Shemini Atzeret 2009

Hag Sameach

Do you know what a “master class” is? It is not a college course for an advanced degree. It is a seminar, or a series of seminars that are designed for those who are already at the top of their field; artists or musicians, doctors or lawyers, teachers or businessmen and women. A master class is for all those who have excelled in their field and want to expand their knowledge beyond the conventional.

Teachers from the pinnacle of the field, the most innovative and respected; offer these master classes to those who would wish to follow in their footsteps. The assumption of the class is that all the students have already mastered the basics of their field. They have already succeeded in the normal sense of the word. A master class will not go over the basics, proficiency in the topic is assumed by all who are in the class. The teacher will show the students how to raise their skills even higher; to become artists in one’s chosen field, with all the creative and innovative talent implied.

Rabbi Bradley Artson, the Dean of the Rabbinical School at American Jewish University, recently wrote that we all should think about our life as a master class. This does not mean that we are exempt from the basics. In Judaism, this means we need to learn Torah and History, Hebrew and philosophy, Prayer and Mitzvot. These are the basics that are assumed in our master class. If we need work in these basic areas, we should not let the year go by without finding the proper seminars to help us gain proficiency in the areas that make up the foundation of our religion and our faith.

But if we are already beyond the basics, there are still important lessons to be learned. The first lesson is that real learning comes not from just reading or hearing the words of a teacher, but in encountering and engaging our teacher. To hear the passion in the voice, the authenticity in the lessons and to open our hearts to the truth that underlies the lessons. The deepest lessons in life do not come from following in the footsteps of a master teacher, but in creating new lessons from the experiences in your own life. What is it that we can bring into our life that no one else can bring? We can not be clones of our teacher, but we use their wisdom to make our lives a life without precedent. My teachers would constantly remind us that we should not despair that the great teachers of Torah and Talmud lived in previous generations. We should not be concerned that compared to their genius, they were giants and we are but dwarfs. My teachers in rabbinical school taught us that there is a way for a dwarf to see beyond the vision of a giant. The dwarf need only stand on the giant’s shoulders. So too we who do not see ourselves as intellectual equals of the Sages of long ago, we can see beyond their horizon if we but stand on their shoulders and build our vision upon theirs.

The next level, in the master class of life, teaches us that with learning and living comes great responsibility. We can’t live our lives only for ourselves; we need to open our hearts to others. Will we stand in prayer and only pray that God forgives our sins? Or will we also pray fervently for God to forgive the sins of others who are in need of forgiveness? There is a story of Rabbi Meir who was being harassed by a gang of hoodlums. He prayed that they should die. It didn’t help. His wife, who was so much wiser said, “Pray instead that they should repent.” Rabbi Meir did pray on their behalf and they did repent. We need to rise beyond our own needs and pray for the welfare of others. Our future is always tied to the future of others. We don’t label the “others” in life; we do all we can do to help to bring their lives to a higher level with us.

Finally, we live in an age where it seems that religious people are being asked to submit to the will of God. We are told that true religious people negate their own needs and submit to what they think God is asking of them. Every detail of the law is exceedingly important. Anyone who violates a single precept is an infidel, an apostate or worse. Obedience is the prime directive. But those who aspire to a deeper understanding of life know that life is fluid and opportunity is everywhere. We use our Judaism to paint with a multicolored pallet so that all the majesty and splendor of life will become apparent. There are passages in the Torah and in the Bible that do not make us proud. We like to think of the Torah as a document of love and understanding. Sometimes, however, Torah is not so loving. It has passages that tell us to hate people, and to kill those who do not agree with us. Are we required to teach such verses because they are in the Torah or are we prepared to refuse to teach them, to refuse to further spread their message of hate and intolerance? We must not justify what is hateful just because we think this is the word of God. We must use every tool we can find to turn that hatred into new ways to love each other.

The theory of life as a Master Class is beautiful and inspiring. But who will be the teacher who can give us such gifts? I would venture to say that we already know such teachers in our lives. They are the ones who came before us and gave us, through their words and deeds the very essence of who we are today. These are the people who we remember this day, at this hour of Yizkor.

Perhaps some of us here today are here out of a sense of duty. That after all, these were our parents, our loved ones, and we carry the Jewish obligation to pray at Yizkor in their memory. I understand that sense of duty and I share with you your devotion to the performance of this sacred responsibility. But there are other important reasons to be here this morning, at this hour of memory. This day can be our testimony, our monument, to the faith and meaning our loved ones brought into our lives. Through the lessons we learned at their sides, as well as the lessons we learned when we examined their lives, our lives are richer, deeper and better.

We have a choice at this junction in our lives. We can remember what we have lost and be sad, or we can recall what we have learned and be grateful and maybe even a little happy that the ones we remember today passed through this life and were our mentors and master teachers.

Poet David Harkins in his poem “Remember Me” penned these words:
You can shed tears that he is gone, or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back, or you can open our eyes and see all that she has left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him, or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live for yesterday, or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her and only that she’s gone, or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back, or you can do what he’d want, smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

Life is a Master Class and some of our greatest teachers were those who shared with us precious time from the short number of years we are all allotted. Maybe we now have new teachers who continue to guide us through the many shoals of life. But it is those we remember today who are the teachers that first took us beyond the level of basics and fundamentals. They showed us how to really use the sacred time of life so that we could not only live a life of blessing but showed us how we can pass those blessings on to those who will remain when it is our time to go.

This is the ultimate honor we can give our beloved dead. Not to merely pass on the lessons we learned at their side, but to take those lessons and, with an artist’s loving hand, embellish it, color it and beautify it through our own life experiences so that our lives too will testify to a life lived with love of self, love of others and love of God.

May the examples of those we remember today be a blessing to us. May their lives serve as an example in our own lives. May our examination of their lives help us to examine and refine our own lives. And may their teachings serve as the foundation to the Torah that we are writing with the deeds we perform each day. May the memories we honor today help lead us to serve, as they served, our God with faith and with Love.

Amen and Hag Sameach.

Second Day of Sukkot
2009

Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameach

My family never had a Sukkah when I was a child. It never occurred to my father or my grandfather to have a Sukkah at our home. We ate our meals, as usual, in the dining room. We were not in school on Sukkot. We were in synagogue on the first days of the holiday. We waved the lulav and etrog with the congregation, but we never had a Sukkah in our home.

Even when we were at the synagogue, we would have some cake and juice in the community Sukkah but we had lunch at home. When I was in the Boy Scouts, we built a Sukkah for the synagogue without using nails. We cut down trees ourselves and lashed them together. It was a work of art. When I was in USY, we got together again to build the Sukkah for the synagogue. That Sukkah was not a work of art, I felt good that it didn’t fall down but it came close a couple of times. But I never built a Sukkah at my home.

For my third year of Rabbinical School, I spent the year in Israel. I lived in student housing and we had a big Sukkah where all of us studentswould eat our meals. The weather was perfect in Israel for eating in a Sukkah. Not too cold and not too hot. Not too many bugs and the perfect atmosphere to sit and study and have a conversation after a meal.

While I was in Israel that year, we went on a tour of the farmland that surrounds Jerusalem. We were looking for Shomriot. A shomriah is a hut that is a temporary home for a family during the harvest season. It is usually a stone building with a flat roof. It is often under a huge shade tree. On hot nights, the family might sleep on the roof, going inside only if there is rain. Around the hut was a cleared area where the family could leave grapes in the sun to become raisins and to dry dates and figs. There was a cistern for water and a cooking area where dinner could be prepared. During the harvest, the family would move in so they could get an early start on the harvest each day. When the harvest was finished, they loaded up the produce, the raisins, figs and dates and moved back home. The shomriah would be empty again until the next harvest.

The Talmud notes that when most families were moving out of their Shomriot, Jews were moving into their Sukkot. A Sukkah was also meant to be a temporary home. But it was not for the purpose of bringing in the harvest. It could only be used once the harvest was over. A Sukkah could not be built under a tree, but had to be under the open sky. A Sukkah could not have a roof, it was only meant to be a shady spot, where there was more sun than shade inside by day, and one could look up and see stars by night.

All of this works fine in Israel, but not in the rest of the world. In Poland and Russia, it is already close to freezing at night and there can be terrible rainstorms at this season of the year. Here in Florida, it will not cool off for another two months and it can rain every day. In Minnesota it would snow on our Sukkah. In Australia, it is not even fall; it is right in the middle of spring. When hurricane Wilma threatened South Florida, we had to take our Sukkah down. Who knows how they will someday celebrate Sukkot on the moon or in space.

Sukkot is Israel’s holiday. Anyone can build a Sukkah in their yard or courtyard. Every major building has one on the side or on the roof. Ever restaurant has a Sukkah for patrons to eat in if they wish. One can buy a lulav and etrog almost everywhere and they are fresh, not delivered by some overnight carrier. People in Israel are happy to be in a Sukkah and they spend long hours into the night enjoying the cool night air. Sukkot is one of the best times to visit Israel.

A little girl was out walking one evening with her father. As they came to the top of the hill, the girl asked, “Daddy, how far can you see?” the father looked out to the horizon and said, “I guess I can see a couple of miles.” The girl said, “I can see millions and millions of miles.” Her father smiled and said, “Gee honey, how can you see so far?” The little girl pointed at the sky, I can see the stars and they are millions of miles away, look up Daddy and you can see them too!”

This is one of the lessons of the Sukkah. All year we live inside the four walls of our homes. We shut ourselves in and we shut out all of nature that we don’t want invading our homes. We tint our windows; install blinds to keep the sun out. We put locks on our doors for security. We make sure that rain cannot leak in our roof. All year long we can only look out our windows at the little bit of nature in our back yard or across the street.

On Sukkot, we learn to lift our vision higher. We look up through the roof and take in the stars. We can once again see for millions and millions of miles. We once again are a part of nature, not separate from it. We stop viewing the world that we have created for ourselves and we start seeing our place in the natural world again. Instead of seeing only what we have bought for ourselves, we can set our gaze up to the heavens and once again dare to dream of the stars. No matter how discouraged or closed in we may feel, if we can lift our eyes to the stars, we can let ourselves become inspired again.

On Sukkot we invite God to join us in our Sukkah, to make it a sukkat shalom, a Sukkah of peace. There is an ancient tradition that each night of Sukkot, we invite heavenly guests to join our earthly guests in the Sukkah. We invite Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David into our Sukkot. Each one blesses us with their presence. These heavenly guests make our Sukkah a holy space. One that reminds us of the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary that our ancestors built in the wilderness. It was there that our ancestors contemplated God. We should do no less when we are in our Sukkah as well.

How do we respond to the holiness of the Sukkah, to the wonder and beauty of nature and to the grandeur of the stars? What are we supposed to say when we leave the comfort of our homes to once again become a part of nature? How do we show our gratitude to God for wonders of this world in which we live? In Judaism, to show appreciation, we recite a blessing.

On Sukkot we have the blessing of the lulav and etrog that we recite each day as we take them up to wave them in the synagogue. There is the blessing for sitting in the Sukkah. It is not enough to just pass through a Sukkah; we have to sit and spend some time contemplating our surroundings, and then say a blessing for sitting. We can say a blessing over the foods that we eat in the Sukkah. Some say that there is a special merit of saying the blessing for lulav and etrog in the Sukkah, bringing these two important symbols of the holiday together.

But in my mind, the most important blessing we can say in the Sukkah is the blessing that we have come again to this season of the year, that winter may be coming soon, but we are grateful and thankful that we are blessed with food, clothing and shelter to protect us from any force of nature. We recite on Sukkot the Shehechiyanu, the prayer that thanks God for giving us another year to dwell in the Sukkah and contemplate again, our place in the universe. Thank you God for keeping us alive, sustaining us and bringing us again in peace to your sukkat shalom, your Sukkah of peace.

May there be peace in our homes, peace in our land and peace in Israel, our homeland and may each of us dwell in our own Sukkot with no one to make us afraid.

Amen and Hag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom

First Day of Sukkot
2009

Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameach

The Sages of the Talmud had a special name for this Holiday. They did not call it Sukkot, even though they commanded everyone to live in a Sukkah. The Torah calls this Hag HaAsaf, the Harvest Festival but that was not good enough for the Sages either. The Sages simply called this Holiday, “HaHag”, “THE Festival” it was the happiest festival, it was, to the Sages, the best Holiday that Judaism had to offer.

Why was Sukkot such a happy time? Well, first of all the harvest was in. There had not been a drought, a blight or a famine. Enemies had not come to steal the food or to destroy the crops. Everyone knew that there would be enough food to get through the winter. That alone was a reason to rejoice. There had also been enough water for the harvest. The rainy season was about to begin and there were celebrations and prayers for the next year’s rains. That was another reason to celebrate. Finally there were special sacrifices for all the other nations of the world. We prayed that all nations would have the food that they needed and ample water for their citizens so they would not have to go to war. Sukkot was a holiday of international peace. That too is a good reason to celebrate.

But I think that real reason for the joy of Sukkot is being outside, under the sky and under the stars, smelling the flowers and branches of the Sukkah and getting back in touch with the wonders of God’s world. There are so many berachot that the Sages command us to say when we see the hand of God in nature that Sukkot is a natural time to be thankful for all the wonders of the world.

When I see a sunset or a sunrise (I get up early in the morning), I see the hand of God. When I see lightening and rain, I see God’s blessings. When I see trees, flowers and grass together in a garden or out in the forest or meadow, I see the beauty of God’s paintbrush. When I see the crashing of the waves of the ocean, the majesty of the mountains, the vastness of the Great Plains, I see God’s wonders. When I see a sand dune on the shore, crystals growing in the rocks and the many different animals and insects that share our world, I can’t help but contemplate God’s hand in the world. (I do draw the line, however, with mosquitoes; I think they are an accident of nature.)

There are so many people, however, who see what I see but they don’t see God at all. They may take for granted all the wonders of nature. They understand that God cannot be seen so they think that God is hidden away somewhere; way up in heaven, out in the vastness of space, or hidden in the deepest bowels of the earth. God is far removed from this world and far removed from their attention. If God is nearby, they just don’t see the divinity.

There is a famous story of a fish who overheard two men talking by the shore. They said that water was the most important thing in the entire world, that life is not possible without water. The fish began to think, “I would love to see this wonder called “water”, wherever could it be found? He began to ask all the fish in the pond but none of them ever heard of water. He swam downstream, and he asked every other fish he met if they could show him water, but none of them had ever heard of water let alone know where it could be found. Out into the deep see went our friend the fish until he met a wise old fish deep in the sea. “Of course I know what water is,” said the old fish. “I understand it is important for all life. Can you show it to me?” asked our friend. “Show it to you?” said the old fish, “it is all around you, above you and below you, water is everywhere!” But the little fish could not understand how water could be everywhere so, as far as we know, he is still looking for water.

Where would we go if we were looking for God? The Torah tells us that God is not in heaven that we would need some great thinker to go there to hear God’s word. And God is not over the sea, that we need some hero to go and brave the storms to bring us the word of God. No, God is close by, all around us, above us and below us. Everything we see, touch, taste or hear is filled with God. Most of the time we are too busy to notice. Sukkot gets us outside and helps us get ready to pay attention to experience the God that surrounds us.

Rabbi Shira Milgrom sees God in the cable cars of San Francisco. How do these trolleys, full of people manage to climb up or down the steep streets of their city? The secret is under the surface of the road. There, under the tracks, is a steel cable. When the trolley wants to go up the hill, it attaches itself to one of the cables and is pulled up the hill. When it needs to go downhill, it does the same thing, so as not to go downhill out of control. Even when there is no cable car in sight, one can look down into the opening in the street to see that the cables are always running.

So too, God is the force of life that runs through all that we experience in the world. Sometimes the divinity of the universe bubbles to the surface. We can notice it when someone we least expect does something heroic, like saving a child from a burning building or sheltering a family who is being persecuted, or protesting an injustice. Perhaps anytime we do what is right even against our own self interest it is an example of God’s hand in the world, always running.

When we go outside to dwell in our Sukkot, we become more sensitive to the world, both the harmony and the inequality of the world. Our Sukkah reminds us that there are those who sleep every night without a roof over their heads. When we eat in the Sukkah, it is hard not to consider the plight of some 30,000 children who die each year in third world countries, not because there is not enough food in the world, only because rich nations don’t send excess food to poor nations. When we gather with our families in our Sukkah, we realize how much courage a person needs takes to love another in this world. We have to ignore the possibility of separation, of disappointment and of death and we have to love anyway. In all of these ways we can experience the divinity that is constantly pulling at us to be a better person, to pay attention to the needs of people around us and to hear the call that will lead us to a life that will be meaningful and significant, to those in this world who are in need of a hand.

If Sukkot is a happy holiday it is because we once again tap into that divine force that runs through all of life. We understand anew that God fills the world with holiness and fill us with so much love and compassion that we cannot help but extend our hands and our hearts to those in need of help and understanding. On Sukkot we realize that God can be found in the knowledge that life, all life, especially our life, matters, makes a difference and is significant even in the vastness of the universe.

Sukkot is not only about being out in nature, it is about our becoming one with the divinity that surrounds us. Sukkot is about us partnering with God to make the world kinder, more loving and better. On Sukkot we remember to welcome guests, feed the hungry, help shelter the homeless and heal the sick and broken hearted. Our hands become God’s hands. Our feet become God’s feet and instead of asking, “Where is God?” we respond to the world saying, “For the sake of God, I can make a difference.”

That is a reason to get outside and to get in touch with the outdoors. That is the way we can find meaning in nature, life and the universe. And that is the most important reason to rejoice on this extraordinary festival. May God be near to us not just this day but every day, and may we tap into the divinity coursing through the world so that we can also be a force for good, for life and for peace.

And let us say Amen and Hag Sameach

Sermon Monday Morning

Yom Kippur Day

2009 – 5770

1. At this point in the day, we say to each other, Gemar Tov, may we all have a good finish to this season of forgiveness.

2. A poor disheveled Jew came to an inn along the side of the road. The owner of the inn realizes that this poor Jew will probably only cause him trouble. He will want food that he can’t pay for and will want a place to spend the night and will be unable to afford the bill. He brings the poor man to the back of the kitchen, feeds him some leftovers and tells him he will sleep by the stove in the kitchen, that the rooms are for paying guests. The poor Jew says nothing but eats his meal and goes outside for a breath of fresh air.

3. But another Jew from the nearby town recognizes the poor Jew and with excitement runs back to the town. Rabbi Elimelech, the great Hasidic sage is visiting the area. By morning there are hundreds of people waiting outside the inn to see the great sage and perhaps to hear some of his teaching. Rabbi Elimelech comes out of the inn and begins to share some stories of the great Hasidic masters. The people stand respectfully and listen to the message he has to share with them. The owner of the inn is embarrassed and ashamed of the way he treated the man who should have been his honored guest.

4. After the lesson, the innkeeper runs up to the Rabbi, “Please forgive me the way I treated you last night. I had no idea that you were the great Rabbi Elimelech. I am ashamed of what I have done. Please forgive my rudeness.” But the scholar sadly shakes his head. “Rabbi Elimelech the scholar can’t forgive you for the way you treated me last night. The simple poor Jew who came looking for a meal and a place to stay, that is the man you offended, and he is the man you need to ask forgiveness. Unfortunately, that man is no longer here and your apology is too late.”

5. I thought of this story at the beginning of this month as I attended a meeting of the Palm Beach County Board of Rabbis. Rabbi Jack Reimer gave the main address. I found myself challenged by his words and told him so. We all rush to judgment in our dealings with others and in developing our opinions on the events that make the news. In many ways we are like the innkeeper, we just don’t have the time to really look deeply into every person and every idea that crosses our path. So let us take the time to look at five different people and see what we can discover about them and what we can learn about ourselves.

6. There were five people in the news this past year who made public apologies for the crimes they had committed. Like our innkeeper they expressed regret over their actions and were looking for forgiveness. The question for this morning is if we think that their words of apology are enough. Can we find a way to forgive them or, has the time for their apology passed and there will never really be forgiveness. To be fair, this is not an all or nothing game, Maybe you don’t think that they deserve forgiveness now, but perhaps there will come a time when you feel they should be forgiven. Has the passage of time changed how we feel about them? Then again, maybe what they have done is so bad that forgiveness now, or ever, is impossible. I will tell you their stories and see how, if we were in charge, we might judge their case.

7. There is likely not a soul in this country who does not know who Bernie Madoff is. He is the man convicted in the largest ponzi scheme in the history of the world. Thousands of investors lost billions in assets because of his crooked plan. Charitable organizations lost so much money that some had to go out of business. Retirement funds disappeared and their owners were left destitute. Even people who had not invested their life savings with him lost so much money, they could not fulfill charitable pledges that they had promised to important organizations.

8. Madoff went to court and pleaded guilty to fraud and was sentenced this year to 150 years in prison. At 71 years old, clearly he will die in jail. What is important to us today is that when he appeared for sentencing, this is part of the apology he offered: “Your Honor, I cannot offer you an excuse for my behavior. How do you excuse betraying thousands of investors who entrusted me with their life savings? … And how do you excuse deceiving an industry that you spent a better part of your life trying to improve? There is no excuse for that, and I don’t ask any forgiveness. Although I may not have intended any harm, I did a great deal of harm. I made an error of judgment. I refused to accept the fact, that for once in my life I failed. I am responsible for a great deal of suffering and pain. I understand that. I live in a tormented state now knowing of all the pain and suffering that I have created. There is nothing I can do that will make anyone feel better for the pain and suffering I caused them, but I will live with this pain, with this torment for the rest of my life. I apologize to my victims. I will turn and face you. I am sorry.”

9. Do you think this was a sincere apology? Are these the words of a man who deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison? Would you forgive Bernie Madoff? Would you ever forgive Bernie Madoff? Do you think God should forgive Bernie Madoff?

10. The second apology comes from William L. Calley. A former lieutenant in the US Army, he is the only US Army officer who was convicted for killing 22 civilian Vietnamese in the 1968 My Lai massacre. He was sentenced to life in prison but then President Nixon reduced his sentence to three years of house arrest. Calley was speaking this year to a Kiwanis Club near the military base where he was court marshaled. He said “There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai. I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families, I am very sorry.”

11. It has been over 40 years since the massacre at My Lai. Calley has not spoken about the case in all those years. He has refused to be interviewed by reporters and has refused publicity. It was only the request of a long time friend that brought him to the Kiwanis club in Atlanta. Would you accept his apology? Did he make his apology with the proper audience? Would you ever accept his apology? Is he sincerely remorseful? Should God forgive William Cally?

12. Lynndie England did not kill anyone. She appeared in the pictures that broke the scandal of prisoner abuse in Abu Graib in Iraq. She was among those who were court-martialed for her small part in the abuse. Here is her apology. See what you think about it. “Yes, I was in five or six pictures and I took some pictures, and those pictures were shameful and degrading to the Iraqis and to our government. And I feel sorry and wrong about what I did. Of course it was wrong. I know that now. But when you show the people from the CIA, the FBI and the MI (military intelligence) the pictures and they say, ‘Hey, this is a great job. Keep it up,’ you think it must be right. They were all there and they didn’t say a word.”

13. What shall we make of this apology? Is there a sincere repentance in her words? Does she believe the words that she says? Do you believe she is sincere? Would you accept this apology? Would you ever accept an apology from Lynndie England for what she did at Abu Graib? Do you think that God should forgive her actions?

14. Finally, let us turn to Michael Vick. There is no human being who was harmed by this talented football player. He was not even accused of insulting or threatening another person. Michael Vick organized vicious dog fights that resulted in the maiming and killing of attack dogs. He served two years in prison and was released this year after serving his sentence. Some say he got a light sentence because he was a privileged talented athlete. He was fired from his job as quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. (The NFL did not rule on whether he would ever be allowed to play football again.) When he was released a few months ago, he mentioned that he has been humbled by his downfall, he regrets his actions that led to his arrest. He has renewed his faith and found some rehabilitation through his religion. He is now deeply involved with the Humane Society of America teaching inner city youth to stay away from dog fighting. He just signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, a two year deal for 6.8 million dollars. So far, the NFL has not said that he is banned from the game.

15. Should Michael Vick be allowed to play professional football again? Should the NFL forgive him for his crimes? Is he getting a free ride because he is a talented young man who could make a lot of money for the team that hires him? Would you forgive Michael Vick? Would you ever forgive him his crimes? Should God forgive Michael Vick?

16. Finally there is the late senator Ted Kennedy. What happened in 1969 was clearly an accident that resulted in the death of a young woman. Kennedy drove off a bridge and did not report the accident until the next day. Perhaps he was drunk that night. We will never know. Many people felt that it was his social and political status that helped him get away with behavior that was criminal. Political reporter Eleanor Clift, in a recent Newsweek magazine, wrote, “If you are not sympathetic to Kennedy’s politics, you note that he led a staggeringly privileged life. He got away with something he shouldn’t have. But if you are sympathetic to Kennedy and his politics … then you are willing to measure the benefits that Kennedy brought to countless people through his politics and give them proper weight on the scales of the man’s record. If you measure his capacity to reform himself, you tip the scales even further.”

17. Ted Kennedy’s record of benefits that helped the poor, the forgotten and the powerless in America is a formidable record. But does that record redeem the senator from the crimes that were committed that night in 1968? How much would he have had to do, how many bills do you think it would take to bring redemption to the youngest of the Kennedy brothers? Do you forgive him? Should he ever be forgiven? Should God forgive him?

18. So what is the scorecard for today? Madoff/Calley/England/Vick/Kennedy; Are we able to forgive any of them? Are their repentance and their apologies sincere? Should we forgive them their crimes? Would any apology they offer, or does the lack of an apology, help us weigh their actions? How should we judge them? How should God, who judges all of humanity on this day, how should God judge them? Are we in favor of Justice or will we choose Compassion?

19. When the Rabbis in early September discussed these cases, Rabbi Reimer then reminded us of two important principles of Judaism. First, that there is only one ultimate Judge in our tradition and second, that Judge is not us. Our point of view is not only limited but inherently biased. Only God can weigh the intentions of those who stand accused and know if they are sincere in their repentance. It does not matter if we agree or disagree with the divine verdict, at the end of the day, we can only recite the blessing “Baruch Dayan Emet – God is the righteous Judge.

20. Here we are, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. Judgment day for humanity and the world. The day that we need forgiveness from God, and we have to now examine our hearts to see if we are as forgiving as we would want God to be. In the bible, King David himself is caught in a sin and asked by the prophet if he would like human justice or to put himself under divine justice. David replies. “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of Adonai, who is very compassionate, but let me not fall into human hands.” Only God can weigh all the components of our soul and all the intentions in our mind and only then does God judge us with compassion.

21. So how are we to learn compassion instead of judgment? How can we not rush to judgment with our friends and neighbors when they do something that, from where we sit, seems like a terrible sin? Only later do we discover that their mistake was genuine. How is it possible to debate matters of public interest when we rush to judgment, hearing only what Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, MSNBC or Fox News has to say on a topic and not waiting to hear how the other side explains their decision. When we get our opinions from only one source, we become victims not of their reasoned views but of their appeals to our fears and emotions that add heat to the fire but do not enlighten the discussion or the debate.

22. There are a few people here today who have come to the synagogue over the past two months to get to know the new rabbi, to talk with me, to pray with me and to see how I respond to the daily life at the temple. Some of them have expressed happiness that I am here and others are still thinking about if I will work out or not. How many of you here today, this being the first and perhaps the only time you will see me this year (God forbid you might need me in case of an illness or death in the family) how many of you meeting me for the first time will judge me on this sermon, or maybe on all my holiday sermons and speak authoritatively about me around your condo pool or clubhouse? You know, it just ain’t easy to be a Rabbi.

23. Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav, the grandson of the Baal Shem Tov has written; “you have to judge every person generously. Even if you have reason to think that person is completely wicked. It is your job to look hard and seek out some bit of goodness, someplace in that person where he is not evil. When you find that bit of goodness and judge the person that way, you may really raise her up to goodness. Treating people this way allows them to be restored, to come to teshuva. The psalmist tells us to judge one and all so generously, so much on the good side, even if we think they’re as sinful as can be. By looking for that “little bit,” the place, however small, within them where there is no sin (and everyone after all, has such a place) and by telling them, showing them that that’s who they are. We can help them change their lives. So now, my clever friend, now that you know how to treat the wicked and find some bit of good in them – Now go and do it for yourself as well! I know what happens when you start examining yourself. ‘no goodness at all’, you find, ‘just full of sin.’ ‘Even the good things I did’ you say, ‘I did for the wrong reasons. Impure motives! Lousy deeds!’ Keep digging, I tell you, keep digging, because somewhere inside that now tarnished-looking mitzvah somewhere within it there was indeed a little bit of good. That’s all you need to find, a dot of goodness that should be enough to bring you back your life, to bring you back your joy. You show yourself that that is who you are. You can change your whole life this way and bring yourself to teshuva.”

24. We read in our Machzor:

Our Creator our Ruler, be gracious to us and answer us for we have no good deeds in our lives. Deal with us in justice and kindness and save us

25. Is this how we truly judge ourselves on this sacred day? Are we without any merits at all? Are we all so wicked that there are no good deeds that we can turn to so that we may say, “Here is a time when I acted in a holy fashion”? Just as we cannot condemn others in our judgment because we cannot see the true person that lies within, we cannot judge ourselves because we do not see the whole picture of who we are inside. We often don’t understand what motivates us to decide against our own self interest; why we turn right instead of left.. We can only see that we have done so, and that our decisions have consequences that are not always obvious.

26. Rabbi Hanoch Teller, the famous storyteller, writes a story about a young Jr. Executive, after being chewed out by his CEO must make a mad dash from Downtown New York City to Long Island to conclude a deal that could make or break his career. He has just enough time to catch a subway to Penn Station, so he can catch a train to Long Island and thus catch the client before he leaves for an extended holiday in Europe. Millions of dollars are on the line as well as the young man’s career. He races to the subway and arrives just as the train is pulling in, but his path is blocked by a homeless man selling pencils for a quarter. The executive tosses a quarter into the cup and races for the train but the homeless man stops him, “Hey mister, you get to have a pencil” The executive looks at him in puzzlement. He says “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were a merchant” takes the offered pencil and darts into the subway as the doors close behind him.

27. The deal is closed. It nets much profit for the company and the executive is not only promoted but given a bonus as well. Four years later, at the end of a long day, he stops to buy a newspaper at a stand on the street. The vendor looks at him and says, “Wait I minute… I know you!! The executive starts to back away, regretting that he even stopped for the paper. The vendor stands up, “You are the guy that who once said to me ‘I didn’t realize you were a merchant’. Years ago, I didn’t know I was a merchant either. But I got to thinking that if a Wall Street guy like you thinks I am a merchant, maybe there is something to it. Now look at me. I got nine stands like this in the city, three in Queens and a couple in Pelham Parkway. I got 14 stands and it is all thanks to you. Take whatever paper you want, mister, it’s on the house and Thanks, Thanks a lot buddy!”

28. We cannot judge the actions of others and we cannot judge our own actions either. We can only use this time to try and find that spark of goodness in others and in ourselves. Leave the judging to God. Look at the world through the eyes of kindness and see that not every bad deed is wholly bad and even the ideas that we think are terrible may still have a spark of goodness within them. My first Rabbinical School teacher reminded me that any fool can tear down a barn, but it takes an architect to build one. It does not take any talent to find the evil in the world, but it takes a holy soul to find the good in everyone.

29. So my friends, that is our lesson for this Day of Atonement. If we can find just one dot of goodness in others we will help their soul grow more holy. If we can find that dot of goodness in ourselves, we will begin to grow our own holy soul. With that soul we can learn to sing the sweetest music of kindness and compassion and through that music we can learn the deepest mysteries of prayer. And through that kind of deep prayer we can discover the secret of a happy and joyful new year.

30. May we be blessed with good deeds, sweet music, uplifting prayer and a joyful new year as we say …

AMEN AND GEMAR TOV

Sermon Sunday Night

Kol Nidre

2009 – 5770

1. I want to welcome everyone back to our Jewish home tonight. It is good the see all of you here this evening. . Our greeting to each other tonight is Tzom Kal, may we all have an easy Fast.

2. In the movie version of the book, “Clear and Present Danger” an American anti- drug operation in South America goes terribly wrong. Many of the military personnel involved in the operation are killed. Harrison Ford, plays the acting director of the CIA in Washington who discovers the betrayal of the program and goes down to South America to save whoever may be left of the commando team. He finally saves one soldier from the jungle and as the helicopter lifts him from hostile territory, the soldier turns and screams “Who did this to us? Who is responsible? Before anyone else can try and explain the entire Byzantine plot, Ford looks at the soldier, who has been fighting all week for his very life and replies, “I am” “ I am responsible”.

3. Everyone on the helicopter is shocked when he says it and frankly we, the audience are shocked too. While the character is responsible for the operations in South America, it was his supervisors and crooked politicians who we know are really to blame. The people in the helicopter are so stunned because Ford’s character is also a victim in this tragedy. He has come, at the risk of his own life, to try and make some good from this disaster. That he should blame himself and take responsibility is the moral force that propels us through the second half of the movie.

4. Tomorrow we will read a Haphtarah taken from the prophet Isaiah. In the reading, the prophet takes on all the hypocrites among the Israelites who pray as if they want to repent, but by their actions, they show that they have no intention of changing their ways. They fast on Yom Kippur but while fasting they are conducting their business, oppressing their laborers, arguing and even striking each other with clenched fists. Isaiah shouts out against all those who repent insincerely and declares that their fast is no fast and that God will not hear them when they pray.

5. That is a really extreme sermon from Isaiah. I am not sure that there is a rabbi in the world who would speak that way to his or her congregation. What makes Isaiah speak up? What causes Isaiah to speak so passionately? Why does he feel he needs to remind the worshippers in the Temple that ritual alone will not be enough to erase their sins? At the very beginning of the Book of Isaiah, where Isaiah experiences a vision of the angels praising God in the heavens, Isaiah makes his choice known to God. The text reads:

6. “Then I heard the voice of my Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” And I said “Hineni, here I am, send me.” When God asks Isaiah who will be responsible to teach the people God’s word, Isaiah answers, “I will be responsible.” It is this responsibility that drives the prophet to speak out against those who would pervert ritual to accommodate their bad habits.

7. The prophet who is the opposite of Isaiah is Jonah. Jonah is the prophet who tries to evade his responsibility. He tries to run away to Tarshish but God forces him back to Ninveh to take responsibility for the evil that is in the city. God needs Jonah to speak up. God knows that Jonah’s voice will make a difference to the people of the city, from the beggar in the street to the King himself. God knows that if Jonah were to speak out, it would cause the inhabitants of Ninveh to consider their actions and sincerely repent their deeds. Jonah can only see that if they repent and God will save them, then he might look like a fool. He thinks, “If they are so evil, let God punish them and give them what they deserve”. God must not only teach the citizens of Ninveh to repent, but he has to teach compassion to Jonah as well.

8. This holy day of Yom Kippur is a day of introspection. It is a day that we take a good look at our life, and what we are making of it. Ever since the beginning of Elul, the last month of last year, we have been looking hard at our lives and seeing where we need to change so that we can live better lives. It has been a personal, private review, a dialogue that runs between us and God. Only now, with the beginning of Yom Kippur, and the message of Isaiah and Jonah, do we begin to assess our place in the wider world. Isaiah teaches us that the hunger we feel is not about our fasting, but about making us sensitive to those who are hungry every day. Jonah teaches us that it is not enough to understand the problems of the world; we need to realize that God expects us to speak out and make a difference.

9. At the end of World War II, American soldiers, most of them very young men, came home and tried to get on with their lives. They did not like to talk about what they did during the war. If we asked them, they usually replied, “We did what we had to do.” These were American heroes. They had stopped the Nazi war machine. They had liberated Europe. They had liberated the concentration camps and had seen first hand the atrocities committed by the enemy. They were proud of their service to country and to humanity. They did not want to talk about the killing. They only wanted to get on with their lives and try to live that life by the values they had fought to defend.

10. But imagine, if you can, the life of a former German soldier after the war. What they feared most as their children and grandchildren learned about the abuses of the Nazi government, was the question, “Daddy, What did you do during the war?” What could they say to their children? “We did what we had to do to kill Jews, Gypsies and homosexuals?” “We followed the orders of a megalomaniac dictator?” “Daddy, what did you do during the war? Did you kill Jews or save Jews?” How does one answer such a question? If the truth was revealed, what would their children and grandchildren think of them?

11. We have taken a vow that never again will there be such genocide in the world. We made a promise on the ashes of those whose lives were destroyed by the Nazis that we would not stand idly by when the poor and forgotten people of the world were executed. That when nobody else cared, we would care. We would be responsible. But our commitment to this vow has already been challenged. From the killing fields of Cambodia, to the slaughter in Rwanda to the victims in Darfur, the world once again seems to only want to look the other way and not have to deal with the death of so many innocent men, women and children. The death toll in Darfur grows every day. What are we to say to our children and grandchildren when they read about the atrocities in school and then ask us, “What did we do to save them?”

12. We are taught that all human beings are created in the image of God. Feeding Jews is important. But so is feeding the hungry of all nations. The Talmud in Massechet Shabbat teaches us that if we have the ability to protest an injustice and we do not, then God considers us accountable for the crime. Rabbi Harold Shulweiss of Los Angeles asks “Have we become so wounded by the Anti- Semitism in the world that we can no longer feel the pain of the rest of humanity? If we have become so unfeeling, it marks a very serious spiritual defect for our people.”

13. It is not easy to stand up and say “Hineini.” “I am responsible.” It is much easier to focus on our own problems rather then take on the rest of the world. But we do have that responsibility. We may not be able to change the world, but we do have the responsibility to respond, to do what we can do, to lend our hand, our voice and our strength to those who strength has all but run out. We can’t do everything, but we can do something.

14. Can we stop global warming? Can we end the corruption and evil that comes when we purchase petroleum from foreign sources? Can we reduce our carbon footprint? Maybe we can’t change geo-politics but we can still make a difference. Did you know that candles are made from a byproduct of petroleum? The Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs has begun selling special “Green” Shabbat candles which are not made from petroleum. There is now a movement to use these soy based candles because they are a renewable resource and do not add to the carbon in the atmosphere. Each of us can further reduce our electrical consumption by replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lighting. It is not so hard to reduce our carbon footprint. Making a difference is only as far away as Home Depot. When we are asked who is responsible for the environment, will we reply “Hineini” “I am responsible”?

15. This past week, the major organizations of our Conservative movement, the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue released for general comment, draft guidelines for the Magen Tzedek seal. Those who eat Kosher try to eat according to the laws set down in the Torah about what is appropriate for food, and what is not. But knowing where the food comes from, in our day and age is not enough. What if the food was processed by people working in unsafe surroundings? What if they are being paid wages which are not much better than slave wages? What if the workers are being abused by their managers and forced to work long hours, to kick back some of their wages in order to keep their jobs or to pay very high rent for an apartment owned by the company who employs them. These conditions were all documented at the Agriprocessor Plant in Postville, IA. Can we say that Rubashkin meat is kosher if it is made on the backs of abused immigrants?

16. Magen Tzedek is an attempt by Conservative Judaism, to raise the standards of supervision. In these five areas: treatment of employees, animal welfare, consumer issues, corporate integrity and environmental impact; Magen Tzedek gives us a new way to look at our food. The Magen Tzedek seal is not designed to replace regular kashrut supervision; Magen Tzedek can only be given to foods that already are certified Kosher. But the seal certifies that the food we eat, meets a spiritual criteria that goes beyond how an animal is killed and how its lungs are inspected. The meat at the Postville plant was not treyf, but the attitude of the management and the treatment of the workers was far less than kosher. If we had a choice, would we demand Magen Tzedek in addition to regular Kosher supervision? The Magen Tzedek seal will start appearing next year. Are we ready to say “Hineini,” I am responsible for the food that I eat?

17. Darfur is halfway around the world from Florida. It is unsafe to travel there and the region has been closed to foreigners. Certainly we need to let our Senators and Representatives know that Darfur is a concern for us and that they should not let the humanitarian crisis there be forgotten. But is that all we can do? What do the people of Darfur need that can make their life easier? You might be surprised to learn that the needs are really quite simple.

18. The most dangerous thing that the people of Darfur need to do is to travel great distances to get the wood needed to cook their meals. Men searching for wood are regularly killed by the Janjaweed and the women who venture out of the settlements are often raped. For a few dollars, a solar stove can be given to each family in the villages, a stove that could heat food and water by solar power so that the need to leave the safety of the village would be lessened. There are some other issues as well: the clinics in the village need basic supplies; water wells need to be dug in the villages; modern latrines are needed to insure basic sanitation. None of this is really expensive, but most government money goes to food relief. A small sum of money can make a great difference. Jewish World Watch (www.jewishworldwatch.org) is an organization of Synagogues that are determined to not let genocide happen in our day and age. They have the connections to the secure stoves and supplies needed by the people of Darfur. Our conscience calls to us to say “Hineini” I will take responsibility.

19. When we join a synagogue we have a pretty good understanding as to what a synagogue is all about. We know that a synagogue is a Bet Sefer, a school, and that there needs to be educational programs so that we can grow in our understanding of our faith. We know that a synagogue is a Bet Tephilla, a house of prayer, and that we need to provide for the spiritual growth of our members and help them feel near to God when they pray. And we also know that a synagogue is a Bet Knesset, a place where we can get together with friends and neighbors to celebrate the joy in life and to support each other in times of sorrow.

20. But a synagogue should also be a Bet Tzedek, a place of Justice. Not in the sense of a courthouse, but a place where we gather to do what is right for those who are in need of our help. To reach out to the victims of injustice and to help all people find a way to live in safety and with self respect. We all know what a synagogue is, but we also must look to what our synagogue ought to be.

21. To be responsible means we first have to ask the question, “What ignites our moral passion?” Is it universal health care? Is it the immoral situation concerning immigration in this country? Is it hunger in a world that has too much food but not the will to distribute it equally? Is it children being pressed to serve as soldiers in West Africa? Is it the genocide in Darfur? Is it the international trade in children for sexual exploitation? Is it the trafficking of modern slavery? What will be the cause that awakens us from our slumber and moves us to make a difference in the world? The cause that moves us to say, “I am responsible”?

22. One of the projects that I want to introduce to the congregation is a new committee on Social Action/Social Justice. I am calling it the “Hineini Committee”. It is a place where we can gather to reflect on our responsibility to others, our responsibility to our planet and our responsibility as human beings and then to translate that reflection into meaningful action that will make a difference. Our Synagogue needs to be a place that is more than just a house of Prayer, Study and entertainment. Hineini will be a place where we can help to transform the world that is into the world that ought to be. It will help us discover what we can do to change the world and to join with others to plan how we can make a real difference.

23. How can you say Hineini? It is very easy. Just let me know that you are ready to take responsibility and let me know where you would like to focus your moral passion. I want to create different working groups each one with a focus on just one of the many responsibilities we may have. Some groups will focus on political action, contacting Representatives and Senators on the State and Federal levels. Others may work more locally on regional issues. Still other groups may reach out to those who may be suffering around the world, joining hands with international aid groups who are making a difference. Some may go to Israel to help with issues there relating to immigration and social ills, but others may fight those same ills right here in our own country. Some may decide to speak with students in our local schools and some may join with students from all over the world to lend a hand.

24. These are projects that do not require a certain age or agility. Everyone has something to offer and we can enlist our friends to help and make new friends along the way. Temple Emeth will provide the resources that will help each group work to make a difference. Who will come forward to lead a group of members to provide meals to a family who has now entered the Land of Cancer? Are there enough drivers in our congregation to help those friends and neighbors who have given up driving get to a doctor or to bring them to synagogue on Shabbat and Holidays? We have shown our commitment to Israel by traveling there and visiting this miracle of the Middle East. If you have not yet gone, are you ready to go? If you have gone, how about traveling to Washington DC and lobbying our representatives there about the direction of our Middle East policy? When this Health Care debate is over, this country will have to confront the next thorny problem of immigration. Who will speak up for those who wish to come to this country and work hard to better their family’s standard of living? Thirty-seven synagogues are already a part of Jewish World Watch, helping to provide the basic necessities for the people of Darfur. Who will help Temple Emeth become number thirty-eight?

25. Who is responsible for these and many other causes? Who will stand up and say “Hineini, Shelacheni” “Here I am, send me! I will be responsible”? I know that we are very busy with our lives. The great sage Hillel reminds us “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” But then he adds, “But if I am only for myself, what am I?” An important part of our definition of self needs to be our service to others. And finally Hillel reminds us, “If not now, when?” Now is the time, at the beginning of the year, at the time when we are searching our souls to discover just what kind of a person we are deep inside. Now is the time to answer the call to stand up for those who can not stand up for themselves and to lend time and energy to those whom life has left exhausted. We cannot rest on who we are; we have to bring to life the person that we know we “ought” to be. A Jew who understands that a spiritual life must be filled with kindness, caring and compassion. God is asking each one of us today, “Who shall I send? Who will go for us? Will we be like Jonah, who tried to run away from our responsibility or will be like Isaiah, or maybe like Harrison Ford and answer the call “Hineini, I am here. I am responsible!”

26. May this year be one of joy and gladness for us and for those we will help in the year ahead. May we be the blessing in the lives of others and may that be our blessing as well as we say …

AMEN AND GEMAR TOV – MAY WE ALL BE INSCRIBED FOR LIFE

Sermon Sunday Morning
Second Day Rosh Hashana
2009-5770
Temple Emeth, Delray Beach

Dear God,

At the start of a new Jewish year and decade, I , HaRav Moshe Shemuel ben Eliezer v’Sheindle have come to you to once again to pray on behalf my family and my community. This was a long and difficult year for me. We were not able to even have this conversation last year. So it is way past time for us to get back on speaking terms.

I was not angry with you about the difficult time I had in St. Paul. I had given the congregation all that I could but for some people there, it was not enough. I am thankful for my time there. In that short stay I was able to really make a difference in the lives of some really good Jews. I will treasure the memories of those successes long after the frustration and anger are forgotten. When I realized that my time in Minnesota was increasing my distance from you, I knew that you were letting me know, my time there had come to an end. It was time to move on.

And, I must say that it was truly humbling and instructive to sit in the congregation for the past year. To watch other Rabbis be in charge, to meet lay leaders and ordinary Jews from the position of equals rather than spiritual leader was profoundly humbling. I did miss terribly the work of the pulpit that has always been so much a part of my life, but the opportunity to meet the members of Anshe Chesed, the worshippers of Minyan Me’at and the students at the Jewish Theological Seminary and to live, for the first time in my life in a truly urban setting helped me grow in ways I could have never imagined just the year before.

And now you God have brought me back to South Florida, to this wonderful congregation called Temple Emeth, and once again I have the privilege of guiding the members of this synagogue as they try, each day, to sense your presence, and to understand what it means to live a spiritual/religious life. I first of all want to thank you God, for bringing me here, and introducing me to all those who have welcomed me to this city with open arms and open hearts. We are still learning a lot about each other, but with your help, our relationship will only grow stronger each day. I am trying to learn all their names all at once, it is a huge task. Give me the patience to learn not only the names but to know the individual, the essence of the members themselves

I’ll tell you God, This past year was a very tough year all over the world. People who are very close to me lost their jobs and even for Rabbis and Cantors it has been a tough year trying to support a family. For so many people, life is filled with so much uncertainty. On the one hand, I am happy that it is not death that stalks the doors of our country. H1N1 may be a concern but it has not turned into the killer we imagined it would be. AIDS is slowly coming under control, the fight against terrorism goes on but the terror attacks are getting fewer and farther away from our doors. I meet so many people who have survived in their lives the very diseases that killed their parents. I am very happy that we have no reason to fear for our lives as the new year begins.

But on the other hand, the uncertainty of where the next paycheck will come from, if we will be able to buy our next meal, If we will have enough retirement income to live on, If we can afford to keep our homes, these are real fears that are undermining whatever good news we may receive. It is hard to be charitable, to extend a hand to those in need and to support the most important causes if we are unsure what will happen tomorrow in our personal lives. I drive through neighborhoods with “for sale” signs in the yards that have been there for almost a year. Many of those signs indicate a “short sale” or a foreclosure. Each one represents a family in crisis, unable to pay their bills, unable to pay the mortgage, unable to make ends meet. I am not the only Rabbi making less than I did a few years ago. I find myself grateful for the blessings in my life that let me reach out to others in need instead of my being one who is in need. But as I reach out to others who are not so fortunate, I recognize that all of us are only a check or two away from financial disaster. I am thankful for the blessing of being able to pay my bill with income that I receive from an honest days work.

God, this is a very special congregation. Like all congregations, things seem so chaotic at first glance. I know better than to believe first impressions. I have found here a leadership that sincerely wants to do what is best for the congregation and for Judaism. I find the members here can reach back to a solid Jewish education and they let that education influence their personal lives. Everyone I have met has their heart in the right place when it comes to making this congregation the best that it can be. If they seem to argue a lot, that is only because they are passionate about their beliefs. In a world where one often can only get attention by shouting, I am hoping that Temple Emeth will be a place where one can argue passionately but everyone will, at the end of each day, walk hand in hand as friends. Keep bitterness and strife far from these walls and help us to be understanding as well as understood by others.

God, I do want to thank you for the blessings not only in my life but I want to thank you for all the blessings in the lives of my family as well. Ashira and Tim were ordained as Rabbis this year. I am always proud of their lives, but I celebrated their accomplishments. It was a very bittersweet moment as they fulfilled their dreams of service to the Jewish community; and yet, as I watched Ashria receive her tallit from my hand and as her dean conferred ordination upon her, I was only thinking of how proud my father would have been to be there that day, to see her cross the stage and to hug her on her exceptional work. I cried that day for their happiness and for my sadness. Joy won out over the sorrow. Our family celebrated with thanksgiving for the blessings of Learning and Leadership. I am most grateful that they too were able to find meaningful work in this terrible economy and have begun a new chapter in their lives, one that no longer includes school and grades but does include teaching, learning and reaching out to others. Ashira has been a source of information and support for her younger brothers and has taken on some leadership responsibilities in her synagogue. She is blessed with a practical wisdom that her supervisors and her colleagues have come to treasure. Like all young people, she is a little short on patience, but she learns quickly and understands that all her blessings come from you, God. More than that I cannot ask, of her or from you.

Eitan, my son, has matured into the top echelons of his field. Other computer programmers come to him with their problems and glitches and he, shares his time with them so they can learn and grow as he has. Even in his spare time, he has received permission to work on a new application for a new product that he very much want so see succeed, and with his help, it will only get stronger. He is in a new apartment in NY, near his brother and sister and is in a new relationship that, while I don’t know where it will go, at least he has found someone kind and caring. He calls me sometimes with some of the frustrations he encounters, As my parents did for me, I try to hear his question behind the question and help resolve the challenges. His life is still coming together and I can only ask you, God, to help him, every day, find his way in this crazy, noisy and chaotic world, which is so different from the elegant world of mathematics and computers where he chooses to dwell by day. Thank you God, for keeping Eitan healthy and happy.

On my shelf at home is a picture of my youngest, Hillel with his fiancée Sarah, just hours after he asked her to marry him. Even in the picture, the smile on their faces lights up the room. A great adventure awaits them this year as they prepare to be married sometime this summer. He has a thousand questions each day about weddings, about marriage and about life in general. He has a deep understanding of the differences between the love he has for his parents and the love he has for Sarah. The kindness in his soul, the care and concern for others has him trying to rebalance his life to let in his love of Sarah. Hillel has become the great negotiator in the family. At the slightest sign of a quarrel, he can draw out the essence of the conflict and propose a solution that will resolve the differences. He knows to stand up to that which is not fair and to admit when he is wrong. He knows how humor can lift up someone who is down, change the opinion of one who may be stuck, and gently bring down someone who may be just a bit too full of themselves. It is all done with kindness and compassion. He is an amazing young man and I thank you God for guiding his life. I also thank you for the privilege of raising up these three wonderful children and bringing to the family two new “children” who compliment them so perfectly.

I want to thank you today especially for the gift of life and health you have given my mother. She has endured much in her long life. To be sure there have been times of great joy and celebration. But recent years have been less kind. Sometimes I look at her and see her as being so frail and fragile. But to talk to her is to hear the same fire and determination that help her raise all five of us children, through good and bad times. My dad and mom raised up a lawyer, an Insurance Agent, a Cantor, A Rabbi and an electrical engineer. All of us have children of our own. We think our mom did a pretty good job. And each day that we get to talk with her or visit with her is a joy. Perhaps these days she is a bit more mellow when it comes to her commentary on the world around her but when it is a matter of family, her love and passion for the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren knows no bounds. With your help, God, she will turn ninety, or perhaps we should say, she is turning thirty for the third time. We hope to gather for her birthday, as many as we can round up in this far flung family, and remind her again of all that she has done to make us all who we are today. God, don’t let me let a day go by without letting her know how important she is in my life.

Finally, I have to thank you for the past 33 years with Michelle. We have been through a lot over the past couple of years and, quite frankly, without you, God, and Michelle, I would not have made it. I still cannot imagine what I ever could have done more right than to marry her and to share my life with her. I rely on her wisdom, her wit and her steady hand. I have learned to see the world through her eyes and see life in multiple layers through her heart. We have shared every adventure together and each one has been richer because of her presence. Each year I think I have reached the pinnacle of love with Michelle and each year she shows me how to reach ever higher. Thank you God for bringing Michelle, and her love into my life.

I heard once a story about a little girl who was writing in her diary. She paused and turned to the back of the book. The pages there were all blank. She said, “This is the one book I would love to be able to read the ending and see how it all turns out.” I know, God that how the book of life will turn out depends a great deal on the decisions that I make today. I know God, that if I aspire to the kind of old age that my mother has modeled, then I need to get working on it right away. A good future is not a small production and if I want it to be the best it can be, I will need years more of hard work and determination. You have blessed me God, with the health, wisdom and the heart that I will need this year and every year to serve the members of this congregation and to help them navigate the twists and turns that their lives may take. It is my sacred duty to be there for those who trust me to guide them in difficult days and to help them appreciate the good days. I don’t always know why you send me the challenges that I face, but I hope that I can meet them all with your help and support. Help me share your light with those in need and may I reflect your light into the hearts of all who may know only darkness.

You have taught me, my Creator, that Judaism is less about judgment and law, as it is about knowing your ways and sharing your love. I hope that this year will be a year where I can show a new community and new friends how you can guide them as you have guided me, how knowledge of you will help them master their world and how they can trust you, in the darkest of days, to carry them when they no longer have the strength to walk themselves.

Thank you God, for your constant companionship in my life. I know that there are times when I don’t understand you and I cry out to you in my frustration. I know in my soul that I could not do any of this alone, without your help. I may not always understand you but I will always trust you. I promised you that I would do all in my power to spread your wisdom and compassion to whatever community to which you might send me. I feel honored that you have trusted me with these good people of Delray Beach and Temple Emeth. I will work hard every day not to let you down.

All I ask in return is a year of life, health and joy for myself, my family, my congregation and my community. Let everyone share all of your divine blessings and may this new year be even better than the year before. May it be a year of blessing, of sustenance, of prosperity for our country and a year of peace for the world. And for you, God, may it be a good year too. L’shana Tova U’metukah. May you and all of us have a good and sweet new year.
Amen

Sermon Saturday Morning
First Day Rosh Hashana
2009 – 5770
Temple Emeth, Delray Beach

L’Shana Tova U’metukah, May you have a good and sweet new year

A Good Year? Are you serious Rabbi? A good year!!?? What could be so good about this year. The whole world is falling apart. My life is falling apart! A good year? It is just starting and already it is a failure!!

I lost my job, Rabbi, who will hire me now at my age. My kids lost their jobs in this lousy economy and they need my help to support them. They lost the house, the business and their marriage is coming apart! How will this year be any good? My investments have lost half their value. The entire country is in a recession. I feel sick about it and then I discover that even my health care program is in trouble. My investments have failed, my bank has failed, my business has failed and I guess I have failed. How can it be a good year if from the start I feel like a failure?

These are tough times in this country and around the world. We have gone from a nation of plenty to a nation of insecurity about the future. Fear stalks our streets. Even if I have a job and a paycheck, tomorrow it could all be gone. Realtors have seen the housing market collapse. People can’t afford to pay for their homes and they can’t afford to sell their homes and they can’t afford to move.

My own family is not immune from the failures around us. I was looking for a congregation in a year when there were too many Rabbis looking for work and not very many congregations with strong enough finances to afford a Rabbi. My being here is truly a blessing. Michelle, my wife, came to be headmaster of a Jewish day school, but the economy hurt those who were funding the school and the school did not have to money it needed to open this fall. Now she is looking for work in a year when, for every job there are 50 -70 applicants.

There are plenty of people and institutions who we can blame for the failures around us but as we watch our income and our retirement dissolve, we find that more often than not, we are kicking ourselves, that WE are the failures in this crisis. We should have paid close attention to our investments. We should have saved more money rather than spend like there was no tomorrow. We should have listened to those who said that the end was near, and not laughed at them for their doomsday message. If only I was smarter I would have sold the GM stock and bought the Ford stock. I would have paid down my credit card debt rather than run it up. I would have saved for these rainy days; instead I bought these designer boots. I thought I was so smart, and now I feel like a fool.

Rabbi Jack Reimer includes in one of his books a story of a little boy who came to the rabbi with a heavy heart. “What has happened,” asked the Rabbi. The boy replied, “I have done something terrible and I don’t know what to do about it. At my Little League game yesterday, I was playing second base and the batter hit an easy ground ball right to me. I bent down to scoop it up and it rolled right between my legs.” Asked the Rabbi, “Are you embarrassed that the people laughed at you? Did the mistake cost you the game?” “No,” said the boy, “That is not the problem, we got the out with the next batter and the inning was over. I was embarrassed about it but I got over that and yet I still feel terrible.” “You know,” said the Rabbi, “that anyone can make a mistake, it was an unimportant baseball game, why are you being so hard on yourself?” the boy replied, “Rabbi, you don’t understand, I am a better ballplayer than that.” Imagine, ten years old and he already feels like a failure.

I know parents of preschool children who go to extreme lengths to make sure their children qualify to get into the best preschool in the county. They figure that if they get into the best preschool, they will get into the best elementary school which will get them into the best high school, which will assure them a place in the best university, which will insure that they get a great job and will be a success in life. Of course, if they don’t make it into the best preschool, then at age three, they are already a failure

We may all feel like failures and fools from time to time but perhaps that is not such a bad thing. Perhaps it will be our failures that will make this new year a Good and Sweet year. Country Singer Garth Brooks, in his song, “Unanswered Prayers”, tells the story of a married man who meets his high school flame at a football game. This was the girl that he prayed that he might marry someday. It didn’t work out, now his old flame does not seem so angelic anymore and the woman he did marry is the love of his life. In the refrain of the song he sings, “Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers. Remember when you’re talkin’ to the man upstairs; that just because he doesn’t answer doesn’t mean he don’t care, Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”

Take a look at some modern failures. There is a long list of failures associated with Abraham Lincoln. He had many business failures, could not get the votes necessary to win a seat in the US Senate twice and had his first true love die just as they were about to be engaged. He had to work hard to become a lawyer and a surveyor. He could not afford a good education so he had to educate himself. And yet he went on to be one of the most important Presidents of the United States.

Maybe we should take a look at the life of Winston Churchill. The great war leader of WWII was responsible in WWI for the catastrophic invasion at Gallipoli. His political fortunes rose and fell many time until he became Prime Minister of England during World War II and strengthened the entire country. Later,even though he lost the election after the war he did go on to win a Nobel Prize in Liturature. He once said that “Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.”

The only real failure, it seems, is not learning from our failures. I don’t know if you have noticed that so many businesses have taken to sending out customer satisfaction surveys. Maybe you fill them out or maybe you ignore them but the true test of a company is what they do with the surveys they get back. On the one side are those organizations that try to inspire their employees to earn perfect scores on these surveys. It is the modern take on performance testing. I am often handed a form by an employee who “reminds me” that if I had good service, to give him a score of “10”. I can see how this kind of survey can help a company discover who is doing an excellent job and who is not.

But there are some companies who are looking for something deeper. They don’t really want to know what they did right, they want to know, it great detail, where they let the customer down. Such surveys ask me what I think of their product. Was it a good value for the money? Did it arrive in good condition? Did it perform as I expected? How could they make it better? What could they do to make it more usable or convenient? Such companies don’t obsess over their successes. They can’t learn much from success. Only by understanding where they “failed” me can they begin to build on a better tomorrow.

I remember a scene in the play, The Lion King, Where Simba, horrified that he has caused the death of his father and feeling a failure at life, runs away to join a band of misfits. Rafiki, the Baboon mystic finds him and tells him to come home and take his place as the true King. Simba says he is not worthy because he is a failure. Rafiki hits Simba on the head with his staff. “Hey!” yells Simba, “cut that out!” Rafiki swings again but this time Simba ducks and the staff misses its mark. “You see, Simba,” says Rafiki, “already you have learned from a failure”. It is only a failure if we don’t learn from our mistakes.

What is a failure anyway? Just because one aspect of our life fails does not make us a failure. Life is way too complicated to fail on all fronts. We all have successes as well as failures. When we feel like a failure, We have to rise above the chaos and assess were we are and where we need to go. We must first ask the question, do we have friends and family who love us? If so, we cannot consider our life a failure. Do we have a friend who will come to help us in a crisis even at 3 AM? That does not sound like a failure in life to me. Are you such a friend? Would you go to help a friend in crisis at 3 AM? Then don’t let me catch you calling yourself a failure. To your friend, you are a hero.

Hannah Senech, the Hebrew Poetess and soldier from Palestine, risked her life to parachute into Hungary to save Jews from the Nazis. Her mission was discovered and the Gestapo caught Hannah and her friends. They were all tortured and executed. It would seem that the mission was a failure. But, as one general noted; From a military point of view, it is often difficult to identify a mission as a failure. Sure they were caught and executed, but they gave hope to those who were down and oppressed. The Jews in Hungary knew that while this mission may have failed, the Jews of Palestine had not forgotten nor abandoned them, and this gave the Jews of Hungary great hope.

Remember the spaceship Apollo 13? There was a terrible accident on the way to the moon and three astronauts were in danger of loosing their life in space. The engineers on the ground did not kick themselves for their failure. They did not moan over what they had done wrong. They were rallied by the flight director who refocused their priorities. He said: “There are three American astronauts out there and we need to bring them home safely. We have never lost an American in space and it is not going to happen on my watch. We are going to bring them home gentlemen and failure is not an option.” All three were brought home safely.

Think of Joseph, the son of our Patriarch Jacob. Every good thing that happens in his life causes a problem; the multi colored coat, the dreams, his hard work in his master’s home in Egypt, it all leaves him abandoned by family, sold into slavery and thrown into prison. His own dreams do not make him great. He became great only when he learns to listen to the dreams of others. Failure can teach us that when we stop caring only for ourselves and start caring for others, even in prison, we can rise toward success.

Victor Frankel was a doctor in Vienna before WWII. He had just finished a manuscript that was his life’s work when the Nazi’s came and arrested him. He stuffed the manuscript into his coat thinking that someday things could change and he would be able to publish it. When he got to the concentration camp, they took away all his clothing and he lost the manuscript. He was given worn out clothing that had been taken from prisoners who had already been killed. In the pocket of this prison uniform, he found a piece of paper with a prayer on it. Even in this dark place and in the dark times, this prayer was the light that kept Victor Frankel going. After the war, Frankel wrote a different book, “Man’s Search for Meaning”. It is still in print. In this book he maintains that we don’t get to pick what will happen to us in life. But we do get to assign it meaning. As long as there is hope, as long as we can learn from life, then nothing is really a failure.

The little ten year old Little League player I told you about did get some important advice from his Rabbi. When the boy said that he felt like a failure because he was a better player than that, the Rabbi replied, “What you are saying then is that on that play you didn’t do your best. You didn’t do what you know you are capable of doing. You let yourself down, more than you let the team down.” “Yes, that’s it!” exclaimed the boy, “I know that the games are not that important but I learned something about myself that day. It doesn’t matter how good I am at doing something if I don’t do my best. But now what do I do about it? There is no way for me to fix the problem and say “I’m sorry” to the person I may have hurt. To whom should I say “I’m sorry”?” The Rabbi responded, “When we hurt ourselves we need to say “I’m sorry” to God and we need to say “I’m sorry” to ourselves. That is the reason we have Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.”

When we feel like a failure, that we have let ourselves down, these Days of Awe come to help us get some perspective and they allow us to forgive ourselves. We sometimes get so busy with our feelings of failure that we fail to see not only the good we have done but the good that may still be possible not in spite of the failure but BECAUSE of the failure. Today we may feel like a fool for not hearing the warnings, for not paying attention to the signs that the world was coming unglued, but even a fool has lessons that can be taught and learned if we are open to their message.

Jacob the Baker, in the book by Noah ben Shea, tells a story of a fool who set out for the palace of the king. Along the way the people laughed at him, “Why should a fool like you go to see the king?” the Fool replied, “Well, I am going to be the king’s teacher.” But his conviction only brought more laughter by the people along the path. When the fool arrived at the palace, the King decided to make short work and great laughter at the expense of the Jester. The Jester was immediately invited to the royal court. “Why do you dare to disturb the King?” said the Royal Majesty. “I have come to be the royal teacher.” Said the Fool in a matter of fact voice. The king roared with laughter, “How can you, a fool teach me?” “You see,” said the Fool, “you are already asking me questions” The royal court froze in silence. The King gathered himself and stared at his ridiculous opponent. “You have offered a clever response but you have not answered my questions.” “Only a fool has all the answers.” replied the fool with a sly smile. “But, but…” now the King was sputtering, “What would others say if they found out the King had a fool for a teacher?” “Better to have a fool for a teacher than a fool for a king.” Said the Fool. When he heard this, the King, who was not a bad man, confessed, “Now I do fell like a fool.” “No,” said his opponent, “It is only a fool who has never felt like one.”

The only fool is the one who has never felt like a fool. The only failure is the one who does not see what the failure has to teach. Lewis Timberlake in his news letter, wrote the following message to all who may feel like a failure in life:

Failure doesn’t mean you have accomplished nothing; it just means you’ve learned something
Failure doesn’t mean you’ve been a fool; It just means you had enough faith to experiment.
Failure doesn’t mean you’ve been disgraced; it just means you dared to try.
Failure doesn’t mean you don’t have what it takes; it just means you must do things differently next time.
Failure doesn’t mean you’re inferior; It just means you’re not perfect
Failure doesn’t mean you’ve wasted your time; it just means you have a reason to start over.
Failure doesn’t mean you should give up; it just means you must try harder.
Failure doesn’t mean you’ll never make it; it just means you need more patience.
Failure doesn’t mean you’re wrong; it just means you must find a better way.
Failure doesn’t mean God has abandoned you; it just means you must continue to pray as if everything depends on God and act as if everything depends on you.

I hope that by this time of the year most of you have already asked forgiveness from those who feel we have done something wrong to them. I hope that by now, we have returned to those we may have offended and asked for forgiveness. I hope that when others have come to us, we were quick to forgive and to reassure them that we value their friendship too much to carry grudges into a new year. If all of that is done, it is time to begin to forgive ourselves. It is time to set aside the failures, the times we acted foolishly. When we knew we were better than that and discovered that we were not giving this game of life the best we have to offer.

What is the formula that will guarantee a good year in 5770? It is the same formula that got us into 5769, the same formula that got our parents into 5720 and the same formula that our sages used in 3770. To forgive others their mistakes, to ask forgiveness of others for our mistakes and to forgive ourselves for the times we were not the best we know how to be. The New Year is beginning. It is time to start over, with more patience and the wisdom that comes from trying and failing, and to enter the New Year with the faith we will need to continue to try harder, to experiment with new things and to keep searching for a better way.

Author Robert Fulghum has written: “Remember that nursery rhyme about the “eensy weensy spider that went up the water spout? It failed in its climb when the rains came and washed it right back to where she started. The sun came out, dried up the rain and our friend the spider, perhaps with an eye to the sky looking for clouds, went out to climb again.”

Today is a new day and a new year. The sun has come out to dry up all the rain. With the lessons we have learned, with the faith that we have earned and with a spirit that has returned, let us aspire again to the top of the waterspout, to the top of our game and to the top of the world. Armed with the lessons of the past year we enter this New Year with faith and with the conviction that we must give each day, each hour and each minute our best; and always remember, Failure is not an option.

L’shana Tova U’metuka – may we truly be blessed with a good and sweet New Year.
AMEN

If you ask almost any Jew about a career as a rabbi, they will tell you, “It is not a job for a good Jewish boy” (or girl too, if you push the joke far enough).

Is being a rabbi really worse than being a doctor? Rabbis don’t have to deal with insurance companies and arcane billing issues.

Is being a rabbi really worse than being a lawyer? Jokes about lawyers are far more painful than rabbi jokes.

I have served as a rabbi now for 26 years. There have been moments of great joy and times of great personal pain and sorrow. I have watched people embrace their Judaism and pick their lives up from the ashes and find joy and wonder in the world again. I have argued with people who were stubborn and bull headed and a couple of times it put my job on the line. I have led communities through great darkness, including lawsuits and legal accusations and have been honored by the lay leadership for my steady hand in tough times. I have also been accused of being heavy handed and my contract was not renewed because I did what I thought was right and the lay leadership did not agree.

And I would not trade a minute of it all for some other profession.

Any occupation has its job hazards. Police get shot at. Firemen get burned. Doctors get falsely accused of malpractice. Shopkeepers are accused regularly of overpricing merchandise. Mechanics are charged with fixing what isn’t broken. Butchers are accused of putting their thumb on the scale. Jockeys are accused of throwing races etc. There is no good occupation for saints. But rabbis are not saints. Not even close. At best we are simple teachers, trying to help people understand what they can control in life and to have faith when facing what they cannot control.

I have had the privilege of working with social workers close up. They patiently wait for a client to understand he or she has a problem and come to them to help find a solution. A rabbi does not have to wait. I have, on occasion, called a member of my congregation and asked him or her to come in so we could talk about what I knew was a problem they were struggling with.

I have made a difference in the lives of some of the people who I have touched and I consider that to be the most wonderful part of my “work”. We can deal with a load of frustration when we know that our efforts have turned around a life going horribly wrong and got it once again on the right path.

There have been times when I didn’t know what I would say or what I could say to help someone in a crisis, and I felt blessed that God gave me the words and the comforting hands that were needed at that moment to help that person get through the darkness. I feel that all I do is through God’s blessing and I am grateful for the opportunity to be there when needed.
There are limits. I can’t be all things to all people. I am only one rabbi and I have my own corner of the world that I am responsible for. (We call that the principle of Mara d’Atra, the teacher of that place). I try very hard to get things right all the time. I have, more often than I am comfortable confessing, missed the mark and been unable to understand a problem and failed to offer any Jewish wisdom at all. I often talk to other rabbis who seem to have a better sense of what to say in every situation. They know better how to preach and how to teach. I try to learn from everyone I encounter and I have been blessed with many good teachers.

I would love to show anyone what I do all day; the glory and the painfully boring things. The hospital visits and the sometimes disorganized committee meetings are two polar opposites but they also represent what I do all day. Sometimes, in the most mundane activities, I have been thanked for my “brilliant” understanding. I am in this profession for the long haul. I balance the short term setbacks against the long term change that I bring to my community and to all those who call me Rabbi.

Sometimes the hours are long. Sometimes the counseling leaves me exhausted. I balance my time between being the Rabbi of a community and being a husband/father to my family. I think I have done a pretty good job, together with my wife, of raising our children. One of them just was ordained as a rabbi.

She tells me it is a great occupation for a nice Jewish woman.
And I believe her.

There is always a great debate that takes place between rabbis over Jewish Law and Legal theory. Some rabbis insist that Jewish Law, Halacha, must always follow the same system that has been in use since the time of the Talmud. It is a system where the law grows “organically”, that is; each new strand of the law is based on what is already a part of the system. Every law, in this configuration, must have a direct tie back to the Shulchan Aruch, the 17th century Code of Jewish Law that is tied to the Talmud which is tied to the Torah/Bible. Since Jewish Law is based on the Torah and the Torah comes from God, there can be no amendments to the Torah. Only the Sages, using approved legal processes, can rule on how any particular law is to be observed, under what circumstances it can be ignored and the extent of its importance in the life of a caring Jew. (Solomon Schechter noted that the law has to be written by and for those who care for the law. If someone has no interest in following the law, they have no say in how the law is to develop. This caring community of Jews he called “Catholic Israel”)
This is a very important way to view law. Jews can wake up every morning and know what the law, the Halacha, requires of them. There are no surprises, nothing unexpected, and it is very predictable. If we were to add, for example, prophecy, to the equation, we would find that the law would become so unpredictable, that it would depend so much on what someone says each day and not on any predictable pattern, that before you know it, people would no longer know what is required of them when they try to live by Jewish Law. The process is not only important for the rabbis, but for every Jew so that we know what is expected of us and where Halacha draws the line.
There is another way to look at Halacha. We understand the law better when we understand the reasons behind the law. If we know what the law requires and why the requirements are spelled out the way they are, then we don’t need to learn all of Halacha, only the guiding principles and we can surmise for ourselves in almost every situation, what Halacha requires.
For example, if we understand that the reason we are forbidden to fast on Yom Kippur if such a fast will endanger our life, is that the health and safety of every Jew is a priority under the law, then we can learn that any action we may do that would endanger our lives would be against this principle of the law. We would not need rabbis to tell us that smoking cigarettes is against Halacha. We would also understand that taking medication on Yom Kippur is not an option, but a requirement if our health depends on it.
Both methods have their drawbacks however. Rabbi Bradley Artson, the Dean of the Zeigler Rabbinical School at American Jewish University gave this address to his graduating class:
http://web.me.com/aaaron12/Aaron_Alexander/Ordinations/Entries/2009/5/27_Rabbi_Artson%E2%80%99s_Charge_-_2009.html
No matter how explicit the law may be, we are required to go beyond the letter of the law. Just keeping the law without understanding its reasons can lead us to become “Scoundrels protected by the Law.”
On the other side, if we only go by the reasons for the law, we can fall into faulty reasoning. We could say, for example, “If one God is good, two gods would be better” and not realize that it would be a violation of a different principle that insists that Judaism must have only one God, no more and no less. Or, to use the example above, if we know that we are forbidden to endanger our lives we might think that Halacha would forbid us from driving too fast. But one could reason,” I am an experienced driver and I can drive fast and not endanger myself”, or we might say without consulting a medical expert, “I can skip this medication on Yom Kippur and it will not matter” and thus endanger ourselves and violate the law.
The reality is that Halacha requires both. The law must be structured and there must be reasons. We must not let the structure determine what Judaism stands for or does not stand for. But the reasons for the law need the structure of the law so that it makes sense to those of us who try and live by Halacha.
The place where this gets most confusing is when we confront people who are not convinced that Halacha is a way they wish to live their lives. They say they are looking for a system that they can understand and has reasons for observance that makes sense to them. Until such a law comes along, they are not interested in restricting their lives.
Doing whatever you want is a very seductive legal system. You don’t have to answer to rabbis or even to God. When a person doesn’t want to follow Halacha, any excuse to ignore it is as good as any other. In the world in which we live, why would a person choose to follow a religious system that places so many complicated restrictions on their lives? Does it really matter if we eat pork or not? Why would God care about such things? What has God done for me that I should limit what I eat? The reason for that law was for health, and we don’t have to worry about such diseases anymore. Once we give reasons for the law, we open ourselves up to people asking if “logically” they can basically do whatever they want in the name of keeping the “spirit” of the law if not the letter.
On the other hand, if we rabbis allow some flexibility into the letter of the law, we can draw some people closer to Judaism. Most Jews want to know that Judaism can work in the modern world. Some see Orthodox Jews and think it is great that they can turn their back on society and live the kind of life that they live. Some searching Jews may appreciate what Orthodox Jews endure but they are not ready or willing in their own lives to leave modernity and to establish lives that are so different from what they are familiar with. To tell such a Jew that “there is no such thing as ‘a little kosher’” would be to scare them off from ever considering Kashrut in their lives. Is it okay to light Shabbat candles after the time posted on the calendar? The wrong answer could strand a family far away from any observance of Shabbat at all.
I find myself wanting to be a teacher, not a lawyer, when it comes to Jewish Law. I want to draw Jews closer to Torah, and not dump on their lives the full weight of the law. There has to be a way, in each case when someone comes to us with a question, that we see the “question behind the question” and find a way that they can begin their entrance into Judaism without guilt or frustration that they cannot, do all that God requires. I find myself in the position of the Rabbi who cures the prince who thinks he is a rooster, by joining the prince under the table to peck at corn, and slowly bringing the prince back into the real world. I find myself more and more annoyed with rabbis who ask questions of other rabbis beginning with the phrase: “Is there any way Jewish law allows for ….” We rabbis are the judges and the final authority for our community as to how Jewish Law is to be determined. We don’t always have to be consistent or logical, only we have to know our people and what they can bear, and then begin a process that will raise them up in their observance. It is not a neat logical system, but we live in a world which is not always neat or logical. We rabbis have to be creative, flexible and tailor Judaism for the people who ask us questions. I may not think that take-out pizza is an appropriate dinner for Erev Shabbat, but if that is all a family can do for dinner on Friday, I will have to be happy asking them to “at least” put a white/special tablecloth on the table and to use the “good” dishes. I will have to believe that once they begin to bring Shabbat into their home, it will slowly grow into the kind of observance in which a rabbi can be proud. I will have to guide them, teach them and maybe prod them a bit to stretch themselves to get there. It is a messy and long term project, but it is better than saying, “If you can’t make a proper Shabbat meal than don’t bother until you change your job, the children move out and you can get home early on Friday in time to cook the meal and light candles at their proper time”
There are some places where we can’t be flexible. Intermarriage, Brit Milah, the rules of who is a Jew and who needs conversion all mark lines of personal identity. At some point a decision has to be made and then these issues will or will not apply. Pork will never be kosher, but if removing pork from the kitchen is the first step in discovering Kashrut, I am not going to be quick to enforce the laws of Shechita in that kitchen. It can be kosher enough for the family even if it is not kosher enough for me. When they ask me to join them in a meal, it will be time to get them to extend their understanding of Kashrut so they may join the ranks of others with formal kosher kitchens. I must be their guide on their Jewish journey.

Are you an observant Jew? The question itself is often a code for living an Orthodox Jewish Life. But is that what it really means? For a Conservative Jew what would that question mean? Conservative Judaism permits, in some circumstances, riding on Shabbat. It means that there are certain disagreements concerning keeping kosher between Conservative Judaism and Orthodox Judaism. Conservative Judaism claims you can be observant and still count women in a minyan or have a document witnessed by a woman of legal age. It also means that you don’t have to believe that the Torah as we have it today was handed to Moses at Mt. Sinai. So if you are a Conservative Jew, are you an observant Jew?
Of course you are!
We observe what we observe and we try and do what is right in our lives. Perhaps we are not perfect in our observance but then, who is really perfect in observance? Why do I have to believe that I must observe “everything” if I want to be considered observant? Does it have to be all or nothing? Of course not!
Are you an observant Jew? Do we really care about this question? We live our lives as best we can. We try to be fair, honest and earn a living. Do we care at all what Judaism says about our lives? Do we ever really stop and consider what Judaism would have to say about what we do every day and if we find that we could be living lives that are more observant, does that fact alone inspire us to try harder to be an “observant Jew”?
Thus there is a question behind the question. Why do we bother with any Jewish observance at all? Is it only nostalgia about what our parents or grandparents used to do? Do we feel, somewhere in our hearts, that living an observant life is somehow better, like the old Hebrew National slogan that we are living “according to a higher standard”? That rabbis in every age have argued and refined Jewish Law to give us this pure way of living a spiritual life; does that matter to us at all? Would we be motivated to keep kosher, go to shul on Shabbat or on weekdays, learn to pray, wear tephillin because ancient and/or modern sages tell us that we should be doing these things? Do we feel at all guilty that we are not doing them?
Are we all really “Jews by choice” – we do what we choose to do, and we choose not according to what rabbis say, but according to what make “sense” in our lives? Are we motivated to observe because the action is a mitzvah, a command from the Torah? Are we less motivated if we discover that it is only a command of the later Sages? If someone gave you a set of dishes to use in your kosher kitchen, would you refuse them if you discovered that the rabbis say there may be no way to make these dishes, used in a non-kosher home, fit for use in your own home? Would you ask your Rabbi to find a heter/permission to use the dishes? Would you even care to ask?
These are the kinds of questions that rabbis discuss all the time. Are we making laws and granting permission to people who care one whit about the nuances of our discussions? Certainly there are some for whom these issues are important, but will any of this help most Jews find their way back to Judaism? It is not an easy question. When a Jew wants to find his or her way back to an observant lifestyle, more often than not, they are looking for a very “traditional” life style, one that is somehow “pure” and not “tainted” by modernity. Perhaps this is why Chabad seems to do such a big business in people returning to Judaism. The strict observance of Chabad often strikes returning Jews as more “authentic” then the requirements of other liberal forms of Judaism.
Does the reason for performing a mitzvah matter more than the fact that it is a commandment of God? Do we want to know what God requires of us or do we want to know that our actions will make a difference in our lives and make a positive difference in the world? This question alone fuels rabbinic debate whenever rabbis get together and discuss the state of Judaism today. Philosophers and legal theorists defend their positions and all the while we cling to the latest sociological surveys to see what motivates Jews to bring more observance into their lives. Will it really make a difference if we have students spend less time in Hebrew School or would cutting Hebrew School hours only tell parents that a Jewish education is not really that valuable? Is learning Hebrew and teaching Hebrew prayers important in the life of a Jew? Is it more important that we teach about the State of Israel than teaching about the Holocaust? Than teaching student s how to read the Bible?
Perhaps every family is different and has its own unique approach to Judaism in family life. How will that affect the way synagogues provide Jewish services? How will that change the way we teach Judaic subjects to children and adults? How will it change the way we pray, the way we study, the way we relate to each other as Jews?
Are you an observant Jew? What does this question mean to you? What would motivate you and your family to seek an answer to this question? The future of Judaism depends on your answers. Does that motivate us to answer the questions? What would motivate you?
If I have made you think about these questions and if I you have begun to form some answers in your mind, how about writing them down, and attaching them as comments to this blog. Just click on the link below and share your answers.
Write your take on these answers today. “Rabbis are standing by to read your answers.”