Culture Corner: Le'taken Olam B'malkhut Shaddai

By Penina Case
Binghamton University

I recently returned from a weeklong family vacation in Delaware, where the sky is blue, the ocean is sparkling and the number of national parks is incredible. As per usual on a vacation with your parents and siblings, it is not always the most relaxed time and your parents think you are the energizer bunny, drum in hand, sunglasses keeping the harmful UV rays from your eyes (thanks, mom!). In turn, you wake up early and go on approximately six hikes followed by a short visit to the beach and an endless game of mini-golfing under the scorching sun. Maybe you are rewarded with a quick shower before the day is topped off with a night activity involving some relentless amount of walking. There are always, however, those places you go and things you do that make a mark on your life. They may not be caliber one storytelling material for post-trip anecdotes, but you remember them.

One night, my family and I set out to explore the town of Bethany Beach in search for something to eat for dinner. We found a family pizza restaurant and once we were satisfied with the state of our full bellies, we headed back to the car to bounce off to our next planned activity. But before we could do so, we spotted a store called Made By Hand International Co-op. Something I neglected to mention about my family is that we are obsessed with different cultures, unique art, recycling and free trade. Needless to say, we did not even discuss that we would be going inside. For an unspecified extended amount of time, I was completely awestruck by the products that surrounded me. There was jewelry from India which supported community development and business with the Tara Project, bags made by women from Vietnamese families to improve their income and well-being, wall décor from Haiti made from all-recycled materials and miniature angels from Guatemala to bring hope into peoples' lives.

I wandered around the store, deeply entranced by the beauty and care with which each delicate piece was created. I felt an energy coming from each item I picked up, a sense of love and optimism as if the makers' hearts and souls went into assuring that the piece of fabric or small statue would be perfect. "We all have angels in our lives. This one is here to remind you of your angels. Take her out and put her in a special place as you name each of your angels." So was written in a small blurb on a ceramic angel. It was handcrafted in a community called La Esperanza, meaning hope, where there are ongoing health, financial and literacy struggles. The group of women involved in the creation of this tiny keepsake is part of UPAVIM, a team of Guatemalan women whose goal is just to inspire hope and peace. Through their loving work, they have brought not only a source of revenue into the community, but also medical centers and schools for children.

The hour or so that I spent in that small free trade shop led me to recognize that attitude is everything. By showing love, v'ahavta l'reyekha kamokha (love your neighbor as yourself), for everyone around us and working to make their lives better, we are improving our own lives. I bought that small token from La Esperanza to remind me of all that is wonderful and all that there is to inspire hope in my life.

A close friend of mine just spent most of the summer in Ghana working in a medical clinic. When she came back, the first thing she told me about her experience is that living in a third world country changes your life, gives you a new appreciation for everything. That it is something that everyone should experience. As the new school and Jewish years approach, I believe it is an incredibly important goal to share hope in lieu of success and give love when there is pain. Reveal peoples' angels to them: be it to a friend who was dumped, a financially struggling family member, or a sickly child in a third world country. It all makes a difference. As it says in the second paragraph of Aleinu, we are bidden le'taken olam b'malkhut shaddai, to repair the world under God's direction. Do what you can, one step at a time.

Penina Case is a junior at Binghamton University in upstate NY where she is majoring in linguistics with concentrations in Hebrew and Arabic and minoring in art history. She is an active student in Hillel and KOACH on the Binghamton campus and attended the KOACH Kallah in the Spring of 2008. She also works as a part time campus shuttle bus driver at school during the year.

[Posted 8/31/08]