Be comforted my people.

 

Dear JCCP/CBT family,
 
The Shabbat, the Shabbat that follows the observance of Tisha B'Av is known as Shabbat Nachamu.  It’s named after the first words of the haftarah we read this week:  Nachamu Nachamu Ami – Be comforted my people.
 
How are we to be comforted after the destruction of our Holy Temples? This week’s Torah reading, Parshat Vaetchanan points the way. This Shabbat we read the words of the Ten Commandments, and the Shma. These words are a wakeup call and a vote of confidence in our future. God is saying, “Let me remind you who you are, and who you will be again!”
 
This Shabbat also reminds us that High Holidays are coming. The Haftarah for this Shabbat is the first of what we call the Shivtah D’nechamta, the seven Haftarot of consolation, that speak of the eternal relationship between God and Israel. They remind us that we have seven weeks to put ourselves in order. Seven weeks to fix what is broken. To look at ourselves and ask whether we are living our lives by the values we claim to cherish. To think of any changes of direction that might bring more joy, improved relationships, and a greater appreciation for our Jewish heritage, and then make those changes.  And this week’s haftarah encourages us, and lifts us when the burden of change seems heavy.
Nachamu Nachamu Ami – Be comforted my people.
 
Shabbat Shalom,
 
Rabbi Arthur Weiner

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