Tests of Endurance

Tonight is seder night. And I have been thinking a lot recently about tests of endurance. (What time does your Seder end? :-)

Over the last few months I have watched several documentaries on Netflix about people who undertake long and difficult journeys to test their limits and discover their potential:

The Long Way Around - 2 British motorcyclists (one of whom is actor Ewen McGregor) ride from London to New York going east.

The Long Way Down - The same 2 guys ride from Scotland to Cape Town.

The Barkley Marathons - Runners race for 60 straight hours through the woods of Tennessee.

Maiden Voyage - A 15 year old girl sails around the globe by herself.

Inspired to Ride - Bicycle riders race from Oregon to Virginia.

Desert Runners - Runners run 5 day Marathons across the 4 biggest deserts in the world (Atacama, Gobi, Sahara, Antarctica)

I'm not sure why I have gotten into these stories recently. They involve travel which I love. But I think it's more about this idea of challenging yourself and discovering unknown strength.

It makes me reflect on what Bnei Yisrael must have felt like as they travelled through the harsh desert for 40 years. Certainly they were happy to be free of slavery. But the seeming impossibility and endlessness of their journey understandably deflated them as well.

As I watched these documentaries I also reflected on the theme of Individuality vs. Community. In some ways these people were leaving their families and the lives they knew to venture off on their own into the unknown. The 15 year old girl even says something like "I think what I love about it is the freedom, the fact that I have no attachments to anyone or anything." But when you watch further you realize that one of the things they love the most is the connections they make along the way. Runners run together. Cyclists help each other out. Even the sailing girl makes deep connections along the way.

Travelling through the desert for 40 years must have been a great ordeal. But they had their Shevet, their tribe. And they helped each other out.

It is hard to fathom, but this week our community in Houston suffered our 2nd devastating flood in the last 11 months. Streets turned to rivers. Houses and cars submerged. The shul destroyed once again. Our community had not even recovered from last year's floods. This just seems unfair, like getting kicked when you're already down for the count.

When displaced from your home after a flood you feel like your equilibrium is off, like your internal GPS telling you where you are in the world so that you can figure out where you are going has to be recalibrated. Do I belong here? Is this my home? When will I be able to settle down and build my life?

But at the same time as everyone feels alone, isolated, and disconnected, an amazing thing happens. You start to realize that while it is true that there is a lot of work to be done, that it seems impossible and endless, and that most of it you will have to do for yourself, it is also true that you are part of a community who are all going through this together with you. That there will be times that you need support from others, and times that they will need it from you. That you will encourage each other and get through it together.

Hard times are not fun. But they make you stronger. They develop in you grit, resilience, and determination. So this Seder night I will try to reflect on the journey of endurance that our People have gone through over the centuries. We have overcome all odds and supported each other along the way. We have moved homes many times, but always felt at home with our families and communities. We have discovered in ourselves reservoirs of strength and potential that we didn't know we had. And in going through our own challenges we have become more sensitive to the trials of others, seeking to heal the world one helping hand at a time. This Seder night let us look around the table, even if it is not our own, and smile when we realize that just as we have gotten to this point together, so too will we always endure and overcome because we are part of an amazing family.