Because We Are Jews
October 28, 2009
Delivered to the Congregation by Stuart Cohen, Kol Nidre 5770
Because we are Jews, we are here tonight. Something impels us to worship with our fellow Jews on this occasion. We may embrace it with enthusiasm, or we may not even be sure why we are here. Because we are Jews, we come, knowing that we belong. And being here honors our mothers and fathers and grandparents and all who came before us back into the dim corners of our collective past.
Our people have come down through history with a unique identity. Judaism stands for something: for justice, and for learning, because through learning we keep the flame burning as the civilization around us changes so rapidly. It stands for tikkun olam, making the world a better place. These are part of who we are as Jews. Whether you’ve come to worship here for decades or are in this sanctuary for the very first time, we all share a piece of this heritage. This is what we are obligated by covenant to pass on to our children, and to make sure this essence also lives within our children’s children.
Today, as we’ve seen in the recent Northshore Task Force report, our local Jewish community isn’t doing too well. Our institutions are struggling. Our loyalties are fragmented. Only one in four Jews in our area even belongs to a synagogue: one in four. But Judaism has survived for centuries not because of individual Jews like you and me but because of our institutions. Judaism is a religion not of me but of us.
While this poverty of participation flies in the face of our shared history, it is also easy to understand. We live in a world overflowing with diverse options and opportunities. That world is oriented to what we can get not what we can give. Our goals are spoken of in terms of things, activities, and experiences we can acquire and have.
And it has to do with money, because most everything we do is fee for service. The telephone bill is fee for service, as is the mortgage, even our children’s tuition. When the synagogue bill comes, it’s natural to ask what are we getting for our donation, and if the return is worth the cost. (By the way, you should know that the full family donation here at Temple Emanu-El, $1875, compares with dues at the Reform temple in Lexington, $2525, Framingham, the same figure, and Wellesley closer to $3000.)
But Judaism is not fee for service. There is a cost associated with belonging, not just as a member of this Temple but as an engaged being in the chain that goes back to Moses. When Judaism becomes fee for service, there will be no more Judaism. If we let go of the instruments and institutions of our Jewish community, our synagogues and community centers, we forsake what has brought us to who we are as Jews.
I’m not asking you for money tonight. The Fund for our Jewish Future presentation is tomorrow morning. It’s a compelling family story. I hope you’ll come hear it. We are also in the process of creating a bequest campaign; more on that in the coming months.
I am asking you to live a bit more Jewishly. Light Shabbat candles. It’s an addictive tradition. Collect tsedakah in your home and distribute it where it is needed. If we can’t be bothered to remember to live Jewishly, what message will our children and grandchildren receive? And make no mistake: living Jewishly is not a matter of juggling the schedule. It is a series of actions born of deliberate choice.
I have a vision for what Temple Emanu-El can be, with your involvement, and I’d like to share it with you. And I ask you to share it with your unaffiliated Jewish friends.
I see this temple as a vital expression of who we are as Jews, as a place that ripples with the passion for life that is central to what it means to be a Jew. I am especially keen to transcend generational boundaries. The more families with children and grandchildren, the more brimming with life the Temple will be.
I visualize weekly Shabbat worship vibrant with sacred meaning that comes not from sitting back and mouthing the words but from jumping in heart and soul first. Worship only works to the degree we invest ourselves in it. You can’t sidestep the leap of commitment and expect any meaningful benefit. I invite everyone here to attend Shabbat worship at least twice—Friday evenings or the Saturday morning round table minyan—within the coming year. And when you do, take a chance. Participate with kavanah, spirit. It may take some practice to get the hang of it. When you do, it’s got some juice.
I see our festival celebrations, including these High Holydays, as an anchor that grounds us in the sense for the ineffable that resides in our bones, inherited from time before knowing.
I see our education programs stimulating and rewarding for children and adults. Continuing learning is central to what it means to be a Jew. If you crave more Jewish learning and are not getting it, whatever your age, ask.
Mostly what I see in this vision is our engagement. Yours and yours as well as mine. We benefit from a lot of love in the form of lay participation here. If you’ve got some love you’d like to share, come talk to us. Serve this community and help shape it. Be counted.
And not just here: join the JCC; support Federation. This Temple and our sister institutions are nothing without you, and you, and you. Step up. Since the time of the patriarchs Judaism has been a religion of covenant, active engagement. Make Temple Emanu-El the Jewish community institution that touches you and feeds you as nothing else can.
And if you wonder why bother, why show up, why participate, just look inside. It’s because of who we are. We are Jews.
