Inaugural Service Central Reform Temple
July 1, 2022
Rabbi Dr Michael J Shire
Holiness is Becoming
I'm delighted to be with you on this first of July and my inaugural service at Central Reform Temple. The 1st of July is an appropriate moment for a new transition. However it happens to also fall on the Torah portion of Korach in the book of Numbers. Korach, the rebel, who tries to undermine the leader of the community, Moses, and inspires an insurrection, which fails dramatically when God opens up the ground to swallow up Korach and his followers. I hope this is not symbolic for our new beginning together! But there is a message here in the Torah for all of us. Korah complains to Moses that he is setting himself up above the ordinary people and quoting the book of Leviticus, which is of course the Torah that Moses has shared with the people, suggests that all the people are holy, not just Moses and Aaron. For Leviticus 19 states, K’edoshim tiyu – You shall be holy for I your God am holy. This Korach suggests that all the people have been given a holy task and that Moses should not aggrandize himself above them.
Korah however has misunderstood an important component of Leviticus 19. It does not say, all the people are holy. Rather it says K’doshim tiyu – You shall be holy… It is rather a call to become holy though action, belief and character. Korah thought, after Sinai and revelation, the work was done and now the people could revel in their freedom and liberty. But he, like others in our contemporary society, should have understood that in Leviticus 19 God says they are not special by virtue of being part of this holy community, it's not that they're special because they were born a certain way, it's not that they're special because they align themselves with the Torah but rather it is a call to become something special. it's a call to do better, to find a way to make everyday special, every relationship special, every sacred encounter exceptional. It takes work and effort to do the holy work that is required.
There is a cartoon pinned on my colleague’s door at Hebrew College. The top panel depicts a rabbi exhorting his congregation with the words, who wants change? In the congregation, everyone’s hand is up enthusiastically! In the bottom panel, the rabbi is asking, ‘Who wants to change’? Everyone in the congregation is looking sheepishly away!
K’doshim Tiyu seems to me to be a wonderful way to begin this very special relationship between Rabbi and congregation. I have always thought of a congregation having three pillars; Beit Midrash, Beit Tefila, Beit Knesset – House of Learning, House of Prayer and a House of Fellowship. In fact, my first errand after receiving Devon and Dick’s call to become your rabbi was to go to Staples and find a note book with tabs. That way, I can keep notes under each Bayit -each house or pillar of the congregational work. As a teacher I love the work of the Beit Midrash – the house of learning. Together we can uncover the wisdom of a 2500 year old literary tradition with all of its interpretations and hidden meanings still to be uncovered. The work of the Beit Tefila – the house of prayer will take place here in this sacred space drawing upon ancient and contemporary liturgy but perhaps most importantly the service of our heart. I look to Andrew and our wonderful singers to enhance our worship with their beautiful music and voices that “ascend the brightest heaven of invention”! The Beit Knesset – the house of fellowship is the heart of our community. One that I hope will always be a place of fellowship and support for all who enter and I look forward to becoming part of it.
What I quickly learned was that there are actually more than just three pillars of this community. Rev Pam brought me upto speed on what I am calling a Beit Shituf – A House of Partnership and Sacred Covenant and Jill introduced me to the work of the Emanuel Center and what I will call the Beit Tikkun – the House of repair and restoration of human dignity. I was fortunate that Staples’ notebooks have multiple tabs!!
I know how the community that has been built here over many years through different leaders and rabbinic spiritual guides particularly recently through the sterling work of Rabbi Howard Kosofsky. How important it has been for these friendships to be nurtured, developed, supported and enhanced during these difficult two plus years. Members of the congregation and particularly the Board of Trustees have spent themselves in the service of this Beit Knesset over these last two years and they deserve our appreciation and gratitude so that we can be here today to continue the good work.
But we cannot rest on our laurels. Kedoshim Tiyu! Benjamin Zander, The Boston based orchestra conductor tells the famous story of the rabbi’s gift in his book, The Art of Possibility. This is the story of the monastery that has fallen on hard times and no longer attracts visitors to pray or monks to work in the monastery gardens. The Abbot unsure of what to do, goes to the local rabbi to seek some advice but the rabbi has none to give. However as the Abbot is about to leave, the rabbi offers a gift of wisdom and suggests that one of the monks might very well be the messiah. Returning to the monastery and relaying the wisdom of the rabbi to his community, the monks begin to wonder, which one of us could very well be the messiah and they treat each other with greater generosity and kindness. Word spreads that the monastery is a warm and appreciative community, caring for each other with extraordinary gentleness and empathy. Visitors come again to stay and learn, new monks are eager to join and the community is rebuilt and restored to greater heights than before. As we build on the strengths of the past, we will continue to develop our capacities of support, empathy, kindness and responsibility for others.
Building Sacred community is our work to do together and we have three great teachings of the Hebrew Bible that have so inspired Western Civilization to guide us. That we are all created in the image of God – b’zelem elohim, is an obligation to respect and celebrate our diversity; of colour, of gender, of sexuality, of faith. To love our neigbour as ourself – ve’ahavta l’reacha camocha is to reach out beyond ourselves with empathy and kindness and that tzedek tzedek tirdorf – to go out and pursue justice so that all can receive the blessings of life, health and dignity in an uncompleted world. We have seen this past week how we cannot take these three principles for granted. We will have to continue to work for justice for women’s reproductive health, for the health of our planet, for the democratic principles that have developed and expanded liberty for the past 250 years in this country. We follow these principles in conjunction with our sacred partners at Emmanuel Church and know that we are interdependent with all faiths to bring about a more just society here and everywhere. As we try and navigate our way in a changing world tossed by the storms domestically and internationally, we need to keep anchored to these fundamental principles and values of our age old faith. So like Moses and Aaron in this week’s parasha, we will not be cowered by those who believe only they hold absolute truth. Rather we will take up the fight and resist their insurrection against our democratic and Torah values.
So as we go on this new journey together and receive the blessings of this sacred community, let us renew our commitment to work for holiness together so that we can hold firm to our values, enact them for the repair of the world around us and treat each other and those we love and know with extra kindness and love. After all, one of us might just be the messiah!
The Jewish ideal is a sacred community.
The successful beginning then, is not to find God in an instant, or even a day or a month or a year.
Sacred community begins with a modest but firm commitment to the project of our generation.
To transcend ethnicity and seek out the Holy in such things as the ways we speak, the blessings we say, the truths we discover and the homes we have or seek to find.
Sacred Community is not just what we want. It is what we need.
and it beckons us now more than ever to return, to find it.
Korah however has misunderstood an important component of Leviticus 19. It does not say, all the people are holy. Rather it says K’doshim tiyu – You shall be holy… It is rather a call to become holy though action, belief and character. Korah thought, after Sinai and revelation, the work was done and now the people could revel in their freedom and liberty. But he, like others in our contemporary society, should have understood that in Leviticus 19 God says they are not special by virtue of being part of this holy community, it's not that they're special because they were born a certain way, it's not that they're special because they align themselves with the Torah but rather it is a call to become something special. it's a call to do better, to find a way to make everyday special, every relationship special, every sacred encounter exceptional. It takes work and effort to do the holy work that is required.
There is a cartoon pinned on my colleague’s door at Hebrew College. The top panel depicts a rabbi exhorting his congregation with the words, who wants change? In the congregation, everyone’s hand is up enthusiastically! In the bottom panel, the rabbi is asking, ‘Who wants to change’? Everyone in the congregation is looking sheepishly away!
K’doshim Tiyu seems to me to be a wonderful way to begin this very special relationship between Rabbi and congregation. I have always thought of a congregation having three pillars; Beit Midrash, Beit Tefila, Beit Knesset – House of Learning, House of Prayer and a House of Fellowship. In fact, my first errand after receiving Devon and Dick’s call to become your rabbi was to go to Staples and find a note book with tabs. That way, I can keep notes under each Bayit -each house or pillar of the congregational work. As a teacher I love the work of the Beit Midrash – the house of learning. Together we can uncover the wisdom of a 2500 year old literary tradition with all of its interpretations and hidden meanings still to be uncovered. The work of the Beit Tefila – the house of prayer will take place here in this sacred space drawing upon ancient and contemporary liturgy but perhaps most importantly the service of our heart. I look to Andrew and our wonderful singers to enhance our worship with their beautiful music and voices that “ascend the brightest heaven of invention”! The Beit Knesset – the house of fellowship is the heart of our community. One that I hope will always be a place of fellowship and support for all who enter and I look forward to becoming part of it.
What I quickly learned was that there are actually more than just three pillars of this community. Rev Pam brought me upto speed on what I am calling a Beit Shituf – A House of Partnership and Sacred Covenant and Jill introduced me to the work of the Emanuel Center and what I will call the Beit Tikkun – the House of repair and restoration of human dignity. I was fortunate that Staples’ notebooks have multiple tabs!!
I know how the community that has been built here over many years through different leaders and rabbinic spiritual guides particularly recently through the sterling work of Rabbi Howard Kosofsky. How important it has been for these friendships to be nurtured, developed, supported and enhanced during these difficult two plus years. Members of the congregation and particularly the Board of Trustees have spent themselves in the service of this Beit Knesset over these last two years and they deserve our appreciation and gratitude so that we can be here today to continue the good work.
But we cannot rest on our laurels. Kedoshim Tiyu! Benjamin Zander, The Boston based orchestra conductor tells the famous story of the rabbi’s gift in his book, The Art of Possibility. This is the story of the monastery that has fallen on hard times and no longer attracts visitors to pray or monks to work in the monastery gardens. The Abbot unsure of what to do, goes to the local rabbi to seek some advice but the rabbi has none to give. However as the Abbot is about to leave, the rabbi offers a gift of wisdom and suggests that one of the monks might very well be the messiah. Returning to the monastery and relaying the wisdom of the rabbi to his community, the monks begin to wonder, which one of us could very well be the messiah and they treat each other with greater generosity and kindness. Word spreads that the monastery is a warm and appreciative community, caring for each other with extraordinary gentleness and empathy. Visitors come again to stay and learn, new monks are eager to join and the community is rebuilt and restored to greater heights than before. As we build on the strengths of the past, we will continue to develop our capacities of support, empathy, kindness and responsibility for others.
Building Sacred community is our work to do together and we have three great teachings of the Hebrew Bible that have so inspired Western Civilization to guide us. That we are all created in the image of God – b’zelem elohim, is an obligation to respect and celebrate our diversity; of colour, of gender, of sexuality, of faith. To love our neigbour as ourself – ve’ahavta l’reacha camocha is to reach out beyond ourselves with empathy and kindness and that tzedek tzedek tirdorf – to go out and pursue justice so that all can receive the blessings of life, health and dignity in an uncompleted world. We have seen this past week how we cannot take these three principles for granted. We will have to continue to work for justice for women’s reproductive health, for the health of our planet, for the democratic principles that have developed and expanded liberty for the past 250 years in this country. We follow these principles in conjunction with our sacred partners at Emmanuel Church and know that we are interdependent with all faiths to bring about a more just society here and everywhere. As we try and navigate our way in a changing world tossed by the storms domestically and internationally, we need to keep anchored to these fundamental principles and values of our age old faith. So like Moses and Aaron in this week’s parasha, we will not be cowered by those who believe only they hold absolute truth. Rather we will take up the fight and resist their insurrection against our democratic and Torah values.
So as we go on this new journey together and receive the blessings of this sacred community, let us renew our commitment to work for holiness together so that we can hold firm to our values, enact them for the repair of the world around us and treat each other and those we love and know with extra kindness and love. After all, one of us might just be the messiah!
The Jewish ideal is a sacred community.
The successful beginning then, is not to find God in an instant, or even a day or a month or a year.
Sacred community begins with a modest but firm commitment to the project of our generation.
To transcend ethnicity and seek out the Holy in such things as the ways we speak, the blessings we say, the truths we discover and the homes we have or seek to find.
Sacred Community is not just what we want. It is what we need.
and it beckons us now more than ever to return, to find it.
