The Four Weeks of Elul – 5772 – Week 2 – Our Communal Selves

Rabbi Joseph R. Black

Temple Emanuel, Denver, CO

 

Dear Friends,

Several years ago, in Albuquerque, I officiated at the funeral of a dear friend who died suddenly after being diagnosed with a very aggressive form of pancreatic cancer.  She was a pillar of the community and a past-president of our congregation.  At her service, I read an essay she had written about her relationship to the congregation.  In her essay, she recalled a time when she was travelling to Israel and she had the following dialogue with an El-Al security officer:  “Are you Jewish? “he asked?  “Yes,” she replied.  “Where do you belong?” he then asked her….

 That question, “where do you belong?” is the key to understanding the importance of our communal selves.

 Jewish tradition embodies communal life.  We cannot pray unless we have a minyan – a community.  The call to unity in community is reflected in many Rabbinic teachings such as:

·         Kol Yisrael aravim zeh ba zeh – all Israel is responsible for one another

And

·         Al tifrosh min ha-tzibbur – do not separate yourself from the community

 And yet, we also are aware that if we focus only on our particularistic concerns, we fail to connect with the holiness that is implanted within all of humanity. 

 As Rabbi Hillel taught: 

Im ein ani li. Mi l?, U’k’she-ani l’atzmi, mah ani? V’im lo achshav, ey-matai? 

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?  But if I am only for myself, what am I?  And if not now, when?

We need to balance our legitimate concerns for our own people with those of the world around us. 

When we strengthen our communities, we strengthen our world and, I truly believe that we become more acutely aware of God’s presence.

During this, the 2^nd  week of Elul, I want us to focus on our relationship to the various communities in which we live.  We need to ask ourselves the question:  “Where do I belong?”

The following questions will help you to focus your Elul preparations on how you can make a difference for good in your congregation, community and, indeed, the world itself.  Again, this is by no means a complete list.  There are many other areas that can be explored.  Hopefully, this will provide you with a starting place for a much longer process.

 

1. Have I been generous enough in my support - financially or otherwise - of the institutions and charities that I find important?
2. Have I done all that I could to help those impacted by recent tragedies and natural disasters – here in the US and around the world?
3. Have I worked to strengthen my congregation?  Have I given of my skills and expertise when asked? 
4. How often have I been content to complain when I was affected by a problem – but after complaining, not done anything to help solve the problem?
5. Have I allowed petty squabbles and disagreements to distract me from the importance of staying involved in my community?
6. When I am at synagogue, have I done all that I can to make others feel welcomed in the same way that I want to feel welcome
7. Have I spoken out when I perceived discrimination or inequity based on economics, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation in our community?

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions for additional questions and formats that we can use.   If answering them causes you to want to speak to one of the Temple clergy, Rabbi Immerman, Cantor Heit and I would welcome the opportunity.  Note that all of these materials will be available in several formats:  electronically - via email, on our Temple website and Facebook page, in my blog:  www.Rabbijoeblack.blogspot.com;  and in hard copy at the Temple Office. If you know of anyone else who might want to receive these mailings – whether or not they are members of the congregation, please contact Susie Sigman at Sigman@emanueldenver.org .

May this time of Cheshbon Hanefesh be fruitful for all of us as we prepare to enter into the holiest days of the year.

L’Shalom,

 

Rabbi Joseph R. Black

 

Four Weeks of Elul - 5772 - Week 1

My Dear Friends,

I write this letter on August 19, 2012.  Today is also the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul.  In exactly one month we will be welcoming in a New Year on Rosh Hashanah.  During this month of Elul it is customary to begin intensive personal preparations for the New Year.  This process, called Cheshbon Ha-Nefesh – ‘an inventory of our souls’ – requires that each of us engage in a process of self-examination.  We need to look closely at our relationships, thoughts, deeds, fears and dreams.  We do this so that we can enter into the Yamim Noraim – the Days of Awe – spiritually and personally refreshed and prepared.  This is a powerful time of year:  when our tradition teaches that we need to ask those around us whom we have wronged to forgive us for our actions.  We are also commanded to forgive those who ask us as well. 

As we reflect back over the past year, it is important that we put every aspect of our lives into perspective.  For the past two years, I have continued a tradition here in Denver that I started in my previous congregation of sending out weekly lists of seven questions (one for each day of the week) during the month of Elul.  These questions are designed to help us examine our lives in all of the varied aspects and arenas in which we live:  Spiritual, Physical, Interpersonal and Communal.  Hopefully, by answering these questions we will be better prepared to welcome the New Year - 5773.  The purpose of these questions is not to make us feel bad or unworthy, but rather to “nudge” us into looking at these vitally important aspects of our lives.  There will be seven questions in each list – one for every day of the week.

I welcome your comments and suggestions for additional questions and formats that we can use.   If answering them causes you to want to speak to one of the Temple clergy, Rabbi Immerman, Cantor Heit and I would welcome the opportunity.  Note that all of these materials will be available in several formats:  electronically - via email, on our Temple website and Facebook page, in my blog:  www.Rabbijoeblack.blogspot.com;  and in hard copy at the Temple Office. If you know of anyone else who might want to receive these mailings – whether or not they are members of the congregation, please contact Susie Sigman at Sigman@emanueldenver.org.  She will be happy to forward them.

May this time of Chesbon Hanefesh be fruitful for all of us as we prepare to enter into the holiest days of the year.

 L’Shalom,

 Rabbi Joseph R. Black

 

The Four Weeks of Elul 5772

Week One: Spiritual Selves

As we enter the month of Elul, we begin by examining our spiritual lives.  Spirituality is one of those words that mean different things to different people.  For the purposes of this list of questions, I want you to focus on Spirituality as referring to those aspects of your life that help you to feel connected to something greater than yourself. 

The past several weeks have been very difficult.  The shocking details of the Aurora shootings and the echoes reverberating in the Sikh Mosque outside of Milwaukee have forced many of us to ask difficult questions about how a caring and compassionate God could allow such evil to take place.  This is not the first time that tragedy has forced us to question. Unfortunately, the Jewish people are well acquainted with grief and loss.  And yet, Judaism teaches that questioning can strengthen faith.   Our tradition is filled with exemplary men and women who challenge God.  From Abraham and Moses, to Rabbis Sally Priesand and Miri Gold, we have learned the importance of challenging the status quo and finding new paths to the Divine as a result.

We grow spiritually when we feel that our lives have meaning and purpose and that we are part of a Divine Plan.  The liturgy of the Yamim Noraim – the Days of Awe – is filled with the language of God’s judgment.  Rather than perceive this is a negative or punitive light, try to imagine that we are being judged for the way that we fulfill the spiritual potential that God has given us.

This week's questions deal with our Spiritual Selves. During this time of Chesbon Ha Nefesh, one of our tasks is to examine the status of our relationship with God, Torah, and our own mortality.  As always, the following questions should not be perceived as a complete listing – they are merely a beginning. If you have other questions that you think may help others in our community, I would love to receive them.

QUESTIONS – WEEK ONE – SPIRITUAL SELVES

1.      Over the course of the year, how much time have I been able to dedicate towards appreciating the beauty of God’s creation?

2.      When/where was the last time I felt close to God?

3.      With the memory of the recent tragedies, how has my faith been tested this year?  How has it been affirmed?

4.      How has my faith evolved since I was a child?

5.      When was the last time I was able to pray without any distraction?

6.      How often, during the course of the past year, have I been able to set aside my own needs for something bigger than myself?

7.      If I were put in the position of explaining my beliefs to others, would I feel comfortable in doing so?

 May you utilize these and all of your questions to help you gain a better understanding of your spiritual selves.

L’Shanah Tovah,

Rabbi Joseph R. Black

Black@Emanueldenver.org

My remarks at the Aurora Prayer Vigil

Tonight I participated in a prayer vigil at the Aurora Civic Plaza. Many people from around the country saw the proceedings live on national television. From my perspective, sitting on the dais, the scene was somewhat surreal. There was a sea of faces - tens of thousands of people - all coming together to find some comfort in the days following a terrible event.  The pain and the hope in the crowd were both palpable. 

For me, the most powerful moments came when the families of the slain and the wounded were ushered in to the proceedings.  As I looked at the faces of these men, women and children – some in wheelchairs or crutches, others carrying pictures of loved ones who had died – my heart broke.  We had been hearing about numbers and statistics for so long – now we were seeing, face to face, the true toll of evil. 

There were many aspects of the vigil that were beautiful.  Other parts of the event could have been different – especially the lack of any Islamic presence in the program.   Aurora has the largest mosque in Colorado.  There are many Muslims living in the city.  I hope that the lack of a representative was due to the fact that we are now in the time of Ramadan – and no one was able to be there. 

The fact that the vast majority of the prayers and hymns offered were Christian – with specific Christological references -  made some of the Jewish dignitaries on the dais uncomfortable.  As someone who has participated in similar events for many years now, it didn’t surprise me.  After 25 years in the Rabbinate I know that the only way to avoid this is to engage in a process of dialogue and discussion.  Clearly, we have our work cut out for us.  And yet,  this was not a time to bring this up.  That can wait until the future. 

What follows are my remarks.  Thank you to the many people who texted, tweeted and posted comments on my Facebook page in response to the televised broadcast.

A Prayer for Peace – in the Aftermath of Terror

City of Aurora Prayer Vigil

Rabbi Joseph R. Black- Temple Emanuel – Denver, CO

July 22, 2012

Our God and God of all People,

God of the rich and God of the poor.

God  of the faceless and God of the famous.

God of the victims and God of all who cry out on their behalf.

God of those who have no God:

We have come together at this sacred and solemn hour to pray for peace. 

These past days have been filled with horror.

We have seen the devastating effects of Violence on those killed and injured –on their loved ones – and on those who may have escaped physical violence but who bear painful wounds deep within their souls.

We have held tightly to our children and played out the scenarios of “what ifs” and “why nots” over and over again in our minds.

We are drained.

We are in pain.

And we are angry.

Tonight we pray:  spread over us the shelter of Shalom - of peace – knowing full well that peace can seem out of reach in the aftermath of devastation. 

Help us to see the potential for holiness that resides within each of us.

We have felt your healing presence in the outpouring of love and caring that binds this community together.

We have witnessed your love in moments of clarity that cut through the deafening sorrow that fills our hearts and our homes.

We have learned of selfless acts of courage that stir our souls and remind us of the inherent goodness you have implanted within us.

Guide us to see the good in the midst of evil.

Grant us peace – Your most precious gift – and help us to be partners with You in shining the light of peace in the darkest corners of Your creation.

Oseh Shalom Bimromav – He Ya-ahseh Shalom Ahleynu va’l Kol B’nai Adam –

May the One who makes peace in the High Heavens –send peace to us and  to all Creation.

And let us say:  AMEN

Opening Prayer for a Shabbat in the aftermath of tragedy.

Eloheynu V’elohey avoteynu,

We come here tonight to this sacred place – numb with shock and grief – in the aftermath of a senseless tragedy that has shaken our state and our nation to the very core.  Our hearts are heavy as we contemplate the horror of this day.  WE realize just how precious and fragile are the lives with which we have been gifted.

We have been a witness to Evil O God..  We pray for the families and loved ones of those who were murdered.  We ask for Your healing blessing upon those who are wounded.  Guide the hands of the surgeons and healers who labor feverishly to save the lives of the injured.

On this Shabbat, in addition to our prayers for our own community here in Colorado, we are also  mindful of those who died and were wounded  in Bulgaria at the hands of terrorist murderers.  That this tragedy occurred on the 18^th anniversary – to the date – of the bombing  of a Jewish center in Argentina makes out horror more acute.  All of these victims of terror lost their lives simply because they were Jews.  They paid for their innocence in blood.

God – we pray for hope on this Shabbat.  In this time of Sinat – Chinam – baseless hatred, we ask that you help us to find and create – Ahavat Chinam – unrestricted love.  May we find pathways of peace that will help us to see you in the beauty of your creation – unrestricted by the blinders of hatred and violence.

Give us strength as we comfort one another.

Give us hope as we contemplate the possibilities for healing.

Help us to work to build a better, safer world.

We thank you for the gift of community. 

We thank you for this Shabbat – this day that provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our lives with meaning and purpose.

AMEN

Reflection on the Aftermath of a Tragedy

Reflection on the Aftermath of a Tragedy

 On Friday night, July 20th, one day after the tragedy that occured in an Aurora Movie Theater, I delivered the following sermon:

Reflection on the Aftermath of a Tragedy

Shabbat Mattot-Massey

July 20, 2012

Rabbi Joseph Black – Temple Emanuel – Denver, CO

Dear Friends,

On this Shabbat  we come together to find comfort.  We look for answers in the depths of this terrible tragedy. 

·         We ask ourselves and one another:  how could this happen?  How could something so horrific, so monstrous happen – especially here – in this community that only recently experienced a similar horror in Columbine?

·         We seek answers.  We ask:  How could God allow this to happen?”

·         The truth is – there are no answers – none that give us comfort.

·         The randomness of this act of violence makes the horror of what we have heard all the more intense.

·         AS a rabbi – there are times when I wish I could put things in perspective and tell you about the true reasons for pain, suffering and evil in this world – but I cannot.

·         That this tragedy occurred on this day – when, in the State of Israel the bodies of 4 men and a pregnant woman were buried as a result of an act of unspeakable terror in Bulgaria makes the realization of this horror all the more painful.

·         That this tragedy occurred on the 18^th anniversary of the bombing of a Jewish Center in Buenos Aires – a fact not lost on the terrorists in Bulgaria – compounds our sense of fear and powerlessness

·         That this tragedy occurred at the same time that the International Olympic Committee has refused to acknowledge the 40^th anniversary of the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches at the Munich Olympics only adds more outrage to our pain.

·         Tonight we also begin the Hebrew month of Av –the month when we, as a people, remember the destruction of the 1^st and 2^nd Temples – as well as many other tragedies that have befallen on our people throughout the ages.

This morning, after being awakened with the news of the shootings, I was contacted by a reporter from CNN who wanted to know what the “religious” perspective on this horrible event might be.  My first response was to tell the person on the other end of the line that there is NO religious response.  Religion had nothing to do with the killing of 12 innocents and the wounding of dozens more. 

But then, as I gathered my thoughts together, I realized that, yes, there was a religious answer – but it was not necessarily a Theological response.  My first instinct, once I heard about the shootings, was to find out who in our community was impacted by the events of last night.  Then I felt the need to reach out to the entire community and let them know that we all felt the same shock, horror and pain.

You see, the religious response to horror and terror is caring and community.  It is found when we come together – to grieve, to cry, ask questions, to get angry – to find comfort and to comfort one another. 

·         It is in Community that we find comfort. 

·         It is in Community that we find God.

·         It is in Community that we grieve and we allow ourselves to express our loss and fear.

But it is in Community that we also find strength.   The purpose of terror is to isolate us – from one another and from God.  We need to come together at times such as these and proclaim that we will not allow fear or violence or hatred to rip us apart.   And that is why we are here tonight and that is the answer to those who would use violence and hatred to destory the fabric of our lives.

In this week’s torah Portion, Mattot Masey, there is a terrible story.  God instructs Moses to wipe out the entire Midianite Population – to spare no one: Men women and children alike.  The Israelites attack the Midianite encampment and massacre all the men and the children – but they spare the women.  Moses is furious.  You see, last week’s parasha told the story of how the Midianites sent women to seduce the Israelites – and were almost successful.  By sparing the women – who, in Moses’ eyes were the cause of the debauchery of the Israelites, not only were his people disobeying orders, but they were displaying the very same weakness that almost destroyed them in the first place.

Each year that we approach this portion – I cringe.  There are so many problems that it poses:

·         What kind of God commands us to commit genocide?  

·         How can we read this in a post-Shoah world and not be sickened? 

The truth is, we cannot.  An essential aspect of Reform Judaism is the understanding that there are times when we must accept the fact that there are portions of Torah that are anathema to our vision of the world.  And it is permissible to reject them – or to try to find some redeeming aspect of their narrative – if we feel that the message does not fit with our understanding of the world in which we live.

Tonight, our rejection of the violence of this week’s parasha is all the more poignant and painful in light of the carnage of Aurora and Bulgaria.  As we remember the victims of our recent past:  in Buenos Aires and Munich – and so many others – we need to stand firm and resolute in our rejection of violence and our faith in the holiness implanted within each human being.

From another perspective, if we are to have a response to the events that took place in Aurora yesterday,  we might start by looking at why it is possible for any person to purchase an automatic weapon capable of carrying out this kind of carnage.  We might ask why gun lobby feels it necessary to flood our nation with weapons.  We might ask why any politician who questions the sanity of easy access to multiple weapons is targeted for defeat by the bottomless coffers of those who want to protect our right to bear arms…..

Would better gun laws have prevented this tragedy in Aurora from occurring?  Maybe – maybe not.  But I believe that it is in the best interest of our nation to find ways to reduce the culture of violence that has permeated every aspect of our lives.

We have been here before.  Unfortunately, we will probably be here again.   But that does not mean that we need to accept the status quo.

Tonight we grieve. Tonight we try to find comfort in our community.  We remember the victims and pray for the survivors.

If we can take anything away from the tragedy it is to remember that we cannot allow our fears and our hatred to control us.  They cannot become the driving force in our society.  We need to combat hatred and violence with love and peace – with caring and community.  Then, and only then, will we be able to put this terrible tragedy behind us.

May we find a way to build a world of peace.  AMEN.

Emor and Marriage Equality

Emor and Marriage Equality

Rabbi Joseph R. Black

Temple Emanuel – Denver, CO

May 11, 2012

This week’s Torah portion, Emor, teaches about the restrictions placed on those who serve as priests in the Temple.  Priests are prohibited from marrying widows or divorcees, they cannot have any physical or mental deformities – their lives are regulated and controlled.

There are many responses that we can have when confronting this text – the first one that comes to mind is – “I’m glad I’m not a priest – and I’m glad that these laws no longer apply.”  The truth is – these laws had their origins in times that are very different than our own.  The concept that a person would be prohibited from serving in a sacred capacity because of physical deformity is completely foreign to us.  Ours is a society that prides itself in being open to all – of providing access and equal rights to everyone – right? 

Well – not everyone.  There are still people who are denied basic human rights and legal protection simply because of how they love and who they love…  And this is wrong.

As I’ve said on many occasions, as a Rabbi, I believe that the most important verses in the Bible can be found in Genesis 1:27.  There we find it written that God created Humanity in the Divine Image.

We are the image of God. 

We are all holy creatures. 

God created us. 

God loves us.

God gave us the ability to love and to hate – to kill and to create.  How we use these abilities is directly proportional to our awareness of the holiness that is implanted within us.

This is why it is essential for religious communities to become involved in the struggle for LGBT rights.  For if we stand idly by and do nothing when basic human rights are denied: 

·        The right to legal protection for families

·        The right to job security. 

·        The right to housing;

·        The right to live free from fear. 

·        The right to ensure that we can carry out the wishes of our spouses and partners when they become incapacitated;

      ·        The right to visit our loved ones when they are in the hospital;

·        the right to insurance;

·        and so many others…..

Then we are denying the holiness implanted not only within our GLBT brothers and sisters – but within ourselves as well.

I’m sure that you are all aware of recent events surround the issue of Civil Unions and Gay marriage – here in our legislature and in other states around the country.  Two days ago, President Obama stated his support for Gay Marriage.  This came on the heels of voters in North Carolina who, on Tuesday approved Amendment One, a fiercely debated and highly restrictive amendment to the state constitution that defines marriage as the legal union of a man and a woman is very upsetting.

The North Carolina amendment not only outlaws same-sex marriage — already illegal in the state — but bans civil unions and domestic partnerships for gay or straight couples. Family law experts say it will threaten domestic partnership health benefits for local government workers and strip unmarried couples, both gay and straight, of their rights to make financial or emergency medical decisions for an incapacitated partner.

And here in our own State of Colorado:   the leadership of our State Legislature felt it necessary to derail a bill that would allow citizens to enter into a Domestic partnership that would provide them basic legal protections – I find this to be cruel, inhumane and, frankly, immoral.  I am proud of Governor Hickenlooper for calling a special legislative session to address this bill and others that were also killed by those who were afraid of the consequences of a vote.

My friends, as Jews, I believe that we have a moral obligation to support those in our society who are asking to be granted the ability to express their love and to receive the same basic rights as other couples.

This is not about “supporting” homosexuality.  The bill is very clear in its language that no one needs to change their views on marriage, love or relationships.  It merely states that every human being has the right to love another human being – and to receive the same benefits as those who are legally married.

Our state constitution defines marriage as being between one man and one woman.  That is law.  The current bill will not change that.  All that it will do is grant basic rights to couples who want nothing more than the ability to share their lives together.

The people who will benefit if this bill is passed are not zealots or radicals – they are our friends, our relatives, our teachers, our doctors and lawyers and productive, healthy members of our society – in other words – they are you and me.

I recently posted a photo on my Facebook page (by the way – feel free to “friend” me if you haven’t done so already…),  This photo was of a beautiful family – Rhonda, Jessica and their daughter, Emily.  Rhonda and Jessica were the first same-sex couple at whose wedding I officiated.  Emily is a happy, healthy, beautiful and intelligent young woman who wrote the following to her parents in anticipation of Mothers’ day: 

 "Thank you guys for being the best moms anyone could ever have. You've given me the opportunities that many people never have, and the freedom to excel and be who I am. Thank you for helping me turn into the person I am today, and I see my actions, my words, and myself in both of you. I hope you have an amazing day and relax a little, because you both deserve it! I'm sorry if I don't always act like it, but I appreciate you guys more than anyone else on this earth. A daughter's love for her mother is the most unique and amazing feeling ever. I love you both so so much."

For those who are afraid that domestic partnerships will somehow impact the sanctity of Traditional marriage – all I have to say is how will two people who love one another – who want nothing more than to raise their families in loving homes – in JEWISH homes – where shared values are discussed and God’s presence is felt in the sanctity of consecrated commitment – how will these individuals impact the sanctity of marriage more than those who mock marriage through serial divorce, the exploitation of sexuality and love that we see reflected in the mass media and on the internet?

There is a very good chance that representative McNulty – the current speak of the House, will try to use other legislative means to ensure that the Civil Unions Bill will not come to a vote.  He can do this by shifting it to another committee that will prevent it from being brought forward.  We  need to let him know that this is wrong.  We need to let our voices be heard.  Please contact him and let him know your concern.  His phone number is:  (303)866-2346.  His email is frank.mcnulty.house@state.co.us

We have no more business legislating who is fit to love and how they express that love in sacred commitment - than we have the right to state that those who possess a physical deformity are incapable of holding sacred office.  The tide has shifted.  We need to let our legislators know that we, as people of faith, want to see equality in marriage.

In addition, I am proud that Temple Emanuel is joining with several other synagogues in the Denver area to march on June 17, in the annual pridefest parade – alongside Keshet – an organization that supports Jewish GLBT issues.  I hope that you will be able to join with me as we march together in solidarity.  You will be hearing more about this in days and weeks to come.

Shabbat Shalom.

Invocation for Colorado State House - 4/19/12. Holocaust Remembrance

Invocation for the Colorado House of Representatives

Holocaust Remembrance

Rabbi Joseph R. Black

Temple Emanuel – Denver, CO

April 19, 2012

Our God and God of all humanity,

At this solemn occasion when we commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, we turn our thoughts and prayers to memory:

The memories of those who perished in the monstrous Nazi machinery of death.

The Memories of those righteous ones who stood up to evil – at their own peril

The memory of our ability to hate

The memory of our ability to heal

The memory of our ability to learn from the past

The memory of our inability to learn from the past and, in our hubris and passion repeat the mistakes of our mortality again and again.

On this morning we search for healing and renewal.

As we gather in this sacred chamber, let us acknowledge that our leaders have the power to enlighten our community.  Let us also remember that, all too often, throughout history there have been those who chose to wield power to create darkness and chaos.

Guide these legislators, O God.  On this day that we honor, sanctify and grieve at the loss those who died at the hands of murderers who failed to see the humanity of their victims, help these elected officials to look beyond the minutia of legislation and see the faces of those who will be impacted by the laws they pass.

Keep them humble, O God.  Keep them focused on the good that they can and will do – in partnership and collaboration – regardless of race, creed, gender or political affiliation.

God, you give us memory - for even at times when You were silent, You remembered us

In times when we have seemed to forget You - we came back to you

In the shadow of our loss, let us find the ability to heal – to renew ourselves and our souls – to rededicate our lives to community building – with strength, with love, with hope.

We honor those who died for the sanctification of Your name.

May they be for an Eternal blessing.

AMEN