Parasha Vayakhel – March 9, 2024 – 29 Adar I 5784

Shabbat shalom, I have always loved visiting different shuls, and today has been no different. Thank you so much, Temple Beth Sholom members and clergy, for this welcome. I am especially grateful to Executive Director Beth for helping with so many logistics, and to Cantor Linda for taking time to coach me as I prepared my Torah reading. And of course, to Rabbi Josh for your enthusiasm!

For the last few weeks, the Torah portions have been about the building of the mishkan, the tabernacle. The mishkan, known by several different names in Hebrew, was the temporary, portable sanctuary used by the Jewish  people when they wandered in the desert for 40 years.

Nova Simone, this parshah holds so much meaning on this day of your naming, for more than one reason. Let me share a few thoughts.

First of all, it took the whole community to build the mishkan. Everyone was asked to contribute time and money and physical labor. As Rabbi Josh said earlier, it takes a village….

Just by being born, Nova, you have joined a community. Right now, your community is relatively small:Your mommy and daddy, and your big sister Risa.

You also are loved by me and your other grandparents, Yvonne, Gil, David, Gigi, as well as your aunts and uncles, Regina, Courtlyn, Misha and Kenny.  And let’s not forget about your cousins Zion, Mack, Hattie and Louie, as well as Malka, David, Avinoam and Sara. Your family is your first community, and many of us are here to celebrate with you today.

As you grow and develop, my prayers for you include hopes that you will be an active member of many communities. Our Jewish tribe is small but strong, and you can start right here at TBS.

Nova, you will come to understand that you have a part in the big world out there. You are connected, in one way or another, to every human and every living thing, and indeed, to our planet itself.

That belonging comes with responsibilities, and I know that our family and our Torah will guide you. You will learn how to treat people with respect and loving kindness, how to welcome the stranger, how to stand up for justice. This is the Judaism I love so much and wish for you.

On a more personal note related to the building of the mishkan, I am thinking about your English name. Nova Simone, you are named for my beloved mama, Nanny Sandy, may her memory be for a blessing,. Nanny Sandy served two terms as Sisterhood President of my childhood shul, and her biggest contribution was to fundraise for the construction of a new building! Kind of a mishkan, but more permanent. You get the idea…

Indeed, you come from a long line of people who have given and continue to give their money and energy and time in order to build community. Jama, your grandmother Yvonne, volunteers weekly to distribute food and basic items to people in need in her neighborhood. Your Uncle Richard Valle, of blessed memory, served in many roles as a civic leader in Union City and most recently, as a Supervisor for Alameda County.

You come from a long line of people who have struggled for and continue to struggle for social justice. Lolo, your grandfather David, and I first met on a picket line to oppose the draft and the US war in Central America in the early 1980s.  Lolo’s grandfather Harry and my grandfather Izzy were both founding members of unions in New York City.

So Nova Simone, Shalhevet bat Noemi bat Tziporah bat Sara bat Feigl, I hope I’ve given you a lot to think about, and don’t worry if you don’t remember it all. We can talk about these topics again and again and again.  Shabbat shalom!