By: Linda Levin, Kehillah Chadashah President
Barukh atah ADONAI, our God, ruler of time and space, who fashioned the first human being in the divine image and endowed every descendant with human rights—for one who disgraces another person brings disgrace to the likeness of God. Barukh atah ADONAI, creator of humanity and human rights.
Our God and God of our ancestors, do we not all share one parent? Did not one God create us all? And you have bestowed your dignity upon flesh and blood! It is well-known and obvious in Your sight that whoever can protest against wrongdoing in this world and does not protest is held accountable for what happens in the world. May it be Your will, therefore, that we act to protect human rights and human dignity. Help us to perceive the Divine Presence in every one of your creations, so that we may find favor and good will in the eyes of God and one another.
Prayer by Rabbi David Freidenreich
December 10 was Human Rights Shabbat and Kehillah Chadashah joined other Reconstructionist Congregations around the country to participate. Rabbi Mona Decker lead us in a lively discussion looking at Jewish text and the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights.
Betzelim Elohim – in G-d’s image we were created. Not the physical image, but in His holiness. Because we are all created in His image, we should both be treated as holy -valued and respected by others - and be holy - treat others with respect and dignity. Every day this trust is violated; children are molested, elderly are abused, individuals are tortured and killed because of different points of view and values. We not only have to be concerned with radicals of other groups hating us and others because of our differences, but unfortunately we even have to be concerned with radicals of our own – Jews who do not even appreciate other Jews because they are not considered “Jewish enough”.
So what do we do with all this? Concern ourselves with raising our own children in a way that we hope that they will make the world a better place? Yes. But what about children who are raised to violate other’s human rights? Do we discuss and educate and continue open debate with hopes that we can persuade others to value humans and their rights? Yes. But is that enough? Do we protest in the hopes that our voices are heard and make a difference? Yes, because if we don’t why should someone else care about us?
Rabbi Hillel said, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when?”
We all need to think about what we can do as individuals and as a community to raise awareness where human rights are violated and to take steps with our fellow human to repair our world. I challenge us all to think about what we can do as individuals and as a community. And I further challenge us all to take action!
I will not be just for myself. I will be for others. And will do something now!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Use the Soap
By Rabbi Mona Decker, Kehillah Chadashah
A rabbi and a soap-maker once went for a walk together. The soap-maker said to the rabbi: "What good is Judaism? After thousands of years of teaching about goodness, truth, justice, and peace, after all the study of Torah, and all the fine ideals of the Prophets, look at the trouble and misery in the world. If Judaism is so wonderful and true, why should all this be so?" The rabbi said nothing. They continued walking until he noticed a child playing in the gutter. The child was filthy with soot and grime. "Look at the child," said the rabbi. "You say that soap makes people clean, but see the dirt on that youngster. What good is soap? With all the soap in the world, that child is still filthy. I wonder if soap is of any use at all?” The soap-maker protested and said, "But, Rabbi, soap can’t do any good unless it’s used!" "Exactly!" cried the rabbi. "So it is with Judaism. It isn’t effective unless it is applied and used!"
One of the values at the core of a Reconstructionist approach to Jewish communal life is USING THE SOAP! In other words, we have a commitment to both Tikkun Olam, re-balancing and repairing the world, and Tikkun Ha-Nefesh, leading a healthy, meaningful, individual life.
In their book, Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist. Approach, Rabbis Rebecca Alpert and Jacob Staub, connect the Reconstructionist emphasis on Judaism as an evolving religious civilization with Tikkun Olam: "Jewish civilization is a means to a greater ends: the fulfillment of the individual, the responsibility of individuals to treat others as reflections of the divine image, and the responsibility of each community to seek global justice and peace among all communities." The Jewish values of tzedakah (justice, social, economic), helping to create a sustainable co-existence for all peoples on earth and gemilut hasadim (deeds of kindness), such as our social action project as part of our Shabbat service for International Jewish Social Action Month (JSAM) have much to bear upon the social concerns in our world.
As a community, we are proud to have participated with the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (JRF) in International Jewish Social Action Month during the Hebrew month of Heshvan (October 19th-November 17, 2010). This effort, launched 4 years ago by a global network of young Jewish leaders, and now part of the yearly Jewish calendar, has seen a remarkable response from a wide spectrum of Jewish religious groups and communal organizations including Israel and around the world. The purpose is for every group or individual to mark JSAM in a way that is most meaningful to them and their community. Kehillah Chadashah participated by collecting non-perishable foods and making Thanksgiving food baskets for the patients and families of Community Hospice. In fact, this is a community wide project throughout Jacksonville with companies such as Merrill Lynch, and BellSouth participating.
Judasim presents a vision of shared responsibility for Tikkun-Olam and Tikkun Ha-Nefesh. That vision mandates, as it is said in Deuteronomy( 15:4): "There shall be no needy among you." And we can think of "need" in wholistic terms: physical, emotional, and spiritual. And that shared responsibility is at the core of our vision as a community.
Social action, Tikkun Olam is more than something we do at Kehillah Chadashah, it’s integral to who we are! That integration is echoed in the words of Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism, “Don’t merely expect to find or to believe that life is worthwhile; make it worthwhile. Don’t merely see life whole; make it whole. Not knowing which should come first to improve ones self or to improve the world, we end up doing neither. Actually, the only way to improve the world is by improving one’s self, and the only way to improve one’s self is by improving the world.”
A rabbi and a soap-maker once went for a walk together. The soap-maker said to the rabbi: "What good is Judaism? After thousands of years of teaching about goodness, truth, justice, and peace, after all the study of Torah, and all the fine ideals of the Prophets, look at the trouble and misery in the world. If Judaism is so wonderful and true, why should all this be so?" The rabbi said nothing. They continued walking until he noticed a child playing in the gutter. The child was filthy with soot and grime. "Look at the child," said the rabbi. "You say that soap makes people clean, but see the dirt on that youngster. What good is soap? With all the soap in the world, that child is still filthy. I wonder if soap is of any use at all?” The soap-maker protested and said, "But, Rabbi, soap can’t do any good unless it’s used!" "Exactly!" cried the rabbi. "So it is with Judaism. It isn’t effective unless it is applied and used!"
One of the values at the core of a Reconstructionist approach to Jewish communal life is USING THE SOAP! In other words, we have a commitment to both Tikkun Olam, re-balancing and repairing the world, and Tikkun Ha-Nefesh, leading a healthy, meaningful, individual life.
In their book, Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist. Approach, Rabbis Rebecca Alpert and Jacob Staub, connect the Reconstructionist emphasis on Judaism as an evolving religious civilization with Tikkun Olam: "Jewish civilization is a means to a greater ends: the fulfillment of the individual, the responsibility of individuals to treat others as reflections of the divine image, and the responsibility of each community to seek global justice and peace among all communities." The Jewish values of tzedakah (justice, social, economic), helping to create a sustainable co-existence for all peoples on earth and gemilut hasadim (deeds of kindness), such as our social action project as part of our Shabbat service for International Jewish Social Action Month (JSAM) have much to bear upon the social concerns in our world.
As a community, we are proud to have participated with the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (JRF) in International Jewish Social Action Month during the Hebrew month of Heshvan (October 19th-November 17, 2010). This effort, launched 4 years ago by a global network of young Jewish leaders, and now part of the yearly Jewish calendar, has seen a remarkable response from a wide spectrum of Jewish religious groups and communal organizations including Israel and around the world. The purpose is for every group or individual to mark JSAM in a way that is most meaningful to them and their community. Kehillah Chadashah participated by collecting non-perishable foods and making Thanksgiving food baskets for the patients and families of Community Hospice. In fact, this is a community wide project throughout Jacksonville with companies such as Merrill Lynch, and BellSouth participating.
Judasim presents a vision of shared responsibility for Tikkun-Olam and Tikkun Ha-Nefesh. That vision mandates, as it is said in Deuteronomy( 15:4): "There shall be no needy among you." And we can think of "need" in wholistic terms: physical, emotional, and spiritual. And that shared responsibility is at the core of our vision as a community.
Social action, Tikkun Olam is more than something we do at Kehillah Chadashah, it’s integral to who we are! That integration is echoed in the words of Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism, “Don’t merely expect to find or to believe that life is worthwhile; make it worthwhile. Don’t merely see life whole; make it whole. Not knowing which should come first to improve ones self or to improve the world, we end up doing neither. Actually, the only way to improve the world is by improving one’s self, and the only way to improve one’s self is by improving the world.”
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