Sunday we completed our formal opportunities for people to fill in a letter in our soon to be completed, brand-new, Torah. The experience of those who have signed has been inspired. The connection to God and to the past & the future has been felt by almost everyone. People have been brought to tears (of joy and of remembrance) by the moment... It has been difficult answering people's concern about working with the "provider" of our Torah Menachem Youlus. We are not buying a reputed Holocaust Torah. We are purchasing a new Torah that is being completed in Israel. While I am upset by the charges and counter-charges related to the Holocaust Torahs, I know that everyone who has signed their letter with Rabbi Youlus, has experienced a moment of sacred connection.
Monday we had a pretty good Board Meeting of the synagogue. Karen Klemow lead a wonderful ice-breaker where people got to know eat other a little better. And I was pleased with my 20 minutes on the sacred nature of serving on a synagogue board which is reflected on every level: governance, fiduciary responsibility, the Jewish values we reflect and the sacred respect and communication we provide as synagogue leaders.
Tuesday the highlight of a busy day was my time with the Active Retirees. In preparation for the High Holidays we reflected on who or what we are praying to during the Days of Awe. We looked at some classical sources which we use during the holidays: God in the blessing formula and the 13 Attributes. Also we looked at the three 'Uvechain Tayn' sections of the High Holiday Amidah which connect us with our fear, awe, joy and gladness of the sacred season. We are fearful of our future: for life and health. We are in awe of the diversity and complexity of life. Joy fills us through the blessings we enjoy. And gladness flows when we are supported by those who care about us. These are some of the emotions which enable us to connect with God. Also we looked briefly at the HH Confessional. The 44 lines of public admission of sin can be understood on one level as directing us to work on behaviors and thoughts which cut us off from God. When we are angry, scorning, lying, gossiping, egotistical and arrogant - there is no room for the Divine to flow in and around us. Healing one or two of the "missing the marks" on the list open us to again feeling connected both to loved ones and God.
Wednesday. I attend my first meeting of the Professional Advisory Group at Shady Grove Hospital. It supervises the Continuing Pastoral Education students at Shady Grove. Most of my own pastoral knowledge has been acquired by experience. I am fascinated as I assist with the supervision of students doing CPE by the process and levels of experience which can be supervised and refined. I appreciate Adventist Health Care's commitment to enhance the experience of those who are ill; as they teach future pastors the skills to assist with spiritual healing.
Thursday Night we had a wonderful meeting of the CE21 Task Force. We completed our congregational conversation with around 80 congregants in the Spring. We have refined our Visionary Description based on those conversation and created a more refined statement of our communities hopes for spiritual connection through learning and community in the near future. Last night's meeting was facilitated my Dr. Meredith Woocher from the Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning. She taught us (for us to use ourselves) a model for moving from our Vision to Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Activities to implement our hopes and ideals. It was a good conversation with lots of different people participating and sharing our broad dreams and the steps needed to see them to fruition. It was energizing and filled us all with expanded hope that our hard work over the past year and half really will see success in a few years.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Where God Was Born - Part 3
Some final reflections on Bruce Feiler's "Where God Was Born"
Feiler goes to Iran after Iraq & Israel. Persia was one of the great empires of the Ancient World. We often remember it from it's almost conquest of Greece at the height of its power. For the Bible, the Persian empire was a source of incredible blessing. Its domination was benevolent. The Persian destroyed by Babylonia, allowed the Jews to return from exile, and paid for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple. The Book of Esther reflects the dangers of the empire, but also the general tolerance and prosperity of its dominion.
If I'm not interpreting him to freely: Feiler had some interesting thoughts about the origins of the concept of the Messiah. Cyrus the Great changed the world. He brought peace and prosperity. His empire encompassed most of the civilized world (not counting the Western Hemisphere). He's a model for a ruler who bring understanding, justice and benevolence to the world. One leader who spreads peace... in part, perhaps in visionary imagination, of the model for the Messianic vision of the prophets?
Feiler reflects on his quest for spirituality and meaning. He is insightful about the tensions in the late Second Temple period between a physical, land based (Israel/Jerusalem), Temple-focus of spirituality and a Torah, land-less, democratic based approach to Jewish life.
I think these same tensions are reflected in Judaism in the early 21st Century. We have physical synagogues with budgets, staffs and programs in tension with changes in the American community where people want Torah and spirituality within personal experiences of their own choosing. I would add to that thought, that just as Judaism rejuvenated itself from its spiritual conflicts and crisis 2000 years ago, with creativity (and God's help) it will find new ways to create meaning and holiness today and into the future.
Feiler goes to Iran after Iraq & Israel. Persia was one of the great empires of the Ancient World. We often remember it from it's almost conquest of Greece at the height of its power. For the Bible, the Persian empire was a source of incredible blessing. Its domination was benevolent. The Persian destroyed by Babylonia, allowed the Jews to return from exile, and paid for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple. The Book of Esther reflects the dangers of the empire, but also the general tolerance and prosperity of its dominion.
If I'm not interpreting him to freely: Feiler had some interesting thoughts about the origins of the concept of the Messiah. Cyrus the Great changed the world. He brought peace and prosperity. His empire encompassed most of the civilized world (not counting the Western Hemisphere). He's a model for a ruler who bring understanding, justice and benevolence to the world. One leader who spreads peace... in part, perhaps in visionary imagination, of the model for the Messianic vision of the prophets?
Feiler reflects on his quest for spirituality and meaning. He is insightful about the tensions in the late Second Temple period between a physical, land based (Israel/Jerusalem), Temple-focus of spirituality and a Torah, land-less, democratic based approach to Jewish life.
I think these same tensions are reflected in Judaism in the early 21st Century. We have physical synagogues with budgets, staffs and programs in tension with changes in the American community where people want Torah and spirituality within personal experiences of their own choosing. I would add to that thought, that just as Judaism rejuvenated itself from its spiritual conflicts and crisis 2000 years ago, with creativity (and God's help) it will find new ways to create meaning and holiness today and into the future.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Where God Was Born - Part 2
Bruce Feiler's journey in his book took him from Israel to Iraq. As he points out the Bible is filled with condemnation and curses for Bablyonia. Babylon destroyed the First Temple of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Yet, he points out, that in Mesopotamia Jews became settled, prosperous and content. Exile is a part of the journey of life and recovery hopefully is too. The Jewish community of the Tigris and Euphrates multiplied and became affluent. It would produce a dynamic Jewish culture that would generally flourish from 500 BCE until 1950 when Jews began to leave for Israel in large numbers. The Babylonian (authoritative) Talmud was produced there. The Gaonim of the yeshivot unified Rabbinic Judaism in liturgy, practice and thought that still unites Jews around the world. Further, despite the violence of the Empire, Babylon and its predecessors (Sumer, Assyria) give the world fundamental approaches to life: writing, calendar, gardens, imagination and the idea of freedom. Their philosophy created a world view where a person and community does have some control of their environment. A chunk of our world view today was developed in ancient Bablyon.
Everyone loves the story of the Tower of Babel. Human beings try to emulate God and reach the heavens and God scrambles their language and sets them apart to never threaten Him/Her. Feiler points out that the story is a fundamental statement about God's desire for diversity. Leaders who have tried to make everyone the same - are filled with human arrogance that leads to their own end. Only God is one ... and the Creation story and The Tower story demonstrate (in the Jewish mind,) God's love of a diverse world. Many kinds of species. Many cultures and quests for the truth. Many paths of spirituality. God created a world with different life - the richness of creation is a true gift which we should appreciate.
Finally (with High Holidays not so far away) Feiler spends several pages on Jonah. Everyone loves Jonah because he's swallowed and escapes the great fish and offers a message of universal hope for forgiveness and improvement. Jonah is not heroic: he runs away, he's frequently angry. But in the depths of the sea, he senses and verbalizes God's compassion and has a moment of true humility. The story affirms that change is possible even if Jonah himself has a tough time understanding that truth. The story teaches the importance of ethical behavior as the means to saving our lives spiritually and literally. For all the physical power of Nineveh it is their humble changes of interpersonal behavior and quest for compassion that enables them to survive. The Assyrians destroyed the Ten Tribes and almost destroyed Jerusalem in the 7th Century BCE, but their legacy is a mixed bag, as also for Babylon: Great violence, but also great prosperity and hope for the human condition.
Everyone loves the story of the Tower of Babel. Human beings try to emulate God and reach the heavens and God scrambles their language and sets them apart to never threaten Him/Her. Feiler points out that the story is a fundamental statement about God's desire for diversity. Leaders who have tried to make everyone the same - are filled with human arrogance that leads to their own end. Only God is one ... and the Creation story and The Tower story demonstrate (in the Jewish mind,) God's love of a diverse world. Many kinds of species. Many cultures and quests for the truth. Many paths of spirituality. God created a world with different life - the richness of creation is a true gift which we should appreciate.
Finally (with High Holidays not so far away) Feiler spends several pages on Jonah. Everyone loves Jonah because he's swallowed and escapes the great fish and offers a message of universal hope for forgiveness and improvement. Jonah is not heroic: he runs away, he's frequently angry. But in the depths of the sea, he senses and verbalizes God's compassion and has a moment of true humility. The story affirms that change is possible even if Jonah himself has a tough time understanding that truth. The story teaches the importance of ethical behavior as the means to saving our lives spiritually and literally. For all the physical power of Nineveh it is their humble changes of interpersonal behavior and quest for compassion that enables them to survive. The Assyrians destroyed the Ten Tribes and almost destroyed Jerusalem in the 7th Century BCE, but their legacy is a mixed bag, as also for Babylon: Great violence, but also great prosperity and hope for the human condition.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Where God Was Born 1
One of the books I enjoyed this summer while on vacation was Bruce Feiler's: Where God Was Born. It describes his journey exploring the spiritual/biblical connections in Israel, Iraq & Iran. Just a few things that moved me in his tale/experience.
King David. I had always been fascinated by David as master politician, master poet/singer, a true devotee of God, dynamic leader and immoral husband and parent. But Feiler expands this when he writes about David as a warning against power. David was the greatest King of Israel militarily and politically, but his personal life is a mess. He spoils his kids and is a murderer and adulterer. Yet the Messiah will come someday from his descendant. That leader will have learned the lesson of David's life. He will be meek and humble, honest, ethical and just. Real power is spiritual, it is interpersonal - political power does get things done, but lasting power is found in caring and moral relationships. They live on even after our lives are over.
The Temple. Biblical religion began with sacred places. The holy place was the spiritual destination for intense, beautiful moments of God's presence. But even before the destruction the prophets were articulating a different spiritual destination. God is found not in places but in the way we treat each other. God can be found anywhere and when the First Temple was destroyed Jews gathered and socialized, prayed and studied and Judaism evolved. Yes, we are physical beings and need places to meet and experience God together. But there is no one place for those sacred moments - since God is everywhere and people can be anywhere - together we can feel the Shechinah. Yes we can still go to Jerusalem and it's special. But we can go to a synagogue anywhere in the world or in the beauty of nature and feel the holiness of life. In the smallest minyan or a simple act of lovingkindness - God can be experienced.
More on this book very soon
King David. I had always been fascinated by David as master politician, master poet/singer, a true devotee of God, dynamic leader and immoral husband and parent. But Feiler expands this when he writes about David as a warning against power. David was the greatest King of Israel militarily and politically, but his personal life is a mess. He spoils his kids and is a murderer and adulterer. Yet the Messiah will come someday from his descendant. That leader will have learned the lesson of David's life. He will be meek and humble, honest, ethical and just. Real power is spiritual, it is interpersonal - political power does get things done, but lasting power is found in caring and moral relationships. They live on even after our lives are over.
The Temple. Biblical religion began with sacred places. The holy place was the spiritual destination for intense, beautiful moments of God's presence. But even before the destruction the prophets were articulating a different spiritual destination. God is found not in places but in the way we treat each other. God can be found anywhere and when the First Temple was destroyed Jews gathered and socialized, prayed and studied and Judaism evolved. Yes, we are physical beings and need places to meet and experience God together. But there is no one place for those sacred moments - since God is everywhere and people can be anywhere - together we can feel the Shechinah. Yes we can still go to Jerusalem and it's special. But we can go to a synagogue anywhere in the world or in the beauty of nature and feel the holiness of life. In the smallest minyan or a simple act of lovingkindness - God can be experienced.
More on this book very soon
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Parents' Anniversary
I'm back from my month off. It was a good vacation - great week at the Beach in Lewes, DE and the third weekend of July a nice party for my parents' 60th wedding anniversary in Boca Raton. I've been married for almost 26 years and the thought of completing 60 is possible, yet almost miraculous.
It was special to have all of us together - my sisters, their partners and all the grandchildren. We don't, with our busy lifestyles and distances, do it often enough. My sisters are in the NY Metro area and my parents are in Florida. The last time we were all together was for my niece's Bat Mitzvah three years ago, before that it was Tali's Bar Mitzvah in 2003, and 10 years ago my parents for their 50th - who took all 13 of us on a Caribbean Cruise.
The stresses of family - personalities and conflicting demands remain. Yet for all the mishugas: it's nice to enjoy unconditional love... my parents and my sisters have always been there for me. And it's incredible after all the things our parents have given us that we're able to give back a little in helping them with the challenges as they have gotten older.
Finally, while my parents are far from perfect - they're both wonderful human beings. My father's generosity and optimism have always been precious gifts. My mother's devotion and values of caring are part of each of her children. On most of my recent visits to FL, I have had a strange inkling that this might be the last time I see one of my parents. Although no one can know what life will bring, it was a good visit... feeling that there will be many more nice occasions in the coming years to spend good times with my loved ones.
It was special to have all of us together - my sisters, their partners and all the grandchildren. We don't, with our busy lifestyles and distances, do it often enough. My sisters are in the NY Metro area and my parents are in Florida. The last time we were all together was for my niece's Bat Mitzvah three years ago, before that it was Tali's Bar Mitzvah in 2003, and 10 years ago my parents for their 50th - who took all 13 of us on a Caribbean Cruise.
The stresses of family - personalities and conflicting demands remain. Yet for all the mishugas: it's nice to enjoy unconditional love... my parents and my sisters have always been there for me. And it's incredible after all the things our parents have given us that we're able to give back a little in helping them with the challenges as they have gotten older.
Finally, while my parents are far from perfect - they're both wonderful human beings. My father's generosity and optimism have always been precious gifts. My mother's devotion and values of caring are part of each of her children. On most of my recent visits to FL, I have had a strange inkling that this might be the last time I see one of my parents. Although no one can know what life will bring, it was a good visit... feeling that there will be many more nice occasions in the coming years to spend good times with my loved ones.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
