blogs/rabbi-huberman

Ten New Jewish Commandments #455

I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has entered my office and, within minutes, has declared:

Rabbi, I am a bad Jew.

I hate hearing that. It reveals how many Jews have been conditioned believe that the quality of their Judaism is determined entirely by the minutiae of our tradition. What they eat. Whether or not they read Hebrew. Whether or not they take care of business during Shabbat.

This anxiety has chased hundreds of thousands of Jews from synagogues. They have been made to believe that, in some way they have let Judaism down.

I wish I could call every one of them back to tell them how wrong they are -- how needed they are. If it were that easy to become a "bad Jew," I imagine most of us would be in a lot of trouble.

I believe that the teaching priorities of many rabbis, synagogues, and denominations is partially responsible for this skewed understanding of what makes a "good Jew". 

The truth is that, within Judaism, there exists a balance between two opposing but complementary forces: one is Kevah, "routine" or "structure"; and the other is Kavanah, "intention" or "spirit."

One force cannot thrive without the other. Many pursue spiritual identity through formal templates of observance, where others search for less definable spiritual inspiration. 

Each of us lies somewhere on that spectrum, and our place on it contributes to our crucial uniqueness, both as Jews and as human beings.

We as Jews believe that everyone is brought into this world with a good soul. We are each on a journey, each blessed with talents to contribute, each possessed of the potential to leave the world better than we found it.

This Saturday evening, at the close of Shabbat, we will begin celebration of the Biblical holy day of Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks
 
This is when we commemorate God giving the Torah to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai. It is a holy day, and recently, it has begun to diminish in importance.

Within our synagogue, observance of Shavuot is highlighted by two main events. On Sunday, we will publicly read the Ten Commandments. On Monday, according to a Sephardic ritual, we will read a customized Ketubah, or marriage certificate, signifying the union between this congregation and God, and we will recommit to putting these commandments into action
.
A great part of this commitment is refocussing our determination to leave no one behind. We declare our intention to be welcoming to all, to show compassion to all, and to refrain from gossip.

Shavuot also invites us to consider our national covenant with God. By so doing we take a moment to ask ourselves: "Are we living up to our end of the bargain?"

In my first year as rabbi of this congregation, I asked congregants: If they could increase the Ten Commandments to twenty, what additions would they make?

The first wave of responses came from our Hebrew school students. They weighed in with three excellent suggestions:

Don't Litter

Don't Hit

Share Your Toys

Suggestions from other congregants included these:

Respect the Environment

Don't Be So Quick to Judge Others

Respect Your Spouse; Respect Your Children; Respect Your In-laws

In my travels over the past year, I've also been collecting suggested commandments for Judaism itself. What do Jewish communities need to do to become more in touch, and connected to more contemporary Jews?

Here are some of those additional commandments.
 
There is more than one way to view God.
 
Many Jewish people have rejected Judaism because we were taught as young people that God is a senior male who resides in the sky. From time to time, our tradition can assign God both masculine and feminine identities; that is comforting to some. But others see God in nature. Some see God as a loving creative force. Some see God as transcendent; others understand God as entirely internal. These are all valid: Judaism is not here to correct or subjugate our individual understandings of God. Judaism rejoices in diversity. There is more than one way to view God.
 
2.You shall not be judgmental.
 
So much of what we practice as Jews is a function of customs or beliefs born during times of difficulty. Indeed, adherence to many of these customs and ordinances has been responsible for keeping us together for more than two thousand years. But no one has a monopoly on truth. Jewish observance must respect the past, but, crucially, it must remain open to change. There is more than enough room under our tent for interfaith families, for members of the LGBTQ community, and for others in search of their own spiritual truth. No one shall be judged.
 
3. You shall be pluralistic.
 
There are many traditions and rituals that we can learn from and incorporate within our understanding and practice of Judaism. While we may not agree with everyone's practices and beliefs, there is so much to be gained from studying and considering Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Renewal, Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and other traditions. Pluralism means remaining open to the ideas and rituals from all perspectives.
 
4. You shall pursue meaning.
 
It is not enough to ramble through prayers in Hebrew or English without explaining their meaning. That is not good enough for many Jews today -- nor should it be. Many of our rituals, prayers, and customs come from a Jewish tradition steeped in meaning and deep spirituality. In a recent blog entry, one congregant asked his rabbi, "Would you choose to pray at your synagogue if you weren't the rabbi?" Come on, rabbis! It's past time to give up the buzz-buzz-mumble approach to prayer at services: let's talk with our congregants ---let's explore what we're talking about. We all need to understand what we're praying for.
 
5.You shall create caring communities.
 
How many times have you walked into a synagogue without anyone acknowledging you? Are there times when you or someone you know has felt alone, and no one in the community has reached out? There is nothing more religious than a caring community. We need to define good congregations less by the technical perfection of their prayers, and more by the caring that they practice.
 
6. You shall encourage the airing of all views.
 
The idea of the machlokhet - the sacred debate -- is central to Judaism. It means that each of us becomes stronger when we share our views, when we challenge the beliefs of others -- and when we have our own beliefs challenged, and are thereby forced to really think about them. There are too many topics these days on which opinions are regarded as fact. Let us develop forums wherein different points of view can be discussed with respect. Synagogues should provide space for lively and nonjudgmental discussion L'shem Shamayim (in the name of heaven).
 
7. You shall be less tribal.

While Judaism needs to support Jewish causes and the ongoing health of the State of Israel, Jewish organizations also need to be linked to global causes. World hunger, human trafficking, intolerance, racism, and war are of profound interest to Jews as we work together and with those of other faiths and backgrounds to repair this troubled world. As Genesis 5:1 inspires us to consider, "We are all descendants of Adam and Eve."
 
8. Judaism lives outside of the synagogue.
 
The principles of Judaism are just as vital in our homes, in our workplaces and within our recreational spaces. Observing a few basic Jewish home rituals, acting ethically in the workplace, and teaching our children and grandchildren how to grow with respect and dignity are just a few crucial Jewish rituals which can be practiced outside of the synagogue.

9. Take a day of rest.

Call it Shabbat; call it whatever you want. But we must create room in our lives to stop doing, making, going. Just for a day. Even if you're only motivated by achievement, think about this: studies show that those who shut down work for a day can accomplish more than those who work seven days a week. Some achieve this peace by attending synagogue services. Others spend their day by taking a family walk, or playing catch, or turning off technology. Each of us needs a day of rest.
 
10. Delete the label "bad Jew"

The Talmud reminds us that "the Torah begins with kindness and ends with kindness." It also teaches that all the Mitzvot (commandments) can be condensed into three concepts. In the words of the prophet Micah, you are on earth to "do justice, love goodness, and walk humbly with your God." My late mentor Rabbi Joseph Ehrenkranz once asked, "Why weren't these concepts the first we learned in Hebrew school?" That is a good question, and it's one without a good answer. Let's change that. This is a matter of embracing Jewish values first, and then working them into our lives and ritual behavior.

Friends, once we understand that we have been good Jews all along, we can run towards Judaism instead of away from it.

Judaism, steeped in values and meaning, can lead to a thirst for Jewish education, love of Israel,  Tzedakah, and reaching out with respect across denominations and religious boundaries.

It also means sending our children to Hebrew school without declaring, as so many of us have, "I hated Hebrew school and so will you." We can send children to Hebrew school because it will build personal pride, a sense of tradition, and a series of positive values. It can be a place that begins to equip our children to be Jews who honor tradition, who are open to change, and who reject judgement in favor of compassion.

On Saturday night, we will celebrate outside of our synagogue Shavuot, the least understood but perhaps most relevant Jewish holiday.

We will begin at 8 pm at North Shore High School, where we will bring the healing powers of the Torah to the Relay for Life cancer event. 

We will provide moral support to survivors and their families, while remembering and honoring those who continue to inspire us.

We will also celebrate the festival with some private study, providing blessings for those who wish them. We will have taken the Torah and Jewish practice out of the confines of the synagogue and into the world.

We need more of that, as we challenge the very basis of what Judaism is, and where it is going.

Let us, therefore, embrace our traditions, our ancient holidays, our Jewish customs, our rituals, and our prayers, but let us also have the courage to expand our sacred journey, and to find new ways to celebrate and observe.

Remember that each of us is a fellow traveler in search of truth,  and no one is better or worse than the other. There is much room within God's sacred tent.

And each traveler is good and precious in God's sight.

May God bless our journey. For in the end, there is no such thing as a good Jew or bad Jew.

For in the end, we are all one.

Shabbat shalom, Chag Sameach (Happy Shavuot)

Rabbi Irwin Huberman