Our parsha this week challenges us to have deep compassion for all beings: workers, who are allowed to eat food as they reap it, as well as animals, who also have the right to eat as they work (we can't muzzle an ox as it works). We are even told not to yoke an ox with a donkey, as they will both be frustrated by the mismatch in abilities!
Reading this parsha, I was thinking about the recent coronavirus outbreak in Immokalee, an agricultural center of Florida. Sadly, Immokalee has become a coronavirus hotspot, with 2,000 confirmed cases. Many of these cases are hispanic migrant workers, who sometimes keep working because of slow test results as well as perceived economic necessity. I was struck by the words of Sylvia Perez, a former migrant worker: “For the governor, it’s easy to say they’re field workers; they’re infecting each other because they all live together in their homes. But the workers have a reason why they live like that. It’s because they’re poor.” I invite us to consider how we can take care of these workers, who produce the very food on our table, to learn more about their conditions and struggles, and to create conditions where they can take care of their families, and maybe even thrive, without risking their lives.
Huge thanks to Bryan Rudnick & the team at Alliance Strategies Group for the beautiful new website, https://kolhalevpbc.org. I also wanted to thank all of you who have sent contributions for the school in the past few weeks. Kol HaLev only exists because of your generosity.
Upcoming Events
Kabbalat Shabbat
6:00 in the Zoom Room (https://aleph-ordination.zoom.us/j/3930460461)
Rosh Hashanah Family Story Hour: Join Rabbi Siff for stories about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, as well as a selichot activity where we think about how we can grow, and let go of negativity from the past year. Registration at https://aleph-ordination.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYpc--gpz4sGNQgjRk0pxFmDVVG6XbrMi9B
Selichot
Open the holiday season with singing and contemplation.
September 8th at 8:30
Please RSVP, and let us know if you would prefer virtual or in-person outside with social distancing
Please support our work! Tax deductible donations can be made at paypal.me/kolhalev, or by check or Zelle.
Blessings,
Rabbi David Siff
