This Weekend at Kehillath Shalom Synagogue - August 2 - August 4, 2019

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We're welcoming back Rabbi Lina this week!  

Friday, August 2nd at 6pm

 Friday is the yarzheit of Aaron the Priest. When we think of Aaron, we might think of him as Moses' sidekick, or the man who made the golden calf, or the father who lost his sons to the "strange fire" they offered in the Tabernacle. We do not have a sense of him as a person.  
The mishnah tells us: be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace, loving people and drawing them close to Torah.
What did Aaron do that gave him this reputation? The Talmud tells a story that Aaron would be walking along and, upon encountering a bad or wicked person, would greet that person with peace.  Later, when the same person was on his way to worship idols, he said:  Woe unto me!  How can I look Aaron in the eye without being ashamed before him, for he greeted me with peace!?  And so, the person in the end refrained from idolatrous worship.
Aaron's kindness to others, his seeing the best in them, helped them to be their best selves. What if we responded to evil that way?
Dr. King was a disciple of Aaron when he said: Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. 
These times of division and destructive speech call for us to live Aaron's legacy, to love and pursue peace, to love others and bring them closer to truth and wholeness and justice.  
Rabbi Lina Zerbarini

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