When you
raise your cup what do you see? Is the
glass half full or half empty? Certainly
you know individuals who seem to face life’s challenges without grumbling. They suffer loss but are thankful for the
wonderful relationships that left them with memories that are
irreplaceable. They face physical
challenges but are thankful that they are alive and still able to express
appreciation to those individuals who make a difference in their lives. They lose a job but see it as an opportunity
for a new beginning. Gratitude is a word that seems to define their outlook on
life.
On the other
hand, you also know individuals who can’t make it through a day, leastwise an
hour, without complaining about something.
They focus in on their waning health, never seem to pull out of a state
of grieving for their personal losses, and are not sure how they can carry on
if life is not exactly as it had been when it was at its best.
Judaism does
not sugar coat life. It recognizes that the world is not perfect. Hunger, disease, loneliness, homelessness,
all abound. There are heartbreaking
times and times when we wonder how we will be able to pull through. Yet Judaism also tries to show us how we can
prevail; how we can work to perfect the world; how we can rise above the
suffering and count our blessings.
How many of
you are familiar with the Book of Job?
It is the story of a good man who suffered many tragedies as a test of
his faith in G-d. A Midrash was written
about Job that said, “When Job complained about his misfortunes, the Holy One
blessed be He, showed him a Sukkah of three walls.” Now you might say to yourself, why in the
world would
G-d show an
individual a three-walled sukkah? What
is the symbolism of a three-walled Sukkah?
Here’s a
possible answer and I’m sure you will also come up with an answer of your own
as well: A three-walled sukkah doesn’t
appear to be as sturdy as a four-walled sukkah but it is still kosher and it
still stands. There are pieces that are
missing from it to be sure, but it still manages to fulfill the purpose for
which it was created. Isn’t that
three-walled sukkah a bit like a metaphor for our lives? We do not go through life without loss,
without pieces of our lives falling away.
Yet, we can still stand erect (so to speak) and work to fulfill the
purpose for which we were created.
Perhaps the
metaphor of the three walled sukkah might seem out of place on Rosh HaShanah,
but I believe it is quite related to the meaning of this holy day. This is a day on which we are to think about
our humanity, about how we have treated others, how we approach life. As Jews, we know full-well how to survive in
a three walled-sukkah. Despite centuries
of being scattered, of facing anti-Semitic actions, we have learned to maintain
a sense of hope for a better world. We
know that even though life is not perfect there is much for which we can be
thankful. The concept of expressing
gratitude isn’t a mental health tip born during the 21st century or
found only in the Eastern religions, it is part of the very core of
Judaism. Judaism challenges us on a
daily basis to be able to say 100 brachot for the goodness that surrounds
us. Just think how taking that challenge
would affect one’s outlook on life!
Changing
one’s attitude is actually a by-product of changing one’s actions. If you wait until there are no more problems or
sadness to be faced, you will never end up acting. You can, however, transform your experiences
of pain, suffering, and sadness. You can
become what Rabbi Sidney Greenberg called, “a victor of circumstance”- an
individual who uses even a negative circumstance and distills from it new
insight into life, keener understanding, or more beautiful character. Becoming involved in whatever way one can with
the needs of the community, will help allow one to indeed become a “victor of
circumstance.”
So when you
hear that we’re going to try some new/old programs at Tifereth Israel be among
those who use the “half-full glass” attitude.
Don’t think about all the things that might go wrong, try to help make
things go right! We’re going to try to
involve ourselves with Habitat for Humanity this year. Yes, it’s true that not everyone in this
congregation is young enough or in good enough physical health to swing a
hammer or paint, but there are other options for being involved as well. Monetary donations can be made, lunches can
be prepared for the volunteers, articles can be written for the Jewish Press,
and phone calls can be made to help recruit participants. We’re also going to try to have a caring
committee formed which will divide up a list of names of congregants who would
benefit from having a weekly “touching base” phone call. And finally, we’re going to be working
together to present an interactive overview of the calendar through Jewish
lenses for members of churches throughout Lincoln. You might not feel comfortable speaking
before a group, but you might think about sharing an artifact for a holiday
display that can be viewed, or consider serving as a greeter on the day of the
open house. In addition to helping make
a difference in the lives of others, each of these programs can also make a
difference in your life if you choose to get involved.
For those
who would like to focus more on expanding their horizons educationally, we will
be offering some special programming for our adult members. We will be hearing from Alan Potash of the
ADL about extremism in the Midwest, from Richard Evnen about volunteering for
the American Jewish World Services in Cambodia, and hopefully from Gary Hochman
about his filming project at Sobibor. We
are aiming for three Sunday afternoons with the hopes that if it is on your
calendar early enough you can save those dates to join us for an hour or two!
As we enter
Rosh HaShanah, we are reminded about the fragility of life. It’s a reminder that the time we have
together in this world should be used to improve not only ourselves but the
lives of all we encounter, even those who will carry on after us. The process of teshuvah can actually involve
resolving to involve one’s self more in the life of this congregation; its
spiritual life, tzedakah life, and learning life! When you think about remaking yourself this
year, realize that by doing so you can also remake this congregation. A personal goal might be that when people
enter your home it should be evident that you are engaged in study, prayer, and
acts of loving kindness. When people
enter our spiritual home, Tifereth Israel, it should also be evident that
together we are engaged in study, prayer, and acts of loving kindness. What we
do singly and collectively will make a difference. Then I believe it will be impossible for that
half-empty cup to be perceived otherwise…it will be half-full!
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