Chazak, chazak v’nitchazek — let us be strong, strong, and strengthen each other. This Hebrew phrase is chanted during the Shabbat morning Torah service each time we finish reading one of the five books of the Torah. This week, we conclude the book of Genesis with Parshat Vayechi. I am grateful for this opportunity to bless one another with strength at this season, as we begin 2025 and anticipate the new administration. We need to stay out of despair, continually renewing our courage and compassion; we will need one another’s strength to do this.
The parallel between this moment in the history of the United States and the circumstances at the very end of our parshah is chilling. The final verse of the Book of Genesis ends with the death of Joseph, “And Joseph died at the age of 110 years and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.” (Genesis 50:26) Jacob’s family settles in Egypt due to a famine, with Joseph as their protector. Joseph provides for the family, and they live well in Goshen for many decades. Once Joseph dies, their future is uncertain. They are vulnerable to the whims of new leaders. Indeed, in Exodus 1:8, a new king will arise who does not know Joseph and who will ultimately enslave the children of Israel for 400 years. Here we are in the United States, less than two weeks from Inauguration Day, and it feels as though the American Jewish community may be losing our protector, our “Joseph,” imperfect as this protector has been.
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We American Jews, particularly those of us who have light skin and who have built some wealth, have experienced a “Golden Age of American Jewry.” We have elevated our status by becoming “white,” by becoming part of the privileged class in this deeply unjust culture. And now the reins of leadership, at the highest levels in this country, have been given to individuals with a track record for inventing new (and reviving old) forms of oppression in order to maintain and further entrench their power. Those of us who are not white, Christian, wealthy, straight, and male, are profoundly vulnerable to the whims of this leadership.
As we wait for what will unfold under the new administration, how do we cultivate our courage and compassion? How do we keep our spirits strong and strengthen our capacity to protect those in danger? Early in our parshah, Jacob/Israel blesses his grandsons by calling upon the “angel who redeems me from all harm.” (Genesis 48:16) We will need our protective angels and our spirit guides.
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One of my spirit guides for these times is our biblical ancestor Miriam. She was born into a dark time in Egypt and she practiced prophetic leadership. We learn from a midrash that her father heard Pharaoh’s decree that Israelite baby boys should be thrown into the Nile and thus encouraged husbands to separate from their wives. Miriam helped him to understand that he was cutting off their future through this fear-based act, and the Israelites resumed intimate relations with their spouses. (Exodus Rabbah 1:13) Only through heeding Miriam’s guidance was Moses born. Miriam then served as a protector for her baby brother and facilitated his return home for his early years. (Exodus 2:9) She could see what was possible, beyond the dire straits her family was in, and she acted with gentle strength. I also imagine that Miriam carried her timbrel at all times, and when there was a quiet moment and taskmasters were not around, she would sing to the children and tell them stories, teaching them about their humanity and instilling in them hope.
May we receive the blessing of Jacob’s protective angel, and may we receive inspiration from Miriam to protect one another with whatever vision and creativity we can muster, to continue to teach hope and dignity to our children. Let us be strong, strong, and strengthen each other!
Rabbi Malkah Binah Klein (thrivingspirit.org) is the founder of Merkava: Spiritual Transformation through Creative Ritual. She is a member of Sisters Waging Peace, a Philadelphia-based initiative focused on standing in solidarity with peacebuilding groups in Israel-Palestine, and she is newly certified as a Laughter Yoga leader.