Some things really ARE worth repeating…
The story is told of a young Rabbi who was much sought after by several communities. After extensive discussions and careful consideration, the Rabbi settled on a particular congregation, which seemed to him to be the right Shidduch, the perfect fit. Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) arrived and the Rabbi delivered the most exquisite, eloquent, soul stirring sermon that anyone had ever heard. The people laughed, they cried, and the year proceeded uneventfully…A year later, the New Year arrived once again and the Rabbi ascended the Bimah (altar) and delivered the exact same sermon that he had delivered the prior year. Though clearly somewhat agitated, the Baalei Batim, the lay leaders, figured that the Rabbi must have simply forgotten that he had already delivered this particular oration and they set it aside as a minor infraction - a glitch…
Now this brings us to the 3rd Rosh Hashanahof the Rabbi’s tenure with the Shul (Synagogue). Once again, the time for the sermon arrived and the Rabbi delivered - with great passion - the very same sermon that he shared in the previous two years. At this point, the trustees become irate. For Heaven’s sake, it is Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, everybody’s here and they are - after all - paying the Rabbi a hefty sum. How dare he repeat and recycle material?
And so on the day following Yontiff, the Holy Day, the Rabbi was summoned to an emergency meeting of the Board. With great consternation in his voice, a long standing Gvir, a wealthy aristocrat of the congregation, stood up and addressed the Rabbi in front of the Trustees. “Rabbi - We are most disappointed in you. When you came to us you showed such great promise. You were so insightful, creative and charismatic. You had so many wonderful new ideas and innovations to share with us. What has happened to you? How dare you repeat the same sermon 3 years running?”
Calmly, the Rabbi rose and asked the members of the Board: “Was the sermon that I delivered on Rosh Hashanah a good one?” to which they all replied: “Yes Rabbi, in fact it was fantastic, a true masterpiece!” “Were your touched and moved by its content, its message? “Yes Rabbi - it was extraordinary - better than any other sermon we have ever heard”. “So if this is the case, asked the Rabbi, why did you not heed its call? Why did the sermon not impact on the ways in which you comport yourselves? Why have you not been motivated to change your ways? Until you integrate the message of that sermon in to your lives, I will continue to deliver it over and over again!”
As we enter this New Jewish Year of 5770, I hope that we will all heed the ancient - yet continually renewing - voice of our wise and holy Tradition. And may this year, thus, be filled much meaning, consequence and significance - for the entire human family. Amen!
Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose
It’s sad that far too many people seem to forget that a message does nothing if not acted upon. I second your concluding remarks!
I disagree. The mission is to make a difference. If the sermon is not working, seek another way. The lesson for the brilliant rabbi is that being right makes no difference.
As the grandson of Rabbi Isserman, I have been privledged to be a part of the process at both Temple Israel and now Central Reform. Some Sermons take years to affect people while others change things over night. Certainly my grandfathers message of equality for Afro-Americans did not hit home til after his death, while the message of Rabbi Shook’s to raise awareness of food shortage and collection process of at Temple Israel netted close to 600 bags of food the next weekend. What your message up there shows is that your executive committee does not listen to your message only give you platitudes for being Rabbi. My grandfather ended his ministry with a message that he never wanted to be a loved Rabbi, only one that made you think and forced you to change your ways. Central Reform’s Rabbi Talve certainly in the last few years has made headlines. However CRC was rated as one the top 25 congregation in Country by a leading magazine this year, I believe Newsweek. Good Rabbi’s make their message known.
Wow! There is so much in what you have all shared that I/we need to contemplate…thank you!My father, may he live to the ripe old age of 120 - in good health & with much peace of mind, has a wonderful saying: “The older I get, the smarter my father becomes”…
The truth of the matter is that I am all for innovation & creativity (just ask my congregants)…However, I am also ever more convinced that many of the “classic & historic” rites, rituals, practices, attitudes and behaviors of our Tradition represent deep & enduring truths…
Sometimes, it is not the truth that needs to be modified; not the message that is in need of modification; not even the delivery mechanism or mode of transmission that needs to be altered — but rather, the individual - the person hearing what is being shared/discussed/broadcast - who is in need of the change…
Moreover, we people often need time to grow in/rest in to ourselves. In fact, I would posit that human beings must regularly transcend what they have become in order to become what it is that they are destined/called upon to be. If we discard our message too quickly and never come back to some of these eternal truths, not only does our own integrity need to be called in to question, but it is also quite possible that we may have abandoned a teaching/insight which the world is now finally ready to hear! And that would surely be a SHANDAH - a tragedy!
As fortune would have it (we call this BASHERT - serendipity), at this season, we Jews find ourselves reading the concluding sections of the Book of Deuteronomy. In chapter 32, verse 1 we read: “Give ear you heavens and I will speak…”. Notice the order of the verse. First Moses calls on the heavens to “listen” and only then does he “speak”. As the wise Buddhist proverb suggests: “When the student is ready, the teacher (or teaching) will appear”. Eternal truths can’t be discarded - there is simply too much at stake!
What is very interesting is your statement about listening and teacher will be there to teach you. In our afternoon session at CRC for Yom Kippur day a Sister who was a friend of Rabbi Talve met with The Rabbi and over 200 congregants. The discussion was the Catholic church and Jews interfaith prospective a discussion that the Rabbi and the Sister had for the last 25 years. Two points were evident the Sister stated was that Catholics and Jews were talking at each other not listening, this is evident when Catholic tell Jews they will pray for them because they are going to h..ll and second the whole issue of the Passion movie. Both are issues of listening and not hearing each other. One of the side discussion were the Orthodox and Reform doing the same. JINO, as a recent letter in the Jewish Light called Reform members, while reform members called Orthodox stodgy. etc.etc. If the message is listening we do little of it and we should do more. thanks Rabbi
Here is a mantra I use to transform my listening and keep me present.
I have not listened, I do not listen, I will not listen.
As you say, the power of speaking is in the listening.