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September 2, 2015

Dear Friends,

This week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, places a strong focus on blessings and curses. The fact that this portion falls before the High Holy Days each year invites us to consider the blessings and curses in our own lives.

At this season, we take time to trace back our steps and remember our proudest and darkest moments. We try to identify what we have done right and where we have gone astray. At this season we come face to face with our blessings and curses.

In the coming days and weeks, our mission is to find ways to embrace our blessings and use them as tools for change, for by clinging to instances of transcendent beauty and inspiration we may find comfort for our moments of weakness and transgression.

L’Shalom–Steve

On Trim Tabs and Making Small Adjustments in Life (An Excerpt from Kol Nidre Sermon 2014)

Many children enjoy making paper airplanes (I know I did as a child), and the challenge to crafting the perfect plane is in the strategic folds placed along the wings. Small as they may be, these little folds help determine the lift and the stability of the plane. These small, adjustable pleats are called trim tabs, and they replicate the adjustable surfaces on the wings and tails on full scale aircraft.

If you have ever had a window seat located over the wing of an airplane, you may have observed trim tabs in action. At the very edges of each wing are mini-flaps which are constantly making very small movements. These extremely small adjustments make all the difference in the world to ensuring that a journey from point A to point B is smooth and enjoyable.

Trim tabs are also extremely helpful to the pilot, for if used correctly, trim tabs allow the pilot to significantly reduce the manual force needed to maintain the desired position of the craft. Just imagine the amount of force it would take if the entire wing or the entire tail of the airplane had to be moved every time the plane needed to be stabilized. Thus, these very small adjustments to the trim tabs enable pilots to conserve energy and resources as they strive to keep the plane on course.

So, too, it is in our lives as the simplest and smallest adjustments can make all the difference in the world in how we strive to navigate a path to a desired behavioral outcome. Whether it is in regards to our habits or our attitudes, our intentions or our behaviors, it is much easier (and far more effective for us) to manage small and almost imperceptible changes than it is to make major corrections.

This holy and awesome season invites us to consider the trim tabs of our lives. The High Holy Days summon us to make adjustments to the ways in which we act, think, speak and engage the world around us. During this sacred time, we are not expected to completely re-invent ourselves, but rather we are commanded to address our misguided decisions, interactions or intentions through earnest adjustments in our relationships with ourselves, with others and with God.

May the forthcoming season provide all of us with an opportunity to make all the adjustments we need so that the year ahead will be free from turbulence. Shanah Tovah!

August 26, 2015

Dear Friends,

Over the course of the past few months, tensions within the Jewish community have been stirred by vociferous disagreements regarding whether or not the nuclear agreement with Iran should be supported. As I mentioned in a sermon early this summer, I as your rabbi, maintain a policy to refrain from using the pulpit to push a political agenda. Everyone has the right to a political opinion, and everyone has the capacity to become informed through channels other than the synagogue.

That said, as our congregation is affiliated with the Reform Movement, I do think there is value in sharing the response made by the Reform Movement last week. This response was the result of extensive consultation with experts from across the political spectrum in both the United States and Israel. At the core of this report are two extremely important points.

Firstly, we need to be cognizant of the fact that regardless of whether congress votes to support or reject the agreement, there will be a “day after.” The statement emphasizes that, “It is essential that this debate not be allowed to create a lasting rift between Israel and the U.S., between North American Jews and Israelis, or among American Jews.”

Secondly, we need to watch our tone. As the statement says, “We call upon . . . those on all sides of the debate tamp down their rhetoric. If the debate is allowed to weaken the U.S. – Israel alliance, or further sharpen partisan divides over what it means to be ‘pro-Israel,’ Israel will be less secure.”

I encourage you to read the entire response from the Reform Movement and consider some of the important points that are brought into the debate over this extremely complicated issue.

Click Here for Full Statement

L’Shalom–Steve

August 19, 2015

Dear Friends,

In our Torah portion this week, the Israelites are instructed to appoint judges, establish governance and create a system of justice. It is in this portion where we find the famous words, “Justice, justice shall you pursue,” which reminds us that the concerns for the establishment of justice in society is both universal and timeless.

In light of this season immediately preceding the High Holy Days and in light of the fact that we are at the beginning of a year of presidential debates filled with political rhetoric and posturing, I believe this simple passage from the Torah can serve as a mantra and a measuring stick. Let us all remember that the pursuit of justice in our lives and in our systems of governance has always been and always will be a central aspect of our identity as a people.

L’Shalom–Steve

August 12, 2015

Dear Friends,

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of joining an amazing group of Jewish, Christian and Muslim teens from Israel at an international peace camp called “Kids-4-Peace”. My role was to run a program designed to engage these youth in Jewish aspects of interfaith work. Needless to say, it was I who was inspired. These courageous souls have committed themselves to learning from each other despite the ongoing context of hatred and violence that has become so central to their daily lives.

The purpose of this camp, which takes place outside of Houston, is to promote transformational encounters through a residential camp for Israeli, Palestinian and American teenagers. Dialog is facilitated by United States diplomats, former Israeli and Palestinian combatants, artists, and religious leaders from each faith.

One of the many ways these teens engaged with each other was through music. Working with Billy Jonas, a nationally acclaimed star in the world of children’s music, these teens have composed a number of extremely inspirational musical pieces, and Friday evening at Shabbat services they will be at HCRJ to inspire us with their music and their stories.

Please join us Friday night at 7:15pm.

L’Shalom–Steve

Sky Diving and the Relativity of Time

Time cannot be seen or heard or felt, and yet we experience time every day. In our day to day interactions, we depend on time to be a standardized unit. A minute is a minute. An hour is an hour. Yet, we know from our experiences (especially if you have relatives that are constantly late to everything) that time can be relative.

No doubt, there is a certain inconsistency in the human perception of time. In childhood, time seems to fly by quickly when we are having fun, while that same measurement of time passing can seem interminable when we are bored. As adults, we look back on time and are haunted by the fact that decades have passed in what seems to have been few years.

I recently experienced the relativity of time in a very visceral way when I jumped out of an airplane for my 50th birthday. As I descended from 14,000 feet in a free fall at a rate of 120 miles an hour, time (at least my perception of it) seemed to stand still. With nothing but the blue sky and wind whizzing past my face, my perception of motion and the passing of time were a complete blur. I had no sense as to whether my 8,000 foot free fall lasted a few seconds, a minute or longer and, even though I was moving through space at an extreme speed, it felt as if I was not moving at all. There, surrounded by blue sky and puffy white clouds, I felt as if I were frozen in the moment.

After landing safely on earth (and thanking God and my guide for enabling me to experience the thrill of my life without complication), my mind repeatedly returned to that suspended sensation. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced.

As life can often feel like a blur, there is tremendous value in finding ways to suspend time long enough to appreciate it. Jewish tradition presents us with many different ways to elevate and celebrate the sacred nature of time. In the words of Rabbi Abraham Joshuah Heschel in his book, The Sabbath:

“Judaism is a religion of time aiming at the sanctification of time. . . Judaism teaches us to be attached to sacred events, to learn how to consecrate sanctuaries that emerge from the magnificent stream of the year. (The Sabbath p.8)

Whether it is through the observance of a holiday with family and friends; taking a break on the Sabbath to step away from the chaos of the week; or simply pausing from time to time to appreciate the Godliness that surrounds us in the moment, Jewish observances invite us to pause and elevate the time we have. So as life continues to unfold and time continues to pass, be bold and unfettered. Take a free fall into the moment and allow faith to be your guide.

July 29, 2015

Dear Friends,

This week’s Torah portion contains the Shema and the 10 Commandments, which are among the most recognized passages in the entire bible. These two passages articulate the essence of Jewish faith and Jewish life: A covenantal relationship with God through the observance of commandments.

Join us this Friday night as we celebrate this covenant by rededicating a Torah scroll. We had a Torah scroll which had come apart at the seams, rendering it useless in two pieces. Two members of our congregation, Teri and Lenny Goldfield, took it upon themselves to learn how to stitch our scroll back together.

Hear the story of this scroll and take part in a rededication ceremony. Members of all ages are invited to share in this joyous event as we unroll the scroll for all to see and explore the details regarding how Torahs are made.

L’Shalom–Steve

July 22, 2015

Dear Friends,

Rabbi Gross and his family are on vacation this week. In his absence, Shabbat Services will be led by Mike Kahn who has participated in many services at HCRJ. Please join us on Friday at 6:30pm as Mike leads us in a service accompanied by his beautiful voice and the music of Donna Cameron and Jane Becker. An oneg will follow.

June 24, 2015

Dear Friends,

It has been a week since the hate-driven attack on a Bible study group at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston took the lives of nine innocent victims. Within days, communities around the world responded with empathy and love, and a nationwide dialogue has arisen seeking ways to combat festering pockets of hatred which are so detrimental to the fabric of a multi-cultural society.

Acts of hatred have a universal affect. Every time an act of hate is committed, we are reminded that all people are vulnerable. It is therefore incumbent upon each of us to find ways to respond which promote goodness, understanding and wisdom in the place of such darkness.

This Friday night at 6:30, HCRJ will be welcoming a group whose mission is cultural and religious understanding. Their request to join us in worship and learn about Judaism came long before the murders in South Carolina, and in the aftermath of this act of terror, their presence with us becomes even more significant.

Join us Friday night for Shabbat services followed by a light nosh and discussion as we seek to find ways to build understanding and goodness in the world.

L’Shalom–Steve

June 1, 2015

Dear Friends,

In the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, we declare that “justice and liberty for all” is something that we hold as an unalienable right, and with the decisions of the Supreme Court last week, the reach of these liberties has been extended to a broader spectrum of our people. For many in our country, shared pride in the Stars and Stripes is stronger than ever.

While the pursuit of freedom for all people may be an ongoing task, this weekend we have a unique opportunity to pause and reflect on how far we have come over the course of our history as a nation. Dignity has prevailed over degradation. Love has prevailed over fear, and on this Fourth of July we can take a moment to consider what is possible when we stand together to affirm our national pledge to defend “liberty and justice for all.”

L’Shalom–Steve

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