Sand Harbor State Park, Nevada
Rabbi Lauren: Shanah Tovah, Rabbi!
Rabbi Evon: Shanah Tovah, Rabbi, Shanah Tovah Everyone… Rabbi, Why did you say yes?
RL: Yes to joining you up here on the bimah again?
RE: Yeah…
RL: Besides it being more fun than I remember?
RE: Yeah, the meat of this whole congregational, community, peoplehood thing!
RL: Y’know I believe in the wisdom of the Jewish people…
RE: What does that mean?
RL: It means our heritage offers guiding lights for me. Not the lights that we just lit earlier this evening, but the energy of curiosity. The courage of human resilience, and the power of our story… I take it very seriously that in this season, we talk about what it means to be part of the book of life. We, us Jews, question everything. Not just those four questions at Passover, but we question our holiest of text, the Torah. And as a result, we approach our lives with deep, compassionate curiosity. These might be the days of judgment, but the judgment isn’t ours to hold. On these, of all days, our responsibility is to ask a question: Where am I in my story (our story), and where do I want to be? Especially in this moment of teshuva, this turning point in time, that requires the courage of resilience, the ability to keep on being fundamentally who our values drive us to be. Additionally, we all have the privilege to listen to the conversation of generations before us, the history and story of all of our people. We have the strength to question what that means for us now, in this moment. We are empowered to harvest the wisdom of that ancient and modern conversation, moving forward with the fruits and hopefully some seeds of that wisdom into the now.
As a congregational and organizational rabbi, I have the privilege to walk gently along the path of life’s journey with all of you. And as a rabbi with you here, I get to spend my days basking in that curiosity and exploration, that courage and resilience, that fundamental part of the Book of Life that explores our story in this moment and in this beautiful Gem of Creation. And of course Rabbi, it’s a joy to work with you. But I have a question for you: why do you keep at it?
RE: Huh. Rabbi, such a great question: are you sure you want to trade it in for an answer?
RL: Oh, absolutely!
RE: I have kept at it because of the social fabric of the Jewish people – connections of peoplehood, connections of our community – it is such a privilege to engage with shared experiences that engage with community. We have a language that is unique to us as a Jewish people. I am talking about the way that we interact, the way that we step and maybe overstep with our community. The way that that language enables us to engage across time with every generation of Jews. I heard a story last week about a great loss to the Jewish people in this country. Dr. David Gilner of blessed memory, who ran the Klau Library on the Cincinnati Campus of HUC, died this week. At his funeral, a story was shared that every Friday, as he left the building, he would make a visit to the rare book room. A space in the library containing manuscripts, centuries old – true treasures of our people. He would stop in to wish each of them a Shabbat Shalom. You see, for him, this was about being a library and an archivist and a curator, and it was also about how those rare documents allowed us to engage in this conversation throughout and across time. Being a rabbi, and why I keep at it, and why I feel so privileged and honored to live along each of your sides is because of the meaning that is discovered in each conversation, the way that we get to feel when we notice and respond to each other’s curiosities, when we discover the spark of Divine, Mystery of Creation, whether it is in a religious school classroom, studying Torah, welcoming Shabbat, remembering a loved one who has died, standing under the chuppah together; in holding a newborn as we bring them into the covenant. These are all part of our story; we are always writing our story together. Each and every one of us here – and all Jews – holds a pen to author that Book of Life. And these are just some of the reasons that I am still at it. Because of the uncertainties of this time, because of the responsibility we have to keep writing, because of the excitement of this moment – as difficult as it feels – we have that responsibility and that potential.
RL: Afterall, this is why we are building the Tahoe Jewish Community. The chapter that we are in, as a people and as a part of this whole world, is one of change and transformation. So, here in our beautiful Gem of Creation, we have chosen to make this a chapter about innovation and creativity.
RE: Partly because of all the uncertainty of this moment for the Jewish world and on the global stage – after all, we don’t have a crystal ball and divination has been out of fashion for us for over three thousand years – but we do have agency for change and transformation, here and now, in this place, in this moment. In these ten holy days and all those that follow, we must wrestle with this moment in time and our vision for moving forward, together.
RL: We have this season to consider the Book of Life and the fact that we don’t know the end of our story. And, as a result, we want to make sure that we are doing our best to write not just a good but a great story. A story that continues to constantly unfold.
RE: We embrace this gift, in this time of all times, to create opportunities in our Gem of Creation and the Northern Sierra to cultivate Jewish wisdom and joy. Creating together positive Jewish experiences, in a positive Jewish environment…the one we are blessed to be in and always creating.
RL: Our Jewish life, when each and every one of us engages, crafts that new chapter. When we cultivate deeper wisdom, refracted through the lens of our tradition, we write that new chapter. Through our mini retreats, immersive experiences, and bringing our own passions and ideas to life in the context of Jewish community, we write that new chapter. When we have the opportunity to share what is weighing on our hearts each time we welcome Shabbat or our holiday celebrations – like we are doing today – we live that new chapter.
RE: We would love to see you there. After all, it’s fun for us to ask one another these questions, but it’s even more joy-filled for all of us to do this… together. So as we walk over to that pavilion later this evening, tell us why you came tonight. What does Judaism mean to you? What motivates your engagement with Judaism and in what ways do you need Judaism in your life, at this moment in history? This curiosity is the ink that we are all using to write our story in the Book of Life.
RE: Shanah Tova!
RL: On this eve of our New Year, we are inviting you to co-author our chapter in our Jewish story….
RE: As we invite you to rise together for our invitation to prayer, the Barechu…
