Joliet Jewish Congregation
From the Rabbi's Study
December 1, 2024
HEAL your HEEL!
“His brother then emerged,
and his hand was grasping Esau’s heel.
G-d named this second son Jacob [Ya’akov, from akev—“heel”].”
Bereshit 25:26​​
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In a world plagued by the expectations and pressures of perfectionism, we are constantly, as individuals, challenged to accept our own flaws and limitations. There will always be times when we will fall short, or our own human nature will cause us to make mistakes. The lessons of Torah this week beg us to accept all of ourselves and move towards forgiveness and compassion for who we are so we can stand strong, grounded and centered in ourselves.​​
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​Jacob is born this week and is named for the heel of his brother that he holds as he is pulled second from Rebecca’s womb. Jacob’s name implies, according to the Rabbis, a weaker or lessor nature. Both physically and emotionally, Jacob is seen as unable to carry through life without compromise or manipulation. Unable to stand strong, grounded, and centered in himself, he is forced to use trickery to gain his inheritance and spends his life journey learning to believe in and accept all of himself.​
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When Jacob eventually becomes Israel, a name which denotes his struggles with faith and esteem, he lets go of his self-hatred and embraces all of himself as part of G-d’s world and plan. Jacob is a teacher of this for all of us. For we all have a part of our nature which is most difficult to accept. We are all here to learn to stand strong, grounded and centered in ourselves. To be most productive from a state of high self-esteem.
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The use of the heel in the imagery of this story is important. The function of the heel in the body is to give the foot a structure, holding it into place and allowing one to stand grounded and strong. When Achilles, in the famous Greek mythological story, is dipped in the river of Styx by his mother for immortality, she fails to dip his heel, leaving a vulnerable spot for him to be eventually killed. This weakness of the “heel” further exemplifies its essential nature in our human experience. If we cannot stand strong and steady with a complete love and support for all of ourselves and all of our decisions, we may fall for anything.
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The challenge this week is to heal our heel. To search out the parts of ourselves that we have yet to accept and forgive. Using prayer and meditation or honest journaling and sharing with others, we can challenge ourselves to step into a new freedom of full self-esteem. Those limitations we dread will become the strengths of our hearts as we embrace our humanity. By living in a state of compassionate imperfection, we can lighten our burdens and open more fully to love and acceptance of others. We can stand strong in forgiveness and acceptance of ourselves.
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Take time to release the mistakes, resentments or weaknesses you perceive in yourself. Join more fully with others in this human experience of life. Come along now Israel… and Heal your Heel.
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WE ARE STRONG
By Rabbi Jenny Steinberg-Martinez JD CHT
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The peaceful Buddhist country of Tibet was invaded by Communist China in 1949. Since that time, over 1.2 million out of 6 Tibetans have been killed, over 6000 monasteries have been destroyed, and thousands of Tibetans have been imprisoned. When the Dalai Lama’s Tibetan Sanctuary, was invaded by the Chinese, and the surviving monks were sent out into the world to survive, he called upon Jewish leaders for advice. Why? It is because we are strong in our identity and have remained true to ourselves in a life of Diaspora. With our strength we have managed to touch all four corners of the globe with our wisdom, joy, and traditions.
The summer time in the Western World brings celebration, barbecue, swimming and fun. It seems a strange time of year for our most somber holiday. Tish B’ Av, the sacred fast, arrives this month to remind us of the 9th day of Av a day when a number of disasters in Jewish history occurred, primarily the destruction of both Solomon's Temple by the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Second Temple by the Roman Empire in Jerusalem.
Tisha B'Av is regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendar and it is thus believed to be a day which is destined for tragedy. The observance of the day includes five prohibitions, most notable of which is a 25- hour fast. The Book of Lamentations, which mourns the destruction of Jerusalem is read in the synagogue, followed by the recitation of kinnot, liturgical dirges that lament the loss of the Temples and Jerusalem. As the day has become associated with remembrance of other major calamities which have befallen the Jewish people, some kinnot also recall events such as the murder of the Ten Martyrs by the Romans, massacres in numerous medieval Jewish communities during the Crusades.
So how do we honor this day with an appropriate balance of reverence and optimism? This is how; we claim our Diaspora as a beginning and not an ending. We claim our Diaspora as a call from God to persevere in the world and be a force of Torah for all to experience. We claim our strength. It is when we claim these things that we can help bring unity and healing to the whole world without preoccupation with what was lost; for we have found more than we have lost. We have found our power. We are strong!
*To read more about the Jewish and Buddhist conversation: The Jew in the Lotus, by Roger Kamenetz