Life’s Vulnerability
Words of Wisdom with Rabbi Efrat Zarren-Zohar
This Dvar Torah was written by Dr. Sandra Lilienthal, a non-denominational adult educator, part of the CAJE Adult Learning faculty, and the co-founder and co-director of Wisdom Without Walls: An Online Salon for Jewish Ideas.
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash
Parashat Ha’azinu, which we read this Shabbat, is almost entirely poetry: Moses’ farewell song to the people.
At the end of his life, he does not leave them with laws or lectures, but with words to be sung.
Moses understood that songs linger. A melody can echo in our minds for years, touching the heart as much as the mind.
He wanted his message to endure not only as teaching but as music — something that could be carried in memory and spirit.
Commenting on a verse that could sound quite bleak - “See now that I, I am He… I put to death and I bring to life” (Deut. 32:39) - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z”l, explained that it reveals the rhythm of covenantal life: brokenness and renewal are always intertwined.
As we have just emerged from the Ten Days of Repentance, we know this rhythm well.
We faced our flaws, our brokenness, and then celebrated the possibility of renewal.
Ha’azinu assures us that even in moments of despair, hope is never far away. Beyond endings lie new beginnings.
This balance of struggle and resilience is true in every relationship, and in our relationship with the Divine this is no exception.
There can be disappointment, even anger.
But there is also compassion, forgiveness, and an unshakable bond.
What makes covenantal relationships endure is not the absence of struggle, but the depth of love and commitment.
This message is once again brought up on Sukkot, which always follows Ha’azinu.
We step out of the security of our homes and dwell in the sukkah — a structure so fragile that a strong wind could shake it.
We willingly embrace the vulnerability of life, yet we call the sukkah a sukkat shalom, a shelter of peace.
Rabbi Yitz Greenberg describes Sukkot as the holiday in which there is “rejoicing in the vulnerability of life.”
We are reminded that true security comes not from brick or stone (or hurricane shutters for those of us in FL), but from trust, community, and God’s presence.
In Ha’azinu Moses adds: “For it is not an empty thing for you; it is your life” (Deut. 32:47).
Torah is the way we navigate uncertainty, the way we sing even in the wilderness, the way we hold onto hope when everything feels dark.
That is why our tradition places so much emphasis on memory and on teaching.
It is why our learning together never ends. (Be sure to check out the amazing learning opportunities CAJE is offering this Fall!)
That is also why I am so excited about our next Wisdom Without Walls program. On Wednesday, October 22, we welcome Alfred Uhry, Pulitzer, Oscar, and Tony Award-winning playwright. Uhry’s work—Driving Miss Daisy, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and others — explores memory, identity, family, and tradition.
Underlying all his work is life’s vulnerability: the vulnerability of aging (Driving Miss Daisy), the vulnerability of being a Jew in the South (The Last Night of Ballyhoo), the vulnerability of Jewish life in America (Parade, a show about Leo Frank).
These are not just themes for the stage; they are the very heartbeat of who we are as Jews and as humans.
Moses left us with music; Uhry works through film. It is Torah - Jewish learning - through the Arts.
Like Moses’ song, Uhry’s stories remind us that art can preserve what might otherwise fade.
His stories capture vulnerability, struggle, and hope, transforming them into something that lingers, something that touches both mind and heart.
As we enter the sukkah this year, surrounded by fragility yet embraced by blessing, let us also carry Moses’ call: sing your song.
Share your words of hope.
Build a sukkah of peace in your relationships, your community, and your commitments.
And join us for Alfred Uhry’s evening of stories, where together we will explore how memory, identity, and tradition can help us keep singing — even when life feels uncertain.
Learn more and register here.
Life is fragile, vulnerable, yes. But it is also full of possibility.
On this Shabbat, over this Sukkot and during this year we have just started, take the time to sing your song, to share your words, to learn and to grow.
Our story continues and we have a legacy to pass down.
Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!
