The Mayor and the Jews

Ruchel

Sat, Sep 01 2007, 5:30 pm

While searching for something entirely else, I found... my mayor's blog !! LOL

It is very interesting. I often saw him at our shul for Kippour and major days, but apparently his interest doesn't stop there!

(community chief, mayor, rav Chaya, someone named Arié Assouline)

For those who don’t read Hebrew, I hosted this association named in French ”the flame” on Sunday 18 February. Founded by the Rav Ron Chaya, its goal is to reignate the flame of Jewish Judaism to offering a better (Jewish) education.

Although I am not Jewish, I have to say it was an interesting meeting, as for the Xtians Jewish values feel like they belong to a common heirloom. When Rav Chaya talks about the quote from Kouzari, “the divine enters the man only according to his preparation to receive it, if he is a bit prepared, he receives a bit, if he is a lot prepared, he receives a lot”, it expresses a wisdom belonging to our 2 religions of the book. Don’t hesitate to check the website Leava, it is full of meditations and reflexions, and also of humour.

About the coming of the messiah, I read there the following word: “and if Machiah (the messiah) came tomorrow… what to say, what to day? When we will see the messiah, we will have to say 4 blessings. Better to be ready for when the moment come we won’t have to miss the occasion!”

It is a coming back to the roots of the rabbinical teaching where laughter makes the student open his heart. The example I gave could also have illustrated my first point about the certain universality of Jewish wisdom as one of the blessings resonates as a thanking that all living beings surprised by the miracle of life would say. "Barouch Atta Achem Elokénou mele'h Haolam, che hianou vekiamanou vehigianou lazmane haze". Translation: “Blessed are you, Eternal our G-d, king of the universe, who makes us exist and made us reach this time”. Isn’t this praise conveyed by each and every human voice?

My town is twinned with 2 Israeli towns, Kiriat Ekron and Daliat el Carmel