Moving On
Rosh Hashana 5772
Temple Beth Jacob of Newburgh
Change, try, experiment. Say it with me: change; try; experiment.
George Silverman’s widow walked into the synagogue a couple of years ago, took a sharp breath and said, “It’s George.” It’s as if she saw a ghost of him right there in front of her.
Who is George Silverman? George Silverman was the architect of this building. When Mrs. Silverman walked in she saw his handiwork, his craft, his style literally in every corner. It was a lovely way for her to remember him and a poignant moment.
In just three years, I have met a lot of people who have had poignant moments. I’ve met untold numbers of visitors who became Bar or Bat Mitzvah here. I’ve met people married here. I have people stop in during the day because they are on vacation and want to see their Confirmation Class photos or who want to see their parent’s Confirmation Class photo or who want to see their grandparent’s Confirmation Class photo. There are a lot of people out there who have warm memories of this place.
And then there are all of you. All of you who have memories of this place. All of you who are not visitors but members, supporters, the reason we exist. You have celebrated weddings right here on this bima and you have watched a grandchild be blessed right here before the ark. You have sat next to a casket right there and you have danced with the Torah all around the room. You have sent your children to this school and you have celebrated untold numbers of simchas just there in the social hall and broke any number of Yom Kippur fasts over there as well.
And then there are the ones who are no longer here. Many of you hear the echoes of friends who were so important to keeping this place going and their voices still reverberate off these walls. Many of you see family members, children, spouses, parents lingering in these halls.
There are memories here. There are feelings here. This place, these walls carry memories. They carry the souls of those who came before. That is what makes moving from this place difficult. But just like the time arrived to move from South Street, the time has come that we need to leave this place and begin a new phase in our history. We’ve been a congregation since 1854 and we haven’t only been in this place. We have moved and prospered and we will move and prosper again.
Moving to 290 North brings all sorts of interesting issues. First of all, we need (and the members of Agudas Israel need) to wrap our heads around the idea that we are moving to 290 North Street and not to Agudas Israel. We will all have to understand that their walls are our walls and our walls are their walls. More on that in a moment. A new corporation is being created called Kol Yisrael at 290 North Street. The name is a small pun. It means the “voice of Israel,” that our new joint venture will be the voice of Jewish Newburgh and surrounding towns and it means “all of Israel,” that all of us will be in one location. Kol Yisrael will oversee the physical plant and be in charge of the operations of the building. Each organization will operate independently. For you, this means that your needs will be met by Temple Beth Jacob. For congregants, everything is the same. For the Board of Trustees, Kol Yisrael will be the place to turn to for issues like keeping the parking lot plowed and the bathrooms clean.
But before we talk more about the future, a little lesson from the rabbis of old because before we go there, we have to leave here.
The Talmud has a lot of discussions about selling a synagogue under the general heading of selling holy things. In brief, the rabbis in the Talmud discuss the difference between tashmishei mitzvah and tashmishai kedusha[1]. A tashmish is an accessory, something used for a purpose. Tashmishei mitzvah are those things used to do a mitzvah and can be, when the mitzvah is completed, thrown out. The Talmud gives as examples: a sukkah, lulav, tzizit on a tallit and surprisingly, a shofar. I would also add a kipah. These are things that are not really holy unto themselves but rather allow a mitzvah to take place. We use them for a purpose but they are not holy themselves. As we start to clean out closets, it will be to our advantage to identify what are tashmishei mitzvah and can therefore be tossed.
In contrast to this there are tashmishei kedusha, accessories used for holy objects. The lectern that the Torah sits on is one of those things. The ark holding the Torah scrolls is one of those things. A plain case or something boring and utilitarian isn’t a tashmish kedusha but something that raises the stature of the Torah is a tashmish kedusha. The other day I wrapped a Torah in my rain coat because I had to carry the Torah outside and it was threatening to rain. My raincoat didn’t become a tashmish kedusha but the decorated cover that is always protecting the Torah scroll definitely is.
What’s interesting here is that there seems to be a great deal of leeway in deciding what can be thrown out and what needs to be put in a geniza, that storage area for holy objects that eventually get buried in a Jewish cemetery. As we clean out our closets, we have a chance to not worry about some things and also very much show our love and respect for the holiness of other things. This may make life easier. If you’ve ever cleaned out your basement or attic you know how slow going it is. Everything has a story and a memory and we will be tempted to save it. Perhaps this will help us focus so we don’t worry too much about what needs to go.
At the same time, we have a chance to express our love of Judaism with a willingness to proclaim things holy. There is a dictum in the Talmud that one may elevate in holiness but not decrease meaning that you can’t take an item used on the Torah and reuse it for a regular book. It cannot go down in holiness. A lot of the things on this bima, since they are on the bima, can’t go down in holiness. The Torah holder, the ner Tamid, the two tablets. The nature of what they are suggests they cannot go down in holiness so we will have to find a suitable lateral if not elevated use for them. Chairs, to me are utilitarian and so have no such concern. The ark is a built-in but the lining may need to be removed as part of the process of deconsecrating the building. The doors should find a proper new home. They can not be disposed of.
In my opinion, the stain glass windows are tashmishei mitzvah, they help us fulfill the mitzvah of prayer but I don’t think they are tashmishei kedusha. By themselves they are not holy. But, we really, really like them so they will go with us. The plaques on the walls are emotional memories and their placement in this room is an aesthetic choice not a requirement. They are not tashmishei kedusha. They are not holy. However, they are very meaningful and so they will come along with us. Our design committee will work to find a proper location.
And so it goes on. There is a lot of work ahead of us and I suspect there will be no lack of volunteer hours needed to bring things from here to there so please be generous in your time.
Once we arrive at 290 North, we have all sorts of new questions. What art should go on the walls is just one. We need to express our liberal Reform Movement attitude and we need to walk into a space that reflects our values. Of course Agudas Israel and the JCC need to feel like it is home to them as well. There will be a lot of discussion on this as we decorate a building to reflect three points of view.
Another interesting issue will be customs. We act one way when in a synagogue. Members of Agudas Israel act another way. Can we create a space that is open and tolerant of all these customs? We better. There will be an ongoing challenge to find the graciousness inside all of us to abide by the ideal of “live and let live.”
There’s a joke about the guy stranded alone on an island for 10 years. When he’s finally rescued, he proudly shows his rescuers how he survived. Here was his water supply, here was a small garden, and here was his shelter. Then one rescuer asks him, “What are those three buildings?” And he says, “Oh, those are synagogues.” “You have three?” “Yes. That one I belong to, that one I don’t and that one I wouldn’t be caught dead in.”
The joke speaks to the unfortunate reality that while the Jewish people love to support each other, we also love to belittle and mock each other. We love to be on our very high horse and proclaim that we have the better approach while they are the fools. This is an attitude that too many Jews share and it is among our worst traits and one we need to get rid of. Instead of clucking our tongues at something we see them do, our attitude has to be one of utter disinterest. As Bart Simpson has offered to the modern lexicon, meh. If it doesn’t affect our experience, if it doesn’t conflict with our practice, what do we care? Live and let live.
Within the same walls, different minhagim, customs, will be seen. Meh. Different even opposite attitudes will be expressed. Meh. They do this, we do that. Meh. We need to find a way to have the sharing enthusiasm of a commune and the complete disinterest of New York City neighbors. We will be intimately connected sometimes and completely detached at other times. That will take some getting used to because we are creating a new culture. That takes time but that is what we will do. There will be moments when it is a Temple Beth Jacob program in the sanctuary with our siddurim, our customs, our music. And then the next day in the same space it will be an Agudas Israel program. And the day after that, the JCC will use the space.
It will be a little confusing when we deal with three different levels of kashrut. It may be confusing when we all are running programs at the same time. Attitudes, customs, traditions, issues, points of view will all be different depending upon which room you enter. But don’t forget, there will also be cross pollination and synergy and that impossible-to-plan-for creativity that happens in the hallway. It’s going to be like a college campus with amazing things happening wherever you turn.
Change, try, experiment.
There will be change and experiments. Lots of change and lots of experiments. We are going to try all sorts of things. We are going to try everything until we get it right. We may pray in one room one week and another room another week. We may put this class here but then move it there. We may have a joint program with Agudas Israel and it will be a highlight of the year and we may have a different joint program with Agudas Israel and it will be a colossal flop. Who knows? But we will try everything and bring in change everywhere. So if you don’t like change, get used to it because we have an opportunity to recreate ourselves, to shake off things that don’t work and strengthen what is best about us. This endeavor cannot be just about location. It has to be about reinvigoration and reimagining. It has to be about you and what you want, your needs. And how will we meet your needs?
Change, try, experiment.
As just a small hint of what can happen, this past year we had a request for a Classical Reform Shabbat. Honestly, I was not thrilled. Other people thought it would be a nice idea. Afterwards, I kind of enjoyed the experience as celebrating our heritage. Some of those who thought it would be nice, did not enjoy it. Good. We’re experimenting, we’re learning. We’re not afraid to try new things and we are willing to try ideas that you, the congregants, suggest. So, get ready for new ideas, your ideas, get ready for change and get ready for the thrill of reimagining. Eventually, things will shake out and we’ll have found a good rhythm but I hope that rhythm never loses the thrill of experimentation and new ideas. Say it with me now, change, try, experiment.
And get ready for the experiments and new ideas that will arise by being with Agudas Israel and the JCC. We already have had a joint Tisha b’Av service with Agudas Israel and a Shabbat luau with the JCC over the summer. They were great successes. People enjoyed seeing friends, a new experience, a novel approach. I should also tell you that there were a couple ideas that have been discussed and rejected. It doesn’t matter what they were but suffice to say that the limits of sharing are found at the edges of our integrity. I had a couple ideas offered. I worked them around in my head talked them through with Rabbi Weintraub and realized we would lose more than we could gain. There are some things we need to try in order to see if they will work. Others things are obviously destined for failure. At those moments, I’ve said no because sometimes you have to say no but on the whole, I look forward to change, trying and experimenting with new ideas.
All this experimenting means we are going to be influenced by the other two groups and they will be influenced by us and that is going to be great. We will learn from each other and we will come out on the other end a Reform Movement congregation more sure of ourselves and we will have the other two organizations to thank.
Or not. Or we could all walk around suspicious. We could be on the lookout for slights and insults and I-have-no-idea-what but I’m watching out for it.
One of the great ethical lessons in Judaism is avoiding lashon ha-rah, avoiding evil speech and that is hard. It is far too easy and tempting to speak badly of someone. It is practically entertainment for some people who want to hear the latest gossip. Not the latest news, not the latest updates, mind you. They want to hear the gossip. It could be true, it could be false as long as it’s gossip they want to hear it. Some people look forward to hearing anything that they can twist it into dirt. This is what we have to resist. We have to resist it every day but certainly when we join together we have to resist the temptation to speak with only partial knowledge and resist the temptation to find excuses for bad mouthing because if we want this to work, it will work but if we want it to fail, it will fail. If we look for every problem, every glitch, every issue, then we will find them and we will gloat and the whole thing will flop. But if we instead look for every solution, smooth over any glitch, address and correct every issue, then this will be an amazing success and a role model for others across North America. It all depends on us. It depends on you. It depends on each one of you. Your attitude, your words, your approach will make or break this new stage. If you want this to work, if you are excited to join together on a campus, it will work. Not we, the synagogue leadership. Not me, the rabbi. You. Each one of you. It is your approach to this that will make or break it. It is your attitude that will decide. It is your willingness to try new things, support and strengthen old things and embrace the future with eager anticipation.
The new year is 5772 and I’m pretty excited. Join me in that excitement. Let’s make this new venture an overwhelming success together as we change, try and experiment.
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