Twinkies and Root Beer

Twinkies and Root Beer 
Erev First Day of Rosh HaShanah 
September 22nd, 2006

Tonight we begin the Jewish New Year of 5767. We bring to it our joys and sorrows, our fulfillments, disappointments, and our dreams. Everyone here tonight is one year older since last Rosh HaShanah with another year of experiences and opportunities. Regardless of our age, no year is ever the same as the year past or the year to come. Life is dynamic, ever changing, sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes happy, and sometimes sad. A year ago I was praying that the very painful extraction from the Gaza Strip would usher in an opportunity for true peace and instead there has been the largest military campaign for Israel since 2000, with northern Israel absorbing a terrible bombardment. Three Israelis are still in captivity and have now learned that Ron Arad, held since 1986 may still be alive. Our country is further enmeshed in the war in Iraq with no clear vision of the future with more of our military under significant stress and duress, there and elsewhere. The price of gasoline has risen and plummeted. Jobs have been added and other companies have closed. We have blessed couples celebrating their anniversaries along the spectrum of the years. I have stood with parents initiating their sons into the Covenant of Abraham, Brit Milah, and watched them hold their daughters at the Torah when we bestowed upon them their Hebrew names. Our granddaughter Ariel is a sharpee over four and half years old, and our grandson Moshe Tzvi turned one this summer. And there have been those whom were near and dear to us, who gave us life or taught us along its path who took their leave of us and have entered God's heavenly kingdom. Some of you joined Ruby and me in walking the land of Israel and others' feet have taken them off to college and from their homes and our community. We are fortunate that some have stayed close and are still part of us. It has been a year of tumultuous changes and challenges. Let us end 5766 and begin 5767 by reciting She-he-che-ya-nu and giving thanks to God that we are blessed to be here.

Baruch Atah Adonay Eloheynu Melech HaOlam Shehecheyanu v'kiy'manu v'hegeyanu lazman hazeh.

My sermons this season reflect my person spiritual wanderings and personal experiences of 5766 and also recognize that our congregation is celebrating its 75 th Anniversary. In the life of American Jewry this is a very significant achievement and worthy of reflection. Every year I want to address our human condition so that we can take from these days lessons to make our lives better and happier, uplifted and more Jewish. I do labor over these sermons and those throughout the year, always searching for stories and insights, themes and issues, our traditions and our faith. My antenna is always up and my computers at home and in the office receive emails from colleagues and friends sometimes with nourishkeit and sometimes with gems. Tonight I have a gem entitled "Twinkies and Root Beer." Tomorrow my sermon is entitled "Passionate Jewish Patriotism," reflecting on Israel. Tomorrow night is another gem called"Installing Love." My second day Rosh HaShanah sermon is about our synagogue and congregation, "Religious Imagination." For Kol Nidrei I set aside my original sermon because I discovered a fantastic book by Jamie Lee Curtis"Is There Really a Human Race?" I always write my Yizkor sermon first because it is the hardest one for me. This year it is entitled "Because of You." I don't have an overarching theme that connects them except that they are my religious, spiritual and religious journey of 5766. Maybe all of you need to write sermons, or at least journals of your pilgrimages. I bequeath my collection to my grandchildren and to theirs, with the hope that they will get to know me through these writings, just as I share myself with you and serve as a mirror of our faith and its strength and inspiration.

To introduce tonight's piece, "Twinkies and Root Beer," do you ever wonder about the person standing on the corner with the different signs they hold? What about the same person sitting on the bus stop every time? Or in the mall? Who are they? Where did they come from? Where do they go? Remember, the simplest story can contain great truths. The simplicity of language allows the truth to be brilliantly seen. And, regardless of our age, we are still children in our hearts.

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"Twinkies and Root Beer."

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons.

The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.

The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at the boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.

Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked, "Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected!"

The anonymous author of this story concludes:

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!

Our son Menachem and his colleague Rabbi David Paskin have created a group called Shirav, combining the words shir and rav, 'song' and 'rabbi'. On their second album, Deeper and Deeper, which I distributed to the Ba'alei Keriyah Society last June, Menachem wrote a few English lines to accompany a verse from Psalm 63. It is entitled:

"Olam" – "World"

Olam chesed yibaneh,

I will build this world from love

And you must build this world from love

And if we build this world from love

Then God will build this world from love.

 

Who knows who is sitting next to you, in the park, in shul?

Maybe you can eat lunch with God?

Shabbat Shalom and Shannah Tovah.