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Rabbi Meir Feldman: “Jewish Greatness–A Center for Forgiveness”

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Rabbi Meir Feldman: “Jewish Greatness–A Center for Forgiveness” JEWISH GREATNESS -- A Center for Forgiveness Yom Kippur 5777 Rabbi Meir Feldman So there’s a German, a Frenchman, a Brit, and a Jew walking thru dunes in the desert. The German says -- “I’m so thirsty I must have a mug of beer.” The ​ ​ Brit says -- “I’m so thirsty I must have a cup of tea.” The Frenchman says -- I’m so thirsty I must have a glass of wine.” The Jew says -- “I’m so thirsty I must have . diabetes.” I love this joke. We’re so good at misdiagnosing our problems, at jumping to unreliable conclusions. I’ll return in a while to the subject of diagnoses. OLYMPICS I first heard this joke, while watching the Rio Olympics. In a clever way, it highlights the greatness of different countries -- beer and boxing, tea and track, wine and weightlifting and so on. Every country strives to be the best, and ​ ​ every olympian, on behalf of her country, strives to be great. Watching the ​ ​ Olympics, what struck me was the abiding sense of pride. Olympic athletes clearly see themselves as part of something grand and great, greater even, than their particular sport. Watching these world-class competitors, I imagined that as every athlete puts on the uniform of her country, she truly aspires to greatness. The pride they feel while wearing their nation’s name is palpable. OLYMPICS & YOM KIPPUR I raise this here, because today is like the Olympics for the Jews. Today is our day to strive for greatness. Today is our time to show off to the world, not how great we are, but how great we want to be. Power and grace and endurance -- Simone Biles’ power -- to soften our hearts, Hussain Bolt’s grace -- to overcome life’s highest hurdles, Michael Phelps’ endurance -- to carry us to the next leg of the relay -- that is today’s test. In truth, I have no idea if connecting the Olympics and Yom Kippur is an obvious or bizarre proposition. I suspect, however, that not many of us understand today’s mission, in quite this way. You see, on Yom Kippur every Jew is called to be an Olympian. On this day, every Jew is competing/striving for greatness, solely of course with ourselves and with our God. UNIFORMS--NAME ON THE FRONT--JEWISH UNIFORM ​ ​ I love seeing “U.S.A.” draped around our American Olympians. I feel unbelievably proud when I see the bright and bold “USA” displayed on our athletes’ uniforms or Michael Phelps’ swimming cap. 1 12 years ago, after the Athens Olympics, we were rabbis in Memphis. Someone said to me, “Rabbi Meir every day you wear your yarmulke, you tell the world how amazing it is to be a Jew, how proud you feel to represent your team. A yarmulke on our head, is like “USA” on our chest.” ​ ​ That’s why I’ve worn it for so many years. It’s such a privilege to be part of our Olympic team. Every day, morning and night, my uniform whispers to me, “Everyone knows you’re on the Jewish team. Be your best. For the sake of your team, strive to be great.” In truth, I wear a kippah for one reason. I simply love being Jewish. I do Jewish. That’s what I do. Judaism gives me all the nourishment I need -- food and music and friendships and breadth and depth and meaning. It gives me the greatest sense of purpose that I have ever known. A few years ago, two bar mitzvah students shared a lecture they got from their baseball coach. He said: “Respect the uniform and play for the name on the front.” I’ve not met that rabbi, that ‘coach’ I mean. He’s reminding all of us why our children and our Olympic athletes wear uniforms. One’s uniform says: I am part of a team striving to be great. As a result, the possibility of my greatness becomes even greater. Isn’t this what we want for our children and grandchildren -- to feel deeply proud that they are Jewish? “Jacob/Isaac/Sophie/Sarah, do you know that you come from Olympic stock. Your whole family, for many generations, has played on the Olympic team.” Isn’t that what it should mean to our children to be a Jew, whether we’re born into it or choose it for ourselves. Isn’t that what we want for our younger generations -- no matter their height or weight or IQ, each and every one is meant to be an Olympian: to have Olympic-sized aspirations and a training-regimen that builds the discipline and pride that we see in Olympic athletes. Do our homes infuse in our kids that greatness is their heritage and their calling? Do our homes and dinner tables cultivate Jewish pride and purpose? Do the yearnings we share, instill that sense of passion and privilege -- “Wow, I was selected for the Olympic team!” Friends, it is NEVER too late. ISAAC MAYER WISE -- ROOTS OF REFORM Let me be clear -- this was the vision of the founder of our movement, Isaac Mayer Wise. In about 1860, he said this: “The object of religion is to guard us against sin, iniquity and transgression, and elevate us to perfection and happiness -- to God.” Wise continues: “The promises which God made to Israel are: To be his chosen people, with the special mission to perpetuate and promulgate God’s will.” 2 “Chosen people -- striving for perfection and happiness.” This is the founder of Reform Judaism over 150 years ago. Rabbi Wise, I think, would agree that Yom Kippur, in its quest for excellence, is like the Jewish Olympics. Religion, Judaism for sure, is the pursuit of spiritual excellence. Judaism, suggests Wise, is meant to be the training regimen for an olympic-qualifying soul. There are so many ways to help our children feel chosen, proud to be Jewish. Of course a yarmulke alone doesn’t make a Jew feel proud, or move them to olympic aspirations for their soul. But, our kids proudly wear the hats of their favorite teams. I happen to love the kippahs with Yankees, Mets, Giants logos etc. Don’t we want our kids to feel a passion for their Jewish team? Is our love of Judaism at least as great as our love of the Yankees or Mets? If we had to choose between the two, which would we let die? What’s more important, more valuable? Into which team would our investment go? My dad is smiling down right now as I just named his two great loves: Jews and Yankees. Friends, this is not about Reform, Conservative or Orthodox. In most team endeavors, there is a uniform that binds the team together and expresses the player’s commitment to each other, and to their shared aspiration. Wearing a yarmulke is a small way to do just that, express our commitment to each other and to our shared aspiration. My head covering reminds me of two things: Be humble. And strive to be ​ ​ ​ great, for my team. We know it’s true that uniforms on the outside can stir ​ flames on the inside. What we want is for our Jewish flame to be an Olympic flame. A flame that says: “I’m a Jew. I’m called to be humble and to be great.” JEWISH GREATNESS? So let me speak about the greatness that is in my heart and on my mind. Yom Kippur speaks of a specific kind of greatness. The Talmud and Maimonides give us the prescription for the Olympic gold. I quote: “Redemption will come to the Jews only (only, only, only) by means of ​ teshuva -- the forgiveness that we seek and the forgiveness that we grant.” ​ Only by means of teshuva--forgiveness, will redemption come. The one and only force of redemption, the energy that can change our world, is forgiveness, according to Judaism’s two most important authorities. Forgiveness is the overarching theme of this, the holiest day of our year. This is our Olympic calling. (Sing - Adonai, Adonai -- el rachum . .) Jews recite these divine attributes of forgiveness over and over again during this season. 3 But even without the Talmud and Maimonides we know this truth. We know it from our own homes. Peace and passion and blessing in our homes depends upon forgiveness. Every morning is a new invitation. Every afternoon ​ ​ ​ brings a new kind of upset. Every evening we face the life-changing threat of -- ​ ​ forgiving or not. This is a truth that not one of us can deny and that every one of us knows from our own life experience. How many more broken marriages, severed siblings, alienated children or parents must there be, before we internalize this most profound and fundamental truth. Forgiveness must be our rock-solid foundation and our heavenly aspiration. WHY WE DON’T FORGIVE We devote the most important season in our calendar to life’s most powerful and elusive challenge and gift. No matter that it changes worlds, breaks sound barriers, crushes indifference and lets loose the blessings of love, it’s so hard to forgive. We are often very bad at the single most important Olympic event. We foolishly cling to and justify our resentments, as if they give us strength and power. They don’t. We coddle, hold tight to so many tiny little slights toward our children or ourselves. These slights that we choose not to forgive - they change and destroy our dearest friendships and our community. Forgiveness is the olympic event of life.
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