From Our Rabbi
From the Heart with Rabbi Liebowitz
“And Moses gathered all of the congregation together” (Exodus 35:1)
Dear Friends,
Unlike other colleagues who sought employment in Jewish organizations I chose early on to be a part of a Synagogue and Temple. I believed then as I do now in community, even in a time when institutions are either ignored, criticized, or simply abandoned. Places of worship are not alone in this regard. Civic organizations are also in the decline. Our hi-tech society has facilitated such disregard and at times, disrespect.
Some of my colleagues have even become “rent-a-rabbis.” Performing on the fly Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies, weddings, and funerals and more! What had been heartfelt community experiences are now commodities to be secured. This is the price we often pay for living in a commercial market-oriented society. Our hi-tech streaming services have not helped much either. So many can simply turn on the tube and switch it on or off to any broadcast they wish. There is a difference between viewing a community and being in community.
And yet, when emergencies come up, such as the horrible Tree of life murders, non-members who contribute nothing by way of time or resources knew where to go, where to sit in a sanctuary they did not help to create, one which is situated beneath the lighting that they have not paid for, nor of the vacuuming and cleanup that sustains a sanctuary as a place of holiness. The same is true when other needs are to be fulfilled by a congregation or by a rabbi. I deeply understand how annoyed some members must feel when a funeral is asked for and when the services are secured for a nominal contribution. The nonmembers get the same dedication and compassion as members who have for decades supported the synagogue. It is hard for such members to feel anything but resentment. We are stuck between enhancing the temple structure and advocating for the compassion and the charity that it houses. We would look terrible were we to turn people away. It would be a betrayal of the holiness we are to embrace.
Some time ago, someone in the general community asked my counsel and my time which in good measure is the synagogue’s time. Curiously, the individual said, “You’re my rabbi!” How that ownership was declared is puzzling to me as it came from someone who had not ventured into the Temple for years, not for a service, not for study, and not for charitable participation in the community. I hope that you would know that I limit my response to one of acknowledgement, a small smile for what was meant as a compliment.
As for the members, I would be remiss if I didn’t note that a synagogue is not merely Bricks and Mortar, furniture and lighting and heat for its members. No matter how beautiful or how endowed, a synagogue is only as strong as the mission it upholds by those who are “the Jews in the pews!” A synagogue is called by three names; Bet Midrash – a House of study,
Bet Tefilla – a House of prayer, Bet Knesset – a House of gathering. These three are the pillars of what synagogue life is all about. Without it, we have an edifice complex, worshipping stone and mortar, forgetting what it was built to
contain. Without it, we have created a museum and not a Temple. You may notice that the Hebrew letters KufKuf – precede the name of synagogues. It stands for Kehila K’dosha, a holy congregation, for as scripture records, “Unless the Lord builds the House, its builders toil in vain!” (Psalm 127)
Yossi Liebowitz, Rabbi
From the Heart with Rabbi Liebowitz
Old friends
Old friends
Sat on their park bench like bookends
A time it was, and what a time it was, it was A time of innocence
A time of confidences
Long ago it must be
I have a photograph
Preserve your memories
They’re all that’s left you (Paul Simon)
Dear Friends,
Though I am the son of a one-time New York taxi driver, my understanding of car mechanics is somewhat lacking. Just last week an unhappy noise was emanating from the engine of my Jeep Wrangler. Our mechanic used what some call the Mechanic’s Stethoscope (a rather long screw- driver) to discover the source of the noise. Turned out it was something called a Synchronizer. I have labored on the internet to discover what that somewhat expensive part is all about. Below is a picture of the same with this brief description: A synchronizer, or “synchro,” lets the collar and gear synchronize their speeds while they’re already in contact but before the dog teeth engage. My reaction after reading that was; “Huh?”
remain unclear what all that means, but as the name would suggest it does have something to do with timing and gears. The noise is now gone, but the bill still remains with a bit of unclarity regarding the synchronizer’s necessary function.
There are innumerable sayings connected to time, such as “A watched pot never boils!” and “There is no time like the present!” or “Timing is everything.” And finally, Tempus fugit, which is a Latin phrase, usually translated into English as “time flies.” The phrase is used in both its Latin and English forms as a proverb meaning “time’s a-wasting.” A kindred phrase Carpe diem, (meaning something like “Seize the day!) also comes to mind.
As we will soon review the Biblical tale of the Wanderings in the Book of Numbers (Bamidbar – In the Wilderness!” in Hebrew) we can well imagine how that forty-year trek to the Promised Land must have taken its spiritual toll on our ancestors. As a kid, my brother and I would say to Pop driving the car, “Whenever will we get there?” Of course, we were unacquainted with the Buddhist saying, “Wherever you go, there you are!” The Jewish and Hindu inspired teacher Ram Daas once mused in his book “Be here now!” the value of being present in the moment. How many of us are speeding along, trying to get to there from here without noticing the “now” of our existence.
Perhaps Moses was taught as much at the burning bush when God answered his question “Whom shall I say has sent thee?” The Divine answered, “I am that I am” or to use one theological idea, “the Eternal Now!” I find that idea inviting. God (the Eternal One) is not only everywhere but also every when, unbounded by time. God is at the splitting of the Red Sea, the signing of the Declaration of Independence and at the moment when each of us will “shake off our mortal coil!”
As we are in the “winter of our discontent” (When will spring please arrive?) we should hopefully take time to “smell the roses” that have not yet bloomed. Let us be in sync as we drive along our road to understanding life and its gifts, now and forever more. Amen!
Yossi Liebowitz, Rabbi
From the Heart with Rabbi Liebowitz
A new telescope which will have been launched at year’s end will peer into moments after the so-called big bang, creation of the Universe. The James Webb telescope costing a mere ten billion dollars is the successor to the Hubble telescope and is thought to peer into what cosmologists call the “baby universe.” As it takes light travelling at 186,000 miles a second to reach us, distant objects that we peer at are an actual view of the past. As such, the telescope is a bit of a time machine.
A century or so ago, the milky way galaxy, our cosmic neighborhood was thought to be the entire universe. We have come to understand that it is in fact just one of millions and millions of galaxies. Here’s the thing! In the far distant future, it may seem so once again. As our universe is expanding, the light in the future will be too far away to reach us. The milky way will be all that we can behold in the heavens.
It is natural to think about the future. Such is one of the aspects of Judaism I treasure. We have always contended that there is a linear path, that humanity is going to a better time in history. In an age where so many dystopic views permeate our thinking, we need to cling to a vision of what can be. And as individuals we might do well to think about what kind of future we want for ourselves, our loved ones and those who will follow.
Wishing you a Happy New Year
Yossi Liebowitz, Rabbi
Tu B’Shvat Sunday School
Breakfast with the Rabbi!
Sunday, January 9 Beginning at 9:30 until 11:00
Bagels, Quiche & More!
Special Movie Night
On Saturday, January 22 at 7:00 pm we will be streaming a special movie. Details on how to access the streaming will be available soon.
From the Heart with Rabbi Liebowitz
Dear Friends,
We are living in one of the darkest of times. Pandemic still afflicts, civil strife and racism still persists, inflation and the supply chain not yet fixed. (The replacement for my broken-down dishwasher is a month and a half away from delivery.) Recently, I read an article in anticipation of winter. Barrow, Alaska just began its 64-day hiatus without sunshine, slightly accented with an occasional twilight on the horizon. When things are dark it is hard to imagine light will return.
Chanukah is of course a holiday of light set in the less light filled days. Often our celebrations are associated with the time when the nights are longest. With rare exception, sometime around the fifth candle day, the days incrementally begin to lengthen, a harbinger of brighter times to come.
This pandemic has frayed our sensibilities and irritated our nerves. While it was novel to stare into a camera, that novelty has worn thin.
I am glad to stream our services to those who are still reasonably cautious and for those who for whatever reasons find it more convenient to constitute our minyan from afar. I am grateful to those who have ventured out and come to our services on Friday night, particular to two steadfast women Nancy Rosenberg and Lynn Strait ever vigilant to come and set up our oneg and read the prayers. They are not the only ones – the Blumenfeld family gets high marks for their steadfast participation along with our Vice-President and Ritual Committee chair, Mark Packer.
Our Temple community is a busy one. Most who have not been in a while may not know the activities that continue; Brown Bag Lunch, movie nights, Zoom Torah study, visitations to the homebound, skyping lessons in Hebrew, caring committee hospital visits, Sunday school, and more than occupy most of my time and the attention of many members. I wish to acknowledge those who have supported our other community concerns; the food pantry and most notably the Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service that raised many thousands of dollars for Brothers Restoring Urban Hope. In the midst of our dark times I urge you to consider keeping our temple alive not merely through the finances but through the most important of all considerations, religious, ed- ucational participation. Woody Allen once quipped that 90 percent of life is just showing up.
One of the other most important aspects of any community cohesion is communication, not indirect in which someone else is appointed your Western Union messenger, but personal and direct. Foremost of the agenda of our sages was to thwart gossip which, though well intentioned is always fraught with dangerous miscommunication. It does not provide light, but only heat to our relationships. Our holiday season provides an ample opportunity to gossip about family and friends. Let us all not take advantage of that opportunity.
So, Chanukah is imminent. I wish one and all a season of light and joy!
Rabbi Yossi Liebowitz D.D.
Rabbi Liebowitz in the Community
Rabbi Liebowitz will be the guest speaker at the Unitarian Universalist Church Sunday, December 26 at 11:00.
210 Henry Place