A Prayer For Reproductive Rights Shabbat - January 28-29, 2022

As the Supreme Court is about to rule on a case that challenges Roe V. Wade, Abortion Rights are in danger of being taken away. I strongly believe that women have the right to decide how to care for their own bodies. Questions around healthcare, reproductive rights and abortion should be left to individuals. This past Shabbat, Temple Emanuel joined with congregations around the country as we focused our learning and prayers around protecting women's access to healthcare, birth control and abortion services.  Here is a prayer that I wrote for the conclusion of our service: 

Source of Creation:

Your lines of possibility are scrawled in pencil. We redraw and refine them in Your image.

So much of what once was out of reach is now part of our daily lives.

The boundaries of earth and sky, sea and stars challenge us to continue the sacred work of Creation.

As we open new horizons of learning and understanding, guide us to choose the good as we confront the possibilities before us.

We, too, have created lines, O God. Some protect and others oppress.

With each successive generation we seek to grow, to learn, and to change patterns of persecution forged by ignorance, misogyny, and fear.

Help us draw lines of openness and understanding.

Guide us as we seek Your presence in the painful choices we must confront.

We see You in the wonders of nature, in the perfection of our bodies and the struggle to free ourselves from the desire to control the rights and freedoms of others.

May our sacred strivings bring us closer to You, O God.

AMEN

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Words have Power: Opening prayer for the CO House of Representatives. January 20, 2022

Our God and God of all peoples.

God of the tired, God of the energized

God of the afflicted and God of the secure

God of the complacent and God of the enraged

We are in pain, O God.

Last Saturday morning in Colleyville, TX, a lone gunman who had been radicalized by ancient hatred and modern conspiracy theories held the rabbi and three members of Beth Israel Congregation hostage. For a horrific 12 hours, their lives were in the balance. Thankfully, due to the bravery and training of Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and the diligence, professionalism and hard work of local and national law enforcement, all hostages were freed, and the terrorist threat was eliminated.

When news of their release became public, a collective sigh of relief could be heard from all corners of the world. Lives were spared. Heroes emerged and the specter of yet another potential massacre of innocents was unrealized.

And yet, despite the ending for which we all prayed, damage was done. We here in Colorado know all too well the heavy price we pay when disturbed individuals who seek to rid themselves of their own demons let loose their hatred with bullets and brutality. Knowing as we do, the toll that violence demands from victims and innocents alike, we are especially vulnerable to trauma.

Around the globe, synagogues, mosques, houses of worship and even halls of governance like this are becoming more and more fortress-like. We know that hatred and intolerance are on the rise. Healthy discourse is increasingly replaced by talking points and diatribes. And when dialogue is destroyed, danger lurks in the shadows. There are many eager to capitalize on our inability to communicate and use violence to achieve their goals. 

This sacred chamber was designed to provide a space for vigorous and earnest debate, disagreement, and compromise. Increasingly, we have seen the rise of disrespect, aggression and a toxic, take-no-prisoners partisanship that transcends political party and threatens to undermine the very foundation upon which our Democracy was founded.

Those elected to govern must also lead by example.

God, we pray that these legislators who labor on behalf of our Great State of Colorado might endeavor to see the humanity of all - even when they disagree. May they strive to achieve legislative goals by seeking pathways of peace through which they might become exemplars of patience, pathos and partnership.

Words have power. 

May we all use them wisely.

AMEN

A Havdalah Prayer for Colleyville, TX

 

Eloheynu V’Elohey Avoteynu V’Imoteynu – Our God and God of our Ancestors

As we conclude this Shabbat Shira – this Shabbat of redemption and celebration – our hearts and minds are filled with fear as we watch yet another tragedy unfolding across our nation. We pray for protection and healing for Rabbi Charlie Cytron Walker and the remaining hostages at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville Texas.  May lives be saved and families reunited. Guide the hands of the negotiators and bring this situation to a safe end- without the loss of innocent lives.

We have known this fear before, God. In Pittsburgh, Pueblo and Poway; in the streets of Charlottesville, New York, and Los Angeles. In the riot at our Nation’s Capital and on websites, talk shows and the darkest alleyways of the internet. We see it on the Far Right and the Far Left. Anti-Semitism has no political boundaries or logical conclusions. It is as ancient as western civilization and as evergreen as the latest conspiracy theories polluting our discourse.

As we come together tonight in solidarity, may we find comfort in the presence of so many who share in our pain and seek an end to violence, hatred and oppression. 

On this weekend when we celebrate the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, may we find inspiration in his passion for non-violent protest. Dr. King understood that hatred only breeds more hatred. His gospel of love and reconciliation – combined with historical truth-telling is the only pathway to true peace.

Help us, God to work together as we stand firm against those who seek to create chaos and bring darkness into the world.

May the light of this Havdalah candle, the fragrance of our spices and the sweetness of the wine be a symbol of hope for a better tomorrow. As we invite Elijah the Prophet into our hearts and homes, may his message of peace spread throughout the world. We hope for a peaceful ending. We pray for an end to hate. We give thanks for the ability to find comfort in community.

AMEN

Poem: Debbie Friedman - Summer, 1972

(c) 2022 - Rabbi Joe Black

In a room sizzling with summer energy

Brimming with braces, tank tops, fears, insecurity and excitement:

    Each soul an empty bucket longing to be filled with love

 

She burst in-

   Brown fiery eyes peaking over the top of her massive Martin D-35 

Thumb and finger picks flying

Strings splitting open at breakneck speed

She commanded us to 

 

Sing.

   Unto.

      God.

 

And God help us if we didn’t….

God helped us and we did. 

 

In her presence we were special. 

In her passion we were perfect. 

How could so much joy flow through 12 jingle jangle strings?

 

We sang with lungs bursting and found harmony that transcended music.

 

 Dancing, clapping, laughing, slipping and crying on pathways to paradise. 

 

She taught us to see

She fed us 

Pain 

Joy 

Passion and 

Pathos 

 

We were hers

She was ours 

 

And for a brief moments we sprouted wings and floated, transcendent,

Over long liquid days of Wisconsin corn fields and mosquitos bites

Breaking free from the awkward, earthly chains of burgeoning adolescence

Transforming into Angels

Carrying messages of love and laughter

Hope and holiness

We fit. 

We were

One. 

 

And let us say:  Amen.

A Reflection on the 1 Year Anniversary of the Attack on Our Nation’s Capital-January 6th, 2022

One year ago, on January 6^th, 2021, the world watched in horror as violent protestors responded to a desperate and despicable call that broached both physical and ethical boundaries in our nation’s capital. What we witnessed on that fateful day was an act of desecration and chaos unmatched in American History. The cries of pain, fear, ignorance and terror that echoed through those hallowed halls still reverberate in our national consciousness. Today marks a sacred day of soul searching. Will we allow this anniversary to pass without acknowledging just how close we came destroying the basic foundations of our national values? The descent into mob violence and blind obedience to falsehood and manipulation provided a stark example of what History has taught us, again and again:  that freedom, human dignity and truth are fragile and easily discarded in the face of ignorance, prejudice and manipulation. 

As we remember the tragedy of that fateful day, let us strive to honor the basic principles that have guided our nation over the past 246 years of independence. We know that our Country is not perfect. The ugly truths that for too long have been swept under the rug of the myth of  American Exceptionalism call on us to see cracks in our system of governance and the imbalances of our history and work to correct them. And yet, our nation’s  founders created checks and balances designed to prevent the perversion of justice in the pursuit of power. This begins with a renewed effort to confront propaganda, misinformation and demagoguery wherever and whenever it raises its ugly head. It also challenges us to follow the Biblical Adage:  Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof – Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue.” (Deuteronomy 16:20).  

As Jews, we bear the burden of our own history. We know, all too well, the impact of authoritarianism and political turmoil. Those responsible for the tragedy of January 6^th, 2021 must be brought  to justice. At the same time, however, we also must strive to find ways to bridge the political divides that are destroying the fabric of Democracy and common decency in our nation. Healthy debate and disagreement lie in the cornerstone of our national consciousness.

Our sacred task is to try to see the holiness in all of God’s creation – even when we disagree. The lessons of this fateful anniversary call on us to look at those with whom we disagree with compassion, understanding and courage. This does not mean that we must abandon our values, but it does mean that, before we allow the divisiveness that is plaguing our political and social discourse to overtake us, we must strive to find common ground and the pursuit of justice. 

We pray for the  promise of Shalom.