Lessons about God and Life
Dear Friends,
This week has been interesting.
Tuesday night I had the pleasure of serving on a panel with five colleagues, all discussing the idea of justice from each of our faith traditions. This was the third in a series of interfaith dialogues organized by Reverend Dorothy Wells of Germantown Presybeterian. Each of our gatherings has been rich with discussion and teachings, and I've learned from all of my colleagues.
One of the Muslim panelists was talking about God-consciousness and noted that the epitome of God-consciousness is being kind, even to one's enemy. Jewish teachings say the same thing. The Torah teaches that if you see your enemy's animal lying by the side of the road, you must help the injured animal and return it to its owner. Whatever you think of your enemy, we're still obligated to return lost property, and why punish the animal just because of your dispute? Perhaps doing some kindness to your enemy will be an opening for healing, such that they will no longer be your enemy.
Hearing the teaching from the Muslim tradition reminded me of our own. I'm always intrigued by the similarities and overlaps of our faith traditions. It seems a great pity that so many spend time demonizing other religions and faith traditions when we are so similar at heart.
I was thinking about this goal of extending kindness to one's enemy last night.
I was with my dad and stepmom at GPAC, attending a concert with David Crosby and his band.
I wasn't familiar with David's music - Crosby, Stills, and Nash (and sometimes Young) were a little before my childhood years. The concert was good. David was entertaining, and the music was enjoyable.
David acknowledged that he's been known to be opinionated (to put it mildly).
A few times, he made his views on the current state of the US Congress known, and suffice it to say he has no love lost there. He shared that no one in Congress is there to serve the American people, and that they're only looking out for themselves. The concert ended with a stirring rendition of "Let Freedom Ring".
While I enjoyed his music, I was troubled by his political message.
I'll be the first to agree that Congress is a dysfunctional mess, and too many of both parties are serving their own interests, or the interests of those who donate to their campaigns, at the expense of the needs of the American people. I will say, however, that from my perspective, just yelling about the state of affairs is not enough.
First of all, I think there are good men and women in Congress trying to serve the American people. Lumping them all together doesn't do anyone any favors, and belittles the good work that many of our leaders do. Second, I don't think it's fair to complain about our political situation if you're not at least going to make some effort to make it better. I'm not interested in people yelling that the system is broken. Anyone can see that. The question is what we do about that. There are wonderful organizations mobilizing people to get involved. I wish instead of complaining, people would roll up their sleeves and help. Voter turnout is absurdly low in this country (i'm aware that too many states disenfranchise many voters, but even with that we can do better). My point is, if you don't like a situation, complaining very rarely does any good. As President Josiah Bartlett of the West Wing used to say, "decisions are made by those who show up." We can all do our part to help things improve.
A few weeks ago while I was out of town a Baptist minister from Mississippi dropped off a gift basket for me. He wanted to express his support for the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
He attended Tuesday night's talk, and we had lunch on Wednesday.
I will admit that the gift basket took me by surprise, as did the copy of the New Testament inside it. Was he trying to convert me? Did I need to be worried? Why would someone I don't know drop of a gift basket?
And yet, he's the second minister to approach me in recent months, saying that they wanted to do something for the Jews. And I've heard from quite a few Christian clergy who want to learn more about their Jewish roots.
We Jews have reasons to be suspicious. And yet, we don't do ourselves or the world any favors when we turn away those who want to learn from us. I could tell that his intentions were sincere, and he had no desire to convert me. He and his congregation wanted us to know that there are Christians who care about us.
This, my friends, is how the world is healed, one conversation at a time, hearing each other's stories and learning that everyone has hopes, dreams, yearnings, and desires for peace and connection just like we do. I could easily have refused to meet with him or sent back his gift basket. Had I done so, I wouldn't have had a nice encounter with him, and he and his congregation would likely have felt slighted. There is a time for fear, and a time to be brave and step beyond ourselves. I've generally always found it worthwhile to step beyond my comfort zone into new connections and possibilities.
I wonder - what would it be like if every religious leader sent a note to another faith leader and just wished them well? What would it be like if every shul picked another faith community every year to dialogue and interact with? What walls might come down if that were to happen?
May we each remember to be brave and commit to learning and encountering new people and new paths of learning. May those new connections and experiences fill us with a lifetime of learning and growth, and may them bring us to a world of peace.
A few brief announcements:
Due to illness and injury of a few of our musicians, today's musical service is cancelled.
Our next musical service will be June 16th.
Tomorrow we'll have a few guests in shul. My dad, the Senior Rabbi Glazer will be with us, along with his wife Ellen, and my girlfriend Sherri. Feel free to come out and say hello.
Tomorrow night and Sunday is Lag Ba'omer, the 33rd day of the omer, on which we celebrate the end of a plague when thousands of Rabbi Akiva's students were killed. It's also a day of celebration honoring the legacy of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who was an influential, mystical rabbi and according to some sources the author of the Zohar, a work of Jewish mysticism. Lag Ba'Omer is celebrated with music and bonfires and being outdoors. We'll be celebrating with an engaging, educational nature walk along the Wolf River with Cathy Justus, Director of Education of the Wolf River Conservancy. Come learn about the Wolf River, and the natural beauty that is found so close to Beth Sholom. This is free and open to all ages, and we hope you'l join us for some fun. A perfect way to get Mother's Day started!
Finally, Tuesday night I'll be teaching part one of a two-part series on Judaism, addiction, and recovery. Recently I spent four days at Beit T'Shuvah, the world's premier center for Judaism and recovery, and I was more than a little impressed by what they do. Our two session class will cover the basics of addiction - why does it happen, how does it manifest, and what a Jewish response to addiction might look like. I have counseled and worked with more than a few people in recovery - there are so many struggling today. I believe Judaism can be a wellspring of hope and healing for those suffering. Please join me Tuesday night at 7 pm to learn more. This session is for anyone, whether in recovery or not. Harriet Rosetto, founder of Beit T'Shuvah teaches that you don't have to be an addict to be in recovery. Recovery is about learning to live a healthy life. I hope to see you Tuesday night.
That's all for now. As Always, a pleasure having you all in our community.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ilan
