Dear Tikkun Collective Members,
It’s Nadine and Leila, your Nefesh Tikkun Collective co-chairs, sharing the latest installment of Tikkun Newsletter.
First, thank you for your time and dedication on our phonebanking efforts! While votes are still being counted, we can celebrate that we contributed in this critical election.
We know this is an incredibly challenging time, full of waiting and uncertainty. So this week we will focus on self-care and doing what you need to get through this time.
As Rabbi Susan shared, let’s stay prayerful this week. We hope that you join us for Nefesh Shabbat this Friday 11/6.
We will be in touch in the coming weeks about our next meeting and our priorities moving forward.
Until then, some Torah to guide us:
The start of this week’s Torah portion – Vayera – is often seen as a lesson in the importance of hospitality. The first verse states that God appeared to Abraham, followed by a description of three men drawing near to his tent. Abraham rushes to greet them, offers them water to bathe their feet, food, and drink. He quickly and enthusiastically invites them into his tent and works hard to see that they are made comfortable. The text gives no indication that Abraham knew they were angels (which we can glean from the fact that a few verses later they reveal to Abraham that he and Sarah will have a son). Abraham displays a deep regard for caring for others here – recognizing what is holy within all strangers even without knowing they are divine beings. He runs around making preparations for them, and insists that Sarah and a servant do the same.
This is a particularly stressful time. Let’s take Abraham’s response as a model for how we might care for ourselves right now. There is a time to care for others and so many of us do it so well and so often. What permission might you need to give yourself today? What would true self-nurturing, hospitality for the self, look like? Vayera begins by saying that God appeared to Abraham and that the three men of God came toward him. Can you ask the anxiety within to take a step back so that you can draw near to yourself and remind yourself that it’s not only ok but necessary to meet your own needs and find a place of calm amidst so much stress?
In Solidarity,
Nadine and Leila
