The “Fire” that Guides us - Column for Temple Beth-El Las Cruces Adelante Newsletter - September 2019

    Sometimes, there is a spiritual fire inside of us that moves us to action.

     That flame serves as the foundation of what I do as a rabbi and as a human being. I don’t always have the ability to do everything that it is trying to push me to accom- plish at a particular moment. If I don’t answer that call one day, I try to do it as soon as I can.

     Perhaps some of you had that feeling after the fatal shooting at the Walmart in El Paso on August 3. I know of congregants who attended the Interfaith Alliance vigil the next day, and others who were at our downtown plaza for the Las Cruces vigil arranged by the city. I participated, by leading music, at another event in El Paso on Sunday, August 4, at the request of my Jewish music colleague

Alison Westermann, at the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center. We sang several songs to begin the gathering and one at its conclusion. Appearing there were Manuel and Patricia Oliver, whose son, Joaquin, was one of the victims in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, in February, 2018.

     I contacted Ned Rubin, chairperson of our Temple Social Action/Adult Education Committee, that Sunday to begin to plan the spiritual response and memorial service that we held at Temple on August 7. 60 people, including Mayor Ken Miyagishima, City Council members Yvonne Flores and Greg Smith, local clergy and community members and congregants, participated and had a chance to share feelings and thoughts with one another during the service. That gathering was a response to that internal “fire,” for sure.

     I was motivated to engage in one more important act. Before a meeting I had scheduled in El Paso on August 6, I visited the memorial near the Walmart store. There were many people paying their respects, media personnel (from various networks noted by the logos on their vans with satellite dishes), and chaplains of various Christian groups. I went to quietly witness for myself. I read the signs that had been brought to the memorial, and walked by as people prayed in silence. One woman held a sign that said, “Free hugs!” Before I left, I recited the Mourner’s Kaddish.

    On August 19, I returned to the memorial to see that it was twice, if not three times, as large as it had been on August 6. The banner from the Jewish Community Center of Pittsburgh was displayed alongside an Israeli flag and a sign that noted the concern and solidarity of the El Paso Jewish community. This time, I specifically photographed the signs with messages that I considered to be the most meaningful. Here is what I saw:

• Love still lives here.
• We are the future and the future is full of love. Sincerely, the Youth of El Paso
• We will push back against boundless hate, and rebuild ourselves with boundless love.
• We are El Paso: White, Black, Mexican, Asian...Color doesn’t matter, Religion doesn’t matter. We love! We are united! We are together! We are family! We are one!
• Hate has no place! We will never forget! 
• Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that (Martin Luther King, Jr.) I choose love!
• The Lord is close to the broken-hearted. He rescues those whose spirits are crushed (Psalm 34:18)
• Believe there is good in the world.
• Where there is hate, let us find love; where there is injury, let us find healing; where there is despair, let us find hope; where there is darkness, let us find light; where there is discord, let us find unity. (Based on a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi)

    I again recited the Kaddish before I left to return home.

I discussed the nature of the site with one of my local clergy colleagues the next day, as I tried to determine what was drawing me and others to that place. We mentioned how certain other sites may be similar, on some level: the memorial at the Oklahoma City Federal Building, the names list and waterfalls at Ground Zero in New York City, and the flower-surrounded graves of President John F. Kennedy and Yitzhak Rabin before the more permanent memorials were placed there.

     What makes this site different for us is that we live nearby. It feels real to us, and because of all of

those messages on the signs at the El Paso memorial, we know that we have to find a way to instill enough love and hope in people’s minds and hearts so that, when they see another person —ANY OTHER PERSON — they will stop themselves before they turn internal hatred into outward violence. Every human being needs to respond to the spiritual fire in his or her soul that declares, as if from a bush that is not consumed, “I am a child of God, and these people before me are children of God. I cannot harm them. I should try to not dislike or despise them. If I do, I need to change my direction, show them compassion, learn their stories, and share mine. And if I approach them with concern and empathy, perhaps they will reach out to me in return, and we can discover healing together.”

   May it only be so.

“Gracious Provider” - Thoughts on helping people in need - D’var Torah for Parashat R’eh - August 30, 2019

A Torah excerpt and my original prayer for Parashat R'eh - 8/30/2019

Deuteronomy 15:4-5, 7-8

There shall be no needy among you - since the Eternal your God will bless you in the land that the Eternal your God is giving you as a hereditary portion - if only you heed  the Eternal your God and take care to keep all this Instruction that I enjoin upon you this day.

If, however, there is a needy person among you, one of your kin in any of your settlements in the land that the Eternal your God is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kin. Rather, you must open your hand and lend whatever is sufficient to meet the need.    

*********

Eternal God, open our eyes when we there are people in our community mired in a cycle of poverty. 

Source of mercy, open our hearts to the despair of those who cannot lift themselves up to a level of comfort, much as they may try, with all their wisdom, energy and ingenuity. 

Gracious Provider, enable us to fulfill the direction of the great sage, Moses Maimonides, who taught us that the highest degree of tzedakah, righteous giving, is to help people in need to become self-supporting. 

Wellspring of strength, grant us the fortitude to attend to our fellow human beings who require our assistance and compassion. 

Bless us, our Creator, when we address the needs of the community, and may we feel that, when we do, it is You who guides our loving hands. 

[Prayer by Rabbi Larry Karol, 8/30/2019]

Rain down your blessings - D’var Torah - Parashat Ekev - August 23, 2019

Eternal One,

I hope you are listening to me because I am listening to You. 

A phrase from the week’s Torah reading is sticking out in my mind.

I am thinking of it because I pass by it every day.  

Many of us do if we have a mezuzah in our doorway. 

“It will come to pass that if you hear and follow the commandments that I am giving you this day, to love the Eternal your God, and serve God with all your heart and soul, then I will give you rain in its season.”

You know, Divine Rainmaker, we don’t get much rain here,

And we are reasonably sure that it’s not because we haven’t loved You with all our hearts and souls. 

But we do our best to practice the tenets of our tradition. 

And here we are now, in difficult times, still trying to recover in the wake of violent acts

That were motivated by hatred and a desire to cause havoc in the lives of others. 

What message do You want us to hear on this day? 

I would hardly think that You, our Creator, would ask us to 

Do anything to detract from the earth’s natural beauty

Or to jeopardize its future. 

I could not fathom that You would direct us to sow division among people

In ways that would marginalize any one person or group.   

I still believe that You want us

To appreciate the majesty of Your cosmos and our world. 

To discover the love embodied in Your Torah. 

To nurture the love that lies within each of us and share it with others. 

And to engage in acts of deliverance for people in dire straits. 

You lead us 

To remember from whence we came so we can know where we are going. 

To emulate your acts of healing and freedom in all that we do. 

And to raise ourselves up by performing acts and kindness and godliness. 

You inspire us 

To practice the underlying values of Shabbat for preserving creation and ending slavery of any kind. 

To be humble and grateful for the gifts we enjoy every day.  

And to do all we can to engender in our world the peace that you fashion in the highest heavens. 

That is what I hear You saying in the here and now. 

These are echoes of the prayers we recite every Shabbat. 

These are principles of our heritage to which we should be loyal at all times, above and beyond the whims and judgments of anyone who might not quite understand who we really are. 

Following your teachings will offer us blessings 

even if those blessings are not in the form of raindrops.  

May the wisdom that our people has passed down from one generation to the next

Continue to preserve and strengthen 

the foundations of our lives,  individually and together. 

Keep us safe, Eternal One, and be our hope. 

Amen.

When You Rise Up - A Divine Rumination - Parashat Va-etchanan - August 16, 2019

When you rise up - Parashat Va-etchanan 5779 
“Recite them when you stay at home, 
when you lie down and when you rise up.”
This is what I told you, long, long ago 
So that the words I commanded would begin your day
and resonate with you and guide you with every step you would take. 
But now I see that rising up requires so much more.  
I have watched your struggles, 
your trials and your triumphs, 
your despair and your survival.
So if I were to command you once again, I might say this....
Rise up to justice
Which moves beyond personal biases 
To promoting complete fairness for all people among you. 
Rise up to freedom 
Recognizing that this does not mean that you can do or say anything
But that you can join with others in agreement 
And even in disagreement
And still call yourselves friends, neighbors and communal partners. 
Rise up to gratitude
Acknowledging the ways in which you are blessed 
Wittingly and unwittingly
Expectedly and unexpectedly 
By friends and by strangers, by planned celebrations
And by the spontaneity of a cherished moment. 
Rise up to humility 
Accepting and appreciating how others helped you to get where you are
So that you will see yourself as one of many who can make a difference
Rather than the only one who should have say, influence or power.
Rise up to integrity 
So that you will realize that acquiring and maintaining a good name 
May be the greatest gift you can give to yourself and to your community. 
Rise up to peace 
So that you will see ways to help people step above conflict 
To find ways to live, side-by-side, that will benefit both friends and foes. 
Rise up to love 
that will encompass yourself, the people around you, the world, 
and all of creation, so that you will be able to stop yourself
when causing harm might be a temptation 
Acting, instead, on the best impulses and intentions inside of you
that will affirm the commonalities that could bring you close to one another. 
Rise up to hope,
So that you will see even the smallest glimmer of light in the deepest darkness,
Making it possible for humanity to respond to indifference and evil 
With compassion, kindness and a commitment to practicing goodness that I have placed deep inside of you. 
Rise up to holiness
So that we can work together to bring repair and healing to this world. 
“Recite them when you stay at home, when you lie down and when you rise up.”
I have created you with the potential to rise up to the best that is in you.
Know that every morning, when you open your eyes, I will be with you as you rise up once again. 

Help us to hold on - D’var Torah - Temple Beth-El Las Cruces Board Meeting - August 15, 2019

Eternal God, 

Beloved Guide,

Dedicated Companion, 

Help us to hold on to our heritage. 

Teach us new ways to keep Your words

Of respect, love, support, justice, and peace

On our lips 

When we lie down and when we rise up. 

Help us to hold on to our freedom. 

Turn our minds back to the many experiences 

Of our people

From the time they went forth from slavery to freedom 

To eras when liberty came at the cost of being treated 

As despised and persecuted second-class citizens 

To centuries when emancipation and enlightenment 

Brought decades of trial and tragedy

That gave way to incredible progress and understanding. 

Help us hold on to our community. 

Promote in our hearts an openness that will enable us

To truly hear one another

To speak our minds with honesty

To approach disagreement with a generosity of spirit

And to relish consensus and agreement as one of Your 

Constant miracles in our midst. 

Help us to hold on to our values 

So that compassion, patience, kindness, commitment, and trust

Will lead us to be ever closer to one another 

And to members of the human family throughout the world. 

Help us to hold on to You, 

Our Creator, 

Our Sustainer, 

Our Rock, 

Our Protector, 

Our Hope. 

 

I AM WITH EMMA - August 13, 2019

I AM WITH EMMA

I am a child

Two generations removed

Of the tired and poor

The huddled masses yearning to breathe free

Who came to this “Golden Land” 

Over 100 years ago

Seeking safety, hope, 

eventual acceptance

And a good life. 

Once one family member 

established a foothold

Others came.  

One came, went back, 

but returned again.  

It seems that, at Ellis Island,

Officials especially wanted to know 

Answers to these questions: 

Do you know a trade?

 Do you have money? 

($50 was enough)

Where will you work in the United States? 

Even people with satisfactory replies 

To those queries

Would likely have been

Among the “huddled masses”

Who would work hard, 

Achieve moderate to major successes

And reach a level of self-support 

That would assure that they would never

“be a burden.”

Their children and grandchildren 

Studied hard, 

Worked diligently at their jobs,

Took positions in government service, 

Fought in wars,

Endured the Great Depression,

Became lawyers, doctors, clergy,

Teachers, professors, writers, 

Singers, songwriters, actors, 

Artists, Factory laborers, law enforcement,

Business owners, farmers, journalists

Scientists, engineers, technology experts, 

And so much more.   

Isn’t that history enough for us

To still open our arms to aspiring Americans

As Emma Lazarus did

In her poignant poem,

Written during the “Gilded Age,”

Words that echo down to us 

In another Age of Prosperity 

For some but not for others. 

To honor my immigrant grandparents,

I know

I AM WITH EMMA

And will always be

Because were it not for the courage

Of my recent ancestors 

There would no one 

Sitting at this computer

In this rabbi’s office

Writing these words.

A culture of honor preserves dignity, engenders respect - Column for August 2, 2019 Las Cruces Bulletin

     Twenty years ago, as part of a “Countdown to the year 2000” in one of my previous 

communities, I was asked by the local newspaper to share some insights for shaping a 

productive and positive future. I included in my article suggestions that were firmly rooted in my heritage:

• Sing the praises of successful programs already established in our area.
• Respect other people and try to discover their inner feelings, beliefs, and hopes.
• Communicate - Try to talk to and with each other more than about each other. We should do our best to listen to one another, to agreeably disagree, but always to agree to be partners in advancing towards the future. 
• Do acts of kindness - volunteer on a regular basis to help someone in a school, home, community center or helping agency facility. 
• Give thanks - express appreciation to those who offer support, and show gratitude by returning that support in kind.
• Celebrate - create places and programs that gather together people of all ages to relax and to enjoy each other's company.

       I look at these statements now and, rather than wondering whether or not I was dreaming, I still firmly believe in the importance of this type of approach to community life. 

    There was an organization in the American Jewish community called Synagogue 3000 which, for many years, developed programming to promote new ways of thinking about congregational purposes and programs (strategies which could also apply to communities and cities). 

   One of the founders of Synagogue 3000, Dr. Ron Wolfson, described this innovative approach in his book, The Spirituality of Welcoming.  One principle which Dr. Wolfson emphasized was that communities should create and sustain a culture of honor, rather than a culture of blame.  

    At a conference of that organization, Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt, a modern Orthodox rabbi from New York City, addressed this concept of maintaining a culture of honor.  He noted that congregations that should be seen as sacred communities do not always reach that level.  Instead of creating a culture that honors every human being, where people see each other as being made in the image of God, many congregations are rife with dissensions, fights and arguments among the very people charged with leadership. Rabbi Rosenblatt challenged congregational leaders to learn what their tradition says about honoring each person in a community, and confronting shortcomings without ascribing blame, while building a community that is responsible for what happens within it. The goal of this approach is to preserve dignity and engender the highest level of respect for all those who work for the betterment of a congregation.  His recommendations can apply to organizations, workplaces and communities that seek to create a culture of honor.   

    I realize that my own statements from 1999 were intended to engender that type of culture.  As we approach 2020, here are suggestions which I would add to my earlier list:  

• Be humble, and remember to learn from other people, because everyone has something to teach.  
• Take responsibility for your actions and, when necessary, sincerely apologize and make amends.   This is not weakness.  It is positive human behavior. 
• Be steadfast in the principles by which you live, and, if you seek to change them, be sure that you are doing so in the interest of furthering true respect, compassion, kindness and even love.  
• And, finally, in the words of the ancient rabbi Hillel, “In a place where there are no decent human beings, strive to be a decent human being.”