There is a folk song that has been sung at
many a summer camp and youth group event over the last century in our country
and, perhaps, in other places around the world as well. The earliest sheet music for the song bore
the title, "Come by here." It
was asking God to come by, to be present, at times when we face trouble and
challenge, at the times when we lift our hearts and voices in prayer. This song invoked divine help or, at least,
the support of a community that, in its core beliefs, acknowledged the oneness
of humanity and the unity of creation.
At Temple Beth-El, and in Jewish communities around the world, we do, in
fact, ask God to "come by here," or we recognize that God is here,
when we recite the Shema, when we read from the Torah, when we seek to generate
healing in the Mi Shebeirach prayer, and when we ask God to "grant us
peace." That sentiment is embodied
in the inclusion of Psalm 23, "The Eternal One is my shepherd," in a
funeral service. It is reflected in our
Rosh Hashanah worship and at a shivah minyan when we read Psalm 121, "I
lift my eyes to the mountains. What is the source of my help? My help comes from the Eternal One, maker of
heaven and earth." The folk song
"Come by here," when referred to by its more popular title, is most
often associated with expressions of doubt and skepticism about the prospect of
people in conflict finding a way to resolve their differences. "Come by here" is not the title with
which we are most familiar. It seems
that former slaves who lived on the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina
and Georgia spoke a creole dialect called Gullah. The phrase "Come by here"
translates in that language to "Kum bah yah." Sadly, the most common citations about this
song these days relate to two countries engaged in frustrating and nearly
fruitless peace talks. Even in recent
months, some negotiators and world leaders have been known to say, "Well
it's not like the two sides are going to get together, hold hands, and sing Kum
Bah Yah."
That is what happens we forget about the song's direct request for God's
presence and help, showing an awareness of higher purposes at work in our lives. When it comes to asking for God to be with
us, or for community members to be present for one another, nothing matters but
that higher purpose. Disagreements,
ideological conflict, past disputes, and present enmities should be secondary
to our need for God’s care and for communal support. What
does matter most is the commitment to be part of a community that enables each
of us to find meaning and purpose in our lives. Part of that goal is the desire that God, in
some way, would “come by here” so that we won't be afraid of taking the next
steps in our life's journey. The last
verse of Adon Olam declares, "Into Your hands, God, I commend my spirit,
both when I sleep and when I wake; and with my soul, my body as well, You,
Eternal God, are for me and with me, I will not be afraid." Embedded in our tradition is that confidence
that we can live and not be afraid. Hopefully, that is part of what we do at
Temple Beth-El: be present for each other as we push away our fear and offer
respect and support without hesitation or condition. It may be that, simply,
through discussion and learning about our tradition and its central teachings,
we can let go of some of our apprehensions about daily living and gain
confidence to move forward with each new day.
It may be through putting God's teachings into action in the greater
community, working for justice, reflecting God's mercy and compassion, and
doing loving deeds - G'MILUT CHASADIM - that we can transform our fear into
optimism, into a feeling of partnership, and into a sense that God HAS come by
here to walk by our side. Or it may be that, by joining our voices
together in prayer and song, we overcome fear because, no matter what else is
going on in our lives, we don't feel alone anymore. All of that can happen if we approach our
faith and our community with open minds and open hearts.
Earlier this week, I asked congregants to
reflect on the meaning of being a member of Temple Beth-El. Your comments – 60 of them - cited values of
congregational life, specific programs and milestones you have shared with our
community. Here are some of your
statements about how membership at Temple Beth-El is meaningful to you:
•
Helping members of all ages find an avenue for Jewish
expression and learning and to practice Tikun Olam.
•
The spiritual and community ties that link our members
• Religious Service and Community
• Friendship and Learning from Others
• Modeling values for the next generations
•
Sharing my Jewish identity through social justice. Being a
part of a Jewish community that carries on our traditions of fighting
injustices and helping others.
•
Temple gives me a place to commune with God, to maintain a
meaningful connection to my parents and family members who have passed on, and
to continue practicing Judaism with members of the Temple community.
•
Connecting to Adonai so that life has a deeper, real meaning
and is not simply social connections with no depth.
• Worship - inspiration - illumination – education
• The sense of community on Shabbat.
• Community -- being surrounded by people dedicated to the same
values and the same set of questions. (I think of Judaism as a religion devoted
to questions and questioning...) and family -- we were married in TBE, both our
sons were named here….This synagogue has shaped us all as people, for the
better.
•
The Temple gives me a place where I can
be surrounded by the sights and sounds of my Jewish upbringing. It is a place
of peace, comfort and acceptance. I know that my Temple is a place where I will
have no fear of discrimination. It is a
place where I can learn from my Rabbi and other scholars about Torah and Talmud
and where my questions will be answered without judgement of my lack of
knowledge or understanding. My
membership is important as Temple is a place where I can become involved and
make friends with other Jews. It is a place to celebrate life, the joys and
sorrows that touch us all.
Although we may be from other places and may not share the same Jewish
education and knowledge of traditions and beliefs, we have much in common with
each other which brings us together as family. May Adonai bless our
Temple that our Temple be a place of peace, love and warmth to all who enter.
Maintaining Temple Beth-El as a vibrant,
supportive, warm, welcoming, and giving community is a goal for which we all
work together. We apply our creativity,
experience and energies to sustain our values and our special spirit. You can look at the summary of events from
this past year to see the specifics of what we have done to strengthen fellowship
and friendship and to make our Jewish tradition and heritage come alive. With Temple Board members and committee
chairs and members, leaders of Sisterhood, Mensch Club, and BETY, participants
and workers in all kinds of events and pursuits, worship leaders, singers,
dancers, teachers, learners, and volunteers on many levels, we can move forward
without fear. We can be like Jacob, sharing his vision at the original Beth-El,
when he said, "Most definitely God was in this place, and I, I did not know." We can continue to be God's partners and
devoted companions for one another, committed to the central teachings of our
heritage, recognizing that God and godliness are beside us every step of the
way.
For this coming High Holy Days, we will receive
a limited number of copies of Mishkan
Hanefesh, the new Reform High Holy Day prayerbook, to use for worship on the
second morning of Rosh Hashanah and for discussion and study on Yom Kippur
afternoon. That will give us an ample opportunity to
explore Mishkan Hanefesh before
making a total change later on. We will continue to use Miskkan T’filah on Shabbat holidays, with its words in Hebrew and
English that are there to teach us something new if we truly listen to the
message of each prayer. I ask you now
to take out Mishkan T’filah and turn
to page 39 to join in reciting words that tell us how to walk side by side from
past to present to future:
Standing on the parted shores of history
We still believe what we were taught before ever we stood at
Sinai’s foot:
That wherever we go, it is eternally Egypt
That there is a better place, a promised land’
That the winding way to that promise passes through the
wilderness.
That there is no way to get from here to there except by
joining hands
Marching together.
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