All in the Family



As we make our way through the book of Genesis Abraham comes to the center of the stage. We are told about his great faith, his amazing trust in an unseen and unnamed God, and his zeal to spread the message of monotheism in a world not yet ready for the truth.
While most commentators, rabbis, and teachers focus on the spiritual attainments of Abraham, I think we do our ancestors a disservice if we do not look at his story from a very human viewpoint. Abraham was a rebel and a free-thinker! To his contemporaries Abraham was positing ideas that went against the status-quo. He was teaching revolutionary ideas that countered everything that any of his listeners had been taught. We never think of Abraham in those terms- we tend to think of a kindly older man, maybe a grandfather type, who is urging people to do the right thing. We hardly ever see the real struggle that he faced as a proponent of a revolutionary new way of looking at the world. Abraham was a real hero but a hero who was little appreciated in his own time. He displayed a daring bravery to speak the truth in an age in which people had become all-too-accustomed to believing in the lies and myths of the past.
As Jews we take pride in being the descendants of Abraham. We boldly assert that we, the people of Abraham, have taught the world that there is only one God. We take pride in tracing the source of our religion back to a man who was but a single voice for truth. I would ask you to consider making another bold assumption about your “yichus” to Abraham.
If Abraham were alive today he would be considered the most politically-incorrect person alive. He would state what he believed without the fear that he would offend someone else and without the need to “qualify” his values and opinions. No, he would not try to offend other people or to detract or demean their beliefs but he would have no hesitation in standing for what he thought was right. Most of all he would never feel the need to apologize for his beliefs. If only we could have a little of his spirit now!
Very few of us will live up to that connection to Abraham. Far too many of us are afraid to say what we really think because we are afraid that it might be unpopular. The world we live in today seems to be one that discourages belief in anything- anything and everything is “fine.” You mind your business and I will take care of mine. Do realize that if you said “I am proud to be a Jew” some would accuse you of being ethnocentric or bigoted or worse. God forbid we should encounter someone who offers a value judgment concerning right and wrong. Such a person instantly becomes a pariah, a snob, a “hater.”
Abraham did make it possible for our people to be moral teachers, to teach about one God, and to teach that even God is subject to an absolute sense of morality and justice. Abraham also still challenges us by example- we fall short of that example any time that we do not speak up for our beliefs, any time we hesitate to speak because we are worried about what is “popular.” Find your voice- find your “inner Abraham.”

Each in His Own Way
This week we observe Yom Kippur- a day of fasting and prayer, a day of fresh beginnings. I share with you a story that gives an insight into the potential that each of us harbors. On Yom Kippur we can harness that potential or ignore it for another year.
The rabbi noticed a man in the back of the synagogue who was crying. While the rest of the congregation stood dutifully intoning the holiday prayers, this man stood silent except for the faint sound of his weeping. Hoping to console him the rabbi made his way back to him to inquire why he wept. The man told his story: “Everyone else has come to pray to the Almighty. They recite the holy words of our ancestors and God hears their prayer. I cry because I am a simple farmer. I never learned to read. All I know is to recite the Aleph-Bet. Surely God will not answer my prayer.”The rabbi responded: “Your sincere tears are prayer enough for God to hear. You may worship God by reciting the Aleph-Bet. That is your special way to petition your Creator.”
This is an important lesson to learn for Yom Kippur. We can fall into the trap of thinking that everything we do has to be judged in comparison to others. We may be a part of a congregation reciting communal prayers but only we know what is in our hearts. The man in the story mistakenly thought that only formal prayer was worthy of God’s attention. His simple recitation was as precious as the prayer of the most gifted Cantor. God allows each of us to be a unique individual. Doesn’t make sense that each of us might have a special, individual way to worship Him? No matter how you are able to address God the simple fact of wanting to address Him is the essence.
Although Yom Kippur is a “community” holiday, it is perhaps the most personal and intimate of the holidays. We all ask for forgiveness but only you know why you are asking. We all ask for long life but only I know what I hope to do with the years I am given. We all say we will do better but that phrase means something different to each of us.
In Hebrew we call worship “avodah,” a word that means service or, in modern Hebrew, work. If we truly want to worship God we do so through service. Very often we best serve God by serving our fellow human beings. Like all aspects of worship, that service may be something different for each of us. In the year ahead you may be presented with many opportunities to live up to the words you recite on Yom Kippur. Whether you are fluent in Hebrew or can only recite the Aleph-Bet God hears and heeds the petitions you place before Him. What he asks in return is that you find your unique way to serve Him in return. That is the real potential for the year ahead- to find that unique talent or gift that God has given each of us and put it to use in creating a world that is a little bit more like Yom Kippur- all of us working toward the same goal.

Celebrating a Labor-less Day

This year everyone will be saying that Rosh HaShanna “came early.” Of course if you look at the Jewish calendar you will see that Rosh HaShannah came just when it should. The idea of “early and late” comes from our reference to the civil calendar that we use every day. This year our sense of “early” is also due to the fact that Rosh HaShannah comes right after Labor Day. (Oy, so early!) Let’s take a look at what Labor Day can teach us about celebrating Rosh HaShannah.
Labor Day is a day to honor those who work hard- we do so by giving them (and ourselves) a day off from working! Well, how would we honor labor, by making everyone work harder? Jewish holidays are like Labor Day- we mark the cycle of work and accomplishment by a day of rest. It is a good reminder that the best part of the ride is taking the time to get off the rollercoaster and watch it go by. Just as Labor Day comes once a year so does Rosh HaShannah- it is an annual event that gives us the chance to “hop off the train” and catch our breath. It is both the anniversary of the creation of the world and the creation of humanity. Rosh HaShannah marks the creation of the raw materials and the creation of man who, through creativity and labor, was given the task of bringing all the raw material to its full potential.
I have always wished that I had more creative ability- I am always amazed by artists who can paint a beautiful picture guided only by the vision they see in their mind. I have always wondered how an artist knows that a painting is “done.” How do you know when the last brush stroke has been made? When to stop mixing colors in search of just the right shade? When is that “ah-ha” moment when the picture is done and the artist can stand back and appreciate his own work?
Those questions are the ones that confront us on Labor Day and Rosh HaShannah. When do we know that our efforts are complete? When can we stand back and say that we have attended to every detail? For some projects it’s an easy question- if you are painting a house it is pretty easy to know when every wall has been painted. It’s a much harder question to know when the task of turning a house into a “home” is completed.
In each of our lives we are called upon to perform many tasks- some of which, we can, on those “labor-less” days, stand back and say “job well done.” There are other tasks (usually the more important ones) that have no end. On “labor-less” days we can only stand back and look at the progress that we have made.
Rosh HaShannah is such a day- we celebrate creation- an on- going process- we pause from our labor to see how we are doing as God’s partners. Rosh HaShannah is also a day on which we pause to look at the efforts we have made in the tasks that will never be completed- self-betterment and the painting of our personal masterpiece.

A Call To Heal

With this special issue of the Journal we are reminded of the many lives that have been impacted by Breast Cancer. We are reminded of stories of loss as well as stories of triumph. More and more women are now comfortable sharing their stories- the more we know the more we can join together to take steps to see that healing comes to all in need.
It is ironic that as I scan today’s news I am reminded of the inability of our leaders to reach a workable solution to the health care question- at a time in which public awareness has grown like never before we still face the same debate- how do we provide medical care for all of the people in our country. I have no magic answers but I do have faith that there is some solution that will work.
I think it would be hard to find someone who has not been impacted by the sufferings caused by Breast Cancer- all of us have family members, friends, and loved ones who have been plagued by a disease that has become all too common. This special issue of the Journal should spark a common reaction among all of us- “What can I do?” We put our faith in doctors, we try every form of treatment, and we still feel like we are not doing enough. There is nothing worse than seeing someone we love suffer and feeling powerless to help.
One thing we can all do is very tangible and will help everyone- let’s put politics aside. We already know that “business as usual” has crippled our nation. Whether you are on the right or the left you cannot ignore the truth- there has to be some way to insure (no pun intended) that all people can receive the medical treatment that they need. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is the right time for all of us to focus on the needs of those who need healing. No one would disagree but no one has answered the call.
Judaism places an absolute value on every human life. You may have heard the phrase “He who saves a single life has saved the entire world.” Those words were never more meaningful than at this very moment. We now have the science and treatments to heal many diseases. We are growing closer to being able to eradicate more diseases but, at the same moment, we are locked in a battle about how to accomplish these goals. Yes, it is complicated. Yes, it is expensive. Yes, it has brought our government to a total standstill. None of these facts mean that it can’t be done. What would you do to restore health to someone you love? Anything it takes? That’s what our leaders need to do.
If your life has been touched by Breast Cancer you know that it is not an abstraction- it is as real as real can be. It is the nightmare diagnosis that we all fear to hear. Let’s use what we have learned about the power of public awareness and public advocacy to a larger arena. The chances are that most of us will, at some point, need serious health care. We can’t allow that care to be beyond the reach of some of our people. Our government can’t figure out how to do this but I believe that, working together, we can.