"To be a teacher in the right sense is to be a learner.  I am not a teacher, only a fellow student."  (Soren Kierkegaard)

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A FEW PRE-SHABBAT WORDS FROM RABBI AARON

Mountains Beyond Mountains

I assigned a book by this title (written by Tracy Kidder) to my fellow mission participants. The title refers to a Haitian proverb - there are mountains beyond mountains. Lots of potential meanings folded into that phrase; for me, one of the teachings is: there are always new horizons, new challenges, new worlds beyond the view in front of us. 

An example from the parasha - Jacob trembles at the thought of his brother Esau coming to meet him (Esau's 400 man entourage does not feel reassuring...), and we can feel his fear. And the next day arrives; there is tension and awkwardness. But with the reconciliation there is a sense that new horizons have come into being. The brothers do not need to remain estranged.

Along with some of our congregants, as well as non-Jewish friends, I'm soaking in plenty of Nicaraguan food for thought. First, I must share a bit of a wistful what-if. In my mind I clearly recall a lively conversation with Rose Goldfarb in my office just a couple days before she passed away. Her sense of intellectual curiosity: “rabbi, I so look forward to hearing about your upcoming trip.” How I wish I could share the stories and pictures of this powerful journey with her, to share a view of the mountains beyond mountains. 

Toward the end of the book, Paul Farmer walks us through an intensely passionate defense of his unorthodox approach to medicine out in the desolate darkness of Haiti. You have to wonder if his focus on the individual patients, the hours of trekking to the hovels, the unhurried exams and the visiting - slip into the problem of throwing the occasional starfish back into the ocean. Is he really making a dent? Here in Nicaragua, we've seen around 300 folks thus far. Are we making a dent?  Once we open ourselves to chipping away at intractable problems, we can sense the daunting mountains beyond mountains - we know we won't eradicate the deep-rooted inequality and crushing poverty. Farmer reminds us that he's a doctor who is fiercely committed to being present for the sick person in front of him. We try to bring a spiritual sense of service and commitment - one person at a time. The interactions at the clinics, the sky-opening moments with children here at the orphanage, the friendships forged among members of this team - all these things plant the seeds of healing.   Doctors and nurses are reminded about  why they have a passion for medicine. As a rabbi, I am renewed by these sacred moments of connection and I am reminded about why I am a rabbi. Thank God for opportunity to bringing these teachings into our hearts!

The Talmud teaches us that we visit the sick of the Gentiles, that we bury the dead of the Gentiles, that we give tzedaka to the Gentiles - mipnay darkei shalom - for the sake peace. A narrow reading of mipnay darkei shalomsuggests that by reaching out to our gentile neighbors we are smoothing out relations, avoiding enmity through these kind gestures. During one of our evening learning sessions, a few of my fellow mission members offered a more expansive take on darkei shalom: by our being present by actively involving ourselves in tzedaka, visiting the sick, and burying the dead of our gentile neighbors we create shalom both within ourselves and in the world at large. 

I am indebted to all of you for the gracious support that strengthens me during this mission, thank you!   I invite you to check out nicabrigada.blogspot.com The variety of voices and photos will bring home just how uplifting it is to push forward in these mountains beyond mountains.

Rabbi Aaron

Click any of the images below to view the complete pdf file (some pdf files are more than one page)