From the Rabbi's Desk...
 
Rabbi Irwin Huberman
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September 2, 2010
Selichot: Lies My Father Told Me
This Saturday night, we will take the first step on a journey which will carry us through Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
It is traditional for Jewish people to gather the Saturday evening before Rosh Hashanah and begin turning their spiritual energy inward through a service called Selichot (forgiveness).
We will begin Selichot at 8:00pm with the showing of the Academy Award nominated movie,
Lies My Father Told Me.
This is the story, based in the 1920’s, of a six-year-old boy who travels through the alleyways of Montreal with his grandfather on a horse-drawn cart, calling out to residents to collect their old junk.
The relationship between the boy and his Zaidie provides a moving example of how Jewish traditions are passed from generation to generation.
The movie will be followed at 10:00pm with the changing of the Torah covers and ark curtains (parochet) from our regular gold to white.
That will be followed by our Selichot service, where we will re-acquaint ourselves with some of the melodies and prayers associated with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Please join us for all or any part of this Saturday service as we officially launch the High Holidays.
High Holiday Tickets
CTI is asking those who won’t be here for any or all of the High Holidays to let the office know so that your tickets can be reassigned.
We have a number of people who are either in need, or who are currently “shul shopping.” We have experienced a trend over the last few years where some who are provided guest seats often return to become full fledged members.
As well, please let me know of anyone who is not able to afford membership or High Holiday tickets.
No one will be turned away.
Project Isaiah
By now, you should have received your Project Isaiah shopping bag as part of CTI’s annual High Holiday food drive in support of the Interfaith Nutrition Network (INN).
I would also like to stress that food need not be kosher to be accepted. Since the food will be distributed throughout the larger community, we only ask that items be non-perishable and not in glass containers.
CTI will be accepting food items until September 24.
CTI Greeting Cards
You can now order special
CTI greeting cards.
These color cards, produced by CTI artists Betsy Schreiber and Susan Friedlieb, are stunning and can be sent for a variety of occasions, either in honor, in memory, or to express get well wishes.
The project, organized by Kol Isha, CTI’s women’s group, provides a double mitzvah. Not only is this an excellent way to reach out to members of our congregation and beyond, but it is also a great fundraiser for our synagogue.
Cards are $10 and can be ordered either by phone or on line.
Limud Gears Up
Our synagogue’s Limud (Hebrew School) Program continues to grow.
This coming September we expect more than thirty-five students to attend classes.
This year, we’ve hired a Hebrew specialist to work with the children and strengthen their language skills. We will also be focusing on helping parents strengthen home ritual skills, in particular those surrounding Shabbat.
There is no charge for children from Kindergarten through Grade 2, and children of all backgrounds are welcome.
Please contact Cantor Gustavo for more information.
Friday Night Services
Once again, we expect a number of visitors and prospective members to join us for Friday night’s Musical Shabbat services.
We would appreciate as many members as possible to help welcome these guests.
Each week we are adding more new members and expect to enter the High Holidays with more than 220 families.
Does God Score Touchdowns?
As many of you are aware, I am a sports enthusiast.
Time permitting, nothing gives me more pleasure at the end of a day than to turn on the television, or take the train or drive to a local stadium, and cheer on the Mets, Jets, or Islanders.
It’s also particularly exciting to join a prayer minyan and daven the evening services during the seventh inning stretch, or during half time.
Still, there is a sight which never ceases to irritate me.
It’s the spectacle of an athlete scoring a touchdown, or hitting a home run, and pointing up to the heavens and thanking a higher power for getting them into the end zone, or for the home run they just hit over the left field fence.
The sight is often repeated at the Grammy Awards, when performers known for their dubious lifestyles thank the deity for getting them on stage.
But indeed, if we were to sit back for a moment, we would all agree that in truth, God doesn’t score touchdowns or kick field goals or block penalty shots.
It is the human being, who by using the assets which God has provided, rises up against the odds and succeeds.
The Torah portion which we read this week actually weighs in on this issue when it reminds us that Lo Bashamayim He, “the Torah is not found in the heavens.”
Rather, Torah is found on the earth, through our interactions with others, and through our behavior.
There is a story told in the Talmud about Rabbi Eliezer who, during a dispute with his fellow rabbis over the kashrut of an oven, calls on God to weigh in on his side.
Suddenly, a voice reigns down from heaven reminding the rabbis that, in most cases, Rabbi Eliezer’s opinion is the one which is usually right.
But the rabbis resent God’s intervention, and request that God stay out of the dispute. They remind God that, while all the tools we need to live a good life were contained in creation and formally received on Mount Sinai, it is up to humanity to work out life’s details and to build a better world.
They remind God, Lo Bashamayim He. God returns to heaven with laughter, noting with pride that “My children have defeated me.”
In reality, the sports hero generally scores a touchdown as a result of practice and conditioning, while the popular singer perfects his or her singing and songwriting skill through practice and introspection.
A student in university scores high marks through study, while success in life is generally achieved through patience and discipline rather than by pursuing the fast track.
It is a message to us all as we approach the High Holidays that living a blessed life is not dependent so much on luck—or the heavens, or the “other person”—but rather on the manner in which we approach relationships.
We make choices every day, says the Torah, between “Blessings and Curses, Life and Death.” It’s very much a matter of attitude.
Although we suspect luck and perhaps divine intervention are sometimes at play, we are very much the authors of our own destiny.
Humanity is very much a partner with God who according to our tradition hands us the ball every day to run with.
Lo Bashamyim He is a message to us that a “high five” in sports and in life requires two hands.
And that celebration is especially satisfying when we have the courage to meet God halfway.
Shabbat Shalom and Shane Tovah. Best wishes to everyone for a happy and sweet new year.
Kol tuv,
Rabbi Irwin Huberman
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