The Rabbi on Mason

Dear Friends,

As we think about celebrating Halloween on Sunday, I hope that each of us will remember that there are those who have no treats and will donate some of our candy to children’s shelters or other places where there are people in need. We remember that just as Abraham and Sarah opened their tent so that their guests could eat and drink (the origins of the mitzvah, hachnasat orchim, welcoming visitors), we open our homes to give sweets to children. I hope that we will remind our own kids and maybe even those who come trick or treating, that they should remember to share. Perhaps, as one colleague does, we should print a computerized IOU that we give to those who visit us. It could encourage people to donate a piece of candy for each piece that they keep or something creative that you and your family could develop….At IU, they closed a street to car traffic in order to encourage children to visit the fraternities and sororities so that the college students could make Halloween more special for some of the children in Bloomington. Someone else was going to be carrying a pushke (a Tzekakah container) so that people could make donations that could be used for a charity that meant something to him… (remember the old cans we carried to collect money for UNICEF when we were kids…Ok, I must be old and am dating myself….), someone else was bringing candy to a local hospital for cancer patients whose lives certainly could use a little sweetness….the list is endless of creative things we can do to help others at this time of year…

We are traveling back from the midwest where we had the rare opportunity to see all four of our children, our daughters-in-law, my mother-in-law, and our grandson. What a wonderful chance to reconnect with all of our kids and spend quality family time. I continue to treasure these special moments and urge all of us to spend as much time as we can with members of our families, friends, and others about whom we care. Many of you can remember celebrating Halloween and sitting on the floor dividing up the candy corn (my personal favorite!), the Reese’s peanut butter cups, the Three Musketeers…the list goes on and I am getting hungry just thinking about this!) We would share these moments with our parents and as a parent, I miss these special times. Take a minute, call your families back at home, and say trick or treat and share a personal memory of Halloween that will brighten the night for your parents, relatives, or whoever you were with for Halloween.

Shabbat Shalom, and be safe on this Halloween weekend.

Rabbi Bruce Aft

Dear Friends,

Can you imagine what it must have been like for Abraham to be circumcised as an adult as part of his new role as father of the Jewish people? In addition to being asked to leave his past behind and go to a new place to become the father of a great nation, he now is also undergoing major surgery to demonstrate his connection to our people. He and Sarah each undergo a name change as they take on their new responsibilities as our parents….AND THEN….

Visitors show up….Abraham runs to greet them and he and Sarah welcome them into their tent, caring for them. We learn from this the importance of Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming visitors. However, we also learn that Abraham and Sarah saw that their guests were in need of refreshment and immediately tried to meet their needs. I believe that as we live our daily lives, we encounter many who are in need and our tradition encourages us to find meaningful and creative ways to help them.

How many of us are willing to look at the people we know and those we don’t know and think about what we can do to help them meet their needs? How many of us feel that the people about whom we care and those whose lives intertwine with ours, are really in tune with our needs?

Included in a definition of love is the concept that we truly love someone when we know what causes them pain and try to help them feel less pain in their lives. As we think about how Abraham and Sarah reached out to their guests, I hope that each of us will look at some of the pain in the lives of someone we know, and try to help them feel better. Abraham and Sarah are rewarded for their mitzvah by being told they will be parents of a son. Our reward can be the recognition that we have demonstrated that we care about each other and in this way have alleviated a piece of the pain in our world, helping provide support for our loved ones, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Bruce Aft

Dear Friends,

I often wrestle with what it must have been like to be Abraham. He was told by G-d who he had no knowledge of (except perhaps through his father’s idol worship) to leave home and begin a new people. He made an agreement with a Divine Being that would become the basis of three major world religions. Can you imagine the risks involved in doing this? His father had just died and he had to begin a whole new life. So…as we read this weekly portion, what do we learn from it?

I would like to propose that this may have been one of the first examples of someone looking outside of the box at the possibilities that life can offer if we are willing to look at life from a new and fresh perspective. How many of us need to leave the comfort of our own ideas, perceptions, and understandings, and think about other ways of viewing things? Abraham is challenged to stretch himself and look at wholly and holy new opportunities to enrich his life and the lives of his descendants. He also learns that this Being that has challenged him to step outside of his comfort zone and not be limited to the teachings of his father, is also a Being who he will challenge. As we read the portion, Lech Lecha, and beyond, we will see that Abraham challenges G-d when he disagrees with G-d. How many of us have the intestinal fortitude and/or time to challenge either ourselves or those with whom we have relationships?

I hope that as we read this portion we will be inspired to look at new and creative ways of living our own lives. I hope we will challenge the assumptions which sometimes keep us from making changes and growing. I hope we will challenge ourselves to attend worship services more often, perform that extra mitzvah that can help repair a piece of our world, make that phone call to say hi to an old friend, or seek forgiveness from someone or forgive someone. At this time in our lives, how exciting it can be if we try something new and give ourselves the opportunity to think about new adventures and/or options to pursue both professionally and personally?

Nothing is more challenging to me that a car ride to college with one of our kids when we are together for several hours and we have meaningful conversations which cause both of us to look at things from a new perspective. Perhaps the lesson of Abraham is to be open to change in our lives and through changing our lives, helping to change the world…Perhaps real holiness occurs when we challenge each other in respectful ways that help each of us to learn more about each other and ourselves.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Bruce Aft

Dear Friends,

This week in the Torah reading, we read about Noah and the Ark. I want us to think about the kind of evil that was present in the world of Noah and the Ark and whether there are any similarities to our world. I was recently speaking to a colleague who told me that she believes that we live in a world where we no longer practice civility. Think about it….a Congressman calls the President of the U.S. a liar; there is a protest about gays in the military at a funeral; When will we ever learn that although the First Amendment protects our right to free speech, that there are limits of decency and civility that should influence what comes out of our mouths. I have often referenced the words with which I grew up…”Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me…” As I have grown older, I have learned that the words of Rev. Robert Fulgham ring truer….”Stick and stones can break my bones, and words can break my heart.”

I urge all of us to regain a sense of civility in our interactions with others and be careful about how we express ourselves. We can disagree with the President and we can have strong perspectives about gays in the military, BUT we must be respectful and remember that the same lips that utter some of the unkind things we say are the same lips that recite holy prayers and say things like ” I love you.”

I hope that we will live in a world where we think about what we say and realize the impact that our words have on others.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Bruce Aft