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The UPS man sledged through the piles of wet leaves and broken branches to deliver the anonymous package. A ray of sunshine in an otherwise dark week. I felt as I felt as a young boy, opening my chanukah gifts, but this gift was an unknown. It wasn't necessarily a book, as were my childhood Chanukah presents; inside, were desperately needed flashlights and a water bottle. We may not have any power, heat, or hot water, but we certainly have caring friends.
Someone from California offered to pay for us to move into a hotel for as long as necessary. People invited us into their homes, brought containers of gasoline, offered us the use of their showers. It has been a very difficult time, but friends from NJ, NY, Nevada, CA, Nevada, Missouri, Spain, Canada, Argentina, & even Brooklyn provided a different sort of warmth. Thank you.
We experienced a different form of kinship with the man from Passaic who loaded his van with supplies and tweeted his location so that hundreds of people were waiting for him in Far Rockaway. We connected with the heroes who organized mobile laundromats and arranged for numerous children to go to Staten Island to help clean basements, and for law students to help with insurance claims.
The Talmud debates the meaning of, "And God blessed Abraham with all." (Genesis 24:1) Some say it was a daughter, others say a son. I say, "all" means a friend, specifically, Abraham's servant, Eliezer.
Imagine being able to trust someone to choose the wife for your son, a friend you could trust with the title to everything you own. Imagine that your life partner, Sarah, has died, and you now discover that you are not alone in the world. Imagine that this friend fully understands that there is only the "one" woman, and that he can be trusted to find her. Though concerned - "What if the woman doesn't want to travel with me?" (24: 5) - instead of suggesting, "I'll find another woman," he acknowledges that 'no, it must be the one', and, the friend accepts that, despite his devotion and righteousness, it is not his daughter, but someone else's. This is a friend! This was God's gift of "all" to Abraham, the man who lived above the stars, revolutionized religious thought, stood up against the world, was not alone; he had a friend who accepted, understood, appreciated, and honored all for which Abraham stood. That is truly the gift of "all."
That is the gift we received this week in emails, texts, offers of generators, hospitality, showers, hotel rooms, gas, even my sister's home cooked meals (yuk), sent from Australia, reports of heroic kindness and insightful acts of support for all people, Jew and non-Jew, black and white.
The house is dark and cold, but our hearts are warmed by the "All" of friendship. Thank you.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Simcha L. Weinberg President If you are interested in sponsoring our  winning Newsletter, please email info@thefoundationstone.org Go to our Blog  Follow us on Twitter   Become a Fan  |
