Hillel said: Do not separate yourself from the community. And, do not rely on yourself [alone] until the day of your death. And do not judge your fellow until you have come to where s/he has been. And do not say something that is impossible to hear, [hoping] that in the end it will be heard. And do not say, ‘When there is free time, I will study.” It is possible that you will not have the free time. Pirke Avot 2:4
I believe that it was in one of the first of my Rabbi’s columns that I first used the beginning of this quote from Hillel, “Do not separate yourself from the community.” Then, I was talking about the relative position of Rabbi and congregation in prayer, and the expectations of one upon the other. As is the great gift with all Jewish texts – as Ben Bag Bag said – Turn it, and turn it, and turn it, for all is contained within it – at a different time, the same words can have a different, but equally compelling meaning.
Looking again at the first lines – and continuing through the rest of the quote – it seems obvious that Hillel was speaking to us, today, in these difficult economic times. Our society has perhaps changed and human nature may have changed along with it. This world, in which we pull into our driveways, open the garage doors with our remote controls, drive in and close our doors, has removed the contact with our neighbors. Our communities may be on-line, may be scattered across time zones, or may be tenuous or non-existent. When times of trouble come, rather than reach out to others, we shut ourselves in. We try to remain self-sufficient. We do not feel the right or the reason to burden others with our problems, our difficulties. We cannot ask for help – and we suffer the lack thereof.
Picture the typical congregant – and it may be you – who has suffered some economic reversal: the loss of a job, the sudden decrease in formerly fixed income. We cut back on our activities, because we can neither go out with friends as easily as we once did, nor afford to entertain in our homes. We see less of others; we turn down invitations; we find ourselves more and more isolated. [The monthly statement arrives from the Temple bill and rather than call and ask for relief, we move it to the bottom of the pile.]
For this very moment, Hillel has said, “Al tifros min ha-tzibur – Do NOT remove yourself from the community.” The congregation that you have invested your time, your effort, your love and your life in – is ready to return that investment – with interest – when you are most in need. If we can provide social networking to find a new job, economic assistance, or a referral for a handyman, that is all to the good. If we can provide a shoulder to cry on, a kind ear to listen, or even a place to stop the world and listen to the prayers of others, so much the better. The reason to belong to a congregation – to be part of this community – is not only to give when you can, but also to get when you need. All of the good times that you have shared with this community have been stored up for this moment of trouble, when you can find the caring support of your fellow congregants. Perhaps you have already paid for this help in advance – by volunteering at the Temple, making a meal for a family in need, or even just helping out at services. If not, get what you need now and pay back in the future – comfort a family in shivah, help set up for a Shabbat dinner, deliver shalach manot to a homebound family.
Al tifros min ha-tzibur – do not turn away from your community – not when our hands are reaching out to help.
