Shabbat Shalom, and Happy Birthday, Ethan!
I’m Dreaming of a White Shabbes
I
hope this O-Gram finds you safe and warm on what is predicted to be a very snowy
weekend. This is being sent out early,
on Thursday night. Our longstanding
practice has been never to cancel our Shabbat evening and morning services,
partly because it is so difficult to notify people once the sun has set. But given the potentially dangerous nature of
this storm, we may have to do that. Sisterhood
Shabbat, which also is rarely cancelled, is scheduled for this weekend. An email will be sent to the congregation by
midday Friday announcing any schedule changes for Shabbat services (Tot Shabbat
has already been cancelled). Whatever happens, we are grateful for Sisterhood
leadership and those who planned and have prepared for this service.
Also,
as with prior storms, should there be widespread power outages, and should TBE
once again be spared that plague, we’ll open our doors for everyone once we are
plowed out, presumably on Sunday morning. If you lose power, find a way to check
your email for any messages from us. And as we ride it out, you can return to
the Spiritual
Storm Resources I sent your way before Sandy.
On
this snowy weekend, take a few moments on how we can save lives this week
simply by showing up at the March for
Change next Thursday in
Hartford. You can still sign up for the
bus (an additional one was ordered) or see parking details at the website
(the song there, “Return
to Me,” is hauntingly beautiful, especially with Newtown on our minds). The list
of presenters was just released including families of victims from Newtown
and Aurora. Don’t forget to wear green.
The call for common sense gun reform
has become the moral cry of this generation.
And that is precisely why members and leaders in religious institutions
cannot ignore it, and why I, along with over 200 other clergy, have signed the Interfaith Council of Southwestern Connecticut’s
letter to help bring an
end to the scourge of gun violence in our communities, our state and our
nation, asking our elected leaders to take action for sane and reasonable controls
on the sale, purchase, and use of fire arms and ammunition. Also see my article, “Guns and Moses,” at the “Times of Israel” website and Gun Violence Resources.
Here’s
an excerpt from an article by bestselling author and theologian Jim Wallis.
Wayne
LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, said this
as his response to the massacre of children at Sandy Hook elementary in
Newtown, Conn.: “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy
with a gun.”
That statement is at the heart of the problem of gun
violence in America today — not just because it is factually flawed, which of
course it is, but also because it is morally mistaken, theologically dangerous,
and religiously repugnant.
The world is not full of good and bad people; that is
not what our scriptures teach us. We are, as human beings, both good and bad.
This is not only true of humanity as a whole, but we as individuals have both
good and bad in us. When we are bad or isolated or angry or furious or vengeful
or politically agitated or confused or lost or deranged or unhinged — and we have the ability to get and use
weapons only designed to kill large numbers of people — our society is in great
danger.
As we have just seen again, when such destructive
weapons are allowed to be used out of powerful emotion without restraint or
rules, that is bad. In dangerous situations, we as
parents cannot tell our children they are safe. We cannot, because they are not. After Sandy Hook many child
psychologists were counseling parents like us (I have a 9-year-old and
14-year-old) to hold and love our children, tell them they were safe. We can
and did hold and love them, but we cannot tell them they are safe. Not as long
as such weapons are available to human beings when they are acting badly.
When we are good, we want to protect our children —
not by having more guns than the bad people, but by making sure guns aren’t the
first available thing to people when they’re being bad. Being good is
protecting people and our children from guns that are outside of the control of
rules, regulations, and protections for the rest of us.
Judaism 24/7
This
week’s portion is Mishpatim and it is also Shabbat Shekalim. So, you may ask, why name a Sabbath after
Israel’s currency? Click here
to find out, to see some rare ancient half shekel coins and see why this
reading reminds us that it is time to perform the sacred act of filing our tax
return.
While the chapters
of the Torah that
comprise Mishpatim contain
many laws – and the portion’s name even
means “laws” - the Israelites were not afraid to commit to them, even before
knowing specifically what the laws were and how this decision would impact
their lives. They said, “Na’aseh v’nishma,” “We will do --
and THEN, we will understand.”
The commentators
differed on how to interpret this verse.
Rashi interprets the word “nishma” to mean not “to understand”
but rather, “to obey.” In his view, the Israelites pledged what amounts to
blind obedience to God in accepting the commandments sight unseen. Rava in the Talmud sees this not as an
example of blind obedience, but rather of a deep trust in God.
If the word “nishma”
means understand, the verse is telling us that only after you perform a mitzvah
can you begin to understand its true meaning. Reb Nachman of
Bratzlav said that for the Jew it is not enough to simply accept the
commandments – that was the “na’aseh” part. By also saying “nishma,” we are
demonstrating a willingness to go above and beyond them, to continue to grow
every moment of every day.
I find it so fitting
then, that “na’aseh v’nishma” is found in none other than chapter 24,
verse 7 of Exodus. To be a Jew who just
says “Na’aseh,” “I will do,” is to be a Jew only when it is absolutely
necessary. But to be a Jew who says, “Na’aseh
v’Nishma,” is to be a Jew 24/7. And
to be a Jew 24/7 means to go above and beyond the call in everything that we
do.
So what does it mean
to live a 24/7 life? Here are some
examples:
Na’aseh – do the assignment
exactly as it is assigned.
Nishma – to do the extra credit question.
Na’aseh – to walk to dog.
Nishma – to clean up after him.
Na’seh - to come to services on Shabbat
Nishma – to like it J
Na’aseh – to cook a meal for the
poor
Nishma – to go to the homeless
shelter to serve it.
Na’aseh – to support Israel
Nishma – to GO to Israel
As
the flakes fall outside and we sit back by the fire, maybe this weekend would
be the perfect time to step back and ask how we might take a mitzvah and go
just a little above and beyond the call – that’s what it takes to be a Jew
24/7.
TBE History Unfolding: Rabin, Allen, Installation
Another
snowy day activity: To mark my 25th year at TBE, I've uploaded some vintage
video of major events that have taken place during my time here. This is
in addition to the many vintage photo albums that
have been created.
You will find here video from the community gathering that followed
the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin in November, 1995.
Due to the great leadership of UJF exec Sheila Romanowitz, all the
community rabbis participated and, just one evening after the
horrible tragedy occurred, over 800 turned out. The video includes
Shalom TV coverage of that gathering, along with other news programs from that
week, including an ABC Nightline Town Meeting that took place in Israel that
week (you can find the remainder of it on my YouTube page).
I’ve also uploaded four additional videos from my installation as Senior Rabbi
on Sept. 11, 1992. Little did we know at the time how infamous that date would
become nearly a decade later. On that night we all felt completely
blessed. Toward the middle and end of
the program, you'll see lots of cameos of congregants young and old, including many
faces familiar to many of us. There were presentations by tots, b'nai mitzvah,
teens, choirs, my uncle Cantor Saul Hammerman, Rabbi Goldman, Hazzan
Rabinowitz, Rabbi Mark Golub, Rev. Brenda Stiers and more, all MCed by committee
chair and past president Alan Kalter. It was a real celebration of the
congregation, more than of any particular rabbi, as a major milestone was
reached. It seems like only yesterday.
Finally,
click here to see the video of what may have been the most widely
covered funeral ever held in our sanctuary, that of Mel Allen, the great Yankee
broadcaster and long-time TBE member. A
pantheon of Yankee greats (including DiMaggio, Berra, Ford and Rizzuto) and media
notables were in attendance.
Two
more announcements….
·
Purim
is coming on Sat night Feb 23 (and the
following morning). For our “Purim for Adults” Megilla reading on that night at
8:00 we’ve acquired some hilarious parodies based on popular TV shows. These skits, written by professional comedy
writers with ties to “The Daily Show,” and late night shows, are short, easy
and lots of fun to produce. If you are
interested in gathering a few friends to perform one, let me know. First come, first served! The options are: “Sex and the Walled City” (taken); “Extreme
Makeover: Her Majesty’s Edition,” “Curb Your Anti-Semitism,” “Persian
Idol,” and “The Biggest Faster (parody of “The Biggest
Loser,”). Each skit has about half a
dozen parts. So call your friends and
get back to me A.S.A.P. Teens are also
welcome, but the evening will definitely have a PG-13 feel to it, and – since
it IS Purim, there will be some imbibing going on. ‘Nuff said.
·
Registration
for the upcoming summer 2013 round of Birthright Israel trips will open next
Wednesday, February 13 at 10am EST for all new applicants (Monday, Feb 11 at
12pm EST for returning applicants). Applications,
eligibility requirements, and details about the upcoming trips including
special options such as niche trips, community trips and the new Birthright
Israel PLUS trips are located on the Birthright Israel website: http://www.birthrightisrael.com/visitingisrael/Pages/default.aspx
As
the skier said…
Shabbat
Slalom!
Rabbi
Joshua Hammerman
