2009 Rosh Hashana Sermon Day 1 Kol Nidre Sermon
2009 Rosh Hashana Day 2 Sermon
YOM KIPPUR
Rabbi Ronald L. Androphy
East Meadow Jewish Center
October 9, 2008
The events of the past few months have painfully demonstrated to us the uncertainties of life. We live in an “Age of Anxiety,” as our members, their families, their friends, and millions of citizens of this country fret over the security of their jobs, the safety of their savings, the diminished value of their retirement accounts, and the decreasing value of their homes -- or whether they can even afford to remain in their homes. Our faith in the financial institutions that served as the bedrock of the economy of this country and the world is irredeemably shaken as we have witnessed the collapse of Bear Stearns, the federal rescue of Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac, the takeover of Merrill Lynch, the bailout of AIG, the devastating disintegration of Lehmann Brothers, the forced sales of Washington Mutual and Wachovia Bank, the failure of many banks, the precipitous fall of the stock market -- all due to greed, greed, and more greed. I point out to you that later this morning we will reenact (Ballroom: earlier this afternoon we re-enacted) the service of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest. The Cantor will chant (chanted) in Hebrew and then we will recite (recited) in English the prayer with which the Kohen Gadol blessed the Jewish people assembled in Jerusalem. In addition to praying for their health and prosperity, the High Priest directed a special prayer to God on behalf of those who lived in the Sharon Valley, an area prone to earthquakes. The High Priest would pray: May it be Thy will, O Lord, our God, and God of our ancestors שבתיהם לא יעשו קבריהם– that their houses not become their graves. We, too, are enduring an earthquake, a financial earthquake, and, for many people, their homes are becoming their financial graves, and the source of the economic chaos our country and the global economy are experiencing.
But our anxiety does not involve only the economic/financial aspect of our lives, but the political as well. I cannot remember an election in which more of our people were as anxious, confused, and uncertain about for whom they should vote than they are in this coming November’s Presidential election. “Which of the candidates will be better for Israel?” is a question that is deservedly on the mind of every Jewish American voter. “Which of the candidates is more in accord with my social views?” is probably a second question on our minds. “Who will be better for the economy?” is yet a third. And what happens if the candidate who better meets one of our concerns does not fulfill the others, or vice versa? And what of the experience issue? The vision issue? The “who are their friends and advisors” issue? For many Jews, the answers are not clear-cut, hence our disquiet and uneasiness.
And our anxiety extends to the international arena, in which a global bully like Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made no secret of his hatred for the State of Israel and his denial of the Holocaust. We all worry over the nuclear aspirations of Ahmadinejad, as Iran gets closer and closer to the full-scale development of a nuclear bomb. Ahmadinejad has blatantly proclaimed his desire to wipe Israel off the map and has declared that he is ready to do so any way he can, whether by bankrolling, arming, and encouraging Hamas and Hezbollah, or by aiming nuclear missiles at Israel. And as we are painfully aware, all too many countries refuse to take Ahmadinejad seriously. I remind you that the world didn’t take Adolph Hitler very seriously at first, either.
Yes, ours is an “Age of Anxiety,” a period of uncertainty, and a time in which that which we thought was solid and enduring has proven to be unstable and ephemeral.
As we observe Yom Kippur and the end of the Ten Days of Penitence which began on Rosh Hashanah, we realize that we need an anchor to help steady ourselves in this all too tenuous world of ours. As Jews we know that our true source of security comes from God and those Jewish values which are eternal.
Perhaps you have recognized a pattern in the sermons I have delivered these High Holy Days. In one way or another they have addressed truly enduring Jewish values: family, health, life, the synagogue, sacrifice, prayer, knowledge, and tikkun olam. The lessons we learned last night as we bicycled from Brookline to Harvard: religiosity, the uniqueness of each individual, the importance of human qualities, the importance of some boundaries, and the importance of community – all are essential teachings of Judaism.
But let’s face it: given the financial crisis of the past several months and the stock market meltdown of the past several weeks, we no longer know in what to invest our resources: Our homes? Real estate? The Stock Market? Corporate Bonds? Municipal bonds? Treasuries? Mutual funds? ETFs? Well, today I want to offer you some Jewish investment advice that can provide you with solid value, value that you can bank on, and a great return on your investment. I admit, though I did major in economics in college, I do not possess a securities license, nor am I a certified financial planner, but I guarantee that if you want a sound, stable investment in this volatile world, invest in these:
1. The first investment is reflected in Hillel’s teaching: אם אין אני לי מי לי --
If I am not for myself, who will be for me? In other words: Invest in yourself.
This teaching of Hillel means that each of us must find satisfaction in himself, have pride in herself, celebrate oneself. Hillel did not intend this as an act of hubris; rather he wanted us to realize that each of us is important. In short, invest in yourself. Be who you are, appreciate who you are, and, most of all, be all you can be.
I am reminded of an old story. Once upon a time there was an unhappy and discontented stonecutter. One day he came upon a merchant and was awe-struck by all of the marvelous goods the man had for sale. "I wish I were a merchant," said the stonecutter and, quite amazingly, his wish was granted.
Not long afterward he saw a parade pass his little shop. Spying a prince dressed in splendor such as he had never before seen, he said, "I wish I were a prince." And so he became.
But it wasn't too many days later that he stepped outside his palace and felt the discomfort of the hot summer sun beating down upon his head. "Even a prince cannot stay cool in the sun," he said. "I wish I were the sun." This wish, too, was granted.
He was happy being the sun until, one day, a cloud came between him and the earth. "That cloud overshadows me," he said. "I wish I were a cloud." Again, his wish was granted and he was happy as a cloud until he came to a mountain above which he could not rise. "This mountain is greater than I," he said. "I wish I were a mountain." And, so, a mountain he became.
As a tall and mighty mountain he looked down upon the affairs of humans and felt that he was finally happy. But one day a stonecutter climbed up his side and chipped away at rock, and there was nothing he could do about it. "That little man is more powerful than I," the mountain said. "I wish I were a stonecutter." And a stonecutter he became.
So the circle was completed and now the stonecutter knew that he would always be happy just being himself. He would never dress like a prince, shine like the sun, nor rise as tall as a mountain, but he was happy to be who he was. And he soon became the greatest stonecutter of his generation.
I think Hillel would tell us that we should be our own biggest supporters. Have confidence in yourself. Be yourself, but always try to improve yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others. As someone aptly said, "The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence, but it still has to be mowed." You are who you are and that is to be celebrated, provided that you always strive to be and do your best.
You are your own biggest asset. Invest in yourself. That’s Jewish investment number one.
2. The second Jewish investment advice I want to offer you is taken from the Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes.
Back in ancient times one of the hard assets in which people sometimes invested was fine olive oil. But Ecclesiastes offers us a better commodity in which to invest: טוב שם משמן טוב -- A good name is better than the finest oil. The Biblical Book of proverbs goes one step further when it declares, “A good name is better than great wealth.” Invest in making a good name for yourself.
The Midrash explains why a good name is so much more valuable than fine oil. Good oil is transient, while a good name endures forever. Good oil gets consumed, while a good name is never used up. Good oil costs money, while a good name is free of charge. Good oil benefits only the living, while a good name graces both the living and the dead. Good oil can become rancid, while a good name remains pure. A person cannot take fine oil with him/her when he/she dies, while a good name accompanies a person in this world and into the next.
There is nothing better than a good name. The Talmud expresses the same idea when it tells us that God granted three crowns to the Jewish people. The כתר כהונה -- the crown of priesthood – was given to the Kohanim, the priests. Kings of Israel were presented with the כתר מלוכה -- the crown of kingship. Sages and Torah scholars attain the כתר תורה -- the crown of Torah knowledge. But, the Talmud continues, there is an even greater crown than these three, a crown for which one does not have to be a Kohen, a king, or a scholar to earn, a crown that is accessible to all, and that is the כתר שם טוב -- the crown of a good name.
And how does one earn a good name? -- By performing acts of kindness for others, by being a moral and ethical person, by exemplifying lofty values, and by greeting every person with a favorable disposition.
The story is told about a young woman who entered a convent to prepare herself for a life of celibacy and service. The institution belonged to a very strict order. Besides other regulations, the convent enforced a requirement of strict silence - not a word dare be uttered. The Mother Superior explained to the new recruit that this rule of silence was rigid, no exceptions would be tolerated, except that once every five years, just two words could be spoken.
At the end of the first five years of service, the young novitiate was summoned to the Mother Superior and instructed that she had earned the privilege of expressing two words. What would they be? Her answer? "Food rotten!" Five years later she was again afforded the rare privilege of speaking two more words. What would she say this time? "Beds hard!" The third time she was summoned, the young woman proclaimed, "I quit!"
"Well, good riddance to you," responded the Mother Superior. "All you’ve ever done since you got here is complain!"
One’s good name and reputation are priceless. Shakespeare said: “He that filches from me my good name / Robs me of that which not enriches him / And makes me poor indeed.” One builds his/her reputation each and every day by his/her thoughts, actions, choices, and associations.
Why is a good name such a valuable investment? -- Because if one has earned a good name and a stellar reputation, one has earned not only the respect and admiration of one’s peers, but also their trust and faith. And that, my friends, is actually a bankable commodity.
And as it turns out, evidence proves that the Bible and Talmud are correct that a good name is a worthwhile investment. In fact, it can actually pay monetary dividends, according to Richard Zeckhauser, the Frank Plumpton Ramsey Professor of Political Economy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Zeckhauser's research has determined that a person's good reputation is worth about 7.6 percent in a retail transaction. How did he determine this?
Zeckhauser, together with colleagues at the University of Michigan, completed a National Science Foundation-supported study of the online marketplace eBay, where items are bought and sold electronically over the Internet. eBay is an essentially unregulated, freewheeling marketplace where whatever is on the auction block -- from everyday items to rare pieces -- goes to the highest bidder. Basically, eBay operates on trust.
With every transaction on eBay, the buyer gets to rate the seller. That rating accompanies the seller in all of his auctions, and can be checked by future customers, in effect, making the seller put his or her reputation on the line with every transaction. Sellers realize that their rating and reputation are readily available to millions of potential buyers.
Professor Zeckhauser hypothesized that eBay could provide one of the best opportunities to examine the economic importance of one’s reputation. So Zeckhauser and his colleagues conducted a number of studies on the connection between a seller’s reputation on eBay and the price he received on the goods he offered. Their conclusion? A good name is worth a minimum of 7.6%. In other words, a seller with a good name earned an almost 8% higher price than one who had less than a great eBay reputation. And, with Treasuries yielding around 2%, an 8% rate of return on a good name is a fairly decent rate of economic return, not to mention all the psychic dividends one receives from knowing that he/she has earned the admiration of his fellow human beings and serves as an example for others.
Invest in earning yourself a good name.
3. The third Jewish investment I want you to make is going to sound a strange coming from a rabbi. I suggest you invest in a sense of humor.
I know, it is not easy maintaining a sense of humor as one’s portfolio deteriorates before one’s eyes. My pension is run by the Joint Retirement Board of the Conservative Movement and is invested mostly in mutual funds. Believe me, it is hard not to cry as I read my most recent statements; the way the market has been moving lately, I figure that I will have to work until I’m eighty!
A sense of humor is a marvelous gift to have.
A senator once took the famous humorist, Will Rogers, to the White House to meet President Calvin Coolidge, a man not known for his sense of humor. The senator warned the humorist that Coolidge never smiled. Will Rogers replied, "Don’t worry, I'll make him smile." Inside the Oval Office, the senator
introduced the two men.
"Will Rogers," he said, "I'd like you to meet President Calvin Coolidge."
Deadpan, Rogers quipped, "I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name."
Coolidge smiled.
The ability to laugh is one of the most important means we possess to face the difficulties of life. And sometimes life can be difficult. We Jews should know. After all, we Jews have confronted some pretty horrible tragedies in our history, and, somehow, we always have been able to smile or laugh in the face of adversity; some even claim it is a secret to our survival. We Jews are living proof of all those scientific and medical studies that demonstrate that laughter is the best medicine.
But the main reason why I think a sense of humor is important is because we Jews are bidden to imitate God. And, believe it or not, even God laughs at moments of crisis, when God’s world becomes destabilized. How do I know that? -- Because of a famous Talmudic story:
The Talmud relates that the Rabbis were once arguing about whether or not a certain type of oven, called an Achnai oven, could be kashered -- made kosher -- if it had become treyf, not kosher. One Rabbi, Rabbi Eliezer, said the oven was, in fact, kosherable. All the other Sages declared that the oven was not kosherable. Rabbi Eliezer brought forth every imaginable argument to try to persuade his colleagues that the oven was kosher, but none of the Rabbis was convinced. Rabbi Eliezer was getting frustrated, and he shouted at them: “If Achnai's oven is in fact kosher, as I say it is, then let this carob tree prove it!” And the carob tree flew out of the ground and landed a hundred cubits away. Unimpressed, the other Sages declared: “No proof can be brought from a carob tree.” Again Rabbi Eliezer announced “If the oven is kosherable as I say it is, then let that stream of water prove it.” And the stream of water, instead of flowing downward as water always does, miraculously flowed upstream. “No proof can be brought from a stream of water,” the rabbis retorted. More frustrated than ever, Rabbi Eliezer cried out: “If the oven is kosher, as I say it is, let the walls of this house of study prove it!” And the walls began to fall inward. But Rabbi Joshua rebuked the collapsing walls saying: “When scholars are engaged in a disagreement over a point of Jewish law, what right do you have to interfere?” And the walls did not fall out of respect for Rabbi Joshua, nor did they resume their upright position out of respect for Rabbi Eliezer. Finally, Rabbi Eliezer played his trump card, “If the law agrees with me regarding the fact that Achnai's oven is kosherable, then let God Himself prove it.” And a heavenly voice cried out: “Why do you rabbis argue with Eliezer? He's always right in his interpretation of the law!" But Rabbi Joshua arose and exclaimed to the Divine voice: “God, You yourself told us in your Torah in the Book of Deuteronomy ‘לא בשמים היא’ ‘The Torah is not in Heaven.’ Sorry, God, but You no longer have a say in the matter. We will follow the opinion of the majority of the Rabbis!” And so, even though God Himself had declared that Rabbi Eliezer was correct, the majority of the Sages decided that the oven was not kasherable. The Rabbis had overruled God!
One of the Rabbis reported that several weeks later he happened to run into Elijah the Prophet. He asked Elijah, “Hey, Eliyahu, what was God’s reaction when the Rabbis told God that He no longer had a voice in deciding Jewish law?” Elijah said that in the face of God’s collapsing world, God chuckled and laughed, saying, “נצחוני בני נצחוני בני -- My children have defeated me! My children have defeated me!”
If God can laugh and have a sense of humor when His world becomes destabilized, it seems to me that we should, too. And maybe having a sense of humor and laughing will actually change our fortunes.
How many of you football fans remember the 1987 season when the Denver Broncos played the Cleveland Browns for the AFC title?
Less than two minutes remained in the game and Cleveland was ahead by a touchdown. The Broncos had just fumbled the ball out of bounds on their own 1/2-yard line. Cleveland fans were already throwing dog biscuits onto the field and celebrating a sure Cleveland win.
While the announcer was discussing whom Cleveland would play in the
Super Bowl and Denver fans were nursing bruised egos, the Broncos huddled in their own end zone. Quarterback John Elway was known for miraculous wins, but this situation seemed almost impossible.
As reported in Sports Illustrated, all-pro left tackle, Keith Bishop, looked around the huddle at his dejected teammates, took a deep breath, and said, "Hey, guys, now we got ‘em right where we want ‘em!" The tense silence was broken by laughter. One player laughed so hard he fell down! Somehow the joke gave perspective to an absurd situation and a sense of calm confidence replaced anxiety.
What followed has been dubbed in the annals of football lore as “The
Drive.” In less than two minutes, John Elway and the Broncos drove the length of the field and tied the game with just seconds left. They won in overtime and went on to the 1988 Super Bowl, which they lost in ignominious fashion.
An amazing shift had occurred in the huddle that day. Laughter prepared them to give their best in a demanding situation, as pessimistic, negative energy was swept away in the absurdity of the moment.
As Steve Goodier writes: Laughter has a way of creating positive change in any tense and stressful circumstance. But, as Mark Twain said, laughter is the greatest weapon that we humans possess and it's the one we use the least. Daily, we have countless opportunities to use the power of laughter to make a positive difference.
Invest in a sense of humor, or, at the very least, a sense of perspective.
4. The last piece of Jewish investment advice I will offer today is contained in one Hebrew word: זכור – remember!
I maintain that historical memory is how we Jews have survived. We must invest in creating memory.
When I was at Harvard last semester I took a class entitled, “History and Memory: Modes of Jewish Discourse.” The entire curriculum was a reaction to a short book written by a former member of Harvard’s faculty, Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi. In this book, Yerushalmi claims that from the time of the canonization of the Bible -- around 2100 years ago -- until the nineteenth century, Jews did not write history; instead they wrote works of memory. And there is a difference: history, in and of itself, is neutral; memory is what gives meaning to history.
We Jews are a people that values its history; in fact, we were the first people to give meaning to history. But more than history, we are a people of memory. Why? – Because memory shapes us a Jews, memory guides us as Jews, memory places responsibility on us as Jews, and memory inspires us as Jews.
Did not our 1,900 year-old communal memory of Jerusalem motivate us to create the modern State of Israel in 1948? Does not the memory of the Holocaust motivate us to defend threatened Jewish communities, fight anti-Semitism, and work to prevent the genocide of other ethnic groups, including those in Darfur? Does not the memory of Jewish repression in Eastern Europe, the fight for emancipation in Central and Western Europe, and the struggle for the elimination of Jewish quotas and discrimination against Jews in this country not encourage us to work for the civil rights and against the discrimination of others? Are we not moved by the Jewish collective memory of the Maccabees? Does not the martyrdom of those who committed suicide at Masada, rather than be captured and enslaved by the Romans, not resound within us? Why is it that later (ballroom: earlier) in our service we will recite (recited) the Martyrology, in which we recall (recalled) the heroism of the Rabbis who were willing to suffer torture and death at the hands of the Romans rather than stop teaching Torah? Is it not to motivate us to study Torah and observe Torah?
Why have Jewish philanthropists invested millions of dollars in the wonderful Birthright program, if not to provide our young people with positive Jewish memories that will last them a lifetime? Why is it that youth groups like U.S.Y. sponsor trips to Israel, Poland, Eastern Europe, and Spain, if not to give our teenagers memories that will animate their lives for years to come?
Why is it that at a Jewish wedding the groom breaks a glass? No, it is not because it is his first and last time to put his foot down in the marriage; it is to demonstrate that he and his new wife understand that they have arrived at this moment because of their shared memories, the historic memory of the Jewish people, and to further declare that they understand that that shared, Jewish historic memory places a responsibility upon them to serve as links in the chain of Jewish history, memory, and identity.
Why is it that we Ashkenazic Jews name our children after deceased relatives, if not to preserve memory? Why is it that Sephardic Jews name their children after living relatives, usually grandparents, if not to create the bond of memory? And why is it that four times a year we rise, as we will shortly, and recite the Yizkor prayers, if not to focus on our family memories?
We do all these acts of remembering because we Jews understand that without memory we are nothing. Memory is what gives our Jewish existence meaning, memory gives us guidance in our present. And memory serves as the foundation for our future.
The soundest investment you can make as a Jew is in preserving, re-creating, and creating memories for yourself, for your children, for your grandchildren, and for your family. And the way you preserve, re-create, and create memory is by living your life as an identifying, observing, learning Jew committed to God, the Jewish people, Jewish historical experience, our own Jewish community, the synagogue, and religious, moral, and ethical living. And the beauty of belonging to the East Meadow Jewish Center is that we can assist you in all of these endeavors.
Investing in memory yields a return on one’s investment that lasts for generations.
Well, there you have it: Rabbi Androphy’s four pieces of investment advice on which you can earn a tremendous return while your investment remains secure in this destabilized world of ours. Invest in yourself; work to attain a good name; develop a sense of humor; and, by all means, invest in preserving, re-living, and creating Jewish memories.
My friends, I do not know when the stock market will recover (but I sure hope it’s soon!), when home values will increase again, or when our economy will stabilize. But I do know that if we invest in improving ourselves; in our Jewish heritage; in our relationship with God, our families, and our fellow human beings - we will, in fact, enjoy an expansion in the future of our Jewish people. May all of us invest wisely. Amen! Shana Tova!
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