Hannah needs to give her longed-for son away to live with Eli the priest . Jeremiah speaks of Rachel crying out over the loss of her sons , all Israel . This year , all these sections cause us to focus even more deeply on the tremendous loss our people has suffered , the number of people who have suffered loss , who have feared for the lives of their family members , and , like Rachel , who have just cried over the deep suffering .
Yet , at the same time , I have been thinking about Qohelet , which pushes us to see that there is a time for everything , including a time to grieve , and a time to celebrate . This year it has been harder , and sometimes impossible , to find the balance that Qohelet encourages and prescribes . Perhaps seeking balance right now is asking too much . We need to allow ourselves to feel the loss of equilibrium , and to struggle .
Nevertheless , I want to look for hope , and I want to remind myself and hopefully others as well , that despite the horror , despite the pain , despite the struggle , Am Yisrael Chai . I say that personally , and I say that representing the Academy for Jewish Religion with a principled belief in Zionism and solidarity with Israel and the Jewish People . At AJR we believe that Zionism is a large tent , but that there are views that fall beyond that boundary , and are therefore outside of AJR ‘ s sacred commitment to pluralism . While this path may seem difficult to navigate , those of us at AJR have been trained to embrace these types of struggles and difficulties . We have learned to do it with patience , caring , and love .
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