Voices of WRJ: Va-y’chi

by Judith Shor Ning What a delight to share this week’s parashah with you while celebrating Shabbat among my 700 closest friends and thousands (!) of our fellow congregants. We, here in San Diego, wish you could share this Centennial adventure with us. The portion for this week is Va-y’chi (Genesis 47:28-50:26). The end of Genesis, it is both a conclusion and a foreshadowing. As Jacob’s time comes to an end, he strives to ensure the continuity of his family. He expresses concern for their legacy and his. Jacob blesses Ephraim first, speaking the blessing that traditionally should have gone to the elder brother, Manasseh. He gives a reason: the younger son shall be greater and his seed shall become a multitude of nations This scene immediately brought to mind succession planning. As sisterhood leaders we ensure our organization’s future, identifying which younger members are capable of continuing our work, our legacy. We learn to choose these women, not necessarily those who expect to be designated by virtue of longevity or other credits, but by their strength to lead and bring in  the multitudes. We understand we have no need to fight for the blessings—of meaningful work to do, appreciation to gain, service to render—there are plenty blessings to go around! Note Jacob blessed everyone around him. Everyone has strengths and it is up to us, like Jacob, to find a place for them to serve, sharing the blessings of giving and of community. When we pinpoint a suitable role for someone, she may not accept that and feel unappreciated. We need to help her understand and accept that her place among us is not just appropriate but important. (Yes, “stronger together!”) The parashah understands this central theme of repairing relationships. Joseph forgives his brothers (remember when they sold him off?), noting they demonstrated they have truly repented. Thus they can all move forward, bound together emotionally and psychologically as well as by physical proximity At the close of Genesis we see the conclusion of the early development of our people and a preparation of the community to move into an unknown future. Here, at Assembly, we celebrate our history (closing a Centennial chapter) in which we have developed the WRJ community and its many activities and blessings. At the same time we look ahead as we have reached the time of Exodus, leaving the Jewish community as we have known it for decades, and moving into the unknown as our ancestors entered the a desert. It may appear devoid of people (to join us), nourishment (commitments and financial support), and signposts. How will we find our way? How can we adapt to the new realities. From our first chapter we bring with us relationships, compassion, and leaders from whom to choose. May we learn how to move forward with the strength of our past, ready for a new chapter of the future. This is not the first time we as a Movement have faced the challenge of change. I dedicate my “voice” to the women of my own family— five generations of “Unsung Heroines” of sisterhoods in Helena, AR; Hattiesburg, MS; Dallas and Houston, TX and Albuquerque, NM. They have been bright on my mind as loving participants in WRJ’s history, as each of them worked to bind together communities of Jews wandering from the mainstream paths.Their solutions worked for them but not for us today. It is time for us to understand their legacy, creatively face our "wilderness" and find new solutions for the future. Judith Shor Ning is a WRJ Board Member, WRJ Pacific District Area Vice-President and Sisterhood Past-President at Congregation Albert in Albuquerque, NM.