Kadima Blog

Move Us with Pride

6/20/2025

The blessing immediately before reciting the shema concludes with a hope to be led, and ask to be moved, with pride and dignity, to “our land.”

The idea of a promised land is full of problems when interpreted as literal land. Settler colonialists have used this idea for centuries to justify their divine right to land over indigenous communities. But this idea has also represented a moral and ethical destination – a fulfillment of collective liberation.

As we move in this month of Pride, on the heels now of Juneteenth, even as so much uncertainty and destruction abound, may we live into this blessing: may we move and be moved in pride and dignity and strength. May we be sustained, as the Israelites were in this week's parasha, through work of repair, holding the citizen and the stranger to the same ritual and law, and full knowledge of our inherent dignity.

Shabbat shalom,
R’ David

No Kings, Food Aid for Gaza, and Torah

6/13/2025

There shall be one law for you, whether a stranger or citizen of the land. (Num 9:14)

This line from this week’s Torah portion Beha’alotecha speaks to the laws of Passover, relayed again in this section. Specifically, there is a question asked of Moses as to what happens when a household of the Israelites is unable to offer the Passover sacrifice due to ritual impurity…would they simply be left out of this important communal ritual? The answer is indeed no – not that they would offer the sacrifice when they are ritually impure, but instead the community would implement the creation of Pesach Sheini – a second Passover, held on the full moon of the next month. And that the law would be implemented for native Israelites (citizens of the land) and those who are part of the community otherwise.

We see here a society where all are included no matter their “citizenship” status. This is the way of Torah. The way of G-d, according to our tradition. This is not the way of ICE!

And yet, it would be a few generations later that the Israelites would ask for a human king. Perhaps jealous of and feeling insecure in their difference, this request, at the time of the prophet Shmuel (Samuel). Shmuel warned them of the dangers of having a king – they would force your children into service of the crown alone and take from you and give it to their cronies. And even with this warning, the people still chose a king. He continued saying “the day will come when you cry out because of the king whom you yourselves have chosen…” And no, in another context, we call out No Kings!

Further, let us turn our attention this weekend to the March to Gaza on Sunday which began building community in Cairo yesterday. And this Shabbat has been declared Food Aid for Gaza Shabbat. We read also in this week’s portion: The Israelites wept and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish that we used to eat free in Mitzrayim: the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. Now our gullets are shriveled. There is nothing at all! Nothing but this manna to look to!” (Numbers 11:4-6)

May we remember times when food was abundant for all, when our ancestors protested against corrupt kings, when citizen and immigrant were included in society. May Torah fuel our work through this weekend and beyond.

Shabbat shalom,
R’ David

A Justice-Based Economy

6/6/2025

The beginning of the Book of Numbers counts all the arms-bearing age men of each of the tribes of Israel as the Israelites get set to depart from the wilderness of Sinai.

The Levites, though, the tribe of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, were granted different status. While the other tribes were each apportioned a position around the holy arc when traveling through the wilderness, and later would be the one tribe not apportioned land, G-d seems to have something else in mind for the Levites.

Destined to not have land of their own, the Levites were dependent upon the contributions of the other tribes in order to subsist. And in this second parasha of the book of Numbers/Bamidbar, we see part of how they would survive. As the Israelites are instructed on how to make restitution for a wrong committed against another, the Levites are a necessary part of the equation: “If that party [is deceased and] has no kin to whom restitution can be made, the amount repaid shall go to Adonai for the priest—in addition to the ram of expiation with which expiation is made on their behalf. So, too, any gift among the sacred donations that the Israelites offer shall be the priest’s. And each shall retain his sacred donations: each priest shall keep what is given to him.” (Numbers 5:8-10)

The livelihood of the Levites – the priests, the ritualists of the day – was incumbent upon the Israelites performing acts of restitution. Justice was the engine for the success of the Israelite economy.

In a time of societal budgets falling dearly short of anything close to justice, it becomes incumbent upon us to ensure everyone eats through acts of justice. Yes, we must care for the ritualists (says a ritualist), but there are so many for whom restitution is necessary. May our economic acts this week and beyond be guided by restoring justice and ensuring those for whom land is deprived can eat. May the Jewish people become a model for this and turn away from any other practice. May it be so.

Shabbat shalom,
R’ David

What Counts is Our Infinite Potential

5/30/2025

As we begin the book of Numbers, we are again introduced to the counting of the Israelites before they set out from the base of Mt. Sinai. We saw it earlier toward the end of the book of Exodus, we Israelites are counted as they contribute their half-shekel.

But even earlier in Torah, Abraham is told that the Israelites will in fact be hard to count. Indeed they might be infinite, or, so numerous it would be difficult, if not impossible, to count them all.

“Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them”—continuing, “So shall your offspring be.” (Genesis 15:5)

We can reconcile this week's portion, with finite, countable Israelites and the prophecy of seemingly infinite numbers of the children of Abraham, as does the Kli Yakar, the late 16th century rabbi from Prague wrote. While we are finite, countable beings in our physical bodies, we are infinite, boundless potential in the realm of what we can dream, envision, design, and plan.

As we begin Bamidbar (in the wilderness), let us live into our boundless potential that our finite physicality represents. Let our ancestral legacy toward justice and peace know no bounds.

Shabbat shalom,
R’ David

Turning the Tide

5/23/2025

When some Jewish communities finish reciting a book of Torah, the congregation recites the words “chazak chazak v'nitchazek,” which translate to “be strong, be strong, and we will be made strong.” This weekend, when we finish the book of Leviticus, may these words cause a tide to turn.

This phrase resonates with a line from Mishna Pirkei Avot where it is written: a mitzvah encourages another mitzvah, and a transgression encourages another transgression.

Every life is sacred. In fact, our tradition holds that every life is akin to an entire world. That saving a life is saving a world. That life is precious. That destroying life leads to destroying life. Let us condemn all killing.

As we go into shabbat, may we be strong. May we summon our own strength to encourage and bring about the strength of others. Following a week that has brought about the destruction of life of so many, from DC to Gaza, may we be strengthened in our resolve that life is sacred. That our choices and actions encourage and affect the choices and actions of others. Let us turn the tide. May our victories in protecting, defending, honoring, and holding the sanctity of life cascade.

Shabbat shalom,
R’ David

PS – to honor the sanctity of life, this memorial project has been established to honor Hayim Katsman z"l that I encourage you to check out here.

Food Aid for Gaza Now

5/16/2025

In the Kadima Shabbat morning siddur, there is a “Blessing for Peace” that in part reads: “We cannot merely hope to end starvation. We already have the resources with which to feed the entire world, if we would only use them wisely.”

This line, adapted from Rabbi Jack Reimer, speaks directly to us in a time when Am Yisrael (the Jewish people) must continue to speak out against the actions of Medinat Yisrael (the State of Israel).

Starving people, any person of any background, is illegal, immoral, illogical, sacrilegious, unstrategic, and simply wrong.

Kadima has signed onto a campaign circulating the Jewish world: Jews for Food for People in Gaza. I have signed on individually, and I invite you to do the same. The campaign is using a quotation from the Shulchan Aruch, the preeminent halachic codex written by Sephardi scholar Rabbi Yosef Karo in northern Israel/Palestine in the 16th century. “If there is a hungry person, one must feed them.” Very simple. Donate to the Gaza Soup Kitchen here to complement raising your voice.

This week’s parasha, Emor, tells us plainly: “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger.” This core principle, that we understand that food is essential and must be shared and everything we have, some of it is for us to redistribute and ensure that all have food to eat. Sign on now.

Act in this small way with me today as we continue to implore an end to this terror, turning toward working for a lasting peace, encased in justice.

Shabbat shalom,
R’ David

Steadfastness & Gladness

5/9/2025

In the counting of the omer, this is the week of netzach. Netzach is associated with steadfastness – something everlasting. Legacy, perhaps. In this week of netzach, we have the opportunity to reflect on what and who is steadfast. It is a week to amplify that which will never die, reminding us perhaps of the Yiddish idiom “mir veln zey iberlebn” – we will outlive them.

Interestingly, in our very own Kadima shabbat morning siddur, the fourth section of the kedusha on page 21 tells us: “from generation to generation we will tell of the greatness of life, from gladness to gladness, we will strive to acknowledge each special moment.”

Here “gladness to gladness” is a translation of the Hebrew “netzach netzachim” – thus drawing the connection between steadfastness, eternity, and gladness.

In times like these, we might find it difficult to believe that gladness is everlasting. But perhaps it is telling us that there is a sense of gladness in being steadfast – in discerning what is everlasting and staying true to it. Through and beyond times such as these.

As we continue to persist through times of growing fascism and genocide, may we stay firm, persist, and be determined. And may the week of netzach uplift us in this act of resistance.

Shabbat shalom,
R’ David

May Day, Nakba Day, and Other Yamim

5/2/2025

The season soon after Passover is accompanied by many “days” (yamim) in the Jewish tradition that are important to grapple with. The first “day” of the season is Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG'vurah. Most commonly referred to as Yom HaShoah (Day of the Nazi Holocaust), the more complete name translates as “day of the memorial to the Nazi holocaust and to the strength/resistance/uprising [against it].” As such, the 27th of Nissan (a week after Passover ends) became the date for this Jewish observance after deliberation in the early 1950s, marking the week of gevurah in the omer counting, and finding itself near to the Jewish date of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising on 14th of Nissan (the day before Passover begins). This “day” fell last week this year and is a time of remembrance and honoring of the dead, as well reminding us of the importance of resisting fascism and genocide. May their memories be a blessing.

While this observance is to be commended, the deliberations about what day to make this observance are useful to remember as well. The first “Yom HaShoah” was commemorated on December 28, 1949 which was the 10th of Tevet, a day of mourning and a fast day in Jewish tradition that commemorates the siege on Jerusalem by the Babylonian army that led to the destruction of the first temple. Former Israeli Knesset Speaker and author Avraham Burg insists that any memorialization of the Nazi Holocaust should happen on Tisha B’av.

While there are good arguments to be made for any day as a day to honor the victims of the Nazi Holocaust and those who resisted fascism and genocide, by ultimately choosing the 27th of Nissan, the State of Israel began an 8-day season from Yom HaShoah to Yom Ha’atzma’ut (Israel Independence Day), which also encompasses Yom HaZikaron (Israeli memorial day for fallen soldiers). This 8-day season can be paralleled to Sukkot, Chanukah, or Passover in various ways, and thus creates connections between the Nazi Holocaust and the creation of the State of Israel that can uphold problematic narratives that sustain the victim narratives that justify Israeli violence against Palestinians. By holding these days as an 8-day season attached to Jewish dates, it can be confused as a “religious” holiday season, as opposed to civic holidays/commemorations of a country which continues the conflation of Jewish and Israeli.

In this season of “days” I find it also important to uplift two days measured on the Gregorian calendar that are of extreme importance to Jews and Jewish history as well. May Day (International Worker’s Day), on May 1 every year, commemorates the Haymarket riot and bombing in Chicago in 1886, which inspired a 17 year old Emma Goldman into activism and anarchism. Nakba Day, commemorated on May 15, marks the Gregorian date of the signing of Israel’s Declaration of Independence in 1948, and thus a key commemorative date in the ongoing displacement of the Palestinian people.

This season of “days” for justice-centering Jews in days of renewed fascism and genocide presents fertile ground for resistance grounded in history. The season of “days” is bookended with ancient commemorations of liberation (Passover) and revelation (Shavuot) of truth and community-centered ground-rules that hold up communal justice and identity (Torah). Even as we experience daily attacks – against the Filipino community in neighboring British Columbia this very week – may this season of “days” remind us that we are not alone, that ancestors have much to teach us, that we can hold multitudes, that we have much to be connected around and for. May we continue to renew the traditions of resisting fascism and genocide, work for justice for workers and immigrants, and amplify the stories of liberation and truth-finding that keep us all resilient in this quest.

Shabbat shalom,
R’ David

The Wilderness Surrounds Us

4/25/2025

The Israelites left Mitzrayim – the narrow place – and found themselves in the wilderness. And while the Torah reading cycle does not bring us to the book of Bamidbar (in the wilderness) for another five weeks, this season of counting the omer, with Passover behind us and Shavuot somewhere on the horizon, the calendar invites us to see ourselves in the wilderness now.

The Wilderness is a place of deep uncertainty. Our basic needs are in question. It is hard to place ourselves in a larger context, and we can easily feel, if not actually be, lost.

But the Hebrew word for in the wilderness – bamidbar – can provide another take. The word could also mean “in the speaking.” This “speaking” can refer to the revelation that culminates at Sinai as Torah, and it can also inspire us to, in the midst of the uncertainty, listen to the “still, small voice.” That the midst of uncertainty can also be a place of wisdom and comfort and great teachings.

And we read Leviticus during this time – the book ascribing us with commandments for how to keep our sanctuaries attuned to G-d’s presence’s ability to dwell among us.

As we roam, as we seek, as we shed the physical, emotional, and spiritual burdens of enslavement, may we find discipline and boundaries that allow our midst to be worthy of the divine presence. May we acknowledge the uncertainty and the risk of the wilderness, but also seek out the wisdom and potential for divine connection.

As we journey, shabbat shalom,
R’ David

May We Make Liberation For Ourselves & One Another

4/11/2025

The story of the Exodus, yetzi'at mitzrayim – exiting the narrow place, is a story full of questions of agency and free will. There are questions around Pharaoh's heart hardening, questions about waiting for vs. causing liberation, questions about what it takes for a people or even a person to put their full weight toward freedom.

Many moments in what we might tell as part of the maggid (the telling the story) section of the Passover seder could relate to these topics and more. No part comes quite as stark for me then just before the sea splits. These lines are traditionally recited on the seventh day of Passover – the day the sea is said to have split. The people call out to Moses, complaining that he had just led them out only to be stuck now between an army and a sea. A potentially lethal impasse.

And just as Moses stands firm in his belief that G-d will save them, G-d reminds Moses that it's actually up to him. The protective cloud moves to behind the Israelites and Moses raises his staff to act toward liberation.

As we resist Pharaohs in our own time, may we find those who are willing to have our backs while also raising our staff, so to speak, – taking action that frees ourselves and our people: all people.

Shabbat shalom and chag pesach kasher v'same'ach!
R’ David

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