This Sunday morning is Bazaar. Not many synagogues have articles that start with those words. Here at OVS, Bazaar is almost like an additional holiday we have each year. Members and volunteers put it on their calendars far in advance and as soon as this year’s is concluded, we begin to work on the next one. It’s just like a holiday. Since I began working here in 2020, I’ve been amazed every year by what we’ve accomplished as a community.
Our Sisterhood must be commended for having established and maintained this incredible celebration for us and the greater community. I love the excitement leading up to Bazaar that includes baking sweets and treats, putting together gift baskets, collecting liquor for the raffle, creating signs, and the setup that completely transforms our building (I know I must have left numerous things off this list). The “erev” Bazaar is something to be marveled at too. Each year so many precious OVS members and volunteers come after Shabbat and spend the night getting our building ready. This too is something to be commended and honored. Then the actual big day arrives, and it’s festive and filled with traditions and rituals. Our community shines and we have the blessing of sharing our heritage and culture with the masses and showing them what they’re missing from their own experiences.
I’d like to shed some light on this from two parts of the פרשה/Parsha/Portion: וישלח/VaYishlach. The first deals with the embrace that is described when יעקב/YaAkov/Jacob and עשו/Esav/Esau finally meet again. The תורה/Torah described it as a hug and tears.
וַיָּ֨רׇץ עֵשָׂ֤ו לִקְרָאתוֹ֙ וַֽיְחַבְּקֵ֔הוּ וַיִּפֹּ֥ל עַל־צַוָּארָ֖ו וַׄיִּׄשָּׁׄקֵ֑ׄהׄוּׄ וַיִּבְכּֽוּ׃
Esau ran to greet him. He embraced him and, falling on his neck, he kissed him; and they wept. (בראשית לג:ד)
After these brothers had been estranged for so long, they came back together and embraced; they came back together and let go of the pain of the past and embraced a loving future. After all this time they were able to hug, kiss and weep because they were tied to each other. Each year at Bazaar, we see people who travel to come home to OVS to be a part of our legacy. There are so many embraces and so many joyous reunions. But there’s something greater than that; each year at Bazaar we’re reminded that we’re a family. I love seeing the brothers and sisters rolling up their sleeves and working side by side. I love the cousins who spend this time together and volunteer for so many different aspects of the day. The people who grew up around holiday tables together as if they were siblings still make their parents and their grandparents so proud to see their legacy living on. Look around this year and try to count the number of embraces you see on Saturday night and Sunday and I guarantee you’ll lose track quicker than me.
The second part of the פרשה I want to look at in relation to this weekend is the word ישראל/Yisrael/Israel as it’s the first time it’s ever said. The origin of the word is that יעקב had his name changed to ישראל after his nighttime battle with some being, Divine or human or both, and having walked away alive. The name actually is a combination of words that means to struggle with God.
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לֹ֤א יַעֲקֹב֙ יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שִׁמְךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִ֛ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל׃
Said he, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed (בראשית לב:כט).”
I have bolded the letters that are combined to make this name. Struggling with God and with humankind is a uniquely Jewish outlook and responsibility. We each must do this, and we each must do it in our own way. Being Jewish has never been easy. We often think about the adversity and suffering and wonder if it can be better or if it could be worse. The answer is yes; it could be better and/or worse. The only solution to this struggle will always be to lean in and be more. The only solution will always be that we each need to be more committed and more connected. We need to be unwilling to forsake our people, our identity and our values. We all must be uncompromising when it comes to the well being and future of the Jewish people and our community. The recipe is to remember we have a beautiful gift and it’s one that needs to be nourished and cared for while being enjoyed. It’s with this in mind I say that every year at Bazaar we’re reminded of just this, as we display many of our gifts for the world to see. There will always be struggles as Jews in general, and here at OVS in specific, but at Bazaar we’re reminded that we have ways around those and we have a path by which to move forward.
