A message from Rabbi Sara Abrams
In our most recent Jewish Mysticism Class, we discussed the mystical idea of hashgacha pratit which means in English “private supervision.” This Kabbalistic teaching suggests that each one of us, individually, is under a type of divine supervision and each of us has our own unique curriculum during our brief time here on earth.
Of course, the aim of most of our curriculum is similar: to learn to love better, to find our soul’s purpose, to get closer to the Divine (whatever your name for It may be), and to use our brokenness to heal. Yet while similar in aim and objective, this private course work may differ greatly from individual to individual. I needn’t enumerate the distinctions because all of us know how varied our lives can be from one another, and how divergent the paths are. Yet there are moments that we converge to help each other and to acknowledge that each of us has a unique journey and a unique relationship to the mystery of life. How important it is to remember that in our secular new year that each one of us is guided by the force of life and can keep growing even in challenging circumstances. Our job is to meet the curriculum as it arises, and move from life’s stages with as much grace as we can muster.
Just as we each have our own private divine supervision from the creator, so too does each community. Growth can come in fits and starts, and then suddenly there can come dramatic shifts, when a change of leadership, location, or members occurs–then growth occurs. As we enter the month of January, we read of such an episode in Torah this week. The parashsah is Vayigash and in it, Joseph and his brothers reunite in Egypt after a long separation which transpired because his brothers sold him into slavery years before. Yet here in this parashah all is forgiven, perhaps for the same reason that I have written above. In this parashah, Joseph acknowledges hashgacha pratit in his and his family’s drama: “It was not you who sent me here [to Egypt], but G‑d. It has all been ordained from Above to save us, and the entire region, from famine.” Just as in Biblical times, sometimes life’s trials bring us the blessing of reunion: the end of one era ushers in a time of fruition. That’s my hope and prayer for TBT in 2025 that under the supervision of the Most High, our small but dedicated board, and the committed hearts of all of you, we continue to grow, evolve, and meet the challenges before us both personally and collectively with faithful and joyful hearts.
You can contact me at rabbisaraabrams@gmail.com.
B’virkat Shalom