Judaism in Action

“WRJ is the place where I can put my Judaism into action.” I heard this during a conversation with a District President about why she is involved with WRJ, and honestly, it felt holy. She told me that her Jewish practice comes alive with WRJ.  

During my time at Women of Reform Judaism, I have had the privilege of connecting with a variety of leaders from across North America. I have had conversations about how people initially became involved with WRJ and the relationships they developed, the spiritual strength and guidance they received, and what they think about WRJ’s social justice programming.  

I have heard about individual Sisterhoods and districts, challenges and disappointments, award-winning programs and moments of connection and pride. Most especially, I have listened to leaders describe success and challenges in social justice work as we look ahead to the upcoming Social Justice Conference.

I have left each and every conversation feeling inspired and having gained another perspective on and fuller picture of WRJ’s work. “WRJ is the place where I put my Judaism into action.” Every time I connected with someone else, these words rang true for me, too.

In reflecting on these conversations, I am reminded of a story in the Talmud shared by Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha, the High Priest:

“Once, on Yom Kippur, I entered the innermost sanctum, the Holy of Holies, to offer incense, and in a vision, I saw the Lord of Hosts seated upon a throne. God said to me, ‘Yishmael, my son, bless me.’ I said to God: ‘May it be Your will…’ God nodded and accepted the blessing. This event teaches that you should not take the blessing of an ordinary person lightly.”

It would be easy to say that this story is simply about a moment when the High Priest blesses God, not an uncommon occurrence, but Dr. Ruth Calderon, a world-renowned Talmud teacher based in Jerusalem, offers another perspective. She teaches that this is about the value of an intimate interaction. God does not just appear in the Holy of Holies, but rather that each person has the ability to create a moment of meaning. A blessing can be offered even by a person to God!  

As I continued to connect with WRJ members, I couldn’t help but notice that I felt like I was receiving a sort of blessing every single time – Judaism in action. In taking the time to connect with each other, to talk about the things that matter most to us, we were creating holy time together.  

The WRJ Social Justice intern position was made possible by the generous support from the Isabel P. Dunst Philanthropic Fund, a donor advised fund of The Jewish Community Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington as recommended by the Shards of Light Foundation.