachers who have taught the children of this congregation what it means to be a mensch. As Shabbat approaches, I invite you to do something simple: if a teacher at CBE shaped you or your child, tell them this week.

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Greg Weitzman