Rosh Hashanah day 2 5775, a concise philosophy of Conservative Judaism

Rabbi Philip Weintraub

Congregation Agudas Israel

September 26, 2014

Rosh Hashanah Day 2

Lo alecha ham'lacha ligmor,

Lo alecha ligmor.

V'lo ata ben chorim l'hibatil mimena,

V'lo ata ben chorin

In Pirkei Avot, a collection of Jewish wisdom in the Mishnah, Rabbi Tarfon teaches “ He used to say: It is not incumbent upon you to finish the task. Yet, you are not free to desist from it. If you have studied much in the Torah much reward will be given you, for faithful is your employer who shall pay you the reward of your labor. And know that the reward for the righteous shall be in the time to come.”

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. . .in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”   With those words, Dickens began a novel that I have never read.  His Tale of Two Cities, writes of the trauma of the French Revolution, a chaotic, violence-filled time.  Written in 1859, war had only recently been concluded in Crimea.  Darwin’s Origin of the Species was about to be published.  Turkish troops bombarded Aleppo after a pogrom against Christians. In the United States, we were on the eve of the Civil War, with slave states and free states competing in Congress.  Just three years before, a Senator from South Carolina beat a Senator from Massachusetts on the Senate floor. The world was in turmoil.  

One hundred and forty years later, Billy Joel sang:

Rosenbergs, H-Bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom

Brando, The King And I, and The Catcher In The Rye

Eisenhower, Vaccine, England's got a new queen

Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

We didn't start the fire

It was always burning

Since the world's been turning

We didn't start the fire

No we didn't light it

But we tried to fight it

In recent years, we have seen violence around the world.  From September 11 to the present, we have seen violence on a terrible scale.  Terrorists of all stripes have gathered together under flags of religion and attacked those who did not worship or believe as they did.  The rights of women have been under attack worldwide and even in our own country, women’s access to healthcare has been under siege.  For the first time since the Shoah, we saw widespread anti-Semitism--not just anti-Israel behavior but true anti-Semitism.  We saw Jews attacked in Paris, throughout Europe and even in Boston, LA and the Upper East Side.  While we feel safe here, we have more security for these services than in other years.  

At the same time, we have seen survey after survey lamenting the lack of Jewish participation in communities, further assimilation, and many questions about the future of the Conservative Movement.  Yet amidst all of this tsurris, I have been watching these walls go up.  I have seen the Jewish community unite in ways that could not have been imagined even a few years ago.  Within our own shul, we have seen huge increases in participation, connection and community.  Our numbers may be limited, but our impact is tremendous.

This morning, I want to share a little bit of my own vision, my own beliefs and my own dreams for what is possible here and in the Jewish world.  In these words, I hope to inspire you.  I hope to dream with you.  I hope to help you hope.

At the core of my being, I believe in Gd, Torah and Israel.  While those beliefs can not easily be summarized without us remaining here for a semester, I believe that Jews have a Brit, a covenant with the Divine.  As such, we have special rights and special responsibilities.  When we live our lives in accordance with this covenant, we find ourselves happier, healthier, and more whole.  In my understanding, this brit is part of the purpose of the entire world.  By fulfilling the mitzvot, by observing the commandments, we are truly helping to improve the world on a cosmic level.  Now, whether or not you believe in the Gd-shaped hole I spoke about last year, or see your life as having such cosmic significance, most people find greater satisfaction in their lives when they see themselves as part of mission.  The unification of Gd, Torah and Israel bring us to a realization of the covenant and to our greater purposes as Jews.  I understand that not all of us understand Gd, Torah and Israel in exactly the same way.  That is OK.  Learning and living together, we bring a deeper wisdom and a deeper connection to Gd.

I believe that Gd limits Gd’s own power, giving us free will.  This means we have the responsibility to make good choices--just like a responsible parents teaches their child about right and wrong, and then gives them the freedom to make good choices (at developmentally appropriate ages).  Yet, sometimes everything works out perfectly, whether we call it karma or Divine Providence, in my kishkes, I know there is more to it!

Torah was a gift through revelation at Sinai, yet as Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, Torah was our first Midrash.  The Holy Scroll we read from was touched by human hands, by scribes and scholars who tried to turn what they heard into a document we read today. Through our oral tradition, through our commentaries, through our conversations, the text and the law changes to reflect our own situation, the revelation continues to THIS VERY DAY.  Gd might have known that one day teenagers would have iPhones, but the Talmud did not.  We have to figure out what use of them is kosher!  As Jews, we must continue to adapt to the world, but help the world adapt to us--bringing our Jewish values to every aspect of our lives, to everything we do.

Israel is a gift.  It is a land, a people, a nation, a modern country.  It was given to Abraham by Gd and through the miracle of the United Nations, Jewish dreamers, and the Israel Defense Forces, it came from practically nothing into a great nation.  Today it is a vibrant country.  While not without its challenges and its numerous detractors, Israel is our home, our refuge.  If life changes here or for our brethren around the world, we are safer when we have a place where we can escape, as needed.  The very existence of this state is a miracle.

With every fiber of my being, I believe that the Brit, the covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, is expressed authentically and powerfully through Conservative Judaism.  In our movement, we see that when we open our doors to all Jews (and those with Jewish souls who have not yet discovered their Judaism), we can understand Gd, Torah and Israel more fully and fruitfully.  By acknowledging that women are human beings with Jewish obligations, counting them in a minyan, accepting their right to stand on and teach from the bimah, we see our tradition more powerfully.  Different people have different strengths, keeping an entire group of people out of leadership roles deprives the Jewish people and community of essential leadership.  Sexuality is an important expression of our family values, yet our understanding of family is changing.  Some families have a father and a mother, others have two moms, or two dads.  That is not a threat to our faith or our society, but an opportunity to bring holiness into the world.  

Jewish law, halacha, is neither static nor unchanging.  It reflects the context and the culture of the time--as well as the Divine Will.  In a Jewish book store, I once saw a yiddish book about Passover.  In it, Jews wearing streimels (fur hats) and black coats crossed the sea--with no women in sight.  Within 100% certainty, I can tell you that the Israelites did not wear fur hats.  They wore what their Egyptian neighbors wore.  This is an important reminder that modesty, appropriate clothing for shul and work, all change depending on the context, yet is an important Jewish value.  I am not about to wear a bathing suit to shul, but if I was in a swim meet, it would not be appropriate for me to wear a kittel either!  

When I eat, I make choices about the food that enters my body.  As part of that sacred covenant, I keep kosher.  In my own home, every processed food item has a hechsher, a mark showing that it is kosher.  Yet, I also believe in the Jewish values of k’vod habriut, of respect for others.  I know of the importance of hachnasat orchim, of welcoming guests.  If you do not YET have a kosher home, I will still come visit, if invited.  I will even have a cup of coffee, something to drink or something kosher in your house.  My relationship with YOU is just as important as my relationship with Gd.  I see within each one of you the Divine spark, the reminder that you were created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of GD.

Conservative Judaism has a tremendous future ahead of it.  As the vital center of American (and worldwide) Judaism, it teaches that we can and must be a part of the world around us.  We were not meant to hide behind ghetto walls, but must be demonstrating to the world the values that we live by.  We must teach those around us that to be good Jew is to be a good person, that responsible business ethics, medical ethics, mentschligkeit, are the core of Jewish values.  While neither Orthodoxy or Reform are monolithic, while each has strengths and weaknesses, I believe that Conservative Judaism is STILL the future of American Judaism.  We can be authentic, knowledgeable in our own traditions, while living fully as Americans.  We can recognize the wisdom in our greater society, while rejecting the materialism and violence that seems to be a part of that society.  In this country, we are blessed with a Constitution.  While some of its rights are regularly debated, we live here in safety, security and with great opportunity.  In America, we can live freely as Jews, can promote our viewpoints without threat and thrive.  As Conservative Jews, it may be time for us to be more vocal about our views.  We are the founders and supporters of virtually every Jewish communal organization in the country.  Around the country, Conservative Jews are the biggest donors to both Federation and Chabads--that is a good thing--unless you are donating to Chabad because you think they are more Jewish than we are--THEN it is a BIG problem.  As the bridge between Reform and Orthodox, Conservative Jews are uniters.  While we can suffer from middle child syndrome, we must speak up, teach our children and demonstrate that we are living examples of our tradition.  We are essential parts of the Jewish chain of tradition.  We need to shout that from the rooftops.  To a certain level, we need to evangelize within and without.  We need to teach others that they can find more holiness in their lives by observing Jewish tradition and if they are not yet Jewish, we need to welcome them in and help them find their Jewish neshamas.

My message this morning is that we should not despair, but hope.  My classmate, Rabbi Joshua Rabin, wrote similarly in this quarter’s Kolot: Voices of Conservative Judaism.  Read it and be inspired!

Recently, I spoke with a member of the community.  In no uncertain terms, he told me that he was glad he was older, that he had lived a wonderful life and was not sure that was going to be possible for the next generation.  This person had lived through World War Two, the Shoah, the Korean War, Vietnam, race riots in this country, the Civil Rights Movement and so much more.  My response was that I could not imagine being born in any other time, that I am happy now and see that there is so much hope for the future.  Don’t listen to those screaming the end is near.  The future is bright, IF we work to make it so.

Wednesday night, I began with a story of hope.  Yesterday and on Yom Kippur, I am continuing this message.  Yes, there is systematic change needed for our country to thrive.  We need to make sure that poor people get a real chance at the American Dream, that education is affordable, that public schools are excellent, that an education brings opportunities for good jobs here and not just in China or India.  We have to make sure that a Jewish life is affordable, that kosher food does not break the bank.  We have to make sure that our institutions do not just survive but thrive, that they teach moral character, Jewish values, and inspire their members to live better, more whole, more fruitful lives.  Even with President Obama, race remains a complicated and fraught issue in this country.  There is much work to be done.

In a complex world, it is easy to despair.  We can say that hope is lost, that nothing can change, that WE cannot change.  Yet time and again, we discover that with a little bit of elbow grease, much can be accomplished.  Martin Luther King, Junior spoke powerfully, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

As Jews, we have a responsibility to be an Ohr LaGoyim, a light unto the nations.  To be that light, we need hope.  We need the confidence that we are working on a great task, working on a great partnership, working with Gd.  Looking around this room, I know that we are going in the right direction.  We are working on a Holy Mission.  As, Andy Grammar has been singing,

I know it's hard, know its hard,

To remember sometimes,

But you gotta keep your head up, oh,

And you can let your hair down, eh.

CAI is a place where you can let your hair down, and together we can lift our heads and hearts up.  At the end of the day, there is no place I would rather be than right here, with you, right now.  Today is the day the Lrd has made, rejoice in it!

L'Shanah Tovah Tikatevu, May you be written for a good year.

ps All song lyrics are the property of their copyright holders.

Rosh Hashanah day 1--This is the day the Lord has made--a sermon of hope

Rabbi Weintraub

Congregation Agudas Israel

Rosh Hashanah Day 1

September 25, 2014

Boker Tov, good morning!

When I was ordained from the Jewish Theological Seminary, given semicha and declared a “Rabbi, Preacher and Teacher” of Israel, I was asked to put in the program a verse that was my inspiration.  From Hallel, from the 118th Psalm, Rebecca helped me choose verse 24.

כד  זֶה-הַיּוֹם, עָשָׂה Adonai,    נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בוֹ.

24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch comments on this verse and notes the parallel of the vocal, outward joy, and the quiet, inner joy.  He says this verse looks forward to Gd bringing “about this day when Israel, redeemed, returns to its Divine sanctuary crowned by universal recognition.”  

To me, this verse is about possibilities.  It is a reminder that EVERY single day is a gift. Talking to people at all stages of life, we hear this thought expressed again and again.  When we have little children, we are told “don’t blink”, it goes by in a moment.  As we get older, we are told “be grateful for every moment”, since we do not know what will happen to us next.  While the specific phrases differ, we are told over and over to celebrate our lives, to be happy with our gifts.  We are told to spend time with our families, that “No one ever says on their deathbed, I wish I spent more time at work.”

This verse is a philosophy of life.  It is a declaration of hope.  It is a command that we stop and reflect, not just on Rosh Hashanah, but on every day.  This one verse from Psalms can bring us such joy, such hope, if we only consider it.  We do not have to wait until we found our soulmate to enjoy life.  We do not have to wait until our children are born to enjoy life.  We do not need to wait until our children are grown to enjoy life.  We do not need to wait until retirement to enjoy life.  We can celebrate our lives RIGHT now, today.  Through the mitzvot, through the commandments, through our love of Gd, Torah and the people Israel, we can find holiness, love, hope, today.

Not long after I met my wife, I remember hearing her rabbi, Mark Greenspan, of the Oceanside Jewish Center, share a powerful story in a sermon.  

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.  Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna.  The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos.  I have a full and busy life.” The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”

“But what then?” Asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part.  When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire.  Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

Our rabbis teach the same lesson in Pirkei Avot, Chapter 4.

ד,א  בן זומא אומר. . . איזה הוא עשיר--השמח בחלקו, שנאמר "יגיע כפיך, כי תאכל; אשריך, וטוב לך" (תהילים קכח,ב)

Who is rich? One who is satisfied with his lot. As is written (Psalms 128:2): "If you eat of the toil of your hands, fortunate are you, and good is to you"; "fortunate are you" in this world, "and good is to you" in the World to Come.

Today we stand and sit and stand and sit in a new building, a new room, a new home--a new addition to our home.  It is a time of great joy.  We have much to celebrate TODAY.  Yet, I also ask you today for your patience.  Our chairs sit on a new gym floor, yet getting into this room was a little complicated.  In a powerful testament to the cyclical nature of life, there is something beautiful and poetic about being in a brand new room, in our longtime home, sitting on a mixture of owned and rental chairs on Rosh Hashanah.  This room returns us to a memory of Rosh Hashanah almost forty-five years ago.  At that time we ALSO were in a brand new sanctuary, Rosh Hashanah was celebrated on folding chairs, sitting on a concrete floor, without a bimah.  This year we got the floor and the bimah--next year we will be back in that brand new sanctuary.  Then we dreamed of a future, with two congregations coming together, building for the next years.  Today, we dream of a future, with two congregations and the JCC, working cooperatively together.  We share space and dreams, yet recognize that our congregations have different visions, different ideals, different philosophies.  By creating Kol Yisrael, by working together, we ARE building a vibrant future for Newburgh, while holding fast to our principles.  Working together when we can, we recognize the holiness in every Jew, building a unified community.  At the same time, by keeping our identities, by recognizing the uniqueness of our own traditions, we are able to celebrate the gift of today.

Towards the end of the classic movie the Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland clicks her ruby slippers together and says, “There is no place like home.”  A moment later she finds herself home, back in black and white, waking up to find her family around her.  While not all of us have had quite the same experience of a traumatic experience followed by a triumphant return to family and friends, we all have come home from a business trip or even a vacation, sat down on the couch and thanked Gd for arriving safely home.

There is no place like home.  For many of us, this community, this shul is a home.  Some of you were raised here.  Some of you have found yourselves here because of jobs, spouses, or other opportunities.  

At this moment we are feeling a little sense of anxiety.  We are in our home, yet not in our home.  We are in our building, but we share it.  We find ourselves dreaming for the future, yet living in the present.

כד  זֶה-הַיּוֹם, עָשָׂה Adonai,    נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בוֹ.

24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

says that we cannot wait until the building is complete to rejoice.  We cannot wait until every dollar is raised, every space furnished.  We must celebrate now.  We must thank those who have made donations of all sizes to build a home for the entire Newburgh Jewish community.

We all recognize that through our cooperative efforts, working with our partners in Kol Yisrael, we can inspire many more people to celebrate their Jewish lives.  We can help them recognize the joy that is found in every “today”.  By working together, yet recognizing our own independence, we find great holiness, today.

While we have had upheaval through this construction, it is nothing compared to the upheaval that are our Israeli brethren have dealt with this summer.  Hamas terrorists sent rockets and missiles into people’s living rooms, killing innocent children and adults.  After thousands upon thousands of rockets rained down, Israel responded judiciously.  While the American or European response would have been exclusively airstrikes, resulting in enormous civilian casualties, Israel chose a targeted response.  They sent soldiers to clear homes of terrorists one by one.  They destroyed more than thirty terror tunnels, which were built for the express purpose of guerilla attacks, attempts to kidnap and torture Israeli civilians and soldiers.  When there were inevitably civilian casualties, as there are in all wars, the numbers were nowhere near as bleak as portrayed in the media.  For weeks, the Associated Press, the New York Times, and other foreign media accepted as fact the death tolls from Hamas spokespeople.  This was the equivalent of asking Goebbels the German/Nazi death toll during World War Two.  In attempt for sympathy, all casualties were declared civilian.  It was not until near the end of the conflict when the Israeli papers and New York Times shared an analysis of those killed in the war, showing that the majority of Gazans killed by Israel were soldiers!

The conflict began when Hamas kidnapped and killed three young Jewish boys.  Yet, even amidst their own personal tragedies, those parents spoke positively of the prospect of permanent and lasting peace.  They did not support those who wanted only revenge.  They said that they would have continued joy after their own heartbreak.  Only yesterday, the original kidnappers died while resisting arrest, putting a sad but just coda on a difficult summer.

How do we rejoice amidst this sorrow?  How do we find the good amidst this violent news?  Throughout the world, we saw anti-Semitism rear its ugly head.  Yet amidst that, we found Jewish unity in ways we have not seen in years.  From right wing to left, Reform to (some) ultra-Orthodox, Israel found new sources of support among Jews.  Around the world, we saw how very important the State of Israel is to our OWN health and wellbeing.  After horrific anti-Semitic protests, in recent weeks, we saw huge protests against anti-Semitism.  The German Prime Minister repeatedly condemned anti-Semitism.  While European governments condemned Israel during the Gaza campaign, other than Hamas supporters Qatar and Turkey, the rest of the Muslim world was silent, offering no vocal support to Hamas or against Israel.  I do not expect a complete paradigm shift, but in the Middle East, as Elijah teaches us, the still, small voice, the sound of silence is very, very powerful.

I am grateful for Israel.  I know that if there was ever a danger for Jews to live here, there is a place I can go.  If Gd-forbid, pogroms began in NY, we have a safe place, a home to which we can return.  Looking at our history, that was not always the case.  We can look around this room and see people who are the descendants of survivors, people who left everything, who lost everything, yet were resilient enough to make new lives here.  In Israel, the same is true.  In the War of Independence, there were survivors who came from the camps, went through the British camps, and then fought and died for the State of Israel.

Just a couple weeks ago, I went to Washington DC.  Joining more than 250 rabbis in person and another 100 over webcasts, I studied with AIPAC.  I heard from powerful speakers who care deeply about the rights of Jews and Israelis.  They reminded me that no one complains about the right of English-people to have England.  No one complains about Saudi Arabia’s right to be an exclusively Muslim country--yet around the world, people have trouble with the idea.  I heard from Einat Wilf, a former Labor party Knesset member.  She spoke of the challenges of dialogue in the Middle East--of supposedly moderate Palestinians who still wish for the death and destruction of Jews.  She offered a compelling argument why a declaration that Israel is a Jewish State is a helpful test to see if other nations truly believe in peace.  Yet amidst a challenging day, I heard stories of hope, of optimism, of peace, if not today, in the future.  I heard from the “Green Prince”, the “Son of Hamas”, Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a Hamas founder and leader Sheikh Hassan Yousef.  From 1997 to 2007, he worked undercover for the Shin Bet, one of Israel's security services.  He helped to foil hundreds of terror attacks, protecting the lives of thousands of people.  He did this because he thought murder was wrong, that killing and torturing indiscriminately was not a way to bring independence to his people.  At the end of the day, I walked away with a little more hope.  Even in Israel, there is much to celebrate today.  Whether the success of the American-supported Iron Dome anti-missile system or the resilience of Israelis, we saw the possibility of hope.  We saw that the technological and medical advances in Israel are absolutely phenomenal--something we can celebrate today.

Looking around this room, there is much to be done.  We have work to do in our own community and around the world.  We have funds to raise to furnish and beautify our home.  We have funds to raise to protect Israel.  We have letters to write, emails to send, to our Congressmen and women.  Our president, our Senate, even our own NY State Assembly need continual reminders that Israel is THE only true democracy and ally of the United States in the Middle East.  While Hamas and its neighbors see torture as acceptable, show no respect for the rights of women, gays and lesbians, and care not to support education; Israel does.  In all of those domains, Israel needs work, too, yet it is making great strides.  For that, the Masorti/Conservative Movement in Israel needs your help!  Israel is a work in progress, it needs our help to be welcoming to ALL Jews, to ensure that we have a voice, that we can pray together at the Kotel!

At the end of the day, the biggest way to support Israel is to visit.  I will be going in January to a conference on pastoral care, continuing to improve myself as a rabbi, while restoring my soul simply by walking around Jerusalem.  Several of you travelled with me to Israel last summer.  I think it is time for us to plan our next trip.  Call me, email me, let me know.  Rejoice in the day that Gd has made.  Do not wait until the perfect time, but rather start planning now!

In our own community, building Kol Yisrael is essential to our future as Conservative Jews in Newburgh.  Tomorrow, I will further discuss my philosophy of Conservative Judaism.  I will teach about how I am inspired through our traditions, how I find holiness in every single day, how I celebrate every single day, using the tools, the mitzvot, the opportunities in our holy Jewish religion.  Rosh Hashanah is called in the Talmud a yoma arichta, a long day.  It is not called that because of how long the services are or how long the rabbi speaks.  Rather it is because although every other day of the year is twenty-four hours, Rosh Hashanah is forty-eight.  That extra twenty-four hours is an opportunity for continued self-reflection, for awareness of ourselves, our GD and our relationships.  As such, I invite you to join us again tomorrow, when I will share my own beliefs, inspiring you to consider what you stand for, what your believe in and how you might find more meaning, inspiration and hope in life!

In the moments to come, we will begin the very special Rosh Hashanah Musaf service.  Thinking about the values of teshuvah, tefillah and tzedakah, commonly translated as repentance, prayer and charity, we will see that they are so much more than that.  In the words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, we will discover that “By returning to one's innermost self (teshuvah), by attaching oneself to G-d (tefillah) and by distributing one's possessions with righteousness (tzedakah), one turns the promise of Rosh Hashanah into the abundant fulfillment of Yom Kippur: A year of sweetness and plenty.”

כד  זֶה-הַיּוֹם, עָשָׂה Adonai,    נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בוֹ.

24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

L'Shanah Tovah Tikatevu, May you be written for a good year.

Erev Rosh Hashanah Story

Rabbi Philip Weintraub

Congregation Agudas Israel

September 24, 2014

In my years at Congregation Agudas Israel, I have thought the best way to help us enter into Rosh Hashanah was to tell a story.  My theme for this year is to speak about Hope, Hope in our own lives, Hope for Israel, Hope for a Jewish future.  As you listen to this story, I invite you relate it to your own lives and look for hope within yourself.

The Man on the Junk Heap

By Tuvia Bolton

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/67379/jewish/The-Man-on-the-Junk-Heap.htm

Once upon a time there was a fabulously rich man named Mr. Farbes. But he was miserable.

He tried everything he could to soothe his misery; he went to doctors but they said he was completely healthy. He took up music, sports, hobbies, dancing, went traveling and even tried meditation but nothing seemed to help; he was bored and depressed.

With no other choice he went to a wise man for advice.

"Your problem," the wise man said "is that you never give charity. You live totally for yourself -- that's why you are miserable. If you want to be happy, begin to help others."

Here was an idea he hadn't thought of! He would give charity and finally he would be free of melancholy. He left the wise man with a new hope.

But he discovered that it wasn't so simple. Giving away money was an entirely new world to him and he didn't know where to begin.

Most of the people that looked poor gave him the feeling that they really weren't. On the other hand, he was certain that there must be many people that really needed money but didn't look it.

He couldn't just give to everyone; if he gave to undeserving people he would not have given charity at all. But on the other hand he had to give or he would go crazy. There must be some way to find out who is really needy.

Suddenly he hit on an idea: He would give only to people that had lost all hope. That, he concluded, was true poverty.

So he put on his coat and began going around to places where unfortunates were to be found: hospitals, orphanages, jails, barrooms, slums. But he had no success at all.

Everyone he spoke to had some hope in life. He met people with problems, diseases, debts, enemies; he met homeless, penniless, jobless, helpless people, but no hopeless people.

He was getting desperate.

Then, one day as he was walking down some side street he heard moaning coming from the direction of the junk yard. Excitedly he walked in that direction.

There, sitting on a junk heap was a man in ragged clothes, covered with boils and moaning like Job.

"What happened to you?" Farbes asked eagerly.

"Ayyyi, don't ask" the man replied rocking back and forth and holding his head in his hands. "I lost everything, everything! Ooy! My money, my job, my house, friends, family, everything! And now I got these boils! Ayyyi!"

"Tell me," asked the rich man excitedly, "do you still have hope?"

"Hope?" he replied. "What do you mean hope?"

"You know", said the rich man, "hope that things will get better."

"Of course I have hope!" the poor man looked at him wide eyed and replied. "As long as I'm on the ground and the ground isn't on me, I have hope. In the graveyard there's no hope! You're looking for the hopeless? Go to the graveyard."

Now Farbes was really desperate. Would he be doomed to a life of misery? Was there no way he could give money?

Suddenly it occurred to him... He would take the man's advice! He would go to the graveyard and put his money there.

He knew it was a long shot, and it wasn't exactly giving charity either. But at least it was giving! And certainly the money wouldn't fall into the wrong hands.

So that very night at midnight he took a sack of money and a shovel, stealthily snuck into the local cemetery, picked a grave at random, dug a hole, threw the money in, covered it up, and left as secretively as he entered.

As soon as he got home he felt better. It was as though a stone had been lifted from his heart. It didn't make any sense, but what did he care? Finally he was happy. It worked!

A year or two passed and Farbes almost forgot the graveyard incident. But then, as fate would have it, his wheel of fortune took a spin for the worse. Business just wasn't the same as it used to be. He made some bad decisions; small losses brought bigger ones. He was plagued with setback after setback until five years later he was actually approaching bankruptcy and desperately needed some available cash.

Suddenly he remembered the buried money.

It was his last hope. That night he once again furtively crept into the same graveyard carrying the same shovel and sack, found the grave where he had buried the money, and began digging as quietly and quickly as possible in the eerie dim moonlight. A cold wind shook his bones as it whistled through the trees -- he would really be glad to get out of here. Here, in another minute he would be...

"Hands up!" boomed a voice behind him. "Put 'em up and keep 'em up! Police!"

Farbes' knees began shaking and he almost fell over from fright. "Now turn around slowly," the voice boomed again.

He turned to see a huge gun pointed at him with a policeman behind it. "Robbing the dead, ehhh? How low can you get! Pheh!" said the policeman as he handcuffed poor Farbes.

He tried to explain but he was trembling so uncontrollably all he could say was "No... B-b-but.. I just..." In minutes he was on his way to jail.

A week later he was standing before the judge, a broken man. What once was a wealthy businessman was now a penniless, dingy criminal fresh from a fetid prison cell. The only comfort he had were the words of that man on the junk heap years ago: "As long as I'm on the ground and the ground isn't on me I have hope..."

The officer was testifying.

"Your honor, I caught him red handed. He was digging with a shovel, digging in the graveyard trying to steal from the dead. He even brought that bag into which to put the gold teeth and things."

"What do you have to say for yourself Mr. Farbes?" The Judge turned to him.

"Your honor, it's not so. You see, years ago I buried some money there because I was looking for someone who had no hope. That is, I had to give charity because a Rabbi told me to and I was looking for someone.." Farbes looked at the Judge to see what he was saying was making sense.

"Yes, continue," said the Judge.

"No! No!" Farbes continued. "Well, I met this man who was covered with boils in a junk yard, and he told me to go to the graveyard. So I went there and buried the money and now I need it back again."

"Do you believe that?!" exclaimed the policeman in amazement. "Excuse me your honor, but that is the most crazy, confused lie I've ever heard!"

"Yes, I believe him," said the Judge emphatically. "This man is telling the truth. Release him, he's innocent."

"What, your honor?" said the policeman not believing his ears.

"I said release him. Release him immediately, please."

Back on the street, a bewildered Mr. Farbes struggled to get his bearings. Amidst his joy at his unexpected freedom, something was nagging him at the very rear of his brain. That judge, where had he seen him before? He knew that face from somewhere…_______________________________________________________________

Every single one of us has had blessing in our lives.  Every single one of us has had tsurris, has had challenges.  While we cannot control all of the circumstances of these situations, we CAN choose how to react.  We can choose to react with hope, to offer a plan for the future, or we can chose to react with despair.  I think you know which choice I would recommend.  There is always the possibility of hope.  For you, for me, for all of us.  As we enter into this year, let us bring with us the hope, the dream, the plan for a better year, a year of life, a year of health, a year of joy, a year of community.  AMEN.

Letter to the Public Editor of the NYTimes

When I was a teenager, I convinced my parents to get a daily subscription to the New York Times.  For the last fifteen years, I have been a daily reader and subscriber.  (I also do not know many other thirty-somethings who read a physical daily newspaper.)  As the paper of record, the New York Times has an obligation to fair-minded, honest and carefully accurate, yet timely coverage of local and world events.  Locally, I was impressed at you expose of the Pine Bush School System, which sparked change state-wide and got our local rag to finally focus on the anti-Semitism there.

Recently, I have been dismayed at your coverage of the Gaza conflict.  I was disappointed to see, day after day, photographs of carnage in Gaza, yet virtually no photographs of the terrorists, Hamas, who instigated the conflict with thousands upon thousands of rockets for the last dozen years.  When I heard the explanation that in the thousands of photographs the paper received from its photographers, it had only a couple blurry photos, I was disappointed in the Pulitzer-winning photographers who kowtowed to Hamas.  

I understand journalists and photographers need to protect their own lives, but they should not distort the truth in the process.  I was also very disappointed that there were so few photographs of the destruction from the rockets, exposes on the psychological horror of having to leave your home or needing a safe room to protect from a rain of rockets.  I was pleased to see your analysis of the casualty counts, recognizing that the numbers were horrifically inaccurate initially, but wish that that expose had been on the cover, rather than so far inside.

Even if I were to set aside the biased coverage from the last few weeks, today took the cake.  Online the article was quickly re-titled to, "In Israel’s South, Families Worry About the Future of Life Near Gaza", but in the paper, it read "In Israel's South, Families Worry About the Future of Settlements Near Gaza."  Maybe I am a little sensitive, but when the New York Times says "settlements", I hear illegal/unauthorized outposts in Judea/Samaria/the Occupied Territories.  While it may be technically correct, the shade one hears is that ANY land in Israel, is now contested.  

Does the New York Times subscribe to the theory of Hamas?  Is all of Israel occupied territory?  Will the editorial board now support a Juden-rein Middle East?  

I appreciate that the article was re-titled online, but I think a correction would be helpful--as would a clarification on civilian casualties.  Exactly how many Israeli deaths would be necessary for a military fight NOT to be disproportionate?  How many Jewish children need to die?  50? 100? 400?  How about in Iraq?  As the American military protects the Yazidi and bombs ISIS, how many American soldiers need to die for that bombing to be disproportionate?  Why the double standard on Israel and Jews?

Wishing you luck in your continued quest for "balanced coverage".  I do hope you will try to stick to the facts in the future.  Just because Hamas says 1+1=5, does not make it so.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/08/28/world/middleeast/in-israels-south-families-worry-about-the-future-of-life-near-gaza.html?referrer

Eat, be satisfied, and thank Gd, Eikev 2014

Rabbi Philip Weintraub

Congregation Agudas Israel

8/16/2014

Technology is a funny thing.  It helps us in so many ways, yet slows us down in others.  Looking at this week’s parsha, I realized there were topics I did not want to discuss, and topics I did, most specifically Chapter 8, vs 10  10 “When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.” (NJPS translation from http://learn.jtsa.edu/content/translations/eikev/torah-portion/eikev )

”   וְאָכַלְתָּ, וְשָׂבָעְתָּ--וּבֵרַכְתָּ אֶת-י--ה-ו--ה אֱ--לֹהֶיךָ, עַל-הָאָרֶץ הַטֹּבָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַן-לָךְ.

I knew that I had written about that verse, about the Talmud’s extensive discussion, but did not know when/where.  I scrolled down through pages and pages of tweets on twitter, eventually reminding myself that the Talmudic source for Grace after Meals is in Talmud Brachot 47 and following.  I searched my google drive--my old sermons in the cloud--and found from Rosh Hashanah 2012 the following:

Today’s study, p. 47, is in the seventh chapter, which mainly discusses Grace After Meals.  Just as the Gemara connects one story to another, this section reminds me of a story in my own life.  I was once finishing a lunch in the food court of a mall in Jerusalem.  Sitting with me was an Orthodox rabbi I had known in college.  As we prepared to say the Grace After Meals, he wondered aloud about people’s quest for spirituality.  He said he could not understand how some Jews described themselves as “spiritual but not religious” but that many of those very people did not say Thanks to Gd after they ate.  He said “How can you take the great blessing, that is eating, being blessed to have enough to eat in such an insecure world and NOT thank Gd for such good fortune!”  I was glad he spoke rhetorically, since I had no good answer to his challenge!  It made me think about my own difficulty in saying Birkat Hamazon, Grace after Meals, regularly, and he thus encouraged me to say it more often.

For us today, this is a great lesson.  Elsewhere in Brachot, it says that one of the reasons the Jews merited the land was that they blessed Gd even when they were NOT satisfied with their food, with their portion.  It is hard enough to offer thanks when we are satisfied, but to find it in our hearts to appreciate Gd when we do NOT have enough is even more challenging.  Returning to Rosh Hashanah two years ago, I wrote about the

the 47th daf/page of Brachot.  On that page I will see conversations about waiting for others to be served and bless their food before eating; when to say “Amen” to the blessings of others; how much food a waiter needs to eat to join a group who would like to say Grace after meals; the fact that a convert is not Jewish until he/she has gone to the mikvah (ritual bath); and can you have a minyan of 9 plus a Torah?  As you can see, some of those subjects are clearly related to Grace after Meals and others seem like tangents, but very interesting ones.  For more details, you’ll have to look at it yourself.  

The Talmud regularly demonstrates associative thinking.  Like many of us, it starts discussing a topic, then gets sidetracked.  For some modern thinkers, this is incredibly annoying--why can’t they just stick to a topic, but for others, the side notes are what they are coming for, those little pictures of Talmudic life, of Judaism in another era.  Yet, how many of us do exactly the same thing.  We are telling a story about our hilarious uncle, and then rather than finishing the story, we tell three others before getting back to the point.  On a side note, the books of Midrashim, Genesis Rabba, Sifra, Sifrei, include many early rabbinic sermons.  They start and end with a verse and tell many other stories in between--with the goal being to create a web of connections bringing you from the beginning to the end.  When Chasiddic rebbes would teach on Shabbat, this style was also very common, starting with a verse from the parsha, touching here and there and everywhere in rabbinic literature before coming back to the original to teach a lesson or a principle.   In some ways we have changed, in others we have stayed the same.

The real reason I shared this verse

וְאָכַלְתָּ, וְשָׂבָעְתָּ--וּבֵרַכְתָּ אֶת-י--ה-ו--ה אֱ--לֹהֶיךָ, עַל-הָאָרֶץ הַטֹּבָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַן-לָךְ.

was because of Robin Williams.  In the last couple days we have heard the story and the challenges of a man who struggled with addiction, with depression, with his own inner demons, yet managed to fight through all of that to teach poignant lessons to us all, to bring a light, a laughter, a humor to so many people.   He once joked “I went to rehab in wine country, just to keep my options open.”  His humor was incredible.  His openness to his struggles brought help to many.  I heard on the radio of his own openness to discuss therapy and the years that it brought him, the way it changed his life for the better.  As such, he was an inspiration for so many.  I pray that his death will encourage people to get the help they need.  All of us need the support of each other--one of the things I mentioned on Tisha B’Av.  Yet sometimes, we need more help.  With Judaism’s focus on Pikuach Nefesh, the saving of a life, we know that it is important to ask for help, but sometimes it is not easy.  

The challenge of depression is its power, its overwhelming nature.  In the midst, it seems there is no getting out.  The verse I mentioned is that we eat, we are satisfied and we bless/offer thanks.  When one is depressed there is no such thing as satisfaction.  Someone who is depressed cannot reach the level of thanks because they cannot recognize their own satisfaction.  Robin Williams could not be satisfied with the success, with the love, with anything, because he had a deadly disease--depression.  Until our society recognizes depression as a disease and not a character flaw, we are making this world more difficult for so many people.  I shared this week a blog from the wife of a rabbi I know.  She shared that when she was younger she went through a bout of depression.  At the time, she could see no way out.  Eventually she found support, therapy, etc., etc. and managed to be happy again.  Now she has been fighting cancer.  This time around, her community, her friends, her family, everyone rallied around her.  They helped take care of her son, helped around the house.  When people show the same level of support for those fighting depression as those fighting cancer, the world will be a better place. (See blog here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kenterskicklymphoma/journal/view/id/53ea7686a689b4bd04a369e2 )

From our holy Torah we learn that if we can eat and be satisfied, then we can find it in our hearts to be thankful to Gd for all of our gifts.  Many of us are good at the eating.  Some of us are pretty good at thanking Gd.  It is the being satisfied part that is challenging.  We may desire that which we do not have, that which our neighbors or friends or those on TV have.  If we live our lives in that space, we can find ourselves wanting, as in lacking and also wanting, as in wanting more.  As I mentioned earlier, we gain merit for offering thanks, especially when we are not completely satisfied.  The funny thing is that once we offer thanks, we find that we ARE satisfied.  Think about eating dinner.  How often do you go back for seconds?  What happens most of the time if you wait ten minutes--you realize you are full and don’t need those seconds!  If we took that time to thank Gd, we would realize we do not actually need anymore.  We have enough.  If we flip the order around, if we offer thanks second, we can find that missing satisfaction.

The simple lesson from this one verse is the secret to a good life.  Enjoy, be satisfied and offer thanks.  It can be lesson for how we treat one another--enjoy each others presence, recognize and appreciate it within yourself and then share that gratitude with the ones bringing you joy.  It can be a lesson for how we relate to Gd and the universe--for food, for comfort, for the very gift of life.  As we start looking ahead towards the holidays to come, let us recognize all the good and Gd in our lives and offer thanks.  Shabbat Shalom.

So much going on, yet there is still so much hope!

In the last few weeks we have seen tremendous upheaval in so many aspects of our lives, yet it is the loss of Robin Williams that prompts me to write this post.

• Anti-semitic outbreaks world wide have threatened our sense of security as Jews.
• Blood libels have been repeated by leaders of Hamas.
• Hamas has sent rockets into Israel, starting a war that took many lives and is still unresolved.
• Within our own community there have been several deaths, losses, shivas in close proximity.
• Student loans and job security are a questions for many.
• Mental Health concerns are not dealt with well in this country and remain stigmatized.

Depression and other forms of mental illness are common in our world.  They can be aggravated by every one of the stressors mentioned above.  In our country, we have a problem of inadequate mental health care AND a stigma for using such care.  Mental illness is ILLNESS.  It is not a character flaw.  It does not make a person defective.  It means they have a challenge to overcome or to manage.  Through therapy, through medication, through proper treatment, the majority of people with mental health challenges lead productive, happy and successful lives.  

One way to reduce the stigma of mental health care is to acknowledge that it is also useful for people in difficult times of their lives.  When someone is grieving, dealing with a trauma, or having a career or life difficulty; therapy, counseling, talking to a clergy person can be very helpful.  Having a non-anxious, non-judgmental person help you talk through whatever challenge you are going through can be very helpful.

In my own life, like many caregivers, I have check-ins with a therapist/counselor.  By discussing the challenging cases I see, I get assistance reminding myself of the importance of taking care of myself.  By talking to someone else, I am better able to help my community, my family, my friends and myself.

The hardest part of depression is the that when someone is in the middle of a depressive episode, they simply cannot imagine getting out of it. It can feel isolating.  A person may feel trapped, alone, without any support--even when those around are trying to help.  Yet, with the proper support, great strides are possible.  As the Talmud says, "A prisoner cannot free himself from jail."  Someone who is depressed needs the help of others to break through--yet they need to recognize the possibility of improvement.  It is not easy, but it is possible.

It does get better, but it can seem impossible at the time.  Life is worth living.

I could now include many, many biblical and rabbinic sources on the wonder and meaning of life.  While those might be happy to some, the most important number is below.  As always, I am here for you, too.

For more information, see:

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

No matter what problems you are dealing with, we want to help you find a reason to keep living. By calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) you’ll be connected to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area, anytime 24/7.

If you feel you are in a crisis, whether or not you are thinking about killing yourself, please call the Lifeline. People have called us for help with substance abuse, economic worries, relationship and family problems, sexual orientation, illness, getting over abuse, depression, mental and physical illness, and even loneliness.