Daily Prayer in a Minyan, Chevrah Kaddishah, Machzor Lev Shalem

 

Daily Prayer in a Minyan, Chevrah Kaddishah, Machzor Lev Shalem

Rosh HaShanah Day 1, 5772

September 29, 2011

Rabbi Gary S. Creditor

 

I am taking this unique opportunity to deliver this sermon to both parts of our congregation who assemble this Yom Tov in the Social Hall and Main Sanctuary. There are three subjects that are vital for the entire congregation and instead of relying on electronic media to share these messages, I am doing so in person. I stress their importance and elicit your response. In the heightened spiritual aura of this holy day I hope that these words which reflect the innermost feelings of my heart will be similarly received by yours. As I am bringing my pulpit rabbinate to a close I scan the shelves that hold the hard copies of my all sermons and realize, that with nary a repetition, with my best efforts, I have been pouring out my soul and Judaism, specifically Conservative Judaism, to the congregations I have served as their Rabbi.  I guess that every Rabbi hopes and prays that it makes a difference in people's lives and that of their communities. I do too. The three subjects of this morning follow in that tradition: daily prayer particularly in the community setting of a minyan; chevrah kaddishah who perform the rituals of taharah – purification for our dead; and, a new Machzor for next Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, whose name is "Lev Shalem," translated alternatively, "A Full Heart," "A Complete Heart." Each is worthy of a separate sermon, but I will share my thoughts in the most concise manner. I speak from my heart.

 

 Daily Prayer in a Minyan

 While a Jewish identity is very complex, Judaism is really simple.

Judaism is a faith that sees the world refracted through a distinct belief in God.

Jews are those who bear that faith.

The Jewish people was called into being, or willed ourselves into existence in order to propagate a very distinct faith, different from all others. That was true in antiquity. It is true today. Whatever brings you/us to the synagogue on any day, on every day, on this day, this is a place that proclaims and bears witness to the faith of Judaism.

 

One core belief in that matrix is: we owe gratitude to God for our lives. Not only on Rosh HaShanah. Every day, we say "Thank you" to God:

that we are alive, despite aches, pains, ailments, heartache and grief;

that we live on the only blue marble in the galaxies and shouldn't ruin it;

that we have rules and laws that guide us to moral and ethical living;

that He, or if you prefer, She, loves us even in an earthquake and hurricane; and,

that He gave to Israel alone His special gift of Torah.

Instead of doom and gloom, of onus, pressure and duress, the faith of Judaism bestows upon us the gifts of wonder, awe, amazement, blessings and love, to accompany the caffeine and calories to begin each day of our lives. We do that in tefilah, prayer, to God. Each day. Every day. In and through tefilah we proclaim, we renew, we live the faith. Not sometimes. Not just today, tomorrow and Yom Kippur. Every day of the year. Every Shabbat. Every day of our lives. That is the privilege of being a Jew with Judaism as our faith.

 

A second core value in the matrix is: we live the faith as a community. The synagogue is a building. We are a congregation. We are a community. We seek, find, and pray to Godtogether. We celebrate our religious history and life-cycle rituals together. We care for each other together. We mourn together. We pray together. The word that expresses communityin this context is minyan.

 

The best translation for minyan is quorum, the minimum community. Reflecting an ancient tradition, the required number is ten. Reflecting our Conservative Judaism, both men and women over the age of thirteen are entitled to be included in that number. It is a honor to be counted. Regardless or not if you had the celebration, every Jewish man and woman is by dint of age a Bar and Bat Mitzvah for life. With privilege also comes obligation.

            If we are truly a congregation, then we owe something to each other.

            If we are a synagogue congregation, then we owe something to our faith.

            If we are Jews, then we owe something to God.

                        We pray on Yom Tov. We pray on Shabbat. We pray on weekdays.

                        We pray to God.

We pray together.

Now I will tell you that I love the porch of our home where I belong to a congregation of three: me, myself and I. All three agree on everything all the time. And I don't have to announce pages. But nothing can replace the companionship, the friendship, the inspiration of a minyan, of a congregation in tefilah, on Shabbat and on weekdays.

 

I am sorry that I have heard my whole lifetime the negativity surrounding daily prayer, "the minyan." Wherever it is held and whenever it meets, you/we will have to go out of our way. It will take time "out" of our day. It will delay dinner or require an earlier alarm clock setting. But:

            There is nothing negative. It is only glorious.

            There is no inconvenience. There is only beneficence.

            Instead of loneliness there is togetherness.

            In times of sorrow, there is love.

            Instead of being downcast, we are uplifted.

            When those whom we love die, we are joined by those who share the journey.

                        After our personal journey is over we continue to come to minyan to be there for others.

                        While we say Kaddish for the dead, the saying of it is for us. That is its power.

How beautiful it is to pray each day.

How magnificent it is having caring shoulders.

How beautiful it is to share Shabbat together.

It doesn't take time out of my day. It puts life into it. It puts God into it.

 

Temple Beth-El has had a long tradition of daily prayer, tefilah, and maintaining a quorum, the minyan. As generations have come and gone, that tradition has faltered. We have even truncated the schedule. I share these words to illuminate a treasure that has been hidden and awaiting you in the Okun Chapel Monday and Thursday mornings and Monday through Thursday afternoons, and at the religious school on Sunday mornings. I elicit your positive response to attend the daily minyan, and to join us in shul on Shabbat, not because you have to, not because you are forced to, not because of yahrzeit, not only when we are in mourning (when we should anyway),:        because you need it.

Because we need each other.

Because we need a sense of religious community.

Because we need companionship, friendship, love, and strength.

Because we need God. Together. In minyan. On Shabbat. On weekdays. All our lives.

 

 

 

 

Chevrah Kaddishah

 

The Chevrah Kaddishah is that anonymous group of men and women who perform the rituals of rechitzah, washing, taharah, purifying, and halbashah, dressing our dead in tachrichim, in shrounds and placing the met/metah, the deceased in the aron, in the casket. There is no greater mitzvah in Judaism. The dead cannot repay the chesed, the loving kindness done to them. It is one of the most difficult mitzvot to perform. There is no doubt. I participated for the first time this summer, when my schedule allowed me to join the men's chevrah. I know that I will be joining them in the future. It was an awe inspiring experience. It was humbling. It was illuminating. I am grateful that the men included me. I saw with my own eyes the love that will be shown to me as I transition from this world to the next, may that day be far. far away.

 

This summer I read a book entitled: Dignity Beyond Death, The Jewish Preparation for Burial by Rochel Berman. I want to share just a few touching quotations.

 

"When death comes, when the technology is turned off and the technicians can do no more, what remains is a sense of incompleteness – a need for spiritual closure. It is uplifting to know that at this venerable moment we are able to perform this final act of lovingkindness." Pg.29.

 

"What it taught me is that this ritual has multi-dimensional power. It even allows us to think better of the living. It has underscored my feeling that taharah brings out the best in those who are privileged to do it." Pg. 66.

                                                                                                                                               

"If we did it wrong, we would have left the dead impure; we would have failed to repair death's spiritual damage. We would have failed in our roles as religious emissaries of the community and of God." Pg. 68

 

"In the process of the taharah, I felt as if we had managed to wash away the suffering and to provide some comfort for his soul. When he was dressed in the shrouds and placed in the casket, a great sense of relief settled over me. Now, at last, he was at peace." Pg.78.

 

"I feel that I have been blessed with the ability to do this mitzvah. Some people have beautiful voices and others play musical instruments. I feel that being able to perform taharah is a gift from God." Pg. 93.

 

"…there will emerge a new generation of young people who view death as a function of life. They will be proud to be part of a people that believes that, "In death no less than in life,solitariness is replaced by solidarity." They will learn that the collective response of the Chevrah Kaddishah to a death brings dignity to the deceased and simultaneously strengthens the caring community." Pg. 186.

 

Since I began this appeal years ago, many women and men responded to this summons. I am humbled by them. I really wish that I could recognize them by name, but they profess their desire for anonymity and in my love for them, I honor their request.

 

For whatever reasons, more women have responded than men. So this appeal is a stronger, louder clarion call for men to respond, even as the women's chevrah certainly desires and welcomes more members. I especially appeal for men to join me with those who already serve so devotedly. There is a community of the living that serves the community of the dead.Even as we give our souls to God, we give our bodies into the loving hands of the Chevrah Kaddishah. I am the conduit for men and women interested in joining the Chevrah Kaddishah. You may contact me at any time. May God bless the living as they show infinite love to our dead.

 

Machzor Lev Shalem

 

I grew up with the Machzor edited by Rabbi Morris Silverman which became the standard edition in Conservative synagogues. The opening page was a meditation he composed entitled: "The Old Prayer Book." Through its words I felt a splendid rootedness and sense of God's presence and purpose for my prayers. Its language inspired me to feel God's majesty and in reflection, my humble humanity and finite mortality. It led me to pour out my soul to Him on these days. I didn't need to understand every Hebrew word or its translation.  Though it took me years to comprehend its content, I took that Machzor in my hands with trembling. It was my doorway to God. I have used many Machzorim since. When I came here I inherited Mahzor Hadash. None every impacted me the way my first Machzor did.

 

Ten years ago the Rabbinical Assembly began the task to produce a new edition of the Machzor that would speak to us both with its authenticity and with modernity. The Rabbis of the editorial board recognized the need to explain more than just to translate, the need to supplement with meditations and readings in order to stimulate our hearts and heads. Stressing the beauty of congregational participation in the Hebrew yet with many unable to read, they added transliterations of key passages. To capture our eye, they designed a new page layout. Toenrich the Machzor they drew upon Sephardic poetry to supplement our well-known Ashkenazic repertoire. To enable everyone to participate in the synagogue ritual there are concise and yet unobtrusive instructions. As much as Machzor Lev Shalem is a new edition, as I held it in my hands, I felt our glorious antiquity and exquisite faith.  I took several days this summer to read every page, and imagine that I was sitting here with this volume in hand. I was inspired. I was stirred. As our children would say: "It was awesome."

 

A year ago I proposed to the Ritual Committee that we replace the Machzor Hadash with Machzor Lev Shalem as it addressed our spiritual needs in a vastly superior way. It has already been adopted by a growing number of congregations, and has received excellent reviews. The committee earnestly investigated and reviewed this proposal. It recommended it to the Board of Governors which ratified the decision. Next Rosh Hashanah we will welcome Machzor Lev Shalem as our Machzor. I am thrilled at the opportunity to introduce it next year. In that case the Ritual Committee has authorized that after Yom Kippur you may take home a copy of Machzor Hadash to keep in your personal library.

 

Yet a book is only a cover holding together a bunch of pages. The invisible yet necessary ingredient is your soul. This book is like the portal of the worm-hole to God, no matter how you conceive of Him, Her – just don't say "it." This Machzor needs our active, personal, neshamahdick engagement that only each one of us can bring. We must bring ourselves to the book,ready, willing and desirous of its words to touch our hearts and open up our souls to God. We will use this new Machzor differently. There will be more times of silence to allow each of us to peruse, ponder, and pray. We will pause to read the commentary on the right margin. We will pause to reflect on the meditations on its left. My preparation this year for next excites me. Next year will be a grand experiment, even as it will have so much that is familiar and echoes brilliantly in our ears. But when all is said and done, it will need each of us.

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I have been as concise as I could while tackling three significant subjects: enlisting your response to attend the daily minyan and Shabbat services; join the Chevra Kaddishah; and, introduce Machzor Lev Shalem. It was a challenge to keep it this short. Yet I have fulfilled my personal mandate to pour out my soul to you honestly and earnestly. The title I bear and the place where I stand echoes in my heart the voices of the ages and of our glorious and incomparable faith. As I began so I end, I hope that these words make a difference in your lives and in our community.

 

I close with a Meditation from Machzor Lev Shalem:

 

In Your great kindness, aid us Adonai our God to embrace this Rosh HaShanah with love and overwhelming joy, as a gift from You. Through the celebration of this sacred Rosh HaShanah may we attain a full and true faith. Help us to gather together the sparks of holiness within ourselves, as we join with all the people Israel congregating from their individual homes and joining together on these holy days of Rosh HaShanah to bless Your sacred name.

 

L'Shanah Tovah Tikatayvu v'Taychataymu.

May we be written and inscribed for a happy, healthy and blessed new year.