On Thursday, May 4, I decided to do something in the community that I had never done before anywhere where I have served. It was time to witness, with my own eyes and ears, local National Day of Prayer observances. These events were sponsored by Dona Ana County and by the City of Las Cruces. In both cases, the endorsers from the county and city had declared that the gatherings were open to members of all faiths. So, I went, wearing my sunglasses, my Indiana Jones hat and my usual Friday night attire, standing on the perimeter of each event. There were proclamations about church and God, prayers for various aspects of society and for public officials, and a call for all citizens to direct people in our area to witness to God’s glory. The scriptural readings, songs, and meditations were all from one faith tradition. It was as if I had gone to visit a local evangelical church on a Sunday morning to learn about their worship. And learn, I did, for sure.
The people gathered exhibited a deep
sense of belief, and fervor, and a feeling of God’s immediate presence all
around.
Missing, though, were people outside the
realm of that religious cohort. There were no representatives from a wider
range of Christian denominations or from other religions.
I believe that Las Cruces and Dona Ana
County are much more than the expressions of faith that I saw on May 4. And as
for us, here at Temple Beth-El, we are here, too, and we have been here for a
long time.
Our beliefs and our teachings call on
us to sense God’s glory or presence among us. Our expressions of our tradition
are just as sincere, heartfelt and powerful as what I saw by the County
Building and City Hall.
In preparation for the Jewish Food
and Folk Festival, I helped Rhonda put up decorative “Shaloms” in Hebrew and
English, Israeli flags, and posters that would inform our guests about Jewish
holidays and symbols. This year, I added
something special. As an extension of
the PJ Library program which provides Jewish books for young children, the
Grinspoon Foundation prepared, over the last 2 years, a series of posters
entitled “Voices and Visions.” The
posters feature quotes that reflect essential tenets of our heritage, with
accompanying artistic interpretations to illustrate the quotes. I decided to post my favorite statements
from this series up on the wall for the JFFF, and I left them up for tonight. For the next few moments, I want to lead you on a tour through these
quotes to see how they can guide us as we sustain our sacred partnerships with
each other.
“Serving others is one of the pillars on
which Judaism rests.” Lynne
Schusterman, a well-known philanthropist, is credited with this thought. We serve each other when we put at the
center of our Jewish observance TORAH, learning, AVODAH, worship and holy work,
and G’MILUT CHASADIM, performing acts of love and kindness. Each of those three “things” upon which the
world stands directs us to be a part of a community, where no one is more
important or less important than anyone else.
Service means taking on positions of authority which carry with them
responsibilities, specific duties to fulfill in the best way we are able and
with all of our talents, skills and abilities applied to the tasks before
us. It means lifting each other up and
not letting anyone down, including ourselves, and asking for help when we need
it. Service means being selfless about
what we do and regarding what and how we give.
Our service and our giving should
not be about any one person. They should
enable us to produce the “we” that grows out of our joining together as a
congregation.
“Imagination is more important than
knowledge.” Albert Einstein said this one.
Are you surprised? It is likely
that an Albert Einstein with no imagination could not have come up with the
Theory of Relativity. Einstein’s work
has served as a foundation for further refinements of the way scientists
currently think about the Universe. One
of the best examples of imagination for Temple Beth-El continues to be the
Jewish Food and Folk Festival. The
collective knowledge gained from past TBE fundraisers came to be applied to the
genesis of this community event alongside new ideas and fresh approaches. The JFFF is fast becoming a “hit” for Las
Cruces and Dona Ana County. It is also
significant for us, as 90 congregants and community members worked in year #4
as cashiers, servers, performers, and volunteers in other tasks. Each year, there is a little more
imagination that adds something new to this amazing event of culture and
hospitality. The JFFF can serve as a
model for the many programs which we create for ourselves and for sharing with
our neighbors.
The next three quotes go together, at
least in my opinion. Natan Sharansky,
head of Israel’s Jewish Agency and former Soviet Prisoner of Zion, said, “We
must believe not only that all people are created equal but also that all
peoples are created equal.” Emma
Lazarus, famous for the “New Colussus” poem on the Statue of Liberty, once
said, “Until we are all free, none of us are free.” Finally, Rabbi Yitz Greenberg taught,
“Judaism is founded on human faith and divine promise that the world can be
perfected.” These statements ask us to
look at who we are in relation to Jews around the world and to all of
humanity. They remind us that the
Jewish people has something important to teach everyone about loving our
neighbors as ourselves, about caring for the most vulnerable in society, about
“lifting up the fallen and freeing the captive,” and about seeking liberty for
all people. We know, from our life experiences, that working for equality and
freedom, and helping people in need, requires action. At Temple Beth-El, we serve breakfast at
Camp Hope on December 25. Members serve
at the El Caldito Soup Kitchen every Monday.
We have hosted discussions for the community on poverty, gratitude,
humility, and other topics. We have held
candidate forum programs so that people can exercise their right to vote being
fully informed about the candidates running for office. There is always more to be done, but
anything we do derives from the teachings of our tradition. When Micah declared that we should do justly,
love mercy and walk humbly with God, he wasn’t only talking about love in
relation to mercy. He meant that we
should love performing acts of kindness and mercy, leading a society to a
greater level of equality and freedom for all citizens. We will continue to explore what that ancient
call demands of us in the coming months.
“It’s when the
winds blow hardest that you need the deepest roots.” This is a quote from Rabbi Lord Jonathan
Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of Great Britain.
Those roots of which he spoke relate to our heritage, that can continue
to give us confidence and fortitude in the face of never-dying anti-Semitism,
ignorance and hatred. Our roots can
direct us individually and collectively to extend a helping hand to each other
when we need support as we face life’s challenges. Finally, that statement reminds us not to be
stormwinds for each other. That means
that our relationships must be grounded in respect, cooperation, active
listening, sharing of stories and hopes and dreams, and making our needs known
so that we can offer our assistance when the tempests of life visit us all too
unexpectedly. Judaism’s central
teachings point the way to forming bonds of community that will keep us strong
and hold us together.
“I am blessed to be a voyager on an ancient
pathway.” This is a gem of wisdom from Rabbi Rachel Cowan. A number of us
engaged in conversations from December through March on the book WISE AGING,
written by Rabbi Cowan and Dr. Linda Thal. Those of us who participated in
those sessions had a chance to reflect on the meaning of the many and varied
aspects of our lives as we move along the life-cycle. I believe that we, during
our discussions, discovered ways in which we are voyagers along the same path,
trying to determine how to live each day in the best way possible, and how to
fashion a lasting legacy that will offer blessing to our family members,
friends and community.
We at Temple Beth-El are all blessed to be
fellow voyagers on an ancient pathway.
As I reviewed the photographs from Temple events over the past year, one
aspect of those photos is clear: there is no one who is alone, or, at least,
there shouldn’t be. There are faces
that, whether smiling or serious, reflect the significance of what we do and
what we create alongside each other at Temple Beth-El. I feel privileged to be a fellow voyager
with the Board of Trustees, led so well this year by Temple President Ellen
Torres. I am enriched by my work with
committee chairs and committee members; volunteers; Mensch Club and Sisterhood leaders and
members; BETY BEMY members; Religious School faculty, aides and students; and
congregants and community members with whom I meet and study and from whom I
learn so much.
I am, as always, blessed to be a fellow
voyager with Rhonda, as our path here in Las Cruces continues to move forward
as we work with you to sustain Jewish life here in tried and true ways and with
new creative touches. And to Adam and Juli in New York, I extend a special
gratitude for their valuable counsel and reassurance.
We fellow voyagers on an ancient pathway
are blessed to be together, nurturing the divine spark inside of us, with all
of us under God’s protection. We read in
Psalm 61: Hear my cry, O Eternal
one…from the end of the earth, I call to You: You lead me to a rock that is
high above me…O that I might dwell in Your tent forever, take refuge under Your
protecting wings.” May we be God’s
wings for each other, as we support one another in times of trial and triumph,
and in moments of sorrow and joy.
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