Parshat Lekh L’kha

In this week’s parashah, Lekh L’kha, God says to Avraham:  “Walk before me and be whole.”  Immediately after that, God commands Avraham to make himself unwhole through the act of circumcision.

The S’fat Emet explains the paradox.  It is only by acknowledging that we are not complete, not self-sufficient, that we can achieve true wholeness. Why? Because it is our relationships — with God and with each other — that complete us, and without our broken edges, we could have no way to connect. If we were perfect, we would be alone.

Modern culture teaches us to strive for self-contained perfection,. But true wholeness is not something that we can achieve on our own.  In fact the opposite is true.  The more we strive for self-sufficiency, the less integrity our lives have. We achieve integrity, we overcome our brokenness, by joining together with others — not despite our imperfections but by means of them — to create a larger whole.

May we find completeness in each other. May we find wholeness in working together to build a better world.

• The New Shul’s Shabbat services are on Friday evenings from 6 to 7 pm, and on Saturday mornings from 9 am to 12 noon. The kiddush-lunch this Shabbat, November 9, will be sponsored by Jason and Carey Lamm and by Dan and Yona Gumpright.
• Childcare is available on Shabbat mornings from 10 am to noon.
• On Monday November 18, The New Shul will host two lectures by Dr. Daniel Matt:  “Elijah the Prophet: The Jewish Superhero Who Never Died” at 1 pm, and “Raising the Sparks: Finding God in the Material World” at 7 pm. Both lectures are sponsored by Valley Beit Midrash.