Perashat Vayishlah 5777

Perashat Vayishlah 5777

It is said that when an important person leaves a place or comes into a place, he/she makes an impression. When he/she leaves a place, their absence clearly is felt. They will be missed and they will have left a lot of memories. When they come into a place, they also make an impression due to their behavior and dignity.

This past week, there was a departure of 120 Rabbis from their cities throughout the world, and their arrival into Israel. They  came from as far as the Patagonia in South America to Alaska in North America; from Morocco to Russia, and from Australia to South Africa. They all came to participate in the founding meeting of the World Union of Sephardic Rabbis. It was the brainchild of the late Rabbi Obadiah Yosef, 'A"H, who prior to his passing, instructed his assistants to organize such a gathering and to create such an organization to unite all the Sephardic Rabbis in the world. Of course, there are many more than 120 Sephardic Rabbis in the world; however, arranging a common schedule of 120 people was an achievement in itself. Being that it was the first time, I am sure in the years to come the number of participants will significantly increase. I had the privilege to be invited to participate and take part in such a gathering. 
 
Indeed, I am not sure how much of an impression it made when these Rabbis left their city and congregation. Most likely, the congregants where happy to see the Rabbi leave and therefore have "time off" from a sermon or a class. I am sure, however, that their arrival to Israel and their stay, made a real impression there.
 
We were welcomed by the Rishon Le'Sion, Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yisshak Yosef, who gave several lectures and words of inspiration. We were also welcomed to the President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin's Residence, where I spoke on behalf of the rabbinical group. He fondly recalled his visit to our Synagogue exactly one year ago, during Hanukkah. He asked me to convey his regards to the congregation. We were also invited to the Knesset and were addressed by the Speaker of the Knesset, Yuli Edelstein, a frequent visitor to our Synagogue. He asked me to convey his regards to the Congregation, as well.  We were also welcomed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who addressed the entire group, and asked us to encourage our communities to support Israel and be great advocates of the State of Israel. Several Ministers and Members of the Knesset came to greet us and express their support for this new Union of Sephardic Rabbis and the important work that it will be doing. 
 
We visited the tomb of Rabbi Obadiah Yosef, 'A"H, of Ribbi Meir Baal HaNess, 'A"H, of Ribbi Moshe Hayim Luzzato (RAMHAL), 'A"H, of Ribbi Akiva, 'A"H, of Ribbi Moshe Ben Maimon (RAMBAM), 'A"H and Ribbi Shimeon Bar Yohai, 'A"H. It was a very spiritually uplifting experience to connect with the Great Sages of the Jewish People throughout the ages. 
 
As we concluded the Convention, the resolutions were all unanimous. We must work together, unite and lead our Kehilot (congregations) with pride in our Sephardic Heritage, re-ignite the spark of Jewish life and commit ourselves to continue meeting and learning from each other. Jewish and particularly Sephardic continuity, is of paramount importance to us and our communities.
 
We all returned to our countries, cities and congregations recharged and full of encouragement, which I hope to share with each of you.


Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Elie Abadie, M.D.