Erev Rosh Hashana Drash 5770
September 21, 2009
Nahman of Bratslav said: “On the day that a person does teshuvah, he rises above time, and he elevates all days above time….. for teshuvah is the nullification of time.” And so – here we are once again, at Rosh Hashana. It seems like less and less time passes between one Rosh Hashana and the next! I almost went to the extreme of saying that Rosh Hashanas run together – but that wouldn’t have been an accurate statement, because we’re all familiar with the feeling of being yanked away from sacred time, when we walk outside and witness the world going on with its business as usual. When Nahman talked about nullifying time, he was zoned into a different way of being with people. To him, the past and the future could cease to exist, because he could bring all of his faculties to bear. For him, there was just the present; and seeing things through this set of eyes, he – and anyone else who had this clairvoyant power –would always be where he started out – fresh, unscathed, full of possibility.
But nowadays, I wonder if this a good thing, to be so focused on the present? The Brazilian writer Ignacio de Loyola Brandao considers us poisoned by the media – so that, in the present, we seek nothing but celebrity, or the celebrity status that attaches to being mindful of who we think we are and how we’re representing our feelings to an imaginary public. So what can it mean today to think of deep spiritual knowledge and awareness only in terms of the present? And is it such a good thing that the way we fancy ourselves as Jews today amounts to what we can “cobble together” right now? Why are we so inept when it comes to accepting the weight of the past? What leaves us so ill-prepared, so arbitrary, when it comes to thinking about a Jewish future? ……Nahman didn’t know what we’re up against today.
Yet, right now in here we are awake in a way that maybe he could identify with. We’re present at the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe. Something happens, when we come in here together! In contrast to this, contemporary life is distracting. The world we move about in gets in the way of establishing the deeper bonds with one another we will be affirming over the next ten days. The Havurah intends to bring water to a poor village in Nicaragua and we’re looking for everyone’s involvement. Give whatever you can… just get involved; do something about poverty that is global and experienced in the developing world like nothing you’d otherwise believe here in this country. The rich nations – our own behavior vis a vis our squandering of resources that belong to everyone – are implicated. In here we realize these things. And yet, when we leave this hall we can become distracted by a present that overwhelms us. The trick is to stay focused.
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Chutzpah, Voluntarism and Spirituality
September 5, 2009
In a pivotal but lesser known teaching, Nahman of Bratslav taught his followers that not everything was up to the teacher. He urged them to bring something new, of their own, to the Torah he presented. It would be best, of course, (he reserved some honorary status to himself!), if they mastered what he taught them. However, if that were not possible, he encouraged originality.
This teaching might suffice to base the work that lies in store for Havurah on creativity and imagination. But Nahman adds something else: he refers to the errant quality of our thoughts. It seems that it’s the view of the spiritual master that our proliferation of ideas – about goals, about art, about virtue, about fantasy – is a blessing and a curse. And it’s up to us to direct the power of our minds to a higher purpose. Especially if we consider what it means to be postmodern Jews, we are constantly breaking things down and reconceiving them. Not all our ideas or the combustible energy we bring to celebrating our great minds will bring us home. To be at home will require us to be intentional, truthful, and at rest.
At the Yamim Noraim (the Days of Awe), we come home to ourselves, as individuals and as a community. More than ever, in the Havurah we recognize this to mean that our diversity refers not only to color or gender or to status, but to imaginative prowess and volubility. We are producers of Jewish life. Everything depends on us expressing ourselves, but putting in the effort to work cohesively. To the extent that we can organize ourselves and play a role – whether it be within the context of advocating for debt relief for impoverished nations or in terms of bringing in new music and actually singing – we will work effectively. If we embrace spiritual practices instead of leaving them to others – we will have an impact. If we listen to one another reverently and empathically, we will nurture hope and habits of kindness. On the other hand, if we just make noise, it will be an indication of our failure.
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Planning Ahead for the High Holidays
September 5, 2009
I am in the midst of my third High Holiday Cycle at Havurah Shalom. The first year was a bit of a scramble as I figured out what I needed to deal with, what the volunteer logistic chairs take care of, and how best to make sure that nothing “fell through the cracks.” Last year, some of the key logistics volunteers continued for their second year so we worked together to fine-tune some of the details. I had a much better handle on what needed to happen so was able to help support all the volunteers in their work. Part of my role is assuring volunteer chairs that people will sign up for volunteer shifts! And that’s where I need your help. PLEASE fill out your High Holiday volunteer form and get it back to the office.
We always seem to have enough ushers and other volunteers in the end, but it is nerve wracking to the coordinators along the way! The usher shifts are 45 minutes. It’s an easy way to help out. Many of you know that you are willing to usher but hesitate to sign up for a shift ahead of time. That makes is hard for the usher coordinators to do their jobs since they are responsible for filling all the volunteer slots. Help your fellow members out by committing to a volunteer shift today!
This year we are finding that we need to redefine the job descriptions of some of the key roles so that they are manageable for people who work full-time. The only way that we are able to hold Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services at the Tiffany Center and open them to the entire community is if each one of us helps out. This is a pretty incredible undertaking, and we have a good structure to manage all the details. However, we need help from all of you to ensure everything runs smoothly. Many of you can help in small ways by signing up for an usher shift or bringing food for the breakfast. However, we need some of you to take on bigger roles of responsibility to pull this off.
Remember the beautiful flowers on the bima? Many congregations would call a florist and have arrangements delivered. Not Havurah! Nancy Chesler has chaired the flower brigade for many years. She has a dedicated crew of volunteers who meet at the Tiffany Center before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and put together the arrangements. Nancy would like to begin the process of passing the baton to someone else. She would love to work with someone this year to show them the ropes, with the intention of having them take over next year. Can you help??? Contact Nancy Chesler or Chris Coughlin.
I expect there to be a few moments of panic over the next couple of weeks as we worry about not having enough volunteers to get everything done. However, I am sure that we can count on you coming through at the last minute and pitching in to help! Without each of you taking a role over the High Holidays we couldn’t make services at the Tiffany Center happen.
Shalom Portland Radio Show Debuts
September 5, 2009
Starting Friday September 25th, at 11am on KBOO Community Radio 90.7 fm
Shalom Portland brings to KBOO Community Radio local, national, and international issues from a variety of Jewish perspectives. Your host for Shalom Portland is Ed Kraus.
Shalom Portland is new for KBOO, separate from the long-running Portland Yiddish Hour. This new program is a public affairs show, bringing news and current events to radio from Jewish perspectives. Ed is starting Shalom Portland so that political and current events features don’t distract the Yiddish Hour from its world music and cultural format. He will continue to host the Sunday morning Yiddish Hour along with Liz Schwartz, Barry Lavine, and long-time hosts Jack (Yankl) Falk and Reva Falk.
In this pilot program the legal and political challenges of water scarcity for resolving the Israel/Palestine conflict are discussed by international water law expert Gabriel Eckstein, who serves as a neutral advisor to the Geneva Initiative process. Holocaust survivor and artist Alice Lok Cahana tells a story about the inspiration for her ceramic Torah scroll sculptures, and Imam Mamadou Toure’s words at the memorial service for Portland’s Rabbi Aryeh Hirshfield are shared.
Shalom Portland is airing Friday September 25th at 11:00 am on all of KBOO’s fm signals (90.7 in Portland, 100.7 Corvallis, 91.9 Hood River) and can also be heard live on internet stream at www.kboo.fm. The show will also be archived for podcast on the kboo.fm website.
This is a pilot, or audition radio show. Ed has applied with KBOO for a once-a-month time slot for Shalom Portland. KBOO will make decisions about the future of the show based partly upon the feedback it receives from the listening public. So please do listen, either live or podcast and be sure to contact KBOO radio after September 25th if you would like to hear more programming like this in the future.
High Holiday Tzedakah Project: Community Warehouse
September 5, 2009
The Havurah Shalom tzedakah project this year is to support Community Warehouse. Community Warehouse collects essential furniture and household items from the community and distributes them to local families in need.
The Warehouse works in partnership with over 100 local non-profit and social service agencies. Community Warehouse assists over 60 households each week providing mattresses & box springs, kitchen tables & chairs, dressers, lamps, pots & pans, cooking utensils, towels and blankets.
Please help Community Warehouse by bringing some of the most needed household items listed below with you during the High Holidays. If you have furniture items or items too large to carry, call 503-235-8786 to arrange a pick up. For more information www.communitywarehouse.org.
Most needed items: pots and pans, silverware, baking dishes, toasters, blenders, blankets, pillows and alarm clocks. Also needed: cooking utensils, kitchen knives, coffee makers, dishes, glasses, sheets, towels and heaters.