High Holidays Sermons 2

ROSH HASHANAH 2ND DAY 5771

Continuing to build on yesterday from “Have A Little Faith” by Mitch Albom. He writes: I want to share with you a story about another person, who grew up the same time as he did. His name was Henry Covington. An African-American child, one of seven, born to a man who worked as a hustler and a woman who worked as a maid. When he was five years old, his mother was taken away to prison after trying to shoot his father. His family was so poor that at night they would put huge pots of rice on the counter in the kitchen, so that the rats would jump into the pots of rice and not come into their bedrooms.

The young Henry was thrown out of school when he was 12 years old for fighting. When he was 13 his father died. He became a petty thief at 14, a bigger one at 15. By the time he was 19 years old he had so many enemies that one of them fingered him in the killing of a cop. And even though he was nowhere near the scene, he was advised to plead guilty to manslaughter, lest he be found guilty for murder. And he was sent away for seven years to a federal penitentiary for a crime he did not commit. He swore that the world would owe him when he got out.

He didn’t think of all the crimes he hadn’t been punished for. When he got out, he made good on that promise and he got into the drug trade, and he did very well for a period of time. He sold drugs and at one point, he earned a half a million dollars a year. And then Henry Covington made a nearly fatal error, he tried some of his own product. Pretty soon he was as desperate and strung out as all the junkies he’d been selling to. And a few years later, he had just passed his 30th birthday, alone, without any money, desperate, he robbed his own drug dealers, which is never a good idea.

And he banged waved the gun in their faces and said, “You know what this is.” And they almost laughed at him. They gave him some drugs and he took off. He went home, he got high and in the middle of all that he realized, “uh oh, they know where I live.” And he ran out front of his apartment and he lay on the ground and he held a shotgun and he put a bunch of trash cans in front of him, and there on the ground, waiting for a car to come around the corner to murder him. Sure that the next set of headlights would contain his killer and that would be the end, he did what many people do in moments like that. “God? Get me out of this. If you save me tonight, you can have me in the morning. Help me, Lord. Spare me Lord. Save me, Lord.”

And Henry detoxxed himself. And he became a minister serving the lowest of the low – the poor, the mentally ill and the drug addicts. Under Covington's ministry, nine people live at the church year round, nearly 50 sleep on donated mattresses in the gym, and when there are meals during the week, 100 people will show up for dinner. Typical Sunday worship draws 60 to 100 people — neighbors, volunteers and some folks who, minutes before, were wandering the boulevard conversing with unseen voices. He just gives food, clothing and shelter with no judgment. He just gives life with no strings attached.

When people tell him that he’s good, my response is “I’m trying.” But there’s some people who know him from back when – anytime he makes that trip to NY – and when they hear he’s the pastor of a church, all of a sudden, it’s like “I know you getting’ paid boy. I know you getting paid. I know you. “
No he says, You knew me, You knew that person, but you don’t know the person that I’m trying to become.

That’s the theme of this sermon and this sacred season: You are not your past! Change is possible: in our nation, in our synagogues and in our own lives.

Nearly two millennia ago the Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed. I’m sure many people thought that would be the end of Judaism. But Judaism changed. Sacrifices were replaced with prayer. The Temple itself was replaced with rituals at home. And more than rituals - acts of lovingkindness are our pathway to forgiveness and healing.

I believe: We live in a time of change. We feel the need in our country, in our faiths and in our personal lives. I was reading a recent article in the NY Times about the changes in life for those in their 20s and earlier 30s. A professor at my alma mater, Clark University, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, believes there’s a new reality: emerging adolescence. With extended life expectance, the possibility of later in life pregnancy, the on-going quest for career and meaning – people are not only marrying later, but taking their time figuring out what they want to do. There’s no rush to find it either. The old expectations that you would marry in your 20s, have your career locked down, start a family in your mid-20s and settle down – are not normative in mainstream American middle and upper class families. A century ago scholars debated whether adolescence was a stage of development – clearly in most cultures it is. And: There’s an interesting debate in the sociological community as to whether this “emerging adulthood” is a new state of development or just a blip in our culture. Either way: we’re not yet prepared to meet the social and spiritual needs of this part of our American community. Change is part of life and culture and part of being alive is adjusting and addressing those changes.

I know we’re looking for changes in our national life. We want the essential services our governments offer us: education, infrastructure, security … but there’s so much inefficiency – is it really worth the cost? We’re angry at the inability of our systems to protect the poor, to prevent greed from destroying charities and lives, and to empower those who want to succeed in making a life for their families have a chance to achieve their dreams.

I really am concerned. I’m not sure my parents were happier, but my parents (may they have a healthy year) were more affluent that I am: it was clear from their income, their homes, their cars and their vacations. Unless things change: I foresee that my son will have a life-style less comfortable than the one that I enjoy. The things we possess are not all that important – but the dream that our children will be better off than we are … was true for my great-parents and grandparents – what has to change for this value to continue? I don’t know the answer to this question, but I feel a moral imperative to part of finding the answer.

100 years ago prognosticators and newspapers were predicting the end of Reform Judaism. And before WWII social commentators were certain of the demise of Orthodox Judaism in this country. But even movements change: new ideas, new dynamic leaders, touching people lives with significance and sanctity. The same is true today for Conservative Judaism – we are on the cusp of major transformation as a movement and within our synagogue communities.

I want to reflect on the nature of those changes.
(At KN – I’ll be talking about some directions for change)

If we could travel back forty years, we would find a different congregation at its founding than we have today. At that time people were moving out of DC and from down-county; almost everyone had rich memories their immigrant parents or grandparents. Then, our members felt a strong sense of nostalgia. They loved the smell of brisket and gefilte fish and they had heard Yiddish actually spoken. Reform Judaism did not appeal to them because it was so...Reform. On the other hand, our members knew full well they weren't Orthodox. They wanted to sit together as a family on Shabbat and were more likely to attend services late Friday night than Shabbat morning. They wanted a synagogue that felt traditional but wasn’t too religious. There was a gap between who they were and how they perceived themselves, but that didn’t matter because that was how most Jews saw themselves.

Fast forward today. The nostalgia that inspired membership in Conservative congregations is all but gone. McDonalds has replaced brisket as the food of choice. People don’t join congregations because it reminds them of their Bubbe & Zaide. Young families have a whole variety of conflicting priorities. Synagogue membership and religious school are at not at the top of the list. Truth be told, if all you're concerned about is having a "Bar Mitzvah," then there are alternatives to the traditional path of religious school: you can hire a tutor or find a one day a week alternative which promises you a Bar/Bat Mitzvah even if the Bar Mitzvah date is in a few months. Chabad & JEWEL understands this - and they've jumped on this reality. KS created its religious school from the perspective that Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a privilege and not a right, accorded to the child who has attained a modicum of knowledge and Jewish skills. The alternative schools dangle the prize with minimal expectations – we’ll make it convenient, we won’t charge you very much, you’ll learn the little bit we can give in two hours… this fits well with where most families are coming from today.

A member of our congregation shared with me a story that sums up one of our dilemmas. She met a young family that had just moved into town. When she asked if they had considered enrolling their children in our religious school, the young mother responded: "No, we're sending them to Chabad - that's good enough for our kids." When, in all your life, did you hear a Jewish parent settle for "good enough" for their children? We want our children to really learn and to grow strong not only academically, but morally and spiritually. Learning how to read Hebrew, knowing something about Jewish history & developing a love of Israel are unimportant in such a 1-day program. I can speak about it but we share a responsibility to promote high quality Jewish learning for our children and for ourselves.

Having said that, I haven’t yet addressed the question of how we should do in the face of these challenges. What do we have to offer? We are standing, I would suggest, at the crossroads. The choices we make in the next year or two will determine the future of our congregation. We can follow the path of the alternative Sunday schools and provide a loving environment; but only a minimal, convenient education … or we can challenge people to find the best in themselves, to see Judaism as a life choice, and not just an opportunity for a party.

I want to tell you a secret: nobody ever joined a synagogue because they love contributing money. That's not what brings or keeps people here. If all we're doing is engaging in acts of self-preservation, then we've lost our way and it's time to shut the door. KS needs to have a vision of Jewish life that it wishes to share with others. That’s what CE21 has been working on and what our strategic planning initiative has been grappling with. Every program that takes place inside and outside this building - even fund raising - must be about that vision. And it cannot just be about this building - it must be about helping people get the most out of living a Jewish life.

Why are we here?
To teach Torah.
To inspire people through prayer and our religious traditions.
To help people find the sacred dimension in their lives.
To be a member of a religious community – questing for that holiness in life.
To find comfort and solace in times of loss and to share joys in happy times.
To engaged in acts of Tikkun Olam, tzedakah and hesed (loving kindness) with our fellow Jews.

If you don’t know: our board is struggling to make ends meet. It takes as much money to run a 350 family congregation as it takes to run a 275 family congregation. And this has been our challenge. But we should not lose sight of why we are here or what it means to be Jewish.


So what happens then when we fall short? We must make changes and down size or we need to turn to all of you to play a more active role in the life of our congregation; not talking about money, about doing. And maybe that's a good thing - a synagogue should not be about living vicariously through the clergy.

Synagogue life is not a football game where thousands of people watch a bunch of husky guys in tights play the game. This is a participatory experience. It has no meaning without personal and regular engagement. We need to empower our members and challenge oursevles to participate in the joys of Jewish living. I need to engage you more – to enable you find your spiritual niche in our community. You need to stop listening to the rabbi and cantor and waiting for the baal korei to read the Torah. We shouldn’t presume that the minyan will be there for us if we never attend. And we shouldn’t think that if we have a strong congregation, it doesn’t matter what we do in our personal lives. Jewish life needs actively engaged Jews and not bigger buildings or more programs.

It's not too late for KS. We are an extraordinary congregation, with passionate and caring members, a strong core from which to build Jewish life, and a vision of what Jewish community should be. We need to refocus from worrying only about dollars and start worrying even more about deeds. We need to stop encouraging passive Judaism and encourage people to step up to the plate and be part of the community. The issue is not whether we have a budget (we will have one) but whether we are a community. We need to ReJEWvenate ourselves! It’s a time of change – we need to rejuvenate…

There is a great joke that you might have heard that purports to be the actual radio conversation (released by the Chief of Naval Operations no less) of a US naval ship with Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October 1995.
CANADIANS: "Please divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision." AMERICANS: "Recommend YOU divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid a collision."
CANADIANS: "Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision." AMERICANS: "This is the captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course."
CANADIANS: "No, I say again, you divert your course"
AMERICANS: "This is the Aircraft Carrier USS LINCOLN, the second largest ship in the United States Atlantic Fleet. We are accompanied with three Destroyers, three Cruisers and numerous support vessels. I DEMAND that you change your course 15 degrees north. I say again, that's one-five degrees north, or counter-measures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship"
CANADIANS: "This is a LIGHTHOUSE. Your call"

Change is forced upon us. But we can direct that change – we have real choices. That’s what these Days of Awe are really about. And while I must talk about Jewish life, the liturgy is much more about our personal lives. We must change and we can change to make our interpersonal relations richer, healthier and happier. We are present here to reflect on the one or two things that need transformation and can be improved. With our spouses, with our children, with our families: we know we need to change, not them, because that is not in our power, but only ourselves – for that’s the only thing over which we have some control. May God give us the wisdom, the strength and the courage to do the real avodah – the real sacred work of these days: to make the concrete plan to make a few small changes for a year of life. Amen