June 2025

Letter from the Rabbi

Dear Temple Israel Community,

Shalom Aleikhem! I am wishing for peace and well-being for each of you precious members of our Binghamton Jewish community as we transition into Summer.

On the final day of May, Rav Talia and I had the great pleasure of celebrating our recent wedding with you all – the dear friends who make up our congregation of Temple Israel and our Binghamton Jewish community. We were overjoyed to sponsor a festive meal which peaked with reciting together the Birkat haMazon – the Blessings of Sustenance said after a meal – and the Sheva Brakhot – the Seven Blessings recited for the seven days following a wedding. I want to express our most heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has offered us well-wishes in this special time in our lives together.

Towards the end Birkat haMazon, we quote a verse from Jeremiah Chapter 17:7 which articulates a challenging, foundational aspect of traditional Jewish belief:

בָּר֣וּךְ הַגֶּ֔בֶר אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִבְטַ֖ח בַּהֹ וְהָיָ֥ה הֹ מִבְטַחֽוֹ׃

Blessed is the person who trusts in G-d; G-d will be their place of safety!

While it may seem like this verse promises a G-d given reward of safety to those who trust in G-d, our tradition has long understood that safety and wellbeing are products of both faith and action. Maimonides uses this verse to praise people who, despite hardship, work hard to ensure that they will be able to be contributors to the well-being of others in the community.

As Art Siegel mentions in his letter, the past several weeks have brought an increase in concern and fear for many American Jews in the wake of alarming violent incidents in Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. and Colorado. Of course, our concern for the safety of American Jews mirrors our concern for the safety and well-being of our fellow Jews in Israel and around the world, and especially for the people who remain captive in Gaza. Simultaneously, we pray for a breakthrough in the efforts to bring a negotiated peace in the Land of Israel and relief for all those suffering in ongoing conditions of deprivation and war.

In this time, we will continue to take action for the sake of the well-being and safety of our community. At the same time, it is incumbent upon us to resolve to continue to choose to show up together to engage in the sacred work that is the heart of synagogue life: prayer, study, and acts of compassion. Even and especially in times of heightened concern, we must affirm our commitments to our core values of Torah (learning), Avodah (service), and Hesed (compassion). In other words, we must trust in G-d and the Torah which G-d has planted in our midst.

Over the holiday of Shavuot which we celebrated at the beginning of June, we came together in partnership with Temple Concord to joyously celebrate the giving of the Torah with our first late-night Tikkun Leil Shavuot. About 40 of us gathered on the eve of the holiday for thought-provoking and inspirational Torah discussion. I am grateful to everyone who added their voice to the unfolding conversation of Torah and hope to welcome more voices into our weekly
discussions of Torah and world affairs on Tuesday afternoons before minyan that we call Torah in Our Times.

It has been a blessing to work with two young members of our synagogue community who have dedicated many hours to prepare for their upcoming B’nei Mitzvah celebrations. I hope you will join us for these joyous events – in addition to our annual meeting – in June and together put our trust in the power of our community and our evolving tradition.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Micah R. Friedman

הרב מיכה שמחה פרידמן