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Sermon for Sidra Veyetzay - Ajex Shabbat
November 2010
by Rabbi Geoffrey Hyman

First of all, I welcome our distinguished guests: Members of Parliament, Lee Scott and Mike Gapes; Leader of the Council, Keith Prince; together with all the Councillors here present today for this AJEX Shabbat service.

Particularly we welcome the many members of AJEX – “The Association of Ex-Servicemen and Women”, with the Chairman of the Ilford Branch, Mr. Leslie Temple, who is always here every week. Leslie has organised this AJEX Shabbat and we thank him very much for that.

Today in this Synagogue and tomorrow at the Cenotaph, we commemorate the memory of the “fallen” in two World Wars and other conflicts, which cost the lives of millions.  And we pay tribute to all those who fought valiantly against the enemies.

To the members of AJEX seated here today – we humbly thank you for all that you did for this country and the world, in playing your part in the war against Hitler and his evil allies and supporters.  We also pay tribute to the memory of the millions who perished and suffered inhumanely under the Nazi regime.

There is an “oddity” in this week’s reading of the Torah. Jacob, after leaving the place of his encampment where he had the famous dream known as “Jacobs’ Ladder,” travels east and arrives near his destination, Haran,  to the home of his uncle Laban.  On the outskirts of Haran he comes across a well surrounded by three flocks of sheep, and as the verse relates: “V’even gedolah al pi habe’er”; “And a very large stone was set over the well”, which we are told was only removed when all the local shepherds had arrived.  When Rachel, his cousin, who he is destined to marry, arrives with her flock, Jacob alone goes up to the well and removes the large stone single-handedly from the mouth of the well. So what is the point of the story? Whilst Rashi comments that it reflects his strength, surely there must be more to it than that!

Let me suggest the following: the Sidra reading started with Jacob’s Ladder, the vision that Jacob is shown in his slumber, a ladder stretching from the earth to the heavens with Angels ascending and descending; G-d tells him in the vision that he will be the founding father of a people and that his descendants would inherit the very land under him and that they would be spread to the “arba kanfot haaretz” to the four corners of the earth and that they would be a blessing among the families of the earth and then G-d promises to be with him wherever he goes.

When Jacob wakes up he is amazed by the vision and the radiant holiness of the place where he had slept and so in the morning he takes – the “Even” - the “stone” upon which he had rested his head and sets it as a “Matzevah” - a “Remembrance Stone”. The very next story in the sidra is that of the “Even”, the stone covering the well. The Torah links the two incidents with the word “Even” – stone!

So what is the link between the two stones?  Let me suggest the following: the “consecration stone” marked the place of the dream of the “Jacob's Ladder” which symbolised the future challenges he and his descendants would face. He is told how he and his descendants will forever change the face of the earth for “they will be for a blessing among the families of the earth”. He realises just how much one person can change the world. Now fuelled with this message, Jacob encounters “even gedolah” a “mighty stone” covering a well, so heavy in weight that it can only be removed by numerous shepherds. So Jacob empowered and inspired by G-d’s revelation goes up to the well on the arrival of Rachel and removes it single handedly!  A miracle? No not really – he did it through the sheer inspiration of realising that one person alone can change the world!

When the world was threatened by just one man - Hitler (yemach shemo) – who wanted to negatively change the face of the earth the “families of earth” stood by waiting for a “collective” response – but there wasn’t one!   It was the lone voice in a silent world – Britain, inspired by the great Sir Winston Churchill who had long campaigned against Hitler, who eventually led this tiny country against Hitler’s massive Germany.  At the height of the Battle of Britain his famous words were:-

“Never in the field of human conflict
was so much owed by so many, to so few!”

“The few” actually became as you know, the endearing nickname for the RAF fighters who won it! (And we have present here today several members who served in the RAF).

With sheer inspiration the “few” makes the difference!

That, too, is the message of Chanukah which we will celebrate in a few weeks time, the miracle of the victory of the “few” over the many.

My friends, and here I turn to our local Members of Parliament and Local Councillors, we thank you for all the dedicated work that you do in the communities; and no doubt you are well aware of the enormous influence you have; after all the reason you entered the world of politics was because you believed you could change the world! Yes, we all know what happens with aspirations and dreams, we get caught up in the diversions, just like Jacob goes on to spend fourteen years in labour (not the political party), to gain two wives, but that eventually leads to establishing the future progenitors of his people!

As you know we are living in a divided world, which is no longer safe but threatened by terrorism.  The challenges are there surrounding us and we all have to make the difference to make this world a better world.

As we remember “past wars and conflicts”, may we be all inspired to realise and remember the message that every single human-being can change the face of this earth!

May G-d bless all the families of earth with peace and security, Amen.