“These are the generations… (toldot).” (Genesis 25:19) Our Torah portion this week opens with these words, reminding us that we are links in an unbroken chain stretching from Abraham and Sarah to this very moment.
This week, eight members of our Naples Jewish community joined thousands of Jewish leaders from across North America at The General Assembly (GA) in Washington, D.C. There, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City, and GA scholar-in-residence, taught us a profound lesson from this week's parasha that speaks directly to our moment in history.
In Toldot, we read that Isaac's enemies filled in the wells his father Abraham had dug; wells that provided life-sustaining water for his family and herds. These weren't merely acts of vandalism; they were attempts to destroy Isaac's ability to sustain himself and future generations. Rabbinic midrash teaches that Abraham's wells symbolized more than water, they represented the spiritual teachings, moral standards, justice, and kindness he brought into the world.
How does Isaac respond? He doesn't abandon hope. He doesn't flee. He returns to those wells and begins digging, as Rabbi Buchdahl explained, “digging deep until they flowed with water once again, restoring even the names his father gave them.” Isaacs actions honor his ancestors while ensuring survival for generations to come.
Throughout history, enemies have tried to fill in our wells. From slavery in Egypt to the Inquisition, from the Holocaust to October 7th and countless persecutions between, adversaries have attempted to cut off our sources of life, learning, and continuity. Mightier empires have risen and fallen. Wealthier sovereigns have come and gone. Stronger dynasties have crumbled to dust. Yet we, the "persecuted Jews," remain.
How? The answer lies in community. We have survived not through individual heroism alone, but through our collective commitment to re-dig the wells together… generation after generation!
At the General Assembly, we united around four critical objectives: rebuilding Israel post-October 7th, confronting rising anti-Semitism, embracing newly engaged Jews seeking community, and advancing comprehensive Jewish education for our children. We heard from hostages, survivors, and visionaries like JDC's Brigadier General Hadas Minka-Brand, whose incredible work, vision, and newly created program, Shikma, that supports Israel's most vulnerable 10-7 survivors.
We do not have one voice speaking for all Jews. We disagree, argue, and represent uncommon perspectives. But that diversity is our strength. Jewish Federations exist precisely because no single voice should be louder than the collective. We approach challenges communally, knowing that our common good emerges from respectful disagreement.
This is the lesson of Toldot. This is why we gather. This is why we keep digging… because we are Stronger Together!
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