tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26893345424514549912024-02-06T22:10:18.990-05:00Rabbi Larry FreedmanRabbi Larry Freedman recently served Temple Beth Jacob in the Hudson Valley and now is rabbi-educator of the Joint Jewish Educational Program in Pittsburgh, PA.Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.comBlogger157125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-51433864788343405322020-04-16T14:54:00.002-04:002020-04-16T14:56:57.436-04:00Parashat Shmini during Covid-19<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Parashat Shmini for the Jewish Chronicle<o:p></o:p></div>
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8 April 2020<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rabbi Larry Freedman<o:p></o:p></div>
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What do you do when you don’t have time for the niceties, for the honors and rites you believe should be offered? You have to make tough decisions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Moses and Aaron and all the Cohanim and Levites were just about to begin the operation of the Mishkan, offering korbanot before the Ohel Moed as we enter the Torah portion, Shmini (beginning at Leviticus 9:1). We have concluded the set-up, the preparation, the ordination of the right people to do the right job. The mission is set, it is time to engage.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And so they engage and no sooner does it begin that Nadav and Avihu rush in and try to offer their own korbanot in, clearly, not the fashion as laid out in the regulations. They were punished by death for such a breech. What did they do? It’s not clear. Commentators over the years have offered ideas: hubris, improperly kindled fire, whatever. The point is that they didn’t do it correctly. Aaron, their father, when faced with this awful moment famously remains silent. Silent because he doesn’t care? Maybe not. Perhaps he was silent prefiguring modern day shiva tradition where the mourners are allowed to be silent in grief with no obligation to make chit-chat.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But Aaron is admonished. There is work to be done to get the offerings in the mishkan up and running.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m writing this as I sit in Manhattan as part of the National Guard’s response to help overwhelmed civilian agencies. I am working in cooperation with the city medical examiner. We are not necessarily interacting with those who are covid-19 positive but the virus has caused the system to be swamped. I’m here as a chaplain, mobilized out of my unit in Newburgh, NY (I’m working on my transfer to Pittsburgh). My primary task is to be a pastoral presence to the troops who are under high stress. They need to talk. I’m also here to provide religious services so I put together a socially distant seder (no crowding at the table) and I bought Easter candy while also arranging for a pastor to video in an Easter Sunday sermon. There’s a first time for everything. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Back to Shmini. You can argue if you disagree that the operation of the mishkan is more important than time for Aaron to grieve but within the context of Shmini, the mission of the mishkan was primary and the proper rituals and rites would have to wait. Nadav and Avihu were hauled out by their tunics, Moses tells Aaron that now is not the time to sit in silence and the mission goes on. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is a terrible situation with hardly a “best” solution but remember this. The operation of the mishkan was for the benefit of the people, all of the people. It was designed to have the Israelites and God connected and thus protected. Proper functioning was for the benefit of all. One man’s grieving can hardly equate to the safety of the entire population. I don’t say that cavalierly. I say that as an objective reality. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our work here is not easy but it is holy work. If we were to slow down or even pause this mission so that full and proper rites could be offered, other people would be neglected. I am impressed with the professionalism of the civilians and military members I meet who do their best to bring dignity to a process most of us don’t want to think about. Still and all, there is a certain tempo that must be maintained. It isn’t rushed but it isn’t slow either.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The streets and highways are all but deserted. We think nothing of running up to the Bronx and back. The farthest of Far Rockaway is 40 minutes. So our troops head out and do their holy work, finish a 12 hour shift, eat dinner, fall into bed. We are the first step in a process that must be done. There will be rituals and rites that others will offer in days or weeks to come. Families will take care of that. There is a proper conclusion to our work. We will never see it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My condolences, Aaron, upon the death of Nadav and Avihu. I truly mean it. But there is a whole thing going on as the mishkan and ohel moed mission is spinning up and there are so many other people to take care of. Baruch dayan ha-emet. My team is ready to head out. I gotta go.<o:p></o:p></div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-55322391303775257782020-04-16T07:59:00.002-04:002020-04-16T14:50:46.320-04:00From New York City 15 April 2020<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Letter to Parents<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you’ve ever been to New York City, you know how much of the joy here is found in the energy, the constant moving, the stalwart buildings and the creativity coming out of storefronts. Now it’s almost a ghost town. David Remnick in the New Yorker wrote that he half expects to see tumbleweeds blow across the avenues.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I came off work visiting troops around the city at 1:00 AM. I was with a young corporal who hadn’t been to NYC since a quick trip as a 10<sup>th</sup> grader. Coming back into Manhattan we made a small detour to Times Square. We parked, well, anywhere we wanted in front of any theater you wish on 44<sup>th</sup>. We walked over and there were 4 guys from Con Edison working on something, one police car, four or five other people and us and that’s it. Times Square completely empty. It was all lit up. M&M store with bright colors, Forever21 showing its video on loop for an audience of nobody. So weird. That’s all I could say. So weird.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Before that I was visiting the Queens morgue and a site on the Brooklyn waterfront that will be processing thousands of bodies. My job is to be a constant presence so that the soldiers and airmen begin to trust me and come talk to me. We are the tip of the spear in a process that will end in a dignified funeral with attention paid and prayers said. But before that final honor can happen, we have to enter small apartments of mostly poor or working people, sometimes nursing homes, and recover the bodies. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The NOICs (higher ranking sergeants) and officers trust my position (and slowly me) so they send troops my way. No one I meet carries that macho sense of the soldier immune to emotional stress. They just don’t think it applies to them. When they see what happens when hospital morgues are overwhelmed, when recoveries in homes don’t happen as fast as they should, our troops are doing okay but they are stressed. They understand that they are doing good things, important things, holy work. It’s just that they need to talk about it. That’s where I come in along with a behavioral health officer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There is another time they come and talk to me. What happens when you’re on orders and your mother gets a serious diagnosis and she’s just 17 miles away but you can’t go to her? The Army will let you. That’s not the issue. You can’t go because you worry that you might have been exposed to the virus and don’t want to pass it on. It’s heartbreaking.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some days are a little slower. Some days are a little busier. We have more help here so the troops aren’t running as hard as they had. A slower pace is a healthier pace. And a slower pace may just mean we are entering the other side of the curve. We are all hopeful.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Just a little bit of what it’s like here. Today it’s a sparkly blue sky day and my view of the Empire State Building is really cool. And the streets are still empty and the work still continues.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m so grateful to the whole J-JEP community for letting me leave you for a month so I can help my soldiers and airmen and the city and state of New York.<o:p></o:p></div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-32254765405469991292019-06-23T12:35:00.000-04:002019-06-23T12:35:43.883-04:00Final Sermon<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif";">Final Sermon<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif";">Temple Beth Jacob <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif";">June 21, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif";">Rabbi Larry Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">This is a sermon I have not been looking forward
to writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the last big sermon I
will write for you and it ends this portion of my rabbinic career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eleven years is not terribly long in the
tenure of rabbis but it is a fair amount of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of the children here don’t know any
other rabbi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of the adults, don’t
either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been present at baby namings
and funerals, so many b’nai mitzvah, and I have even had the greatest joy for a
rabbi, officiating at weddings of former students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve taught some of you some things, learned
a lot from a lot of you, challenged you greatly, been right often, been wrong
often, too, although depending on who you ask one could score me as wrong more
often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know who you are members of
Torah study.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">I’m proud of my work here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m proud of the new ideas and proud of
adding some oomph to old traditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sure a few things have fallen aside since I first came.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of you may still not agree with swapping
out tallit making in place of wimple making.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That was a hard thing to convince you of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">Show of hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Who knows what a wimple is?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And a
tallit?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">On the ritual side, I’m proud of our changes,
bringing in two new prayer books and focusing on other traditions in addition
to or sometimes in place of just liturgy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I hope I’ve advanced the notion of what being religious means.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope it can mean attention to Jewish living
beyond “Orthodox” which includes an assortment of rituals and customs and new
traditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have 80 come out for
Sukkot and we had 40 for our Tikun Leil Shavuot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You really missed a good one, by the
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That evening deserves more
attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Rosh Hashana hike and
community seder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A long time ago we blessed
the sun, I managed to get one trip to Israel and we praised Yoda and Yochanan
ben Zakai the same evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes it is
rituals, yes it is prayer and yes it is a bunch more creative stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve tried to bring some of that in so that
you can without hesitation consider yourself religious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More work, always more work is needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">On the ethical side, I hope you’ve gotten the
message that your obligation to Torah is the path that will make the world a
better place and make yourself a better person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I feel like I’ve said that a few times over the years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t worry about the other guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t worry that “society” isn’t ready.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are the other guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are the impediment to a better world or
the catalyst for a better world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
determine if you will be better person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Don’t worry about anyone else because that is just an excuse to keep you
from making the world a better place and yourself a better person.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">And of course we have moved to the notion of
partnership and this past year the Board of Trustees has read <i>Relational
Judaism</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both of these initiatives
are to remember that you are not members who pay for a service but partners in
an ongoing process of maintaining a Jewish presence here in the Hudson Valley
and developing deeper meaning and value of that presence in the lives of our
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a difficult task to
express that but it is the path we are on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">I’m proud of my style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m maybe too direct, maybe too voluble,
maybe I goof around too much but on the other hand, I’m very direct because I
believe you deserve the respect of a direct answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My answers are too long because I think
adults deserve nuance and complexity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
try to be funny because Judaism should not be a dour experience but when we
talk about personal things, I am all in with no distractions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have always taken you and your concerns
very seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">What I have not done is taken myself too
seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rabbis can become
self-absorbed and arrogant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure
that’s a shock to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is what can
happen when you are in the front of the room with all eyes on you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is what can happen when you begin to
believe not just that you are helpful but that you and only you have the
qualities to be helpful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know myself
and I know I can succumb to that which is why I’m not great with accepting
compliments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do love the pat on the
back, the word of appreciation or expressions of gratitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It lets me know I’m on the right track, that
my work is effective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s good to get
an attaboy every now and then as feedback.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>More than that is hard to take.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My therapist couldn’t shake that out of me, my wife can’t shake that out
of me, you won’t succeed either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And why
should you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all have quirks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Human beings are quirky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for accepting me as I am, quirks
and all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for your willingness
to never, ever get me a birthday cake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">I am pleased and proud to have served as your
rabbi in this corner of the Jewish world for 11 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All I’ve ever wanted to do is serve the
Jewish people in the trenches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never
wanted to write books, I’m not on national committees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just wanted to do the work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is all about the work, all about helping
Jews and Jewish families deepen their connection to our heritage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is all about helping you, guiding you,
teaching you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not about me and
never should be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you truly want to
express your thanks, let me ask for this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Think of something specifically I was able to do for you or for the
congregation as a whole that helped connect you even a little closer to the
Jewish people and our heritage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me
know that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did my efforts work for you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tell me specifically how I moved you, how my
work connected you to Torah and the Jewish people just a little bit more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Truly that will be the sweetest feedback and
thanks of all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">What am I doing now?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">I am returning to Pittsburgh, to a place that
feels like home, to a whole lot of friends with whom we raised our children, to
run a 180 student religious school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Twenty teachers, assistant director, cantorial soloist attached as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Big job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is called JJEP, joint Jewish educational
program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a collaboration between a
Rodef Shalom, Reform, and Beth Shalom, Conservative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right now it is a 5 year old experiment that
runs K-7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have great hope to
increase post-B’nai Mitzvah offerings and there is lots of talk about what to
do about high school education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should
it be synagogue based?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should it be JCC
based?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m excited for these
conversations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">It is true that I do not as of now have pulpit
responsibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you include my
student days this fall will be the first time in 30 years that I will sit next
to Deborah for Rosh Hashana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will I miss
being in charge and up front?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will I miss being in charge and up
front?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe next year I’ll take on some youth
services leadership and return to telling the story of Jonah with calls to, “Go
to Nineveh.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for now, there’s enough
to do to get oriented with my main job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">One thing, though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, I know what you mean, truly, and I don’t let too many things get to
me but it is wearing a little thin when people offer, with sad faces, their
supportive sorrow that I won’t be a rabbi anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a little like saying to a dentist that
you are sorry they never became a real doctor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Would you say to a Rosh Yeshiva in Riverdale that he’s not a real
rabbi?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But feel no sorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No sad faces. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me, I have a congregation of 180 students
and 360 parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t think I’m
bringing all my pastoral skills to that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unlike the pulpit where you don’t see many people but two or three times
a year, I will have over 500 people all of whom see themselves as very
concerned stake holders and they all show up every single week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">It is time for some thank you’s which will be
wholly inadequate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we arrived here,
I was coming off a disastrous two years at a giant synagogue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My head was reeling but you took a chance on
me and for that I will be forever grateful to each and everyone one of you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My thanks to all the presidents and members
of the executive committee, in particular our current officers and board to
whom I handed a monumental headache.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
great thank you to all the members of the boards of trustees who have listened
to me, ignored me or some combination of both but always with respect and
courtesy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More important than anything
we do, more important than any idea we accept or reject, more important than
all of it is that we’ve always treated each other respectfully and with
trust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is how you keep a
congregation strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we have failed
in that goal, we have been on rocky shores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Differences of opinions are fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Passionate conversation is great because, certainly because, we are all
committed to the Jewish people staying strong here along the shores of the
Hudson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When that becomes our only goal,
when we stay mission focused and stay away from gossip and drama, we do very
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We moved in to a different
building with a whole other congregation and JCC and it has worked out very
well and the future looks even better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How did this happen?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed mission
focused and we stayed away from gossip and drama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We built trust and we built a busy, vibrant
home for us all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">Thank you to all the custodians who help keep this
place running and cleaned up after me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have an especially heartfelt thanks to Maryjean Dominick who does so much for
so many and has been, in many ways, a partner to me helping to keep things
together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great appreciation, thanks and
so much more for my friendship and professional partnership with Stefanie
Kostenblatt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I regret that we only just
began to imagine what this place can be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So much appreciation for my musical partnerships with Jim Blanton and
over years, Cantor Wunch, Cantor Anna, Amy Goldstein, Chris Mason and Cantor
Hirschenfang.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, George Levy and
Steve Pearl and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>everyone who has stepped
in to sing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">My great appreciation to Federation and all they
do for our community and to our interfaith community who come together
infrequently but with great purpose and support and respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And to my partners across the aisle, Rabbis
Edelman and Cella and, of course, Philip Weintraub without whom Kol Yisrael
could not have happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">And thanks to Shari Franco and all the teachers
who work very hard to inspire our next generation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">Shelach lecha is this week’s parasha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It tells the story of the 12 spies who go to
reconnoiter the Land of Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They all
see how great it is but when they see some of the inhabitants, they become
afraid and think they can’t do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well,
ten of them think they can’t do it but two encourage them to be brave and have
confidence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it wasn’t to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I leave and a new rabbi comes forward
remember to be pragmatic, be realistic as you reconnoiter your context here in
the Hudson Valley but be brave going forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Don’t imagine you cannot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look clearly
at your resources and then dream big.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
always, more people need to step up and lend a hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We really need all 12 spies being supportive,
not just two, so volunteer even if it is for just a small project.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">Use the time with your new rabbi to reconnoiter
yourselves, to understand who you are, what you want, where the value is in
this community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dig into values of our
heritage and create novel ways to live them out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be brave as you always have been, and this
place will be here for many more generations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Don’t be negative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t be
negative about each other or ideas or initiatives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be positive and forward looking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t look around for someone to do
something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You do something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Palatino;">Be brave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Be like the two brave spies, not like the doubting ten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be brave and thoughtful and helpful and
upbeat and you will do very well for a very long time to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino;">Thank you for all you have done for me and my
family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chazak v’ematz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be strong and courageous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me end not with my voice but your voice
because my voice, while appreciated, is never as important as your voice which
is crucial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we end a book of the
Torah, a chapter in our story, I say this and then you repeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you end this chapter in the story of
Temple Beth Jacob, let us say:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be
strong, be strong and we will be strengthened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Repeat after me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chazak chazak
v’nitchazek.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-15910237588201534302018-09-21T13:46:00.002-04:002018-09-21T13:46:40.544-04:00The secret meaning of the bagel.<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
secret meaning of the bagel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Yom
Kippur 5779<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">September
19, 2018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Temple
Beth Jacob of Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rabbi
Larry Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Behold the
humble bagel, modest staple of East European Jews, abused with various colors
and flavor combinations including the disgusting combination of cinnamon raisin
with lox, red onion, tomato, and capers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It had to be said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I
digress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bagel is the delivery
vehicle of choice for your lox, your whitefish, your cream cheese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Behold the bagel, keeper of the secret of Yom
Kippur.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Yes, the secret
to Yom Kippur but we must travel quite the path before we understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must travel a road of repentance, a path
of penitence, engage a travelogue of teshuva.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We will find bumps along the way, frustration, denial, refusal and
confusion but we will make our way and the secret will be revealed, the bagel
will be there to welcome you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us
begin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed we already have. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Last night we
began with meals more festive than just a bagel and we arrived here dressed in
white, wearing a tallit, standing for Kol Nidre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stood at attention as we heard the solemn
decree that our vows we made under oath which after earnest attempt we could
not fulfill, be not held against us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
different times there have been different versions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is this version, that we wish to be
absolved for when we failed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a
version stating that future vows be not held against us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This from a time when it was possible Jews
would be forced to convert to Christianity by the sword.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then there is the understanding that this
has to do with vows we made to God alone, not to others in the course of
regular business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kol Nidre is serious
about your soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not an excuse to
get out of a contract.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed to use it
that way would bring shame upon you and embarrassment to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a good way to start this day of
atonement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">We finished the
night in our tallit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because we were dressed formally for a
trial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were before the great beit
din, the rabbinic court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, even
greater: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it is the heavenly court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the metaphor and we embrace it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The secret of the bagel demands that we give these
proceedings great awe and seriousness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">We have arrived
to this morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will be, you will
see, a roller coaster of prayers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
begin with the usual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Opening, barchu,
shema.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon enough, though we reach the
theme of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Remember us for life,
sovereign God who treasures life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Inscribe us in the Book of Life, for your sake, God of life.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205779%20sermons/YK%20day%202018%20Behold%20the%20humble%20bagel.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The famous book of life where we all want to
be listed, the book of life that is opened, our lives are judged, we are
written somewhere and then the book is sealed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We pray for a good seal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Chatimah tova; a good seal for you,” we wish our friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Chatimah tova, a good seal for you,” they
say in return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And please note that we
do not ask for this chatimah tova for our own selfish reasons, a good seal so
that we simply live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Inscribe us in the
book of life <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for Your sake,”</i> we
pray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not for me, it’s for God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me have another year so I can do what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You</i> have asked, to make the world a
better place, make myself a better person. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The theme
becomes clear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are on shaky
ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ask to be given a chatimah
tova by convincing God it would be in God’s best interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shaky ground, indeed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Just a few
pages later, Unetaneh tokef.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Let us
proclaim the power of this day… In truth You are judge and plaintiff, counselor
and witness…”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205779%20sermons/YK%20day%202018%20Behold%20the%20humble%20bagel.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you missed it before, you cannot miss it
now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day has taken a turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Day of Judgment is before you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no escaping it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learn again that some will die this way,
some will die that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know this to
be the very truest bit of liturgy ever written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some with us last year are not with us this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some with us this year will not be with us
next year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But who that will be is
completely unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The frail live on,
the healthy struck down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no
prediction, no way to know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now we
know why white is the preferred color of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We dress in our burial shrouds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a day of the rehearsal for our
deaths.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">And how
fortunate we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most people are not
blessed to know that death is coming and so they are not blessed to be able to
sit and reflect and consider.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are
not blessed with the chance to have one last conversation with so many people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But here we are as though we are attending
what could be our own funeral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
not macabre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not creepy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a blessing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we do not know when the day will come
we pretend today is that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
blessed to have such a day not so that we can hear what people will say about
us but so that we can say what we must to those we love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all know those who had died never having
the chance to say this or that to him or her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We all know that regrets are found when we find ourselves out of time or
simply too ill to say what we truly want to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is your day!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it can be more than just, “sorry.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps today is a day to say, “I love you,”
or “I’m proud of you,” or “I didn’t understand then but I do now so thank you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pretend it is the end so we can repair the
present and live on for a better future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">How great is
this day!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never mind, we move on and we
are dragged down again to this prayer:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Our God and God of our forebears, pardon our failings on this day of Atonement;
erase our misdeeds; see beyond our defiance.”<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205779%20sermons/YK%20day%202018%20Behold%20the%20humble%20bagel.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Defiance?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Defiance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who am I kidding?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll never make it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deep down I’m defiant, stubborn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want to have those conversations, I
can’t bear to pretend about my death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
are told this is the day set aside for us, a gift for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we resist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">No, we do not
resist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We embrace the opportunity of
this day and indeed, we recreate the birkat cohanim, the priestly benediction
as those with tallitot create duchenen, the spectral sending of blessings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We bless our congregation invoking God’s
name. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“May God bless you and protect
you,” we intone with arms out and fingers spread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See, God, you have to bless us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve already involved you, we’ve already
called you!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The tempo
increases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Avinu Malkeinu:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a series of statements that are both pleas and
demands, acknowledgement of who we are and insistence that God hear our voice,
end pain and sickness and grant us a good year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This may be a rehearsal for our death but we are not going down without
a fight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are humble in our approach
but demanding in our words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We demand,
politely, but demand nonetheless before our father, our king.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Torah, haftarah
and then we backtrack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have we been too
bold?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have we shown insufficient
humility?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now we make up for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ashamnu, bagadnu.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205779%20sermons/YK%20day%202018%20Behold%20the%20humble%20bagel.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We betray, we steal, we scorn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do all these things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stand before God without embarrassment and
just honestly admit that we are not perfect, that we have<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>made mistakes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(But we don’t back down.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Then, a little
break but many of you don’t want to break the spell, don’t want to leave this
world we are creating, this roller coaster of prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back home there is the radio and the email
and television.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably best if you
just ignore them all and take a nap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Stay away from the kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
too tempting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is torturous and the
fast is not meant to be torture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">That is why so
many of you stay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a study
session and a short break to put your feet up somewhere in the building.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">We are back for
mincha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Torah, haftarah and then
something old that is new to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The avodah
section will return in this new machzor, the recitation of the ancient ritual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fight is renewed as we gather some
strength.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The avodah section is a
telling of the Yom Kippur ritual as performed in the Temple in Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our machzor has broken it down into 15 steps
each one another level of holiness, another aspect of holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each step sets us up as reaching, striving
for holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a challenge to
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are coming to You.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will you not reach for us?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">And then we get
into the meat of it all the avodah service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once the Temple was destroyed, the rabbis had a decision to make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either our connection to God was forever
broken or something else would have to replace it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They chose the latter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prayer replaced animal offerings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The three daily sacrifices became prayer
three times a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ritual of Yom
Kippur became the prayers of Yom Kippur and so on for every holiday we
have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The prayers, the words weren’t
just tokens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The words, the prayers
themselves were just as valid as the offerings themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So now, instead of one Cohen Gadol in
Jerusalem going into the holy of holies there are a million recitations of the
Cohen Gadol going into the holy of holies in a million synagogues around the
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Large and small, around the world
the ritual takes place right at this very moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If God could be moved by one Cohen in one
place saying it one time, what chance does God have with a million recitations
in a million places?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Let us
review.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are on trial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We acknowledge our faults and we demand God
judge us fairly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are blessed to
pretend this is our last day so as to say what we would want to say to those
whom we care for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We recreate the
greatest ritual on the greatest day to force God’s hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrive at Yizkor, a break to remember our
ancestors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pause to remember parents,
siblings, spouses, and even children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
remember what they taught us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
remember what we wanted to say to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Then Neilah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The conclusion and so close to the secret of
the bagel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All day we have been
dying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t eat or drink or indulge
luxuries like the dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wear white
like the dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We fear for the book we
will be inscribed in, like the dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
we are not dead… we are just pretending which is why we are so demanding of
God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neilah, the final service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It means “locking.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gates of repentance are closing, slowly
but closing all the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We make one
tired last ditch effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>El norah
alilah, the song repeats and repeats this urgent plea:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Small in Number, “ we are called, we who
lift our eyes to seek You, and with trembling hearts, beseech You in the hour
of Neilah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recall our mothers, remember our fathers;
renew their righteousness in our days.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205779%20sermons/YK%20day%202018%20Behold%20the%20humble%20bagel.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be near to us as You were to them, in this
hour of Neilah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">We will be
tired tonight, we will be thirsty but we will not give up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will have caffeine withdrawal headaches,
and sitting too long backaches but we will not give up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are in this fight and we will
prevail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will claw our tired bodies
and our tired souls through Neilah to the very end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have sinned but we are not sinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are the Judge but we demand
compassion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so it comes to pass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">And we have
havdalah and we shake each other’s hands and we head out tired but victorious
and this brings us to the secret of the bagel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The bagel that you will eagerly seek is not simply food for a hungry
belly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It isn’t even a reward for making
it through the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the crust of
victory and the symbol of the meaning of Yom Kippur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have not eaten because the dead do not eat
and we are pretending as if we are dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But the living eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The living
eat to survive, no, to thrive!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
living eat to live on and do great things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The bagel says, Yom Kippur, you have taught me well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have, once again, been a difficult adversary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have forced me to see who I am and how I
wish to be and so I will eat this bagel not as the finish of the day but as the
start of the year!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bagel is not the
end of the day, it is the start of your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You are not dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are very much
alive and you have things to do, people to help, a world to make better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You eat that bagel and drink that juice to
begin, to start, to announce this year I will be even better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been through the ordeal and now I
start!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have struggled, we have humbled ourselves,
we have striven, we have demanded, we have pleaded and we have won.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is the meaning of the bagel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We eat because we have won.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rise, we eat, we plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We begin another year, a sweet new year, a
great new year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bagel is not the
conclusion of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bagel is the
start of your life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205779%20sermons/YK%20day%202018%20Behold%20the%20humble%20bagel.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Mishkan HaNefesh, p. 202.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205779%20sermons/YK%20day%202018%20Behold%20the%20humble%20bagel.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> p.
208<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205779%20sermons/YK%20day%202018%20Behold%20the%20humble%20bagel.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> p.
234<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205779%20sermons/YK%20day%202018%20Behold%20the%20humble%20bagel.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> p.
296<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205779%20sermons/YK%20day%202018%20Behold%20the%20humble%20bagel.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> p.
615<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-78971062775237435712018-09-21T13:45:00.001-04:002018-09-21T13:45:34.827-04:00It's the fast of justice.<br />
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kol Nidre 5778<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s the fast of justice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Temple Beth Jacob of
Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">September 18, 2018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Rabbi Larry Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Let us begin
with the words of Isaiah from our haftarah.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205779%20sermons/YK%20KN%202018.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isaiah the prophet who famously comforts the
troubled and troubles the comfortable has his words selected for this holiest
of days as a reminder, a call, a scold and a challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He begins, “Yes, they seek Me daily/As though
eager to learn My ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As if they were
a nation that does what is right/and has not abandoned God’s laws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They ask of Me the right way, eager for God’s
nearness.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">And do we
not?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the faithful, for the
questioning, for the unbeliever, are we not all aligned, all as one in our
desire, our yearning to know that we are doing what is right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is goodness in this world and we want
to be part of that, do we not?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there
anyone here who wishes to do, who prays to do what is wrong?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there anyone here who says, “Goodness
exists; I want no part of it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who says
that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who says they wish to traffic in
evil?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who here looks to embrace the
wrong way?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alright then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will hold you to that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Isaiah’s words
resonate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We seek to be near God, to be
near what is right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Isaiah knew his
audience back then and he was having none of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He quotes those Jews of yore who complained
to God, “Why, when we fasted, did You not see?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we starved our bodies, did You pay no heed?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isaiah brings the condemnation:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Because on your fast day, you see to your
business and oppress all your laborers. Because you fast in strife and
contention, and you strike with a wicked fist!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Your fasting today is not such as to make your voice heard on high.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">God via Isaiah
says, You say you are fasting so as to reach all that is good but you do all
that is not good even as you fast!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
is this, then?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you think I don’t
know?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Isaiah’s words
condemned back then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They challenge us
today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are we just as guilty?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would Isaiah have some choice words to say to
us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pray “no.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We fear “yes.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Isaiah offers help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without suggesting you actually not fast, he
is reminding you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">then</i>, he is
reminding you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">now</i> how this works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Completing the fast is what we do for
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fulfilling the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">intent</i> of the fast is what we do for God, for our community, for
our world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isaiah offers God’s words:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“No, this is the fast I desire: To unlock the
fetters of wickedness and untie the cords of the yoke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To let the oppressed go free; to break off
every yoke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is to share your bread
with the hungry and to take the wretched poor into your home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you see the naked, to clothe him and not
to ignore your own kin.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">What is our
challenge?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is the call Isaiah cries
out even to this day?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look out from your
own self, from your narrow viewpoint, look out and around and find those who
suffer from injustice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been
saying a variation of this for all my rabbinical days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your obligation cannot be simpler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is to make the world a better place and
make yourself a better person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
my quip of Isaiah’s poetry which encapsulates the very reason we are Jews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">And how are you
doing with this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">This past year
the Air National Guard sent me to New York for disaster chaplaincy
training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We began as usual going around
the room with introductions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was just
the broadest group of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Immigrants, gay, straight, men, women and on and on. Perhaps you’ve been
at a similar conference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quite
the collection of earnest folks who wanted to alleviate suffering for those hit
by natural disaster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember being
struck by the vast array of Americans in that room thinking to myself something
surprising: being open to the wide variety of humanity is really hard. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">It’s hard to be
with different sorts of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A person
has to admit to a lack of knowledge of what makes other people, other cultures
tick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A room like that requires that you
speak honestly to people whose background you don’t understand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re in a place with new people with whom
you don’t share cultural shorthand, or inside jokes or food or history or
anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Now, plenty of
people get to know their co-workers or neighbors or even simply the other
conference attendees and become friends, truly friends, with an understanding
of what makes the other tick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s nice,
you know?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">But some people
have trouble with this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t see a
wide range of people as the glory of America but as the dilution of
America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people can’t do the work
to get to know others and simply fear the influx of different kinds of people. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a fear of being replaced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Last year in
Charlottesville, at the ugly white supremacist rally, we heard the chant, “You
will not replace us,” and “Jews will not replace us.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It comes from a 71 year old Frenchman, Renaud
Camus.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205779%20sermons/YK%20KN%202018.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wrote in 2012 of “the great replacement”
of native white Europeans by immigration of people not white.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From this grew many anonymous websites
fearing for the extinction of the white European race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This, slightly different from white
supremacy, is white nationalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
jacket and tie tiki-torch racism, not your backwoods cross burnings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is earnest racism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the racism from people who cannot see
past their own skin color and fear that anyone who comes from outside of Europe
is a threat to Europe and by extension, a threat to America because, to hear
them explain it, we are culturally European and must ever be so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">That is where
the cry comes from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will not replace
us, they cry, as though white people and white culture are under attack in this
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they add, let us be very
clear, that Jews regardless of pigmentation, are never, ever white and never,
ever European.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are guests or
interlopers, depending on how bigoted they wish to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most cleverly, white nationalists explain
that they don’t hate anyone at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
simply wish to defend white culture from dilution and white people from
extinction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These people, once under a
rock, are growing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They look back to
some era when men (it’s mostly men) had decent jobs with decent wages and life
was simple and everyone knew his place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
men complain that white men just can’t get a break anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that they can’t get a break because of
their own skills or merit but that their race is the cause of so very much
discrimination against them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, they
are done with this and those people will not replace them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">And what is our
response?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isaiah continues saying,
“Then, when you call, the LORD will answer; When you cry, He will say: Here I
am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you banish the yoke from your
midst, the menacing hand, and evil speech, and you offer your compassion to the
hungry and satisfy the famished creature- then shall your light shine in
darkness, and your gloom shall be like noonday.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Do what is
right and God will return to you and care for you and reward you because that
is what we fast for, that is what this is all about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must not give up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">It’s hard work
to listen to someone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s hard
work to learn something difficult, to have your assumptions challenged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s hard work to truly hear and discern and
consider.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is why conspiracy
theories hold great allure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great
complex ideas are dispatched preferring a game of connect the dots resulting in
pablum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conspiracy theories offer the
promise of giving you the truth no one else will tell you but, ironically,
prevent you from thinking for yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Conspiracy theories require you to reject anything intellectual,
thoughtful, fact based, challenging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
begin with a dismissal of any data that would counter the conclusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conspiracy theories give you chants of, “Jews
will not replace us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">I was talking
to a nice guy at the base.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I arranged
for an imam to come visit and talk to different groups of people so the topic
of Islam was in the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This nice guy
stops in while a bunch of us are chatting and says, “you know, Muslims are
allowed to lie to further their agenda; it’s in the Koran.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not know this so I looked it up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took me .44 seconds to find a thoughtful
well written article about taqiyya, this idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To make it short, to avoid being persecuted or killed, Muslims can lie
about their faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be as if I
said Jewish law permits a Jew to deny being Jewish if an uncertain Nazi in 1942
is looking to shoot him or her in the head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That is a very different situation than saying, Jews are allowed to lie
all day long. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Somehow, my
friend can read one hateful website and become an expert on Islam while actual
experts on Islam are suspect because, you know, they always lie. My friend,
he’s not a bigot but he is willing to give up thinking for himself and join in
among actual bigots.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Isaiah understands
that life puts you to the test.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
offers encouragement: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">“The LORD will
guide you always; He will slake your thirst in parched places and give strength
to your bones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You shall be like a
watered garden, like a spring whose waters do not fail.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">We must stand
against this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will be hard but God
will give strength to your bones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
must rise up against this hate, this foolishness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tolerance does not extend to nonsense, there
is no right to spread ignorance and each and every one of us must have the
strength to stand against white supremacy and conspiracy theorists and bigots
wherever they are whether on the left or right because we fear for the soul of
our country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Knowing you for
11 years, I tell you this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>y’all are
fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few mistakes here, some great
things there, you’re fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I send you
with a charge for this next year to worry slightly less about your own soul
–you’re fine- and much more for the soul of America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I call on you to speak out against hatred as an
overt act of patriotism, as a Jewishly mandated sacred obligation, -a mitzvah-
to make the world a better place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
must call out these people, shut them down, tell them they are wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no reason to be so open minded as to
let the enemies of the glory of America run free.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">I offer you a
quote from a man I didn’t always agree with but whose heart was always in the
right place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you guess who?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I've spoken of the shining city
all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw
when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks
stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all
kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with
commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors
and the doors were open to anyone with the will and heart to get there. That's
how I saw it, and see it still.” President Reagan’s farewell address of 1989.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">You can say what you want about President Reagan and I’m sure I did back
then but I never questioned his belief in this place and his belief that he was
doing the very best he could to uplift his country, his people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Isaiah spurs you on to toss aside feel good piety and do what is needed
to better your world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>President Reagan,
to name just one, used his oratory to dig deep and work hard for the betterment
of our nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are all called to do
that every day and we must never give up on that call.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">That is our fast, that is what we are charged to do not in a theoretical
manner but in real world conversations and confrontations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will keep this country as a shining city
on a hill and not give in to bigotry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
will fast the fast of justice and righteousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must never give up on that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will never give up on that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when we do that, when we defend and
extend liberty and justice for all, then and only then can we honestly ask God
to bless America.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
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<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205779%20sermons/YK%20KN%202018.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Isaiah 58:1-14<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205779%20sermons/YK%20KN%202018.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
“You will not replace us” by Thomas Chatterton Williams, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New Yorker, </i>December 4, 2017, p. 24-30.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-54364121492455015752018-09-11T19:04:00.000-04:002018-09-11T19:04:14.350-04:00What the Talmud teaches is what we need now. Rosh Hashana 5779
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What the Talmud
Teaches is what we need now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rosh Hashana
5779<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">September 10,
2018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Temple Beth
Jacob of Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rabbi Larry
Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Almost a year ago in November, the
Forward published an article in their ongoing series of asking various rabbis
the same question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time they
asked 27 rabbis, “What is the one lesson Jews today need to learn from the
Talmud?”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2689334542451454991#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Seems like a simple enough answer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No doubt each rabbi will pick a favorite
quote and expand upon it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure
enough Rabbi Rachel Timoner from the Reform Congregation Beth Elohim wrote in
with this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Today, when Nazis and white supremacists
are on the march, immigrants and Muslims threatened, people with disabilities
mocked, Sanhedrin 37a calls out to us urgently:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Adam was created alone… so one person will not say to
another, ‘My father was greater than your father’… And to tell of the greatness
of the Holy One blessed be He, who stamped all people with the Stamp of Adam,
the first [human] and not one of them is similar to another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, each and every person is
obligated to say, “The world was created for me.’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is a classic quote and truly a
foundational way Judaism organizes itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the very heart of the mitzvot regarding how we treat each
other is the notion that we are all equally children of God, equal in our place
among the great family tree of humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We can criticize each other’s behaviors but there can be no place for
any suggestion that one type of person is any less than any other type of
person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From this it follows that
since no type of person or we might say class of persons is any less than any
other, that means we have an obligation to create laws and systems that insist
on fairness among all, equal justice for all, equal civil liberties for all,
equal access for all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We simply
are forbidden to exclude people based on who they are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">So that’s a good one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Humanistic Rabbi Adam Chalom from the
International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism offered this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I am partial to ‘do not say one thing
in the mouth and another in the heart’ (Bava Metzia 49a) as a call for personal
integrity.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Some rabbis offered an assessment of
Talmud as encouraging Judaism throughout the centuries. One rabbi said that
while one can certainly learn wisdom from any number of sources, there is
something particularly moving from a “deep and honest study of our own sacred
literature.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2689334542451454991#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very nice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Conservative Rabbi Scott Perlo from
Washington, DC’s Sixth & I Congregation offered this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“That being a good, decent person
requires a lot of thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re
American and we’re influenced by the strain of American Protestantism that
claims that goodness comes from<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a> the heart and a person
has to follow their conscience in order to do what’s right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s not that easy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Talmud is full of examples where
what’s right isn’t clear at all…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Talmud believes that the moral intuition has to be trained, and it’s
right!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I do think he’s on to something
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People sometimes treat
Judaism as an ethnic extra-curricular but at its heart, it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> trying to teach you something, it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> trying to impress upon you morals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Failure to listen means a failure to learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do not believe that you can just
pick up morality in the street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is something to be cultivated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">So far, so good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All very nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the real surprise came from the
Orthodox world because these rabbis chose to focus not on a quote but on the
very nature of the Talmud, what it is when you open it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">A quick history:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Talmud is two parts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Mishna is the oral law passed down
from teacher to student as a memorized extremely large document.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yehuda ha-Nasi, born around the year
135 in the Land of Israel worried that the mishna was being forgotten, that the
Roman Empire was limiting study and so he began the process of having it all
written down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After he finished,
rabbis from the years 200 to 600 more or less, added commentary on that
law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so what we have is law
surrounded by argument to decipher what the law means and how to apply it in
various situations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s called
gemarah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taken together we have a
large numbers of rabbis arguing with each other over the course of
centuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Talmud is the
written record of these legal arguments and Talmud study is the continuation of
this legal arguing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But here let
me remind you that arguing in this case is not name calling but offering an
idea, an opinion, an actual fact and having others parry with their own idea,
opinion and actual fact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">And this is why Orthodox Rabbi Avram
Mlotek, co-founder of Base Hillel writes this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“The idea of a Talmud itself is the
greatest lesson Jews may learn from its vast text.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We live in a time where we often speak only within our echo
chambers of shared backgrounds and perspectives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We often do not encounter those with whom we passionately
disagree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Talmud records a
plethora of dissenting voices, conversations and practices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is because the Sages understood there
was a value to respectful discourse and exchange of ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have lost the capability to engage
with the other and when we do it often resorts to antagonistic language
especially on the blogosphere where the human being is removed from the
conversation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Judaism reminds us
that our words have the power to create and destroy and the Talmud teaches us
this with every page.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Talmud, as a concept, reminds us that
passionate argument can retain its decency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Talmud reminds us, indeed all Jewish study reminds us, that
excited engagement with the text may incur raised voices but only because of
the urgency of finding a true, logical, convincing answer that can pass muster
before others and can stand up to intellectual scrutiny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Talmud offers a model for how a society
can argue honorably amongst itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">And what do we have today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have arguments based on snark and
conclusions based on wishes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
have sarcasm and insult that passes for wit with people congratulating themselves
on their ripostes and rejoinders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">And worst of all, we have a willing rush
to reject objective fact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have
high-falutin nonsense that convinces us not to believe objective science.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We embrace the dumbing down of
ourselves convinced that if it’s complicated, then it’s probably not true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">We are in a bad place right now in this
country because we are giving up decency and thoughtfulness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we are doing this on purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are standing down from our very
basic civic job of being an intelligent informed citizenry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are letting ourselves be mesmerized
by internet graphics and TV production values and radio hysterics and we do
this happily endangering our very democracy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">People say to me all the time, “Thank you
for your service,” when they find out I’m a chaplain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s very nice but misplaced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No doubt the troops do sacrifice with their deployments and
talented people truly do amazing things but it is all in the support and
defense of the Constitution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
service is just to protect our country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Your service is far greater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Your service is to make yourself an informed citizen and this is far more
crucial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your service, to vote, is
far more crucial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your service, to
push back loudly, vocally against foolishness and stupidity and neo-Nazis and
white supremacists and emergent fascism, that is far, far more important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Members of the military defend
the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You determine the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nature</i> of the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your service is far more
important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are troops leaving their families
to do their jobs in Afghanistan for six or eight months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only sacrifice they ask of you is
to put down the crank emails and read a newspaper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only sacrifice they ask of you is that you be a member
of an informed citizenry with actual facts from actual sources, not some
conspiracy theorist from a corner of the internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only sacrifice they ask from you is to support a free
press the same way you support the troops because it too is on the front lines
of preserving our democracy. Will you do that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you make that sacrifice?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">One last rabbi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Orthodox Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz from Uri l’Tzedek:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Orthodox Social Justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He writes:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Perhaps the most important lesson we
learn from the Talmud is that everything matters – how we speak, what we eat,
how we spend our money, and even our thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is easy to fall into a mindset that the ends justify the
means, or to listen to only one opinion about matters of importance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the Talmud’s expansiveness reminds
us over and over again that the thinking process matters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, the sages don’t recite dogmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They constantly engage in argumentation
to agitate for a new understanding, which in turn brings new opportunities for
light and truth in every moment and encounter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Reform Jews may not know a lot of Talmud
but we have inherited the passion for study, the respect for scholarship, the
insistence that arguments be made with logic and have a factual basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have inherited the idea that our
faith is not off limits to questioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We embrace our heritage that insists nothing is off limits and
everything matters and everything can be subject to scrutiny with respectful
passion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year, as we enter
into the period of introspection, let’s do more than think of our obligations
to our fellow but also our obligation to truth and facts and civic
responsibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s remember
that the glory of our Talmud and of all Jewish learning is a desire and respect
for good, helpful discussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let
us reject loudly ignorance and hateful speech and dogma and propaganda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us be the ones who will stand up
for our country and remind everyone of the value of the heritage of honest
debate found in Talmud and Jewish learning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, we may just push back the ever-growing assault on the
soul of our country and we can be truly a light to the nations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2689334542451454991#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> 27 Rabbis on
One Lesson Jews Should Learn from Talmud, The Forward, November 21, 2017. <a href="https://forward.com/opinion/spirituality/387998/one-lesson-jews-today-should-learn-from-the-talmud/">https://forward.com/opinion/spirituality/387998/one-lesson-jews-today-should-learn-from-the-talmud/</a></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2689334542451454991#_ftnref" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Gil Student,
Orthodox, Editor of TorahMusings.com </div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-61745010805979543512018-09-11T19:02:00.003-04:002018-09-26T16:40:49.533-04:00It's not about you. Rosh Hashana 5779<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light"; font-size: 18.0pt;">It’s not about
you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Rosh Hashana 5779<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light"; font-size: 18.0pt;">September 9,
2018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Temple Beth
Jacob of Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Rabbi Larry
Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Once again we gather to begin this
journey of ten days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a
process we begin, a journey we start that includes celebration and reflection,
repentance for the past, goals for the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A new year is upon us and that is always an exciting
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rosh Hashana begins that
journey as we share our excitement of being together as we take the first steps
towards reflection and self-awareness so that we can finish in ten days
committed to being ever more ethical and upright people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We begin – once again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I think one of the reasons we need to go
through this annual exercise of reflection is simply because we don’t
understand how we are perceived by others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I mean is, we don’t get in trouble for the big
things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We aren’t murderers and
bank robbers, after all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We get
judged on things smaller, more intimate, more personal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The challenge is that it’s very hard to
recognize those small things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
difficult to be objective for a very simple reason:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we are the center of our world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Earth may revolve around the sun but the world revolves
around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So it seems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that is just natural. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life is a never-ending experience with
the world and how we respond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Alas, because the world revolves around us, and by that I mean when we
indulge the idea that the world revolves around us, we run into problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So many problems can be traced down to
our feelings of hurt, our taking umbrage or just lashing out because the world
doesn’t recognize the righteous position of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">me</i>
as the center of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everything would be better if people would just understand how hurt <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I </i>am, how <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">unfair</i> everything is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">to me</i>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is easy to see how we can get caught
thinking that everything is about you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But it’s not about you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Each week in the New York <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Times</i>, there is a column called Social
Q’s by Philip Galanes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a
cross between an advice column and an etiquette lesson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems to me that almost every week
there is a pithy answer to a question that could be answered more simply in
this way:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it’s not about you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not about<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> you</i>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Let me offer an example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s one from May 3, 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="css-1i0edl6e2kc3sl0" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt; padding: 0in;">My son is dating a wonderful woman:
kind, hard-working, self-made. My husband and I would be thrilled if they
married. She grew up in a country where people lick their knives during meals.
Although she’s lived here for a decade, she still does this regularly. I’ve never
raised the issue with our son; I want to be supportive. But if they marry and
have children, their kids will likely pick up this habit from Mom. Our extended
families might find fault, as would their children’s friends. How may I broach
the subject with this lovely person?</span></em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="css-1i0edl6e2kc3sl0" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">ANNE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="css-1i0edl6e2kc3sl0" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Answer:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, this is about the imaginary friends
of children yet to be conceived? (Color me skeptical!) The best-mannered people
(somehow) manage to observe differences among us without judgment or comment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This woman is not your child or mate,
to whom you bear some responsibility. Nor do you seem to be her mentor, in
which case, we might grapple with whether this knife licking is holding her
back. She has simply kept a custom from home. Melting pots are like that:
better for chunky stews than silky purées.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If she and your son marry and produce offspring, you will be
entitled to express grandparental concern about sharp objects in tiny mouths.
But that’s a problem for a far-off day. You’ve done very well to keep quiet
about cutlery to date, and I encourage you to keep it up. A supportive
mother-in-law trumps a Westernizing etiquette coach every day of the week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">If I were unkind, I would suggest she is
really saying, “despite the fact that my son’s girlfriend comes from barbarian stock,
it’s astonishing to see how she has civilized herself ; she even is hardworking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My husband and I would deign to allow
her to be part of our ever-civilized family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just that her barbarity has not completely left her…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">The potential grandmother is worried how
this might affect the children’s reputation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet I just can’t get past the need to set my Sunday
morning coffee down and shout, “It’s not about you!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think she’s concerned for the children’s
reputation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One knife lick in the
first grade cafeteria will either get a dressing down from a nervous teacher or
friends will be so flabbergasted that the child will stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either way, I think the child’s
assimilation into American culture will go forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the grandmother who has not made her peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She plays it like it’s about future
children but it’s really about her standing among her family and friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is loathe to have a knife licking
barbarian as a grandchild.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Whatever will people think of her?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">But it’s not about you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer here is good but further
work would require this good woman to be challenged to really consider what is
bothering her. No one wants to imagine a child banished to a lonely lunch due
to some unusual habit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that
reasonable concern is blocking the real problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is shifting her discomfort onto someone else instead of
being honest and acknowledging what is truly concerning her. More on that to
come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Another one from this past July 19, 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Plus-Ones for Singletons<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">My housemate and I are single and
attending separate weddings where the brides have limited plus-one invitations
to guests in serious, long-term relationships. This bothers us. We are close
friends with these brides. (Is that why they think they can disregard our
feelings?) And the friends we wanted to bring are closer to us than many people
in serious relationships. Clearly, it’s the bride’s day. But how many free
passes on social gaffes do we give them?</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">ANONYMOUS<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Answer:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can’t say, “It’s the bride’s day,” then quibble with her
rules. In addition to curbing the spiraling costs of letting every guest bring
a guest, limiting plus-one invites can increase the intimacy of their wedding.
I mean, who wants to get married in front of a bunch of strangers?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Protesting the bride’s plus-one policy to
accommodate a close friend suggests that the day is about your happiness, not
the couple’s. (And didn’t we agree that it’s the bride’s day?) I realize that
long-term partners are imperfect proxies for familiarity with the people
getting married. But it’s simple and tends to work. So, I’m ruling: no gaffe
here!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I think the answer here is simply, “It’s
not about you!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me, the most
interesting sentence is this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">And the friends we wanted to bring are
closer to us than many people in serious relationships.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, really?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Says who?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only is this person getting irritated at the bride not
organizing her guest list to the guest’s preference, our guest has the gall to
divine the nature of other people’s long term relationships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only does the guest feel the right
to bring a date, the guest looks down upon other relationships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oy vey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s say this together:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not about you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Let me offer a
secret to having an easier life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Don’t invent drama for yourself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the corollary to that is, let other people live their
life as they see fit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bride
has a vision of the guest list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You are a guest and you have one job:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>be joyful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
not to question the food or be disappointed by the flowers or redefine her guest
list or be snarky about anything at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You have one job: get dressed up, be pleasant and cheer on your
friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything else is just drama that you
invent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not about you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">A final one. My
favorite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">I am a 36-year-old guy. For the last 10
years, my mom has invited me to Passover Seder. I never go. Religion is not my
thing. But this year she didn’t invite me. We had a good talk the day before
the dinner, so I don’t think she’s upset. But I heard from a cousin that the Seder
went on as usual. I can’t help feeling insulted. What should I do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">NATHANIEL<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Answer:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Insulted? If you weren’t 36 (and I didn’t object to corporal
punishment), I would recommend a brisk spanking for you, Nathaniel. You haven’t
once, apparently, in 10 years, given much thought to your mother’s hurt
feelings at your declined Seder invitations. Still, you take offense the one
time she forgets to invite you. Let’s acknowledge the sad truth: Your mother,
like many, is probably a glutton for filial punishment. You would have been as
welcome this year as any.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">My suspicion is that the formality of
inviting you slipped her mind in the rush of putting together a complex meal
for many guests. (It’s not as if you were going to accept the 11th invitation,
correct?) But let’s test my hypothesis: Mark your calendar now for next year;
make a big show of telling Mom how much you want to attend; then go. Be sure to
report back, O.K.?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">His mother invites him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He declines in a rather high-handed
manner alerting us all to his clearly superior intellectualism that precludes
him from getting involved in something as archaic as religion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Forgetting the part about family
gathering or the food or the family gathering or the nice opportunity for warm
relations amongst the family or the food he just declines such things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For ten years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For ten years his mother sees all the
family gathered round the table except one who refuses to participate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think mom forgot to invite
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think she got tired of the
charade of offering an invitation just to be insulted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wized up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look, she says, Nathaniel is not coming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why invite?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why prepare?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why bother to worry if maybe this year he’ll attend?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not his thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll see him Memorial Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">And yet, he has the chutzpah to be
insulted that he didn’t get the chance to blow off the family!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s hurt because he couldn’t cavalierly
dismiss what others enjoy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he
heard from a cousin that the seder went off as planned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did he think that it wouldn’t?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">It’s not about you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The seder and your mother don’t revolve
around you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, it may very well
be true that Nathaniel’s mother has done whatever she could to make it seem
that her life revolves around him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She might just be a terrific and loving mother who sets aside her needs
for him and isn’t that wonderful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But Nathaniel is not age 8 or 13 or even a young adult at 21.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s 36 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dude, you’re an actual adult now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your mother has other family and
friends to worry about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not
about you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re in or you’re out,
bro.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is entirely up to
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leave your mother alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Back in July my friend Rabbi Rachel Van
Thyn was our guest speaker for Tisha b’Av.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met a few years ago in a class for Clinical Pastoral
Education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I learned a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She became expert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She now teaches and supervises others in
the field.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">One of the biggest things she taught me
and teaches everyone is that it’s okay to feel our feelings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, more than okay it’s
obligatory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feeling our feelings helps
us understand what is happening to us and why we react the way we do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feeling our feelings and then
identifying them is really important if we want to reduce the drama in our own
life and behave better and more helpfully to others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">If something is bothering you it’s fine
to feel hurt or irritated but it’s not enough to only feel hurt or
irritated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have to consider
what exactly is irritating us and think about why it is irritating us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may feel odd or uncomfortable to do
this “inner work” as it is called but it does reduce the drama and helps us
better amble through the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
helps us understand others and helps us resist thinking the world revolves
around “me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">So it’s not about you but still and all,
it upsets you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What are you feeling?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dig down, be specific.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Identify the hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Name it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Say it out loud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And then, once you wrangle that feeling, you’ll know it’s not about
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s about this other
thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And most of the time,
releasing that other thing helps you move on and deal with it better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Dig deep and be really honest about why
your imaginary grandchildren licking that knife really bothers you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you just really worry that in a
tough world you don’t want a grandchild to be picked on for something unusual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or maybe you do have a little snobbery
inside you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Maybe you wanted to show off a new
boyfriend at that wedding or maybe you are anxious about going there
alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it’s something else
that is making you a little anxious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you can figure that out, you can deal with it and not make the bride’s
day all about you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Maybe you really hate religious ceremony
or maybe you really enjoy being the center of attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you’re a kill-joy who loves to
turn his nose up at other people’s fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe you have deep theological problems with gefilte fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suspect our 36 year-old man cannot abide not being in the
thoughts of his family as they eat some matzah and this is what bothers him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">All these people need a therapist or just
a really honest friend to hold up a mirror and remind them, it’s not about you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">Off we go into Rosh Hashana and Yom
Kippur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No doubt as we remember
slights and mistakes we have made, we will recall the slights and insults and
hurt other people have done to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So much hurt others have done to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, so very much…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You have no idea how horrible people have been to me…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">And then stop and remember the world does
not actually revolve around “me” and that “it’s not about me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hurt done to us could be real and
personal or it could be a whole lot of other things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we can remember that, if we can open ourselves up to the
possibility that things are more complicated than how we usually imagine, the
source of our hurt is more complicated than we might think, we just might come
out of Yom Kippur in ten days with some real insight, some real healing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s see how we do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-84333971925807112302017-09-30T22:01:00.001-04:002017-09-30T22:01:16.840-04:00As if we are dead Kol Nidre 5778<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light";">As if we are dead<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light";">Kol Nidre 5778<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light";">Temple Beth Jacob of Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light";">Rabbi Larry Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rosh Hashana is
about celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The nine days
following are about thoughtfulness, thinking deeply about how we lead our
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now, with the gates of
heaven that were swung wide open nine days ago we begin the slow but
unstoppable closing that concludes with our final neila se<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>rvice
tomorrow night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now as we enter
the final laps of the final day, as a new year is about to take off, we enter
into the tension of Yom Kippur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We are at a moment
in time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are able to make
amends for the past and able to make plans for the future. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mortified about the past, motivated for
the future we are in this amazing position of choice and decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With each passing hour of the next 24,
our chances to make amends for the past become fewer and fewer and our plans
for the future are about to be put into practice with less and less time to
prepare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The clock is ticking, the
urgency is real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a moment
in time that should shake you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Does it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you need some
help being shaken?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then let’s
pretend “as if.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At our Pesach
seder we pretend as if we are there in Egypt waiting for the word to get up and
leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During Sukkot we eat in a
sukkah pretending as if we are wandering in the desert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At Shavuot we pretend as if we are
there at Sinai, the very first to receive Torah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now, with a new year ahead and an old year behind we
pretend “as if” once again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
if you weren’t here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if you
were dead?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Yom Kippur, we
pretend “as if” we are dead.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yom Kippur is a
rehearsal for death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you ever
seen those roadside billboards or bumper stickers evangelical Christians post
that say, “if you died today, would you be right with God?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They probably would say Jesus but the point is that we have
the same challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(And don’t
forget, as I often remind you, we came first with the notion.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have the challenge to be honest with
our lives because if it ended right now, what would people remember about you?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When we sing Who
by Fire, Who by Water, we sing the truest words ever written in liturgy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many of our friends and family died
last year?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many died peacefully
and how many died in pain?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which
of our friends or family died suddenly and which ones suffered so much that
death was a blessing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our
country, in our county, some died by fire, some by water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are blessed with long life; some
leave us tragically too soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
could not have predicted it even though we knew it would happen.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now as we look
forward, we are pulled up short and reminded that just as we could not predict
last year, we cannot predict this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The sad reality for me as I look out over you all is that I will be
officiating at a funeral for someone here or a family member of someone
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t mean to bum you out
but that is a truth we must face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are five
things we do not do on Yom Kippur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why not?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To pretend as if
we are dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t eat and we
don’t drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither do the
dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t wear leather or anoint
with oils, signs of luxury that are limited to this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t engage in sexual relations, a
very earthly joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this kittle
I’m wearing in which I was married one day, please God it should be far in the
future, I will be buried in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
dressed for a rehearsal for death.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Kol Nidre begins
with the Torah scrolls taken out as witnesses in a court room and we wear our
tallit at night, a once a year event, playing the parts of both members of the
court and the defendant wondering how we shall be judged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are on trial as if at the end of our
life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you died today,
would you be okay with your life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That is the bumper sticker question and I suggest to you that it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">doesn’t</i> work because we can dismiss it
as silly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see, I’m not dead so
why do I need to think about it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We can drive past the roadside billboard and not worry if we are right
with God were we to die today because, well, because I’m driving somewhere and
the radio is on and I’m very much not dead so leave me alone already!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The signs don’t catch
me because while they are provocative they leave no lingering impact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as the light turns green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hit the gas and I’m gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yom Kippur says, “I know I’m not
dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know you’re not
dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what if, what if we
played a little game and pretended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What if we took 24 hours and really tried to imagine it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if we leave our worries of the
world outside and forget about eating and drinking and customary joys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if we gave ourselves the space and
time to really think about this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s
not do this at 55 miles per hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Let’s take a whole day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What if I were dead?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know
I’m not and it’s really morbid but… what if I were dead?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How did I do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s not feel guilty, now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No guilt allowed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just an honest question:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>what
did I leave on the table?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do I
have regrets?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, and this is
important, no guilt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just ask
yourself, honestly, if today were the day to tell the end of my story, how
would my story turn out? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today is not the
end of your story but let’s pretend it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I invite you to talk with your family, a good friend and ask
them, “how ’m I doing?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ask them,
if today were the end of my story, what would you say?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brutal, I know but that is what this day
is about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then make a plan to
write another chapter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe
you’ll write the next chapter just like the last chapter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you’ll write the next chapter
completely differently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe
somewhere in between.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just be
honest with yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
rough stuff but it is what this day is made for.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The gates of repentance
were swung wide open on Rosh Hashana, they begin to close now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little by little they inch a bit
closer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tonight we reflect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tomorrow we reflect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Read the prayers a little more
closely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Use the music to lift
your thoughts to a place of introspection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Use our new machzor and let your eye wander reading that which
resonates with you, that which moves you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Be here with the community as you have your individual moment as the
gates close.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tomorrow we gather
again and the gates close some more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We will struggle with hunger and our avoidance of earthly joy because
our minds are elsewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day
will go on and the gates will be closing and as the afternoon arrives you will
stand before the ark and our Torah for a final private moment and the gates
will shut and we will have made it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We will have gotten through the day and we will eat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will break that fast not as a symbol
of gluttony but as a statement:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
am alive, I am alive and the new year looms before me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We eat that bagel with joy and we drink
that juice having made a promise to write the next chapter well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That break fast is not the conclusion
of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dead people don’t eat,
remember?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That break fast is the
real start of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pretending
is over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are alive! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You eat the whitefish to live and with the
privilege to live another year comes the sacred challenge to write your next
chapter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The end of the
story is not yet here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have more
to write.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have more to
write.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the next 24 hours,
let’s think about what we’ll write.</span></div>
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Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-13119643627457050702017-09-30T21:53:00.001-04:002017-10-01T12:43:15.315-04:00Sitting on a Porch Yom Kippur 5778<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #303030; font-family: "gill sans light"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Sitting on a Porch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #303030; font-family: "gill sans light"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Yom Kippur 5778<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #303030; font-family: "gill sans light"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Temple Beth Jacob of
Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="color: #303030; font-family: "gill sans light"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Rabbi Larry Freedman
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’m
sitting on the porch in a comfy wicker chair taking in some fresh air. There’s a little stream below me and
just enough woods where I can hear the cars passing on the road but I can’t see
them. It’s a lovely day where it
feels like summer in the sunshine but autumn in the shade and it’s very, very
relaxing. I brought my shofar
because my partner on the porch is too sick to come to Rosh Hashana so I
thought she might enjoy hearing the sound one last time. She’s pretty sure she’ll be dead by
next Rosh Hashana. She hopes so. Getting old is no picnic. Getting sick, I mean really sick, is
terribly difficult. It’s time, she
tells me, you know? It’s
time. This declaration doesn’t
throw me. I’ve learned you have to
listen to people. If someone tells
me they want to die and they aren’t in their geriatric years and they don’t
have a serious life ending disease, there is a very specific response to
that. When they are in their
geriatric years and they do have a life ending illness, there is a very
specific response to that as well. So I ask: “What do you mean?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She
loves her children, her children-in-law, her grandchildren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has raised them well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She feels good about it how they turned
out and she feels good about how she and her husband raised them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s not bragging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s assessing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s looking back and offering a pat
on her own back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kids are
okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the children they had,
oh my!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her grandchildren are
terrific, she says.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each unique,
each delightful, each getting ready to face the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’ll never make it to a wedding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That will not happen but she doesn’t
worry for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s confident in
her grandchildren.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">She
tells me, as she sits there, that she is ready to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The death of her beloved husband a few years back was so
difficult but it’s even harder now as she’s less mobile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s ready to join him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you know what else, she tells
me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s done everything she
could and she’s done it well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
was as good a child as she could have been, as good a wife as she could have
been, as good a mother as she could have been, as good a grandmother as her
health let her be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not to
brag, you know?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just sitting
there in a wicker chair on a perfect wraparound porch on a perfect day she is
satisfied, comfortable, at peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even with mistakes, moments of regret, instances of sorrow, the usual
foibles, failings, and shortcomings that a normal human being experiences
through the course of life, all in all, on balance, she’s done it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has reached the finish line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you know when you’ve made it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know but she has made it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And she is satisfied and she is ready
to die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">How
blessed, how fortunate, how lucky she is to be able to know that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How blessed, how fortunate, how lucky
she is to have the presence of mind not to bemoan but to consider and
appreciate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope I get to sit on
a porch to reflect on how good life was to me and how well I used my life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But
I don’t get to sit on a porch, not for a long time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deborah and I have a long life together, the boys are
starting careers and then there is this thing where I have to deal with
Nazis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to be the best man I
can be, the best husband I can be, the best father I can, the best rabbi I can
be and now deal with Nazis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Honestly, I cannot believe I have to do that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nazis, these neo-Nazi and white supremacists are something the
folks over at the Southern Poverty Law Center monitored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are something the Anti-Defamation
League tracked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Homeland Security
and the FBI have always been up to speed on who these people are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never thought that I had to figure
out what my personal response should be because these groups were too small and
too underground and already watched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And besides, nobody but the most hate filled of the hate filled wanted
anything to do with them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now
they are here and louder than ever with a wider reach than ever and I just
don’t think I have the luxury of sitting on a porch and figuring they’ll go
away on their own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The alt-right,
for those who don’t know, is a loose term for various white supremacists
groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of them are your hate
filled neo-Nazis, some are your suit and tie wearing spokesmen offering the
reasonable sounding idea of identitarian politics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Richard Spencer coined the phrase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He swears he’s not into violence but he believes America is
a white European style country founded by white Europeans for white European
descendants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He believes that multiculturalism
is set out to diminish white people, to steal from white people what is theirs
and to ruin the white culture of this country and he is going to do something
about that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve ever heard
someone say that black people have some advantages over white people, he’s got their
number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just that little bit, that
tiny moment where a person wonders if they need to stick up for white people,
that’s all the opening he needs to seduce folks into a well dressed version of white
supremacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t happen to
you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe not but the goal of
these people isn’t to have 51% of the population join the Klan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goal is to have just enough people
be sympathetic to their cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
goal is to have people say, “I’m not a white supremacist but I do think they
are on to something…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goal is
to get you to say, “I’m no hater but there are an awful lot of brown people around
here and I don’t like the changes.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The goal is to get you to say, “I’m no racist but I heard those Muslims
don’t follow our laws.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s the
goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then comes the
legislation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t think it can’t
happen here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is already
happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now we have to
figure out what to do about it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And
don’t think you are safe if you’re a Jew. Jews don’t count as white.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jews are the source of so many problems
and alt-right members are not afraid to say that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We now have people chanting proudly that, “Jews will not
replace us” and we have internet graphics that say, “Admit it; deep down you
know Hitler was right.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Can
I go back to the porch?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can I just
focus tightly on family and friends?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I just want to reflect on a good life well lived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I can’t because it’s not my
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there are Nazis.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Am
I an alarmist that I think we need to respond powerfully to this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve seen fascist movements in the
past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know that the silence of
good people allows it to blossom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This has been proven again and again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One day I’ll be in a wicker chair on a porch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really hope I’ll be able to look back
with confidence that I did all I could to stop it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A
friend in Pittsburgh sent me an article after the marches and riots in
Charlottesville.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The piece decried
the violent antifa counter-protesters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was surprised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
Nazis and my Jewish friend could only see the anarchists.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’m
opposed to those violent anarchists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Anyone who smashes windows ought to be arrested, tried and sent to
prison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no sympathy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Protest, yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vandalism, absolutely not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I try to read their anarchist ideas, I find them
juvenile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But you know what I
don’t find when I read their ideas?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t find the idea that black people are inferior, that brown people
are inferior and that Jews ought to be dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t find in their writings or their slogans or even in
their smashing of windows a message of murdering Jews.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But
the neo-Nazis would very much be quite happy if someone put a bullet in
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And your children and
grandchildren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In case you don’t
know, the non-Jews who are part of our community would be considered race
traitors so you are not out of danger, either. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That
porch is so inviting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just to sit
and reflect and not have to worry anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want to worry about Nazis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want to worry about the fate of American
democracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want
to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I have to because it is not
my turn to sit on the porch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
can’t look back with so much ahead of me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Anarchists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nazis. What year is this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have to talk about idiots who break
windows and idiots who don’t want us around?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess I do. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark
my words:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in just five years these
alt-right people will either be shoved back underground or well on their way to
political respectability winning local then state, then federal elections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is nothing in between. Don’t
think it can’t happen?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
already happening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do I not
speak to this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you not
speak to this?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One
day I’ll be sitting on a porch looking back and I will wonder, did I do
enough?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pray that I can give the
right answer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’m
sitting in my office with a grieving family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most families I meet are there to discuss a funeral for
someone elderly or sick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s sad
but it often turns just a little bit, just a little bit joyful because the
families get a chance to remember.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I shouldn’t tell you too much about what goes on behind the scenes but
it’s pretty common for people to think they’ll show up for a quick chat and then
find themselves an hour or two later sniffling happy tears of memory. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">People
assume everyone says the same old clichés, that he was an amazing grandfather
or that she was the best mom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s
true 80% of the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that
other 20%, my, oh my.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes
there is very little positivity to be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sit there with pen in hand writing down some notes when
someone says, “maybe you should put the pen down” and all sorts of truths come
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing too scandalous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing felonious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just that we live our lives ensconced
in our own minds and we don’t really know for certain how we come across.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have an approach, an idea, a
philosophy that makes sense to us and we express that in how we treat our
friends or raise our children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
live our lives in a certain way and rarely reflect to ask the question, “How’m
I doing?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we die, when we
cross the finish line, we leave it to others to comment on how we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We leave it to others to describe how
our lives were lived.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I
wonder what my family will say about me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Each time I sit with a family I’m aware I sit before a tableau that will
be recreated for me some day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
forces me to think about my life and how I’m doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder what Deborah will say or what the boys will
say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lifetime of sibling
interaction and what will come out of it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What will my congregation say?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And did I do enough for my community or my country?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This
is a moment in time where we are watching the very serious beginnings of
American fascism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is slick and
organized and popular and it is happening right now, and we don’t know which
way it’s going to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is
absolutely no reason to believe it will fade on its own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only my children and grandchildren will
be around to understand what happened in 2017, at this moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will know if it took over or if it
was defeated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will they be proud
of me that I did something about it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That I tried?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will they
regret the world they live in and wished I had done more when there was a
chance?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’m
sitting in my office with a pen and pad at the ready while across from me sits
a couple very much in love and planning on getting married.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’ve been together for a few years but
something about getting married is inspiring them to look at each other
anew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They sit apart, nervous in
front of the rabbi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the second
meeting there is hand holding and long glances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is pride as each listens to the other. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are dreams and dreams of dreams far
into the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is hope and
there is optimism and there is everything glorious about getting out into the
world with a partner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a
future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the start of their
story as a couple and often it is the start of their story as proper adults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They realize that they get to figure
out the Jewish life they want to create in their home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They get to figure out the values by
which they will live as a couple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They get to figure out the way they want to raise their children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have to figure out how to organize
their finances and they have to figure out what is important to spend money
on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole future is open to
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the very beginning of
the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who knows how it will
end?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone will know how it will
end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have a lifetime to get
it right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You
have the remainder of your lifetime to get it right before you sit on that
porch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a lot going on in
your families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a lot going
on in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You still have
time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #303030;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ready?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>After the sermon, people asked me what they can do. First and foremost, I believe we have to return racism to be socially unacceptable. Whether in social media or in person, if someone makes a racist crack or some such hatred, tell them it's racist and you don't like it. Don't name call, don't insult, don't get distracted. Just state the facts and then don't take the bait when they call you names in return. Secondly, stay informed. Read about what is happening from a variety of sources. Third, there is so much more you can do but you have to do some research yourself. You might want to read about Life After Hate (lifeafterhate.org) and support it. It is a group of former white supremacists who help others leave that life (it can be very hard to get out).</i></span></div>
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Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-62891878731307673492017-09-28T15:49:00.002-04:002017-09-30T21:50:55.010-04:00The Whole World is Blessed by You Rosh Hashana 5778<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">The
Whole World is Blessed by You<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Rosh
Hashana Day 1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Temple
Beth Jacob of Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Rabbi
Larry Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The story of the Akeidah is the most famous of
Torah stories because it is read every Rosh Hashana and because the topic is child
sacrifice. For those who don’t know the
story, Abraham is called by God. He
responds simply with “hineini, here I am” ready to accept whatever is to
come. God tells him to take his son to
the spot God will show him and offer him up as a korban. Without a word, he begins the process. Along the way Isaac asks, “Father, I see you,
I see me, I see the wood for burning, I see the knife; where is the ram for the
korban?” Abraham replies, God will
provide it. They arrive, Isaac is bound
–the word akeida means binding- Abraham lifts the knife. At that moment, at just that moment, God
calls out to Abraham and again Abraham answers simply, “hineini, here I am”
ready to accept whatever is to come. And
now God says, “Do not raise your hand against the boy or do anything to him. For now I know you have not withheld your
son, your favored son from me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Phew!
This is a crazy story, a maddening story. It is praised as a test of faithfulness and
condemned for its abhorrent cruelty. It
is seen as a dramatic break with the reality of child sacrifice; this new faith
would never have it. But couldn’t God
have made that point more succinctly?
Did God have to sweat the old man?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">There are many, many questions to this
story. Rabbis at Rosh Hashana have been
mining it for a millennium finding something new. For me, there is one more line that has
always bothered me. It is a moment that
comes at the end of the story. By now,
at this dénouement, we are so relieved we barely care about anything else so the
pasuk doesn’t get much attention. It
begins with God giving this promise in reward for Abraham’s fealty: “I will bestow My blessing upon you and make
your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the
seashore; and your descendants shall seize the gates of their foes.” It concludes, “All the nations of the earth
shall bless themselves by your descendants because you have obeyed My command.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">What does it mean that the nations of the earth
will be blessed by Abraham’s descendants?
I understand how we, the descendants of Abraham, might be blessed. The merit of Abraham was so great it passes
down to the Jewish people through the generations but how would the other
peoples of the earth benefit?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Maybe the other nations are blessed because we ended
child sacrifice. This story was a
massive break from what was commonplace. Or, perhaps we bring blessings to the
world through the example of our practice and our values. We Jews, committed to living with others in
the modern world and mindful of being a minority aren’t prone to bragging but
perhaps we should just take a moment and be proud of what we have brought to
the world. Let’s start first with the gift and novelty of
Shabbat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We brought the Sabbath to the world and through
that taught two ideas. One, we are not
slaves. We are not slaves to a master,
we are not slaves to a clock, we are slaves to no one. We have this reminder, this insistence, this
very commandment from God to remove ourselves from work so we can be
appreciative of what our labor has given us, and share that with family and
friends. Secondly, we have taught the
world that the spiritual, that which inspires the soul is just as important as
the physical. God did not create the
world in six days with a day off. God
created the world in seven days. The
point of that story is that rest is not slacking off. Rest, appreciation, inspiration, reflection
is part of Creation, is part of what makes the world great. A life without Shabbat, a life <i>without</i> a day to appreciate, to spend
time, to indulge, to relax, is the life of the slave. A life with Sabbath rest is the life of the
fully living.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Perhaps we ought not to forget that we brought
the idea of monotheism to the world. In
our own Jewish way we have multiple ideas of what God might be but if we
believe, we believe in just one God. And
that seems to have worked well for Christians and Muslims who added their own
approach to that idea. Billions of
believers are blessed in the type of faith that we began.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We brought a sense of justice and ethics as
proof of loyalty to God in place of killing our children. We taught the world that justice and ethics, the
insistence that morality is what God wants.
Ritual, yes, but ritual only when it serves to teach and make manifest
the justice and ethics God truly wants.
This idea surely has been a blessing to the world, although lost to
those have gotten lost in their piety.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Not that the Jewish people were perfect. We did have moments in our history of killing
and violence. And we still have segments
of our people who are dismissive, even a little racist towards others. We are not perfect. But when we strayed, the prophets reminded us
the end goal always was to live a life of ethics and justice. You can argue we failed from time to time but
you can’t argue it wasn’t the goal. We
brought to the world an aspirational approach to living. The world is imperfect but we must make it
perfect. The world is filled with
injustice. We must bring justice. We must live in such a way, witness in such a
way, be a role model in such a way that the peoples of the world are inspired
to bring justice to the world. In that
way we are a blessing. Some of us fail
in that goal. But many, many Jews live each
day with that very notion in the forefront of our minds. Many of us do try to live a moral life
because it is right and because our neighbors, our friends, our children are
watching and we want to model right behavior and we want to be positive
exemplars of the values of Torah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">These are all things we have brought to the
world and we should all be proud of that.
There is one more thing we brought that is still fairly unique to us,
the idea of belonging to a people, not just a faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In many other religions, you are in or you are
out based on what you believe. Jews developed
a more open approach, an understanding of our selves grander than the specifics
of faith; our approach is peoplehood. We
have Jews who have firm belief in God.
We have Jews with no belief and Jews with everything in between. We have Jews who are proud because of our
history or our commitment to study or our meaningful holidays or our passion
for justice. We have Jews who love being part of the Jewish people for our
culture. And we have non-Jews who love being
part of the Jewish people. Some have
converted, some are planning to convert, some are thinking of maybe converting and
some are happy as they are, happy to be part of this big wide ranging
tribe. We have all these people tapping
in to the vast repertoire of Jewish life and they, you, find meaning there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We’ve used this idea, this open, expansive
understanding of peoplehood to lead us towards the partnership model at Temple
Beth Jacob and I want to say a few words about how it’s going.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">This place here along the Hudson River has been
blessed since 1854 to have Jews and Jewish families contribute their time, energy
and money to keep it going. We know that
outside of Israel, if we want to be part of a Jewish community, we have to make
that community real. We need our
institutions, our buildings, our staff to keep things going. And you all have risen to that challenge. You have accepted that you are partners in
this ongoing adventure to keep Jewish life alive in the mid-Hudson Valley. You have understood and accepted the challenge
that stated plainly, if you want this place to exist, you have a personal stake
in keeping it here. And I want to tell
you, our partnership program is working.
The idea that you can determine your support is working. In an earlier day, some would have had to
show a 1040 or have an embarrassing conversation or, truth be told, would have
walked away because they didn’t want to be embarrassed. And now these families, whoever they are,
understand they are wanted. That is the
most important aspect of the partnership program. Because you contribute whatever you can, big
or small, you commit to keeping us going. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The biggest concern synagogues have when thinking
about a partnership model is the fear that everyone will chip in $100 and be
done with it. For the most part, that
didn’t happen because you, our partners, understand what Temple Beth Jacob
means to you and your family. But we do
have some problems. Some of problems are
systemic. We have had problems getting
pledge cards out and making sure they come back in. Some people don’t contribute because the
synagogue no longer sends bills, as it were, so they don’t receive the expected
prompt. Some people put off deciding
what they will contribute and then they just forget to do it. And some people, a few, are assuming they can
just contribute a minimal amount even though they could contribute more. Now that’s fine but if those who can do more
contribute a bare minimum, we will shut our doors. The market will decide if there is value
here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Unlike the dues model, you can’t carry a
balance. If, for whatever reason you
didn’t make a contribution for last year, we have to assume you are no longer
interested in being a partner in our community.
Your support, whatever that is, means you support the idea of Temple
Beth Jacob being here. Now, we know that
some people just forget so the Board members make phone calls to remind you but
that is not the goal. The goal is to
build the habit and understanding that your contribution is just that, yours
and we hope you will fill out your card promptly and follow through. No one on the Board wishes to be a
nudge. As we get better with the
partnership approach, we hope to eliminate the need for the nudgy calls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">As each year goes on, the Board will look at
our budget and let you know what we need.
Don’t expect someone else to make sure Temple Beth Jacob continues. Each household has the responsibility to
contribute as best as it can. You hold
the future of us in your hands. That is
a powerful and sacred privilege. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">And by the way, you should know that I get a
couple calls a year from other rabbis asking how we did it. We are known out there as a model of
success. I hope you take pride in that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Enough with business. After a lovely summer, we come back together
as a community, this corner of the Jewish people, for a whirlwind of holidays
and celebration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The partners have gathered for a partners
meeting to discuss the future of ourselves.
How did we do? No guilt, no
shame; just a fair question. How did we
do? Where did we succeed? Where did we go wrong? This afternoon we will glory in the
astonishing beauty of the Hudson River and the Beacon hills as we cast our sins
upon the water. Tomorrow, we get out of
this room, get up from a chair and get out into nature for a hike. We are taking
a lovely stroll at Manitoga in Garrison.
Our hike is not just for the people in tefillot in the morning. Everyone is welcome for a judgment free easy
hike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">After the hike we are in the ten days of
reflection. Give yourself some time to
really think about your life. Talk to a
spouse or child or friend. Reconnect
with a sibling. Try, really try, do the
work, to think about where you have gone right and where you have gone
wrong. Be a role model to your friends
and family, to the whole world that we Jews have a way to break through
stubbornness and a way to embrace contrition even if it is hard. Engage the challenging questions of 10Q.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Next, take the fast of Yom Kippur seriously,
spend your time in this room seriously.
Adopt a contrite attitude and you will soon feel contrite, you will soon
feel repentant. And then we get out of
this room once more. If Yom Kippur is
about spending time inside the sanctuary, Sukkot is a demand to be
outside. We are commanded to set up a hut
outside the sanctuary. For seven days we
are commanded to live in the sukkah so we are going to do our very best to do
that. October 4, erev Sukkot, our
annual, wildly successful pot luck dinner in the sukkah. And no complaining if it’s cold. Sukkot is called the season of joy, not
whining so wear warm shoes and be joyful to gather in our beautiful
sukkah. October 5, the first full day,
come over to the sukkah with your own lunch.
If you don’t have your own sukkah, pack up dinner and come eat in ours. The sukkah is open from the outside. Unless it’s raining, there will be tables and
chairs. Plug the lights in and enjoy
dinner outdoors with the family. Bring
dinner or order a pizza to be delivered.
Seriously. No reservations. Just bring your dinner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">October 7 we are having our first Sukkot Dine
Around. Hors d'oeuvres in the sukkah,
dinner in someone’s home, back to the sukkah for dessert. This is going to be a very fun, very lively
time. October 8 Sisterhood has a tea in
the sukkah and the Sunday school will be in their shaking the lulav. October 9 the JCC has their lunch and learn
in the Sukkah. So many activities, so
many chances to be joyful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">And then we wrap it up with Simchat Torah. Once again, we are cleaning a Torah. We had a big crowd last year grab erasers and
go to work cleaning the actual parchment.
It was very moving and very joyful.
This year Nefesh Mountain, a Jewish bluegrass band, will help us
celebrate. The band will be playing as
we dance the Torah scrolls out of the ark, into the social hall where we’ll stretch
the scroll over long tables so everyone can get in and clean it. You do not want to miss this. That which is
most precious, most holy is turned over to you so that you can truly be a
steward of Torah. The protection and
maintenance of Torah as our way of life is most literally in your hands. Never more powerfully does the meaning of
partnership become so clear. We are
partners, all of us, in protecting and promoting Torah. You do not want to be a
silent partner. In our hands is the
thing we have died for and the thing we live for. In your hands is the responsibility to clean
the scroll so that you become like art conservators, protecting this for the
next generation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And here, again, we become a blessing returning
us to the promise of the end of the Akeidah.
We show the world that what is most precious is not to be kept behind
glass but to be engaged, to be handled.
What is most precious should be challenged and should challenge us. What is most precious may also be difficult
but we do not shy away from difficulty.
We are here to live out our promise.
We are here to proclaim that the Jewish holidays have a claim on our
souls that their message inspires us. We
are here to say, when the call comes, hineini, Here I am, ready to be a
partner, ready to be a Jew. And when we
do that, each one of us in our own small way becomes a blessing to the world.</span><span style="font-family: times new roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-72130057389652773822017-09-28T15:47:00.001-04:002017-09-30T21:49:58.737-04:00Sin More Erev Rosh Hashana 5778<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Sin More</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Erev Rosh Hashana 5778<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Temple Beth Jacob of
Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Rabbi Larry Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">We are back
again. It’s good to see everyone. It’s great to see everyone. Truly it is.
Everyone is back to get a little religion, get that spiritual tune
up. The music, the fellowship, the
Akeidah. The dinner with friends and
family. It’s all there. And the rabbi’s sermons. Let’s not forget that. My sermons… I try to be eclectic. I don’t want to be repetitive and drone on
about the same old thing. Of course,
some themes can’t be avoided for example that Rosh Hashana is a chance for
renewal, to take stock. It is a time of
celebrating another year’s fresh start and a chance to change our ways. Then come the intermediate days of teshuva
and finally Yom Kippur where we atone for sins, throw ourselves on the mercy of
the Heavenly court and pray for forgiveness.
Spoiler alert: we always get it but
the exercise is still very worthwhile.
Putting ourselves through the paces is the important part. Stretching our spiritual muscles remembering
we are connected to others is the important part.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The themes of
Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are always the same and they never fail to inspire
and uplift. Community gathering to
celebrate a fresh slate and meditate on how to be a better person? Nothing better. And it all comes with good music so, you
know, it’s a win-win.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Over the summer
I listened to a podcast, Radio Lab that offered a positive take on the infamous
Seven Deadly Sins and as I listened, I thought, now that’s a Rosh Hashana theme!<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205778%20sermons/RH%20eve%20Sin%20More%205778.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Could we talk, on this eve of reflection, how
we need to sin more? Let’s try it. Let’s talk about Pope Gregory’s list codified
in the year 590. Let’s see what we can
do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Gluttony. Typically that speaks to eating, drinking
more than you need. It is about
consuming more than your fair share. It could
be about finishing the whole bag of chips but gluttony could be more like
blithely buying too much food in the supermarket and then after it goes a bit
squishy tossing it out wasting money and all the resources it took to get the
food. It could be about leaving the AC
on to keep the house cool while everyone is out for the day at work or school. That’s gluttony; such a waste of resources
for no reason other than that we don’t care to pay attention and can’t be
bothered to adjust the thermostat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But gluttony
could be passion as well, excitement for the things we consume, anticipation of
the great taste, the good flavors. That
could be a good thing. Let’s just add to
that gluttony some awareness. Perhaps we
should indulge our gluttony with mindfulness.
Before we shove the pumpkin pie in our mouth, because we just can’t
wait, we can say a little bracha, say a little blessing. Motzie can do or the more particular borei
minei mezonot, just something to acknowledge the food, the people who brought
it to you, the wonder of the earth that produces food. A brief pause to offer a blessing as we indulge
is better than not paying attention at all and treating the food as simple
fuel. Gluttony isn’t so bad if we temper
it with a blessing, if we temper it by knowing how blessed we are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Wrath is anger
leading towards fury. Losing your cool
is never good. Going off the rails is
never good but a little righteous fury we could use more of. Why aren’t we furious at those who are
working to limit access to the voting booth, a direct attack on our
democracy? Why aren’t we furious at our
country’s lack of leadership to combat global warming? We, all of us here, have experienced the
effects of climate change. We have all experienced
a change in weather patterns up here. The
massive hurricanes we’ve seen down south are something new but also predicted. We all know this. There can be no issue farther from
partisanship than working to bring the temperature down, or at least not to let
it rise further. One day, Miami, Venice
and Wall Street will be under water. Why
are we not furious about that? These are
issues that affect us all, that hurt us all equally. We need a bit more wrath to challenge the
naysayers and the slow pace of doing something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Envy is an easy
one. Too much envy is always a
problem. Too much envy and you forget
how to count your blessings and be satisfied but lack of envy keeps us from
working hard. It leads us to
settle. A little envy is good if it
motivates us to work hard towards the goal.
That’s especially good advice for kids.
Are you envious of that nice house, those nice vacations other people
have? Well then, do something about it. Get good grades, use college to find your
passion and use that passion to fuel you to a good paying job. Envy can give us a goal. Envy can show us a better way. Envy can get us off the couch. A warning:
too much envy can just make you depressed so watch the dosage. You only need a little envy to keep you from
settling and keep you leaning forward.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Lust. Now, on Yom Kippur, there ought not to be any
lust. No eating, no drinking, no wearing
leather since it was seen as a luxury, no anointing which today usually means
perfumes, another sign of luxury, and no, well, you know, lust. But today is not Yom Kippur, now is it? A little lust is not the worst thing, now is
it? Here, perhaps I’ll leave the kids
with their envy and speak to the adults in the room. For those in long, long, so very long term
commitments, sometimes, I’m not talking about you, of course, but sometimes the
passion can seep from the physical aspects of a relationship. When I was a kid, I remember seeing tv
commercials for “beautiful Mt. Airy Lodge.”
Do you remember it? That bit of
jingle in still in my head. I understood
the allure of the tennis and the skiing and the hiking. But why would anyone want a small swimming
pool in their hotel room? An actual mini
pool that two people could get in right there in the room. I kept imagining the room would smell like chlorine. I did not understand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">But I grew to
understand. There is something that
happens with the stress of raising kids, paying bills, getting work done that causes
couples to start missing what is kindly called that “certain spark” but what I
would call lust. Healthy relationships
require trust and kindness. They require
faith in one’s partner and a sense of humor to let things go. And they require lust. Lust is where we find the physical expression
of the emotional intensity couples enjoy.
It’s never good to let that fade.
A little lust in a committed relationship can be a very good thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Greed has its
place as well. I’m not willing to go the
full Gordon Gecko and tell you that greed is good but greed might have a role
if it makes us demand what should rightfully be ours. Over in Israel, at the Kotel, a plan was
hatched and agreed upon to create a worship space along the Western Wall just
south of the plaza in an area called Robinson’s Arch. That was two years ago. Design work was supposed to be done with
construction starting as soon as possible.
Then the Netanyahu government cancelled it. Now, on the one hand, the wonder of Israel is
so great, the very idea of a place where Jews live as the majority creating an
organic Jewish culture is so magnificent that a place to pray near a wall is
hardly a major thing. Indeed, the way
the ultra-Orthodox venerate the wall, the way they are over the top about it
turns off many Jews. It is a retaining wall of the grand square where the
Temple once stood. Given that we don’t
want to rebuild the Temple and return to offering animals, most Jews have no interest
in the wall with any messianic ferver.
We go for the history, for a personal spiritual moment, to see it for
ourselves but we’re not that committed to the Wall as sacred. There is so much Jewish creativity and moving
spiritual moments away from the kotel, why should I even care? Let’s just leave the Kotel to the
ultra-Orthodox.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">And yet, I’m
greedy. I’m greedy! I want what I want. Israel, the Land of Israel and the State of
Israel make a claim on Jews worldwide.
We are all part of what happens there and I just refuse to let a small
group of religious fanatics dictate how I and my community should pray. I want what I want and I want the State of
Israel to either acknowledge that the Kotel plaza is not supposed to be an
ultra-Orthodox synagogue which it currently is or give me a space that is not
an ultra-Orthodox synagogue, a place where I don’t have to be hassled and where
I can gather and sing and pray as I wish with whomever I wish. Yes, I’m greedy about that. I want what I want. I’m not interested in logic or counter
arguments. I’m not interested in
parliamentary politics. I want what I
want. I want the State of Israel to
treat me and all non-Orthodox Jews with respect. Well, I want the State of Israel to treat
everyone who lives in Israel with respect but given the reason for Israel’s
existence, I especially want my expression of Judaism respected. That’s what I want. I’m greedy about it. End of story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pride is the
next one. How did pride ever get to be
one of seven? We teach school children
to take pride in themselves lest their self-esteem suffer. We take pride in our nation’s extensions of
civil protection and liberty to the underserved, the minority, the
oppressed. We even have parades
celebrating that word. How did it
become a sin? Like all of the others, too
much pride becomes a problem. Another
word for the sin of pride is vanity. Vanity
is pride run amuck. To express pride as
a statement of equality, as an insistence for respect, as a positive sense of
self, these are all good because they point to us as proud members of a larger
community. Pride, overblown, becomes
vanity, where self-regard comes at the expense of others, when our pride
denigrates others, when our pride is used to put others down. That is why we are talking about two very
different things when we talk about gay pride and white pride. Same word.
Two very different meanings. One
uplifts, the other demeans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I think our
community, our Jewish community at large and our Temple Beth Jacob community
right here could use a little more pride.
We always could use the type of pride that causes us to stand tall. We could always use a shot in the arm to
bolster our self-image. It’s hard being
a small minority. It can be tough being
the only one. One of the goals of Temple
Beth Jacob is to support your Jewish sense of self, to help you feel good about
being part of a 4000 year tradition and enable you to feel really good about
keeping that going here in this little outpost of the Jewish people on the
Hudson River. And for those who have
joined us via marriage, you get some pride, too, in this community you are part
of. You should take sustenance from the
community as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This is my
tenth year here and while I’m proud of this place, I worry about getting too
repetitive, too routine. I worry that
what we are doing here doesn’t really help in promoting your pride. This is especially true for those with
children off to college. So much of our
focus has been on the children. What
does Temple Beth Jacob offer you, the adults?
What does Judaism offer the adults?
A few months ago I heard Abigail Pogrebin speak. She wrote a book called, plainly, “My Jewish
Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering
Jew.” She spent a year deeply exploring
every Jewish holiday, fast, and commemoration.
She wanted to see if there was any meaning in them. Surprise!
There was. Another surprise, she
did indeed add to her Jewish repertoire but selectively. She didn’t become Orthodox but she did find
more pride and more understanding of who she is and how she lives her life. I’m going to put together a chance for us to
meet and read the book over the year to see if we can learn from her journey,
to see if we can find meaning in our Jewish calendar in our own lives. I want to see if we can build up even more
pride, especially for those who aren’t sure, now that the children are
grown. Stay tuned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I conclude with
a plea for sloth. We all could use just
a wee bit of sloth in our lives. We all
live in a world where we complain how busy we are, how fast things go. Not me, though. I love the fast paced world. You don’t like being texted about every
little thing all the time? Did you
prefer when you had to wait for a letter to arrive with your response taking
another week? Not me. I love the instantaneous. I love that I was able to text people from
Tanzania a few years back. I love that I
can send you a photo right away. I love
it all. And I love it because I control
it. Six days a week I say bring it
on. One day a week, I’m a sloth. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see that email
you sent. When did you send it? Saturday?
Yeah, then, no.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">There are
things that need immediacy and there are things that don’t. There are six days where it’s a mitzvah to
work hard and then there is Shabbat where it’s a mitzvah to chill out. No doubt, many of you are thinking that <i>your</i> life, the way <i>you</i> live can’t incorporate Shabbat.
That’s because some of you think of Shabbat as in the Orthodox
world. Some of you never had any sense
of Shabbat growing up and you’re nervous about starting now. And then some of you just have no
imagination. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Come on! Imagine with me. I’m not talking about being Orthodox. When I was a student in Los Angeles, people
asked me if I drove on Shabbat. I
answered, “How else would I get to the beach?”
Shabbat isn’t about “not doing” things.
Shabbat is about doing <i>other</i>
things. Indulge your inner sloth, slow
down a little. If you did the laundry on
Sunday, if you paid the bills on Sunday, if you went to the supermarket on
Sunday, what would you do on Shabbat? I
won’t be so forward as to suggest Shabbat morning tefillot although we do have
that twice a month and it is refreshing…
I’m just saying…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">No. No distractions. Let’s just stick to this question. If you indulged your inner sloth, put off the
chores until Sunday, what would you do on Shabbat? Hang out with your kids? Call your mother? Read a book?
Sit on the porch and do nothing?
Organize your closet? <i>What</i>?
Some people find that relaxing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">If you were
brave enough to control your life and take care of what must be done before or
after Shabbat, imagine what could you do with those 24 hours. Go to your daughter’s game? Catch your son’s concert? Walk around Storm King? Take a train to the
city? Take a nap? Imagine, just imagine letting the inner sloth
out and taking a nap. Ooh, or binge
watch that show you’ve been meaning to watch.
Sigh….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The gift of
Shabbat is there for you if you want.
Dinner with family and friends.
Bake or buy a challah. Candles
set the mood and 24 glorious hours await you.
And it’s all there for you if and only if you are willing to take
control of your life and engage in some holy, sacred slothfulness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">All of these
sins aren’t truly sins, in the end.
Maybe the early Church saw them that way but Jews have a different take
on sin. We see these things more as
seven facets of the human condition.
They are us and we can use those seven conditions to engage life in a
profoundly positive way. And, yes, if we
are not careful, we can abuse those seven and do great damage with them so be
sure to handle with care. But you should
handle them. Indulge them. With balance but indulge them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As we enter in
to these Ten Days of Repentance, as we enter in to these ten days of
reflection, thinking about our lives, what has gone well, what has not, let’s
think about where we indulged too much and also, which of these seven we might
want to engage a bit more this year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Shana
Tova. A very good and sweet and
thoughtful year to us all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205778%20sermons/RH%20eve%20Sin%20More%205778.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <span style="font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/378567196/seven-deadly-sins</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-10879776518850080922016-10-13T17:46:00.001-04:002016-10-13T18:02:14.412-04:00YK 5777 It only takes a little bit<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">It
only takes a little bit <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Yom
Kippur morning 2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Rabbi
Larry Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Temple
Beth Jacob of Newburgh <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We have a problem with water in the city of
Newburgh. Like most things of this
nature, it’s complicated but not impossible to understand. As best we understand, there was a chemical
used for firefighting at Stewart ANGB, perflourooctanic acid or PFOA. To the best of everyone’s understanding, it
was a very effective chemical and safe enough.
Upon further review, the chemical was found not to be safe enough and
its use was stopped. Production of PFOA
ended in 2002. However before that
happened some of the chemical was used at the air national guard base. Most of it was caught in industrial waste
retention basins but the belief is that a very small amount of concentrate
spilled into the ground water. My source
is from Public Affairs at the base and they gathered the info from their own
records and various environmental agencies.
I hasten to add that this is the state of current study and is subject
to change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There is a question as to why the ANGB was using
this chemical. The answer is: it was
legal and the base complied with all rules and regulations that were in place
at that time for its use. When the rules
changed, the base’s actions changed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Why didn’t Newburgh test for this chemical in the
water? Turns out they did as required by
various rules and regulations and they did report finding it. It was when the EPA changed the regulations
and determined that water quality inspectors should be checking not for 400
parts per trillion but 70 parts per trillion, that the new standard set off
alarm bells. Since then they have been
working to fix the problem including switching the water source for the City of
Newburgh. The city no longer is drinking
from Washington Lake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Why am I telling you this? The water in Washington Lake is very much a
metaphor for what’s going on in our country.
There are scary things going on that we don’t even know about. There are scary things that we know about but
don’t feel we should be worried about.
And there are scary things that are happening right in front of us that
we just don’t want to pay attention to because, perhaps, we just don’t. Or maybe we don’t want to think about scary things
because we don’t believe them. We
convince ourselves not to believe them.
And we don’t pay attention because we reject the knowledge of others and
just make up our own mind. 70 parts per
trillion. How can such a small amount
have such massive consequences? Is it
even possible that 70 parts per trillion can affect us? How can that possibly be? Won’t it be diluted? Doesn’t that just make sense? And yet, the answer seems to be no. Just a teeny, tiny bit can have a massive
effect. It doesn’t take much and we are
the fools who refuse to believe that. We
are the fools who won’t open our hearts and our minds to the idea that just a
small bit of something can have massive implications.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I feel like one of themes I talk about all the
time is trying to maintain civil discourse.
I try to tamp down gossip. I try
to hold judgment until I hear the other side of the story. My boys are very used to me saying, when
hearing some outrageous claim, “Just wait; there’s more to that story.” And there always is. And I try to listen and consider the
other. Before I get on my high horse, I
try to consider the other. I try to put
myself in that person’s shoes, to see the world from that person’s perspective
and I ask: what is going on that they would say that? What is happening that they would arrive at a
conclusion I would not? And while I
initially might think they are wrong, I’m willing to remain open enough to
accept that they might be right. They
still could be wrong but then again, they might be right. This is a pastoral approach. Listen carefully. Keep an open mind. As we make our way through Yom Kippur, we
ought to work hard, to struggle even, at getting out of our own way and opening
ourselves up to hear the other. We need
to open ourselves up to considering the other because understanding the other leads
to civil discourse. When we understand
the other judgment fades away. That is
not the same as having our opinions change.
Sometimes they will. Sometimes
they won’t. But anger, resentment,
hatred will fade. And that is a noble
goal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A long time ago, 1990, Public Enemy had a hip hop
song called, “911’s a Joke in this Town.”
You probably can figure out Public Enemy’s complaint that 911 sent emergency
crews to white neighborhoods faster than to black neighborhoods. Now, you can fact check every line of the
song if you want but I had to wonder, what are they talking about? 911’s a joke?
Like everyone else in the country I saw 911 as one of the great public
services this country ever created. Hard
working dispatchers responding to everyone sending help to everyone. I’ve always seen them as heroic. How dare Public Enemy spin such a libel. And that song has stayed with me all these years
because back then I asked, what is going on in their neighborhood that would
prompt such anger? What is going on that
could inspire such frustration? Turns
out Public Enemy was right. There were
issues of delayed response and the black community had cause to be
frustrated. But most people at the time
had the “how dare they” response and very few had the “tell me more” response
that could have determined the accuracy of the complaint.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today we have the Black Lives Matter
movement. Now, before you shut down
because a lot of you are inclined to do so when you hear that phrase, try to
remember it’s Yom Kippur and join me in a pastoral approach and keep an open
mind. Black Lives Matter started out as
a hashtag, a catchy and quick expression of grief and frustration. It is becoming a movement of some sort and
one of those groups recently decided they would attach a blistering,
non-factual attack on Israel as part and parcel of the Black Lives Matter
movement. This makes it difficult for an
awful lot of Jews and Jewish organizations to be supportive of their plea. Not because this section of BLM cares about
Palestinians. That’s not the problem. The problem is that they label Israel as
genocidal, alone among all the other countries of the world. That’s a real problem and a coalition
breaker. But, for a moment, just for a
moment, let’s set that aside and listen to what Black Lives Matter supporters
are saying. I mean, why do they even
need to say that Black Lives Matter?
Shouldn’t that be obvious? Who
says they don’t? But can you begin to
imagine that someone feels so put upon, so downtrodden that they have to affirm
that their very life matters? Who needs
to even say that? Who needs to claim
that? Someone who feels that others
don’t believe their lives matter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If this were just a bunch of grumpy folks, the
hashtag would have come and gone. But
when thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of black people start
using #Black Lives Matter, one ought to pause for a moment and ask some serious
questions to understand where this is coming from.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Of course, white people become very pious and try
to outdo the Black Lives Matter by saying that All Lives Matter. Let’s talk about that. If you say, “Save the Whales,” it does not
mean you couldn’t give a fig about baby seals.
It means, we can talk about those poor, sad baby seals being clubbed to
death, sure, but right now, for just this moment, could we talk about the
whales? Yes, the lives of all marine
mammals matter but just for a moment, could we focus on the whales? Yes, white
lives matter, too, but for just this moment could we focus on black lives? Just for a minute? That is all that means.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So when black people say Black Lives Matter they
are saying that they feel that somebody out there, they point to police
officers in particular, don’t feel they matter. Here’s the pastoral approach I
offer you. You don’t have to agree with
Black Lives Matter protestors but you should try to understand their pain. Agreement is more complicated and requires
real data and policy discussions.
Hearing their pain costs nothing.
What is going on that people can even make the assumption that their
lives don’t matter? How have things
devolved that a significant chunk of our fellow citizens feel their very lives,
and hear this, their very lives, their existence as citizens and human beings
just don’t matter?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do all police officers feel that way? I highly doubt it. But let’s remember 70 parts per trillion. How many unnecessary deaths of black men is a
permissible number before it gets toxic and we should question what is going on
with the police? The National Law
Enforcement Memorial Fund<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205777%20sermons/YK%205777%20It%20only%20takes%20a%20little%20bit.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
estimates that there are 900,000 sworn law enforcement officers. Of those 900,000 officers, how many are
allowed to engage in a bad shooting before we get upset? There will always be a bad egg among any
large group. But we are well beyond one
bad egg. How many bad shootings are too
many? How many bad shootings does it
take to ruin the reputation of all cops? We have reached our 70 parts per trillion. It is tragic that we have reached that
number. Compounding the sadness, we know
that of those 900,000 officers, there are, I don’t even know, hundreds of
thousands of police-citizen interactions every day and they all go fine. The police act in a professional manner and
folks are let go or arrested and nothing goes wrong. In the last few months in New York there are
have been police shootings that were legitimate and necessary and no one gets
upset by that because that is just another example of police officers doing
their very difficult jobs as professionals according to their training. Most of the water is just fine. But those 70 parts per trillion, that very
small part must be attended to. It
cannot be ignored. The 70 parts per
trillion that doesn’t act professionally does tremendous damage to black lives,
to their departments, to trust in a city and to their own careers and
future. The number of police shootings
cannot be diluted into something we need not worry about. We should worry. And we should listen to the frustration of those
who feel compelled to say black lives matter.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And let’s remember, the complaints about the
police from black communities have indeed been proven to be true multiple
times. Just this past year Chicago and
Baltimore received scathing critiques and they are not the only ones. There is something going on but if you are
offended by the hashtag, how will you ever learn what is behind it? And we must learn what is behind it for the
sake of civil discourse and care for our fellow citizens. We very much need to pay attention to 70
parts per trillion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What else is in the news that has a moral component?
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t use Yom Kippur
sermon time to talk about candidates but when I wrote my first draft quite some
time ago, we were living with the fantasy that Donald Trump didn’t mean anything
he said and besides, the argument went, he should get a pass since he’s not a
politician. As the weeks went by, I’ve
had to cut and cut. What is there for me
to say that so many others haven’t already said? All I’m left with is the reminder of the
early days of his campaign when he was playing coy with white supremacists. Now, obviously, plenty of people who support
Donald Trump aren’t members of hate groups.
Obviously. However, those who
are, your white supremacists and the American Nazi Party members, love
him. They feel he is speaking to them
and their concerns and they are becoming emboldened. Now, as always, I stand
ready to try to understand what is behind the hatred of these folks. It’s hard to read their websites or listen to
their interviews but I’m trying. Some fear the loss of Euro-centric culture in
America. Others just believe white
people are superior. I can’t say I’m very sympathetic but I’m trying to understand. On the heels of the vandalism of the Temple
Beth Shalom cemetery in Florida, NY with Heil Hitler and SS and swastikas, it’s
worthy to remember that these people are still out there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’m worried about the tone his campaign has set. I’m worried the racists and bigots feel free
to take their hatred above ground. That
will not be good for the Jews, I can tell you.
You’re not worried because there are so few of them? It doesn’t take much to spread havoc. 70 parts per trillion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This Jews have seen before and we know how it
goes. When the mob feels emboldened to
hate others, it takes a very long time to make it unacceptable once again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Of course, some of you are awaiting the criticism
of Hillary Clinton. If there is one
thing we all agree on, it is that these two candidates are barely
comparable. It is less like comparing
apples and oranges then comparing apples and pandas. They just aren’t the same sort of thing. Hillary Clinton has not courted white
supremacists. She is not beloved by the
American Nazi party so whatever fears we have over the tone of her presidency,
this just isn’t one of them. Criticism
of her is a policy criticism and that’s not what I’m talking about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A few years ago, a rabbi in Atlanta made a big
splash announcing that radical Islam was coming and that it was here. Do you remember that? Even reading it at the time, I found that his
passion was notable but his message was routine for those of us reading the
headlines. I’m offering something a
little different. Instead of screaming
about what’s already here like the Atlanta rabbi did, I’m saying, we need to
prepare for what may come. We will need
to be organized to protest and to lobby and to write letters and to insist that
our country regardless of who is president will not be turned over to the 70
parts per trillion who can do so much damage.
The military has taught me that it’s better to be ready and not have to
fight then need to fight and not be ready.
Jews know that you don’t want to fight bigots from a position of
weakness. You want to be out ahead in
that fight right away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s good to know that liberals and conservatives
will find common ground in opposing <i>that</i>
after the election. We will have to join
together to fight this 70 parts per trillion of hate regardless of who wins the
election.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Today is a day of introspection, a day to look
closely at our selves. Few of us are
true sinners. We don’t murder, we don’t
rob banks. Most of us in this room have
committed the sins that are small and ordinary.
We have our own version of 70 parts per trillion; just enough to ruin a
perfect record, just enough to make us feel bad, that we could do better. Today is a day of reflection. It is not a day
to justify. It is a day of honesty. Why are black people feeling their lives
don’t matter? How shall we respond to a
rise in brazen hate? To these questions
we must seek answers without, “yeah but…” without switching the conversation,
without hiding behind something else.
Today is a day of honesty even when we don’t want to hear the honesty,
even when it conflicts with what we want to hear. Today is a day of honesty with ourselves and
with the nation. 70 parts per trillion
is all it takes to destroy something. Let’s
remain vigilant against even that small part.
Let’s be open to hearing what is going on. Let us on this day be willing to hear
something we don’t want to hear and grow from it. </span><span style="font-family: "palatino";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
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<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205777%20sermons/YK%205777%20It%20only%20takes%20a%20little%20bit.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> http://www.nleomf.org/facts/enforcement/<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-17144915131631818602016-10-13T17:42:00.002-04:002016-10-13T17:42:29.299-04:00KN 5777 Teaching Israel<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Teaching
Israel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Rabbi
Larry Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Erev
Yom Kippur <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Temple
Beth Jacob of Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It all began with
my boys complaining and my ignoring them.
They were talking about summer camp.
Ethan went to Eisner, Lev to Crane Lake and they loved their experiences
but when it came to Israel at camp, they both complained. They hated the way Israel was taught. They complained that camp presented Israel as
Disneyland, a happy shiny place filled with goodness and positivity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At this point, my
boys had <i>been</i> to Israel a couple
times for bar mitzvah trips so they had seen Israel as a happy shiny place
filled with goodness and positivity. But
as is the case for any country, they had also seen some of the problems Israel
faces. Along with the influence of a
cynical father they were a little suspicious that any country, especially a
country in the news all the time, could be just so perfect. And now so was I because while I admit I
didn’t quite believe them, I took them seriously enough to look in to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And you know
what? Turns out they were right. We are teaching Israel badly at camp and not
only just at camp. We’re teaching Israel
badly everywhere. We are teaching it in
a way that is turning off most Jews under the age of 30 and probably a generation
or two older than that as well. As we
enter into Yom Kippur with a willingness to be reflective and self-critical, we
need to do the same with how we talk about Israel. The reason we need to do that is simple. If we love Israel and we want others to love
Israel, we need to be honest about Israel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Where to
start? How about we start with the
understanding that not everyone in this room loves Israel. Truth is a few of you do, many of you have
some sort of positive association, a whole lot of you are completely passive
and a sizeable minority of you are suspicious if not hostile towards
Israel. It’s difficult for me to explain
why I love Israel. It’s the place of my
history and my mythology. It is a place
of vibrant Jewish culture that exists naturally and outside of a
synagogue. Knowing Hebrew I have a
thrill using my Biblical <i>and</i> modern
Hebrew for purposes holy and mundane.
And it is a thrill to see what our people has developed, the country our
people has created in just 68 years. I
could go on and on but that’s another sermon -- and that would be the
problem. Just telling you how wonderful
it is no longer cuts it. It <i>is</i> an amazing place and you do need to
go but until you trust me and do that, we have other problems and that’s what
we need to talk about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The tale of
Israel’s founding was a story so good if it were fiction no one would believe
it. A secular newspaperman is energized
into activism after covering the trial infused with anti-Semitism. Tales of quixotic diplomatic derring-do are
combined with tragic stories of 19<sup>th</sup> century Russian Jewish farmers.
And then World War II came and out of
the ashes the small Jewish community of Israel maniacally brings in any Jew
they can breaking naval blockades and other skullduggery. And then 1948 came with a war that showed the
world how quickly Jews can go from striped death camp garb to soldiers’
uniforms. What a tale! What a story!
And it’s all true! Amazing!
Jewish kids in America who used to get beat up going to school walked a
little prouder. And then, catastrophe hit. We got too good. In 1967, during the course of the Six Day
War, Israel took over the West Bank and we became military occupiers. Now things got tricky. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At first it wasn’t
too much of a problem because surely this was just the temporary result of war. But as the military occupation dragged on, we
became something other than the underdog.
Now there were Arabs under Israeli military rule not in the course of
battle but day in and day out and these Arabs developed a sense of Palestinian
identity and they did not like being under Israeli control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And now, 50 years
later they are still under Israeli control and they still don’t like it and
this is where the problem arises. You
can say that the Palestinians have chosen a violent path to attain their own
self-determination. You can say that
other Arab countries have done little to nothing to alleviate their
plight. You can that the Palestinian
Authority is rife with corruption and you can say that the PA and the PLO
before it, having been founded in 1964, before there was any occupation let’s
remember, are focused on the dissolution of Israel over and above solving the
problem of the Palestinians. You can say
all that and you would be right but it wouldn’t matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The problem with
teaching Israel today is that we Jews have the hardest time acknowledging one
basic fact. Palestinians are
suffering. Life is really bad for a
Palestinian in the West Bank. Check
points all the time, arrests all the time, work permits restricted or
removed. Harassment by soldiers, by
settlers, a terrible economy. There
really isn’t any justice for the Palestinians.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jews who support
Israel usually say, well, whose fault is that?
Fair question. The PA has a lot
to answer for what they’ve done to their own people. The UN has a lot to answer for as well. Here’s a fun fact. The UN has an amazing office called the High
Commissioner for Refugees. They have
done tremendous work all over the world setting up temporary housing for
refugees and then, in a reasonable amount of time, resettled those refugees. The High Commissioner for Refugees alleviates
the suffering of people within a reasonable amount of time. But in the West Bank, the UN set up the UN
Relief and Works Agency in 1949 when the West Bank was part of Jordan. Let that sink in. This agency was set up exclusively for the
Palestinians and redefined the word refugee just for them. For
Palestinians “refugee” was no longer something we think of as a temporary
condition of people fleeing danger but a permanent status. When it was set up there were 700,000
Palestinian refugees. Today there are
five million because UNRWA declared that the children of refugees through the
male line are themselves considered refugees and that means that a native born
American whose grandfather lived in Nablus before moving here counts as a
refugee. Let that sink in, too. Generations of Palestinians who live in
Jordan or Syria or Lebanon are considered refugees. This stretches the limits of what we commonly
think of as “refugee” but there it is. We
should know that. And we should know
that UNRWA’s mandate is not to resettle the Palestinians which would end their existence
as refugees. UNRWA has tragically kept
the Palestinians in some kind of limbo, neither resettling them nor helping
them rebuild their lives in the West Bank.
In some refugee camps, there is still sewage running in the streets to
this day. That’s UNRWA’s fault. Many, including Arab leaders, have suggested
that they stay this way as a permanent thorn and intentionally keep the
Palestinians suffering because a settled and satisfied Palestinian is one who does
not demonstrate and commit violence against Israel. You can look it up. But we’ll see why in a minute why that won’t
matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Where did these
refugees come from? We don’t talk about
this much but we should. In 1948, during the War of Independence, many
Palestinians became refugees. Some of
them were the elite wealthy who escaped early knowing war was coming. Some were told by Arab leaders to leave their
villages in order to get out of the way of the advancing and presumably
victorious Arab armies. Some were indeed
expelled from villages by the Israeli Army.
It is estimated that 15% of Arab villages were evacuated in this manner. That means 85% weren’t but still, 15% is
note worthy.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205777%20sermons/KN%205777%20Teaching%20Israel.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> And then, like in most conflicts, the vast majority
of Arabs became refugees because they were running away from the conflict.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To the extent we
even talked about it, Israel education only focused on Arabs fleeing the
conflict on their own or the Arab nations telling them via radio and loudspeaker
trucks to do so. We never spoke of the
Israeli Army chasing Arabs out of their own villages. First, because we didn’t want to (and it was
an open secret) and secondly, because the State archives held these documents
as classified. But in the last decade,
the State of Israel has declassified documents and Israeli historians have been
studying and publishing these things openly.
So now we can’t ignore it and we should talk about it because Yom Kippur
is a time of honesty and we should talk about it because others are talking
about it. We don’t have a choice
anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’ve heard of
BDS? Boycott, Divestment and Sanction is
a movement that speaks for justice for the Palestinians but really has as its
goal the end of Israel. Their goal is to
plant the idea that Israel is a rogue nation and ought to be a pariah, that
Israel among all the countries in the world is the worst offender of human
rights. Not North Korea, not China in
Tibet, not various dictators around the globe.
Israel. It would be laughable if
it weren’t working. BDS is making
inroads and they are getting Americans of all persuasions to listen to a new
narrative. It is a narrative of a brutal
Israeli army viciously murdering Palestinians.
It is a narrative of Israel stealing land and houses, of Israel cruelly
working to destroy Palestinian life and treating Palestinians as second-class
citizens. If you are a Jew and wishy-washy
on Israel, there is a strong chance that the BDS narrative has reached you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">BDS often fails
when reason takes over. When trustees of
universities look at the reality of Israel they vote down these calls for
divestment. Outside of the boardrooms, they
are having more success because they are able to take a small bit of truth and
twist it into something massive and our people, our children who go to college
campuses, are unprepared and caught completely off guard. BDS will tell them that the Israeli army
committed ethnic cleansing in 1948. That
is, of course, false but since it <i>is</i>
true that <i>some</i> Arabs were kicked out
of their villages and BDS has no interest in context or nuance, they gain the
ears of our kids. Just as the American
army had Abu Ghraib, Israel had Deir Yassin.
However, the US Army should not be judged by Abu Ghraib alone and
neither should Israel for Deir Yassin.
But our kids don’t know that. They
never heard of the things BDS says and so they can’t refute the charge. And don’t forget, we have taught our children
to care for the oppressed. We should be
extraordinarily proud of how we have taught them to be decent human beings and
care for the oppressed and alleviate suffering.
What do we expect when someone comes up and says, “did you know this
suffering is going on?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They don’t know
what to say except, and I have personal experience with this, they come back at
their teachers angry and hurt and frustrated.
They want to know why we betrayed them.
Why didn’t we tell them the truth?
Why didn’t we tell them what is really going on in Israel? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And why didn’t
we? They need to know that Israel is
great and the very notion of self-determination of the Jewish people after 2000
years in exile is an awesome thing. And
they need to understand the difference between the State of Israel and a
government of Israel. They need to know
that criticizing the governmental policies of the State of Israel is fair
game. Criticizing the legitimacy of the
state to exist is a different thing entirely.
We need to acknowledge and teach that Palestinians are suffering because
only when we acknowledge that will our children be willing to investigate the
complex reasons as to why. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The enemies of
Israel today are those who are committed to alleviating the suffering of
Palestinians. The real enemies of Israel
no longer come with tanks. They come
with moral outrage. They are the enemy
of Israel because they do not care why Palestinians are suffering only that
they are and it must end. Let me repeat
that. For those seeking justice for
Palestinians, how their suffering came to be is of little consequence. The Palestinians are suffering, Israel is
maintaining a military occupation, end of story. Why Israel maintains a very tough occupation
is of no interest to them, only that it does.
That it is in response to violence taking the place of diplomacy, that
without the wall or fence Israelis would be murdered daily, that suicide
bombings are just not acceptable to Israel and that Israel maintains the
responsibility to keep its citizens safe from being hacked to death with a cleaver
is of no interest to those laser focused only on the suffering itself and the
moral outrage against this suffering translates as a desire to see the end of
the State of Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On Yom Kippur, a
day of introspection, we should teach Israel in a way that acknowledges some
responsibility for the suffering of the Palestinians or we will lose the
support of those who weep for the pain the Palestinians truly feel, those good
souls who don’t like to see suffering, like for instance, our children and a
lot of you. We need to be honest that
the current Israeli government has a settlement policy that little by little
removes the chances of a State of Palestine from ever being realized. When you look at the map you see a land mass
that looks like Swiss cheese. No country
can be formed out of this and we need to acknowledge what is happening because
the BDS people find our kids and adults and scream how Israel, the Jews, are
the ones who are no partner for peace, that the Palestinians just want a
country and it is the Israelis are uninterested in two states living
peacefully.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can say it is
for security and you can say it is for this reason and that reason and you
might be right but the bottom line is that the policy of the Israeli government
is making the prospect for two states a diminishing hope. If the idea of two states goes away then there
will be a catastrophe. Palestinians will
either have to be given citizenship in which case they could vote Israel out of
existence in a couple decades or they will have to be occupied by the military
forever and the military will have to use strong and brutal methods to keep
down the resistance. That is how it
works. A single state can either be
democratic or Jewish but it can’t be both.
Only two states will allow Israel to be Jewish <i>and</i> democratic. Israelis
talk about this all the time. We have to
talk about this, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is a new
approach to teaching Israel. It is an
approach of honesty. It is an approach
that recognizes the grievances of the Palestinians and doesn’t pretend they
don’t exist. The new approach is to be
honest with ourselves and acknowledge that Israel is no longer the little
underdog but a mighty force. The new
approach does not absolve the Palestinians from their own misery. It does not absolve the neighboring countries
who, did you know, have laws that forbid Palestinians from full employment and
even citizenship regardless of how long they’ve been in those countries. The misery of Palestinians is real and hardly
only Israel’s fault. But for too many of
us, we were never taught that their misery was even real and so when learning of
it and being told it’s <i>all</i> Israel’s
fault, we have very little to say. We
just don’t know enough because we were never taught the whole truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The new approach
is an honest approach, a fuller approach.
Mind you, some of those who weep for the suicide bombers whose mothers
give proud interviews praising the death of their children in the service of
killing Jews, some of them could stand to be more self critical as well. Seeing Palestinians as innocents is as
foolish as thinking Israel is perfect.
They need to be reflective and honest as well. But for now, since it’s Yom Kippur, it’s our
turn for reflection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let’s be honest
and talk about Israel honestly. Let’s
not get sucked in to the claims of our haters but let’s teach ourselves to
understand what they are talking about.
Let’s teach ourselves to be sympathetic because suffering is suffering
and no decent person can just ignore that.
Let’s teach ourselves not only the gloriously uplifting Israel -and it
is gloriously uplifting- but also the trials and tribulations a real country
endures. And let’s teach ourselves to be
honest so that we can understand the difference between legitimate criticism
and straight up anti-Semitism. But if we
are not honest with ourselves we will never be able to do that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And finally, let’s
commit to getting ourselves to Israel.
Go see it for yourself. If you
are ready, we could have a trip in two years, plenty of time to prepare and
save up. We can hear a variety of voices
and meet a variety of people. We can do
it if we’re brave and honest. Let’s be
brave and honest. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div>
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<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205777%20sermons/KN%205777%20Teaching%20Israel.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Step Up for Israel film
series, <i>Refugees</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-299075273742765192016-10-13T17:16:00.002-04:002016-10-13T17:16:22.477-04:00RH 5777 Private Act Publically Done<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Rosh
Hashana 5777 day<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Private
Act Publically Done<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Rabbi
Larry Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Temple
Beth Jacob of Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There’s a lot of
preparation for Rosh Hashana that we, the staff and Board and volunteers and I
do for you. And every year, as part of <i>my</i> preparations I remember what you do
for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I am
preparing, I know I am preparing for a big crowd and I’m very mindful of
that. I want to respect how everyone
comes out for Rosh Hashana. I’m always astonished that while we have so many
fun, uplifting things going on in the synagogue week in and week out that you
miss, you’re always here for this week; you come out for the most serious week. It always humbles me. Because so many of you are here, I am always
on the lookout to understand why and what motivates you. I know that guilt motivates some people. I think that is a terrible motivator but for
some people it works. But beyond guilt,
what else is going on?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let’s see if we
can talk about what is happening here so that we can all understand better why we
all attend and maybe we can encourage those folks who don’t to come back. I’m going to offer a few ideas I’ve been
learning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First off, I’m
thrilled and amazed that you’re here because this, gathering here, is a huge
act of faith. We arrive dressed up
anticipating -what exactly?-
something. Maybe spiritual
uplift, nostalgic warmth, theological challenge, personal growth, personal ethical
challenge or something else. There are
many reasons. What an act of faith that
is. You come looking for something and
you have no guarantee it will happen.
Yes, you’ve done this before but past performance can never be a guarantee
of future returns so there is an act of faith here. I’ve been reading a series of Talmudic lectures
by Emmanuel Levinas.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205777%20sermons/RH%20Day%20Private%20acts%20publicly%20done%205777.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> In one of them he speaks about prayer and
Jewish life as similar to the artistic impulse.
Just as an artist doesn’t really know what the end product will be, he
proceeds anyway. Indeed, the artistic
impulse, this desire to create something is simply that: a desire. It is inchoate, unformed until the first
sketches are made and then the work begins not on the finished product but what
will <i>become</i> the final form for no
artistic act ever comes out fully formed at the very first moment. The final form is the artist’s play between
the intangible idea and the concrete world.
So it is with us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We come here
looking for something, something different to each one of us, yes, but
something. We want something and we are
brave enough to come here and create it.
It starts out as a vague idea and will become something by the end. Just what, we don’t quite know but we are
here to create it all the same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I mentioned
last night, the new machzor is designed to allow you to have that creative
space. Different readings, different
styles, different theologies all in one book in the effort to allow you to find
the words that speak to you and your unique spirituality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here’s another
reason I suspect you’re here and a good example of the way our machzor works. Turn to page three, if you will. You’ll see that page three is in blue. That is a sign that it is for personal
reading, personal study. As you’ve seen this
morning there are times when you may prefer to linger on a page or skip
ahead. You may even find it more
uplifting and rewarding to ignore the rabbi’s sermon and find passages that
speak to you more. I’m okay with that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On page three
you’ll see a text from the Roman era with commentary from around the 6<sup>th</sup>
century followed by medieval commentary followed by words from the 20<sup>th</sup>
century. This is a conscious attempt to
bring in a wide range of voices. And
what does this text say? It begins with
the quote from Mishna, “On Rosh Hashana all the inhabitants of the world pass
before God like b’nai maron.” I think we
all understand that Rosh Hashana is the beginning of the ten days of repentance
and that we appear before God but what are b’nai maron? The Talmud helpfully tells us that in
Babylonia it was pronounced “amarna” not “maron” and that someone said it was
like the ascent of Beit Maron and somebody else said, no it means like soldiers
in King David’s army. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Okay,
perfect. Makes more sense. Not really.
So we go to Rashi, a famous commentator from France who <i>is</i> actually helpful. Amarna has something to do with sheep passing
through a small gap to be counted one by one.
The ascent of Beit Maron was very narrow and so walkers went one by one. And David’s army? Here Maron means something to do with
lordship and David’s soldiers passed one at a time to be counted. Three metaphors. You are sheep being cared for and counted
lovingly, every last one. You are hikers
making your way on an arduous narrow path one by one, but determined. You are soldiers, ready for battle, filled
with responsibility and each single soldier important and accounted for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our final
commentator points out that you can choose your metaphor but the bottom line is
this: each one of us is important, each one of us is accountable. As we pass through these days, there is no
hiding. We, each one of us, is seen and
counted and judged and we alone are responsible for our actions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why are you
here? Because you are brave enough to be
counted. Because you who might tremble
at your own honesty say, I have done good and I have done wrong and I am
prepared to acknowledge that. You will
not hide. You are willing to make that
lonely journey on that arduous path. You
are ready to be acknowledged and prepared to fight the wrongs you have
done. You are ready to know that in the
end, after 10 days, you will be cared for like an innocent little lamb. That is why you are here. Because you are strong and you are honorable
and you will admit fault with a brave face and not be the coward who runs from
this battle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But wait, there’s
more. It turns out that you are not
alone. You are with us. We are all here together. In Torah study, we’ve been reading about King
David and King Solomon. One of our texts
for study is Me’am Loez, an 18<sup>th</sup> c. commentary coming out of
Turkey. There is a comment appearing as
Solomon dedicates the Temple in Jerusalem.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205777%20sermons/RH%20Day%20Private%20acts%20publicly%20done%205777.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> In his dedication he asks God to listen to
the prayers of the community. That’s
fine but the question is raised: what about the prayers of the individual? Well, according to Me’am Loez, there is a
hierarchy. Prayers for the entire
community have more merit before God than prayers for the individual. In part, I suspect, because they are not selfish
prayers but also, Meam Loez tells us, that when you pray for the whole
community, you are including some very good, top notch people there. You include many righteous people and the
prayers that include the righteous are difficult for God to ignore. And even if you did not have righteous people
among you, surely you have some very good people among you and those people
with their ordinary good deeds become a very powerful petition before God. God cannot ignore so many good deeds among
the community and therefore cannot ignore the prayers that arise from the
people who have done those good deeds.
So, Meam Loez teaches, if you want to pray for health, pray for your
health <i>and</i> the health of the
community. If you want to pray for
strength, pray for your strength <i>and</i>
the strength of the community. Together,
we are more powerful and God cannot resist our prayers. Mind you we don’t always get them answered as
we want but that’s another sermon. For
now we understand that God will listen to our prayers because God cannot ignore
the community. Just dwell on that
teaching for a moment. We, all of us
together, determine God’s actions. We
insist God hear us; a Jewish notion that we are not powerless during these
days. Humble, yes, but not weak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why are we
here? Because together we are
powerful. While all of us have made
mistakes, we have also done good deeds and God cannot ignore that. Alone, you’re on your own. Alone you take a chance but together? We’ve got your back. Together we have the strength to stand before
God, confess our sins, beat our chests and yet know that we are not being left
out to dry. Together and only together,
we get a fair hearing from God. As for
ourselves, as individuals, would we have the discipline, the strength of
character to have a ten-day period of introspection? Few of us would. But together, together we agree to these
days. Together we accept our ancient
practice. Together we will make it through
these days and what’s more we’ll celebrate them. Together we sing the songs, read the prayers,
reflect on the readings in our machzor.
Together we can get that done and only together and that’s why you are
here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A pitch for one
more thing we can do together, alone.
You all have cards promoting the 10 Q project. This is something you sign up for online and
each day you receive an email with a thought-provoking question. As we enter in to these ten days of
reflection, here is a chance to reflect privately, together. You answer the questions privately and after
Yom Kippur they are sealed away. Next
Rosh Hashana you’ll receive your answers back.
This is a wonderful chance to join in a communal effort of tens of
thousands but in your own way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We come together
to celebrate the new year in our own way together. We have a machzor that has us all enjoying
the same tefillot but in our own way reading what we want to read. Why are you here? Because you are an individual and part of a
community and there is no better place to be than with your own thoughts
amongst your people and your family and your friends. Shana tova.
A very good year to you and to us all.
May we all be blessed to step out of this sanctuary feeling refreshed
and renewed and strong ready to face these next days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205777%20sermons/RH%20Day%20Private%20acts%20publicly%20done%205777.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <i>Nine Talmudic Readings</i> by Emmanuel Levinas, p. 42.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205777%20sermons/RH%20Day%20Private%20acts%20publicly%20done%205777.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Meam Loez, Book of Melachim 1 page 241.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-53679563800492961412016-10-13T17:09:00.003-04:002016-10-13T17:47:05.914-04:00RH 5777 New Machzor<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">New
Machzor<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Rosh
Hashana 5777<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Rabbi
Larry Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Temple
Beth Jacob of Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Shana tova! A good year to you. Shana tova metukah! A sweet new year to you. I hope you enjoy the honey to start us off on
a sweet note.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One of the joys of
Rosh Hashana is celebrating the new with the old. That passed down brisket recipe. Gathering with friends and catching up with
family. Opening up the good old red
Gates of Repentance. But not this
year. This year, along with the
familiarity of the tried and true, we have a new machzor, Mishkan
Ha-nefesh. Let’s talk about it and let’s
start with those two words: new machzor. First, a little history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Because you can’t
fit everything in one volume, synagogues always had two prayer books. One would be the siddur with Shabbat and
daily prayers in it. The other would
have all the prayers for the yearly cycle of annual holidays and that word,
cycle, is translated as machzor. At some
point publishers changed it up. The main
siddur now has Shabbat, daily and holiday prayers and the machzor is the
specialty item with just the High Holidays.
The “cycle” book –machzor- is now only used once a year. Waddayagonnado?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">New is the other
word. New is a word both beloved and
feared. Some people enjoy the novelty of
new things and some people like things the way they’ve been. I would guess this is especially true for
those people who only come here once or twice a year: you’re looking for the tried
and true, the comfortable and familiar.
And who can blame you? We all
love that the High Holidays repeat so many favorite foods and melodies and
prayers and themes. I know I look
forward to that. Still, sometimes, it’s
good to have something new.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The red covered
Gates of Repentance first came out in 1975.
Think about that. 1975. Where were you in 1975? Aside from family members or an original Born
to Run concert t, what else is still in your life from 1975?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The innovation of
that machzor was a break from the “thee and thou” style of the Union Prayer
Book and brought Chaim Stern’s glorious poetry in prose that carried us on a
dreamy journey through the days. But,
styles change, people change, the Jewish community changes. Like haircuts from 1975, that machzor had
fallen out of date. What is never out of
date is the fact that although we strive for the best, inevitability we will, from
time to time, fail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now, one person
sitting around for a couple hours thinking about personal failures is a
psychological concern. A couple hundred
people doing it together, however, is a healthy expression of personal and
communal accountability. To do that, to
have that personal and communal accountability, we need a guidebook that will
help us. This is our machzor. More than our Gates of Repentance and UPB,
this machzor is designed to highlight and encourage both the communal and
personal experience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Why don’t you pick
it up while I’m talking? The first
thing you’ll notice is the two page layout on most of the pages. The traditional prayers and a faithful
translation are on the right. Alternative
expressions of the theme of that prayer are on the left. You’ll also notice that there is often more
than one interpretive expression on the left.
And perhaps you’ve noticed some interesting notes along the bottom. In a few places you’ll find a page with a
blue background. This isn’t liturgy as
much as background information for the section it precedes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And <i>now</i> you’ve probably stopped listening to
me because you are looking at all of the material. And <i>that</i>
is by design. Gone are italics and
instruction. The rigor of when you speak
and when you don’t speak are gone. The
editors actually hope that as we say our prayers, as the cantor sings the
melodies, that you will feel free to explore the text, dwell on the text. The goal is that you follow along but also
drift away. The goal is that you read
those things that speak to you. There is
<i>too</i> much in this machzor and that is
by design. If we want to be mindful of
the amount of time we gather for each service, and I am <i>very</i> mindful of that, then we can’t, we must not read everything
from the bima. That leaves you with the
space to read it yourself, if you wish.
Read the blue pages; dwell on a poem we just read or on some prose we
didn’t read. We’ll all catch up together
at some point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You may also
notice that some of the left side readings will be contradictory. The editors call it integrated theology. It is an attempt to bring in a variety of
ideas and theologies to capture a sense of where Reform Jews are. We don’t all understand our heritage the same
way, we don’t all understand God the same way.
And a lot of Reform Jews, being the rationally educated people we are,
have problems with the very idea of God.
There are a number of readings that speak to that. Some I’ve chosen for us to read aloud, some
are left for you to discover.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bottom line, keep
an eye out for the integrated theology and mull it over. Do you appreciate the opposing ideas? Do you find them helpful for your own sense
of spirituality? And, take note, there’s
more science brought in than ever before in a Reform Movement machzor. The Reform Movement has no conflict between
religion and science and we tend to be baffled by the people who do. Science tells you how, faith tells you why,
religion is the attempt to figure out what to do with it. No problem.
So if you know of someone who just can’t abide doing that religion
stuff, have we got a machzor for you.
And let me also say, rational science minded people also make mistakes
and hurt others. The idea of taking some
time off to reflect, admit error and plan for a better tomorrow is hardly in
conflict with science. Reflection isn’t
all that empirical, I know, but then again, neither is hubris. No one is beyond needing a little teshuva in
his or her life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Back to the
machzor. The biggest change is the
shofar service. The shofar service
tomorrow has always been in three parts.
Mallchuyot speaks to the theme of God’s kingship, a primary theme for
the day. Zichronot is about God
remembering and then Shofarot has the theme of the shofar itself. These three were always together and are always
a highlight. Adults look forward to the
sound. Parents bring their children in
to see it. Because it’s a great moment,
the editors of the machzor decided to break it up and spread the three sections
throughout the morning. Sounding the
shofar at three different times allows the flow of the morning to have more
peaks and valleys. Pay close attention
tomorrow and you’ll see that Malchuyot comes in after the declaration of God’s
kingship, Zichronot after the Torah readings that feature God remembering and
Shofarot coming towards the end as another aural and visual crescendo before
the prayers resolve and we end our tefillot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I’ve tested
pilot versions, participated in mock services, and sat in on feedback sessions,
I’ve enjoyed the freeing aspect of the new machzor. Secular culture prizes a more DIY approach
and doesn’t care for one size fits all.
The internet has made freedom to follow one’s own path so second nature
that it seems odd to me when I can’t rewind the radio. We have grown accustomed to letting ideas
lead us to wherever we wish to go. This
machzor reflects that by having us all be together but not always on the same
page and I hope you’ll embrace that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I’m hoping for a
second benefit as well. The old machzor,
because it was strictly uniform, had turned in to a bit of a slog. We read, we sang, we read, we sang. Sometimes the glorious themes of a prayer
were obvious, sometimes not so much. I’m
hoping the new machzor helps us feel more deeply the themes of the holiday. One theme is just the exuberance for the
start of the new year. New school year,
new fiscal year, new football season, autumn leaves, a joyful or not so joyful
conclusion to the baseball season. A new
Jewish year celebrates coming together with friends and family and celebrating
another year, another chance to do great things. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another theme is
recognizing God’s kingship which is designed to bring humility. If we accept the metaphor of God as the king
and ourselves as the subjects, doesn’t a loyal subject want to please the
king? Doesn’t the simple man or woman
want to present him or herself as best we can to the monarch? Imagine the 90 year old Queen Elizabeth
II. Americans aren’t supposed to even like
the concept of royalty but given the chance to meet the queen, we all get wobbly
knees. Don’t even get me started what we
would do before William and Kate. We
want to dress up, present ourselves well.
Inform them of the best we can be, give them a tour of our town, our
home which has been cleaned and polished to make a good presentation. Do we think Queen Elizabeth doesn’t know that
our kitchens can be messy, that our towns can have a bit of litter? Of course she does. It is not the perfection she seeks but rather
that we aspire to be the best we can be, that we make a good showing, that we
say, here are my goals and I work every day to make them real not just on this
day but every day. Thus it is before the
very King of Kings on Rosh Hashana.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This machzor is
designed to help us identify and embrace those themes and make them our own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This new machzor
wants to remind us that Rosh Hashana is joyful; it is a day captioned #goals. It is not a sullen day to feel bad but a day
of “inspo” as the kids say. #be a better
person. #don’t be such a jerk. #life is good. #you got this. #take the day off and focus. This new machzor is a corrective to that feeling
of laborious page turning. The new
machzor hopes to inspire you to find joy in the day beyond our time in this
room. The day is yours, a gift of our 4000
year-old heritage so take the day off.
Take control of your life and join your family and friends. Come to Tashlich down at the river, make
bubbie’s secret brisket recipe, join us on our hike tomorrow. This year it’s very easy, a walk along the
river. But with us on the hike or not, just
spend time with family and friends and embrace the energy of a new year. If you haven’t figured out, I’m not big on
guilt but I am big on you taking advantage of the best Jewish living has to
offer you. It’s there. It’s at your feet. Just pick it up. It’s a new year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A new year. What will you do with it? What will you accomplish? What will you get done? Just imagine the possibilities. On Yom Kippur we’ll talk about the rough
stuff of apologizing and feeling bad about mistakes we’ve made. Can’t be avoided but for now we
celebrate. We have a new year ahead of
us, an uplifting, bracing story told in our prayers and a new machzor to bring
those ideas to you. I hope you’ll be
open to the change and embrace the vision of our new machzor and embrace the
joy of this uplifting day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-14310423027784812312015-09-24T19:58:00.000-04:002016-10-13T17:08:20.218-04:00Shma Koleinu and pushy prayers Yom Kippur 5776<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Shema
koleinu<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pushy
prayers<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yom
Kippur morning<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Temple
Beth Jacob of Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "gill sans light" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rabbi
Larry Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">One of the great High Holidays pieces is
Shema koleinu. The arrangement is by Max
Helfman, a very creative soul who taught for a time at our Reform Movement
seminary and died in 1963. The words we
are about to read are on page 336: “Hear
our voice, Eternal God; have compassion upon us and with that compassion accept
our prayer. Help us to return to You,
God, then truly shall we return. Renew
our days as in the past.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Let’s look at this for a moment. Perhaps just reading it, the tone seems calm,
bland even. In truth, however, the
grammar is all in the imperative. We are
imploring, no actually, we are demanding of God what must be done. “Hey,” we shout, “I took off from work. I dressed up.
I’m here. God! Here our voice! I did not come here to leave empty handed. Have compassion upon us!” It’s all very much a demand almost chutzpadik. And the music adds to this urgency, this
intensity. It builds and builds and
builds until the cantor comes out practically screaming for God to hear our
voices. It seems polite in the English
but it’s all very demanding in the Hebrew.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here’s how it sounds. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">What a strange experience this yelling at
God, this notion that we say, “You have to do this.” Let me just say, this is very Jewish, very
much our way. Our very name, Israel,
means struggles-with-God. Our Torah is
filled with stories of loyalty to God and then ignoring God and then fighting
with God. We are not a passive
people. We are not just prostrating
ourselves before the Lord on High without a good argument about it first. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">This dialogue with God speaks to the
dynamic of Yom Kippur. Coming from a
staid, rational Reform Movement, we are very passive. We sit.
We listen, we read. We make our
way through the liturgy well enough. But
the words themselves speak to grander drama.
There is shouting and demands. There
are also modest moments of humility where we lay ourselves bare, opening
ourselves to the deepest criticism. There are moments of apology so moving we are
reduced to tears. The liturgy of Yom
Kippur is a script of a day long drama filled with anguish. This is why Yom
Kippur for many is so exhausting. It is
hours and hours of arguing, discussion, bargaining, yelling, listening. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Again, the founders of Reform, in their
quest to fit in and not be as emotional as our eastern European
co-religionists, quieted the proceedings down but the storyline is still there.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I think that storyline can draw us in
even if we have questions about God.
There are Jews who just don’t believe in God and there are many more
Jews who have a difficult time with the anthropomorphized God we meet in the
machzor. To this I say, give yourselves
over to the story and understand the drama.
Don’t worry too much about the way the characters are drawn. Down in New York on Broadway, thousands of
people each week are moved by the drama taking place amongst cholera and
battlements in the streets of Paris and the story isn’t even true. If they can give themselves over to that
fiction because they understand the point of the tale is the point, we can give
ourselves over to this drama as well. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">This dialogue with God, this yelling at
God is all part of the contortions we go through to make Yom Kippur <i>not</i>
be passive, not to rely on the grace of some higher power. Listen, we demand of that higher power,
listen we demand of our inner psyches, have compassion upon us! Accept my prayer! Accept my sincere efforts! Help us to return to You! Some of us open ourselves up to God to care
for us and some of us in the comfort of the therapist’s office implore our
inner selves to be more kind to us, we struggle to give ourselves permission,
to let ourselves off the hook, to force ourselves to acknowledge fault. Who knows where these arguments really take
place: with God, with our psychological
makeup, with some combination of the two?
Regardless, the battle is joined.
Let the drama commence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">What a curious thing shema koleinu
is. What a strange thing to ask and
demand of God to be compassionate? We
are distant from God because we have erred; we have slipped from the right
path. By all rights God could say, you
made the mistake, you fix it. Yet, instead
we –again- demand of God, “Help us return to You.” Yes, it’s our fault but you can’t, you simply
can’t abandon us. Why not? After all, it seems God can do anything God
wants. The answer is, You just can’t. You simply can’t. God, we have a brit and you cannot abandon
us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I love this approach to God because it
works in so many ways. For those who
believe in a very personal God it contains an expectation of intimacy. Yes, of course, one must be respectful of God
but one must not be so awestruck as to lose one’s way, to lose the ability to
speak and advocate and insist, demand, remind God that the brit, the covenant
we share is a two-way street. We will be
your people and you will be our God but that has a few requirements, saith us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">For those who struggle with belief in
such an immanent God, this insistence offers an intellectual understanding of
how Jews over the ages have seen God and that viewpoint is not one of
irrational and foolish fear; it is not a belief based in terror of an imaginary
being. It is a belief in a God who works
with us, who listens to us, who does not expect silent submission. It’s a more vigorous relationship than often imagined
and dismissed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">For those who struggle with faith, fall
upon the old chestnut that God is inside our selves and struggle with your soul
to be both more repentant for and more forgiving of your actions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">After this struggle comes Ki Anu Amecha
v’Atah malkeinu, which we will sing in just a moment. “We are Your people, You are our ruler.” You have a role, I have a role. And your role is harder. Leadership is hard, responsibility is
hard. Caring for so many is hard. It is much harder, much more difficult to be
the shepherd than it is to be the sheep.
But that is how it is. You, God,
offered this covenant. You knew the
terms of this agreement and you accepted it.
And now, as we gather here on this Day of Atonement, we are doing the
hard work of trying to change and we hold you accountable to do your part. We are doing our best so get ready to
atone. That is the brit, that is the
covenant, that is your job. And so we
sing Ki Anu Amecha with a full voice <i>just</i>
to add a little reminder.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">And how does this play out for us? What is the effect of Ki Anu Amecha on our
psyches? We remember we are not the
center of the world. We are not the ones
in charge. We are part of something
larger than ourselves. We are not the
shepherd, we are not the vintner, we are not the creator. We are just one of many sheep, one of many
vines, one of many creations. We are
each infinitely valuable but also one among millions. We are unique but then again, truly, just
part of the masses. Each one of us is
but one grape amongst the rolling hills of the vineyard. We are not the center of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve been wondering if we’ve forgotten
that idea lately. We’ve seen degradation
in civility in what used to pass for reasoned conversations and political
debate. The Iran nuclear agreement is
one area where Jews turned on Jews to a very concerning way. Yes, the stakes are high but the screaming
and accusations and name calling has found a new low. I’m not a prude over a little political
theater in the service of advocacy.
That’s nothing new. But we saw
not advocacy but anger, accusations and assumptions that we were right and
anyone who disagrees is wrong and an idiot.
Everyone is either Neville Chamberlain or a warmonger. Everyone is a
traitor. Everyone is leading the Jewish
people to destruction. No one really
listens to each other. We yell at each
other. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s amazing how such a complicated
agreement could be understood so intimately by so many, so quickly that they
feel free to demonize –not just disagree or refute but demonize- the
other. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">This happens when we are the center of
the world. This happens when we think
that this grape is truly the better grape.
Gone is discussion, gone is learning, gone is reason and reasonable
discourse. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I love the Kol Yisrael project but one of
the problems I see is that with imperfect knowledge, people feel free to trash
some decision or mock some issue or grandstand about this or that. It’s easy to do that. Some people take pleasure in it, but it also
means that the gossiper feels he is the center of the universe, that she
doesn’t need to discover more info, that they don’t need to consider anyone
else. Gossip leads to half-knowledge,
unnecessary drama, roiled feelings and distractions that keep us from making
good, smart plans. Gossip and
half-truths get in the way of clear thinking.
They cause hurt feelings when none need to be hurt. They drain us of the energy so many put into
this project.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I know gossip is a worldwide phenomenon
but can we try to control it at least in our small corner? Yom Kippur doesn’t imagine a perfect
world. Indeed we recite merely some of
the long list of sins that exist out there.
Yom Kippur knows the way of the world.
But Yom Kippur calls us to make ourselves better. Maybe just this corner of the world could be
better. Maybe the rest of the world will
be mean to each other but we, here, we will resist the trend and we will treat
each other nicely, respectfully.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Maybe, as we have expectations as to how
God must treat us, we should implore each other to treat us with more respect.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">We are a pushy people. We have been since Abraham talked back to
God. We don’t take things sitting down but
we should come to that advocacy with some humility. We can say:
I do have issues I need addressed, I do have things to discuss, I do
have concerns and sometimes I am frustrated.
So who can I talk to about this?
That’s a better answer than a gossipy soapbox.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Shema Koleinu is about us demanding God
to treat us with the respect we deserve as people who are trying our best. Shouldn’t we demand that of each other, to
demand that we knock off the mean-spiritedness and come to each other with
respect and care and, dare I say, a basic love for another of God’s creations? We should.
And soon enough, after we demand of God and we demand of each other, we
will arrive at the vidui, the confession where we will own up to our own sins,
our own gossiping, our own degradation of civility. We’ll get there soon enough and we will beat
our chest and feel the self-flagellation and know we can do better. But for now, we need help so we turn to God
demanding that God help us be the best we can be. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: large;">We are not the center of the world. We need help.
We are merely the vines in a vineyard.
You are the vintner. But with
your help, what a thing we can create.
What a world we can make.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-25245209378963422632015-09-24T18:59:00.000-04:002015-09-24T20:00:34.165-04:00Yizkor and Candles erev Yom Kippur 5776<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: large;">Yizkor and Candles<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: large;">Yom Kippur 5775<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: large;">Temple Beth Jacob of
Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: large;">Rabbi Larry Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Ten days ago I
spoke to you about our community spirit.
Rosh Hashana is, after all, a festive day, a happy day of us coming
together to celebrate a new year. Tonight,
as we enter the more individually introspective Yom Kippur, I want to talk
about something more individual. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Let’s talk
about… juice glasses. When I was a kid,
we had, more or less, two types of juice glasses: the ones we loved and the
ones we wouldn’t touch. The ones we
loved were Welch’s grape jelly jars.
They had cartoon figures on the outside and as soon as we could finish
the jelly the glass jar was ready for drinking. The dishwasher slowly faded the colors but we
didn’t care. A jelly jar that was a
juice glass. That was so cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Then there were
the other juice glasses that we did not like.
These were squat little things that held just a few ounces. They, too, were repurposed but these had held
not jelly but wax. Specifically, a candle. More specifically, a yartzeit candle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Yartzeit is
Yiddish for “year’s time.” It is an
anniversary. In this case, the
anniversary of a death. Jews were never
big on birthdays but we have a finely honed ritual for death dates. There are five times one lights a
candle. On the yartzeit date itself, and
then the four dates we have Yizkor services.
Those are today, Yom Kippur, the last day of Sukkot, the last day of
Pesach and the day of Shavuot. The
candle is lit on the evening the day before as the Hebrew date begins. That would be tonight. The candle burns for 24 hours so it had to be
big enough to hold all that wax and inside a flame proof container, hence the
size of a juice glass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">There is no
prayer said when lighting a yartzeit candle but it is a nice time for
reflection, a moment of remembrance. You
light yartzeit candles for siblings, spouse, parents, child although many
people light just for parents and spouses and when needed, children. Some people have a candle for each person but
many people have one candle to remember multiple people. Either custom is fine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Afterwards, the
container can be thrown out or used for juice glasses. Honestly, it’s just a glass. It held a yartzeit candle, sure, but
halachically, it’s just a glass. You could
do anything with them and that’s why people used them for drinking
glasses. But my brothers and I were having
none of that. We knew that something
important had taken place over these glasses.
It wasn’t just that we were remembering dead people. It wasn’t just that. It was that these yartzeit juice glasses were
present for a whole ritual. It got taken
out of the special cabinet where a half dozen sat at the ready. It was set up on a plate in the middle of the
stove-top as extra fire protection. It was
lit with intention and a serious pause.
A very serious pause. In my
Bubbie’s house, the candle was my great-grandmother and great-grandfather. In my mother’s house it was my Bubbie and
Zaide. These juice glasses, handed down
–nothing should go to waste- represented the lives of people and more importantly
they represented <i>remembering</i> the
lives of people. Lighting the yartzeit
candle meant that attention had been paid. Lighting the yartzeit candle meant
that names were recalled, good times recalled, fondness recalled, love
recalled. For twenty-four hours anytime
we walked into the kitchen, past the kitchen, through the kitchen we knew that
remembrance was taking place. Actually,
it was nice. It was nice to know
remembrance was taking place. It’s a bit
sad but it’s nice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Often, when I
meet to discuss a funeral, families tell me, “We want it to be a celebration of
life.” One time at a different synagogue,
the family told me they didn’t want the funeral to be sad. I wasn’t sure how to have a funeral not be
sad. Then they explained they wanted a
“celebration of life.” I hear this idea
not infrequently. They want a
“celebration of life.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">First of all,
what do they think a Jewish funeral is?
Do they think we just meditate on the nature of death? Of course, not. We share stories and tell tales and remember
our loved ones as they lived. We recall
their triumphs and we acknowledge, with gentleness, their shortcomings. We, dare I say, celebrate their life. And that is what yartzeit candles are for as
well. They are not there to ruminate on
death. They are there to remind us to
celebrate the person’s life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Why has Judaism
not developed a culture of celebrating birthdays but has a ritual for
anniversaries of death? Because another
birthday is another challenge to make something of the next year. A birthday is the understanding that a year
of hard work is about to take place.
Work, study, relationships, growth, raising children, caring for
parents. The next year will be another
challenge. No child ever ruminated on
the passing of age nine. No! They excitedly talk about being ten! And should that not be the case? The secular notion of a birthday is a
celebration looking forward. A parent may
celebrate looking back at that crazy day of birth, birthdays ending in zeroes
may cause a brief reflection but really, other than that, what does a birthday
celebrate? It celebrates passage of time
but let’s be clear a birthday isn’t a celebration of life because you’re not
yet done with that life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The yartzeit is
the true celebration of life. The
yartzeit is the moment to look back. The
person’s life is done. How did he do? Where did she succeed? Did they make something of their life? And most often the answer is yes and we
celebrate that. The yartzeit may take
place on the date of death but its purpose is to gaze at the person’s
life. The yartzeit is the place to
remember and recall with fondness all that our loved ones did with their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">And when we
have yizkor on those four dates, yes, of course, it’s sad but what’s wrong with
a little sadness? What’s wrong with a
little weeping for the people we loved?
It’s okay to be melancholy. The
point is to take a moment, give yourselves over to the ritual and just take a
moment to remember. In a busy world with
our busy lives, our heritage, your heritage gives you a pause, a time out, a
chance to breathe in, say a prayer and remember. Four times a year, no, five even, we remember
and we celebrate life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">There is a kabbalistic
idea behind those candles and wannabe juice glasses. The wax represents our bodies. The flame, the best part of a candle, ever
reaching upwards, is the soul. The flame
always reaches toward heaven, always tries to aim higher. The flame wants nothing more than to go up
and up and up but it is tied down here by the wax, the source of its
energy. Our bodies are wax, living for
just a finite time but they give energy to our souls and they allow our souls
to be seen and touched while here on Earth.
When the wax is gone, the flame goes out but the energy of that flame
lives on forever. The body fades, the
body dies but the soul lives on in our hearts, in our actions and in the
heavens forever. When we light that
candle, we remember that precious soul and we celebrate that life. That is what the candle is for. That is what our yizkor service is for. It’s a lovely moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">But you don’t
come. I don’t know how many light
candles at home but our yizkor services are very poorly attended and even
yizkor on Yom Kippur is not as full as it should be considering it is a lovely,
poignant, quiet reflective moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">I suspect I
know why yizkor is poorly attended over the year. Two reasons, really. There was a tradition that children shouldn’t
attend yizkor services even adult children.
Some say they wanted to spare the children the sight of parents
crying. Some say it would tempt the evil
eye to cause the parents to die in the coming year. Whatever reason, children didn’t grow up
understanding what yizkor services were and so when it came time for them to
go, it wasn’t something they were familiar with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Another reason
is that yizkor is part of the liturgy for the holiday and many people don’t
liturgy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">What can I
say? I like liturgy. It tells a story. There is a mantra like effect in its
repetition but perhaps I’ll try to convince you of that another day. For now, let me meet you where you are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Over the last
year, Cantor Amy and I have experimented with highlighting the poignant aspect
of yizkor and diminishing the surrounding tefillot. We’re going to keep doing that to find out
the best way to create a reflective moment that succeeds. Come experience what we are putting together
and let us know what you think.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The climax of
yizkor is mourner’s kaddish. That prayer
runs interference for the deceased’s soul in heaven. The root for prayer in Hebrew is</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> <span dir="RTL" lang="HE">פלל</span></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>. It has the sense of interference. Prayer interferes, as it were, with God. When we say prayers we use them as
intercessors, something to reach out to beseech and prod God. There is a classic understanding that upon
death, God judges the soul of the deceased and saying the kaddish prayer interferes
with the judgment by softening the judgment.
Saying kaddish the first year after a death of a parent was crucial
because for thousands of years, we’ve understood that power of prayer as
literally having an impact upon God and many still believe that but for us in
the rational tinged Reform Movement, we may have lost that understanding. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Let me, then, bring in a different type of interference. Perhaps we can reinvigorate a tradition that
will interfere with your daily life, something that breaks up the months so
that three times, in the fall, the spring, the summer at the end of Sukkot, the
end of Pesach, the end of Shavuot, we can interrupt our rhythm and use it as a
time to remember those who came before us.
We don’t often get that chance.
Let’s see if we can do that, together.
Let’s remember together. Let’s
come together as a community to support each other as we remember. Let’s not let the years roll on without
stopping to pause and remember. Let’s
mark our calendars and add a flow to our year and light a candle in our
kitchens. I know that people can and do
remember all the time but there is something different about having special
moments set aside where we all share the same experience together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">To help you do that, outside I have candles for you to take home. I hope you’ll join me in remembering our
loved ones and adding, perhaps, a new tradition to your home. I know this will be hard for many of
you. Embracing an old tradition that is
new to you is difficult. It will feel
foreign. It will feel inauthentic. To this I say, just give it a chance. You are allowed to add to your repertoire of Jewish
living at any age. You are entitled to
recapture the custom of your Bubbie and Zaide.
You are entitled to add something new to your Jewish home. Rekindle the custom of yartzeit candles and
start tonight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">We have 200 candles outside, enough, I think, for a couple per household. Light them tonight and take a moment to
remember the best of the people you are remembering as you celebrate their
lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-24575092707486441792015-09-24T18:56:00.004-04:002015-09-24T20:01:24.849-04:00Let's talk to the next generation Rosh Hashana 5776<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Let’s talk to the next
generation<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Temple Beth Jacob of
Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Rosh Hashana 5776<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Rabbi Larry Freedman</span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">My goal, when I
became a rabbi, was to help Jews be the best Jews they could be and to help
Jewish families be the best Jewish families they could be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">That has worked
out fairly well but it also has been a non-stop 23 year cold-water-to-the-face
wake up when I meet Jews who really don’t care and Jewish families who have better
things to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It’s just part of
the job to be insulted once or twice a month by people who have no idea they
are insulting me when they say that this thing I have studied, the heritage I
have dedicated my life to and this mission of helping you that I have chosen
is, I am told, “well, I don’t know, my grandmother used to do that but who has
time?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">(You folks aren’t usually
the ones saying that. Being here pretty
much takes you out of this other group.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">A few of us
experienced this when we ran the Jewish Outreach Institute’s ”Passover in the
Matzah Aisle” program. For three years,
a few weeks before Pesach, we set up a table near the Pesach foods at a
supermarket with different kinds of charoset, matzah and other tasty Pesach
treats. We had a raffle, collected names
and contact info and basically did some outreach to the community. Instead of waiting for Jews to come to us, we
went to them. We will continue to be
creative in order to reach out but in this case, it didn’t really work. The Jews we met just thought it was great to
see us and they told warm stories of seders with family and warm memories of
foods and afikoman hunts and all that.
They were so pleased for this touchstone but when we said, would you
like to come to our community seder? You
should come visit us at the synagogue and meet our community they said, oh
no. I don’t do that anymore. I don’t have time. I might as well have been showing them how to
grind their own flour. It’s nice to know
someone is doing that but back here in the real world… pass.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Unaffiliated Jews
and Jewish families are out there in Orange and Dutchess counties but getting
them to engage their Jewish identities is a big hurdle. This is a sign of big trouble. The Jewish community of the US is in trouble
for a number of reasons. I want to focus on just one reason and one small
solution and to get there, I want to talk about talking and to do that I need
to talk about intermarriage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Now, after you’ve
taken a big gulp, everyone relax. It’s
not what you think. If you are in an
interfaith relationship and you are part of our community I’m not talking about
you. You are the heroes of this story. I want to repeat that. You are the heroes so for those of you who
have heard the word intermarriage and have already tweeted that the rabbi
stinks and you’re never coming back, let me say again, I’m not talking about
you. You are in this room. You are part of this community. You have had the hard conversations and you
have given us your time and money and most precious of all your children. You have trusted us –me- with your
children. You are the heroes of this
story. Do not feel threatened. Indeed, I humbly suggest you feel smug and
self-congratulatory as you will see.
Okay? Okay? We good?
I’ll come back to you but we good for now?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The attack
intermarriage typically took is that it lead Jews out of Judaism. But a study came out a number of years ago that
challenged that assessment. This study
looked specifically at young Reform Jews of marriageable age to see what their
attitudes were towards Jewish living and intermarriage. It wasn’t great.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">When they looked
at basic markers of Jewish identity, lighting Shabbat candles, having Jewish
friends, supporting Jewish institutions and so on, young Reform Jews had very
low percentages doing these things. When
it came to behaving in ways we would identify as living a Jewish life, our own
young people weren’t doing it. And then
their rates of intermarriage were very high.
A long time ago I was listening to the writer Leonard Fine. He said he told his children that the reason they
shouldn’t marry someone from China is that they don’t speak Chinese. It’s hard to forge a relationship if you
don’t share the same language. In the
same way, he encouraged his daughters to marry someone with whom they speak the
same cultural language. He meant Jews
because they would share a common cultural language. He was correct but not in the way he imagined. Today, young Reform Jews speak secular
culture more fluently than Jewish culture.
Indeed, they may not speak Jewish culture very well at all. All this is to say that intermarriage doesn’t
lead people away from Jewish connection.
Those already barely connected have no strong reason to find a Jewish
partner anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">That’s why I say
that those Jews and their non-Jewish spouses who join a Jewish community are
the heroes of the story because they have had the thoughtful, difficult
conversations with spouses, made a considered choice for their own religious
life and for their children. Within
these couples, the even greater heroes are the non-Jewish spouses. We have these amazing spouses who, and I’m
going out on a limb here, when dreaming youthful dreams of marriage and a
family, joining a synagogue never came popped in their heads. It’s the rare child who says, when playing
house, I’ll be the mommy or daddy and I’ll pretend I’m part of a cultural group
with which I am totally unfamiliar.
Spouses who didn’t grow up Jewish and yet contribute considerable time
and energy to the Jewish community are people who are owed a tremendous debt of
gratitude and we, and certainly I, don’t say that enough. So, thank you for what you do and the gifts
you have given us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The statistics are
very clear. The children of most
intermarried families are barely connected.
The grandchildren, statistically, have faded away, lost to the Jewish
people. You are the minority that
rejects that premise. You are the
vibrant percentage that is keeping us strong for yet one more generation. You have figured out that living a Jewish
life has meaning and is worthwhile. Too
many others have not figured that out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We are failing to
teach Reform Jews a sense of urgency, a sense of purpose, a reason to keep this
heritage going. We have failed to make
it personal. Too many of us for too long
have treated Judaism as a nice aspect of who we are, just another of our many identities
but nothing central to our being.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I have many
interests, many concerns but central to my being is that I am a Jew. My life proudly revolves around my history
and heritage and faith. I accept our
received texts and wisdom with love and admiration with the caveat that as a
rational Reform Jew I’m able to reflect critically at those texts. I also accept that as a Jew I have a mission,
a purpose in life; that once granted the privilege of being born into this
people I accept the responsibility of using my heritage to make the world a
better place and make myself a better person.
And I accept the notion that as a Jew I have the responsibility and joy
of always learning more about my heritage so that it enriches my soul and makes
my Jewish life more sophisticated.
That’s me. And it can be you as
well. Indeed, it already is the way many
of you experience your Judaism. But for
many others, not so much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Intermarriage
isn’t the issue. It’s one generation
proudly educating the next generation what Judaism means to them. Pride is the key term.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">If you are a
parent and want Jewish grandchildren, it might help if your children marry
Jews. Statistically speaking, it offers
a bump. But you know what works even
better? If you, you the adults, the
parents and grandparents and great-grandparents sitting here can dig down and
articulate to the next generation why you find it meaningful. Don’t tell them why <i>they</i> have to find it meaningful.
Explain to them how it stirs <i>your</i>
soul, how it moves <i>you</i>, how it
informs <i>your</i> life. That is going to be a challenge for some of
you because you may feel you already figured out how much Jewish life you want
in your life. But you are never too old to change habits. Maybe, upon reflection, you could add a
little more Jewish living to your life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">For years, just
five days after Yom Kippur we would have a minyan and a half show up for
Sukkot. Now with our pot luck dinner, we
had 60 the first year, 90 the second. If
you haven’t joined in, come on out. It’s
fun, it’s social, the food’s awesome, we don’t have tefillot but we do have a
lulav and etrog to shake in the sukkah and I will never tell you to stop
talking. Ninety people changed their
habit and re-engaged a little bit of Jewish life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Next thing on our
agenda to rehabilitate is Simchat Torah.
This holiday should be the most thrilling, the sprint to the finish
coming 8 days after Sukkot. We’re
working to re-imagine Simchat Torah to highlight the best part of the celebration
and retire what doesn’t work. So join us
for ending and restarting the source of all we are, the reading of Torah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Okay, enough of
the pitch. Back to the hard work of
explaining what stirs your soul. I’ve
spoken before about the pintele yid, the little bit of your Jewish soul deep
inside. It flames up over the High
Holidays then settles back down. But
it’s there. When you feel more
connected, when you have a spiritual moment, when your Jewish self is fully
engaged, the pintele yid burns brightly.
What makes it burn brighter for you?
That’s going to be a hard question to answer but if you can’t come up
with something, how will the next generation believe you when you say it’s
important? “Just because” doesn’t
work. Come on…. You like this
stuff. You do. But you probably haven’t been challenged to
articulate it since your bar or bat mitzvah.
And while you <i>need</i> to
articulate it for the next generation because they <i>are</i> listening, it’s actually more important for you to articulate
it for yourself. It’s more important for
you to be able to understand it deeply for yourself and your spouse. I suspect that even those people not Jewish
have had so much experience with Jewish life that you, too, can be challenged
to articulate what in Jewish life brings uplift to your life. What have you found to be moving and
profound?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">For many people,
more energy is spent explaining why the next generation must be a Yankees fan
than why they should continue Judaism. We
seem to realize that we can’t just assume the kids will be Yankees fans. We have to teach that. Same for Judaism. Is there something so important in your life
that you really wanted your children or grandchildren to follow? Did you spend the same amount of time
teaching why Judaism is important to you?
And if not, why not? Could it be
that you’ve never had to put words to something more emotional?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Join me for four
weeks in October for a planned giving class.
I’m calling it a Yerusha Will class.
Yerusha means heritage and it is what God gave to Abraham and what we
have spent the past 4000 years passing on.
It’s not easy to do. The Bible is
filled with stories of generations that were not very good at passing it on so
you’re in good company. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Four weeks in
October join me as we talk about what moves our souls, why we think there is
something valuable to pass on to the next generation and a plan to make that
happen. Think of it as Jewish planned
giving but your planning to pass on not your estate but your Jewish life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Do you worry the
next generation isn’t very connected? Maybe
we haven’t explained why <i>we</i> feel
connected. The intermarried couples here are among the few couples in the
entire community, I venture to guess, who <i>have</i>
had to talk about the religious life of their family, of the yerusha they want
to pass on and how to explain that to their children. They’ve had to talk about why Judaism stirs the
soul of the Jew in the partnership.
Other intermarried couples, and this I know from directly hearing from
them either a) found the Jew unable to make a compelling case for continued
Jewish life b) never had parents who cared about religion in general so they
don’t care c) don’t want to talk about it as it will upset their marriage; they
had enough stress when they got engaged and don’t want to bring that up again
or d) they met a rabbi who was rude to them and they walked out never to
return. I’m sure among the vast numbers
of unaffiliated there are more reasons but these are the reasons I’ve heard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This Rosh Hashana
as we delve deeply into our souls, as we consider how we wish to live, let’s
commit to considering why we love it so.
And we do love it because we’re here.
Something moves us. Let’s
understand what that is and then let’s put that feeling into words and pass it
on.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-80354934198857243102015-09-24T18:55:00.000-04:002015-09-24T20:02:09.526-04:00Things are going well. Erev Rosh Hashana 5776<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Erev
Rosh Hashana<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Temple
Beth Jacob of Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Rosh
Hashana 5776<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Rabbi
Larry Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">I come to you
today a pretty happy rabbi. The
atmosphere of Temple Beth Jacob is energetic and upbeat. More committees are spinning up. More people are volunteering for things. More creativity is coming to build upon positive
changes introduced these last few years.
And the Kol Yisrael project is a huge success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">So I’m feeling
pretty good which means this may very well turn out to be an upbeat sermon and
that is sure to disappoint those who are looking for something more dour,
something more guilt producing. Fair
enough. I’ll bring a little guilt later
on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Let’s review
what’s been happening. Our erev Sukkot
dinner is a hit. First year, 70
people. Last year 90 so we’re doing it
again. Just to review, pot luck. No services, just socializing in the sukkah
and shaking the lulav. And we have a new
sukkah this year. Great thanks to the
designers of the former sukkah but it’s time for something even bigger. We have a mah jong group now. We have pickle ball which technically isn’t
our program but I’m very excited about it.
If you don’t know, it’s a fun game popular with all ages which is code
for “of a certain age” which is code for, “I’m going to get myself in
trouble.” Suffice to say it’s a terrible
name but a fun paddle sport. Talk to
Gail Oliver. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Back to
holidays, we restructured family Shabbat which is successful when we promote it
well. Families have busy lives so we’ll
do better to help you plan. Our Pesach
seder is a joy but the feedback was that it was too costly. Two things about that. One:
Folks, we’re not making any money on this thing. There are costs to putting on a seder! Two: we’ll do better. We’re trying to figure out if we can bring it
inside this building. One of the
principle rules of KY is that no partner organization is allowed to do
something that prevents another partner from fully expressing itself. The kosher for Pesach laws are more
complicated than the standard kosher laws.
This is a topic for an entirely different sermon but the point is, it’s
complicated and we’re working on that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Now, Shavuot,
that is my proudest holiday moment of last year. We returned Confirmation to a Friday night
and held, on erev Shavuot, our first Tikkun Leil Shavuot. This is an ancient custom revived in the last
20 years or so. Traditionally it
involved Torah study all night long until dawn.
We aren’t that ambitious. We
started at 7:00 PM, went until 11:00 PM, had food at the breaks and featured
lay people teaching something. Different
people took a 30 minute slot and taught whatever they wanted that was either
directly or not so directly connected to Judaism. Forty-six people came out over Memorial day
weekend. That, for a first time program,
is a hit. It was fun, interesting,
social. It was a lovely evening. We’ll do it again so come join us and… what
would you like to teach?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Then, in the
middle of summer, we and Agudas Israel came together for Tisha b’Av but we did
something different. Instead of the
traditional liturgy, we watched a movie about the rise of Israel hatred and
anti-Semitism on college campuses. Now,
I’m not a fan of spotting anti-Semites under every rock but if ever there is a
day to acknowledge people hating us, Tisha b’Av would be it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">What’s
next? I’m very excited to try an
experiment this November 14. For years
I’ve been hearing how people would like to come out for Shabbat services but,
you know… You tell me you’re tired after
a week of work. You tell me it’s rough timing
if you’re also trying to have a Shabbat dinner.
You tell me that once you get in the house it’s just so hard to go out
again. You tell me you don’t drive at night. You don’t drive in snow. You don’t drive in rain. You don’t drive in rain or snow at
night. And I hear you. I totally understand all those reasons. I feel particularly for those folks who don’t
drive at night anymore. They loved
joining their community for Shabbat and now they’re stuck at home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">So. Now.
As I said, I totally understand all those excuses and I believe
you. I really do. Of course, you could just be making up
excuses to be polite. Maybe you just
don’t want to go. That’s possible. Or maybe there’s something about our Shabbat
tefillot you don’t like. To that I say
this. If you’re being polite, if you
would like to go but you don’t like something, like for example, the sermon,
tell me. Tell somebody to tell me. I’m flexible.
Cantor Amy and I have shortened the evening and we constantly tinker
with the music to develop a repertoire that is familiar and joyful but not
stagnant. Tell me. Don’t just murmur to your buddy. Tell me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">But if you’re
not being just being polite then November 14 is for you. We are moving our weekly Shabbat tefillot to
the morning. We’ll cancel Friday night
and meet in the morning. Torah study
will be first from 9:00 to 10:00 for those interested and then tefillot itself
from 10:00 to 11:30. I really hope
you’ll give it a try. I’m hoping for a
good turnout so that I can get good feedback.
Was the time right? Should we
have lunch afterwards or is a simple Kiddush sufficient? Should we build Torah study into the morning
instead of separate? We can create
something really meaningful and important and spiritual for so many people. All we need is for you to be the person to
give it a try. I need you to at least
try.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Ah! Good.
Now I’m at the guilt part. I am
aware that synagogues everywhere have large numbers of supporters and then a
dedicated but smaller group that takes advantage of the place year round. Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled that you are here today. Truly I am.
I stopped giving that finger-wagging sermon about how you shouldn’t come
just twice a year, blah blah blah like, 20 years ago. Hey, if you only want to darken our doors
twice a year, so be it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">But, you know,
we have so much more for you. Your
community has so much more. Our holidays
and our traditions and just the comfort of connecting to something larger than
yourself. This place can touch your soul
if you’ll let it. I just don’t know how
to get you to let your soul be touched.
I’m working on it. Everyone in
leadership is working on it but honestly, we need some help. Give me a call. Let me take you out for cup of coffee. I’ll come to you! What does Temple Beth Jacob mean to you? What does it offer you and what would you
like it to offer? Maybe there’s some
adult learning topic. Maybe. But I suspect there’s something else that you
yearn for. That’s right. Yearn.
It’s something in your soul, deep down, that is just not being
reached. You all are here which means this
place, Judaism itself means something to you. Help me help you identify what
your soul is seeking and then, help me help you connect more deeply. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">We are
partners, you and I. We are partners in
crafting a place we can call home, a place that connects us through the
ages. We are partners in promoting the
notion that we Jews and our Jewish families have a purpose in life, a sacred
task passed down for thousands of years.
Our mission is to make the world a better place and make ourselves
better people. That is our task and we
accomplish that sacred task through the structure of Torah and mitzvot and
community and holidays and customs and rituals and lifecycle moments. And we do all that together.<s><o:p></o:p></s></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">We are partners
here. You, me, the leadership, Cantor
Amy, our teachers, the support staff. We
are all partners in this enterprise.
Temple Beth Jacob means a lot to me and I know it means a lot to you. I know that because you are here. I know that because you offer your time and
energy. You volunteer or you attend
events or you buy gift cards or you join in conversations on our Face Book page
and, let’s face it, you donate money.
You do all that because this place is meaningful to you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Of course, because
it’s meaningful, sometimes problems arise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">It seems that
synagogues have lived a life with a split personality. There is the spiritual side providing for
your spiritual and emotional needs. And
then there is the business side which for decades, centuries was… let’s agree
that it was lacking in caring about your spiritual and emotional needs. In attempt to pay the bills, synagogues had dues,
building funds, mandatory fees, turning over your 1040, having to explain
financial straits. There are stories
from the old country to the new world where if a man didn’t support his
synagogue the rabbi directed the kosher butcher not to sell him chickens! Now that’s putting on the pressure. Truth is, these approaches worked for a time
and truth is they hurt a lot of feelings.
Everyone understands the spiritual mission and everyone understands how
a synagogue needs to pay bills but when the two sides draw near, there is an
explosion. I hear just about every other
month another story of someone humiliated, embarrassed, insulted because the
synagogue, any synagogue, asked for money in not such a nice way. The stories usually boil down to this: how
can a place that is supposed to be caring be so cold? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">It shouldn’t
be. There has to be a way to treat
people better. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Our new
partnership support model in place of the old dues model is one of those
attempts. It’s not about money. Truly it is not. It is about treating you with more
respect. It is a shift from us telling
you to a partnership where we talk to each other and support each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The key to our
new approach is simply an answer to this question: What is it that makes you love this
place? And what would you miss if it
were gone?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Here are some
details. Our budget is $330,000. Leaving out school fees and fundraising of
all sorts, it costs around $2000 per household to keep us running. By the way, I hasten to remind you that our
gift card program brings in $15000 a year to our operating funds so please
support it as best you can.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The partnership
support plan asks this: think of what
Temple Beth Jacob means to you and then do <i>your</i>
very best to support your community according to <i>your</i> finances. Some people
will contribute more, some less, doesn’t matter. Do your best to keep us going. You don’t have to show a W-2. You don’t have to talk to a vice-president,
you don’t have to justify your contribution.
Just do the best you can. No one
will question that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Now, people
will say, well then, what if everyone just donates ten bucks? And I say, that’s fine and we’ll close down
in a week. Yes, people can take
advantage of this approach but partnership support isn’t about finding a
deal. It’s about being a partner in your
community and doing your best, according to your finances, to keep us going
because we don’t want to lose this place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Back in the
summer I had a conversation with a person who told this story. On Yom Kippur, as she came in to the
synagogue she was taken aside into an office and asked to pay her bill. That was her welcome to Temple Beth Jacob on
Yom Kippur. When did this happen? Sixteen years ago and she’s <i>still</i> insulted and she won’t come back. I don’t want that to happen ever again. Partnership support means it won’t. Just do your best to keep us going. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Another
story. Last year I had five
conversations with five different families who refused, <i>refused,</i> to join Temple Beth Jacob because they couldn’t afford the
dues. I said, you know, all you have to
do is ask and the Board makes adjustments.
No, they responded. Some of the
families said they were not going to go before someone and plead poverty and some
of the families said, and this is the interesting one, they felt an obligation
to support the community to the amount requested and if they couldn’t swing it,
they didn’t want to feel like freeloaders.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Never mind the
money; we lost five families. Five
Jewish families who want to be here aren’t and all that energy and enthusiasm is
lost because our dues system wasn’t working.
Partnership support will solve that problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The bottom
line, the real bottom line, is that we need people. We need to inspire the souls of Jews and
Jewish families in the Hudson Valley. We
need the energy and enthusiasm of more people.
If we had $10 million but no people, what would that get us? People are our priority. Money is just the tool to keep this place
going so we have a place for the people to gather but people are the
priority. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">We have a four
thousand year unbroken heritage of connecting with God, living out our ethics
and values through our holidays and turning to Torah to find a pathway to
making the world a better place and making ourselves better people. We can’t let the necessary but less spiritual
business of business become an impediment.
Of course we need the money. We
have a very tight budget and we worry about it dearly because that budget
allows us to focus on our primary mission: the spiritual and emotional care of
you. That’s what we’re all about. You. Partnership
support reminds us of that. It’s really
not about revenue streams. It’s really
all about you, appreciating you, respecting you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Thank you for
doing the best you can do. Thank you for
being a partner in the continuation of Temple Beth Jacob and all we stand for. There is so much going on here. Join with your community for all or for some
of what is going on. Your choice. Just join in for something. I will always be happy to see you, my partner
in the life of Temple Beth Jacob.</span><span style="font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-8915861860822115292014-10-07T12:33:00.000-04:002014-10-07T12:34:52.113-04:00Yom Kippur sermon 5775<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Gill Sans Light; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Better than a worm<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Gill Sans Light; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Yom Kippur 5775<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Gill Sans Light; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Temple Beth Jacob <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Gill Sans Light; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Rabbi Larry Freedman<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">How do rabbis decide what to
speak on for the High Holidays? There
are cute aphorisms like, rabbis really just have one sermon; they just deliver
it a bunch of different ways. Or this
one: rabbis aren’t talking to the
congregation. They’re really talking to
themselves. I usually build a list of
topics over the year or I’m inspired by a question you ask. This year, though, I keep coming back to
community and the new ideas out there to help create that experience for
everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">We are a small congregation
in a small city that finds ourselves on the cutting edge of synagogue
behavior. Relational Judaism is all the
rage among Jewish community professionals these days. Radical Hospitality, it’s been called. It is a call to be friendlier, more community
minded. It is a call to take a nice
place and make it even more welcoming.
Shameless plug for erev Sukkot.
This Wednesday join us for a pot luck dinner in the sukkah. This was wildly popular last year. Same idea this year. No services.
Food, fun, socializing and lulav and etrog in the sukkah. You are all welcome to join a lovely social
evening.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Our Kol Yisrael project is
part of the endeavor to build community.
Yes, it saves money but money was never the only reason to form this
partnership. Community is the driving
issue. Being together even as we do our
own thing is what this is all about. It
is already happening even while under construction. Our community will be even stronger once the
construction is complete. The very idea
that two congregations are under one roof is thrilling. The idea that we can come together and
respect each other enough to allow two different styles to flourish without
judgment is amazing. We will be a model
for other communities across the country.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">However, to be completely
honest, I’m really ready for the construction to be done. If you ask me what this experience is like,
I’ll tell you it’s like re-doing your kitchen but much, much worse. But there is a light at the end of the
tunnel. We are getting close. Every week that goes by, every course of
brick that gets laid, every ceiling tile set it, there’s a new spirit, a
revived spirit at TBJ. Committees are
being renewed, projects are getting spun up.
We have a vision. All we need is
you. Pitch in with a short term project or just attend; join in on anything
that seems fun or interesting. Doesn’t
matter. We just need you. This is going to be great. Hop on board.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">And that’s my message about
brick and mortar that I can’t resist giving since I have a large crowd. But Yom Kippur calls for something more
spiritual, yes? Yom Kippur is a
difficult day, a hard day but a rewarding day.
It’s not a day for guilt but it is a day for struggle. It’s a day of honesty and that can be a
challenge and it’s a day of celebration because if you can keep up your fast,
if you can stay focused on your goal of teshuva, if you can talk to God and the
person next to you to clear the air, the finish line is very rewarding.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">So let’s get spiritual and
make our way. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Yom Kippur is about being
honest, really honest and suffering through that honesty. Yes suffering. You thought fasting was hard? Husbands and wives, children and parents,
friends need to have serious talks and it hurts to have them. It’s difficult to clear the air. It’s difficult because the goal is teshuva,
repentance, a sincere desire to fix the wrong, understand how it happened and
never let it happen again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">And the good news is that
suffering through that process leads to reward.
I’ll explain.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Why is there evil? There just is. If we want free will, there will be
evil. If you want the ability to make
choices, then included among those choices will be bad choices. If we want an idyllic garden of Eden where we
are no different than the deer in our back yards, a world of instinct alone
without free will, then we won’t have evil.
But we won’t be human, either. To
be fully human means we have to wrestle with evil<span style="color: red;">.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Tanya, the mystical book
by the Alter Rebbe, revered by Chabad offers the Jewish mystical take on
evil. Evil is a gift.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">You do something wrong and
it’s wrong. However, that’s not the end
of the story. You have free will. You did the wrong but you now have a
choice. You can fix that wrong, you can
make teshuva, and that’s a great blessing.
Every wrong you do gives you a chance not only to make up for it but
even gain extra credit for turning evil to good. I lied but I apologized <i>and</i>
learned never to do that again. One sin
is countered by two good acts. And God
is happier. The mystics teach that God
is <i>happier</i> than if you had just been
good. Being good is good but turning an
evil around through teshuva is even greater because the work to do so is so
much harder.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">When you have evil thoughts,
bad thoughts, gossipy thoughts, that’s bad.
When you push them away, when you make the moral choice to ignore them,
to suppress them, to choose to think positively, resist the evil impulse and choose
the moral path, that is even better. The
good is a good far greater than the evil was evil. You didn’t give in. You were in control of your negative
impulses. That is the path to righteous behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Mae West said, “When I’m
good, I’m very good. But when I’m bad,
I’m better.” Who knew that Mae West was
speaking in Jewish mystical terms. When
I’m good, I’m good. But when I’m bad, I
have a chance to flip the bad towards the good and then I’m even better. I’m sure that’s what Mae West was talking
about.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The mystics continue. Who is greater, a worm or a man? In Psalms 22:6 it says, I am a worm and not a
man…despised by the people. The psalmist
was feeling low. The mystics flip that
around to suggest that the man saying this was happier to be a worm. Strange because if I ask you who is greater,
a worm or a human being you would say human.
But sometimes, the worm is greater.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">How can that be? How can a worm be greater than a person? Here’s how.
A worm is a worm in the exact way God made the worm. The worm does exactly what God intended for
the worm. God said, you are created to
fulfill the best worminess that you can.
And the worm does exactly that.
The worm is perfect before God.
The worm lives up to a complete 100% of the wormy expectations God can
expect. Now the human. Does the human being live up to 100% of its
potential? The human has free will and
the ability to make the world a better place and make him or herself a better
person. That is our purpose. We’ve even been given a Torah as a guideline
to help us fulfill that goal. That is
what God intended for us. And do we do
that? Do we fulfill the best that a
human being can be? Do we come even
close to fulfilling 100% of human-ness?
The worm is doing great. How’m I
doing?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">That is our challenge: to
fulfill our potential. And it’s a hard
challenge. The worm is lucky not to have free will. Alas, we are blessed and burdened with free
will which leaves us striving to be the best person we can be while we struggle
to stay away from bad choices. The
mystical tradition offers hope. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">We can take the sins we do
and turn them around and that puts us well on the way to being the best we can
be. We can choose to be kind and
caring. We can choose to reach towards
righteousness. We can show that worm a
thing or two. That worm may be 100%
fulfilling the mission God gave it but it can’t improve. It can’t apologize, it can’t improve, mature,
learn from its moral failings because it never has moral failings. We have the ability to do all that. We have the ability to be better tomorrow
than we are today. The worm will be the same tomorrow as it is
today. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Don’t see a sin as a
problem. See it as a possibility. See it as an opportunity. That doesn’t mean you get to run around
sinning. The mystical tradition sees teshuva
as fix for sins you regret and running around being bad for the express purpose
of flipping those sins does not get you double credit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I’ll tell you what does get
extra credit. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">We are about to see the
conclusion of an extraordinary building for a project fairly unique in the
entire country. We have taken two
congregations and the JCC that used to work apart from the other, a real
missing of the mark, and brought them together to strengthen our entire
community. We are turning a negative
into a positive and that’s worth double credit in God’s eyes. May this building, this Kol Yisrael
experience inspire us in our own lives to turn our negatives into positives and
accrue extra credit in our lives. And in
that way, may you be inscribed in the book of life. G’mar Chatimah Tova.</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-15978666032971062912014-10-07T12:32:00.001-04:002014-10-07T12:35:12.636-04:00Erev Yom Kippur sermon 5775<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Gill Sans Light; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Silly Goats and Real Community<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Gill Sans Light; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Yom Kippur 5775<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Gill Sans Light; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Temple Beth Jacob<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Gill Sans Light; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rabbi Larry Freedman<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In another
year or two, there will be a new machzor called Mishkan Hanefesh. The title means “dwelling place of the soul”
and it will be edited in a similar style to our regular Mishkan Tefilla siddur,
the “dwelling place of prayer.” We’re
using an advance unproofed copy for our afternoon service this year again. If you’re in the Orthodox world, the machzor
doesn’t change all that much but over in the Reform Movement, with our use of
English translation and poetic interpretation, the book can become routine and
dated. Our current machzor was published
in 1978 so it really is due for a modernization.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Some of you
may remember the machzor that came out before the one we are using. That was the small UPB or Union Prayer
Book. That machzor had a relative
sprinkling of Hebrew and the English was filled with “thee” and “thou” and
other language we might find arcane. It
also had a section for a personal vidui, the personal confession. It had, among others, a section for parents
and a section for spouses and a section for children. My mother, about whom I usually tell
inspiring and instructive stories, would pull out the full blown guilt at this
moment. She would take her finger and
start jabbing the page that had the vidui for children. “Read this.
You have to read this.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Grrrrr. Even as a child, the majesty of Yom Kippur
can sink in and between the grand melodies and the formality and the sitting
there, you got a sense of something powerful going on. You began to think about things larger than
yourself, the very start of spirituality.
And then your mother starts jabbing your machzor hissing “read
this”. I am aware the attempt was to
focus my attention on something written for my age bracket but it kind of came
down like, “read this and repent you rotten child.” That was not the way to go.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Yom Kippur
is extremely personal. It really is all
about you, you, you. But it is
experienced communally. It takes place
best among us, us, us. The best example
of this in our liturgy is the al chet where we as a group acknowledge our sins
as a group. No one could face the
crushing truth of reciting in front of a group his or her sins. It’s easier if we all declare all our sins
together while inwardly acknowledging which ones among the group’s list
actually apply to you specifically. Only
you need to know and only you need to do something about that. It’s nobody’s business. And yet the process of teshuva seems to work
better if we make it everyone’s business to share the experience. You are not alone. You with your sins are not alone. We all have sins. We all have things that are keeping us from
being our best. We all have issues we
are struggling with. Your sin may be unique
but <i>that</i> you sin is not. You are in good company.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">And this
brings me to the eScapegoat. For those
of you who don’t know because you ignored two postcards, haven’t visited our
FaceBook site or stuffed cotton in your ears as I promote it endlessly, let me
explain what it is. EScapegoat is a
website telling the story of the Biblical scapegoat. This is a real thing. As part of the ancient Yom Kippur ritual,
when the Temple stood, two goats were selected.
One of them was sacrificed as a burnt offering. The other one received
all the sins of the community. The Cohen
Gadol would lay his hands upon the goat to transfer the sins and then the goat
would be taken off to the desert and sent off or, in some understandings,
pushed off a cliff. It’s rough, I
know. But the idea is that the goat
would carry away your sins and you did <i>not</i> want those
sins returning.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
eScapegoat website tells this story in less graphic detail. Safe for kids. After telling the story, it asks you to
upload, anonymously, your sins. After
you do that, you can see what others have posted. Again, it’s all anonymous. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Why did I
sign us up? First of all, it has goats,
and in my family, we have a thing about goats.
Number two: the graphics are adorable.
How can you turn away from this face?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Number
three: in its cartoonish way, the eScapegoat speaks to a very profound
issue. Can we articulate those things
that are holding us back? It’s a
spiritual exercise. Can we, using
primary color graphics, quiet our minds enough to be honest with ourselves and
allow dark thoughts to surface? Because
teshuva can’t happen until we’re honest with ourselves. And judging by the list, we have been very
honest. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">All of the
responses to our own unique Temple Beth Jacob eScapegoat are important to the
people who wrote them. Some seem light,
some seem heavy but all are issues keeping the writer from being the best
person he or she can be. At a time when
we are called upon to declare that this year will be better, we have to face
those things that have kept us from that goal last year. As of my writing this we had 67 responses
from members of our community. The
answers are anonymous but can be viewed by anyone on the website. Listen and take seriously the issues your
friends are facing:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I spend
time on twitter at work. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Four people
regretted laziness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Not being
attentive enough to family was a recurrent theme: “I'm sorry I didn't spend more time with my
children.” “For my daughter not being able to know all her cousins” and “I
often hurt the feelings of the people I care about and love the most” or “I
have lied to family about my availability to attend certain functions.“ “Find
the strength to listen with understanding to my children.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Marriages
came up often: “I have felt resentment
towards my husband who is a good man and doesn't deserve to be thought of
badly.”<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="OLE_LINK2"></a> “I did not support my husband during a hard time; I acted like a
spoiled brat instead.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Interpersonal
relationships: When a co-worker asked me
to record his ice bucket challenge, I deliberately did not hit record.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">There were
a number of comments under this general heading of self-improvement like “I'm
sorry I wasn't more humble. Too often I'm just a kind of snooty little smarty
pants.” “I'm sorry that I am not as tolerant as I would like to be” and “I
would like to be more forgiving...of others as well as myself” and “I complain
too much about what is wrong and forget to say thank you for what is right.”
“I'm sorry I can't do more for my Temple.
Perhaps next year will be better.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Issues with
friends came up frequently: “I'm sorry for the miss understanding with a friend
whose feelings were hurt. We have now corrected our errors.” “I lied to my
friend for whom truth is everything.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Our young
people added in sins too: “I broke up with someone over text message.” “I broke up with a girl because she was
irritating me off and still had braces.”
“I've slacked and cheated in school to maintain my grades.” “I lied to
my parents about going to the mall. I told them I brought x dollars, but really
I brought xx dollars.” “I'm sorry for not listening to my mom when I know I
should.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">And among
others? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I know I
need to change my eating habits but I choose not to. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I made my
daughter feel she is unworthy. Mostly, I
have lost my sense of spirituality and G-d and I want it back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I made
people feel guilty.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I got drunk
in front of my college age daughter, bad example for her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I'm sorry I
sometimes go for the laugh rather than thinking before I speak. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I have
guilt about not being able to let go of something I know I will NEVER be able
to have again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I can't
give up an obsession that's harming me and making someone I love unhappy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I am not
living up to my dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I don't
have the courage to live my life and so I look for means of escape. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I am sometimes
manipulative.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">If we want
to build community, and we do, we have to let our friends here at Temple Beth
Jacob know that we care for them.
Because the responses are anonymous, we can’t reach out but know this. To those of you in this room who posted, we
hear you. We feel for you. We are ready
to help you in your struggles. You are
not alone. You are part of a community
where many, many people have their own struggles. We all face struggles. We all have burdens. We all have regrets. Together we can help each other.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This is why
I love this goat. The interface is
juvenile but the meaning is extremely serious.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The other
great example of this interplay of communal and personal is the very fact that
Yom Kippur draws a crowd. The themes of
the day, the introspection, seem to be most effective when we are
together. You could pick up a used
machzor on Amazon and thumb through it at home but that’s no fun and I would
think boring. If we’re going to have a
serious day of reflection, it’s more meaningful to do so all together.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">We are all
in this experience together. We are
all partners in this day. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I’ve been
thinking of that word a lot in terms of how we organize our synagogue. For decades the membership model for
synagogues has been the only model. It’s
filled with words like dues and statements and member and non-member. It has a fee-for-service connotation, it has
an exclusivity connotation but perhaps worst of all is that it has a sense of
you vs. us. There is this institution,
Temple Beth Jacob, and there is some group that runs it and you can join or
not, you can be a member not. But then
what? So you’re a member. That entitles you to various services that
you can demand from the powers that be.
You vs. them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It doesn’t
function quite so harshly on a day to day basis but that is how it can feel to
a lot of people<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">What if we
changed our language? What if we looked
at this as more of a partnership? What
if, instead of a member, you were a partner of Temple Beth Jacob? What would that mean to you? What would that look like? What if we remove an us and them context and
make it just us? Right now, the
synagogue is trying to serve its members.
What would it mean if the partners, all the partners, contributed ideas
and energy towards the programming we have, the opportunities we can provide?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
membership model for synagogues had its day but now, we need something
new. We need something where all of us
feel a responsibility towards the energy of the community and where all of us
feel our contributions of time and energy and ideas whether large or small is
received graciously.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">One
synagogue, Beth Elohim in Wellesley, MA has a policy where they don’t say
no. If you have an idea, they synagogue
will work to give you a space and dates to make it happen. They will support the program as much as they
can financially. But, you, the person
with the idea, have to make it happen.
You the member don’t tell the synagogue what you want. You the partner propose an idea that is
almost always approved and then you make it happen with staff and budgetary
support. That’s a partnership.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The notion
of partnership with a synagogue is the idea that you don’t buy a product; you
support your community. As a partner,
you have the right and duty to speak up so that the partnership meets your
needs. You become vested in the health
of the community and you become empowered to think creatively so that the
synagogue provides what you want at the stage of life you are in. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Book Antiqua; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">We’re all
in this together. Whether it’s baring
our souls via the eScapegoat or imagining a new relationship with this
congregation, we’re all in it together and that is moving and uplifting and
very inspiring. On a serious day, I see
a very happy future.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-86665647276344829712014-10-07T12:30:00.003-04:002014-10-07T12:34:35.899-04:00Rosh Hashana morning sermon 5775<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">About
Israel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rosh
Hashana 5775<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Temple
Beth Jacob of Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rabbi
Larry Freedman<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Today, I need to
talk about Israel. It’s not a very
unusual topic for a crowd such as this and, spoiler alert, I support
Israel. But with Operation Protective
Edge over the summer and the more vitriolic than usual fallout, it’s worth
discussing Israel. We need to remember
why we stand by Israel and there are things to wrestle with and
acknowledge. Second spoiler alert: you
won’t like those.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Let’s begin at the
beginning. In 1894, Alfred Dreyfuss, a
French army officer was accused of treason.
Turns out he was framed.
Eventually, the true turncoat was found and after 5 years on Devil’s
Island Dreyfuss was released. Theodore Herzl was an Austrian reporter sent to
cover the trial and he witnessed the French shouting not “death to Dreyfuss”
but “death to the Jews.” He understood
that there would never be a safe haven for Jews in Europe. Whether poor and religious like Eastern
European Jews or rich and secular like Western European Jews, Europe would
never accept Jews and never be safe for them.
Herzl convened the first Zionist Congress in 1897 creating the modern
Zionist movement to find a homeland for Jews, someplace where they could be
safe.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Little by little,
money was raised, land was purchased and the Jewish population in the Land of
Israel began to be built up. Jews had
always been there but now European Jews started to move in and develop
agriculture and towns and infrastructure.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
The true story of
the founding of a Jewish state is a story of how only Jews were going to look
out for Jews; if Jews wanted a safe haven, they would have to create it
themselves. The romantic and heroic
story of Jews leaving permanent victim status and creating their own state is
very much true. It is important to
understand that the Jewish people since our dispersal by the Romans in 70 CE
were no longer players on the world stage.
We were guests in someone else’s country, guests in someone else’s
story. In the 19<sup>th</sup> century,
nationalism became a popular and prized political philosophy but Jews had no
nation and so we had no place in the world.
Zionism returned a nationalist narrative to the Jewish people and 1948
returned us to the world stage. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Of course, around
this time, the dream of an independent state wasn’t unique. Empires around the
globe were crumbling and former colonies were becoming actual countries. India was founded in 1947. Jordan, as we know it today, was founded in
May of 1946, two years before Israel. The difference for Jews is that we
encouraged more Jews to come and live in this new country. I don’t know if India and Pakistan had a
worldwide campaign to encourage Indians and Pakistanis to come home after <i>their</i> founding. If they did, nobody seems to mind.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
We returned to the
world stage. We had a country that would
speak for Jews and we didn’t have to scrape and grovel to our host
countries. We had diplomats who would
argue for the State of Israel and by extension Jews. We had representation at sports events and
scientific conferences under the banner of the State of Israel offering pride
to Jews everywhere. It cannot be
overstated what life was like for Jews after the declaration of the State of
Israel. You became somebody. You walked prouder and quite frankly, you
didn’t take the crap you used to take.
The State of Israel looks out for Jews wherever they are and raises the
pride of Jews wherever they are.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
But this true
heroic, romantic story is taking a hit these days by the reality that
followed. In Israel, the promise of
equality for all remains but the reality is not what we might want. Arabs and Jews for the most part live
separately and go to school separately.
Everyone meets and mixes in the courts and hospitals, shopping malls and
universities but in many other parts of society, there is separation. Yes, everyone will be treated fairly in the
hospitals. Yes, there is an Arab supreme
court justice. Yes, there was an Arab
Miss Israel. Yes, yes, yes. And even with all that, day-to-day, there’s
bigotry towards Israeli Arabs. They face
a lot of discrimination. It’s not even
close to apartheid but it’s not good either.
We need to understand that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Since 1967, there
has also been another issue that we haven’t wanted to deal with. When Israel won the 6-Day war, a success
beyond belief, a miracle from on high, that victory brought the west bank of
the Jordan river under Israeli control.
It was occupied by the military and it continues to be occupied. Perhaps it is occupied because Israel never
had the vision to get out or it is occupied as a necessary military buffer zone
to keep terrorists at bay or it is occupied because Biblical lands, the very
towns mentioned in the Torah are under Jewish control and cannot be
relinquished. But in the end, it is
occupied territory. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
For a number of
years, the occupation was benign as far as these things go but in the 1970s,
settlements started. Some of the
settlements are right on the Green Line boundary, populated by Jews who want
inexpensive housing. Other settlements
built farther in are populated by religious Zionists; real zealots and as a
group, not very nice to the Palestinians.
While I’m sure there are kind settlers, the settlers who cause friction
are bigots and harass the Palestinians where they can. Currently there is a Price Tag phenomenon
whereby settlers vandalize and destroy Arab property. The occupation itself is rough and brutal and
oppresses the Palestinian people. That’s
the honest truth. Of course, we know
why. Without it, the West Bank would return
to a cauldron of suicide bombers.
Without the oppression, terrorism would be unchained. But that doesn’t change the facts of
occupation or that the settlements are taking land, taking resources and
carving up the topography. Palestinians
fear that the real purpose of the settlements is to disrupt any ability for a
State to Palestine to even exist. And
gauging by the current government, they just may be right. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
I’m reading Ari
Shavit’s book, “My Promised Land.” It is
a compelling narrative based on first person interviews and arduous archive
searches. He recounts a glorious story
of Jews buying and developing land into farms, kibbutzim, schools, medical
clinics; of Jews giving up everything to build a place where Jews would be
safe. And they did this with the help
and aid and friendship of the local Arabs.
Before the British left, Palestine was a place of orange groves and
Arab-Jewish cooperation. Except when it
wasn’t. There were lynchings of Jews,
bombings of Jews, murders of Jews. And
at times, murders of Arabs. It bred
suspicion. Could these friends of the
Jews be trusted if war broke out? Whom
would an Arab village support? The Jews
or the Jordanian army?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
In 1948 when the
Yishuv, the pre-State government, declared independence with its arm
outstretched to neighboring Arab countries, it was, to no one’s surprise,
smacked away. War broke out and while
some Arabs fled their villages those Arab villages in strategic areas were
occupied and then emptied by Jews.
Israel itself was not cleansed of Arabs but this town here, that village
there certainly was. The Palestinian
story of being kicked out of their homes is not just rhetoric. It really happened and they really believe
they are entitled to return. We have to
come to grips with that. You may feel
better knowing that Jews were expelled from any territory the Arab armies
captured, most famously the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem. They were also attacked and expelled from
Arab countries before and after 1948.
Babylonian Jews, a presence for 3000 years, were unceremoniously
expelled from Iraq. We are not speaking
of polite times. The ugly side of
nationalism was alive and well all around the middle east. War brings out the worst in everyone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
The Palestinians
call the Israel War of Independence the Naqba, disaster. From their point of view, it surely was. And
I feel pretty bad about that. I really do feel for them if their grandparents
and great-grandparents were forced out of their homes. What kind of person would I be if I ignored
suffering? I’m sorry if Palestinians feel like they are trapped in Gaza because
of that Naqba. A decent Jew should be
willing to discuss that history. But a
decent Jew also has to live in the modern day and today they are shooting
rockets at my people. In word and deed
they seek the destruction of the State of Israel and the death of as many Jews
as possible. So, honestly, I want to be
sympathetic but first things first. Stop
trying to kill my family. We have much
to discuss. We can look forward to reconciliation
but first stop… killing…my … family.
Palestinians want to talk about a lost home from 1948. I want to talk about rockets in 2014. I think my issue has more urgency.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
That’s why we
defend Israel. That’s why we stand by
Israel. The outcome if we don’t is too
horrible to imagine. Jews who feel more for the plight of the Palestinians than
Israelis are either ill informed or fools.
However, Jews who ignore the claims of the Palestinians are either ill
informed or cruel. I’m not a fool but I
also don’t want to be cruel. The issue
isn’t that I don’t care. It’s that I
have to prioritize. Multiple things are
happening all at the same time and they can’t all be dealt with at the same
time. There are legitimate grievances of
Palestinians. Then there is the more
pressing matter of rockets being fired to kill Jews. My full defense of Israel’s self defense
doesn’t presume I’ve forgotten about the suffering of the Palestinian populace. My sympathy towards those who suffer war’s
effects doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten why Israel went after Hamas in the first
place: to wipe out the State of Israel,
slowly but surely.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
And if that’s not
reason enough to support Israel, the worldwide reaction to the war in Gaza
offers more.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
This past summer,
out of anger at Israel, there was a near lynching of a Jew in Calgary.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205775%20sermons/About%20Israel,%20RH%20day%205775.doc#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> A
supermarket in England was attacked by a protest that yanked kosher foods off
the shelves. Following this, another
supermarket in England pulled it’s kosher products of their shelves though
they’ve since apologized.<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205775%20sermons/About%20Israel,%20RH%20day%205775.doc#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> European protests called for gassing the Jews
and shouts of Hitler was right. In
Paris, 200 Jews were besieged in a synagogue.
In Germany an orthodox Jewish 18 year old punched in the face and a
Molotov cocktail thrown. Why did so many
protests include the cry “death to the Jews” and not “death to Israel”?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
We’re back to the
Dreyfus case. We’ve returned to where we
see people around the world feeling comfortable not just to criticize Israel
but also to hate Jews. That’s something new
– and old – and new. And this, too,
needs our voices raised in protest.
This, too, is why we must support Israel because what happened around
the world this summer is the very reason Israel came to be. To support Israel means refusing to go
backwards in time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
The history of the
State of Israel is complicated and filled with uncomfortable truths of what we,
in the name of self-preservation, did and what we continue to do to
others. And it’s a story of what others
did to us: expulsions, lynchings, bombings, hatred.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Let’s acknowledge
that but let’s not lose focus. We have
to support Israel during times of self-defense.
Decent people everywhere need to speak out in support of the only country
interested in the national liberation aspirations of the Jewish people. Israel remains a refuge for oppressed
Jews. Israel remains a source of Jewish
culture and learning and a protector of Jewish heritage. It is home to the largest population of Jews
with very hostile terrorist groups all about. We have to speak up and defend
Israel’s right to exist. The rest of it
is up for discussion but don’t let anyone confuse the issue. There is disagreeing with the policies of a
sovereign nation and then there is the desire to erase that sovereign
nation. One is fair, the other is pure
hatred. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
In lightening
speed, Jews from around the world turned a former Ottoman Empire backwater into
an amazing economic, cultural, academic, tour de force. Israel is simply, on so many levels amazing. We should never let the headlines make us
forget that. That’s why it’s okay to
celebrate Israel even as you remember the legitimate grievances of the
Palestinian people. It’s not okay to let
the world get away demonizing the State of Israel while ignoring the right of
Israeli self-defense against thousands and thousands of rockets. It’s okay to be torn over Israeli policy and
proud that Israel remains strong. There
is no shame in being strong. There is no
shame in acknowledging mistakes. One can
make mistakes and be strong and on balance, be just. That is a complicated position but it is the
right position. Welcome to the middle
east. Welcome to Israel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div>
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<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205775%20sermons/About%20Israel,%20RH%20day%205775.doc#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/07/21/family-recounts-attack-calgary-rally-organizers-to-apologize-for-violence<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/Larry/Dropbox/Sermons/High%20Holiday%20Sermons/RH,%20YK%205775%20sermons/About%20Israel,%20RH%20day%205775.doc#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/sainsburys-condemned-for-taking-kosher-food-off-shelves-during-propalestinian-protest-9675242.html<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-50298934771834232122014-10-07T12:29:00.001-04:002014-10-07T12:29:33.305-04:00Erev Rosh Hashana sermon 5775<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Relational
Judaism<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Erev
Rosh Hashana 5775<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Temple
Beth Jacob of Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Gill Sans Light","sans-serif"; font-size: 20.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rabbi
Larry Freedman<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
So who’s surprised
to see me standing here tonight? I can
tell you I’m surprised to see me here. I
was sure my future was holding something else.
But I’m here and it’s all good.
Glad to have a stressful year behind me.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
I make a joke each
year as we begin our tefillot that it seems a shame how just when everyone is
at their chattiest and happiest, I call the crowd to order and begin
services. Don’t get me wrong. Many of us like the liturgy and I look
forward to hearing the grand melodies and I enjoy the themes of the day but I
am aware that not everyone feels that way.
I suspect that everyone has his or her own favorite part of the
day. Avinu malkeinu is a big part. The shofar is a big part. Food is a big
part. Family is a big part. Friends are a big part. The social aspect of Rosh Hashana is a big
part of the allure of the day. We like
seeing each other. We like being engaged
with each other. And that’s how it
should be.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Last year Ron
Wolfson wrote a book titled Relational Judaism and his basic thesis is that if
we want Jewish communities and synagogues in particular to continue, we have to
play to that strength. It used to be
that Jews would join synagogues just because that is what you would do. You grow up, get married, join a
synagogue. Synagogues had to provide
meaningful experiences but truth is, the Jews were joining no matter what. That is no longer the case -- not for
us. It’s a new world, Golde. It’s a world of gen x and millennials and
multiple identities and multi-culturalism and despite the persistent scourge of
anti-Semitism, unlimited opportunities for Jews. You don’t need to be in a synagogue to find
people with common interests. You don’t
need to be in a synagogue to find a social life. If you have wifi, you don’t even need a
synagogue for Rosh Hashana services- just stream them while sitting on the couch.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
What? I could have stayed home?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Yes, you could
have streamed Rosh Hashana from any of a hundred synagogues out there. But you didn’t and deep down you know that
being here is better than being in front of a screen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
It’s the
people. It’s got to be the people. Sitting on the couch streaming Rosh Hashana
is fine if you can’t get out of the house but it’s lonely. You’re watching an experience but you’re not
sharing an experience. There’s nothing
quite like being with people who share 4000 years of history. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
It’s got to be the
people. It’s the experience of what
happens when we gather. Do you know why
Home Depot has craft days and DIY seminars?
It’s not just to get people to buy product. It’s to get you interacting with them and
with other people. Why are the Apple
Stores so successful with a product you can buy so easily over the
internet? It’s the experience of
interacting with the machine <i>and</i> the
people who are there to help you. Have
you been to an Apple Store lately? As
soon as you walk in, you have a new friend who is there to help you and talk to
you and ultimately to buy from directly. There’s no cash register! You are never abandoned. You are always in community. Nordstrom’s sells expensive goods like
gangbusters. You know what they rely on?
Personal service. You don’t buy
shoes. You buy an experience with
another person. Ever notice how some
upscale retail stores pick up the shopping bag after you’ve paid and graciously
hand it to you? Why do they do that? It’s on the counter! I can pick it up. Because they know they are creating a small
but important relationship. They <i>hand</i> you the bag. They interact with you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
It’s all about the
relations. Relational Judaism. It’s a new world and we’ve already
begun. The Kol Yisrael project is paying
off. More of us are interacting more of
the time. As the building finishes, I’m
looking towards an exciting, active busy place where even as we go to our own
events, we’re all together. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
We’ve already
begun. This past summer as July 4 fell
on a Friday night, Deborah and I hosted over 35 people for a cookout and tefillot
at our home on a night that probably would have had six people show up if we
were in the sanctuary. Why? Because it was fun and social. Two of our three yizkor services last year
had more people than usual as we left the standard liturgy to have a more
discussion based experience that allowed people to talk with each other as they
remembered their loved ones. Just a
month ago a dozen of our folks staffed a booth at New Windsor Community Day to
reach out and begin the process of forming relationships. And last year for erev Sukkot we had over 70
people come out for a Sukkot potluck dinner.
We’re surely doing that again. No
services. Dinner, sukkah, shaking the
lulav and etrog. Talking with each
other. Sharing the experience of
Sukkot. It was a lovely way to welcome
the holiday and it was social. We need
more and more of this. That’s why you
have nametags. Not tickets. This isn’t a show. It’s your community and we want you all to
get to know each other even better. So,
by the way, please help us build community by wearing your nametag. Trust me.
Not everyone knows who you are.
It will feel odd at first but to build community, we each have to do our
share.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
The urgency for
more relational Judaism is found in the simple data driven fact that hundreds
of thousands of Reform Jews think of themselves as friendly while at the exact
same time hundreds of thousands of Reform Jews think their synagogue is cold
and unfriendly. There is a disconnect. Reform synagogues have huge attraction rates
and huge loss rates most often right after Bar and Bat Mitzvah. Why does this happen? Research suggests two phenomenon. One: They joined with a fee for service
attitude. Once they had the Bar and Bat
Mitzvah they no longer saw a need to pay so they quit and left the
synagogue. Two: They joined for a sense of community but a
few years after the Bar or Bat Mitzvah, they felt like the synagogue offered
nothing for them, no sense of community.
So they left. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
I know that some
of you will take offense. You think
you’re very friendly. And, in truth, you
are. But the issue we are facing is not
just about being friendly. It’s about
being friendly in a new way that makes people feel welcomed and engaged at
every stage of life. What I’m talking
about is so novel that it’s got a name:
Radical Hospitality. This is
cutting edge stuff and we should be proud that we are in early.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Now, how else can
we get to really know each other? How
else? I bet we could bond if we all
learned something about each other. I thought
about a slumber party but… If only there was some sort of media, social media
where we could share some things.
Hmmmm…..<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
I hope you’ve
brought your cell phones. If you have
them, pull them out, turn them on, and go to your text-messaging app.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
This is a program
from Poll Everywhere. I will be asking
you questions and you will text answers.
Your answers will be seen but your names will not. I will have a monitor so if you send in dirty
words, we’ll censor those so don’t even try.
You can text multiple times so if there is someone near you who doesn’t
have a phone, please share. We’re being
social and friendly. Let’s do a test.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
You will text your
answer to this number XXXXX. Once you
text to it once, your phone will hold that number so you don’t need to retype
it. Okay, let’s try. Of these choices,
what do you want first at break fast?
A. Carbs! B.
Coffee! C. Water! D.
Whatever I can grab first!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Okay. Let’s go.
RH is about fresh starts but there’s some regret. We regret that this
year we may not be with all the people we wish were here. Maybe they’re away in
college or moved to a new state or maybe you’ve moved away from them. Maybe they’ve died. Who are you missing now?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Rosh Hashana is
about being honest. It’s about being
open and present to the possibility of new discussions with the ones we care
for. So let’s be honest. With whom do we need to build our
relationships?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
A. Friends. B. My
neighbors. C. My spouse/partner D. My
children E. My parents F. My family. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
What will you do
to improve those relationships?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Do you feel you
have a relationship with the synagogue community?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
A. Yes. B. A little.
C. No. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
If you had only
seven seconds to convince someone to be a partner in the growth of TBJ, what
would you say? Can you think of something
that would help make our connections between each other stronger? Maybe it could be an open art room evening or
Temple Beth Jacob pick-up basketball night for adults. Something you would like to study something
or a movie club? Text a suggestion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
The usual
experience of a synagogue is a place for religious school, prayer, lifecycle
events and adult education. All of that
is good. All of that is great. None of that reaches out to the mass of
partners we have at TBJ. We’ll continue
to do what we’ve done but do the hard work to make each one of you feel like
this really is your home, a place that has value for you throughout the
year. It’s a new world and it won’t
happen over night but we’ve already begun.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Oh, one final
question. Nicely, constructively, if you
please, send me your complaints. You can
use the same text number. This will be
in operation for another week. Send in
anything else you want me and the Board of Trustees to know about. It’s confidential.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
Shana Tova. A good year to you. Shana Metukah. A sweet year to you. Shana b’nuyah, a rebuilt year to you. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-10742942112970361672014-04-29T23:08:00.001-04:002014-04-30T10:27:45.143-04:00<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 20.0pt;">Kedoshim
Simcha trees<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 20.0pt;">Temple Beth
Jacob of Newburgh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 20.0pt;">April 25,
2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: 20.0pt;">Rabbi Larry
Freedman <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">If you have looked over
tonight’s Torah reading, you might ask, what is the rabbi thinking?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why are we reading this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you know that we are making our way
through the entire Torah and that this year we focus on the sixth aliyah, you
would know that the rules of adultery just happen to be what we are
reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you come to Torah
study tomorrow, you get to read the rest of the aliyah and delve into even more
sordid and uncomfortable territory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">And
then you might ask, on a night of celebration, why are we reading this
difficult material?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I’ll tell
you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">The
Torah is a frank document.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does
not shy away from the holiness and vulgarity of the human condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything is discussed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want only uplift, read
Proverbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want real life,
read the Torah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why in a
parasha that includes the famous, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” we also
find rules forbidding every possible form of adultery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Torah addresses everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It tells us that there is a reality to
humanity and sometimes it’s not good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But, here I am, says the Torah, offering guidance and a path that can
help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t turn away from the
ugly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We look at it straight in
the eye and choose a better way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Torah tells us, don’t be upset because there is ugliness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We miss the point if we shy away from
the uncomfortable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">And
we also will miss the opening words of our reading:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You shall faithfully observe my laws; I the Lord make you
holy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">What
an extraordinary concept that God makes us holy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing less than holy and for what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For agreeing to live moral and ethical
lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a world with such
ugliness, we can create holiness, we can bring holiness, we can be very models
of holiness by simply agreeing to live ethical and moral lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simple and yet not so simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a lot of temptation, there is seduction, there is
selfishness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are so many
things that pull us away from the right path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moral and ethical living requires us to think of others and
to consider the group as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Living a holy life and bringing holiness into the world can’t be
accomplished by the selfish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
can’t be accomplished by the gossip, the cheat, the mean-spirited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can’t be done by those easily seduced
by the very tempting dark side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Living an unholy life very often seems much more tempting than living a
holy life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The leather jacket bad
boy gets more attention than the goodie two shoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, we often make fun of the “do-gooder.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that’s really weird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shouldn’t we all aspire to be a
do-gooder?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shouldn’t we all aspire
to make the world a better place and make ourselves better people?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Our
aliyah starts us off by saying, you can be holy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can be holy and bring holiness into the world but to do
so, here’s a list of things to avoid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What’s that you say?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
weren’t planning on doing any of that anyway?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fantastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You’re well on your way and next week I’ll have a new list for you to
discuss.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">There
is a beautiful mystical notion that comes out of this teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a mystical idea that there are
sparks of holiness that are waiting to be released.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A metaphor perhaps though some believe it to be
literal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sparks of holiness
waiting to be released by drawing near to God and by being mindful of what we
do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we eat and just eat, we are
like animals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we say a blessing
beforehand, we elevate the act and release a spark of holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, if we eat just out of gluttony,
well, that’s that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if we eat
as part of a celebration, if we eat mindful that food gives us the fuel to get
out there and make the world a better place, then eating is holy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we take a nap tomorrow, we take a nap but if we are
mindful that it is Shabbat and we make an effort to rest on Shabbat we release
a spark of holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we rest on
Shabbat mindful that then we’ll be even more ready to face the world come
Sunday, we release a spark of holiness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything, if done for a higher purpose, can release a spark
of holiness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">And
that gets me to thinking about our Simcha Trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After much work and consideration, more than you might imagine,
we have another part of our home in our home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our trees have made their trip and proudly tell the story of
happy events and moments in the life of our congregation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking over the leaves we are
transported back in time to this wedding or that graduation or a Bar and Bat
Mitzvah and we remember the people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Those leaves remember people and events and the warmth of community when
we see our friends on the wall.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">And,
those leaves are also a moment of holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sparks of holiness come from each leaf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do people make a donation just to see
their name up there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are people so
narcissistic that they must memorialize their wedding or anniversary?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that those leaves are an
opportunity for holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
not a pleasant topic but it must be said that keeping our congregation going
since 1854 has required people’s time, energy, creativity and, let’s be honest,
money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The heating and air
conditioning bills don’t get paid by themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lights don’t pay for themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there is the rabbi’s salary which
is a large part of the budget, a responsibility I take quite seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All these things take money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">On
the tree, we have a wide variety of simchas, happy events that already incurred
some cost: a baby naming, an engagement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There already were parties to plan or clothes to buy or caterers to
hire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There already was an expense
and yet the people who bought those leaves knew that they had one more expense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They knew that their simcha would never
have been the same if Temple Beth Jacob had not been here; if the building
didn’t provide a warm environment, if a rabbi hadn’t always been available to
guide them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it wouldn’t have
been the same without our musical leadership or administrative help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so those people who have purchased
leaves released a spark of holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They fulfilled the mitzvah of supporting their community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They understood what this community
means to them and they helped to ensure that the community would be there for
the next family celebrating a joyful moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since 1854, Jews and Jewish families in the Newburgh area
have been mindful that their private joy is really our communal joy; that we
all rejoice together, as a community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That mindfulness makes the synagogue more than a catering hall and
Temple Beth Jacob more than a club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are a holy community, a kehillah kedosha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right now, under construction, we may be tempted to forget
that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But look at the names on
those trees, remember the events on those leaves and know that every family
there made sure that a little something went to the congregation so that we can
continue on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say, I
hope you will be inspired to make your next event or moment a holy one as well
as you fulfill the mitzvah of supporting our community.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _GoBack;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;">Everything
in this Kol Yisrael project has taken longer than we would want which is why we
must be doubly proud and excited as we reach each milestone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today is a good day as we re-dedicate
the simcha trees in their new home and as we re-dedicate ourselves to our
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we continue to be
mindful of our actions, may we continue to reject the easy temptations and may
we always reach for spiritual heights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>May we continue to be worthy so that God can make us holy.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2689334542451454991.post-90317101949632920982013-10-02T10:51:00.001-04:002013-10-02T10:51:22.537-04:00Dinner in the Sukkah video<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyleHm-q3jj4KqAeilqt63zbFt3N6bcahnei9bj95L5sqKuGaeunyamJBH8iKDKtPfXKDUJtm5oC5Jlrx8Z0w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Rabbi Freedmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03232372906667729051noreply@blogger.com0