Friday, November 28, 2014

Thanksgiving

Rabbi Philip Weintraub

Parashat Vayetzei / פרשת ויצא

Congregation Agudas Israel
11/29/14

Parshat Vayetzei tells us much about the life of Jacob.  It opens with him leaving his home and heading to Lavan.  It includes Rachel and Leah, their challenges of love and fertility.  Broken promises from Lavan to Jacob are common and two decades pass by in just a couple chapters. Yet, his struggles and his blessings remind us of how much we take for granted and how much success and gratitude we must acknowledge.

By: Reb Mimi Feigelson, Masphiah Ruchanit and Lecturer of Rabbinic Studies at JTS’ sister school, the Ziegler School of Rabbinical Studies in LA wrote this week:
In a year when this Torah portion of Vayetze, is connected in such proximity to Thanksgiving day, here in the United States, I feel that we must also pause and return to the many moments and places and opportunities of gratitude that we may have passed by this year, as our Patriarch Ya'akov did, in his haste to get to Charan, as we may have done in our haste to achieve the goals we set out for ourselves.
It is in moments like these that I hear my dear and precious soul-brother, Rabbi David Zeller, of-blessed-memory, sing "I don't have time to hurry, I don't have time to pass things by..." quoting his first wife, Elana, while she battled cancer many years ago. What wisdom to know to pause in a time that you may feel that your time is running out! It is so counter intuitive to slow down when you feel you are being drawn into the "quicksand of time" passing through your fingers.
It is for this reason that I pray that we find the many ways to share moments of gratitude and appreciation in a week leading us to Thanksgiving and the shabbat of Ya'akov's journeying. I pray that we realize on the brink of "arriving," all those people and situations that carry blessings for us while we are on the road of our life; the locations of God's revelation, that beg of us to return to them in prayer and gratitude.

Before returning to our text, I wonder what you are thankful for this year?

After weeks of sinus trouble, I pray that our vacation next week will finally clear my head.  I am thankful that for me, these challenges are my biggest ones.  I am so grateful to all of you, to this community, to my wife and to my darling daughter for all this blessings we have here.

Attending the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, I was challenged by the sermon from Rev. Steve Ruelke of Ecclesia Ministries in Newburgh.  While he did not include a nechemta, a positive ending, he challenged us to look at the systemic evil in our world.  He preached of the challenges of poverty and a social service system that takes away all benefits when someone gets a job, keeping people in poverty, rather than helping them to work their way out.  He spoke of the challenges of homelessness and the prison cycle, where many ex-inmates return, since they have no opportunities to earn a living outside of prison.  Looking around our fair city, we see many people trapped in a broken system, yet even in our darkest days, when we wonder how we will pay some of our expenses, we are far richer than many of our neighbors.

When we hear words like those, it is easy to get discouraged.  We see that poverty and needs seem eternal.  Looking at our own Torah, knowing this year is a Sabbatical/Shmita year, we are reminded that poverty is not a new problem, yet we are commanded to fight against it, even if the battle is not winnable.  When we pay wages, we cannot hold them, but must pay them immediately.  When we take clothing as collateral, we must return it every night.  When we harvest our fields (or collect our salaries), we must remember to leave some for those in need.

How is it that we balance the desire to change the system with our inability to completely eradicate poverty?  The simple answer is that we must meet the needs we can and work towards a day when those needs will be fulfilled for all.
Ashrei teaches us that Gd provides for all.  In the Reconstructionist prayerbook, there is a note that teaches that on this planet, we HAVE enough for every person to have enough to eat, shelter to cover themselves, and clothing to keep them warm.  Gd has done Gd’s part--now ours is to work on the distribution.

As we just celebrated Thanksgiving, I think that recognizing our blessings, recognizing that we are fortunate, forces us to remember those who are less so.  In the weeks to come, as we celebrate Hanukkah, as the weather gets even chillier, let us work to help those in need get what they need AND change the system so that it works better for all!

Many people celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday then went shopping on Black Friday (or Gd-forbid) started shopping Thursday, AmEx promotes today as Small Business Saturday, and Monday has become CyberMonday.  Many non-profits and charities are encouraging GivingTuesday.  Locally the Jewish Family Service http://www.jfsorange.org/ is collecting gift cards for grocery stores on that day.  I made a donation already, if you would like to give more, make a donation to my discretionary fund with a note or send them a donation directly.  You can always support our holy work here by donating to the shul!

Shabbat Shalom.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Patience and learning from our neighbors

At my ordination, the Biblical quote I used was from Psalms,

כד
  זֶה-הַיּוֹם, עָשָׂה יְ-ה-וָ-ה;    נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בוֹ.

24
 This is the day which the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Many days it isn't so difficult to follow, but other days it is a heck of a lot more challenging.

Reading my neighbor across the bridge, Rabbi Brent Spodek's post, really got me thinking.
https://beaconhebrewalliance.org/content/day

Of course, at the moment, thinking itself is challenging.  For what seems like the 10th time this year, I find myself with a miserable head cold.  My ears hurt, my head hurts, my throat hurts and Shabbat is coming.  I am visiting my ENT's office for more visits than MVP probably would like.  Feeling sick makes me tired, and less likely to see the good in myself or others.

Rabbi Brent writes
"That is why we call it spiritual practice, not spiritual accomplishment. At every moment, we have the choice to celebrate what is or mourn what isn't. Discernment about what are the lacks, the inadequacies to mourn and change and what are the ones to accept and celebrate is the very goal of spiritual practice. "

This makes me think of one of my other favorite texts, from Pirkei Avot--Ben Zoma asks (and answers) Who is rich? One who is content with what he has.  (Pirkei Avot 4:1)

Even if this week isn't quite going as planned, a little rest never hurt anyone.  Tomorrow (Friday) is a great day.  Attempting an #asktherabbi at Barnes and Nobles in Newburgh--by the Starbucks 9:30-10:30.  From there I will go check out a gelato plant (with a mask) to see what would it take to make it kosher enough for our shul!  A little prep for Shabbat and then it will be time to come together in joy and prayer.  What more can we ask from life?

Additionally this week, I went to the Federation's General Assembly.  I was incredibly impressed at the breadth and depth of their holy work throughout the USA and beyond.  We have much to learn from our friends and neighbors, near and far.  As Rabbi Freedman and I discussed in the car ride home--when we weren't creating peace in the middle east--was that the enthusiasm we saw in DC was infectious.  Let's create an epidemic of enthusiasm, let's spread the good will, let's share the energy!  Shabbat is coming!  Today is the day Gd has made--ENJOY it!  And if you're a little under the weather, you are being forced to rest, appreciate that, too!