A Call to Action

When Haiti was struck with an earthquake on January 12, 2010, Israel set up a field hospital to help the Haitian victims. When an earthquake hit Chile a year ago today, Israel was among the countries to respond. And when Japan was shaken with a devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake today, Israel, again, heeds the call to action. According to Haaretz, "The Japanese consul in Israel, Mitoshiko Shinomya, told the Israeli news website Ynet that he was heartened by the Israeli government's offer of assistance. 'Israel officially offered its help an hour after the earthquake struck,' Shinomya said."

According to Haaretz, various rescue organizations in Israel will be deploying to Japan (after Shabbat) to assist in the rescue efforts. ZAKA International Rescue Unit, which originally began as an organization aimed at responding to terrorist attacks in Israel, now also deploys internationally to assist where, according to their website, where Jews or Israelis may be affected. Of course, there are Jews everywhere. IsraAid, as well, is organizing to send two teams of rescue personnel to Japan, provided they can figure out how to get there. The airports near the earthquake's epicenter are flooded; the airport in Tokyo is shut down.

Israel has among its charges the expectation to be a light to the nations. Even as there the world criticized Israel for her relationships with her neighbors, Israel still responds throughout the world, using her knowledge, resources, and drive to make the world a better place. The Jewish people, no less than Israel, are a people who are moved to action, caring not only for our Jewish community, but the world as a whole, too. This week's Torah portion, Vayikra, begins with a call, "The Eternal called Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting" (Leviticus 1:1). We, too, are called to action.

If you want to help make a difference in Japan, consider giving through the Joint Distribution Committee's Japan/Pacific Disaster Relief Fund or through the Jewish Federations of North America's Japan, Hawaii and the Pacific Relief Fund, both reputable Jewish organizations bringing to life God's call for us to be a light unto the nations.

Pillars of Cloud and Fire (Parashat P'kudei)

By the end of this week's Torah portion, P'kudei, the Tabernacle has been completed. The past weeks that we have spent reading about the details of the materials of the Mishkan, their sources and implementation have come to a close and we should have our place where God can dwell within us. But at the very end of the Torah portion we read, "Over the Mishkan a cloud of the Eternal rested by day, and a fire would appear in the cloud by night, in view of all the house of Israel throughout their journeys" (Exodus 40:38). It seems that even though we have completed this dwelling place for God, this sanctuary for God, we still need to be reminded of God's presence.

The pillar of cloud and fire has been with us since nearly the very beginning of Exodus, a symbol of God's presence and protection. It stood between us and the Egyptians, it guided us from one encampment to another. And now that we have the Mishkan, it takes up its place letting us know when to move and when not to move. The Mishkan is not enough. It is not enough for us to have a place to worship God, a place for God to dwell with us. We also need a tangible sense of God's presence, something we can see and maybe even feel, the column of cloud, the warmth of the fire. Today, it isn't as easy to see God's presence before us. We don't always know when it is time to move and when it is time to stay put. We must look deeper, into ourselves and into the world, to get these signals today.