By Rabbi Judy Schindler
Last night, as I bought a candy bar at the Supermarket, the cashier said to me, “Chodesh tov – have a good month.” Even the cashier knew it was a new moon! As we kicked off the formal part of our International Mission to celebrate Women of the Wall’s 25th anniversary and to support pluralism in Israel, here are my words from the opening ritual.
“Tonight we welcome the new moon of Kislev. Many of us have been counting the days, counting the weeks, and counting the months for this Rosh Chodesh to arrive. We were longing to be here in this city, to be here in this place, and to be here with these people.
Each month we bless the new moon that is pregnant with light and pregnant with possibilities. Jewish mysticism connects the new moon and its increasing radiance to messianic potential. Increasing light casts out darkness of every form: hatred, discrimination, and inequality.
Kislev is all about light as on the 25th of this month we will brighten the world with our Chanukiyot and follow Hillel’s instruction of nightly increasing the light we cast on the world.
The Talmud teaches that a light for one is a light for one hundred. We are one hundred souls participating in these three Reform movement missions. Hence our light is a light for one thousand. Tomorrow morning at the Kotel as we celebrate Rosh Chodesh Kislev and Women of the Wall’s 25th anniversary, we could be one thousand people strong, thus making ours a light for ten thousand.
As we tell our story and as it is told by others in person, in print, and on the worldwide web, we bring the light of the fight for women’s equality and religious pluralism in Israel to hundreds of thousands.
Light reflects God. Light reflects Torah. Light reflects memory. Light reflects the soul of every human being and of humanity.
Y’hi ratzon – may it be your will, O God, that this new month of Kislev be a month of blessings of goodness and joy, peace and kindness, friendship, love, and light. May women’s prayers, may men’s prayers, and may all prayers be heard.”
As we closed our opening ceremony overlooking the Old City, each of the two dozen clergy with us shared a line of personal blessing:
Pitchu li, open for us the gates of song this week in Jerusalem.
Pitchu li, open for us the gates of inclusiveness this week in Jerusalem.
Pitchu li, open for us the gates of justice.
Pitchu li, open for us the gates of acceptance and respect.
Pitchu li, open for us the gates of equality.
This week in Jerusalem, pitchu li, open for us the gates of peace.
3 Responses
When old men make the rules, young women suffer.
Not always. I believe that we respect elders for our elders often take a long and broad view. Sexism does not correlate to age.
The sun does not always shine, either. Nonetheless, there are patterns to the seasons just as there tendencies in human affairs. History, ancient and modern, is a useful guide. There are examples in the Torah, where decisions made by elder men were harsh toward women. Ancient Judaism forbade judges from retaining their position after a certain age out of a recognition that with old age can come mean-spiritedness and intolerance. It is not all bubbe and zayde (sp?). We see societies today, whether in Iran, in Saudi Arabia or in Afghanistan– or indeed, in the Haredi community– where old men make the rules and young women suffer. Jews are not immune from human nature