The art of listening is somewhat of a selfless endeavor. In order to conceptualize the broadest understanding of the narratives which unfold around us, we must begin with a mindset which focuses more on others and less on the self.  This is critical because the more we take in regarding our surroundings, the better chance we have at accomplishing what we hope to achieve.

How often do we find ourselves so caught up in our work, so focused on a task, so frustrated by a situation that we fail to see important cues regarding the broader aspects of a business decision or completely overlook the needs of our families?  How often do we formulate our opinions of others before we allow ourselves to consider the complexities of their stories?  How often do we jump to conclusions about the situations we encounter every day without taking the time to adequately assess the bigger picture?

Our blindness to important details can impact how we interact with everyone and everything we encounter every day, but the more we strive to get the entire picture, the more we try to observe the world with objectivity and reason and the more questions we ask in the process, the more likely it is that we will respond in the best way possible.

This is one of the primary goals of the High Holy Days.  This season encourages us to see things in a new way.  We are invited to see the world as God sees the world, as a judge – hearing, weighing and pondering the stories our lives.

Improving our abilities to read the narratives unfolding around us takes practice.  It demands effort.  It requires being in the moment.  It involves asking more questions and making fewer assumptions.  It means that we need to become more sensitive, more empathic, and far more aware of the constantly changing realities which surround us every minute of every day.

There is a blessing that is recited every morning in observant Jewish communities which translates as follows: Blessed are You,  Eternal our God, Ruling Spirit of the Universe who opens the eyes of the blind.

The recitation of this morning prayer is set in our tradition as a reminder to begin each morning with the removal of the blindfolds which may hinder our daily interactions.  It is a mindset which seeks to shift our interactions from a self-centered perspective to a perspective which begins with the needs of others.  As we begin the year anew, let us strengthen our resolve to see the world with this outward mindset by removing our blindfolds, opening our eyes and considering more information before we act.

 

Living through a tragedy can often force us to put things in perspective.  It can help clarify what is most important to us, and yet, it is not easy to find sustaining comfort when we are surrounded by desolation and loss. It is not easy to find the strength to face another day when each morning brings with it a reminder of unimaginable distress.

Regardless of how fortunate one might feel to be alive in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, it is absolutely natural to fluctuate between a sense of despair regarding the tragedy and a sense of hope for what tomorrow may bring.  Yet, in order to pull through it all – in order to survive – hope must, indeed, prevail.

In many ways, the shape and color of our world is determined by how we respond to that which life throws our way. The more victimized we may feel by life’s unpredictable challenges, the more victimized we become, and quite often this can spiral into a depression which is difficult to escape.  Conversely, hope breeds hope and faith breeds faith.

After the catastrophic flooding brought by Hurricane Harvey, it is difficult not to slide into a sense of despair.  Hope, especially for those whose lives have been turned upside down, can often seem like a distant dream.

In the Torah, we read a story of hope which could have been written last week. It is the story of Noah who, like us, lives to tell the tale of a flood which consumes the world with water.  For Noah and his family, hope seems distant. With hope in his heart,  he builds an ark, but there were no guarantees.

How many of us, like Noah, were consumed by fear and angst regarding powerful forces beyond us? How many of us used every resource that we had to stay the tides of destruction?

Noah’s story is our story, and in the end, hope indeed, prevails with the covenant of the rainbow. And what is a rainbow?  It is a mysterious blend of sunlight and raindrops that we can see, but cannot touch.  It includes every color in the spectrum of light.  The rainbow is a reminder of the inclusive nature of God’s promise. As it blends the opposing forces of sun and rain, it creates a beautiful arch of individual bands of color as if to remind the entire world of our interconnectedness. Human beings, animals, plants and all that exists are all part of the world of creation.  We all exist together in a universe we do not completely understand, and the that hope our survival exists thrives when we work in unison.

Noah’s flood and the floods from Hurricane Harvey may have put humanity in its place, but the covenant of the rainbow is there to remind us that hope and light will always follow the darkness of destruction. Our hope, like the radiant bands of the rainbow, is realized when we work together.

From the inception of our faith, the idea that we are all responsible for one another has remained central to who we are and what we stand for as a people.  Our hope is embodied in this communal mindset.  As Jews, we know we must take care of each other, and we recognize that we have a responsibility to take care of the world around us as well.

As we continue to put our lives and our city back together, we need to commit ourselves to the covenant of the rainbow. We need to band together as one resilient community and cast light and color into our darkened world.

 

Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism may have just celebrated sixty years as a congregation, but in many ways we have entered into a period of adolescence as an institution. This year marks our twelfth year under my guidance. During these 12 years our congregation has grown in numbers and has radically expanded its strategies for social, spiritual and communal engagement.

In just twelve short years, our focus as a community has evolved, and our efforts to define ourselves as a unique and special place in the Houston Jewish community echoes that of the identity shifts that take place in adolescence.  This nascent period in our evolution is most profoundly articulated in the ever unfolding story of our religious school.

Twelve years ago, our religious school had a total of seventeen students ranging from kindergarten through high school. Our grade levels were so small that we re-envisioned the entire religious school experience. A project-centered curriculum was developed to engage our children in an educational experience which was dynamic and fun. As we grew in size, this learning experience proved to be a driving force in the development of a strong community of dedicated learners and teachers. It also set us apart from Sunday school programs around the country.

Today, our Sunday School has over 150 students, and as our teen population has grown, new challenges to our programming have emerged.  Three years ago, we hired Michelle Renfrow to help us develop a youth group.  Under her direction, we have successfully engaged a number of outstanding teens to become leaders in the Reform Movement. This October, Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism will have the distinct honor of hosting the NFTY Fall Conclave, which is usually hosted by congregations twice our size. This is an event that will demand the help of our entire congregation.  Please see details below.

This rapid growth of our teen population is now a driving force in the re-imagination of the Confirmation experience and beyond.  To assist us in this process, we have hired Marna Meyer, an amazing veteran in the field of Jewish Education who served as the Director of Education at Congregation Emanu El in Houston for 24 years. Marna’s creativity, love of Judaism and expertise in the field are playing a central role in helping us pave an amazing new direction for our high school aged students.  She is a wonderful new addition to our religious school staff, and we look forward to an amazing hear ahead.

 

The earth is the home to over 7 billion people speaking over 6,500 languages. Yet, despite this diversity of culture and heritage, human behaviors are remarkably similar, as we are driven by a small number of universal concerns.  We concern ourselves with our health and the wellbeing of our families; we fear death; and we are in constant need of sustenance and human contact. Throughout history, our insecurities around each of these concerns have given rise to over 4,000 religions.

While every religion may be different, each strives to provide its followers with comfort in response to the uncertainty, fear and tribulation of the human condition. Unfortunately, history, culture and politics have blinded humanity to the fact that people are people regardless of their faith, and over the course of millennia, rigid ideologies have become significant barriers to seeing our universal commonalities.

Today, every faith and political system has followers (on the right and the left) whose rigidity obstructs civil discourse.  Rather than being forces for progress and innovation, fanatical religious convictions and inflexible political ideologies can become impediments to the cooperation and conciliation that is essential in the establishment of a peaceful and harmonious society. These voices represent a serious threat to the human capacity to engage others with curiosity and empathy. By infusing the public sector with fear and suspicion, they provoke a mindset resistant to compromise and change.

Yet, as loud as these rigid ideological voices may be, it is important to remember that the vast majority of the world’s population is not staunchly ideological.  Most people in the world simply wish for harmonious, peaceful cooperation with their neighbors and their kin.

Two components that are needed to re-establish healthy civil discourse are dialogue and shared sweat equity. We need to find ways to hear each other despite our differences. We need to find projects that demand our collective sweat and ingenuity as we strive to address the challenges that confront us. We need to see each other as people with similar hopes and needs, and we must find ways to build trust without compromising our values.

In May, I was invited to be a part of a peace conference in Abu Dhabi called, “Religions Promoting Peace Through Trust and Partnership.” The goal of this conference was to counter fanatical religious narratives by building bridges of understanding, respect and peace across and within the religious communities of the world. Under the vision and leadership of Sheik Abd’Allah Bin Bayyah, this conference sought to nurture seeds of peace through cooperation, mutual respect and open, honest dialogue. At the heart of the Sheik’s vision is the belief that all religions must look within their respective traditions to find resources that promote peace.

To that end, an imam, a rabbi and a minister (this is not joke) from 10 cities throughout the United States were invited to Abu Dhabi to work together on creating a partnership to expand efforts of cooperation, broaden the reaches of multi-faith interaction, and deepen the levels of trust among Christians, Jews and Muslims.  For three very full days, these delegations of clergy devoted themselves to generating programs for their respective cities.

Our Houston delegation for this American Caravan for Peace consisted of Imam Danny Hernandez from the Pearland Islamic Center, Reverend Steve Bezner of Houston Northwest Church and me.  The three of us returned from this remarkable conference with a collective mission which includes a threefold plan.

In the months to come, we are committed to getting to know each other and our families.  We have learned that building bridges of trust demands a level of intimacy that comes from the shared experiences of everyday life.  Our next level of engagement will involve bringing our communities together. This will take place in our houses of worship and in a number of shared “mitzvah” projects. Finally, we have committed ourselves to expanding the reach of this global initiative for peace by involving additional mosques, synagogues and churches throughout the City of Houston.

At the heart of this noble endeavor is a desire to restore civil discourse.  It is our hope that our encounters will help to diminish the fear and angst that seem to permeate society today. We hope that honest conversations about our values and our lives will help us see and understand that our commonalities far exceed our differences. Finally, it is our hope that our time together will enable us to find ways to engage those with conflicting beliefs with a willingness to listen and a sense of mutual respect.