Berakhot 30
I have been thinking about the Diaspora since I started my daily readings of the Talmud. I never considered myself to part of the Diaspora growing up in Central New Jersey. In my mind those that did not live in what I considered to be the center of the universe (Manhattan) were in the Diaspora. I remember sitting in synagogue during the Yom Kippur War as a young child when our Rabbi said in his sermon that we should go over to Israel and fight along with our Israeli brethren. (It was probably a terrible idea to encourage untrained American Jews to fly over there during a time of war.) It is one of the few sermons I remember from my childhood because I was so confused as to what our obligations were to Israel. Personally, as a secular American Jew, I never felt any growing up.
Today’s reading provoked more thinking on the Diaspora and what it means to someone like me, who realized her childhood dream to actually live in Manhattan (which no longer feels like the center of the universe but is still a terrific place to live.) I was moved by the discussion on where to face when one is praying: “all of the people of Israel find themselves focusing their hearts toward one place, the Holy of Holies in the Temple.” I never really understood the significance of how all of us no matter where we live face Jerusalem when we pray and this is an infinite bond of unity among us. There is something wonderful in how interconnected we are through prayer and study.
I have started to understand how important Israel is as a place and not just a concept through my daily readings of the Talmud and after my first trip there. I visited Israel this past October. I was overwhelmed walking through Jerusalem where the streets were filled with the remnants of thousands of years of history in the air and although it felt very foreign to me as a Manhattanite, it also in an odd way felt like a home. Despite all the dangers that I feared might happen, like rockets flying through the air, I never felt so safe.
And today’s text highlights the importance of praying as a community: “a person should associate himself with the congregation and should not pray for himself alone.” I feel as though we have come together as we all read the same page (actually several pages!) each day from the Talmud and share our thoughts, and questions and interpretations. This Facebook study group has become a wonderful supportive community and I feel privileged to be a part of it.