Shanah Tova! I recently bought for myself Mishkan HaNefesh,
the new Reform Mahzor which became available for wide use just last
year. I love Mishkan Tefillah, though some of that appreciation may be
connected to my summer at Kutz camp, when we had the opportunity to use the
book while it was still in a draft edition, and I loved being able to have the
sneak peek at the new poetry and layout of the prayer book. Still, I thought
the Mishkan HaNefesh would likely have some beautiful new additions for our
High Holy Day readings, and maybe some new insights for our understandings and
experiences of Teshuvah. Sure enough, as soon as I opened the book for the
first time an essay by Rabbi Lisa Edwards jumped out at me. She opens with
explaining how the town her father grew up in had only one synagogue.
Immediately, I thought, “Well that sounds familiar.” Then she continued by
explaining how the one shofar blower in the one synagogue in this small Jewish
community had a stutter, so her father and his childhood friends grew up assuming
that the blasts of the shofar, of various lengths and rhythms were the result
of the man’s stutter rather than the intended sound of them.
We often will have the experience of being a representative
of some facet of our identity to someone who has never met another person who
shares that identity, just as that man was the representative of both shofar
blowers and stutterers to those Jewish children. In a town with only one
synagogue, those same children were likely the representatives of Jewish
children to their classmates. How wonderful that the community they represented
was inclusive and ensured that a man who perhaps would not be able to smoothly
lead a service or give a d’var Torah still contribute something so monumental
to the spiritual life of their community, even if the kids didn’t fully
understand any of that at the time.
As I begin to settle in here in Northern Virginia, I’m
thinking about the ways I represent this community. At Gesher, many of the
students have strong misconceptions about Reform Judaism, and many of the
adults have never heard of Ner Shalom, so I am an immediate representative of
our community and our denomination as a whole and I’m conscious of how I want
to promote both. In Prince William County, where, similar to the town in Iowa
where Rabbi Edwards’ father grew up, we are the only synagogue, we must all be
aware of how we represent Ner Shalom, Reform Judaism, and perhaps even Judaism
as a whole. Luckily, I think this too is a place that is inclusive and looks
for ways to ensure any one can feel at home here. One of the things that
excited me about joining this community is how diverse it manages to be for
such a small population.
Judaism comes in many shapes and colors, and a community
that is truly reflective of that embraces people with different types of
abilities, both physical and neurological. It embraces people of all races,
sexual orientations, gender identities, and socio-economic classes. It is not judgmental
of others’ personal traditions and it does not place prohibitive expectations
that all its members contribute in exactly the same ways. It seeks to share in
the joys of its diversity, to learn from each member and to work together to
make the community, both within the synagogue and without, stronger. Because
ultimately, it’s not any of those factors that determine our Jewishness. It’s
our shared values and core beliefs. It’s our commitment to tzedek, to justice,
and to tikkun olam, repairing the world. It’s our love for Torah and our
commitment to Am Yisrael, the Jewish people. It’s the fact that we are here
tonight to embark on a transformative Ten Days of Awe together. It’s that we
are repenting for the wrongs we’ve committed against each other and that we are
repenting together as a unit for the sins we’ve committed against ourselves and
God.
As we welcome in the New Year, may it be one with ever
increased inclusivity in our community. May we see growth, emotional and
spiritual as well as in our numbers, and may we grow stronger together in the
year to come. Amen and Shanah Tova.
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