Years ago, I learned the song, "Eem ayn ani li mi li." If I'm not for myself who will be for me " Uch'she'ani l'atzmi mah ani." And if I'm only for myself, what am I? " V'eem lo achshav, aym ahtai?" And if not now when? The tune was new and catchy, but the words were old and timeless. In fact they were first written by Hillel, a prominent Rabbi of the Talmudic period who taught during the reign of Herod. When I first learned them, I was a young mother, and the first part of the song challenged me....finding time to do something for myself at times seemed nearly impossible. There was always someone needing my care and so little time to spend doing pleasantries just for myself. Those days are long past, and now the middle phrase reminds me that having time only for oneself misses a major philosophical premise of Judaism. Judaism is very much a communal religion, emphasizing our ties to the past and reminding us of our need to serve others in our attempt to better this world.
In this week's parasha, Vayigash, we are reminded that even Jacob, one of our patriarchs, in his old age, strove to honor his father. When he learned that his son, Joseph, was still alive, he traveled to Beersheva. The text tells us that he "brought sacrifices to the G-d of his father, Yitzchak." A midrash tells us that he brought his sacrifices to Beersheva because his father Yitzchak had also brought sacrifices there. "Why did he bring sacrifices at all? Since he saw that his children were to be exiled in Egypt, he brought sacrifices and prayed that G-d would be merciful with them in their exile." It is interesting to note that the midrash states that Yaakov's prayers were not offered for his own benefit, but for the benefit of others.
Take a look at our Siddur, our prayerbook. The prayers we offer are not directed to G-d so he may only meet our own personal needs. The middle 6 blessings of the daily Amidah, are directed toward the needs of the Jewish people and society in general. We pray for the ingathering of the dispersed, the restoration of justice, the destruction of our enemies, the well-being of the righteous, the restoration of Jerusalem, and the coming of the messiah. These petitions are said, however, after requests for our personal needs of knowledge, repentence, forgiveness, redemption, health, and economic prosperity. In otherwords, we begin with ourselves but then move on to being concerned with the needs of others. We follow Hillel's dictum.
There are also many ways to care about the community within a Jewish context that go beyond the recitation of tefillot, prayers. One way is to visit the sick. Years ago we had institutions that helped fulfill that need. Our own Sisterhood had women who formed a bikkur cholim committee. They made sure that the ill were not neglected. Today, we have no such institution in our Synagogue. If as individuals we happen to hear that an individual is ill, then as individuals we make the appropriate calls, send the appropriate cards, or make the appropriate visits. Because we have de-institutionalized this mitzvah, it is more likely to fall through the cracks. We do still have a chevra kaddisha, a holy society of men and women who work to ensure the proper and loving care for the bodies of deceased Jews. This society, is very much a part of our Synagogue tradition, insuring that our members and former members will have a proper Jewish burial. We do not currently have a menachem aveilim committee, a committee for the comforting of mourners, but our membership still does pull together to provide shiva minyanim and a meal of consolation after a funeral. We have not forgotten how to show our concern for those who have suffered a loss. As a community we also have institutionalized means for providing for the needs of those who are facing financial hardships. We have a Lay-leader's discretionary fund that helps those who are finding it difficult to pay for their basic needs and of course we have a fund within the Lincoln Jewish Federation to meet emergency needs of community members.
We seem to be at a crossroads in our community. People are taking a look at what they want Tifereth Israel to look like. Last week I had a conversation with some members who said they thought the basis of anything new we try to form at the Synagogue should be based first on social activities because individuals really aren't interested in the "religious" aspect of synagogue life. Social connections are important. They do focus on the first part of Hillel's statement. When one has a need for gathering, social activities meet one's own personal needs. We cannot pretend, however, that the basis upon which our Synagogue stands is merely to meet the needs of the individual.
When we talk about what we want from a Synagogue, the conversation rarely comes around to "What does my Synagogue community need me to do?" According to Hillel's statement, both parts of the equation must be discussed. We need to recognize as did Jacob, that our concerns also need to go beyond our own interests. We need to think about the sacrifices our predecessors made in this place, and be willing to make our own sacrifices of time and energy toward the goal of increasing Jewish living. Judaism has already built in the necessary infrastructures. Now what we need is the understanding that personal sacrifices can benefit the entire community.
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