I’m working backwards, but here is what I said on Erev Rosh Hashanah. My new congregation has four pillars to its vision statement, lifelong learning, building community, embracing diversity and meaningful observance.

Rosh Hashanah Evening, 5773

Are we there yet? This is a question that children often ask on long car trips. The Israelites asked it when they were wandering in the desert. No not yet. But we will be there. Eventually.

Take a deep breath. It is Erev Rosh Hashanah. Many members of the congregation have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure we get here. Stephanie and I have worked together and the sense of deep spirituality that emenated from these walls last Friday will be one of my favorite memories of the holidays. May her spirit and her voice lift all of our prayers heavenward.

We’re here—but we are not quite there yet. Let me explain what I mean. During the course of the next 10 days, in fact the next year, you will hear me talk about Congregation Kneseth Israel’s vision. It is what drew me to Elgin because it dovetails nicely with my own. In fact when I first heard about the opening at CKI for a spiritual leader I was on a mini-retreat for my birthday, writing my own vision of what I thought a rabbi should be. By the end of that evening I had filled in my application, and I am delighted to be here, to partner with CKI to make your vision, our vision a reality.

Before we can talk about vision, we need to understand something. What is this whole operation called a synagogue about. Rochelle Fosco, our president read a prayer at the beginning of the service that explains what I think a synagogue should be. A place where anyone who enters is welcomed.

Enters is the key word. The root of the word Kneseth means enters. It also means assembly of those who enter. The very name of this synagogue is important to understanding our vision. Congregation. Kneseth. Israel. The Congregation of the Assembly of Israel. This is the same word that you may know for the Parliament of Israel, the Knesset.

Long before the modern State of Israel, this word, Kneseth is one of the traditional Hebrew names of a synagogue. A Beit Knesset—a House of Assembly. A home. This was the name that explains the function of the synagogue about building community. The Israelites understood that people come to synagogue for three primary reasons, to pray, a Beit Tefilah, to study a Beit Midrash and to be with friends and family in community, a Beit Knesset. This compound word is what we use in modern Israeli Hebrew for a synagogue and a Cnesia is a church, both places we enter and assemble. Synagogues, a loaner word from Greek also meaning assembly, Batei Kneset, were formed when Judaism evolved after the destruction of the Temple from a centralized sacrificial system to one of worship, prayer and study. In early Talmudic times we learn about the men of the Great Assembly, anshei kneseth hagedola.

In fact Pirke Avot, the wisdom of our fathers, opens with this verse:

“Moses received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua; Joshua to the elders; the elders to the prophets; and the prophets handed it down to the men of the Great Assembly, the anshei kneseth hagedola” But the Sanhedrin, the Great Assembly did not last. It was a transitional institution, helping Judaism evolve from a period of revealed miracles and prophecy to one of hidden miracles, prayer and study.

Back in the Second Temple period before its destruction in 70CE, there were 70 different sects of Judaism. We have heard of the Pharisees, the Saducees and the Essenes. But there were as many as 70 different groups—all of whom thought that they had the right way of interpreting Torah and practicing Judaism. One in particular intrigues me—it was a sect of just women. But like the Shakers in the US, they eventually died out naturally and they did not leave written records like the Talmud.. We are taught that part of why the Temple was destroyed was because of baseless hatred, sinat chinam. This is a sin is still included in the alef bet listing of sins we will read together in the next 10 days.

In the Talmud a story is told of Rabbi Akiva that when Moses ascended Mount Sinai, he saw that G-d was putting little ‘crowns’ on the top of the letters in the Torah scroll. Moses asked G-d to explain the meaning of these taggim. G-d explained that in the future a man by the name of Akiva ben Joseph will reveal what these signs mean. Moses wanted to meet this man who knew more than he did. God told Moses to turn around. There was Akiva, teaching many students. Moses sat in the back row and listened Moses was amazed to hear Rabbi Akiva explain that the source of the law he was explaining was from our great teacher, Moses himself. Moses was relieved to hear this but wondered why God would give the Torah through him since Akiva was so knowledgable. (Menachot 29b). We are told that Akiva taught that there are seventy meanings for every letter of Torah, for every crown on those letters.
The Talmud records this kind of back and forth argument between various rabbis, and scholars, sometimes even across the generations. Every opinion was recorded. Every opinion counted. We even have a word for this style of argumentation, pilpul from the root of pepper. It was messy but it was good. It was hard, it still is hard to determine who won any given argument. That is why the codes developed. And responsa literature to answer questions that came up after the codification of the law. That process continues today.
In truth, we are that link in that chain of authority, from Moses to Joshua, from the prophets to the sages, the Men of the Great Assembly, from this generation to the next. We are keepers of the tradition and keepers of the flame and we may wonder like Moses, why us?

Judaism today may look similar to Judaism 2000 years ago. While we speak of Am Yisrael, the people Israel and Klal Yisrael, the entirety of Judaism, there are many divisions within Judaism. There are even disagreements and divisions in our own community. As someone pointed out to me, our synagogue is on Division Street. We all know the story about the Jewish man on the deserted island who had built two synagogues. When finally rescued he was asked why two. He answered so that he would have one he would never go to. At the same time we talk about the many faces of Israel and its pluralism. In this country there are four main streams of Judaism, Orthodox, Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist. There are Jewish Renewal Jews. Jews who belong to chaverut. Lox and Bagel Jews. Jews who call themselves Secular Humanists or Ethical Culturalists. Jews who come every week and Jews who come just once a year. Jews who like the history and the ethics of Judaism but who don’t, who can’t believe in G-d. Jews who are spiritual but not religious. Jews who will not go to shul ever. Still others when ask say they are just Jewish. Nora Ephron in her last book I Remember Nothing talked about exactly that. When asked what kind of Jew she was she answered, A Jew. The person persisted and wanted to know if she was a German Jew or a Russian Jew. Nora was amazed. And to hear her tell it, it was funny. But there was an edge to the story and it really isn’t so funny.

Do these distinctions matter? Even Nora asked that question. No one way is better than another. At our root we are all just Jews, part of Am Yisrael, Klal Yisrael and Kneeseth Israel. What we want to create here in this space, I hope is a non-judgmental, safe place where all who enter (remember the root) will feel comfortable and welcome, where we can explore our Judaism secure in the knowledge that we will not be judged, mocked, laughed at or bullied, that this is a congregation built on the foundation that senseless hatred, sinat chinam is the antithesis of what we desire, what God desires.

This congregation rests on that very foundation of Judaism. It was formed as an Orthodox congregation, 120 years ago by German Jews. It has had Orthodox, Reform and Conservative rabbis and cantors. It has had instrumental music and a kids choir on Friday night and then no instrumental music. It has had only hechshered Kosher cheese and then non-hechshered cheese and back to hechshered cheese. It has had different rabbis who felt strongly about one halachic position or another. All are within what I would call normative Judaism.

The question becomes, how do we represent the wide diversity that we have here. This congregation has been struggling a little with its identity. Statements and questions I have heard since my demo weekend include: If we are not affiliated with a movement, are we still Conservative? We are still Conservative but we are no longer members of the USCJ. Since we are no longer Conservative can we do x? Now we are Reform. We don’t want to be Reform, they do x, y or z.

When I looked at the focus group reports from the vision committee, it was clear to me that what members of CKI want more than anything else is that sense of community and belonging. That is great. But what distinguishes a Beit Kneseth from a country club, a service organization or another group that any of us belong to?

I think it is in the other functions—in being a Beit Midrash, a house of study and a beit tefilah, a house of prayer. We’ll talk more about those during the next few days and again in the weeks and months to come. For now let me say that is the combination of the three functions that makes this more than a Beit Kneseth, an assembly filled with passionate people who care deeply about their Judaism.

Are any of the terms today relevant? Post denominational? Trans-denominational? Non-denominational? Pluralistic? Unaffiliated? Liberal? Traditional? Conservative? Reform? Diverse? Perhaps my favorite at the moment is independent. Does it matter? Do we need just one word? No one word seems to capture all of it. How do we do any of this without offending anyone?

The High Holiday liturgy lists a series of alphabetical sins that we will recite together in the plural form. More of those sins have to do with our speech than anything else. I would say that as we continue to define ourselves, we need to be careful with our speech. It is good we are passionate and concerned deeply about our Judaism. So am I. However, in our passion, we do not need to inflame or be rude. This extends not only to meetings but also to emails and social networking. So if I have inflamed anything during this debate for that I apologize and do so publicly tonight from the bimah. Every opinion counts here at CKI and needs to be heard. All expressions of Judaism are welcome. Eventually, and soon, I hope we will build a consensus about what we call ourselves.

Today you have a new rabbi. One who was trained at the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York. If you call their office you will hear Sandy Kilstein’s voice on the recorded message warmly greeting all who call. She says, “for over fifty years AJR has been preparing rabbis and cantors to serve klal yisrael in a spiritually vibrant and inclusive way. Our students are of all ages and denominations. At AJR, we believe that all Jews are enriched by all the denominations of Judaism.” We have rabbis and cantors who serve Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, renewal and even Orthodox congregations. They serve unaffiliated congregations, teach in universities and day schools, serve in chaplaincy roles. Each of us was required to take a course in pluralism. Yes, that is what it was called. AJR too is evolving. This voice mail message is in the process of being rerecorded to reflect our new location in Yonkers instead of Riverdale. I will be curious to see what the new message is. I set off quite the debate online just trying to get the exact wording of the message. What we are are rabbis and cantors who believe strongly in Klal Yisrael. We believe in meeting Jews where they are.

The Talmud has a phrase, look and see what the people are doing. I am looking and we are doing it. We are actively involved in the process of being Jews. Just Jews. We are a congregation, a synagogue, a shul, a Beit Knesset that … Embraces Diversity, provides Meaningful Worship, Builds Community and offers Lifelong Learning. Come join us. Then it will be a sweet new year for all who gather here! Ken yehi ratzon.

May the door of this synagogue be wide enough
to receive all who hunger for love,
all who are lonely for fellowship.

May it welcome all who have cares to unburden,
thanks to express, hopes to nurture.

May the door of this synagogue be narrow enough
to shut out pettiness and pride, envy and enmity.

May its threshold be no stumbling block
to young or straying feet.

May it be too high to admit complacency,
selfishness, and harshness.

May this synagogue be, for all who enter,
the doorway to a richer and more meaningful life.

The New Mahzor, Prayer Book Press, 1998

Sukkot is described at “Zeman simchatenu”, the time of our joy. Some of that is because this is the harvest festival and we are grateful that we have enough to eat. Our food drive continues. One way I pick up food to support this is by catching the buy one get one free sales. I buy something I need for me and donate my free one to the Crisis Center.

There are easy ways to incorporate joy into our celebrations at home. There are really only two commandments for Sukkot, to dwell or sit in the Sukkah and to shake the lulav and etrog. Building a sukkah can be a great family project. We are looking forward to having our new one up on our deck and celebrating with all of you. Can’t just muster building a sukkah. Try making one out of graham crackers and icing and other decorations as a centerpiece for a table.

There are several opportunities to shake that lulav. Come to a short festival evening festival service at 7:00 on Tuesday evening and stay for the board meeting. Wednesday we will have a short service with the students at Religious School at 6 followed by Hut Dogs. At that point we will will plant winter rye so that we have omer to count between Passover and Shavuot and yellow tulips so we have them for Yom Hashoah. THen there is PJ Shabbat with Rabbi Margaret’s famous pasta dinner at 6:00 followed by services for our littlest ones at 6:30 and services at 7:30 for the adults. Monday morning we conclude our celebration of Sukkot with yizkor at 8AM. Promise we will be done by 10 and yes there is breakfast!

Sukkot is about inviting guests to increase our joy. We even invite “ushpazin” historical ancestors to join us. Traditionally one per night, Arbaham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David. Nowadays we tend to add matriarchs to the list too. Try adding Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Abagial, Hannah, Huldah and Esther, the seven women prophets that our tradition recognizes. Another activity that can be fun is to have a discussion about who you like to have dinner with–in any time period of history. We have “invited” such luminaries as Christopher Columbus (was he really Jewish, maybe?) together with William Bradford, governor of Plimouth Plantation who used the celebration of Sukkot for the basis of the first American Thanksgiving, ALbert Einstein, Anne Frank and a host of grandparents and parents of blessed memory. Who would you invite?

The weather forecast looks good, but if it turns, consider renting the film Ushpizin, a 2005 Israeli film. Set in Jerusalem, an impoverished couple cannot pay their bills let alone celebrate Sukkot with joy. The husband has his eye on a beautiful etrog, well out their budget. Sweet, funny, touching, it is well worth an evening on the couch with the unexpected plot turns.

Sukkot is also a time when we think about the fragility of housing. We sing Ufros Aleinu Sukkot Shlomecha as part of Hashkivenu, “Spread over us the shelter, the sukkah of Your Peace.” I use this time to work at a Habitat for Humanity project or to work to prevent domestic violence since October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

However you choose to celebrate, enjoy. That’s precisely the point!

Can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Say it isn’t so. Judaism believes in life long study. We are taught that these are the things whose rewards to are without measure, to attend the house of study daily, morning and night. It continues with a longer list but concludes, “And the study of Torah is equal to them all because it leads to them all.”

“Rabbi Meir said: Anyone who engages in Torah study for its own sake (‘lishma’) merits many things. Not only that, but the entire world is worthwhile for him alone. He is called ‘friend’ and ‘beloved,’ he loves G-d, he loves man, he brings joy to G-d, he brings joy to man. It [the Torah] clothes him in humility and fear. It enables him to be righteous, pious, upright, and faithful. It distances him from sin and brings him to merit. [Others] benefit from him advice and wisdom, understanding and strength, as it says, ‘To me is advice and wisdom, I am understanding, and strength is mine’ (Proverbs 8:14). It gives him kingship, dominion and analytical judgment. It reveals to him the secrets of the Torah. He becomes as an increasing stream and an unceasing river. He becomes modest, slow to anger, and forgiving of the wrongs done to him. It makes him great and exalted above all of creation.”

What would be the point if we can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

Nonsense. The Talmud teaches us about Rabbi Akiva. One of our greatest teachers. But he began life as a shepherd who could not read of write. His wife, Rachel, insisted that he begin to learn Hebrew at age 40 as a condition of their secret marriage. Her father, a weathly landowner, disowned them and they lived in extreme poverty. Rachel sold her hair to pay for his studies. She brought him to the yeshiva at Lod, his native town to study with Eliezer ben Hyrcanus and Joshua ben Hananiah. He stayed for 12 years. He returned but before even crossing the threshold he heard his wife arguing with a neighbor about his long absence. She answered, “If I had my wish, he should stay another 12 years.” Akiva returned to the academy and after another 12 years returned a Talmud chacham, a wise Talmud teacher with 24,000 students.

What do we learn from this story? That it is indeed possible to teach an old dog new tricks. That it helps to have the support of family. That people can learn Hebrew despite others who might tell you that you cannot, like my two friends who were told that since they were in their 40s, they couldn’t become rabbis because they didn’t know Hebrew. That God wants us to take that first step. That all you have to do is begin.

So where do you begin? Wherever you want. What makes you passionate? What are you the most enthusiastic about? There is probably something in Judaism that dovetails nicely. A couple of examples. I have a friend who is a professional potter. She has a design studio and a kiln, teaches classes. She is passionate about clay. Much of her work has a spiritual focus. Recently she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She reached out to me because she would be exhibiting at an art show focused on cancer and the affects the diagonsis has on the patient and/or those around them. She wanted four Hebrew words to put on a pot to reflect different kinds of healing. The Mi Sheberakh was her source. It gave us the opportunity to learn together the different verb forms. A life long learner.

I have another friend who loves to crochet and knit. She makes kippot, challah covers and more. Her kids are making jewelry. Last year I was given an apples and honey necklace from one of them. I commissioned the 10 year old to make a pin with a Jewish star and a breast cancer pink ribbon intertwined for a 5 year breast cancer survivor. For that family arts and crafts are the way into Judaism and it is all about hiddur hamitzvah, enhancing the mitzvah by making it beautiful. Two generations of life long learners.

Not an arts person? There are other gateways in. If you love cycling, triathaloning, hiking, kayaking or some such, start a Jewish club to do this with other like minded individuals. In the process you will build community. One of my favorite rabbis is the Adventure Rabbi who takes people near Boulder, CO out on hikes or skiing or biking to experience God in nature. When I went with her once, I learned a very valuable lesson. That even after a serious, seven car accident on the West Side Highway in New York, that I could do it and that the title of Rabbi Harold Kushner’s book is not Why Bad Things Happen to Good People but When. Think about it. It changes the answer entirely. Bad things happen to everyone. It is how we respond. An important lesson I learned on a mountainside with Rabbi Jamie Korngold, the Adventure Rabbi. Oh, and I was over 40. Now I dream of joining her for Passover some year when she does seder in Moab Utah. You should see the pictures. They are breathtaking.

Like social justice and making the world a better place? Want to know what Judaism says about a certain topic? Sign up for a class I want to teach that will put the texts into action. One topic, one project each month. A strong social justice program is what sustains many a synagogue according to the book, Finding a Spiritual Home by Rabbi Sid Schwarz. It was something each congregation had regardless of movement that he profiled. But instead of serving food at PADs or across the street let’s explore why we do this from within a Jewish context. Our Torah portion this afternoon is a good place to start.

Feel like you need Judaism 101 or as someone suggested, “Judaism for Dummies.” First of all, you are not dumb. You haven’t had the opportunity to learn yet, for any number of reasons. Or you may feel like an outsider, even if you were born Jewish because of the amount of jargon and code words we use, or the amount of Hebrew. Stop me. Make me explain. My job is teacher and to make each of you feel comfortable and welcomed into this ancient tradition. Part of my role is to make the tradition accessible and meaningful. Whether you were born into the tradition or you are thinking of converting and joining us. These days we are all Jews by choice. There are any number of groups, activities, social organizations that compete for our time. Each of you could choose to be elsewhere but you chose to be here. What holds us here? I hope that part of it is this community and part of it is because you feel, as I do, that Judaism enriches your lives. I will be starting a 10 week course to teach the basics. Need to learn how to decode Hebrew or what the prayers say. There will be a chance for that too. And remember the great Rabbi Akiva was 40 when he started. So it is not too late.

Curious about the legacy that you will leave your children and grandchildren? Sign up for my two session class on writing an ethical will, a concept we received from Isaac who blessed Jacob and Esau, from Jacob who blessed each of his children and from Moses who left us his own ethical legacy that we are reading right now as we finish reading Deuteronomy.

Perhaps the class I am most excited about is the Many Streams of Judaism. We all know the terms Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist. Maybe we have even heard renewal, post denominational, trans denominational, unaffiliated, secular humanist or more. Do we know what those terms mean or what the movements stand for, now or historically? I will offer a six week overview that will include some history, some theology, some cultural pieces and I hope a few field trips. Rather than say categorically “Well we could never be that.” Or Reform always does that. Or Orthodox don’t have women rabbis. Let’s learn what really happens. My husband once said he would be uncomfortable in a Conservative shul coming from his Classical Reform background. Then he studied Emet V’Emunah that Rabbi Robert Gordis wrote for the Conservative Movement in an attempt to define what Conservative Judaism is. His response, “I can agree with that.” We can’t reject something until we know what each movement stands for. We can’t define ourselves until we understand all of this. All the major movements are changing some. What we might have known may not still be true. Let’s learn about each of the groups and unlearn our preconceived notions. In the process we may learn to embrace our own diversity more and understand the wider Klal Yisrael, the entirety of the Jewish people.

Perhaps one of those field trips will be to Chicago for the Chicago Limmud. It is the weekend of February 16 and 17th, after our 120th Reunion Weekend. It is a chance to do serious and sometimes not so serious Jewish study with adults and children. Last year I presented on two panels at the Boston Limmud. It was a fabulous experience. Engerizing, enriching, meaningful. My school used it as a chance to allow our teachers a morning of professional development. Each teacher had to choose one session about their curricular area and one for their own enjoyment. This role models something really important to our children. That each of us is a life long learner.

Have you always wanted to learn how to daven a particular part of the service? Give a d’var Torah and teach your unique piece of Torah? Take on a mitzvah that you think might be meaningful to you personally? I believe that each person has a unique piece of Torah that is all their own and a unique mitzvah. Frederick Buechner explains it this way: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” For Ken that might be his shofar blowing. For Sherry that might be feeding the hungry. For me that might be taking the ancient tradition of mikveh and making it meaningful. Each of us has a unique role. It is about finding that passion.
I know at least one woman wants to learn to chant her birthday Haftarah. I have a dream of empowering congregants to actively lead parts of the service. Whether that be Friday night or Saturday morning, whether that be leading parts of the service or chanting Torah or Haftarah. It is part of my own commitment to lifelong learning. With every new piece I learn, with every new skill I gain, I draw closer to the Divine. You can too. To that end, I will be offering an award for anyone who reads/chants from the Torah scroll 10 times. You will earn a yad, a Torah pointer because you have pointed the way for each of us.

I don’t know everything. I will meet your questions with honest answers or I will try to look it up or bring in my own consultants. One of the projects that has been so meaningful to me since I have arrived is working with a returning congregant to better understand his status. The laws of cohainim were not something I had studied much in school. Not something I had given much thought to because I am neither a cohain nor a levite. However, the process of studying the codes, the responsa literature, convening a beit din, a rabbinical court and looking at this question seriously and deeply was enthralling to me. t was deeply meaningful to our friend. I am proud to say that after intensive research, and six rabbis on a beit din who ruled as a court of law with eyes toward halacha, Jewish law and balancing justice with mercy as we are commanded to do, Leonard is now officially Areye Label ben Osher Hacohen, his status returned. He and I together with a host of other rabbis, Conservative, Orthodox and Reform, professors and actually rabbi judges, are life long learners.

We have all learned so much, even as adults. Remember the world before cell phones, smart phones, LinkedIn and Facebook? Somehow we mastered all of that. And a good thing since that is what enabled that beit din to convene over the past month. There was an article that appeared this week, shared twice by two rabbinic colleagues from Huffington Post, the relatively new Internet “newspaper, a social media site that combines news and blogging and is up to the minute. The article was about how to improve relationships. It seems like an appropriate topic for Yom Kippur since Yom Kippur is about taking stock and reflecting on what we would like to do better. One thing that many of us probably want to do better with is our relationships, with our parents, our siblings, our children, our spouses. Entitled Switching to a Better Partner, this columnist outlined her own relationship. After going into counseling herself, to learn something, the therapist told her to bring her spouse. He agreed to go.

“Well,” she said, when it was my turn again, “I have to tell you that a lot of very inadequate men have come through this door and sat in this chair over the years. Your husband is not one of them. Frankly, he is a very mentally healthy man, and a peach of a guy. I think perhaps,” she said, looking hard at me over her glasses, “we should work with you.” He had obviously fooled her.
On the off chance that I could learn something, I decided to give her one more chance to see things my way.
She had work in store for me. “I want you to catch him doing something right, will you, please? Any little thing. And thank him like you mean it.”
Since he was in town all week, I noticed that he helped me clear the dishes, which he’d done every night he was home, but I had just taken it for granted. “Thank you for doing this,” I said to him. “It’s a big help.” He looked startled.
The next night he took us all out to dinner.
I thanked him for bringing in the mail. I thanked him for taking the girls for a walk. Catching him doing something right had a peculiar effect on him. Now and then he actually did the dishes. This went on for several months. Finally, it dawned on my razor-sharp mind that I was changing me. It’s a rule we all know but forget so often: catch someone doing something right, thank the hell out of them, and you will have them in the palm of your hand. This is what teshuvah, returning, is all about. She doesn’t know if the marriage will indeed survive, but it is proof positive you can teach an old dog new tricks.

There are many ways to learn. You can learn in a class. You can learn online. You can learn individually. You can read a book. You can learn experientially by doing, building a sukkah, helping in the kitchen, attending services, etc. You can learn with a partner. We call this a chevruta partner, a friend. We see examples of this in the movie Yentl and even in the Talmud. Perhaps the best example is R. Yohanan and Resh Lakish who were brothers-in-law and study partners, and who debated their conflicting opinions on almost every branch of Talmudic law.

When Resh Lakish died, R. Yohanan was left distraught and bereft. R. Elazar b. Pedat, a great scholar, tried to comfort R. Yohanan by substituting for Resh Lakish as his learning companion. “Every opinion that R. Yohanan would offer, R. Elazar would confirm with a Tannaitic source. R. Yohanan lashed out, ‘You are like the son of Lakish? Previously, whenever I would give an opinion, the son of Lakish would ask 24 questions and I would answer him with 24 responses; in such a fashion, the legal discussion became enlarged and enhanced. But you only provide me with supporting proofs. Don’t I know that my opinions have merit?‘ (B.T. Baba Metzia 84a). I am lucky. I have several such study partners. I count among them my husband, my chevruta partner from e school Rabbi Linda Shriner Cahn and many members of the Greater Lowell Interfaith Leadership Alliance and the GenEx Bible Study Group that have been meeting for some 16 years. Find that person (or two). It will be an enriching, rewarding experience.

In public schools in Massachusetts we have students who have different learning styles on something called an IEP, an Individualized Learning Plan. It helps students, parents and teachers learn in the most optimal ways for that individual child. I think that maybe we as Jews should each have an IEP. What would be on yours? What do you want to learn? Then as we are teaching our children through the new Hebrew curriculum Mitkadem, we fulfill our covenant, our brit to each other as a community. Pirke Avot teaches, “Do not say ‘I will study when I have the time’, for perhaps you will never have time.” (2:5)

We talk about “Teach your children diligently” in the V’ahavta as one of the signs of how we show our love for G-d. It really means to set their teeth on edge. I think that means to excite them, to make them enthusiastic and passionate about Judaism. I think we are doing that here and that is part of our vision of life long learning. But it doesn’t stop there. Life long learning is something we do for ourselves. Learning torah lishma, for its own sake, is one way we enrich our lives and draw closer to G-d. Learning torah lishma is about being role models for our children. Perhaps Dorothy Law Nolte said it best:

If children live with criticism, They learn to condemn.

If children live with hostility,
 They learn to fight.

If children live with ridicule,
 They learn to be shy.

If children live with shame,
 They learn to feel guilty.

If children live with encouragement,
 They learn confidence.

If children live with tolerance, They learn to be patient.

If children live with praise,
 They learn to appreciate.

If children live with acceptance,
 They learn to love.

If children live with approval,
 They learn to like themselves.

If children live with honesty,
 They learn truthfulness.

If children live with security,
 They learn to have faith in themselves and others.

If children live with friendliness,
 They learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

I think this is what we want for our children and for ourselves. If this is your vision come join us and learn together, torah lishma as life long learners. The words of Torah will be sweet on your lips and will make for an even sweeter new year. Ken yehi ratzon.
.

Rosh Hashanah Morning, Day Two 5773

These are the ties that bind. We just read one of the most challenging texts in Torah, the Akeda, the binding of Isaac. Abraham and Isaac went up the mountain together. Isaac questioned Abraham and wondered where the ram for the offering would be. Abraham answered that G-d would provide. They continued up the mountain together and in silence. Eventually Abraham bound Isaac to the wood to be the sacrifice. A very scary story. What kind of father does this to his child? In what can best be described as almost a Greek drama complete with Deus ex machina, G-d stops the action. Isaac is saved. What happens next to Isaac is not clear.

Ties that bind can refer to something else. The word religion means to tie back up into, to bind. It is our opportunity to reconnect with the Divine. To do teshuvah, to return. We are bound to a covenant that God made with the Israelites, with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. A covenant was so strong and legally binding that it involved as a sign of that covenant the cutting of flesh or the sacrifice of an animal.

How many of you as children had a friend who became a blood brother, or a blood sister where you might have made a small cut and pressed the blood together, now bound forever. You would be best friends forever. Ill-advised because of the risk of blood borne illness including AIDS, there are now other similar kinds of ceremonies. I know my daughter had heart necklaces where the heart was broken in half and each friend kept one promising to be Best Friends Forever. The ties that bind.

Here at Congregation Kneseth Israel, we have ties that bind too. We are bound to each other through the friendships that we have developed over time. It is about trust. It is about being a community, about building community, one of the pillars of our vision statement.

How do we do that? How do we build community? We can’t legislate it. It takes time. It is about building trust and having a place that is non-judgmental where people feel safe to express their feelings, their joys, their concerns. A place where people want to celebrate with each other and to mourn when we need to. A place where we raise children together, where we take care of our seniors together. A place where people meet for a casual cup of coffee or a beer over a football game. A place where we volunteer at PADs or Habitat for Humanity or Meals on Wheels. A place where when one member needs help, others pitch in. The ties that bind.

My first weekend in Elgin, we saw that when the shiva luncheon and minyanim were coordinated smoothly and seemingly effortlessly on behalf of the Zemels so that there was one less thing for them to worry about after Sue’s father died and they were traveling back from Louisville. The ties that bind.

We saw it again when the Apples and Honey Oneg magically appeared. Almost magically, but really through the hard work and dedication of a number of people who quietly did what needed to be done behind the scenes so that it seemed seemless. They did it to honor a friend. The ties that bind.

Another example happened at a recent Men’s Club meeting where some additional funds were raised quickly and seemingly painlessly so no child would be denied a Jewish education because of inability to pay. Or when they gave up part of their weekends to paint my office and make sure that I and my family felt welcomed. The ties that bind.

Another example would be what we do with the community pantry and the new garden. People quietly have been dropping off food, placing it anonymously in the pantry in the hall. I even helped one couple unload their car, ruining their anonymity. Others can then take what they need without question. The ties that bind.

Each of these examples ties us more closely to one another and in turn builds community where we want to spend time together, thus deepening the connection and yes, the bonds between people. It also, in the process, you might even say as a by-product, deepens the connection each of us has with the Divine.

All is not perfect in this community. It can’t be. No community ever is. In my own personal community building exercise, as I make my calls to wish every family a shana tova and to introduce myself, the number one complaint I hear is that the congregation is too divisive. There is too much acrimony. People hold onto grudges. People’s feelings have been hurt. People feel they have been bullied.

One member told me about reading a great quote from Rick Warren, the pastor of the Saddleback Church. He couldn’t remember it exactly, but I went back to dig it up. Pastor Warren was speaking about the nation but it applies to this congregation as well. “We don’t know how to disagree without being disagreeable. The fact is, you can — you can walk hand-in-hand without seeing eye-to-eye. And what we need in our country is unity, not uniformity.”

The concerns that have been raised are serious. Something we need to continue to work on. It happens when people are passionate and care deeply. However, we need to be careful not to offend others in the heat of the moment. Not at, dare I say it, at board meetings, not in committee meetings and not in email. Think twice before you hit the send button. It is impossible to get an email back. Just talk to any number of teens who have been cyber-bullied. It is like the story of the feathers. Two women who were gossiping went to the rabbi for advice. He, it is always a he in these old stories, told them to take a pillow to the village square and scatter the feathers. They did that. Then they returned to the rabbi with the empty pillowcase. He told them to go back and gather all the feathers together. “But that’s impossible” they exclaimed. “Exactly,” he said. So it is with words. Once they have been spoken you cannot get them back.” It is a new world. So too with emails, with text messages and social media. Once it is out there it can spread like wildfire, or feathers. The tone or the meaning can be misinterpreted. t in my business life, I had a client who was Japanese working for an American company at is Lyon, France division. We completed the project, went to France to present to senior management and got a lovely email upon our return. They liked the presentation and the recommendations. They were glad that we made the effort to get to France. It was not going through channels. Wait! The first part of the email all complimentary did not go with the second half. Not going through channels? My boss and I puzzled over this for a day. It turned out it was a typo. It was only one letter off. It should have read “It is now going through channels.” One letter and a world of meanings a world apart.

Maybe I took too much Latin in high school but bear with me. The etymology of community comes from the Latin but it is not entirely clear. Com means with. Munus means gift or an exchange that links. It is related to moenia, walls or things that bind us together. That can include the duties and responsibilities. Being in a community is a responsibility. Those mutual responsibilities are what bind us together, whether within the actual walls or beyond. Communis means common, public, shared by many. It means being together as one. It means being in communion with one another so that people are not alone. So community is a gift we give one another. The ties that bind us together. It is a group of people who welcome and honor each other’s gifts and share our gifts mutually. The difference between those two roots, the letters u and i. You and I together make a community. The ties that bind.

The Israelites when they were building the mishkan, the portable tabernacle in the wilderness were asked to bring gifts each according to their skills and abilities, whosoever heart moved them to do so, both men and women specifically. There follows a list of what was needed. Gold, copper, silver, blue, purple, and crimson yarn, fine linen, goats’ hair, tanned ram skins, wood, oil, incense, fine stones like lapis luzi. And the one that surprises kids every year, dolphin skins, in the desert! Not much different from the prayer we say every Shabbat that we need people who supply the funds for heat and light and warmth and wine for Kiddush. We need so much more as a community. Debbie Friedman of blessed memory wrote a song about this.

These are the gifts that we bring
That we may build a holy place.

This is the spirit that we bring

That we may build a holy place.

We will bring all the goodness
That comes from our hearts

And the spirit of God will dwell within…..
These are the colors of our dreams

We bring to make a holy place.

This is the weaving of our lives

We bring to make a holy place.

We will bring all the goodness

That comes from our hearts

And the spirit of love will dwell within…..
These are the prayers that we bring
That we may make a holy place.

These are the visions that we seek
That we may build this holy place.

Let our promise forever be strong,
Let our souls rise together in song,

That the spirit of God
and the spirit of love,
Shechinah,

Will dwell within.

This is what we are doing here. Building a holy place. Building community. Our challenge this Rosh Hashanah is to find ways to continue to build this holy place, this community. Rosh Hashanah is about making amends. It is about teshuvah, about repenting, about returning, about coming back. We are taught that for transgressions done between a person and the Divine, the Day of Atonement atones. However, for transgressions between one person and another, the Day of Atonement atones, only if the first one appeases the other. If you think you might have offended someone pick up the phone and call. Send an email. Meet for coffee. It’s not too late. Whether this is a blood brother, a friend, a parent, a sibling, a child. Whether this is fellow congregant. Life is short. Too short sometimes. Abraham went back down the mountain. In the next parsha, Sarah dies. Abraham buries Sarah, finds a wife for Isaac and then he too dies. He died alone. Without the ties that bind. Without community. Without friends and family. Without Isaac and Ishmael with whom he never repaired the relationships. Isaac and Ishmael come back together again in order to bury their father only after he dies. But Abraham died alone. This Rosh Hashanah reach out and help create the ties that bind, this generation and into the next. Then it will be a sweet and a good new year. Ken yehi ratzon.

Last night I had a blog post about Rosh Hashanah published by Mayan Tikvah and posted as well on Jewish Boston and Jewcology. Enjoy and find your own version of Ogunquit’s Marginal Way as part of your own preparation.

www.mayantikvah.blogspot.com. It is also on Jewishboston.com and Jewcology.com.

Yesterday was “Turn over day” at Congregation Kneseth Israel. Volunteers arrived to change the linens in the sanctuary to white, to open up the doors wide, to change the books from regular Shabbat prayerbooks to High Holiday machzorim and to polish the silver. By the end of the morning, the place gleamed. It is ready for the high holy days. It was a hub of activity. And it was good.
The night before, Saturday night after Shabbat was over, we gathered for Slichot. This is my favorite service of the year. It is the chance that I get to take to really daven, to pray and to say that I am sorry. To those I may have hurt during the year or even that evening, to myself and to God. It is a chance to go deep. The words of the slichot service and the music of the high holidays that get reintroduced that evening never fail to move me. It is its own “turn over day.” Saturday night was no exception.
Turn over. Turn back. Turn. Return. That is what Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is about. Whether it is a physical turn over or a spiritual one it is about turning over a new leaf and beginning again. It is part of how we prepare and how we do teshuvah. There is a lovely song for the High Holidays that seems particularly apt sung by Neshama Carlebach: http://www.neshamah.net/2009/08/return-again-neshama-carlebach.html

“Return again, return again
Return to the land of your soul
Return to who you are
Return to what you are
Return to where you are
Born and reborn again”

How do you return? How do

This is the sermon I gave at Congregation Kneseth Israel this past Shabbat.

An Ode to Simon Klein on Labor Day Weekend

Take a deep breath. Go ahead. It is Shabbat. An opportunity to cease working. And pause. Congratulations. You are some of the few who chosen to spend part of the long weekend to be in shul today. Today is Labor Day Weekend, a weekend set aside to remember our workers and to work for worker’s rights. These are not new concepts nor are they antithetical to Judaism. In fact, labor relations starts right in the Torah and is included in this week’s parsha.

The idea of Shabbat that we learn about in the 10 Commandments, is a labor law. We are given two reasons in the Kiddush that Shabbat is holy, set apart. To remember that G-d ceased creating on Shabbat and to remember the Exodus from Egypt which allowed us time to worship, to serve G-d as free people. Slaves do not get to rest. The 5th commandment tells us that everyone in our community should rest, us, our children, our man servants and maidservants, even our animals. Everyone is entitled to this pause.

It was a radical concept. It is one many of us in this 24×7 culture have fallen away from. The Massachusetts Council of Churches has had a campaign for several years now entitled, Take Back Your Time which argues that every worker deserves some Sabbath time. They found in a Gallup poll that 79% of Americans say that Sunday is their favorite day of the week becomes it affords the opportunity to hibernate, read the Sunday paper, do a cross word puzzle, watch a football game, visit with friends. It is a change to relax and kick back. To be free to do what you want and not be on someone else’s schedule. This pause, it turns out, is necessary to being a productive member of society, a productive worker. G-d and the Israelites knew that thousands of years ago.

Perhaps Rabbi Akiva was the first labor organizer. According to the Talmud, he argued with the Roman governor of Israel to preserve Shabbat. The Romans, like the Greeks, could not appreciate the concept of Sabbath in which you would allow all of your slaves a “day off” of labor. How could giving people 1/7 of their time off be productive?

“What makes this day different than any other day?” the Roman Governor Turnusrufus asked Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva responded: “What makes you, different than any other person?” The governor answered, “The Emperor has so willed. He bestowed upon me special honor.” “And the Emperor of the world, has chosen this day, as a unique and holy day, bestowing upon it special honor.” Sanhedrin 65b

Perhaps Akiva had learned this courage from his teacher Joshua ben Chanina. Once the Emperor himself visited Rabbi Joshua ben Chanina Yehoshua on Shabbat and found the food to be exceptionally good. In explanation the sage told him that there is a special spice – “Sh-b-t” – which gives the Shabbat food its special flavor. When Rabbi Yehoshua was asked to give some to the emperor, he replied that the spice only works for one who observes Shabbat (Shabbat 119a). The emperor ordered that everyone should observe Shabbat.

Ahad Ha’am, the Zionist thinker said “Just as Israel kept the Sabbath so too has the Sabbath kept Israel.” Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “The Sabbath is a reminder of the two worlds–this world and the world to come; it is an example of both worlds. For the Sabbath is joy, holiness, and rest; joy is part of this world; holiness and rest are something of the world to come.” It is a foretaste of the world to come. Even Tevye gets into the act with his wisdom. “If I were rich I’d have the time that I’d lack to sit in the synagogue and pray and maybe have a sweet by the eastern wall. I ‘d discuss the holy books with the learned men 7 hours every day. That would be the sweetest gift of all. Ah…

So how does this relate to today’s Torah portion. In two critical ways. Today’s parsha, in its full reading has more mitzvoth than any other single parsha. 74 to be precise. They range in content, from ethical behavior—how we treat one another to spiritual behavior, how we are to treat G-d. Many of them are put in the context of “Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and that the Lord your G-d redeemed you from there; therefore do I enjoin you to observe this commandment.” These include a lot of mitzvoth to take care of the widow, the orphan and the stranger. In fact we are not allowed to abhor an Edomite or an Egyptian, despite their sins against us and “Children born to them may be admitted into the congregation of the Lord in the third generation.” The sins of the parents are not transferred onto the children and children’s children. Important to keep in mind both as we approach the High Holy Days and for our Keruv committee. We are told here that we cannot deduct interest from loans to our countrymen, whether in money or food or anything that can be deducted as interest. And the verse that follows this morning’s triennial reading is perhaps the strongest example of how to treat workers. “You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger in one of the communities of your land. You must pay him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets, for he is needy and urgently depends on it; else he will cry out to the Lord against you and you will incur guilt.”

Rabbi Jill Jacobs , now Executive Director of Rabbis for Human Rights, North America and the author of There Shall Be No Needy: Pursuing Social Justice through Jewish Law and Tradition and Where Justice Dwells: A Hands-On Guide to Doing Social Justice in Your Jewish Community wrote a teshuva for the Conservative Movement’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards that was approved in 2010 entitled the Living Wage Teshuvah. Teshuvah as we know at this season of preparation means return or repentance. It is about fixing mistakes by returning as she says to the path of G-d. This teshuvah, or answer or responsa requires that Jewish employers treat their workers with dignity and respect. It includes refraining from yelling at or embarrassing employees. It means that employees are paid a living wage. A living wage is defined as one sufficient for a person to afford food, housing, transportation, child care, etc. The amount of that wage is based on costs related to living in a specific town. Boston, New York, Los Angeles will have a higher living wage than Grand Rapids or Elgin. A living wage is considered to be at least 80% of the median income for that area. A living wage is higher than minimum wage. Not many people can make ends meet on minimum wage. The primary objective of the Living Wage is to prevent people from having to live below the poverty line despite working 40 or more hours each week. In addition—and directly related to today’s parsha, employers must pay employees money due on a timely basis! Employees have to provide appropriate safety equipment and training and not allow exposure to dangerous conditions. Finally employers are obligated to allow their workers to make independent decisions regarding unionization.

This is the Conservative Movement—based on today’s Torah portion. Labor Day was declared a public holiday first in 1894. Workers had not much to celebrate. There was an economic depression and a growing concentration of corporate wealth and power. Unions were being seen as the source of economic woes. A national railroad strike led to the firing of workers who dared to speak up leaving more than 30 workers dead and the strike leader, Eugene Victor Debs in jail. When I read this I wasn’t sure if I was reading American history or American current events. Jews were at the vanguard of the Labor Movement. The Jewish immigrants and children of immigrants. An injury to one worker was an injury to all. Collective bargaining made sense rather than dividing working people to an every man for himself. It was about building community. The labor movement helped in turn to build the middle class. Today you will hear arguments about how the labor movement is the cause for the ruin of our economy or individual businesses such as GM. That a unionized workforce is too expensive to be competitive. Or that the Chicago teachers who may strike next week do not have the interest of the children at heart.

This Labor Day, workers are again facing tough times. There is consistent unemployment and underemployment and that concentration of wealth and economic power not seen since the 19th century. Many American households are one paycheck away from homelessness. We argue that workers do not have the right to organize or to collective bargaining. Just look at what has happened in our neighboring states of Wisconsin and Indiana. The Jewish community is not immune to these hardships. We have members who are unemployed and underemployed. I know Jews in Boston who have lost their homes to foreclosure.

Do you remember the commercials, “What can brown do for you.” It was for UPS, a unionized shop. My husband who is retiring from UPS, on Tuesday, the day after Labor Day, to join us here in Elgin, is a teamster. They protected his job when one of his managers thought he should quit after the trial period. They provide us with health insurance, amongst the best in the country. They are providing a pension and some retiree health benefits. And they provide a steady job with meaningful community that helped improve his self-esteem after a series of high tech layoffs. That’s what Brown did for us. While I was aware of the history of American Jews in the labor movement having learned about it proudly in Religious School; I hadn’t seen it in action. That moment when they saved Simon’s job was amazing. Are unions perfect? No. They need to make concessions too. But the principle behind them is based on these very basic Jewish values.

Steven Applebaum, the president of the Jewish Labor Council points out that the growing inequality has coincided with organized labor’s decline. Union membership is down to under 12%, the lowest in 70 years. He says that in poll after poll a majority of nonunion workers say they would like to join a union if they could but hostility of some employers and state and local governments has prevented them from organizing.

How we treat workers, all workers, even the strangers among us is very much a Jewish ideal, a value, a mitzvah. And it begins with Shabbat. So take that breath. Enjoy one last barbecue of the summer. Kick back and relax. Watch a football game. Take a nap. And remember, Shabbat is a sign between the people of Israel and G-d because we were once slaves. It is a gift. We are obligated to protect that gift and take care of our workers so that all us have the freedom of leisure. Ken yehi ratzon.

My second sermon in Elgin. August 25, 2012

Today I stand before you and I am tired. Not because of the usual reasons you might think. Not starting a new job or not having internet until yesterday or not finding the fish for dinner last night at the first store or having the moving truck come and still not finding the sheets for the master bedroom. No I stand before you today having wrestled and worried all week about what I could say to you that would be cogent about the week’s events. This was a hard week for women everywhere and a hard week for me personally. This will be a hard sermon for some.

Today’s portion is one of my favorites. There is so much that is important to me. It also happens to be my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah portion. It includes the rules for establishing fair courts, which is the actual basis for the law that some of you practice and one of my favorite verses. Tzedek, Tzedek tirdorf. Justice, Justice shall you pursue. It also includes the rules for making war—when it is necessary. But we don’t read either of those sections this morning on a triennial selection.

Today’s paraha is sandwiched between those two big ideas. Is also about justice. It is part of Moses’s farewell address while he is preparing the Israelites to enter the land of Israel without him. He is continuing his teaching about values and ethics and what matters to the Israelites most as they set up a Utopian society, a G-dly society. We too are at a transition moment full of preparing as we get ready to enter the new year.

Today’s parsha deals with setting up sanctuary cities where an individual can flee if being pursued by a blood avenger so that the matter can be straightened out by the courts. Death penalty was only enacted in cases of intentional murder—and in fact was rarely if ever enacted. That is also a topic for another day.

Today’s parsha also talks about the need for two witnesses to testify so that no one is convicted on the basis of false testimony. If someone does testifies falsely, that person is to receive the same punishment that the accused would have received if convicted on this testimony.

It is in this context that this parsha reiterates the concept of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth that we first learned about in Exodus 21. This verse has been quoted and misquoted for generations.

The sages, including Rambam and Rashi, taught that an eye for an eye does not mean that one would lose an eye for injuring an eye. Instead they consistently teach that the intent here was to establish monetary damages. The value of an eye for an eye. The value of a tooth for a tooth. This was actually a limit to the damages that an injured party was entitled to. The value of an eye and no more. The value of a tooth and no more. The value of a single life and no more. Now putting a value on that life, I will leave to people like Ken Feinberg who had the horrible task of trying to figure out how to distribute the 911 Victim’s Compensation Fund or people like our own Paul who deal with these issues at the appellate level all day every day.

Some people argued that the rabbis’ interpretation directly contradicted the plain meaning of the Torah verse. Doesn’t the text mean that if a person loses an eye than he gets to take out the eye of the person who did it? Or if a person is killed, his family gets to kill the murderer? Ibn Ezra the Spanish commentator at the end of the 11th century uses this verse to teach us that we need to agree with the rabbi’s interpretation. “IF we do not trust the Sages interpretation, we will be unable to understand the Torah’s demands. Just as we received the written Torah from our ancestors, so did we receive its oral interpretation. The two are inseparable.” Interesting teaching coming after last week’s Torah portion when Moses taught that nothing was supposed to be added or subtracted and very important for this congregation to keep in mind—Judaism has always been in flux. It has always been evolving. It continues to do so. It is our job to find the modern meaning and relevance sometimes hidden in the text.

For me then, perhaps the most interesting learning from this verse was the idea that it is from this very verse that the Sages derived the ruling that a fetus is not a full-fledged human being and that the life of the mother takes precedence over the life of the fetus. (Mishnah Oholot 7:6)

While I don’t want to turn this into a political speech, Judaism allows abortion, because our definition of when life begins is different. Judaism teaches that a fetus is not a human until halfway out the birth canal. Life does not begin at conception. So Mishnah Ohalot from the second century teaches us that it the woman’s labor becomes life threatening, the one to be born is dismembered…for her life comes before. Rambam added to this in the 12th century saying that abortion is permissible for it is like an assailant pursuing her in order to kill her. (Mishenh Torah)

In the late 11th century we were taught by Rashi that “As long as it did not come out into the world, it is not called a living thing and it is permissible to take its life in order to save its mother. Once the head has come forth, it may not he harmed because it is considered born.

The physical life of the mother is not the only reason that abortion is allowed for Jews. In Sh’eilat Yavetz, Rabbi Jacob Emden ruled that “Even if the mother’s life is not in jeopardy, but only so as to save her from an evil associated with it that would cause her great pain…I hereby state my humble opinion that it is permitted perhaps even worthy of being regarded as a mitzvah.”

Like the Israelites I stand here today before you as a witness and a voice. This has been a hard week for women. It has been a hard week for me personally. I cannot ignore the news of the day. That is about pursuing justice. There has been lots of rhetoric around legitimate and illegitimate rape. It has been painful to read some of the discussion. The statistics don’t lie. One in four women in this country is sexually assaulted or experiences domestic violence in their life times. The numbers are the same for the Jewish community. That means there are probably people in this room who are survivors.

In 1983 I was trained as a rape and domestic violence counselor and served on hotlines. I wrote part of my rabbinic thesis on this topic and most recently served on the Boston Jewish Domestic Violence Coalition. Let me be clear. There is no such thing as legitimate and illegitimate rape. Rape is rape. Our bodies don’t distinguish not can our bodies prevent pregnancy in the case of rape. The rhetoric on TV, on the radio and social media has been very painful to read, maybe even for some of us in this very room, maybe even someone sitting next to you. For some women as Eve Ensler pointed out on Huffington Post, it can be a form of re-rape since it can be so triggering.

This is beyond politics. . is not a Republican or a Democratic issue. It is a Jewish issue. It is a Jewish issue in this country when our politicians presume that they understand religion and what we believe, that they know what the Bible says and speak for all of us. When you interviewed me I was asked an abortion question. I have just outlined when and how abortion is permissible in Judaism. It should not be the first choice. It should only be done with much consideration and counsel. But it is permissible, in cases to preserve the mother’s life, or if the birth would cause the woman pain—that includes emotional pain which could include rape. It is a very serious decision, not to be made lightly. It would not be my first choice, but I would fight to preserve that right so that those who need it can have access to appropriate medical care.. I am pleased that this congregation supports the Crisis Center so ably run by our own Maureen. I am pleased that we have the Shalva posters in our bathrooms. I am saddened that we need to. And even more saddened that some of them are missing all of their tear off sheets, suggesting that maybe someone here has that problem. If you need to talk to someone come find me.

And I stand here today to give voice to another issue. In the very week where we talk about pursuing justice, at the very same time I was standing on this very bimah in my tallit that I earned with ordination, other women were being arrested in Israel for wearing theirs. The Ha’aretz article covering these arrests was entitled “Be a Woman and Shut Up”. I am sorry. I cannot shut up. Not on this topic. I have supported Women of the Wall since its inception in 1983. The video of Israeli police arresting other Israeli women who want to daven and express their Judaism is shocking. It is shocking and it is sad and troubling. They were detained for nearly 24 hours, prohibited from coming in contact with the Western Wall for 50 days—throughout the High Holidays and charged with being a danger to the public peace. If convicted, they could serve a half year in jail. For practicing their Judaism. Remember, I said earlier that Judaism has been constantly evolving. Wearing Talitot is not new. In fact in the Talmud women wore tallitot and tefilin. Rashi’s daughters wore tefilin. Something, in my opinion has gone terribly, terribly wrong in someone’s interpretation of the Torah and the Talmud. It is our job to speak up loudly, clearly and firmly and say we disagree, to pursue justice.

It was a very hard week. Today I stand here and am a witness and a voice for people who may feel they have no voice. We are continuing to prepare for the high holidays, preparing to enter the new year. Join with me and speak up so that no woman and no man has to live in fear. Ken yehi ratzon.

Hineini. I am here. Today I stand before you humbled. You have chosen me to be your rabbi. It is a humbling feeling. I pray that I am worthy of your respect.

Today is Rosh Hodesh Elul. A mere month to Rosh Hashanah, the Rosh Hodesh of Rosh Hodeshes, the head of the year. Now I am beginning to think that G0d has a sense of humor. The last time that I gave a d’var Torah here, back in March, it was Rosh Hodesh Nisan, just before Passover. Both are about preparing. Both are about a new year. Passover is the anniversary of the exodus from Egypt, and about spring, rebirth, renewal and a new agricultural planning. Nisan has come to be about preparing our homes and ridding them of hamatz. It is physically demanding. And while people have tried to write a spiritual layer into it about how ridding ourselves of hamatz is like getting rid of the puffed upness, tell that to someone who is in the middle of moving the refrigerator to clean under it or up in the attic trying to bring down the Passover dishes. Moving to Elgin has seemed like Passover cleaning on steroids. It was physically demanding and exhausting. I am looking forward to a Shabbat afternoon nap. But there were special moments along the way. For instance when we were drivng here this week we saw an Elgin truck and the Elgin furniture company somewhere along Interstate 90. That made this move seem beshert, destined. Even more so through this process people have done such very nice things for the Kleins, old, long time friends in Chelmsford and new friends here in Elgin.

Today is Rosh Hodesh Elul, again about preparing. This preparation is more of a spiritual preparation so that we are ready to meet the new year. It is one of reviewing the past year and committing to make changes in the new. It is about doing “teshuva”, repentance, returning. It is about repairing relationships, with ourselves, with our friends, famly and community and with G-d. It too is hard work and that is why the calendar gives us 40 days until Yom Kippur. We’ll talk more about this in the weeks to come.

Today our Torah portion comes from Deuteronomy. This is Moses’s farewell address. He knows he is not going into the Promised Land and he is recapping what the Israelites have to do. It outlines the covenant between the Israelites and G-d. A covenant is a contract. If you do X then I will do Y. If the Israelites do X then G-d will be their G-d, go with them, give them rest, protect them, bring them rain in its season, and bring them into the land of Israel that G-d promised to their ancestors Abraham Isaac and Jacob.to

Today’s parsha teaches us that we should not add anything to the law nor subtract from it. This is a congregation that through its visioning process is a congregation in transition. Some members are excited about this process and some are worried. Where is the rock that they have stood on for so many years, even for thousands of years. This parsha reprises all of the laws of kashrut, something this congregation has reaffirmed as part of its vision process. This rabbi has not come to town to change all that, but rather to build on the solid foundation that is already here.

Hiring a rabbi is a lot like having a covenant. A covenant is like a contract, legally binding. If you do X then I will do Y. The nitty gritty of that is in the formal contract, elegantly negotiated by Malcolm, Mark and Dale. But there is more to a rabbi’s contract than the financial terms and job descriptions.

So here is my proposed covenant with Congregation Kneseth Israel.
If
I promise:
To be patient and compassionate. To be slow to anger.
To approach the task of being a rabbi with joy and enthusiasm.
To laugh at my mistakes and have a sense of humor
To be present. To listen attentively
To guide you and meet people where they are
I promise to make halachic decisions carefully and thoughtfully with the knowledge and understanding of 5000 years of tradition
I promise to continue to learn
I promise to create, together with you a place where people feel welcomed, a safe non-judgmental space where people can explore their Judaism in all of its myriad facets
I promise to be visible to the Elgin community and to promote Congregation Kneseth Israel, to be a good role model for our kids
I promise to teach and to learn, to preach and lead discussions that are meaningful and enable us all to grown.
I promise to do Tikkun Olam, gathering the sparks together, in myself, with our community and the wider world so that the world will be a better place.

What I want from you is similar
To listen openly, attentively and honestly
To laugh at my mistakes and help me correct them
To be patient, especially as I and my family settle in
To create community where people feel welcomed, cared for and loved in a safe, non-judgmental space.
To become life long learners
To create meaningful observance, rituals and celebrations
To be willing to share deeply from yourselves to enrich all of us emotionally, spiritually and physically.

Then we will have created a partnership, a covenant, like G-d and the people of Israel.

Will there be glitches along the way? Probably. We are all human. I promise to try and resolve misunderstandings quickly so that feelings don’t fester. I promise to own my mistakes and apologize when necessary. I promise to

The words of the Hininini prayer that our cantorial soloist will sing in just a short month are particularly apt today. This is Rabbi Rachel Barenblatt, the Velveteen Rabbi’s translation with my emendations.

Here I stand painfully aware of my flaws 
quaking in my shoes and in my heart.
I’m here on behalf of this holy kahal, congregation, assembly of kneseth Israel 
even though the part of me that’s quick to judge myself says I’m not worthy to lead them.
All creation was nurtured 
in Your compassionate womb! God of our ancestors, help me as I call upon your mercy.
Don’t blame this community for the places where I miss the mark in my actions or my heart, in my thoughts or in our davening.
Each of us is responsible for her own teshuvah. Help us remember that 
without recriminations.
Accept my prayer
as though I were exactly the leader
this community needs in this moment, as though my voice never faltered.
Free me from my own baggage
that might get in the way.
See us through the rose-colored glasses
of Your mercy.
Transform our suffering into gladness.
Dear One, may my prayer reach You
wherever You are
for Your name’s sake.
All praise is due to You, Dear One
Who hears the prayers of our hearts

May it be so and may this be a season of growth, renewal, smooth transitions, reconciliations and teshuva. Then when we enter the new year in a month it will indeed be a sweet new year for each of us and for the community.
Ken yehi ratzon.

I am very grateful. Relieved. We rented a house this weekend in our new community. It is light, bright, airy. It had everything we wanted, and then some. It is in safe neighborhood with nice neighbors. It has a backyard that abuts wetlands. It is very pretty. It wasn’t easy to find this gem. What this means is we are very fortunate, probably even lucky. We are in better shape than most people in the world. Continue reading →