By Anne R. Greenbaum, WLCJ International Vice President and WLCJ Israel Chair
In July I spent a lovely four days on my own in New York. Among other things, I visited three magnificent libraries. The most memorable tour was at the Jewish Theological Seminary Library. Dr. David Kraemer guided a small group through the exhibit Sacred Words: Revealing the Earliest Hebrew Book.
While Torah scrolls, of course, go back millennia, we were able to set our eyes on the earliest Hebrew book ever discovered. It goes back to 725 CE and is composed of only four slim folios. The scribe fit in it as much as he could, even squeezing Hebrew prayer within the narrow margins. As small as it was, that prayer book spoke volumes to us (on exhibit now at the Grolier Club until mid-December). For one thing it made me think about how stories from long ago are transmitted.
This week we read in the Torah the incredible story of Noah and the ark. Before scrolls came to be made this story likely was in some way related in clay. And before clay it certainly had to have been told by story tellers, probably the old folks. Parts of this incredible story are revealing and informative. Wise men and women learn from it about the past, about human nature, about values, and about faith. We appreciate how these stories carry forward to the present.
One thing we learn about Noah is he is a capable, hard worker. Rabbinic scholars also point out that Noah wasn’t good about talking to people and influencing them to behave better. Jonah did just that, albeit reluctantly, a few weeks ago (Yom Kippur). Abraham did it too (and will do it again for us next week in Parashat Lech Lecha).
As members of Women’s League, we also try to influence people to study more, interact productively in community, and engage with each other in kind, helpful ways—erform mitzvot.
That’s the story of Women’s League I brought with me six years ago when I moved to Atlanta. At our first Women’s League Shabbat, I spoke about Mathilda Schechter bringing her friends (including Henrietta Szold) together long ago in 1918. They would befriend and instruct many new immigrants who were lost in a foreign environment. In its own way, they were building an ark. Mathilda and our group might be better influencers than Noah.
Later, during kiddush, a man in our congregation actually congratulated me for teaching him about the history of Women’s League. He was right to be impressed by its history, as it is a great story worthy of telling and repeating.
Anne R. Greenbaum
WLCJ International Vice President and WLCJ Israel Chair
agreenbaum@wlcj.org
