Temple Israel Dover Annual Meeting Message - on Bamidbar - May 22, 2011

Annual Meeting Message
May 22, 2011
“I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and compassion. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness and you shall know the Eternal.” -- (Hosea Chapter 2, Verses 21 and 22)
In this passage from the Haftarah for this coming Shabbat, the ancient prophet Hosea declared how his people could grow closer to God, godliness, and the best of their character. The values embodied in this formula, which has found its way into wedding ceremonies and the ritual of putting on t'fillin on one's hand, are integral to the creation of a positive community. Those values include TZEDEK – righteousness; MISHPAT – justice; CHESED - goodness, steadfast love, kindness; RACHAMIM - mercy, compassion; and EMUNAH – faithfulness.
These verses from Hosea, as a Haftarah reading, correspond to the Torah reading from the beginning section of the book of Numbers, in which the Israelites were commanded to take a census of their community. Counting the people is, on one level, a process of arriving at a “sum total” of membership and population. Hosea's words teach us that being part of a community is much more than being “counted” as a number. It means finding the right path, being fair and honest in our dealings with each other, showing kindness and concern, extending our hearts to others with compassion, and acting with consistency as much as possible. As members of a congregation, and the greater community of humanity, this is our goal and mission.
In the context of worship or a life cycle event like a wedding, to which the Hosea passage is connected, we have an opportunity to experience joy and connection on a meaningful and even deep and intense level. Prayer, all by itself, has the potential to connect us intimately with God and with the world around us. Life-cycle events, from birth ceremonies to bar/bat mitzvah celebrations, weddings to funerals, draw us closer together. At all of those gatherings, if we open our hearts to the moment, we may feel betrothed and bound to one another as a holy community, where the only capital that matters is spiritual capital and where conflict melts away and only our commonalities remain.
It was in that spirit of positive community that I recently asked congregants to share with me their thoughts about Temple Israel – offering a chance to say something good at a time that many might consider trying and difficult. Here are some of the sentiments voiced by Temple members: “More than a group tied to a building, we are a community.” “Temple Israel is an open and welcoming community.” “Temple Israel Dover is a haven…a refuge…a place where I can meet my friends….at least once a week I feel blessed, especially with the rabbi’s blessing and kind words.” One of our congregants said to me last week at the Nosharama of her 45 minute drive to get here, “It’s a schlep, but I come because I like being here.”
Being a community based on righteousness, justice, kindness, compassion and faithfulness means creating and sustaining a culture of honor, where we look at the glass as somewhat full rather than mostly empty, seeing the good that people do. Sustaining a culture of honor means making this MAKOM KADOSH, this holy space, a place of apology and forgiveness for words or actions that cause hurt, even if they were inadvertent. In that spirit, as I do every Yom Kippur, I now offer my apologies for words or actions that may have caused hurt or misunderstanding. Creating a culture of honor means that a spirit of righteousness and justice should pervade all that occurs here, where openness and respect are the hallmark of the relationships between all members of the congregation. This is a place where we should recognize and teach that the most important power that we have is not the power to control another person or a group, but the power that we can develop within ourselves to change the world for the better.
Throughout the last year, I have spoken and written almost weekly about community. One of the congregations at which I interviewed said that their goal was to create “sustainable sacred community,” which can be realized not only in the Temple building but anywhere members gather. Our “roving havdalah” services demonstrated how our community comes alive wherever we are, because Temple Israel Dover is, first and foremost, a Jewish community that, like many others, strive to be sustainable and sacred. The Hosea passage about “betrothal” is one of the best biblical statements about sacred partnership, which is what unites us in our efforts to sustain Jewish life and a Reform Jewish presence in the New Hampshire Seacoast.
“Reform Jewish presence” is an important phrase when mentioning Temple Israel, and not only because it is mentioned in the by-laws and noted on the plaque on the wall outside the office. It represents an approach to Judaism that makes Temple Israel Dover unique. I didn’t know how unique it was until I had to explain the difference between the Chabad Lubavitch approach to Judaism as compared to the principles of Reform Judaism in one of my interviews when a 6th grader asked why Chabad and Reform seem to be in conflict all the time. I told him that I don’t see them always at odds, but that they do have different missions: Chabad seeks to encourage all Jews to do mitzvos in the context of their understanding of Orthodox Judaism. Reform Judaism encourages its members to do mitzvot which they believe are meaningful, creating a personal spiritual path in the context of shared community.
I want you to know that Reform Judaism offers us connections to an even larger community of like-minded people who seek the type of Judaism that we seek and live here in New Hampshire. Over the last year, consultants from the Union for Reform Judaism have actively supported our congregation behind the scenes and in person. They care about Temple Israel Dover and its members and about the future path of this congregation. Financial Consultant David Katowitz, Rabbis Rex Perlmeter and Sue Levi Elwell, and congregational representative Ruth Goldberger have all been to our state - and David and Sue to our Temple – in the past 13 months. They have offered their best wisdom and counsel to provide a foundation for decision-making at Temple Israel Dover. Last June, the URJ East District executive board came to our congregation for Shabbat worship. They were very impressed at the spirit that we exude in prayer and conversation. In December, there will be a URJ biennial convention in the Washington, D.C. area – and someone from Temple Israel Dover should be there to demonstrate the special spirit that flows from this community.
Being a community based on righteousness, justice, kindness, compassion and faithfulness means looking at all the good we do with a feeling of joy and hope inside, and seeing the smiles in the photos of Temple life as representing a sense of community that is very real and that is worth preserving and continuing to nurture and grow. This is what I have tried to do every step of the way in my service with the Board, committees, the Religious School, in our worship, in study, and in the general community. I know that I couldn’t do these things without the support of important partners: committee chairs and members; our Temple president Carole Krassner, who will be among the Shem Tov/good name recipients at the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire annual meeting on June 12; other board members; the Religious School faculty and our students who represent our future; the Temple Israel Singers; and our dedicated Temple administrative assistant, Tammy Fascetta, whose presence in the office is invaluable for the knowledge, insight, perseverance and good humor that she brings to her position. You can and should continue to rely on Tammy in the weeks and months to come. As always, Rhonda is there with me at every step, helping me face every challenge, encouraging me to do what I always try to do – to make Judaism come alive in positive ways in Temple events and programs.
Being a community based on righteousness, justice, kindness, compassion and faithfulness is a goal that I now leave to you as I continue my transition to try to apply Hosea’s words to another congregation that is very far from here. It has been an honor to be with you for five years along a shared Jewish journey – and may you continue upon your path with a sense of mutual respect, honor and blessing. To that, I trust that we all will say…AMEN.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry