FEBRUARY 10 • 2022 | 53
the words: “Command the
Israelites to bring you clear
olive oil, crushed for the
light, so that the lamp may
always burn” (Ex. 27:20). The
Sages drew a comparison
between the olive and the
Jewish people. Rabbi Joshua
ben Levi asked, “Why is
Israel compared to an olive?
Just as an olive is first bitter,
then sweet, so Israel suffers
in the present but great good
is stored up for them in the
time to come. And just as
the olive only yields its oil
by being crushed — as it
is written, ‘clear olive oil,
crushed for the light’ — so
Israel fulfils [its full potential
in] the Torah only when it is
pressed by suffering.”
The oil was, of course,
for the menorah, whose
perpetual light — first in
the Sanctuary, then in the
Temple, and now that we
have no Temple, the more
mystical light that shines
from every holy place, life
and deed — symbolizes the
Divine light that floods the
universe for those who see it
through the eyes of faith. To
produce this light, something
has to be crushed. And here
lies the life-changing lesson.
Suffering is bad. Judaism
makes no attempt to hide
this fact. The Talmud gives
an account of various Sages
who fell ill. When asked, “
Are
your sufferings precious to
you?” they replied, “Neither
they nor their reward.”
When they befall us or
someone close to us, they
can lead us to despair.
Alternatively, we can respond
stoically. We can practice the
attribute of gevurah, strength
in adversity. But there is a
third possibility. We can
respond as Henry responded,
with compassion, kindness
and love. We can become
like the olive which, when
crushed, produces the pure
oil that fuels the light of
holiness.
When bad things happen
to good people, our faith is
challenged. That is a natural
response, not a heretical one.
Abraham asked, “Shall the
Judge of all the earth not
do justice?” Moses asked,
“Why have You done harm
to this people?” Yet in the
end, the wrong question
to ask is, “Why has this
happened?” We will never
know. We are not God, nor
should we aspire to be. The
right question is, “Given
that this has happened, what
then shall I do?” To this, the
answer is not a thought but a
deed. It is to heal what can be
healed, medically in the case
of the body, psychologically
in the case of the mind,
spiritually in the case of the
soul. Our task is to bring
light to the dark places of our
and other peoples’ lives.
That is what Henry did.
Renata still suffered. So did
he. But their spirit prevailed
over their body. Crushed,
they radiated light. Let no
one imagine this is easy. It
takes a supreme act of faith.
Yet it is precisely here that we
feel faith’s power to change
lives. Just as great art can
turn pain into beauty, so
great faith can turn pain into
love and holy light.
The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan
Sacks served as the chief rabbi of
the United Hebrew Congregations of
the Commonwealth, 1991-2013. His
teachings have been made available
to all at rabbisacks.org. This essay
was written in 2020.
J
ARC, a Metro Detroit based nonprofit
agency that serves individuals with
developmental disabilities, has received a
$25,000 grant from the Donald R. and Esther
Simon Foundation to support a relatively
new therapeutic program to combat isolation
and depression brought on by the COVID-19
pandemic.
The program provides individualized
support, enabling each person served to
partake in activities that benefit them. This
grant will also allow the program to promote
leisure time and will be led by newly hired
JARC therapeutic staff who will engage with
persons served in JARC group homes in a
COVID-safe way.
One of the biggest challenges of the
pandemic for JARC persons served has been
isolation.
“Most of those we serve have even more
down time now, and that has brought with it
mental health struggles such as depression and
anger,” said JARC CEO Shaindle Braunstein.
“Mental health plays a strong role in physical
health, so it is crucial that we address isolation
and do what we can to safely mitigate its
effects. The JARC therapy program addresses
that need by providing the necessary mental
stimulation and encouragement needed for
persons served to be active and engaged.”
Serving mental health needs has always
been vital, but the pandemic has amplified its
importance in JARC homes, especially when
day programs were closed, and persons served
were unable to socialize outside of the home.
While the State of Michigan provides much
of the funding for their physical needs, other
costs for needs like mental health, therapeutic
activities and engagement are not funded.
Part of JARC’s mission is to meet this need
and, as a result, JARC pays for these services
independently.
To date, the newly instituted program
already has several success stories. These
new activities combined with individualized
therapies with a trained professional has
helped JARC persons served to further express
themselves and uncover new abilities.
JARC Receives
$25,000 Grant