PARSHAS Ki Savo 5784
Huddling Together
Sarah Gittleson
Co-Director,
SPARK
Next weekend I am thrilled and honored to spend Shabbos with the second cohort of the SPARK Huddle. This incredible initiative, conceived by Andrea Tresser (a huge thank you to her for envisioning, organizing, and building such a special program!), brings together a group of women forming an intimate community, fostering social connection and introspection through the lens of Jewish wisdom. SPARK Huddle empowers women to cultivate meaningful bonds through monthly, intentional gatherings, enriching weekend retreats, and enduring friendships.
The SPARK Huddle beautifully embodies one of my favorite and most essential aspects of Judaism, achdut, true unity. When the Jewish people stood at Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah, it was this unity, a sense of collective oneness, that enabled us to become a nation. The Torah describes the Jews encamped there “like one person with one heart” (Shemos 12:19, with Rashi’s commentary). Achdut is so vital because it requires us to look and expand beyond ourselves, to focus on others.
Recent events have reminded us again and again the power of true unity. Just look at the photos from the shiva of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, where hundreds of Jews from diverse backgrounds and communities stood in line for hours to comfort his family.
Or the remarkable story of Tzion, a young boy who went missing in Arizona. Thousands of Jews worldwide came together to search, pray, and thank G-d, he was found safe! And the countless acts of kindness – such as people delivering food, flowers, and gifts to the families of deployed IDF soldiers – show us the strength of our shared responsibility for one another. This Achdut is what transforms us from individuals into the Jewish Nation.
The Jewish people are extraordinary. The more we focus on others, nurturing our unity and the common thread that ties us together, the stronger we become. I am eagerly looking forward to next week’s Huddle Shabbaton because Achdut isn’t just how we Jews survive. It’s how we thrive.
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