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50th Anniversary of His Assassination (April 4, 1968) Beth El Temple, April 8, 2018 Welcome to Beth El Temple. Beth El means “House of God” or “God’s Home” -symbolically, this is the spiritual home to hundreds of people who come here to worship, study and engage in fellowship.
We also gather here, from time to time, for funerals and memorial services, community commemorations and celebrations. On behalf of my congregation I want to share with you what an honor it is for us to be a home for this Memorial Service, as our community remembers the gifts of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr on the 50th Anniversary of his assassination. We’ve gathered here, in our Sanctuary, where we’re surrounded by colorful windows, depicting Biblical Heroes and Heroines, Jewish Festivals and commemorations. There is a booklet you can pick up outside the Sanctuary that explains all the windows and their history. We hope that this evening’s warm, inspiring music, and the Eulogy we’ll hear in a few minutes will inspire us to remember Dr. King as the blessing he was and remains to our country and our world. In our Jewish Tradition, when someone dies, we pray that they will rest in peace and that their memory will be for a blessing. To us those words are a challenge; memory is great; it’s so important to remember, to wax nostalgic, to recall events and triumphs and to recall defeats and tragedies. We want to learn from both our mistakes and our successes. Most importantly, we strive to bind our souls, still in this world, with their souls, in the world that is coming, in a place many call “heaven.” How do we do that? What will make of memories “binding”? We believe that God wants us to be so inspired By our memories that we go out and do something to make our world a better place. What use is memory if we don’t act on it? What good is it to remember Dr. King if we don’t strive to change our civilization unto a civilization where People will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character? Dr. King was right about so many things and about this in particular; its about character, the values we embody and the values we live by and the values we teach through example and the values we cherish so much that we become aware that whether we are aware of it or not, whether we like it or not we risk our lives to protect them every day. These values are American values, these are Religious values, these are Humane Human values. When I was in 2nd or 3rd grade we were expected to memorize the Declaration of Independence. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. I grew up in the period of the Civil Rights War in America; I was born in 1952 and so as a ten year old I remember watching on our black, white and gray TV black people getting hosed down and beaten and segregated and shunned and denied and, as I had to memorize the first two paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence when I was 10 I wondered what in heaven’s name didn’t those white folk down South understand about All are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights? Eventually I learned it wasn’t just the white folk down south; it was many white folk all over our country, including in my home town of Westbury, New York. When I was 11 I watched that same TV, in awe, as some white folks and many, many black folks gathered in Washington at a rally, A March for Jobs and Freedom. I saw video reports on the news, I heard Mahalia Jackson and Marian Anderson sing, I heard Joan Baez and Peter, Paul and Mary sing, and I heard this Reverend, (who my father explained was a Christian Rabbi) proclaim: I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I grew up in this America, and that dream was a shared vision, a Christian vision and a Jewish Vision and a Muslim vision and a Buddhist vision and a Hindu vision -and a secular vision -of what America could be if we worked together to establish a society where we took as our fundamental truth and our motivating faith that all of us are created in absolute equality. Just a few months before that rally, in 1963, 55 years ago, Judaism’s leading theologian, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, became a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King. They met at a conference for Religion and Race where Rabbi Heschel, in his keynote address said: At the First Conference on religion and race the main participants were Pharaoh and Moses. Moses words were: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Let my people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me. Pharaoh retorted: Who is the Lord, that I should heed this voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover I will not let Israel go! Heschel concluded his introduction as follows: The outcome of that summit meeting has not come to an end. Pharaoh is not ready to capitulate. The exodus began, but it is far from having been completed. In fact, it was easier for the children of Israel to cross the Red Sea than for a negro to cross certain university campuses. In 1965 Rabbi Heschel joined Dr. King as they marched from Selma to Montgomery and Rabbi Heschel brought many Rabbis from around the United States to march with them. There is a photograph in the hall outside, in front of the Elevator, a photo on a poster of Drs Heschel and King marching side by side, Marching together in Alabama in March of 1965; as Rabbi Heschel’s daughter, Professor Susannah Heschel has written, “The photograph of Abraham Joshua Heschel walking arm in arm with Martin Luther King, Jr. in the front row of marchers at Selma has become an icon of American Jewish life, and of Black-Jewish relations. Reprinted in Jewish textbooks, synagogue bulletins and in studies of ecumenical relations, the picture has come to symbolize the great moment of symbiosis of the two communities, Black and Jewish.” When asked by his students what was the significance of the march, how he felt those days in Alabama, Dr. Heschel responded, When I marched in Selma I felt my legs were praying. I am here because tonight my legs are praying, and that prayer is one where we come together as one community, celebrating and respecting our diversity while we celebrate our common humanity. Dr. King and Rabbi Heschel had transformed each other’s lives in 5 short years; Dr. King engaged Rabbi Heschel and many other Rabbis and Jewish Americans to embrace the Civil Rights Movement, and Rabbi Heschel engaged Dr. King to embrace the Anti-War movement, where so many African American GIs were among the dead and wounded. The last time Dr. King and Rabbi Heschel saw each other was at the Concord Hotel in New York State, when Dr. Heschel celebrated his 60th Birthday at the Rabbinical Convention in March 25th, 1968. Dr. King attended to honor Rabbi Heschel and Dr. King delivered a powerful address, an address where he spoke to his love for Israel and about his first reaction to The Report of the National Advisory Commissoin on Civil Disorders, better known as the Kerner Commission Report on Racism in America, a report that had only recently been published. Dr. King remarked that evening that he had been blessed by the over 600 Rabbis present to hear hundreds of voices raised, singing Anu Nitgaber - We Shall Overcome - in Hebrew. 10 days later, when Dr. King was assassinated, Rabbi Heschel was the rabbi Mrs. King invited to speak at her husbands funeral. Rabbi Heschel delivered one of the eulogies. Dr. King and Corretta Scott King had been planning on attending the Heschel’s Passover Seder the following week. These are the words Professor, Doctor, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel spoke to a room full of 600 Rabbis to Introduce his friend, The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. “Where does moral religious leadership in America come from today? The politicians are astute, the establishment is proud, and the market place is busy. Placid, happy, merry, the people pursue their work, enjoy their leisure and like is fair. People buy, sell, celebrate and rejoice. They fail to realize that in the midst of our affluent cities there are districts of despair, areas of distress. Where does God dwell in America today? Is He at home with those who are complacent, indifferent to the other people’s agony, devoid of mercy? Is He not rather with the poor and the contrite in the slums? Dark is the world for me, for all its cities and stars. If tnot for the few signs of God’s radiance who could stand such agony, such darkness? Where in America today do we hear a voice like the voice of the prophets of Israel? Martin Luther King is a sign that God has not forsaken the United States of America. God has sent him to us. His presence is the hope of America. His mission is sacred, his leadership of supreme importance to every one of us. The situation of the poor in America is our plight, our sickness. To be deaf to their cry is to condemn ourselves. Martin Luther King is a voice, a vision and a way. I call upon every Jew to harken to his voice, to share his vision, to follow in his way. The whole future of America will depend upon the impact and influence of Dr. King. May everyone present give of his strength to this great spiritual leader, Martin Luther King.” Friends, I am here because tonight our legs are praying, and that prayer is that we overcome our own hardness of heart, and recognizing our diverse paths to one God unite in working now to establish a peaceful, respectful, dignified life for all human beings, and for all of God’s creations. We are here tonight because Dr. King touched our lives. Few of us knew him, but we are all his students. Few of us met him, but we are all in his debt. Few of us actually heard him speak, but his words to us are fresh, with challenges still to be met, with non-violent battles still to be waged, with prayers still be uttered and answered. And with songs still to be sung. Anu nitgaber We shall overcome Anu nitgaber We shall overcome Anu nitgaber b’vo hayom We shall overcome some day Ani ma’amin, I believe B’emunah shleima With perfect faith She’anu nitgaber hayom That we shall overcome today Jacob left Be’er Sheva on the road to Haran. He came upon a certain place and encamped there for the night. Taking one of the stones there, he used it as a pillow as he lay down. He had a dream: a stairway was set on the ground and its top reached into the sky, and angels of God were going up and down on it.
And the Lord was standing beside Jacob and said: "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac." After the revelation, Jacob awoke from his sleep and said: "Surely the Lord is present in this place, and I did not know it!" Shaken up, he said, "how awesome is this place! This is none other than the abode of God, and the gateway to heaven." Before he left that place he named it Beth El -House of God. According to our Torah, that is how Beth El -- the one in the Promised Land -- received its name. And what about our Beth El? How did we get our name?? I’ve been wondering about this a great deal, as we move into our 90th Anniversary Celebration. Related to this question, I recieved a call the other day from Lillian Rappoport, who needed a few minutes of my time. I thought it was about the upcoming March of the Living group, where we have a handful or more participating, but it turned out that she had a surprise for me. Over the summer a staff member at the JCC told her he had something to give her that he didn’t know what to do with, so she accepted it. Once she looked at it she knew I - we - would want it. It is an original copy of the original Beth El Temple Building Dedication Booklet from 5688 - that is, 1928. Holding this one in my hand helped me focus my attention on this evening’s sermon. As we begin our 10th decade of existence as a Sacred Community, a Kehillah Kedosha, and as we look forward to concluding this decade with our centenary celebration in 2026, we should pause throughout this year to ponder the past, celebrate the present and set our sights on the future. I believe that our future can be planned, envisioned, and realized; it might not happen exactly as we hope it will, but the future is coming. There are issues locally, nationally, and internationally that are beyond our control; there are social trends that we cannot buck and events we cannot imagine that will occur, hopefully all or at least most of them for the better; and tonight we can plan and commit ourselves to a strong future presence here in Harrisburg. I believe that Beth El Temple plays a significant role in the future of both the Jewish Community in Harrisburg and in the future of the Conservative Movement. On the first day of our new year I spoke of our people’s founding story, the degradation of slavery, the challenges of freedom and the celebration of deeply spiritual and humanistic virtues our religious community developed. What is our congregation’s founding story? What led to Beth El Temple’s establishment as a Conservative Congregation at a time when the newly settled Jewish immigrant community had largely focused on the economics and civics of assimilation and not the spirituality of assimilation? 90 years ago, Henry Brenner wrote: The idea of the Temple was conceived early in 1926 when some twenty of our present membership were brought together in the hope that somehow they might bring into being a Synagogue dedicated to the re-emphasis of Jewish traditions and to an idealism and culture that breathes the traditional spirit and zeal for the Jewish faith. The practical accomplishments of this ambition seemed so visionary that only a rare optimism could foresee its early realization. Within 18 months this group had raised $50,000 so the original Temple structure could be built with a Sanctuary seating 550 people, a canvas tapestry hanging from the ceiling, colorful windows to the outside and inside, and a growing congregation, from two or three hands full in 1926 to nearly 200 by the time the building was completed. What characterized this group? Henry Brenner wrote that they were Imbued by an unusual unselfishness and working with extraordinary zeal… He concluded his thoughts 88 years ago by saying Hence it is our hope that the young and old may come to enjoy a Judaism that is modern, constructive, completely Jewish, and religious, firm in the belief that only by being true Jews can we be true Americans. For this purpose Temple Beth El is dedicated, to advance the true principles of Judaism, and to serve our community. While it is safe to say that it takes those types of people, those who are imbued by an unusual unselfishness and working with extraordinary zeal to found a congregation, we could not have continued as a congregation and become our Conservative Movement’s trail-blazer and trend-setter between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh without exceptional lay leadership, volunteers who worked during the day and took care of their congregation at night, volunteers who were selfless and devoted and passionate about this building, the clergy, the support staff, and most importantly, their fellow congregants. For the women and men who have led and who we will remember tomorrow at Yizkor, we thank God for their devotion. We continue to be led and inspired by our volunteer leaders for whom we thank God -- for whom I thank God every day. In a certain, deeply spiritual manner, our volunteers and your devotion to this cause justify our title -- House of God -- Beth El. But why, in 1926, did the Congregation decide to call itself “Beth El?” While nowhere in the Dedication Booklet is this answer spelled out, we know that Beth El was then and continues to be a popular name for synagogues in America. Why? Because it represented a connection between the Biblical Land of Israel and the newly established Jewish presence in America, the New Promised Land. I also think the title “Beth El” was popular because in America it is an aspirational name whereas in Israel it is a factual name, a place name. In the Bible Beth El is revealed to be the place where God reveals the Divine Presence to Jacob and connects him to the covenant through his parents. In America, Beth El is the place where we aspire to affirm the covenant with God that connects us to eternity and to each other; Beth El is a place we enter to Experience God’s Presence and be inspired; and Beth El is the place we establish to learn deep and more meaningful interpretations of our traditions and behave in such a way as to make this a Holy Congregation, a true House of God. Jacob fled his brother’s wrath and found a safe haven in Beth El. We flee the darkness outside, we flee the sadness of the world, we flee the spiritual chaos that is our civilization, and we gather together to create a safe haven at Beth El. We know this building, this institution, is only a building, and yet we imbue it with sanctity because of what we do here. Pray. Study. Celebrate. Engage in Fellowship. Break bread. We imbue it with sanctity by dint of what we learn to do here to help lead our communal agencies, to lead community hunger and housing relief agencies, to lead in establishing and maintaining communal, national, and international organizations, and to give generously to them all. In so many ways we are Beth El -- A House of God. Tonight I’d like us to consider how we can do even better as a congregation as we move forward into our 10th decade. Permit me to share a two hour experience I had this past summer, at the Hartman Institute. One afternoon I attended a workshop entitled “Can the Synagogue Be Saved?” led by two Rabbinic Colleagues: my classmate Eddie Feinstein, of Valley Beth Shalom Congregation in Los Angeles, and my colleague Noa Kushner, a younger colleague who has a congregation in San Francisco aptly called “The Kitchen.” Imagine my surprise when one of the texts we discussed was the Membership Brochure from the congregation in which I grew up, the Congregation my parents helped to found in 1948, The Israel Community Center of Levittown, Long Island! The brochure was dated from that first year, 1948. I was surprised and flattered. In 1948, someone who I probably knew growing up wrote this copy: Many of our people have had little previous contact with synagogue life, having hitherto regarded the synagogue as a province of their elders. Many have not seen the inside of the “shule” since their Bar Mitzvah. Now, however, they feel it is time that they “grow up” and they have consequently acquired a renewed interest in synagogue activity. The responsibilities of parenthood have led many to rethink their position with regard to Jewish heritage which they now seek to maintain in order to be able to transmit it to their children. In Levittown, this “return to Judaism” is facilitated for them through the existence of a synagogue consisting of like minded young Jewish parents.” For the Jewish veterans of World War II, and their spouses, this text resonated loudly in their consciousness. Moving out from the Big City to the suburbs, starting a family, and seeking to Americanize as first, second, and third generation immigrants, The responsibilities of parenthood led many to rethink their position with regard to Jewish heritage which they sought to maintain in order to be able to transmit it to their children. Does this text continue to resonate today? It does for me. The problems and the challenges have not reinvented themselves! After WWII, Conservative synagogues were established with afternoon Hebrew Schools to attract parents of young children, baby boomers. Now, this quickly became a problem. Already in 1951 there were studies documenting the tension between what parents wanted for their children -- for the Synagogue School to teach their children all about Jewish heritage and traditions, customs, and ceremonies, on the one hand; and on the other hand their parents not wanting to observe any of the specifics their children were learning. Teach them about Kashrut -- but we won’t keep Kosher. Teach them about Shabbat -- but we won’t observe Shabbat. Teach them about the importance of Life Long Learning, but their Jewish Education will end with their Bar Mitzvah -- and later their Bat Mitzvah and/or Confirmation. In an article in Commentary Magazine, from January 1951, Herbert Gans concludes his remarks with the ominous sentence “The fruit of this might well be a Judaism that ends rather than begins with Bar Mitzvah.” While these texts are from 65 years ago, they still resonate today. Beth El Temple’s founders wrote the following in their dedicatory booklet, in the section entitled “Aims and Purposes of Our Congregation.” We are Americans, and as Americans we have had to give up a great part of Jewish Civilization. We have surrendered the Jewish civil code; we have little time for Hebrew Language and literature; we have no Jewish community life. But, if we want to remain Jews, we must retain enough of Jewish civilization to make a difference not only in our mode of praying but also in our mode of living, not only in the way we keep the seventh day but also in the way we spend the six days of the week. The authors of this Statement of Aims and Purposes couldn’t have imagined the Holocaust and the impact that played upon Judaism, could only have prayed fervently for the establishment of a Jewish State in Palestine but not imagined the impact that would play, nor could they have imagined the impact the turning towards the “me generation” -- the America culture of “what’s in it for me” -- or the impact that plays upon Judaism here. Today, decisions concerning Judaism that many of us make are inextricably wrapped up in the search for personal meaning. Moderately affiliated Jews today are not abandoning tradition but refashioning it. They have no wish to sacrifice the particularity of ethnic and religious loyalty in the name of America or of humanity. They aim to make Jewish narratives part of their own personal stories by picking and choosing among the new and inherited practices and texts to find the combination they as individuals can authentically affirm. Many, many Jews today emphasize personal meaning as the arbiter of their Jewish involvement. Their Judaism focused on the self and self fulfillment rather than directed towards the group -- the people of Israel, the Jewish Community, the Jewish Community Center, the synagogue. Many Jews today believe that being Jewish is an extremely voluntary identity -- assuming rightful freedom of each individual to make his or her own Jewish decisions…as a result, Judaism is strictly nonjudgmental. Each person interacts with Judaism in ways that suit him or her. This phenomenon has come to be called “the sovereign self” -- when the individual feels empowered in making their own Jewish decisions. What should we do? How can we respond to the move that many Jews are making away from institutional affiliation, including Synagogue and JCC affiliation, and believing that “Do It Yourself Judaism” is good for them? How are we to move ahead into our 10th decade with purpose and passion if everyone just wants what they want to help them feel fulfilled? I believe we are moving in the right direction, but we need more impetus to envision the future we want for our congregation and our community. The challenges to us here in Harrisburg are serious challenges. The demographic drop in young families with children in Harrisburg has led us to a point unimaginable just five years ago; Chisuk Emuna, Temple Beth Shalom, and Beth El have merged our Religious Schools into a new school called “Gesher” -- a bridge between our congregations, a bridge bringing Jewish learners of all ages together to approach Jewish traditions and Jewish texts in age appropriate, serious ways. Under the leadership of Rabbi Ilyse Kramer and our active Gesher Religious School volunteer committee, our Gesher Religious School is in its second year; our Gesher Life Long Learning Program for adults kicks off in February and March with a co-sponsored course in Jewish Ethics. The demographic drop in the general Jewish population is also dramatic. There are very few Jewish people moving into our neighborhoods who wish to affiliate. Dues is not a problem; desire to affiliate and be counted upon as a Jew is the problem. The Life and Legacy project you’ve heard about is one mechanism to maintain our financial viability and the financial viability of other Jewish agencies in our community into an uncertain future. Continued co-operative programming with Chisuk Emuna is also important. But at the present we must be concerned with our vibrancy, not simply our viability. The days of obsessive concern about survival ended over two decades ago, and Jewish renewal, Jewish vibrancy, Jewish Renaissance must be our goals as we move ahead. One path to achieving the goal of renewal, vibrancy, and renaissance for Beth El Temple is a renewal of our vows from 1928. In 1928 our founders wrote the following under the heading “Aims and Purposes of our congregation”: What are Members of Beth El Expected To Do? - To provide their children with an intensive Jewish training which should continue far into the years of adolescence - To affiliate with communal organizations which are essential to the continuance of Jewish life in the Diaspora - To take an active part in the restoration of Palestine by giving it both material and moral support - To foster the cultivation and growth of the Hebrew Language and literature - To encourage in the Jewish school and pulpit the reevaluation of Israel’s past in terms of the present day world outlook. - To devote some time each week to individual study and group discussion of the ethical aspect of all problems touching human life - To translate their ethical ideals into actual conduct in their home life, in their dealings with their neighbors, in their work, and in their play Permit me please to translate the above into doable actions -- mitzvot -- for 2016-2017: include Jewish social interaction, Jewish intellectual interaction, and Jewish spiritual interaction. My goal is for us to gather together next year at this time on our Jewish spiritual national calendar as a revitalized community of "more doing" Jewish congregants. Come to Adult Education and establish or renew your relationship to our traditional wisdom and talk with others about how to apply those ideas to real life. Support and engage with our Jewish communal organizations. They need your leadership and your followership to thrive. Make a commitment to Jewish life in Israel. Read one American and one Israeli Jewish newspaper on line every week. Go to Israel to visit and volunteer. Our Beth El is a place where we come to experience God’s Presence. It is not the only place we can go for such an experience, but Beth El offers those seeking Jewish spirituality a home, those seeking Jewish intellectual stimulation and satisfaction a home, those seeking Jewish fellowship, friendship, and love, a home. Our Beth El is a place where we can dream of God’s presence informing our lives for the better, for the sake of fulfilling the ultimate commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself. Friends, we deserve to give ourselves a gift for our 90th Anniversary, and that gift is a Renaissance of Judaism here at Beth El Temple for our sacred space and for our sacred congregation. It is in our power to do this; we will make it happen when we imbue our actions with an unusual unselfishness and work with extraordinary zeal on behalf of our Beth El Temple. May this be a year of renewed zeal, revitalized Jewish activities, and a Renaissance of Jewish Life for our Congregation and our Community. And may everyone be written and sealed for a year of good health, sweetness in all interpersonal activities, celebration, and joy. This is the fast I desire:
To unlock the fetters of wickedness, And untie the cords of the yoke To let the oppressed go free; To break off every yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry, And to take the wretched into your home; When you see the naked, to clothe them, And do not ignore your own flesh. The Prophet Isaiah (58:6-7) Dear Friends, What a great quote, from the Yom Kippur morning Haftarah, a message that resonates from year to year with greater urgency for our city, our society, and our civilization. As great as the Biblical Prophets were, as radically humanistic and fundamental their teachings were, they were failures in their own lifetimes. One could argue that even today they have failed because as much as we like them and love their messages, most people who claim to be Jewish or Christian don’t follow their teachings with any degree of seriousness. We pay them lip service but don’t really take them to heart; we quote them but don’t do them. The High Holidays are our time to gather the tribes for covenant renewal; on these days we choose to be with our brothers and sisters in faith on traditionally designated Holy Days. On these days we choose to celebrate, commemorate, fast, and remember, with deep humility and awe, God’s gifts to us which enable us to survive and thrive; the sacrifices of our ancestors which empower us to sit in our synagogue with our loved ones physically or spiritually present; and the hard work in which we engage to provide. With profound gratitude we passionately pray: Blessed are You, Creator of all, who calls us to life, sustains us and enables us to reach this moment. The High Holidays are also an opportunity we must take to refocus our attention on issues of Jewish concern, particular American issues, and universal, international issues, and examine the generally counter-cultural responses our tradition often expects and sometimes demands. I would add to the list that Isaiah’s prophecy reveals, the Torah’s 36 repetitions of “you must not mistreat or abuse the stranger in your midst,” a commandment that evolves from the Biblical focus on the immigrant and resident alien to the Rabbinic inclusion of the convert. I would add to Isaiah’s list the commandments against speaking badly about other people, from simply repeating rumors (repeating rumors proven true or false is irrelevant to our traditional prohibition) to libelous slander against another. What we have come to call “hate speech” that has the power of verbal, social bullying and malicious personal attacks are well documented and prohibited by our culture for over 2,000 years. The public confessional which we pray silently and together on Yom Kippur a total of 10 times focuses on interpersonal commandments rather than ritual commandments, and of the interpersonal commandments, sins related to speech abound. I would add to Isaiah’s list the acts of Tzedakah, best interpreted as both just and righteous actions that make our community, society, and civilization communally (and not individualistically) oriented, socially conscious, and civil. Judaism teaches that Tzedakah is not “charitable giving from the human heart” but “commanded giving from the Divine” as well as a path of righteous justice that elevates human justice. Being Jewish - being a Conservative Jew - means balancing the ethical and ritual commandments, our relationships with each other and with God, and the commandments to love our neighbor and to love God. We should never be in an “either-or” position, denying our obligations to our fellow humans at the expense of our spiritual-ritual relationship with God and God’s created world or vice versa. The month of Elul precedes the High Holidays and offers us an opportunity to examine our lives and strive to begin the process of change and transformation that the High Holidays themselves expect of us. What we should strive to accomplish in the coming days and months is nothing short of personal transformation which can lead us to be more communally oriented, socially conscious, and civil. At the same time we should examine our ritual-spiritual lives and strive to become more attuned to God’s presence in our lives and the demand to write a daily thank you note to the Almighty for the many, many gifts we have received through God’s grace and love. Amy and I join with our children, Jacob and Tamar, Sarah and Gabi, and our grandchildren Sam, Michael, Ma’ayan, and Hillel in praying that each of you and your loved ones celebrates a sweet, joyful, and healthy New Year of 5777. In friendship and admiration for all that you do, Rabbi Eric Cytryn Shabbat Shalom.
Last week we were introduced To a fascinating practice; According to the final verse of Parshat Naso, “When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting To speak to God, Moses would hear God’s voice addressing him From above the cover of the Ark of the Covenant, From between the two Heruvim - And from there God spoke to Moshe.” Thus the Ark - From between the two divine images resting on top of the Ark - Became the conduit, Or perhaps in our terminology, the transmitter - Of God’s voice to Moses, The voice of the Divine Text-Messenger Challenging the Human messenger to share that message with the People of Israel. We might - most of us, from our childhood, probably - Imagine our Patriarchs hearing God’s voice On the wind, in the dunes of the desert Or beneath the trees of Canaan; Voices from the stars and other heavenly objects, Voices from the river and the great western sea. With Moses we tend to have voices emanating from objects, like from a burning bush, And From a smoking mountain, And now from above the Ark of the Covenant. I raise this point from last week’s parsha To suggest that not only does our tradition Offer us examples of God communicating with us, In varying locations, including the natural, the man-made And the supernatural, Our tradition also offers us a wide variety of “voices” for God - God’s voice in the thunder and other natural wonders, That we sang about last night and just a moment ago When we paraded the Torah, In Psalm 29 - “Kol Adonai Al Hamayim” and when we sing and pray the Song of the Sea; And a very different voice, Gods articulate voice from the Burning Bush, At Sinai according to the Torah - You don’t necessarily get 10 sayings From thunder and lightening, Although there are interpretations of Sinai Which leave the door open to that experience of revelation - But God’s articulate voice is the one we think we’re reading about In last week’s and this week’s Torah portion. But even here, in the Book of Numbers The facts might be viewed as more vague Than the translations lead us to believe. So, God’s voice last week, Heard by Moses as emanating From between the two angelic depictions Atop the Ark of the Covenant Is described as follows in the Hebrew: Numbers 7:89 - Vayishma et Hakol Mee-daber eylav may’al HaKaporet Asher Al Aron HaEidut Mee-Bayn Shnai Hakeruvim Vayidaber Eilav. Our translation is “He would hear the Voice Addressing him from Above the cover That was on top of the Ark of the Pact Between the two Cherubim: Thus, He spoke with him.” But, of course there is a “but” - But, the word “Mee-daber” Does not simply mean “spoke” or “addressed” - The great Hebrew Literature and Bible Scholar Robert Alter, translates “mee-daber eylav” as follows: “he would hear the voice being spoken to him” - But in his note on this verse he says: “It is also possible that the meaning Is genuinely “hitpa’el”- the reflexive form of the verb, Meaning, “the voice speaking itself.” The voice speaking itself? Alter concludes his thought: “there seems to be a theological impulse here To interpose some kind of mediation Between the Divine source of the speech And the audible voice that is spoken to Moses.” Take note: God’s name, in fact the word “God -Elohim” Is not found in this verse. Perhaps the Torah is telling us that Moses heard God’s voice through Moses own voice As Moses sensed God’s Presence between the Two Heruvim. I believe that a message the Torah is giving us By using the reflexive for speech - Mee-daber Is that in terms of direct speech between the Divine and the Human The Torah itself wishes to express its nervousness By being ambiguous, at best. And this week’s parsha, Which speaks of Eldad and Meydad, Two Israelites prophesying in the Israelite Camp Expresses a nervousness on behalf of Joshua But not Moses; Moses knows better than anyone else alive How difficult it is to hear God’s voice and live, And how difficult it is to hear God’s voice commanding And not just “do it” - whatever it is that God is commanding. Moses knows, and now Eldad and Medad know; Perhaps Joshua is not so upset for Moses as jealous of Moses and now two other Israelites Who claim to be the human receptors for God’s message and thus the Human transmitters of God’s message. God’s voice spoke itself - Moses heard God’s voice speaking itself - What else could this mean? I think one possible explanation Which is directly relevant to us to day Is that whatever Moses heard Was filtered through the human values God used to define Divinity After the Golden Calf, Those same values we repeat over and over again On Yom Kippur and read in our fast day Torah readings And chant before the open Ark On Festival Days: I am the Lord, Compassionate, Gracious, Slow to Anger, Abounding in Kindness and good faith, Keeping kindness to a thousand generation Bearing crime, trespass and offense. Whatever message Moses heard, He heard it through the filter of those words And strove to make sense of it In light of those attributes. What does it matter for us today? Of what relevance is all this? There is no “then and now” Related to these attributes; We, as modern Jews, Are obliged to interpret the Halacha In light of these ethical standards, These Divine values, Because we are created in the Divine Image And to reflect that Divine Image means To exemplify these character traits. We hear God’s voice - The same voice Moses, Eldad and Medad heard - And we respond to God’s voice with these character traits Paramount in our hearts and minds. Many Rabbinic Commentators, When interpreting the strange chronology of the Torah narratives, Including the Golden Calf episode, Remark Ayn Mukdam u’me’uchar BaTorah - There is no before and after in the Torah. In other words, Don’t obsess over the Torah’s chronology of events - This isn’t a history book, Its a book of encounters between The Divine and the Human. Let’s cut some slack for those who copied the Torah Over and over again - Perhaps the human copyists made, As the great scholar David Weiss Halivni coined the phrase, A maculate Torah - That is to say, an imperfect human copy Of the encounter between the Divine and the Human. There is no “then and now” conflict When hearing God’s voice - We hear it clearly today. I believe the question it asks us is Are you kind? Are you doing what you can To increase kindness in our world, Kindness and compassion, Patience and grace? Are you doing what you can to make your community, Your commonwealth, your civilization A place where the Divine Words of the Priestly Blessing Can come true, A community blessed with protection for the innocent, Grace and mercy, A sense of the Divine in each persons sense of wholeness, And peace? That’s my closing message For this Shabbat, my last before I leave for Israel And my Torah Study Seminar At the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. God still speaks clearly to us, As clearly as God spoke to Moses. God’s message to us is pretty much the same as it was to Moses: Do what you can To create a world Where peace between people, Peace built on kindness, grace and patience Is closer when you die than when you were born. And so, Are we doing that? Am I doing that? Are you doing that? Shabbat Shalom. Shabbat Hannukah Rosh Hodesh Mikketz 5776
December 12, 2015 Shabbat Shalom. When competing truths collide, What is true? Which truth is practiced And which truth set aside? In our own country, We see this clash of truths In the American commitment To our history as a nation of immigrants Who have internalized Emma Lazarus’ words “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door” And the current verbally violent discussion Regarding Syrian Refugees, Our porous southern border And undocumented, illegal immigrants in general. “The truth is simple. If it was complicated, everyone would understand it.” ~ Walt Whitman said, Judaism would rewrite Whitman and insist: The truths are simple. Their competing values may complicate one’s life And civilization. Therefor, you need to study the truths And come to an understanding of them So you can live your life knowing which truths to follow.” Justice is a truth. Peace is a truth. While many might believe “no justice no peace” I believe that there are instances Where these truths compete And cannot be reconciled in the real world. The example I give for this is The Two State Solution; I agree with Yosi Klein Halevi and others who believe That for there to be a Two-State Solution Between Israel and Palestine - A peaceful solution to the problem - Justice will have to be suspended While peace is established. Jews will be unhappy without all of the Promised Land, And Muslim and Christian Palestinians will be unhappy without all of Palestine. Each will feel, deeply feel, That a great injustice has been perpetrated on them. And they will be correct. For the sake of one truth, Sometimes a completing truth must be suspended, Or set aside to live life. Not all truths are created equally, Or arrived at equally, And so some truths trump other truths. For me, and I believe for Judaism As I’ve taught twice in the past few weeks, The value welcoming of refugees and immigrants, A value related to loving other humans - Neighbor or stranger - Because each one of us is created in the divine image Trumps the value of self-preservation Without a clear and immanent danger of threat or malice. And likewise, we have clearly competing values Which our Sages, of Blessed Memory, Set up for this celebration of Hannukah. The overwhelming historical evidence, Primarily from the Jewishly written Books of the Macabees is that, or a number of reasons The Selucid Hellenistic Ruler Antiochus the 4th Imposed restrictions on our ancestor’s ability To observe Jewish rituals and behavioral traditions; Kashrut, Shabbat, Ritual Circumcision and Torah Study, Among other behaviors, were banned. Apparently, a significant segment of the Jewish population Of the Land of Israel joined the Hellenizers And openly flaunted their “Greek-ness” - Their apparent love of just about everything Hellenistic. A small group of Jews - Whose leaders came from a Priestly family called “Hasmoneans” rebelled against the Selucid Greeks Who were occupying the Holy Land And their Jewish supporters Within the Jewish Community - And the Jews were able to defeat A far better equipted and far larger army. Does the word “insurgency” ring a bell? David and Goliath? So, how do we celebrate this event? The Hasmoneans declared an 8 day celebration Modeled on King Solomon’s dedication service For the 1st Temple in Jerusalem. And, by the time the Mishna was written over 300 years later The Torah reading for Hannukah had become the same one we read today: The Mishkan Dedication Service, a 12 day affair in the Torah, One day for each tribe. No mention of the Military victory was necessary. Everyone knew. Soon after the Torah reading is reported to be fixed We hear about the haftarah, From Zachariah, the text I just chanted. Not only doesn’t it mention a military victory, It seems to be doing quite the opposite: “Not by might And not by power But by my spirit says the Lord of Hosts.” I believe that Hannukah Places before us The competing values That the Maccabees articulate in their writings, The Books of the Macabees, And that the Rabbis articulate in their writings, The Mishna and Talmud. The Macabee value is, in short and un-nuanced terms: Fight to preserve your identity; Fight against those who would assimilate And potentially cause Judaism to disappear Fight those outside and those inside your community Who would destroy you. The Rabbinic value is, in short and un-nuanced terms: Regarding Hannukah: Pray to God to lead you to victory Pray to God for a miracle Praying to God is what leads you to any victory, And praying to God can, when God is merciful, inspire God to perform a miracle To save the Chosen People from destruction. The Rabbinic Value, in general, Now, one could assert that these values Are not irreconcilable, and I would agree. Pray and fight; fight and pray. And always, even when someone’s got a knife to your neck And you need to defend yourself And kill that person Respect the fact that his or her life is sacred And you’re only defending yourself Because that, too, is a sacred Jewish value. Its not as if the Macabees didn’t pray; Certainly, as largely a priestly group, They prayed and yearned to offer sacrifices On the rededicated Temple altar. You would be correct in your assertion. And, one could assert that the Sages, of Blessed Memory, Didn’t believe that prayer alone would defeat any enemy, Any immanent threat; They knew that armies defeat armies. I believe the relevant question for us today is “What do we - American Jews - do with these values As we face the threat of terrorism From many sources, Including Muslim citizens of our country? And what do we do, as American Jews, As we face a wave - a tidal wave, The largest such wave of refugees Fleeing state-sponsored terror since World War II - And we have a voice and a vote In deciding whether some of those Syrian refugees Will come to our shores? What do we do, as American Jews, In our support or rejection Of 11 Million undocumented immigrants, Including children who are American Citizen According to Constitutional guarantees But whose parents have no such guarantees. Do we build a higher wall, A more effective fence, Close our airports to foreign passports To keep the threats out? What do we do to the perceived threats Within our country? Interment camps? Do we do our due diligence, as best as we can possible do it, And welcome refugees and immigrants Who pass our screening tests As we’ve done since centuries before Emma Lazarus’s words were inscribed On the footstool of the Statue of Liberty? I believe it is of critical importance That we - We American Jews And we Americans - reaffirm our values of welcoming the stranger, Helping them to assimilate as best as possible Without giving up their ethnicity, religion Or other personal and communal identities Which truly - truly - Truly threaten no one But do anger and disappoint people. What we need to do to our enemies overseas is clear. We must fight terror ideologically and technologically. We must tax ourselves to fight the best fight we can; we shouldn’t be limited by lack of imagination or courage. We are full of both. Above all, we must call upon our Muslim allies Who fought beside us in the Gulf Wars To fight beside us now; Saudis, Omanis, Kataris, Turks, Egyptians, And Jordanians must stand with us in battle. ISIS can only be defeated militarily If we - the Western Countries of NATO - are united with our Arab Allies. The ideology of ISIS cannot be defeated - Ideologies are not defeated, They are abandoned because they are understood to be out of date, irrelevant, or perhaps a corruption Of an over-riding original message of hope and promise, Of optimism and peace. ISIS ideology is an evil corruption Of Islam and cannot be transformed by force, Not by by Christianity Nor Judaism; An ideology which corrupts the peaceful and tolerant message of Islam Can be defeated only by that peaceful and tolerant message. It is important to note that this is also true of Judaism; There is a violent, corrupt interpretation of Judaism To which some handfuls of people adhere - That ideology is that the land is an ultimate value in Judaism, A value to be cherished more than human life itself, And that to keep the land Violent attacks against those who are not Jewish are sanctioned - And perhaps even sanctified. These attacks are referred to as “Price Tag Attacks” Because their perpetrators claim that these attacks Are the price tag Israel must pay for subduing the Palestinians And the price tag the Palestinians must pay - Some with their lives - For staying in the Holy Land, Which God gave all exclusive rights to the Jewish People. These Price Tag attacks are perpetrated by Violent West Bank Settlers against both Palestinians And Israelis, including soldiers in uniform. This ideology is an abomination, And has been condemned across the political spectrum Of Israeli leadership. But there are Rabbis who teach this ideology; A relative corruption of Judaism Led to the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Only Judaism can repudiate this ideology In the strongest terms. Likewise, only Christians and Christianity can repudiate the ideology That calls for and justifies violent acts Against those who reject the sometimes ironic call for a “right to life” for a fetus over and above that of a physician, a nurse Or a health worker. We are modern and sophisticated people. The Enlightenment taught us That our religious lives deserve also To be modern and sophisticated in terms of Critical readings of texts, A reevaluation of the status of those closed out from leadership By an outdated Patriarchal approach to social Public and private responsibility, Including but not limited to women; And a creative approach to managing the nuances Between values that should be complementary And not competing against each other, Where there must be one value observed and the other ignored. We must protect ourselves. Judaism does not teach us to “turn the other cheek” Anywhere in scripture or Rabbinic teachings. But we also must welcome the stranger, love the stranger And our neighbor equally, Welcome and give refuge to those seeking a safe haven From persecution and violence. We can do both. Perhaps the Macabees are not our best role models for this approach. Perhaps we need to go back further To the Exodus story, which we’ll begin in three weeks, On January 2nd, to relearn these values; And perhaps we need to look no further Than the Holocaust, Our own American attitudes towards Jewish immigration from Germany that led to the certain murder of many, many Jews Who could have left and been welcomed here But were not allowed into America; As opposed to the approach after the Holocaust of America But most dramatically of Israel, Where Emma Lazarus’ poem was enshrined not in words But in spirit In the Law of Return. That is the law offering immediate refuge and citizenship rights To Jews seeking refuge and citizenship. Not by might and not by power And self defense Must be seen as complementary values If we are to move forward In a war that truly pits love against hate, Good against evil, Nuanced readings of sacred scripture Against corruptions of the same. Shabbat Shalom, Hodesh Tov And Happy Hannukah Shabbat Shalom.
Thanksgiving is my opportunity to share with you That I remember when it was an indesputable truth That the United States of America Was a nation of immigrants, Staring with the aborigines who came here hundreds of years Before Columbus, or Leif Erikson, discovered our east coast Or perhaps the Japanese discovered our west coast And continuing through the first generations of settlers from Europe Starting in 1492 And never ending - Never ending. What happened to that indisputable truth is, I believe, A shame for our country. What happened to that indisputable fact is That our natural tendency to xenophobia, To fearing the stranger, the other, the outsider, Is threatening to conquer our natural tendency To welcome the stranger, To reach out to those who are the most diverse, Most different from us, And welcome them, and settle them, And assimilate them into our great civic society While encouraging them to maintain Their diverse behaviors that make them unique. Who celebrated the first Thanksgiving? Two groups of immigrants - Those called Indians who are, of course, our predecessors here, The Native American community, the Wampanauge Tribe - And those called settlers, the Pilgrims Who had fled religious Persecution in England. And, from then on, the xenophobia and the tolerance Have been fighting with each other; This fight continues today. Here’s the rub: There is this political hot potato called “The Dream Act” Which is both Federal and State sponsored legislation. On the Federal Level the dream act Didn’t pass congress, despite bipartisan support, Because of the political quagmire we see in Washington. Its important for all of us to remember It was President Bush - W - Who introduced the Dream Act in 2001 As part of his Conservative Republican platform. Republicans refused to support the Bill in 2010 And it was defeated. There is a Pennsylvania Dream Act That needs our support if it is to pass our State House. The PA Dream Act has been introduced in the State Senate as SB760 by Senator Lloyd Smucker. What is the PA Dream Act? The Pennsylvania Dream Act will provide the opportunity for undocumented students who have graduated from high school in Pennsylvania, or have a GED certificate, to pay in-state tuition rates at public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth. The PA Dream Act will improve college access for undocumented youth and allow them to give back to the state they grew up in. Why is it important? Access to education should be fair and equitable, regardless of your immigration status. Undocumented students with high school diplomas and GED certificates in Pennsylvania are frequently charged 2-3 times more than the in-state tuition rate when they apply to college. This is unjust and against the fundamental value of equality upon which this country was founded. State Dream Acts have already passed in 20 other states, including New Jersey and Maryland, providing huge economic benefits to public institutions. In my mind, Using the Jewish values we share, Values of welcoming the stranger in our midst, Of treating the stranger like a citizen, Of offering kindness and compassion To those who are generally marginalized by society - Using those values The Jewish Community is in favor of the PA Dream Act. The Jewish Values we share Are birthed in the Torah, When Sarah and Abraham welcome strangers Into their tent; They are reinforced when Jacob, Himself a refugee from violence in his own home, Is welcomed in his mother’s home of origin; And they are concretized into law When the Torah teaches us 3 dozen times “You shall not mistreat the stranger in your midst Because you were strangers in the land of Egypt And were abused, objectified and enslaved.” These are not comfortable values; They challenge us to reject xenophobia And embrace tolerance; And I’m sorry there is not a better antonym for “xenophobia,” Tolerance will have to do. But when we reject xenophobia We embrace a diverse, welcoming, accepting society; We embrace a democratic, pluralistic society; We embrace the very root meaning of “Western Civilization.” When we reject xenophobia, We embrace real, authentic and modern Jewish values. And, we embrace the core meaning of Thanksgiving, From the Wampanagues and the Pilgrims Through today and into the future. Happy Thanksgiving. |
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