Weekly Reflections - Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism

Progressive Dinner

Dear Friends,

In the stated core values of Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism is the idea that a small membership base is the best way to preserve a warm and intimate community. While this may indeed be true for many aspects of congregational life, it is equally true that maintaining such intimacy demands nurturing relationships regardless of how many members we may have.

Intimacy is relational, and as it is with all relationships, the intimate nature of a community is dependent on how well people know each other. Such familiarity, however, can pose a number of significant challenges.

As members come and go throughout the years, the landscape of a community morphs. New members frequently do not know anyone for extended periods of time, while longer standing members often feel most comfortable with those whom they already know. These types of challenges are common in congregations with an ever expanding membership base. With more members, it can often feel less intimate, less warm and less inviting. For many longer standing members, the ability to remain familiar with and connected to the congregational family can often be somewhat strained, as familiar faces seem to fade into a crowd of strangers.

Bridging this “familiarity gap” involves generating opportunities for members to engage each other on a regular basis, but onegs after services and holiday celebrations are very limited in terms of how well members can get to know each other. After all, how much can you learn about someone while waiting in line for a cookie on Friday night?

One of the most successful congregation-wide mixers has been the HCRJ Progressive Dinner. It has been almost ten years since we held such an event, and we are excited to announce our grandest effort ever!

Please mark your calendars for the 2019 HCRJ Progressive Dinner which will take place on Saturday night May 4. The basic premise of the evening is to have small groups of members meet and greet over a first course at one home, a second course with a different mix of members at a second home and a fabulous dessert reception at the temple. Details regarding this program are forthcoming. Please save the date.

The 18th century Hasidic master, Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev taught the following regarding human relationships. He said in a lifetime “a person reaches in three directions – inward, to oneself; up to God; out to others. The miracle of life is that in truly reaching in any one direction, one embraces all three.” It is our hope that our coming together for a Progressive Dinner in May will enable us to feed the soul as we deepen connections with one another.

A Driving Range for the Philanthropist

Dear Friends,

A number of years ago, a congregant who was frustrated with dues, handed me a check for $86.00 and told me that he was covered for the year. “Covered for what?” I asked. He explained that he only attended synagogue a few times a year and that the check should cover the amount his presence consumed in terms of running the temple’s utilities and maintenance.

This incident was one of the strangest dues related interactions I have ever had, as this individual’s sense of congregational support was extremely ill-conceived. That said, the exchange does, indeed, reflect a strange tension between the concept of being part of a congregational family and a “pay to pray” mentality that many in the Jewish community have come to resent.

Congregations, like so many other institutions for cultural and communal gatherings, have many sources for support. Some of this support comes in the form of annual dues and project-specific pledges. Other ways to support a synagogue is through sponsorships and underwriting. Still others choose to support congregational efforts by volunteering. Each kind of support is valued, and each is essential to the health and mission of the institution.

Our Second Annual HCRJ Golf Tournament is part of a much broader effort to generate a culture of giving. While golf is the current means for cultivating support, the tournament itself must be seen in light of a much greater mission. We are trying to develop a culture of philanthropy whereby each of our members considers himself/herself to be personally invested and emotionally tied to the future of the congregation.

One does not need to play golf or bingo or mahjong to be a supporter or a volunteer. One does not need to be in attendance at the next gala or fundraiser, to feel connected. One does not need to be a donor or an underwriter to feel appreciated and valued. While all of these are absolutely essential to our financial bottom line, they are only part of the philanthropic mindset.

We want everyone in our community to feel connected and committed to a shared congregational mission. Through our innovative programs, services, events and more, our goal is to reframe every effort we make as one that is rooted in a culture of giving in which personal resources, finances, time and energy are all welcome and extremely appreciated – and where everything we do, everything we give and everything we develop is entrenched in a desire to build a congregational culture of goodness, graciousness and gratitude.

Our hope is that, over time, attitudes, like the one mentioned at the beginning of this article, will no longer exist and, as we grow as a community, a culture of collective responsibility will become a driving force for our future.

October 24, 2018

Dear Friends,

This week’s Torah portion contains a familiar, but disturbing tale. In it, Abraham is commanded to sacrifice his son, Isaac. With a deep sense of faith in God, Abraham brings Isaac to the designated site for the sacrifice, and at the very last minute, a lamb appears in the thicket.

As unsettling as this tale may be, it serves to remind us that faith can help in the challenges we face. In a world filed with countless trials and tribulations, a little faith can go a long way in helping us deal with uncertainty.

As I craft these words, our country is in the middle of early voting, and these elections seem to be a source of tremendous uncertainty for Republicans and Democrats alike. It is here that the story of the Binding of Isaac can serve to help us see that when we keep our eyes open with hope and faith, a ram in the thicket will eventually appear.

Regardless of who gets elected, it is important to remain faithful to an amazing system of democracy that has not failed us yet. Our hope for the future resides in maintaining a faith in our system of government, faith in our country, faith in our communities and faith in ourselves.

That said, the lessons of life and the history of humanity have also come to teach us that faith alone is not enough. We cannot merely be concerned about our future without taking action. We need to get out there and vote.

Engagement in our system is part of our civic duty. Our freedoms of speech and action are central to how we evolve and grow as individuals and as a nation. Therefore, while we must have faith in our system, we must also take action.

Everyone needs to vote!

L’Shalom-Steve

October 17, 2018

Dear Melissa,

As I was sitting at my computer moments ago, I found myself in a state of brain freeze. I could not think of a single topic to write about. All I could think about was our Houston Astros. Then, it came to me. . .

In the first passage of this week’s Torah portion, God commands Abraham in the following way: “Lech Lecha – Go Forth”, and with faith and a vision for the future, Abraham paves a path that is beyond anything he could have imagined. Abraham’s bold and independent steps become central to an unfolding drama that remains a blessing to all humanity.

So too it is with our beloved Astros. Each step they in the unfolding drama of the American League Championship Series is a blessing to our city. Win or lose, we (the loyal followers of this talented team) feel blessed by how they have been able to galvanize Houston by providing us with a collective sense of pride and hope.

Whatever one’s religious affiliation may be, the entire City of Houston has the words of Torah on our lips this week. “Lech Lecha – Go Forth” Astros!!!!

L’Shalom-Steve

October 10, 2018

Dear Melissa,

This Friday night, October 12, we will be holding our Fourth Annual Pink Ribbon Shabbat. At this special service, we will honor survivors and remember those whose lives were taken by cancer.

If you have survived cancer of any kind, we hope you will be able to join us for a special blessing.

This year, our observance will also include a special presentation about World Homeless Weekend, as we seek to address and raise awareness of the homelessness crisis in Houston and beyond.

Please consider joining us for these two important observances followed by a Pink Ribbon Oneg complete with a pink ribbon challah.

L’Shalom-Steve

October 3, 2018

Dear Friends,

Turn it and turn it again, as everything is in it. Reflect on it and grow old and gray with it. Don’t turn from it, for nothing is better than it. (Pirkei Avot 5:22)

Simchat Torah was observed on Monday and Tuesday in most Jewish communities around the world. At HCRJ, however, we will be observing this special day honoring Torah in our lives on Friday night. Central to our worship experience, we will finish reading the last sentences in the Book of Deuteronomy and immediately begin a new scroll with the reading of the story of creation in the Book of Genesis. This practice represents the cyclical nature of the relationship between the Jewish people and the reading of the Torah.

In addition to reading from the sacred scrolls, we will celebrate their value and importance in our lives with two additional celebrations which focus on Torah. We will celebrate with Zachary Koenig and his family as he becomes bar mitzvah, and we will rejoice with the youngest members of our congregation as they receive their own mini scrolls for Consecration. Please join us for a full Sabbath celebration centered around the joy of Torah.

L’Shalom-Steve

September 26, 2018

Dear Friends,

In Leviticus 23: 42-43, we are commanded to dwell in a sukkah for seven days as a reminder of our wanderings in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt. While the biblical commandment serves as the reason for this ancient custom, the joys of celebrating in a sukkah have become one of Judaism’s greatest annual events.

It is impossible to sit in a sukkah and not feel at one with the world. The roof of the Sukkah opens to the sky, allowing us to gaze into the heavens as they shine down upon us. The open walls of the sukkah allow for the enjoyment of cooling breezes, the sweet sounds of birds chirping and the fragrant smells of wood, fruit and greenery.

Even the Houston sukkah experience, with its abundance of mosquitoes and its hot humid winds, invites celebration and joy. Sharing time in the sukkah with family and friends serves to remind us of the things that matter most in life.

While the origins of the sukkah may be rooted in the wilderness, our heritage has evolved over time to help us experience so much more. As we share time together in these unassuming little huts for this seven day festival, we are provided sacred time to glorify God’s world of creation, celebrate serendipity and focus on family, friends and fellowship.

Chag Sukkot Sameach — Happy Sukkot

Steve

September 18, 2018

Dear Friends,

During these Days of Awe, we are invited to turn inward. We occupy ourselves in prayer, fasting, spiritual growth and atonement. These ten days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are a time to focus on internal matters as we seek to change ourselves for the better.

The process of atonement also demands that we turn outward to the world around us. From this perspective, these holy days encourage us to open our eyes to oppression, to open our ears to the cries of others and extend our hearts and our hands to those who need us.

With a spirit of contrition and renewal, may our fasting and prayers for Yom Kippur lead us to find ways to generate change for the better within ourselves and the world around us.

Gamar Chatimah Tovah
May you be sealed for blessings in the Book of Life

L’Shalom-Steve

September 12, 2018

Dear Friends,

This Friday night is Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The name is derived from the opening word of the haftarah reading that urges us: Shuvah Yisrael “Return, O Israel, to the Eternal your God.”

What does that mean for each of us? To whom or what might we be returning? Is it to a sense of goodness? Is it to a sense of being loved? Is it to a connection with those from whom we have strayed? Is it to God?

Join us on Friday Night, September 14, for a Sabbath experience that harkens us to this prophetic calling.

L’Shalom-Steve

September 5, 2018

With the blasting of the shofar, we launch our Season of Penitence. Like an annual alarm clock, the shofar calls us to wake up to see the world through the lens of spiritual renewal and personal growth.

This spiritual season is a time for honesty and vulnerability, a time for introspection and reflection, a time for rectification and healing. May our worship together in the days ahead and our celebrations with family and friends be a spiritual prelude for a process of renewal and blessings as we greet 5779 with a blast.

Shanah Tovah,

Steve

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