Values
Matrix: Responding to Critical Issues
February
28, 2025
I. Introduction
Many of us
are experiencing a myriad of emotions as we confront upheaval at home and
around the world. From the fate of the hostages and the war in Israel, to increased
anti-Semitism, to radical change in our nation’s capital and foreign policy, to
disenfranchisement, economic uncertainty and climate extremes, every day brings
new challenges to our worldview. At times, it can be overwhelming to deal with
so many different, and often conflicting realities at the same time. What makes
it even more difficult is when friends, family members, and colleagues disagree
about fundamental approaches to the conflicts and crises we face.
At Temple
Emanuel, we feel called to provide a reasoned, sacred and consistent approach
to current events and how we respond to them. Jewish texts, history, and
tradition can provide us with guidelines and perspectives around which we can formulate
positions and responses to the challenges which arise. We know that many members
of our community look to our clergy, national Reform movement, and lay and professional
leadership to respond to events as they occur. We also know full well that in a
large diverse community such as ours, not everyone will agree with the
positions and perspectives that we take on every issue.
Some of you
may remember how, when dealing with COVID-19, we created two Matrices of
Jewish Values (Values Matrix 1), (Values Matrix 2) that helped to guide us as we made
decisions about how we would address a world-wide pandemic. We found that
having a clear ethical, spiritual, and strategic vision was vitally important
as we navigated a new and emerging situation. Every decision we made about closing
and re-opening our facilities, caring for our employees, and ensuring our
physical, emotional, and spiritual safety used these values as templates for our
deliberations.
In light of
the heightened uncertainty in our rapidly changing world, we felt it important
to once again create a matrix based on our Jewish values to guide us as we address
emergent issues and situations as they arise. There will be times when we, as
members of the Clergy team, lay leaders, or representatives of Temple Emanuel
are asked to respond – either in public or privately – to issues of concern to
the Jewish community. The questions of how, if, and when we make statements must
reflect our communal values.
We
understand that not everyone agrees with or appreciates specific positions or pronouncements
made or taken by our clergy and/or congregational leadership. Know that every public
statement we make or program we offer will be vetted in light of these values.
If you are uncomfortable with anything you see – or if you approve - we encourage
you to share your feelings. We are eager to learn from everyone and we want to
understand where and when we are in and out of sync with our congregation. That
is the nature of a healthy sacred community.
We have divided
these values into four categories:
· Spiritual
Values
· Mental Health
Values
· Communal
Values
· Policy Values
II. Values Matrix
A. Spiritual Values. When we see things taking place
that either challenge or reinforce our core beliefs as Reform Jews, there are
times when we feel called support or oppose policies, events or practices. Before
we speak out on behalf of Temple Emanuel, we will weigh our responses against
the following values and practices:
1.
Lo L’fached K’lal – Acknowledge fear – but don’t allow
it to consume us.
· Rabbi Nachman of
Bratslav wrote: “The whole world is a narrow bridge, but the principal value is
not to allow fear to consume us.”
· When we confront
radical change that challenges our values and feelings of safety, we must take
care not to become paralyzed
2.
M’tinut – Mindfulness – Strive to be aware of
how stress and division are impacting all aspects of our lives.
· Before
responding publicly to current events, it is important to avoid “knee jerk”
reactions and take a breath in order to evaluate our feelings – as individuals
and as a community – and notice how they are impacting our physical, spiritual,
and emotional well-being.
3.
T’filah – Prayer is a powerful
tool for centering and reflection.
· Prayer also
connects us to one another. When we pray in community, we find comfort and
solace.
· Rabbi Abraham
Joshua Heschel writes: “Prayer cannot bring water to parched land, nor mend a
broken bridge, nor rebuild a ruined city, but prayer can water an arid
soul, mend a broken heart, and rebuild a weakened will.”
· Our prayers help
us to express our deepest feelings and know that we are not alone.
4.
B’tzelem – Find the Godly in others – even
when we disagree.
· Genesis 1:27
teaches that all humanity is created B’Tzelem Elohim – in the image of
the Divine. As such, we must treat every person – regardless of whether we
agree or disagree with them – as holy vessels.
· Disagreement
should never be expressed in ad hominem attacks.
5.
Tikvah – never give up hope.
· As Jews, we
never give up hope. The Israeli national anthem Hatikvah teaches, “We
have not given up on our 2000-year-old hope.”
We must continue to uphold this value in our daily lives – even when the
situation appears dire.
B. Mental Health Values. Change can be stressful. Reacting
to events can trigger a variety of responses. Living in times of radical change
can take a toll on our mental health. Before we speak out, we will do a mental
health “check in” – using the following values to guide us as we formulate our
positions and responses.
1.
Simcha – Find joy where you can – even when
times are hard.
2.
Avelut – Grieving.
· When confronted
with rapid change, we can experience a sense of loss as we mourn for what once
was. It is important to acknowledge and name what we are feeling.
3.
P’rishut – Self Control.
· Don’t let
emotions control rational decision making.
4.
Hakol B’z’mano – Take one thing at a time.
· It can be
overwhelming to try and deal with everything that is happening around us at
once. It is important to take things slowly, patiently, and deliberately in
order to ensure that we are consistent in our actions.
5.
Hoda’ah – Thankfulness.
·
We should try to appreciate the good that is constant
in our lives. We can’t allow
ourselves to only focus on the problems we are facing.
C. Communal Values. Whenever we feel called to react to
a situation, we must measure the power of our words with their impact on our
community as a whole. We know that we cannot speak for the entire community –
we are too diverse. At the same time, our tradition calls us to speak truth to
power when we see our principles either being ignored or amplified. The following values will guide us as we
formulate our positions and responses.
1.
Tzedakah – Righteousness.
· Jewish tradition
commands us to stand up for and protect the weak and powerless in our society.
2.
K’hillah – Community.
·
We are stronger together than alone.
3.
Dan L’chaf Z’chut – Be fair in judgement.
· Listen to all
sides of an argument before making decisions.
4.
Al Tifrosh Min HaTzibbur – Don’t cut yourself off from
the community.
· Even when we disagree,
we should strive to respect our disagreements and care for one another.
5.
Bitachon – Safety.
·
The safety and security of our congregation and the
greater community are paramount.
·
We must be mindful of the potential repercussions and
impact that any actions or statements may have on the safety of our members,
staff, and physical plant.
·
We will be in contact with our security personnel and
advisors in order to assess potential threats as a result of actions taken or
public statements made.
D. Policy Values The book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, teaches us that
“There is a time for every experience under heaven… A time for silence and a
time for speaking”. There may be times
when we, as a sacred community, feel called to speak out in favor or against
policies and practices by our government and/or the State of Israel. We will be
very careful in deciding when to speak and what to say. In doing so, we will be
guided by the following values:
1.
Ometz Lev – Courage.
· When appropriate
and safe – speak truth to power.
2. Lo Tuchal
L’hitalem – You must not remain indifferent (Deuteronomy 22:22).
· This verse
teaches us that we cannot stand by when we see injustice performed around us.
3. Tzedek Tzedek
Tirdof – Justice, justice, shall you pursue (Deuteronomy 16:20).
· The pursuit of justice
is one of the most important values of our faith.
4. Chazon
– Long term vision.
· It is important
to remember that change occurs all the time. Just because things may seem
difficult today, that doesn’t mean that they will always be this way. We must
try to look ahead to our vision of the world as we want it to be.
5. Zachor
– Learn from history.
· Don’t allow it
to repeat itself.
III.
APPLICATION OF OUR VALUES MATRIX
We understand that one of our central tasks as a sacred
community is to provide frameworks around which to respond to the many evolving
challenges of our current reality. In particular, we know that we will be
called upon to respond to the following needs in our community:
A. Public Statements in Response to Issues:
Our clergy and congregational leadership are often asked to
formulate public responses to situations as they arise. When we make public
statements – to the press, on social media, at public forums, or from the
pulpit – we must strive to ensure that our words reflect our values, are
consistent, and non-contradictory.
B. Advocacy and Direct Service:
We pride ourselves in our history of advocacy and direct
service within our community. In the past, we have been vocal leaders in areas
of service to the homeless and migrant populations, abortion rights, LGBTQ+
rights, Israel activism, and many other important arenas. In order to avoid
and/or address charges of politicization and boundary crossing, it is vital
that we base any activities on well-documented values that are based on Jewish
tradition and sources, not political platforms.
C. Coalition Building:
As the largest and oldest synagogue in Colorado, we are often
asked to partner with other congregations and organizations – both within and
outside the Jewish community – to address important issues and constituencies
in our society. These relationships are sacred. When deciding whether to
participate, we must ensure that our values are consistent with those of our
potential partners. This is especially important around Israel advocacy.
Unfortunately, following the tragedy of October 7th, we found that
many individuals and organizations with whom we had formerly been in
partnership not only expressed views and positions antithetical to our own, but
also cut ties that had previously been sacred partnerships. As always, we do
not have to agree on every issue with potential partners, and we are navigating
the reality that there are some lines that cannot be crossed.
D. Comfort and Support for our Members:
We know that, as change occurs, a key function of being part
of a sacred community is to provide safe spaces for our membership to hear and
be heard. This is a vitally important role for our clergy and pastoral care
team. It can take place in private, one-on one settings, or in public forums
where we come together to share our grief, fear, frustration, concerns, desire
to learn, and many other responses. Having a well-defined matrix of values that
we can apply to emerging situations will aid us in facilitating these
discussions and help us to understand how to respond.
We pray that our values will continue
to inspire, instruct, and guide us in this time of difficulty.
L’Shalom (in peace),
Rabbi Joseph R. Black
Cantor Elizabeth Sacks
Rabbi Emily Hyatt
Executive Director Steve Stark
President Wendy Nekritz
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