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.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Finding a Way In - Posting for Reverbnation site
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.
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.
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
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