Shabbat Shalom!
During the monthly meeting of the Strafford County Department of
Corrections Spiritual Advisory Committee this week, we took a few
moments to discuss religiosity, spirituality, and how we respond to the
wonders of nature (an appropriate discussion the day before Earth
Day!). Committee members spoke of the greatness of the divine, their
awe at creation (with a reference to the highest paved road in the
nation in Colorado atop Mt. Evans, which I visited with my family in
1962), and God’s love of creation and all living things. I quoted the
blessings for a rainbow (Blessed are You, Eternal our God, who
remembers the covenant, who is faithful to the covenant and who keeps
the divine word) and for the miracles around us (Blessed are You,
Eternal our God, who makes the work of creation). Our discussion
touched upon the possibility of universal spiritual responses,
including exclamations like “AWESOME” and “WOW!” Those could also be
termed, in some way, blessings at the amazing world around us. Such
appreciation for the earth is often what leads us to adopt sustainable
practices, even simple strategies like using compact fluorescent bulbs
and recycling regularly.
We also spoke about how our respect for our diversity of belief and
expression was a covenant in and of itself, as well as a recognition of
the special place in creation that we represent separately and
together. By the same token, concern for the environment and respect
for our fellow human beings go hand in hand. If we show concern for
nature, how much the more should we care about human beings and their
welfare. The Torah reading for this week, Kedoshim, says that we should
be holy as God is holy. And how is that holiness defined? “Don’t steal;
don’t lie; be honest in business; don’t place a stumbling block before
the blind (physically or metaphorically); judge your neighbor fairly
(without partiality due to one’s station in life); don’t spread rumors;
don’t seek revenge or bear a grudge; don’t hate someone in your heart,
and if you need to offer reproach, do so in a way that won’t bring
guilt upon you; love your neighbor and the stranger among you as
yourself; respect your elders; honor your parents.” This is a timeless
list of guidelines for bringing sanctity into our lives and our
community in which we can still find great wisdom and relevance.
So as we have marked Earth Day (and should throughout the year), let
us also continue to remember members of the human family, whether
across the earth or immediately among us, who need our care, kindness
and support.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry
Friday, April 23, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Seeking Purity of Character - April 16, 2010
Shabbat Shalom!
The Torah reading for this week, TAZRIA/M’TZORA, deals with a variety of priestly diagnoses made necessary by challenges to human health as well as the well-being of a home/building environment. The main focus of the portions is leprosy and other skin afflictions, but there is also a section that deals with growths on houses (the unfortunate result of too much moisture in a closed space). Rabbis, bar and bat mitzvah students and commentators see this portion from the Torah as a true challenge for drawing lessons for today.
The Israelite priests were directed to examine both people and places and make a determination about the continued presence or the eventual absence of the disease or growth. They would make their declarations with the words TAMAY (impure) and TAHOR (pure and acceptable). These terms applied mostly to biblical definitions of required sanctity, but they can just as well be used for aspects of behavior and personal attitudes to help us to express our perspectives about what is acceptable in community life.
Making a “behavioral purity” list offers an opportunity to define for ourselves what boundaries we would set for ourselves and what we could expect and accept from others.
Here are possible TAMAY and TAHOR lists for Temples, groups, organizations, families and communities:
TAMAY: dishonesty, excessive negativity, bullying, cruelty, discourtesy, disrespect, extreme impatience, name-calling, closed communication, destructive criticism.
TAHOR: honesty, optimism based in reality, respect, patience, courtesy, joy, open communication, appropriate praise, constructive criticism, menschlikhkeit.
These lists are only a beginning. Each of us has our own sense of how we try to present ourselves and how we hope to treat other people in order to engender greater fellowship in our families and in our community. May we reach our own goals of creating TAHARAH – a sense of openness and purity – in our lives.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry
The Torah reading for this week, TAZRIA/M’TZORA, deals with a variety of priestly diagnoses made necessary by challenges to human health as well as the well-being of a home/building environment. The main focus of the portions is leprosy and other skin afflictions, but there is also a section that deals with growths on houses (the unfortunate result of too much moisture in a closed space). Rabbis, bar and bat mitzvah students and commentators see this portion from the Torah as a true challenge for drawing lessons for today.
The Israelite priests were directed to examine both people and places and make a determination about the continued presence or the eventual absence of the disease or growth. They would make their declarations with the words TAMAY (impure) and TAHOR (pure and acceptable). These terms applied mostly to biblical definitions of required sanctity, but they can just as well be used for aspects of behavior and personal attitudes to help us to express our perspectives about what is acceptable in community life.
Making a “behavioral purity” list offers an opportunity to define for ourselves what boundaries we would set for ourselves and what we could expect and accept from others.
Here are possible TAMAY and TAHOR lists for Temples, groups, organizations, families and communities:
TAMAY: dishonesty, excessive negativity, bullying, cruelty, discourtesy, disrespect, extreme impatience, name-calling, closed communication, destructive criticism.
TAHOR: honesty, optimism based in reality, respect, patience, courtesy, joy, open communication, appropriate praise, constructive criticism, menschlikhkeit.
These lists are only a beginning. Each of us has our own sense of how we try to present ourselves and how we hope to treat other people in order to engender greater fellowship in our families and in our community. May we reach our own goals of creating TAHARAH – a sense of openness and purity – in our lives.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Take me home to the truths I believe in
During the month of May this year, the celebrations of Lag Ba’omer, Yom Y’rushalayim/Jerusalem Day and Shavuot offer us opportunities to come together as a community and explore our Jewish identity and further our dedication to our heritage. All of these observances highlight our ties to Eretz Yisraeil (Land) and Am Yisraeil (People) and our commitment to learning about how our tradition brings land, people, and faith together.
Last year, we held a “Shavuot Evening Seder” at Temple Israel in Dover, discussing several classic texts from the Jewish heritage. Our conversation yielded this listing of values that flow from those passages from Jewish tradition:
• Share what you have with those in need by supporting food pantries and other institutions that offer crucial assistance.
• Give to others in any way you can, including time, talents and spirit!
• Be happy with what you have.
• Be a good parent and/or teacher to members of the next generation!
• Protect the earth’s resources through recycling and other actions and strategies.
• Being members of a community means showing empathy and respect, making outsiders feel like insiders, finding a touch of God in each other, and engendering fellowship, unity, acceptance, love, reverence, and mutual support.
• Truly listen to people who seek your support and respond thoughtfully to their concerns.
• Send a portion of leftover food from public events to shelters, children’s homes, and other similar agencies.
• Be present for people in moments of joy and at times of sorrow.
• Making peace between people can include constructively dealing with conflicts at work or at home in a way that can bring resolution.
• Volunteer for agencies and causes that will enable you to live your values.
One of my favorite quotes that embodies central Jewish teachings comes from Psalm 85, verses 10-14, a passage quoted by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin when he spoke to the Knesset in the presence of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in November, 1977: "Mercy and truth shall meet, justice and peace join in a kiss. Then shall truth sprout up from the earth and justice look down from heaven. As well, the Eternal will bestow goodness upon us and our land will give forth its produce. Justice will go forth before the Eternal, making a path for the footsteps of the divine."
My own interpretation of those words yielded these lyrics (in a song honoring Israel's 61st anniversary of statehood) based on the entire message of Psalm 85: “Take me home again to the truths I believe in, take me home again to the peace I once knew. Let mercy and justice come together as I walk along their way!”
Our celebrations in May – or at any time of year – can inspire us to walk the path of justice and peace, to act with mercy and kindness, and to explore the truths that can lead us to promise and hope. May we continue, individually and together, always strive to live the values we continue to teach, study and prize!
Last year, we held a “Shavuot Evening Seder” at Temple Israel in Dover, discussing several classic texts from the Jewish heritage. Our conversation yielded this listing of values that flow from those passages from Jewish tradition:
• Share what you have with those in need by supporting food pantries and other institutions that offer crucial assistance.
• Give to others in any way you can, including time, talents and spirit!
• Be happy with what you have.
• Be a good parent and/or teacher to members of the next generation!
• Protect the earth’s resources through recycling and other actions and strategies.
• Being members of a community means showing empathy and respect, making outsiders feel like insiders, finding a touch of God in each other, and engendering fellowship, unity, acceptance, love, reverence, and mutual support.
• Truly listen to people who seek your support and respond thoughtfully to their concerns.
• Send a portion of leftover food from public events to shelters, children’s homes, and other similar agencies.
• Be present for people in moments of joy and at times of sorrow.
• Making peace between people can include constructively dealing with conflicts at work or at home in a way that can bring resolution.
• Volunteer for agencies and causes that will enable you to live your values.
One of my favorite quotes that embodies central Jewish teachings comes from Psalm 85, verses 10-14, a passage quoted by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin when he spoke to the Knesset in the presence of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in November, 1977: "Mercy and truth shall meet, justice and peace join in a kiss. Then shall truth sprout up from the earth and justice look down from heaven. As well, the Eternal will bestow goodness upon us and our land will give forth its produce. Justice will go forth before the Eternal, making a path for the footsteps of the divine."
My own interpretation of those words yielded these lyrics (in a song honoring Israel's 61st anniversary of statehood) based on the entire message of Psalm 85: “Take me home again to the truths I believe in, take me home again to the peace I once knew. Let mercy and justice come together as I walk along their way!”
Our celebrations in May – or at any time of year – can inspire us to walk the path of justice and peace, to act with mercy and kindness, and to explore the truths that can lead us to promise and hope. May we continue, individually and together, always strive to live the values we continue to teach, study and prize!
Expressing Spirit and Faith - April 8, 2010
Shabbat Shalom!
The Torah portion this week, Sh’mini, noted that if the priestly leaders and the Israelite people followed certain rules for ritual and for diet, they would instill a sense of dedication and spiritual purity that would allow them to recognize God’s presence among them.
What is it that we can do that can give us a sense of a divine presence in our lives, or a feeling that “godliness” and a spirit of holiness pervades our community? Several years ago, the Gallup organization, the Gallup organization developed a list of nine items that, when taken together, tend to show a person’s level of spiritual commitment, regardless of his or her faith tradition. Among the people they surveyed, they found that 15% of all of those questioned answered “strongly agree” to all the nine items presented to the respondents. Here are those items, with my own Jewish-based commentary:
· I spend time in worship or prayer every day.
This can include services at Temple, but we may also recite words of our own choosing or long-established Jewish blessings when we are “at home and on the way.”
· My faith is involved in every aspect of my life.
Judaism can touch upon a wide range of issues, from our economic and occupational values and decisions to interpersonal relationships. A teaching like “love your neighbor as yourself” has implications for nearly everything we do.
· Because of my faith, I have forgiven people who have hurt me deeply.
We learn the importance of forgiveness every Yom Kippur, but prayers for forgiveness are part of daily Jewish liturgy, reminding us to constantly find ways to make amends and be forgiving.
· Because of my faith, I have meaning and purpose in my life.
There are many pursuits in which we are involved that give us meaning, purpose and direction. Judaism offers us a sense of connection with all humanity, with all of creation and with the Creator of all. Seeing a challenge from a more godly perspective can help us through a difficult time.
· My faith has called me to develop my given strengths.
The rabbi Ben Azzai stated, “Despise nothing and call nothing useless, for there is no one who doesn’t have his/her time, and there is no thing that doesn’t have its place.” We should value ourselves because every one of us can make a difference!
· I will take unpopular stands to defend my faith.
There is almost always at least one issue in society for which Jewish tradition offers a crucial departure from conventional wisdom. As we approach Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, we recall the courage of all those who sustained the values of respect and understanding in the face of unbridled hatred.
· My faith gives me an inner peace.
Our prayers for peace are intended to help us strive for peace between people and inside ourselves.
· I speak words of kindness to those in need of encouragement.
Offering words of support is an act of lovingkindness, gemilut chasadim.
· I am a person who is spiritually committed.
Each of us has our own ways of determining if we feel connected to our faith and heritage, and if we see ourselves as “spiritual.” Do your own inventory. Look at these nine items, and think about the ways in which you try to develop your own strengths, show forgiveness, find peace in your mind and heart, take a stand based in our heritage, connect with the divine, and create a meaningful and purposeful path for yourself every day. May our upcoming gatherings as a community inspire us to remember, laugh, to love and to live as we strive towards contentment, freedom and peace.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry
The Torah portion this week, Sh’mini, noted that if the priestly leaders and the Israelite people followed certain rules for ritual and for diet, they would instill a sense of dedication and spiritual purity that would allow them to recognize God’s presence among them.
What is it that we can do that can give us a sense of a divine presence in our lives, or a feeling that “godliness” and a spirit of holiness pervades our community? Several years ago, the Gallup organization, the Gallup organization developed a list of nine items that, when taken together, tend to show a person’s level of spiritual commitment, regardless of his or her faith tradition. Among the people they surveyed, they found that 15% of all of those questioned answered “strongly agree” to all the nine items presented to the respondents. Here are those items, with my own Jewish-based commentary:
· I spend time in worship or prayer every day.
This can include services at Temple, but we may also recite words of our own choosing or long-established Jewish blessings when we are “at home and on the way.”
· My faith is involved in every aspect of my life.
Judaism can touch upon a wide range of issues, from our economic and occupational values and decisions to interpersonal relationships. A teaching like “love your neighbor as yourself” has implications for nearly everything we do.
· Because of my faith, I have forgiven people who have hurt me deeply.
We learn the importance of forgiveness every Yom Kippur, but prayers for forgiveness are part of daily Jewish liturgy, reminding us to constantly find ways to make amends and be forgiving.
· Because of my faith, I have meaning and purpose in my life.
There are many pursuits in which we are involved that give us meaning, purpose and direction. Judaism offers us a sense of connection with all humanity, with all of creation and with the Creator of all. Seeing a challenge from a more godly perspective can help us through a difficult time.
· My faith has called me to develop my given strengths.
The rabbi Ben Azzai stated, “Despise nothing and call nothing useless, for there is no one who doesn’t have his/her time, and there is no thing that doesn’t have its place.” We should value ourselves because every one of us can make a difference!
· I will take unpopular stands to defend my faith.
There is almost always at least one issue in society for which Jewish tradition offers a crucial departure from conventional wisdom. As we approach Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, we recall the courage of all those who sustained the values of respect and understanding in the face of unbridled hatred.
· My faith gives me an inner peace.
Our prayers for peace are intended to help us strive for peace between people and inside ourselves.
· I speak words of kindness to those in need of encouragement.
Offering words of support is an act of lovingkindness, gemilut chasadim.
· I am a person who is spiritually committed.
Each of us has our own ways of determining if we feel connected to our faith and heritage, and if we see ourselves as “spiritual.” Do your own inventory. Look at these nine items, and think about the ways in which you try to develop your own strengths, show forgiveness, find peace in your mind and heart, take a stand based in our heritage, connect with the divine, and create a meaningful and purposeful path for yourself every day. May our upcoming gatherings as a community inspire us to remember, laugh, to love and to live as we strive towards contentment, freedom and peace.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry
Freedom in mind and heart - April 2, 2010
This week, for the first time in my rabbinate, I led a Passover seder in a correctional facility. The chaplain at the Strafford County Department of Corrections facility told me recently that two inmates had asked for some type of celebration of Passover. I was told that I could bring matzah, grape juice, a seder plate and a haggadah, and I received permission to bring in my “travel” guitar as well. On the morning of March 31, before I left Temple, I emptied out my pockets (as I usually do when I go to meetings of the Spiritual Advisory committee there), taking only my driver’s license holder and my keys (car and Temple only). I was able to find my way through the right doors and stairs to get to the unit where I was set to do my seder. The two inmates joined me for many of the regular prayers. We chanted the Kiddush. We sang Mah Nishtanah, Avadim Hayinu, Dayeinu and Eliyahu Hanavi. We poured drops for the ten plagues. We ate matzah and, in the absence of charoset, we dipped our matzah in our grape juice. We created, for a few moments, a microcosm of the worldwide Jewish community marking Passover as a festival of freedom, with the hope that these two men would be able to enjoy actual individual freedom as soon as possible. I left the jail, returned to Temple, put my wallet, my Blackberry, my full set of keys, and my card case back into my pockets. I was back to the normal realm of freedom, but I knew that we had created a momentary “pocket” of liberty in the jail through the prayers and practices we shared.
Freedom is a gift to be treasured, and one that we can create inside of ourselves and in our community even when, all around us, we may feel that there are aspects of liberty which we need to work hard to preserve. Through right choices and actions, may we do all we can to split the seas that may stand in our way and move forward to our own "promised land," whatever that “land” might be.
Happy Passover!
L'shalom,
Rabbi Larry
Freedom is a gift to be treasured, and one that we can create inside of ourselves and in our community even when, all around us, we may feel that there are aspects of liberty which we need to work hard to preserve. Through right choices and actions, may we do all we can to split the seas that may stand in our way and move forward to our own "promised land," whatever that “land” might be.
Happy Passover!
L'shalom,
Rabbi Larry
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)