USY Shabbat D'Var

Shabbat Shalom,

My name is Amy Azaria and my name is Ohad Klopman and we are honored to be the co-Presidents of Natick USY.  USY is a youth group for kids from 4th to 12th grade. It consists of 3 groups: Kids in 4th grade to 5th grade are part of a sub-group called Kadima, kids from 6th grade to 8th grade are part of Junior USY, and those in high school are part of Senior USY. The goal for all three groups is to have fun, participate in Jewish activities and connect with other Jewish kids, both in our community and beyond.  This Shabbat is particularly special because USY has the opportunity to run the service ourselves. We’ve used this time to put our own spin on it: a fun board game theme!

This week’s portion, Shemot, tells part of the story we hear every Passover: how Moses came into his own after leading the Hebrews out of Egypt. He was raised apart from his family; Pharaoh’s edict required that all male Hebrew babies be cast into the Nile. Moses, however, was lucky. Pharaoh’s daughter saw him floating in the Nile and rescued him. She raised him in the palace, where he grew up as a royal. Years passed, and Moses grew up to be outspoken and brave. He addressed conflicts between Egyptians and Hebrews, as well as between Hebrews. Moses assumed a leadership role in his court and he helped to resolve issues that appeared among his subjects.

God saw potential in this royal river baby and chose him to lead the Hebrews. Moses had proven his mettle once before, so God trusted Moses to do what was right. Moses was aware that he had flaws, but he reconciled them by working with his brother, Aaron. Together, the two took on the task of leading the Hebrews. Without a strong leader like Moses, the Hebrews would have continued to struggle in Egypt.

The haftarah tells us of a time when the people Israel drifted away from their responsibilities to each other and to God. Isaiah is the one to bring Israel’s shortcomings to their attention. He calls the Ten Tribes of Jacob out for reckless behavior, and he says that as long as it continues, “they shall fall backward, and be injured and snared and captured" (28:13). Unfortunately for Isaiah, Israel does not heed his warnings. The role of a leader can be hard at times, especially when one’s peers refuse to listen. But the Rabbis have chosen to end the haftarah with two verses of another section of Isaiah, ones that remind us of the eventual redemption and forgiveness by God.

In both these portions, we see a common theme: that of coming into your own, finding your role in the community, and discovering what it really means to be a leader in the Jewish community. Moses may have been appointed by God to the task, but he would never have been considered if had he not spoken out and taken action for what was right. In the haftorah, we see the Israelites struggle with amending their shameful ways. Isaiah has the hard task of calling it out, but no change could have occurred without his leadership. This is one of our goals in USY: we strive to change for the better, to gather our friends and families to do good for others and embrace our Jewish identities.

In my eight years in Natick USY, I’ve changed a lot.  When I first started USY, I remember going to Friday night and Saturday morning services and hearing Senior USY’ers leading Ruach sessions, wishing I could join in.  Of course I could have, but I was too shy to do anything more than just sit with the Senior USY’ers while they sang.  I am no longer too shy to join in on the Ruach sessions; I’ve even led sessions before!  I love USY for more than just the Ruach sessions and other fun events, though.  It gives me an opportunity to volunteer with friends and have fun learning about Israel.  Through USY, I have met some of my best friends who I know I will keep in touch with, even after high school.

When I first joined USY, I was thrilled to get to go snow tubing and dancing and skating, all while hanging out with my friends from Hebrew school. Now that it’s my 4th year in the chapter, I know that it’s so much more than that—although that is pretty awesome in itself! At its core, USY is a place to find a place in something greater than yourself. It’s where I found my love for helping others through various Social Action and Tikkun Olam events. It’s what caused me to start paying attention to Israeli news, because what goes on there affects me even though I live in the U.S. USY is my outlet to participate in the greater Jewish community, and if I’m lucky enough, to lead it.

On behalf of the entire USY board, I would like to thank the Temple Israel Youth Committee and Michelle Nelson for helping to ensure all events are successful, and of course, for helping us to become the regional Chapter of the Year!   In addition, I would like to thank the Temple Israel Community for your support throughout the year.

Thank you, and Shabbat Shalom!