Shana Tovah Everyone,
Rabbi Akiva, the great First Century sage, used to tell a particular story to his students. It was about a fox, a very clever fox, who thought he could outwit a school of fish.
One day, the story goes, a fox found himself approaching the edge of a stream. Having not eaten in a few days the fox was quite hungry. He decided he wanted fish for dinner, so he waited by the river for his food to swim by. After a short wait, the fox noticed a tasty looking school of fish swimming down stream.
“Wait, wait!” the fox called out to the fish. “Fishermen are waiting around the next corner, catching all the fish that swim by, if you swim down stream any farther you will all be caught and eaten.”
The fish, hearing the warning, began to panic, they started swimming in a circle, talking to one another, trying to figure out what to do. Finally, one brave fish, approached the fox, but didn’t get too close. “What do you suggest we do?” asked the fish.
“I know a short cut, around the fishermen. It isn’t far. If you and your friends jump on my back, I will run you past the hunter to the safety of the lower stream,” answered the fox.
The fish talked it over, and then said, “You are supposed to the be the cleverest of creatures, but you are really the most foolish. If we come with you, you will eat us. If we leave the water we will surely die. So, even if there is danger ahead, our chances of survival are best if we stay where we belong.”
Rabbi Akiva used to tell this story to his student as they hid in caves studying Torah. At the time, the Romans ruled the Holy Land and were forcing the Jews to stop practicing their religion, sometimes by punishment of death. But Akiva and his students knew that they were Jewish. They belonged in the world of Torah and were safer in it despite the dangers it presented for them.
Thankfully, the dangers which lie before us, as Jews, are generally not life threatening, especially in this country. No one forces us to abandon our beliefs or surrender to another’s faith, but we do still face the pressures of assimilation, much as our ancestors did. It is a constant struggle to maintain a Jewish identity in a secular world. Especially a secular world that offers us so many opportunities. But it is a struggle that is well worth the effort.
As we approach the High Holy Days, this year, may we recognize how much being Jewish means to us. May we realize, as Rabbi Akiva’s students, that we are healthier, safer, and more fulfilled when we keep Torah in our hearts and Judaism in our life.
Shana Tovah Umetukah
May the year 5779 be a good, and sweet year.
Rabbi Todd