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Category Archives: Dvar Torah
Rabbi’s Message for May
There are so many powerful images from the Boston Marathon bombing; indeed, there are many that I’m certain will stay with me for the rest of my life. But I think the one that resonates the deepest was one of the first I saw: It began a few seconds before the blast, with a procession of exhausted but happy marathoners limping across the finish line; then it showed a flash of fire and billowing smoke; and then, after an intense moment of shock and horror, it showed literally dozens of people sprinting towards the danger, leaping over the barricades or pulling them down—anything to get the injured, the suffering, the dying. There was no way for these first responders to know whether another bomb was about to explode and literally tear them limb from limb. It didn’t matter to them; their souls compelled them to go amongst the suffering, regardless of the cost. In Judaism there is a word for such behavior: We call it kedushah, or holiness. I am filled with awe as I contemplate these people, because I believe they have done one of the holiest things that a human being can do. As it happens, in that … Continue reading
Yesterday’s Tragedy
Israeli Poet Yehuda Amichai writes: The diameter of the bomb was thirty centimeters and the diameter of its effective range about seven meters, with four dead and eleven wounded. And around these in a larger circle of pain and time, two hospitals are scattered and one graveyard. But the young woman who was buried in the city she came from, at a distance of more than a hundred kilometers, enlarges the circle considerably, and the solitary man mourning her death at the distant shores of a country far across the sea includes the entire world in the circle. And I won’t even mention the crying of orphans that reaches up to the throne of God and beyond, making a circle with no end and no God. We are shocked and saddened by yesterday’s bombing. The only words that come to mind are: senseless, horrific, tragic. Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. Last night a group of TBA women gathered at the home of Dina Davidyan for our monthly Rosh Hodesh Group. We commemorated Yom Hazikaron (Israeli Remembrance Day) and Yom Haatzmaut (Israeli Independence Day), by studying about Israeli women. Dina and I agreed that we … Continue reading
Responding to Tragedy
The news over the past few days has brought me, and countless others around the world, to tears. Each detail of the horrific tragedy in Newtown creates an ache in the depths of my being, and makes me want to hold onto Leo even tighter. Rabbi James Kahn of Rockland, Maryland teaches that trauma has that effect on us, scoring a direct hit on the soul. The Hebrew word for ‘soul’ (neshamah) acknowledges its connection to breath (neshima). Many of us felt that connection in our kishkes. The wind was knocked out of us… we were breathless, even speechless in the face of trauma. One of our responses this past weekend was to hold a special service on Sunday morning. The sanctuary was filled with children and adults alike. Sensitive to the fact that the younger children may not know the details of what transpired in Connecticut, we did not mention the event directly. Instead we focused on the need to be together as a community and to give thanks for each other. The children led most of the service – their beautiful voices simultaneously bringing tears to our eyes and healing some of the pain. Yet there is also … Continue reading
Yom Kippur: Civil and Respectful Discourse
Civil And Respectful Discourse : What Jews Can Offer America and Each Other During Election Season Gut Yontif. Good morning. I want to talk to you today about politics. Bet you weren’t expecting that, were you? Now, perhaps you’re thinking: Has the rabbi gone crazy? Is she really going to talk politics on the holiest day of the year? Is she going to stand up there on the pulpit and tell us how to vote while she has the microphone and we have to sit here passively and listen? No. No, no, no, no! What I want to talk about is how Judaism, and these high holy days in particular, can help us reach across the aisles that seem to divide us, and to foster genuine understanding between people who fervently disagree. Because in six weeks, our country will hold an election – an important one, by most reckonings – and, sadly, we find ourselves in the midst of one of the most vitriolic campaigns in our history. Both sides agree that we are locked in a great struggle over values, and they are not wrong. But the importance of this election is precisely why the tone of our national … Continue reading
Rosh Hashanah Sermon: A Heart of Many Rooms
Shannah Tovah. I’ve always felt that one of the wonderful things about Rosh Hashana is how it brings the Jewish community together, all over the world. Because for me, it’s impossible, on a day like this, not to think of the millions of our brothers and sisters – of all different cultures and all different denominations — marking the New Year as we are doing here. On this day of Jewish renewal, we celebrate with all of our people — from the most ultra-ultra religious, to the most skeptical and secular. It’s important for many reasons, not least because our people live in a hostile world. Just how hostile, we can see from the explosion of unrest and violence that has swept the world since last September 11. We need all of our brothers and sisters if our people are to survive. But during these high holy days, even as our beloved Israel is surrounded by existential threats, we are commanded to reflect, not on the outside world, but upon ourselves – both as individuals and as a people. And, indeed, the more we focus on how we relate to one another, the stronger our people will become. Because, as … Continue reading
Rosh Hashanah Sermon: A Listening Heart
Shannah Tovah. Rosh Hashana is not just a celebration of the new year. It’s also a celebration of self-expression. It’s a time for us to express our appreciation for all of our blessings. And it’s also a time for us to express to one another our heartfelt gratitude for a year of love and friendship. But if Rosh Hashana is a time for expressing ourselves, it follows that it is a time for listening as well. And for many of us, listening — I mean really and truly listening – can be a lot harder than speaking. I happen to know a good story about this: It involves a couple named Bill and Edythe. They’d been married for 52 years and were happy enough, except, lately, Bill had been getting concerned about his wife’s hearing. More and more, when he’d ask her a question, she’d say nothing in response, wouldn’t even acknowledge him. He’d begun to worry that maybe there was something seriously wrong with her ears. On the other hand, he realized that it might just be that she’d grown tired of listening to him for half-a-century and was beginning to tune him out. So before spending a lot … Continue reading
September 11 and the Meaning of This Season
September 11 will forever be a day of remembrance in our country. We remember those who lost their lives through a senseless and evil act of terrorism. As we contemplate the loss of each of the 2,974 lives, on this day we may also be reminded of the meaning of our own lives, which is also a theme of this season in the Jewish calendar. One of my favorite poets is Mary Oliver. She writes in a piece entitled When Death Comes, “Tell me, what do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” In this week’s Torah reading, called Nitzavim, Moses is nearing the end of his long career and life and he is asking the Israelites a similar question: We read (Deut. 30:19): “I call heaven and earth to witness you today: I have put before you life and death,blessing and curse–therefore choose life!” The issue of free will and how we choose to live our lives is a significant theme throughout the Torah. When the Torah states that God puts life and death before us, our tradition is not telling us to decide whether to live or die, but that every choice we make … Continue reading
