From The Bimah: Jewish Lessons For Life

Is it possible to be at peace in the middle of a pandemic? Every morning we hear the grim statistics, how many infected, how many hospitalized, how many died.  Every morning, these numbers keep growing.  Is it possible to be at peace while hearing these numbers? And while statistics convey one kind of truth, individual stories convey a deeper truth.  Like the story of Charles Hiser.  Charles Hiser was an 82-year old widower.  He had been married to his beloved wife Shirley Mae for 43 years.  When she passed, he was all alone.  His main source of human connection was the Graystone Baptist Church in West Virginia.  For several months, while the church was closed, he saw nobody.  The only human contact he had was with his daughter who would drop off groceries and talk to him over the phone.  At last his church reopened.  He could not wait to get back.  He chose not to wear a mask.  He contracted the virus.  He died.  Is it possible to hea

In honor of the Fourth of July, I want to tell you a true story about our beloved nation in a hard season on its finest day. Our story begins in Aleppos, Syria, where a young boy named Abdulkader Hayani left school at the age of 9 to learn the craft of tailoring.  He got to be a master tailor and came to own his own tailor shop in Aleppo, overseeing six employees and ten sewing machines.  But when the Syrian civil war began, Aleppo was reduced to ruins, and his tailoring business was no more. Together with his family, Abdulkader Hayani fled to Jordan.  They applied for refugee status to come to America.  They wait and wait, in limbo, for five years. Finally they are given papers.  They arrive—husband, wife, four young children—in  2017.  Volunteers from Temple Beth Elohim help them settle into their new life: rented home in Framingham, child care, clothing, technology, job interviews, transportation, and navigating a whole new language and culture. Follow this link to view t

This week, I had the most interesting conversation with one of our now-7th graders. I asked her what advice she would give to incoming 6th graders about how to succeed in middle school. I thought she would say something about the importance of doing homework on time or paying attention in class; something she had learned which helped her academically. Instead, immediately and without hesitation she said, “sometimes it’s hard to fit in, but if you try really hard, maybe you can.” Her answer pulled at my heartstrings. I remember that feeling, of being in middle school and knowing there was a crowd of cool kids I wasn’t a part of.  I remember all the ways I contorted myself, thinking that if I behaved in this way or joined that club, then people would like me and I would fit in. I remember being bullied mercilessly.  And with shame, I remember watching other kids being bullied and thinking Thank God for once it’s not me. The idea of doing something that would alienate me further from my peers was horri

Since the murder of George Floyd, I have heard two voices from the members of Temple Emanuel. By far the more common voice is moral outrage at the structural racial injustice that the murder of George Floyd revealed.  I knew, but I didn’t know. I saw, but I didn’t focus.  I should have done more.  I am complicit.   But now I am awakened.  What books can I read?  What films can I see?  Where can I get an education around my own implicit bias?  What can I do to help? That is the first reaction, and the more common. In the last two weeks both Michelle and Aliza have  delivered powerful sermons channeling and responding to this voice. But there is a second voice as well.  Less common.  Often spoken with a bit of trepidation.  Often framed with words like:  Of course George Floyd’s murder was terrible.  Of course racism is a problem.  After these preliminary framings, there is always a but.  But Black Lives Matter as a movement is

I want to speak to you today as a millennial. As a millennial, people tell me I don’t understand—that problems take time to resolve, they take nuance, they take patience.  But I know that just because things have been a certain way, doesn’t mean that’s how they need to stay. As a millennial, I know that often we do not have the luxury of time. If we want to make our world conform to our values, we may have to upset industries, we likely have to forge new paths, and we can’t always rely on the systems that existed for our parents and those before them. As a millennial, I know that often the greatest obstacle to the evolution of the planet is the common human aversion to change. As long as we are more attached to the certainty of what is known than the uncertainty of change, progress will remain elusive. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-aliza-berger/time-to-drag-out-our-mattresses/

When the coronavirus first hit and schools around the world shut down, Israeli mother Shiri Kenigsberg Levi rose to internet stardom, sharing her displeasure with the world in a hilarious homeschool harangue. A few weeks later she was at it again – this time in honor of Mother’s Day, reflecting on the super-power of one word. She begins: “I realized something that if not for the coronavirus I would not have paid attention to – that the children say one word without adding anything, and I already know what they need…Ema.” Mom. “There’s this…‘E-maaah’ [deep voiced] which is a teenager who hasn’t eaten in 10 minutes and is already starving.” “There’s this…‘EE-MAAAAHHHH!’ [annoyed]…which is a teenager who’s been fortressed in her room for fifty days…and one of her brothers dares to open the door for a second.” She goes on for several minutes, sharing lots of ways “Mom” is called out in tones that any mother, in any language, immediately understands. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming

In the 70s, Walter Mischel began the experiment that we all know and love, and which became one of the most famous psychological experiments of all time. At the time, he wanted to explore the relationship between a child’s patience and ability to wait and their success later in life. To conduct the experiment, he sat four-year-old children in front of a marshmallow and told them they had a choice.  They could eat the marshmallow right away, or, they could wait 15 minutes at which point they would receive an additional marshmallow. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-aliza-berger/abra-kadabra/

In case we did not have enough to worry about, earlier this month news broke about a whole new out-of-left field threat: murder hornets.  If their name itself does not do it, the description of these vicious insects is enough to send shivers up the spine.  The nearly 2-inch predators can singlehandedly destroy the entire population of a honeybee hive in a most gruesome manner within the span of just a few hours. So far, the American honeybee population, which was already waning (remember the “Save the Bees” campaigns of previous years?), have absolutely no recourse.  The so-called murder hornets are impervious to their stings.  The bees cannot flee far enough or fast enough, and they cannot protect their queen. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-michelle-robinson/murder-hornets/

I realized I had a problem last Friday when I was doing our weekly shopping for Shabbat at Whole Foods—when I saw, and could not resist buying, this large package of 16 toilet paper rolls that we definitely do not need. One of the glories of the Whole Foods where I shop is that often they have large packages of toilet paper available, one per customer.  I go there once a week, and whenever they happen to have the toilet paper available, I buy it.   The lockdown has been 8 weeks. Five of those 8 weeks they have had toilet paper.  Which means that in the past two months I have bought 80 rolls of toilet paper.  That’s enough toilet paper. It’s just Shira, Sam and me. We are good.  We don’t need another roll. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-wes-gardenswartz/bigger/

A few months ago, when I would send an e-mail to the congregation, I would get scores of bounce-backs – out-of-office replies like, “Thank you for your e-mail, I’m travelling for business and will get back to you as soon as I can.”  Or, “I’m on vacation.  I’ll be offline with limited access to e-mail.  If you need something, call someone else.” I sent an e-mail last week and received exactly one bounce-back.  What does it mean for our days (and nights) that while most of us are home, almost none of us are “out of office?”  What is the impact of waking up every day in the same place with the same limited range of options before us, plugged in 24/7 on the same screens, and no clear end in sight? Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-michelle-robinson/unflattening-time/

There is a very poor neighborhood in Cape Town, South Africa that is regularly terrorized by two rival street gangs.  These gangs literally kill each other and extort, harass, and intimidate townspeople.  Police could not stop the violence. Preachers, pastors, counselors, star soccer players could not stop the violence.  You know what did stop the violence?  The Coronavirus. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-wes-gardenswartz/more-is-more/

There is a nurse in Florida who lives in a town that is blessed not to have much Covid-19 activity.  When she heard about the surge happening in our Commonwealth this week, she decided to help.  She left her husband, her children, and her home in Florida and got right to work in one of our hospitals treating those infected with the virus.  She leaves all she knows behind to run towards the population that the rest of us are running away from. She was asked by an NPR reporter whether she was worried about getting infected.  No, she said.  She will take all proper precautions—but what she is worried about is whether she is doing her part. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-wes-gardenswartz/lord-please-help-me-be-gentle-with-myself/

[sung] My life flows on in endless song, above earth’s lamentation. I hear the real, though far off hymn, that hails a new creation. Through all the tumult and the strife, I hear that music ringing. It sounds an echo in my heart, how can I keep from singing? Every year when we read the Passover story, and every time we sing the Song of the Sea, I wonder what it would have been like to be an Israelite passing through those tumultuous waters. I imagine them exhausted after weeks of not sleeping because of the plagues and because of the Egyptians crying in the night. I imagine them worn tired by the journey to the sea. I imagine the way their heartbeats must have thundered in their ears as they crossed through the waters, the way they must have panicked with each squelchy step, turning to see Egyptians approaching from behind. And that moment, the ultimate moment, when they reached the other side and watched the waters crash down on their pursuers. What did they feel? Follow this link to view the sermon and watc

One of the consequences of our surreal season has been greater clarity about what really matters in life.  I hear that again and again—what really matters—from people in various stages of life. There was a bride and groom who were going to get married this summer.  It was to be a glorious venue, with a stunning view of the water, in a historic villa, uber elegant, with hundreds of guests.  The tables were going to be set with the finest linens, china and flowers.  Now all of that is up in the air.  When I asked them how I could be helpful, they said: simple.  Just hold the date.  We want to get married.  The venue, the view, the villa, it doesn’t matter.  The linens, the china, the flowers, it doesn’t matter.  What really matters is our love and our marriage. If we have to do it privately, virtually, so be it. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-wes-gardenswartz/what-

Last year, I made a Passover parody playlist to help our family get in the holiday spirit.  This year, a friend sent me a coronavirus playlist with songs like, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” “U Can’t Touch This,” and “It’s the End of the World as We Know It.”  Or my personal favorite for this Pesach: “From a Distance.” Last night, many of us connected with our loved ones from a distance via Zoom, FaceTime, and other virtual platforms.  In Israel, there’s a new Pesach move: ochlim b’nifrad, shirim b’yachad – eat separately and sing together. Last night, all over Israel, with the entire country on lockdown and not allowed even to leave their homes, people took a page out of two other major Jewish holiday playbooks.  Apartment-dwellers channeled Hannukah, moving their tables to their front windows.  Those with more outdoor room channeled Sukkot, setting their tables out on balconies or in backyards, so they could join neighbors in song.  Eating at separate tables, singing together. F

From March 28th, 2020.

It was 2012. I was standing on the sidewalk of Emek Refaim holding a blindfold, ready to begin the simulation. I put the blindfold on, feeling excited for the challenge. I was determined to be the best temporarily blind person ever. But as the darkness set in, I was surprised by how quickly my excitement fizzled in the face of anxiety. Without the ability to see, I was paralyzed by fear.  Even the classmate posted next to me, whose job it was to protect me and prevent me from stumbling, didn’t relieve my anxiety. I slid my feet along the sidewalk slowly, checking for bumps and trying to feel my way along the path. In the end, though I was determined to be the best temporarily blind person ever, the only award I could have received that day was “most anxious”. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-aliza-berger/blind-faith/

From March 28th, 2020

Mazal Tov Lily on your Bat Mitzvah!  And mazal tov to your parents, David and Melissa, to your sisters, Tove and Emma, to your grandmother Lee.  Lee, we are so happy that you now live at Evans Park, so close to our shul.  And mazal tov to your aunt and uncle, Jessica and John, and to your cousins, Hannah, Noah and Olivia.  This is not the day that any of us would have envisioned, but it is a deeply beautiful and meaningful Bat Mitzvah in its own way. Which leads to the obvious question:  what is the meaning that we are supposed to make of the fact that your Bat Mitzvah Lily has coincided with a pandemic?  Years from now, you will be able to tell your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren that your Bat Mitzvah took place just when the world was contending with Covid-19.  What is the meaning we are to make, what is the meaning you are to make, of this fact? Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanu

A story is told about Rebbe Zusha of Anipoli, a beloved Chasidic rabbi who lived in Northern Poland in the 1700s, a place that was not particularly friendly to its Jewish residents. One night, Reb Zusha left his house and began to walk. Two big, burly, policeman stopped him and asked: “Where are you going?” Zusha took a breath and replied, “I don’t know.” “That’s ridiculous. You must know where you’re going,” one policeman growled. “Tell us now or there will be severe consequences.” “I don’t know,” Zusha again replied. “That’s it!” the second policeman shouted, lunging forward to grab him by the shoulders. The two officers marched him roughly to the prison and threw him behind bars. “Now,” they roared, “answer the question – WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” “I told you,” Reb Zusha replied, “that I didn’t know – and clearly I was right. I thought I was going to shul, but instead here I am in jail.” Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/