Category: President’s column

Summer 2015

“First a person should put his house together, then his town, then the world.”

(Rabbi Israel Salanter, founder of Mussar)

 

The word for order – seder – shows up frequently in Jewish tradition. It is the name given to the evening ritual meal on Passover. It is also the root of the name of the prayer book itself, the siddur. Alan Morinis points out that “because all of creation runs on orderly principles, it is said to be mesudar – orderly – and therefore the Torah, which is the blueprint of the world, is mesudar as well.”

“Order” may seem like an odd thing to be thinking of at this time of the year when unstructured summer days stretch out before us. As my family and friends know, the Passover seder is my favorite observance during the Jewish year. It is not just the family, the friends, the food, or the ritual; it is the “order” itself which strikes a balance with the surrounding chaotic activity. Mussar teaching stresses that order is more than just a practical necessity, it is a spiritual value. Mussar practice encourages one to seek spirituality within ones daily activities. From this perspective, the order that one seeks to create on your desk, in your car, your clothes, your financial papers, or your tools, is not just good management it is all spiritual work.

So, as the TE year draws to a close, it is time to put our TE year in order. And there is much to order. If we include holiday services and Religious school events, we had something going on every week of the year. Thank you to the many TE members who led each of these projects. Thanks to Hilary, Ariette and the Rabbi for providing the professional framework within which we volunteer. We can group our activities into big categories (and this doesn’t even include our terrific fund-raisers or many other social events):

Tikkun Olam: We participated in Abraham’s tent, the CT Walk against Hunger, the People’s Climate March, the Neighbor-to-neighbor Poverty simulation, our first Red Cross blood drive, made Hanukkah baskets made for local families in need, collected food for our local pantries, collected clothes and toys for a local family after a fire, donated household goods for Columbus House, participated in the Days for Girls project, raised money for secondary school scholarships for Nicaragua, collected books for Reach Out and read, made scarves for Spooner House, and donated money to the Town of Orange Fire firefighters and Israeli firefighters

Study: We held Adult Education Shabbat afternoon sessions in member’s homes, our teens participated in “Open Doors, Open Minds: a dialogue among Jews, Christians and Muslims’” with other local teens, we engaged in weekly Torah study, hosted a wonderful Scholar in Residence weekend with Professor Kassow, watched the documentary “The Territory” with its film-maker, discussed the book “My Promised Land”, traced our roots in a Jewish Genealogy workshop, and learned Indian cooking.

Prayer (and Music): We had our first Shabbat on the beach in Milford, joined a special MLK service with Congregation Mishkan Israel, had musical Shabbat services with the TE Band, honored Rabbi Winer MBE with a special Shabbat dinner, started Tot Shabbat services with intergenerational dinners, held the Debbie Friedman memorial concert at the Taste of Honey, participated in the Interfaith Thanksgiving service in Orange and celebrated Lag b’omer with bon fires, song and dance with 5 area synagogues.

Building: The new addition is a magical reality about to be opened at the Sept 11^th BBQ, the decision has been made to put solar panels on the Social Hall roof, the new HVAC will be installed in the Sanctuary building, and our significant winter water damage will soon be repaired. Remember there is still time to make your donation to the One Campus Appeal.

With the old year “ordered”, it is easier to chart a plan for the coming year (next month’s Shofar topic). We also need a succinct way to describe ourselves to the world at large (a TE “slogan”). Perhaps by reviewing what we have done, you will be encouraged to help us create that description. Please send me your ideas. Have a wonderful summer.

“Emunah”

It seems that discussing a trait like “Faith” with a faith community should be a straight forward task. But in fact, I have had some difficulty.  This is partly because the topic of faith seems to me to be more in the Rabbi’s corner and not in the President’s domain and partly because as Reform Jews we often skirt the whole issue of Faith and G-d.

For the sake of sticking with my plan of discussing these Mussar traits as they apply to our congregational life and not our spiritual life, I will limit my discussion to what I need to have faith in as President and what you need to have in faith in from your Board leaders.

I have faith in the people who carry out each of our activities. I have faith that even more of you will step forward to become involved in the leadership of TE. I have faith that the projects we have started will come to fruition. I have faith that as I err, stumble and fall that I will be forgiven and shown how I can improve. As a congregation you have had to have faith that we are being fiscally responsible and that we are making good decisions. We have all had to have faith that we would collect the funds to make the new building the reality which it is.  I need to have faith that members will still come forward to furnish it and figure out what we will do with the House.

You will be receiving the budget for the coming year in the mail very soon.  It is prudent, well-thought out and only 3% above last year’s budget. A pretty amazing feat given that our school has grown almost 50% over the last 3 years. To accomplish our goals we all need faith that each member will contribute a true “Fair Share” of what it takes to support this community.

Alan Morinis describes that experience is the gateway to faith; it cannot be understood intellectually but rather needs to be appreciated from experience. To have real faith in our community and its vibrant existence you must come experience it. Sunday, June 7th is the Annual meeting; a time to vote on the budget and the slate of Officers and Board members. Please take the time to come to this important meeting and express your opinion. Too often this is a sparsely attended meeting. Now is the time to come forward and have faith in TE.

 

TE Goes Green (or is at least trying)

“You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it “,Pirkei Avot 2:2

As Jews we are asked to live lives of responsibility, whether for our families, our business, our culture or our people. However, responsibility in current society has negative connotations. When something goes wrong, everyone looks for who is “Responsible”.  Responsibility has become a synonym for “guilt.” Whoever is responsible, is the one who is guilty. Yet this is not really what the term was designed for.

Alan Morinis points out in Everyday Holiness that there is debate among scholars whether the word achrayut  is derived from the Hebrew root achar, which means “after,” or “acher,” which means “other.” The essence of responsibility can be seen as being concerned about what comes after (i.e., the consequences of one’s actions) or being sensitive to the other (i.e., attending to the needs of the people around you).  Morinis describes responsibility as anticipating the outcome of what we do. The responsible person considers the likely outcome of his or her actions, or lack of action, and changes course accordingly. Responsibility creates an awareness that everything we do has consequences and that those outcomes really matter, whether they play out over time or in the lives of other people.

A low carbon economy is a world goal on a large scale that seems beyond our reach. But Genesis teaches that we are responsible for this earth, whether as rulers (Gen 1:28) or custodians (Gen 2:15). TE’s commitment to a lower-carbon “footprint” started this year with Bob Herrick and Jean Silk participating in the People’s Climate March in New York City on September 21, 2014. We started small by recycling and utilizing  re-usable utensils at Shabbat dinners all year. A more modest improvement is that the new building addition has plans for LED lighting and more energy-efficient heating.  Rise Siegel has met with a lighting specialist who will help us move from incandescent lighting to greener and brighter options in the Sanctuary building. An even larger scale project will be solar energy.  Steve Grodzinsky and Rise are helping to plan the addition of solar panels to the Sanctuary roof this Spring. An exciting development in our quest for solar energy  is that we have been approved by United Illuminating for a State program which will allow us to sell back energy credits to the network. This will greatly facilitate our ability to finance solar panels. Of course we are also going to need matching funds from the congregation to proceed. Do you have ideas, energy or enthusiasm for this important work? When we all are responsible and do what we are capable of doing, we repair the world and make living for all more bearable. Please call me or Jean Silk, chair of the Tikkun Olam Committee and get involved.

Chesed

“Do justice, love loving-kindness, walk humbly with God”, Micah 6:8

This month’s trait of “loving kindness” describes TE so well that it probably doesn’t need to be improved, but only commented upon. Jewish tradition elevates deeds of loving-kindness to the highest possible rank among the soul traits. While only some problems have solutions, all problems are alleviated by the loving responses of those around us. These recent weeks have shown an out-pouring of chesed from the TE community as we have participated together in many Shivas, fed the hungry at Abraham’s Tent, made scarves for kids in need, and supported each other during the recent flood in the Sanctuary building. Chesed goes beyond merely being nice. It involves acts that sustain one another. In the Jewish view, it isn’t enough to hold warm thoughts in our heart or to wish each other well. We are meant to offer real sustenance to one another. At TE we can do that in innumerable ways: money (have you pledged to One Campus yet?), time (can you help run the Second night sedar dinner?), empathy, service (can you participate in the “Kenyan Make a Kit” for girls on March 1), an open ear (do you want to be on next year’s Board of Directors?), manual assistance (could you provide a ride to Friday services for someone who needs it?), a letter written (can you do some volunteer work in the office?), a call made, or even give blood (have you signed up for the TE Blood Drive on March 12^th). For any of these opportunities please get in touch with me or the event leader.

This month remember to seek an opportunity each day to:

• Show a smile to at least five people that you pass by.
• Lend an ear to someone that you know could use some company.
• Make it a point to ask someone how his/her day is going — whether you know that person or not.

“Real joy comes not from ease or riches, or from the praise of man, but from doing something worthwhile.” — Sir Wilfred Grenfell (1865-1940), English medical missionary

 

January’s trait is “joy”.  Amazingly when one starts to look into this character trait, Christian wisdom literature seems to have more to say than the Jewish view.  But Jewish tradition encourages us to cultivate the conditions that will lead to more joy, more often. “Ivdu et HaShem ba’simcha”—serve God in joy.  Alan Morinis says this of joy:  “Moments come when the heart dances in the light. So much more than the experience of fun or even happiness, joy erupts when the inner sphere scintillates in its completeness. An experience touches us to the depths of our souls, and in that moment we are graced with a vision—if only fleetingly—of the flawless wholeness and perfection of it all. Then the heart fills and flows over, even amid the brokenness of this world.”

Joy is not syrupy or sappy, sentimental or seasonal.  Joy is not happiness, because happiness depends on what happens to you. Joy is also not the absence of sorrow. Joy is a vivid emotion of pleasure or the state of being highly delighted:  the birth of a child, marriage. Joy is dependent on spiritual insight and connection. Joy occurs when we close the gap between the high ideals we hold in mind and the living truth of how we act in life.

So, how does a congregation know joy?  By being together for life-cycle events, by healing the world, by creating a joyful noise unto the Lord (as the Psalmist says).  Our projects are off to a fabulous start this year: wonderful music with our children’s choir, a fabulous Chanukah basket project, a re-energized  look at Tikkun Olam. On that note, last month the TE Board approved a renewed commitment to help the hungry by supporting MAZON. Founded in 1985, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is a national nonprofit organization working to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and Israel. MAZON began soliciting donations by encouraging American Jews to donate a portion of the cost of life-cycle celebrations (weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, anniversaries, and other joyous occasions), a modern interpretation of the ancient rabbinical tradition of not allowing a celebration to begin until the community’s poor and hungry were seated and fed.

Beginning in January, TE will send MAZON 3% of the total spent on the food for any event that occurs at TE. We used to do this regularly in the past. We commit to do this now. We join nearly 1,000 synagogues and tens of thousands of individual donors, all of whom share our commitment to ending hunger once and for all.

This month, come experience the joy at TE.

“If not now, when” —Pirkei Avot

Now, anyone who knows me at all has likened me to the “Energizer Bunny” of battery fame. So, I believe I am in a good position to discuss this trait.

Enthusiasm in Mussar tradition speaks to spiritual energy. It says that enthusiasm is the foundation of all the traits. This makes sense because your energy level can affect everything else in your life. How can one be generous if you lack the motivation to carry through on your intentions? Are acts of loving-kindness even possible without energy?

The Hebrew term for enthusiasm is “zerizut,” which can also be translated as zeal or alacrity. Acting with alacrity means springing forward without hesitation or obstacle. It does not mean rushing forward without thought. Instead it means that no rationalizations slow you down. You don’t put off what you need to do until another time. To do that you must have defined your priorities and know what is really important in your life and what is secondary or even expendable. Then it is possible to know what is worthy of attention and what is not. Enthusiasm also requires single-mindedness. Mussar teachers have described that the trait of zerizut depends on an inner experience that is uncluttered, clear and focused.

If we look at TE through a Mussar lens, now is the time that the Temple Emanuel community must respond with “Enthusiasm.” We are about to embark on an amazing journey of building. But this is no longer a response to a future need, but a reality of our growing and thriving community. We need to do this project in one phase and without any mortgage obligations. We must raise approximately $525,000 for the project. A monumental amount for such a small community! However, under the expert guidance of Dr. Alan Kliger, 85% of this amount has been promised by some very generous TE donors and the Federation. This means that if each of our 150 member-units contributes to the project, we will reach our goal. I know this might be a real stretch for some families, but it is what we all need to do, together. Please respond with “enthusiasm” when a member of the Board or Alan Kliger approaches you. Even better yet, approach them first. Let us all find our own inner “Energizer Bunny” to meet this challenge.

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” —Max Planck

Discussing gratitude in November is really a “batting practice fastball” as they say in baseball. After all, it is the month of our most cherished national holiday, Thanksgiving. For Jews, gratitude isn’t something for just once a year; it’s a daily practice. The Hebrew term for gratitude means “recognizing the good.” The good is already there, and so it means recognizing the gifts we already have. It means focusing on the part of the glass which is full, rather than on the part which is empty (something hard for me to do without constant reminding). It is often easier to focus on what we lack, rather than on what we have. Since there is no limit to what we don’t have, we can end up very dissatisfied with life. By reminding ourselves to be grateful, we change our perception of our lives, and with that we actually change our lives too. Even when we are aware of the gifts that surround us, we can grow immune to them and take them for granted. So gratitude requires practice.

Gratitude can make us happier and healthier. Recent studies have concluded that the expression of gratitude can have profound and positive effects on our health, our moods, and even on the survival of our marriages. Mussar practice cultivates gratitude by first having the individual identify the good and then acknowledge that it is a gift and not something that is deserved. Next gratitude involves saying “thank you” for the gift and to its source. We need to do that as individuals and as communities. So, I want to thank each and every one of the TE community for their willingness to participate, give back, pay forward, lead, follow and belong to an extraordinary group of people. This High Holy Day season I started to list some of our members who have gone over and above in their contributions to the congregation, but I know I only scratched the surface and unwittingly left many people off the list. Thank you to the 73 member units who have signed up to participate in Tikkun Olam projects. That is more than half our congregation!! Expect to hear from those project leaders in the next month. Thank you to all the members who made High Holy Day pledges above their Fair Share pledges. We have commitments for $8,972 to repair TE, $4,220 to our four special projects, and $2872 toward Israeli bonds. I am so grateful for your generosity (a trait for a later column).

Spend this month practicing gratitude and say “thank you” to every person who does something that is beneficial to you. Check out what I am describing in Everyday Holiness by Alan Morinis or on the website at www.mussarinstitute.org.

Now, I am neither a Rabbi nor a scholar but I do try to think (contrary to what you may have heard about surgeons). A path suggested by our recent Scholar in Residence, Rabbi  Marcia Plumb struck a familiar chord in me. She discussed how Mussar teachings can be used to create a sense of wholeness in one’s life.

Very, briefly the Mussar movement centered in Lithuania during the mid 1800’s and was led by Rabbi Yisrael Salanter. Much was lost during the Holocaust, but it has become a thriving movement in recent years.  Mussar teachers have sought to help transform lives and get people on the path of holiness. The path they describe is not in any way esoteric or otherworldly, but vey much  within the realm of our own familiar lives. They describe inner traits which when balanced and developed bring a sense of peace, wholeness, and holiness to the individual. These traits are: gratitude, humility, patience, compassion, order, equanimity, honor, simplicity, enthusiasm, silence, generosity, truth, moderation, loving-kindness, responsibility, trust, faith, and yirah. An individual picks 13 traits to work on. Then practices that trait for one week; the cycle is then repeated 4 times during the year.

Over the next several months I am going to apply these traits to TE and the column.

Not surprisingly, I will begin with Gratitude in next months column.

For those with more interest or just to check out what I am describing,  a good place to start is Everday Holiness by Alan Morinis or the website: www.mussarinstitute.org

Dr. Melissa Perkal

 

It is hard to believe that fall is here and that the Holy Days are around the corner. This is a time of new beginnings and contemplating where we might have “missed the mark.” It is a time of reflecting what we might do better in the up-coming year. As we begin 5775, I am optimistic with our potential for growth and for bringing our congregation together. I believe we can have a thriving community. This will take dedication, volunteerism, and financial support. Previous TE President Jon Zonderman stated that to do this, it is important that we all agree on one key statement: “I believe that maintaining a vibrant Reform Jewish community at Temple Emanuel is important.” If we all believe that, then we all must believe that each one of us needs to take responsibility for maintaining our community and may not leave it up to others to do so.

What can each of us do to keep TE strong?

1. Add one new member family to TE by sharing your experiences with your non-TE friends. Bring them along to TE events. Show them how really wonderful our community is.
2. Participate in our fund-raising efforts by coming to our many “friend-raisers,” buying citrus, baked goods and New Year honey wishes.
3. Contribute to the “One Campus Campaign” so that we continue to be mortgage free as we build. My goal is that every TE family will contribute something toward making this a reality.
4. Join a committee, help run an event large or small, get your hands dirty, donate time to stuff envelopes, and/or pick up supplies. We are a small community with a tiny professional staff. So we need everyone’s energy to be actively involved.
5. Consider making a “Leave a Legacy” pledge so our children and our children’s children will have a community where they can welcome Shabbat and celebrate life cycle events.
6. Finally, there is still time to make your Fair Share Pledge before the Holy Days. Dig as deeply as you can afford to. TE needs you and TE needs your financial support.

Come find me in the coming weeks, and let me know how you want to be involved.

Shanah Tovah.