I am currently reading FITTING IN IS OVERRATED: THE SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR ANYONE WHO HAS FELT LIKE AN OUTSIDER, by Leonard Felder. This book is reminding me of the reasons why I began to write songs 40 years ago. While I probably won't be sharing some of those first efforts any time soon, much of what I wrote about in those first lyrics focused on my desire to be a part of a community and to develop close friendships. The community was always there, and I stayed connected even when I felt that I didn't fit in. Even in situations, then and in more recent years, when I felt like an outsider, I realized that I learned something new about myself and how to relate to people from every experience.
In the fall of 1977, I put some of those feelings into a song that had several levels of meaning. It was about being a performer in front of a new audience, but it was also about trying to break into a social circle (and, perhaps, the "dating scene"). I let the song stay as it was for 22 years. In the fall of 1999, in order to "restart" my songwriting (I had been on a 19 year hiatus at that point), I revisited that song about "breaking in" and added a third verse. I felt that I had to take the lyrics to some point of conclusion, which I had not done before - that it IS possible to find one's way into a community through persistence, patience and personal honesty. "Let Me Sing My Way Into Your Night" is the first track on my CD, "A New Beginning." I can remember the joy I felt recording that song in a studio in 2004, singing words that I had written so long before along with the further expressions of hope that concluded the song. This song still is my most prized personal statement about the hard work of becoming and remaining connected to a community.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Our Very Own Torah August 21, 2009
Shabbat Shalom!
If we were to write our own personal Torah, what would be in it? What rules would it contain? The Torah reading for this week directed the kings that would rule over the Israelites to have the priests write out a new copy of the original Torah/Teaching for them. They were instructed further, “Let it (the Torah) remain with him and let him read it all his life, so that he may learn to revere the Eternal God, to observe faithfully every word of this teaching as well as these laws. Thus he will not act haughtily toward his fellows.”
Leaders who are charged with enforcing and strengthening the laws we live by should study those rules in order to understand their simple meaning as well as various ways they can be interpreted. We who are not in a political position of leadership have a similar responsibility to understand laws that govern our lives and, more important, to consider how our own sense of Torah/Teaching/Morality can enhance community life. Often, that sense of what is right and wrong in human society comes back to a sense of justice, fairness and impartiality. Acting haughtily, whether it means believing oneself to be above the law or above other people in some way, can prevent a leader or a citizen from making a positive contribution to the present and future of any society or country. May our own personal Torah, whatever it may contain, guide us along a path of justice, righteousness and peace.
L'shalom,
Rabbi Larry
If we were to write our own personal Torah, what would be in it? What rules would it contain? The Torah reading for this week directed the kings that would rule over the Israelites to have the priests write out a new copy of the original Torah/Teaching for them. They were instructed further, “Let it (the Torah) remain with him and let him read it all his life, so that he may learn to revere the Eternal God, to observe faithfully every word of this teaching as well as these laws. Thus he will not act haughtily toward his fellows.”
Leaders who are charged with enforcing and strengthening the laws we live by should study those rules in order to understand their simple meaning as well as various ways they can be interpreted. We who are not in a political position of leadership have a similar responsibility to understand laws that govern our lives and, more important, to consider how our own sense of Torah/Teaching/Morality can enhance community life. Often, that sense of what is right and wrong in human society comes back to a sense of justice, fairness and impartiality. Acting haughtily, whether it means believing oneself to be above the law or above other people in some way, can prevent a leader or a citizen from making a positive contribution to the present and future of any society or country. May our own personal Torah, whatever it may contain, guide us along a path of justice, righteousness and peace.
L'shalom,
Rabbi Larry
Friday, August 14, 2009
Blessing through Speech - and Freedom August 14, 2009
Shabbat Shalom!
When will a national discussion on a serious issue not turn into a battle of good and evil? This is the question that remains in my mind as the discourse on health care legislation turns towards the extremes. Name-calling and distortion of facts will not bring the best solution to this challenge of offering Americans affordable health insurance. There may be good reasons for citizens to be anxious, and even angry, at this time of economic downturn. Nevertheless, posters that add a Hitlerian moustache to a photograph of President Barack Obama and other comparisons to Nazi Germany are not going to bring our country closer to a workable compromise on this issue. Such expressions could prevent the civil conversation we need that will allow decisions to be made based on listening with intelligence and compassion to real-life concerns.
The beginning of this week’s Torah reading, R’eih, noted that after the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, they were called upon to engage in a ritual of declaring the blessings that would come to the people if they followed divine teachings, and the curses that would befall them if they went astray from the path that Moses had taught them. It was not as much about punishment as it was about remaining on a path that would keep the community together, even at times of internal disagreement. Caring about each other as members of a holy community was their primary concern.
Some voices that came to the surface over the last week called for a “return to the Constitution and what our nation’s founders intended.” The founders of our nation set us on a path that they hoped would lead us to engage in a lively, perhaps vociferous, yet ultimately civil debate on the most controversial issues we face. The rhetoric of conflicting opinions has, at times, divided our country. We know, however, that even when we are not of the same mind, we can still join together to declare that our freedom to say what we think is a blessing, not a curse. Let us remember that listening to the views of others, along with speaking our own mind, is an integral part of that blessing of freedom that we have inherited and that we are now called upon to preserve. May the concern for the common good that many people share in our country – and throughout the world – prevail for us now and in the future.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry
When will a national discussion on a serious issue not turn into a battle of good and evil? This is the question that remains in my mind as the discourse on health care legislation turns towards the extremes. Name-calling and distortion of facts will not bring the best solution to this challenge of offering Americans affordable health insurance. There may be good reasons for citizens to be anxious, and even angry, at this time of economic downturn. Nevertheless, posters that add a Hitlerian moustache to a photograph of President Barack Obama and other comparisons to Nazi Germany are not going to bring our country closer to a workable compromise on this issue. Such expressions could prevent the civil conversation we need that will allow decisions to be made based on listening with intelligence and compassion to real-life concerns.
The beginning of this week’s Torah reading, R’eih, noted that after the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, they were called upon to engage in a ritual of declaring the blessings that would come to the people if they followed divine teachings, and the curses that would befall them if they went astray from the path that Moses had taught them. It was not as much about punishment as it was about remaining on a path that would keep the community together, even at times of internal disagreement. Caring about each other as members of a holy community was their primary concern.
Some voices that came to the surface over the last week called for a “return to the Constitution and what our nation’s founders intended.” The founders of our nation set us on a path that they hoped would lead us to engage in a lively, perhaps vociferous, yet ultimately civil debate on the most controversial issues we face. The rhetoric of conflicting opinions has, at times, divided our country. We know, however, that even when we are not of the same mind, we can still join together to declare that our freedom to say what we think is a blessing, not a curse. Let us remember that listening to the views of others, along with speaking our own mind, is an integral part of that blessing of freedom that we have inherited and that we are now called upon to preserve. May the concern for the common good that many people share in our country – and throughout the world – prevail for us now and in the future.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry
Friday, August 7, 2009
Beyond Blessings: Gratitude August 7, 2009
Shabbat Shalom!
Whether we realize it or not, there are always aspects of our lives which we could consider blessings for which we can be grateful. When I asked the campers in my mini-course at Crane Lake Camp about the blessings in their lives, these 8th-10th graders listed family, health, education, community, friends, a personal sense of morality, a home, food, freedom, books and love. Each of us should take a moment every day to create such a blessings list, at least in our minds (if not on paper), to reiterate the reasons we have to be thankful.
The Torah portion for this week, Ekev, includes a passage in Deuteronomy Chapter 8 that encourages us to be thankful for the blessings we enjoy: “The Eternal God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain to hill; a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey; a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack nothing. . . .When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the Eternal your God for the good land given you.”
At the Temple Board meeting this past Wednesday, I asked our congregational leaders what they consider to be the blessings given to our community and how we can offer thanks for those blessings. Among the blessings they noted were friendships, music, a community in which we can all grow, programs we offer, the beautiful land on which Temple sits, children, opportunities for study with peers and colleagues, and social activities. Our Board members felt that we can show gratitude for these blessings through contributing to the community in some way, tzedakah/righteous giving, participation, volunteering, and bringing other people into our Temple circle.
I am sure you could add to this list that begins to express our essence as a congregation, but each of us can begin by expressing gratitude in a personal way. May we each find blessings around us and give thanks for them every day of our lives!
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Ex nihilo - Reverbnation/Larry Karol August 1, 2009
Sometimes songwriting feels like it happens out of nothing - "ex nihilo." It really doesn't work that way, at least I don't think so. I had the experience while on faculty at Crane Lake camp (a Reform Jewish Camp in West Stockbridge, MA) for two weeks (July 12-26, 2009) of writing three songs (actually four, but I wasn't at all satisfied with one of them). Every experience was different.
The first song emerged from my desire to write my own song based on some of the customary Jewish bedtime prayers. I looked in prayerbooks I had brought with me to camp for ideas from English renderings and interpretations of an evening prayer about God's protection at night (called Hashkivenu). That gave me ideas for verse lyrics, and I knew that the chorus would come from the last stanza of the "hymn" Adon Olam - the words in English are: "Into God's hand I charge/entrust my spirit when I sleep and when I wake, and with my soul, my body, too, God is with me, I shall not be afraid." That song came from working with the English and Hebrew lyrics and adjusting the melody so that it would be unique among the songs I have written.
The second song came from a mini-course I taught 8th through 10th grade campers called "God's on my iPod." I had collected 25 popular/secular songs that related to God and hoped the campers would find songs on their personal music players. On the first day of each week-long series of the course, I asked the campers to complete the sentence, "God is...." and to come up with a question that could be asked of God if God could answer. The responses came back all across the spectrum of belief - from a very traditional view of an all-powerful, all-knowing God to uncertainty about God's existence. The music had to go for the middle of that continuum, so I settled for Cm as my key and strung the campers' comments together and added some thoughts of my own for the verses and chorus.
The third song was a second try at summarizing the comments from the campers who took my course during my second week at camp. This was harder to do - a song that was very "forced" came out initially, but, even then, I knew I wanted to link the students' comments to a blessing in Judaism that praises God for making the works of creation. On the next-to-last day of the 2nd week, when I couldn't get the campers to respond to questions about songs I was playing on my iPod, I asked them to write lyrics that they thought belonged in a song about God. I started reviewing those responses and their "God is...." statements to write a new song that night, but nothing came to me to get a new song going. I went to sleep, and woke up the next morning with a melody for the "works of creation" blessing in my head - that tune came out of nowhere (or else I was just working it out in my head when I was asleep). I immediately wrote out two verses and the chorus quickly and got it printed out. I played for the campers "live" the first song I had written from week #1 of the course, and then showed them this new song that included their comments. I asked them to help me write a "bridge." We came up with a statement about being a community even with our diversity. The song was mostly done, and after a few tweaks on the bridge lyrics and a tempo change the next day, the song was really finished.
Writing even one song during my two weeks at camp would have been enough. I am VERY grateful for three!
The first song emerged from my desire to write my own song based on some of the customary Jewish bedtime prayers. I looked in prayerbooks I had brought with me to camp for ideas from English renderings and interpretations of an evening prayer about God's protection at night (called Hashkivenu). That gave me ideas for verse lyrics, and I knew that the chorus would come from the last stanza of the "hymn" Adon Olam - the words in English are: "Into God's hand I charge/entrust my spirit when I sleep and when I wake, and with my soul, my body, too, God is with me, I shall not be afraid." That song came from working with the English and Hebrew lyrics and adjusting the melody so that it would be unique among the songs I have written.
The second song came from a mini-course I taught 8th through 10th grade campers called "God's on my iPod." I had collected 25 popular/secular songs that related to God and hoped the campers would find songs on their personal music players. On the first day of each week-long series of the course, I asked the campers to complete the sentence, "God is...." and to come up with a question that could be asked of God if God could answer. The responses came back all across the spectrum of belief - from a very traditional view of an all-powerful, all-knowing God to uncertainty about God's existence. The music had to go for the middle of that continuum, so I settled for Cm as my key and strung the campers' comments together and added some thoughts of my own for the verses and chorus.
The third song was a second try at summarizing the comments from the campers who took my course during my second week at camp. This was harder to do - a song that was very "forced" came out initially, but, even then, I knew I wanted to link the students' comments to a blessing in Judaism that praises God for making the works of creation. On the next-to-last day of the 2nd week, when I couldn't get the campers to respond to questions about songs I was playing on my iPod, I asked them to write lyrics that they thought belonged in a song about God. I started reviewing those responses and their "God is...." statements to write a new song that night, but nothing came to me to get a new song going. I went to sleep, and woke up the next morning with a melody for the "works of creation" blessing in my head - that tune came out of nowhere (or else I was just working it out in my head when I was asleep). I immediately wrote out two verses and the chorus quickly and got it printed out. I played for the campers "live" the first song I had written from week #1 of the course, and then showed them this new song that included their comments. I asked them to help me write a "bridge." We came up with a statement about being a community even with our diversity. The song was mostly done, and after a few tweaks on the bridge lyrics and a tempo change the next day, the song was really finished.
Writing even one song during my two weeks at camp would have been enough. I am VERY grateful for three!
Moving Forward - Post on Reverbnation/Larry Karol
June 30, 2009
I am currently recovering from surgery (ear) and still marveling that I can continue to hear just enough to listen to music and, also, to make music. Even while being a bit stereophonically challenged, I am amazed at how music is still such a significant expression of thought and emotion. Today, I have to write an article for my Temple newsletter, but I know that the song I wrote this past Sunday, based on a text from Psalm 90 (designated as a healing Psalm by some rabbis in Jewish tradition), has even greater power. As I considered the Psalm, which spoke about rising up in the morning with a feeling of being enveloped with joy and kindness, I thought about the people throughout the world whose voices are calling for justice and are not being heard, and people who are mourning individuals - beyond celebrity icons - whose lives were taken too soon, where the meaning of those lives may not even really be known until much later. I hope to post this song in the next few days on the reverbnation player.
I am currently recovering from surgery (ear) and still marveling that I can continue to hear just enough to listen to music and, also, to make music. Even while being a bit stereophonically challenged, I am amazed at how music is still such a significant expression of thought and emotion. Today, I have to write an article for my Temple newsletter, but I know that the song I wrote this past Sunday, based on a text from Psalm 90 (designated as a healing Psalm by some rabbis in Jewish tradition), has even greater power. As I considered the Psalm, which spoke about rising up in the morning with a feeling of being enveloped with joy and kindness, I thought about the people throughout the world whose voices are calling for justice and are not being heard, and people who are mourning individuals - beyond celebrity icons - whose lives were taken too soon, where the meaning of those lives may not even really be known until much later. I hope to post this song in the next few days on the reverbnation player.
Starting Out - Post on Reverbnation/LarryKarol
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| I think it's time to get a blog started here. I write a lot in my "day job" (rabbi at Temple Israel in Dover, NH) but music is just as much an important expression for me - listening, singing, and writing. The songs come when I have something to say or when a text that I am reading or studying moves me to make a musical commentary - or, sometimes, even the news in the world seems to call out for a response. I hope to always find time to do this. With many of my songs recorded only on Garageband on my laptop (my last four years of songwriting, following the creation of the songs on my two studio CDs), I hope to share that music in some way, even if it's just with those mp3s from my computer. Two of the "garageband" songs are already up on this site for listening. Having just watched the "Thriller" video on television this morning, I am thinking about Michael Jackson's many contributions to the music and entertainment world, but the words especially from "Man in the Mirror" stick out in my mind as a message for everyone - to start with change in ourselves in order to change the world. I am also intrigued by the return of one of my favorite songwriters, Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam, to creating music that speaks to everyone. His sense of meaning and humor were well demonstrated during his BBC Radio 2 concert on June 3 and on his new album, Roadsinger. I hope to find venues to share my music in the near future in the Jewish community context but in other arenas as well. I appreciate all those who have encouraged me throughout the years and hope to find more teachers and colleagues to guide me along my continuing musical journey. |
What I learn about community at Crane Lake Camp
For the Temple Israel Dover Kesher Newsletter for August, 2009
• The natural setting at camp builds community by reminding everyone that they are, individually and together, a part of creation.This realization has the potential to enhance worship, study and all programming.
• A sense of community is strengthened by active participation by group members based in personal motivation, a desire to immerse oneself in a culture or tradition, or a hope to get out of an experience as much benefit as can possibly be gained.
• Campers see Jewish values through their own stories. When they are at camp, their own narratives about how they started friendships, overcame being homesick, helped one of their peers in a significant way, and chose to return to camp each year are very powerful and meaningful. Our own stories about how we see ourselves as part of a community are just as important and poignant.
• Every member of the community—campers, unit heads, specialists, counselors and support staff - has something significant to offer to the well-being of the camp.
• Services and song sessions are lively and spirited when leaders and participants are willing partners in preserving familiar words and music from the past and welcoming new presentations and expressions of those same texts and values.
• There is a Jewish way to be a member of a community based on universal principles stated in Jewish texts. People of all ages know that teachings like “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus) and “what is hateful to you, don’t do to someone else” (Hillel) stress the value of consideration that should permeate all behavior and serve as a basis for resolving conflicts.
• The presence in one place of members of two or three generations allows for a broadening of experiences, noting differences and similarities between
• the past and present. Teaching my “God on my iPod” mini-course allowed me to learn new music while I discovered how much of “my music” was familiar to the campers. Teaching guitar each day gave me the chance, one day, to play and sing Beatles songs with a talented 8 year-old camper!
• A sense of being a part of one community can continue, even when you arenot physically present with members of that group, through telephone conversations, letters, emails and social networking on the internet.
• Creating community is a sacred task, defining space, time, and memories as special, unique and holy unto themselves.
• Most, if not all, of the aspects of community in camp can, in some way, be a part of congregational life. Let us see what we can do at Temple Israel to engender a sense of being part of a holy community together!
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry
• The natural setting at camp builds community by reminding everyone that they are, individually and together, a part of creation.This realization has the potential to enhance worship, study and all programming.
• A sense of community is strengthened by active participation by group members based in personal motivation, a desire to immerse oneself in a culture or tradition, or a hope to get out of an experience as much benefit as can possibly be gained.
• Campers see Jewish values through their own stories. When they are at camp, their own narratives about how they started friendships, overcame being homesick, helped one of their peers in a significant way, and chose to return to camp each year are very powerful and meaningful. Our own stories about how we see ourselves as part of a community are just as important and poignant.
• Every member of the community—campers, unit heads, specialists, counselors and support staff - has something significant to offer to the well-being of the camp.
• Services and song sessions are lively and spirited when leaders and participants are willing partners in preserving familiar words and music from the past and welcoming new presentations and expressions of those same texts and values.
• There is a Jewish way to be a member of a community based on universal principles stated in Jewish texts. People of all ages know that teachings like “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus) and “what is hateful to you, don’t do to someone else” (Hillel) stress the value of consideration that should permeate all behavior and serve as a basis for resolving conflicts.
• The presence in one place of members of two or three generations allows for a broadening of experiences, noting differences and similarities between
• the past and present. Teaching my “God on my iPod” mini-course allowed me to learn new music while I discovered how much of “my music” was familiar to the campers. Teaching guitar each day gave me the chance, one day, to play and sing Beatles songs with a talented 8 year-old camper!
• A sense of being a part of one community can continue, even when you arenot physically present with members of that group, through telephone conversations, letters, emails and social networking on the internet.
• Creating community is a sacred task, defining space, time, and memories as special, unique and holy unto themselves.
• Most, if not all, of the aspects of community in camp can, in some way, be a part of congregational life. Let us see what we can do at Temple Israel to engender a sense of being part of a holy community together!
L’shalom,
Rabbi Larry
These verbs shall be in your heart...Parashat Va'etchanan
July 30, 2009
An early Shabbat Shalom!
I will be chanting the V'ahavta when I read Torah tomorrow night - this familiar passage, which immediately follows the declaration of one God, the Shema, in Deuteronomy Chapter 6, is marked with verbs that challenge us to express what we think and believe through words and action.
The verbs in the this section are…
V'ahavta (LOVE)
V'shinantam (TEACH/REPEAT THEM)
V'dibarta (SPEAK)
U-k'shartam (BIND THEM)
Uch-tavtam (WRITE/INSCRIBE THEM)
Taken together, these words direct us to create close and trusting relationships, to share our values with each other and to a new generation, to hold fast to the principles we live by and to educate others by our example. The V'ahavta paragraph can serve as a curriculum guide for successfully passing on a heritage to a new generation, but it is also about taking on this task as one community. May the values that we practice and teach leave an imprint on us, and may what we do inscribe those lessons on one another's hearts.
L'shalom,
Rabbi Larry
An early Shabbat Shalom!
I will be chanting the V'ahavta when I read Torah tomorrow night - this familiar passage, which immediately follows the declaration of one God, the Shema, in Deuteronomy Chapter 6, is marked with verbs that challenge us to express what we think and believe through words and action.
The verbs in the this section are…
V'ahavta (LOVE)
V'shinantam (TEACH/REPEAT THEM)
V'dibarta (SPEAK)
U-k'shartam (BIND THEM)
Uch-tavtam (WRITE/INSCRIBE THEM)
Taken together, these words direct us to create close and trusting relationships, to share our values with each other and to a new generation, to hold fast to the principles we live by and to educate others by our example. The V'ahavta paragraph can serve as a curriculum guide for successfully passing on a heritage to a new generation, but it is also about taking on this task as one community. May the values that we practice and teach leave an imprint on us, and may what we do inscribe those lessons on one another's hearts.
L'shalom,
Rabbi Larry
Overcoming Hatred - For Tish'ah B'av
July 29, 2009
Tonight begins Tish'ah B'av (the Ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av), the anniversary of the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. This day is observed as a time of fasting and mourning in the Jewish tradition. Reform Judaism, at first, did not support the idea of mourning for the Temple because there was no expectation for that ancient center of worship to be rebuilt. As the decades passed, commemorations of Tish'ah B'av began to find their way into Reform congregations and, given the time of this July-or-August observance, summer camps.
This coming Friday night, July 31, I will begin the service with a brief reading from the Lamentations, the biblical book assigned to this holiday because of its expressions of despair and sadness over the loss of the first Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE. In response to the Roman's destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70, the rabbis said, in retrospect, “The second Temple was destroyed because of one reason: baseless hatred (sinat chinam).” The fact that the Jews of Judea could not overcome bitter disagreements and unite behind one banner in their approach towards the Roman authorities led to that great tragedy of their time.
Baseless hatred is certainly still with us. It emerges when someone believes that he or she is absolutely correct and that there is absolutely no other view on a particular that could bear some truth, and no compromise is possible. We see such hatred in the breakdown of relations between people in neighboring countries, between adherents of different religions or various branches of one faith group, and between members of different political parties in the same country that assert that only the policies for which they advocate are right.
The observance of Tish'ah B'av offers us a reminder of how interpersonal and ideological conflict can lead to catastrophe, but how, even in the face of such challenges, we can learn lessons from the past and try to strengthen the common bonds that transcend our differences. May we hold on to the hope that we can find such unity even in our diversity.
L'shalom,
Rabbi Larry
Tonight begins Tish'ah B'av (the Ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av), the anniversary of the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. This day is observed as a time of fasting and mourning in the Jewish tradition. Reform Judaism, at first, did not support the idea of mourning for the Temple because there was no expectation for that ancient center of worship to be rebuilt. As the decades passed, commemorations of Tish'ah B'av began to find their way into Reform congregations and, given the time of this July-or-August observance, summer camps.
This coming Friday night, July 31, I will begin the service with a brief reading from the Lamentations, the biblical book assigned to this holiday because of its expressions of despair and sadness over the loss of the first Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE. In response to the Roman's destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70, the rabbis said, in retrospect, “The second Temple was destroyed because of one reason: baseless hatred (sinat chinam).” The fact that the Jews of Judea could not overcome bitter disagreements and unite behind one banner in their approach towards the Roman authorities led to that great tragedy of their time.
Baseless hatred is certainly still with us. It emerges when someone believes that he or she is absolutely correct and that there is absolutely no other view on a particular that could bear some truth, and no compromise is possible. We see such hatred in the breakdown of relations between people in neighboring countries, between adherents of different religions or various branches of one faith group, and between members of different political parties in the same country that assert that only the policies for which they advocate are right.
The observance of Tish'ah B'av offers us a reminder of how interpersonal and ideological conflict can lead to catastrophe, but how, even in the face of such challenges, we can learn lessons from the past and try to strengthen the common bonds that transcend our differences. May we hold on to the hope that we can find such unity even in our diversity.
L'shalom,
Rabbi Larry
Step by Step
July 17, 2009
Shabbat Shalom from Crane Lake Camp!
One of the aspects of my annual service on the faculty of the Union for Reform Judaism's Crane Lake Camp in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts is that every day is an adventure unto itself! There are triumphs and challenges that I can see for myself in my own teaching and interactions with the campers, and I see the campers going through their own version of that experience as they live in this community with peers, counselors and other staff who are here to help them get the most out of being here. We may look at our “normal routines” at home, at school or at work in the same way - we might not divide our time by individual days, but we might come to see each week as a journey, where the weekend and Shabbat offer a well-deserved destination for rest.
The Torah reading for this week, Matot-Mas'ei, features Moses' recounting of the Israelites' journeys from Egypt to the boundary of Canaan, the land that they were poised to enter. Moses could have recalled the wanderings of the people by saying, “We set out from location A, went to location B, then C, and then D.” Or he could have only said, “Our journey began in Rameses in Egypt and ended in the steppes of Moab, at the Jordan near Jericho.” Yet, instead of listing just the separate destinations or only the final one, Moses repeated the starting points and the places where the Israelites set up camp. He said, “The Israelites set out from point A and encamped at point B. They set out from point B and encamped at point C.” Every starting point and every place of encampment had equal importance. No spot - or event - along the journey was insignificant. All of those places - and experiences - combined to form the totality of the Israelite journey from Egypt to Canaan.
All of our experiences, day-by-day or week-by-week, combine to form the story of our life's journey. Every moment has the potential to add something special and significant to our own personal itinerary and narrative, helping us to discover who we are and who we can be. May the lessons we learn from the moments of our lives guide us on a path that will bring us hope, promise, and blessing.
L'shalom,
Rabbi Larry
Shabbat Shalom from Crane Lake Camp!
One of the aspects of my annual service on the faculty of the Union for Reform Judaism's Crane Lake Camp in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts is that every day is an adventure unto itself! There are triumphs and challenges that I can see for myself in my own teaching and interactions with the campers, and I see the campers going through their own version of that experience as they live in this community with peers, counselors and other staff who are here to help them get the most out of being here. We may look at our “normal routines” at home, at school or at work in the same way - we might not divide our time by individual days, but we might come to see each week as a journey, where the weekend and Shabbat offer a well-deserved destination for rest.
The Torah reading for this week, Matot-Mas'ei, features Moses' recounting of the Israelites' journeys from Egypt to the boundary of Canaan, the land that they were poised to enter. Moses could have recalled the wanderings of the people by saying, “We set out from location A, went to location B, then C, and then D.” Or he could have only said, “Our journey began in Rameses in Egypt and ended in the steppes of Moab, at the Jordan near Jericho.” Yet, instead of listing just the separate destinations or only the final one, Moses repeated the starting points and the places where the Israelites set up camp. He said, “The Israelites set out from point A and encamped at point B. They set out from point B and encamped at point C.” Every starting point and every place of encampment had equal importance. No spot - or event - along the journey was insignificant. All of those places - and experiences - combined to form the totality of the Israelite journey from Egypt to Canaan.
All of our experiences, day-by-day or week-by-week, combine to form the story of our life's journey. Every moment has the potential to add something special and significant to our own personal itinerary and narrative, helping us to discover who we are and who we can be. May the lessons we learn from the moments of our lives guide us on a path that will bring us hope, promise, and blessing.
L'shalom,
Rabbi Larry
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