September 25, 2009
When I went to fill up the gas tank in my very thirsty (yet economical!) Toyota Matrix last night, the last thing I expected was a political discussion with the man behind the counter at the Shell station. Yet, that is just what I got, and it was intriguing. As this man looked at the cover of his copy of USA Today, he was going on about Muammar al-Gaddafi’s address to the United Nations, saying that it was a bitter rehashing of the past that included not even a glimmer of hope for a change of heart or policy. I remarked that the same could be said of Mahmoud Ahmedinijad. Both of those leaders seem to constantly need to reiterate their power and defiance. Contrast their declarations to the coordinated announcement by President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the G20 conference in Pittsburgh this morning. They presented a firm and united call for full disclosure of the progress and purposes of the Iranian nuclear development program, rules by which other nations must abide. There is still a desire for discussion and engagement with Iran in that united front, but we are left to wonder how soon it will materialize.
There are times when we need to move beyond narrow concerns to a more global perspective. In the Torah reading for this week in Deuteronomy Chapter 32, Moses expressed his vision for the people in the form of a song. The content of the “Song of Moses” focused on the need for the people to follow God’s direction (which they didn’t at times) and to realize that respect for divine teachings and acknowledging God’s unity and the oneness of humanity must be central to their lives in a way that can bring all people closer together.
There were many songs that were sung at the United Nations this week, and not all of them in harmony. May the dissonance that still persists among the nations give way to a more melodious chorus of voices from around the world, as we realize that, more than ever, we are all in this together and there is still a chance for more understanding and, perhaps, peace.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Standing Together - All of us!
September 16, 2009
Shanah Tovah!
We will begin the new year for us, here and now, this week. As we do, we remember our ancestors who worshipped and lived in other lands, and who then found their way to these shores to add a new chapter to their family story.
The Torah envisioned people of all ages and all walks of life standing together before Moses (in words we will read on Yom Kippur morning) as one community, ready to hear teachings that would direct their hearts toward goodness and their actions toward kindness. We will stand together in just this way on these High Holy Days.
It is our time, now, to join as a congregation and community for worship, for unity, for contemplation about how we can bring out the best in ourselves and in each other and touch the human family with the gifts of our minds and hearts. May this year of 5770 be one filled with blessing and peace for all of us!
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry
Shanah Tovah!
We will begin the new year for us, here and now, this week. As we do, we remember our ancestors who worshipped and lived in other lands, and who then found their way to these shores to add a new chapter to their family story.
The Torah envisioned people of all ages and all walks of life standing together before Moses (in words we will read on Yom Kippur morning) as one community, ready to hear teachings that would direct their hearts toward goodness and their actions toward kindness. We will stand together in just this way on these High Holy Days.
It is our time, now, to join as a congregation and community for worship, for unity, for contemplation about how we can bring out the best in ourselves and in each other and touch the human family with the gifts of our minds and hearts. May this year of 5770 be one filled with blessing and peace for all of us!
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry
A Nearly Complete Alphabet of Blessings for 5770
September 2, 2009
We wish you a year filled with…
Acceptance – for people and ideas.
Bravery – to face life’s challenges.
Compassion – for those who need our concern.
Devotion – to our families and/or community and the tasks that are important to us.
Empathy – towards the situations in which others find themselves so that we can be moved to action.
Forgiveness – of others and ourselves so we can move forward.
Growth – in ways we may not even imagine we could change.
Humility – that will remind us of our limits as well as our capabilities.
Inspiration – to soar to new heights.
Justice – that brings balance between people in communities and nations.
Kindness – which can serve as the basis for all we do.
Love – within families, among friends, for humanity, for all creation.
Mercy – that gives others – and ourselves- a chance to right a wrong.
Newness – which will make this year different from every other year.
Opportunity – for work, adventure, exploration and personal quests.
Peace – within ourselves and around the world
Quiet – to feel a sense of Shabbat within us and around us.
Renewal – for our bodies and our souls.
Strength – to live day to day.
Thankfulness – for the gifts we have been given.
Understanding – that can bring people with different viewpoints and beliefs together.
Vitality – that keeps us active in every moment.
Wonder – at the daily miracles that we may not even notice.
Yearning – that leads us always to strive to improve ourselves and our world.
Zestfulness – to live with enthusiasm and spirit!
From our home to yours,
we wish you a happy
and healthy 5770!
Rabbi Larry, Rhonda and Adam Karol
We wish you a year filled with…
Acceptance – for people and ideas.
Bravery – to face life’s challenges.
Compassion – for those who need our concern.
Devotion – to our families and/or community and the tasks that are important to us.
Empathy – towards the situations in which others find themselves so that we can be moved to action.
Forgiveness – of others and ourselves so we can move forward.
Growth – in ways we may not even imagine we could change.
Humility – that will remind us of our limits as well as our capabilities.
Inspiration – to soar to new heights.
Justice – that brings balance between people in communities and nations.
Kindness – which can serve as the basis for all we do.
Love – within families, among friends, for humanity, for all creation.
Mercy – that gives others – and ourselves- a chance to right a wrong.
Newness – which will make this year different from every other year.
Opportunity – for work, adventure, exploration and personal quests.
Peace – within ourselves and around the world
Quiet – to feel a sense of Shabbat within us and around us.
Renewal – for our bodies and our souls.
Strength – to live day to day.
Thankfulness – for the gifts we have been given.
Understanding – that can bring people with different viewpoints and beliefs together.
Vitality – that keeps us active in every moment.
Wonder – at the daily miracles that we may not even notice.
Yearning – that leads us always to strive to improve ourselves and our world.
Zestfulness – to live with enthusiasm and spirit!
From our home to yours,
we wish you a happy
and healthy 5770!
Rabbi Larry, Rhonda and Adam Karol
Remembering those in need and those who help
August 28, 2009
As our nation mourns the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, expressions of friends, family members, and political allies and opponents alike are paying tribute to his special brand of leadership. Foster’s Daily Democrat noted in its August 27 editorial, “Senator Kennedy was someone who could reach across the aisle to Republicans because he was someone to whom opposition members of the Senate would listen, someone for whom they had respect. There are few such people in Congress today.” That editorial also remembered Senator Kennedy’s concern for the most vulnerable members of society: “Senator Kennedy was an advocate for men and women of classes of people who had no advocates. His causes were those of the people — the causes of better and more affordable health care, better educational opportunities for all Americans, and the causes of America's working men and women.”
As I read those words, I was reminded of a central passage in this week’s Torah reading, Ki Teitzei. Deuteronomy Chapter 24 presents standards which directed the Israelites to care for the most vulnerable members of their society, those who had no advocates: “When you reap the harvest in your field and overlook a sheaf in the field, do not turn back to get it; it shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow-in order that the Eternal your God may bless you in all your undertakings. When you beat down the fruit of your olive trees, do not go over them again; that shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not pick it over again; that shall go to the stranger, the fatherless, the widow.”
The Torah reading didn’t only say that forgotten sheaves, olives and grapes should be left for those in need, but it also noted that, by leaving leftover and forgotten produce, the people would be blessed in all that they do. In other words, a society that cared about those who had no advocates would bring blessing itself because of the deep sense of concern that would permeate each community and the nation as a whole. Much of Senator Kennedy’s service to the United States, and the legislation that passed due to his efforts, reflected that particular biblical teaching, and it is work that others will continue in their words and deeds. May we and our nation’s leaders continue to learn from Senator Edward Kennedy’s legacy of advocacy and bi-partisanship, approaches that can enable us to strengthen our society and our country.
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