I Got It All Wrong: Sermon delivered by Rabbi Sherril Gilbert at Lakeshore Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Montreal, Quebec, December 3, 2023

Friends, it’s great to be back with you in this worship space. Thank you for inviting me back.

I feel a need to get some things out of the way. First, I am not feeling much like a polite Canadian these days. With the war between Israel and Hamas, I am feeling sad much of the time, and have few places to really say that. The truth is I no longer even know what I’m crying about. I seem just to be yielding to the big blur of human suffering.[1]

I am feeling frustrated that some people do not seem to understand the magnitude of the losses and fear. On all sides.

I am feeling conflicted because I find myself agreeing with some conservatives for the first time in my long life. I have been afraid of the right, and now I am afraid of the left. I am trying to hold my hot mess together.

And then I heard this news story about a week and a half ago. On Saturday, October 7th, Meirav Tal, age 54, and her partner, Yair Yaakov, age 59, were taken captive from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, as Hamas terrorists assaulted the community, abducting and killing residents. Kibbutz Nir Oz is in southern Israel, not far from Gaza.[2]

Yair’s brother, Yaniv, contacted Yair during the early morning missile attacks on October 7, just to check in to see if his Yair and Meirav were okay.

Yair told Yaniv that he and Meirav were down in their shelter. Yair’s two sons, Or and Yagil, 16 and 12, were nearby at their mother’s house.

Yair had not been able to bring his sons to his house, because the kibbutz members had strict instructions that morning to stay in their home shelters.

At 9:20 am, Meirav sent a voice message on WhatsApp to Yair’s brother that terrorists had entered their home. “They are inside the house,” she said in the recording. “They shot at us in the room. They are inside... Help me! Yair is wounded. Call the police.” Yair was trying to hold the safe room door shut to keep the attackers out. That was the last time Meirav and Yair communicated with anyone.[3]

Later, on the afternoon of October 7, the mother of Yair’s sons told the rest of the family that both boys had also been kidnapped.

Then, the next evening, October 8, the family found a video taken by Hamas, showing that the terrorists had used grenades to open the door of Yair’s sealed room, in order to capture him and Meirav and take them to Gaza.

[Breathe]

Now, Meirav owns a clothing store in Gedera, in central Israel. If you could see the photos of her storefront, you would see that the windows are just covered with letters and posters and drawings. The messages on these letters and posters and pictures are heartfelt. They say, “Meirav, come home,” and “The Ginger of Gedera, Meirav, is kidnapped.” Meirav has long, curly red hair.

These letters serve as a powerful demonstration of solidarity. They are a genuine gesture of support. The thing is, Meirav, could not see these letters, because she was a hostage. So why were they written? Think about that. More questions came up for me as I thought about this story.  

·      Who, really, were these letters intended for?[4]

·      In what way did writing a letter to Meirav help the person writing the letter?

·      In what way did writing and posting the letters help Meirav’s community?

·      Could it be possible that writing and posting the letters might help Meirav and the other hostages? And if so – how?

Now, whenever I am feeling in a state of despair, or confused, or even just trying to sort out my thoughts, to help me through my process, I seek out the wisdom of my tradition. I was looking for answers to all these questions about the letters of support on the windows of Meirav’s store. This time, I turned to one of my teachers, a beloved Jewish sage who lived and died during World War II.

Rabbi Kalonymous Kalman Shapira was known for his spiritual leadership during the Holocaust, particularly within the Warsaw Ghetto. He shared profound teachings about the importance of approaching and creating community with conscious awareness and intent, especially during times of adversity. I want to share with you some of his key teachings[5] on the significance of showing up in community – teachings which I think apply to the times we are living in now:

First, he emphasized the strength and resilience that stem from unity within a community. Despite the dire circumstances of his time, Rabbi Shapira urged the community to stand together, supporting and uplifting one another in their shared struggle.

Second, he underscored the need for shared responsibility within the community. He said that each person needed to look out for the other, and to support and care for those who were suffering or in need. He highlighted the collective responsibility for the well-being of all community members.

Third, even amidst the terrible hardships of the Holocaust, Rabbi Shapira encouraged his community to maintain faith and hope. He reminded them of the enduring strength found in spiritual resilience and the ability to find meaning even in the darkest of times. He believed that fostering spiritual strength within the community was essential for maintaining hope and resilience.

Finally, Rabbi Shapira urged acts of kindness and compassion. He believed that even small gestures of support and empathy could make a significant difference in the lives of individuals within the community.

Rabbi Shapira's teachings highlighted the necessity of unity, compassion, and faith within a community, especially in the face of immense adversity. His messages continue to resonate as powerful reminders of the enduring strength found in communal support and the significance of standing together during times of hardship. I think that these are some of the reasons for those messages of hope on the windows of Meirav’s store.

There is another wise teacher whose work I want to share with you, because I think his messages are relevant here too. I studied with Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi for about 15 years, sometimes literally sitting at his feet to learn from him. Reb Zalman, as he was known, had a slightly different approach to finding common ground in community, and was deeply committed to interfaith dialogue. He believed in the importance of building bridges among different faith communities and finding shared goals that could unite people across religious boundaries.

From Reb Zalman I learned that our job is to make the world a place where it is easier for people to be good. He believed that religious communities share the common goal of inspiring goodness and ethical behaviour. It should be our higher purpose. And by focusing on this shared objective, people can work together to create a more compassionate and just world.

I have also heard Reb Zalman say, "let the peace of the whole universe begin with us. Right here. Right now." He emphasized the need for each of us to take personal responsibility in the moment for fostering peace and understanding. By starting with ourselves, and by starting now, we contribute to the larger goal of creating a world grounded in harmony and mutual respect among people of diverse beliefs.

Another pearl of wisdom Reb Zalman used to share was one of his most famous teachings. He would say that “the only way to get it together is together.” I loved that line so much that I put it on the back of my business card! Reb Zalman’s teachings on finding common ground among people and communities underscore the importance of collaboration, understanding, and shared goals in building a more interconnected and harmonious world.

I started off today by sharing with you that I was feeling like a hot mess – angry, despairing, discouraged, and afraid. As a Jew, and as someone who has family in Israel.

But let me tell you, more and more, I am now feeling like I got it all wrong. I got it all wrong.

I was thinking that there were only these huge clouds of darkness over all of us, with the occasional scattered rays of sunlight.[6]

I was thinking that these immense clouds were the forces of evil and immorality and despair, actively waiting to envelop me, to consume me. I felt like these malevolent forces were closing in on me from every side, a clear and present disaster unfolding around me.

And I was thinking that there were only occasional, scattered rays of goodness and hope and kindness. Random moments of light.

Nice, but how much could they actually accomplish? Nisht’ke-felecht. Not much.

I mean, can rays of light disperse really disperse clouds of darkness?

And now I understand that I got it all wrong.

In reality, now I am able to see that there are actually immense, beautiful, shimmering  clouds of silver light, from which only scattered rays of darkness emerge.

The rays of darkness sometimes land close to us, sometimes they touch us, sometimes we take a direct hit. But they are only rays. Moments. Slivers. They fracture us. They wound us. They knock us down but then we lean on each other to stand up again. They do not knock us out. They do not control us.

But the clouds? Ahhh. The silver, shimmering clouds of light. The clouds are birthing light. And goodness and kindness and truth. The silver clouds are the quiet heroes, the acts of selflessness, the rainbows of hope. The smile of shop owners and the patience of mothers. The sleeplessness of grandparents and the resilience of children. Letters and posters and drawings of support, and kindnesses from good folk, like yourselves. These, and only these, envelop us, saturate us.

Nurturing and nourishing. Generative and replenishing. The clouds of light will dispel the rays of darkness.

I got it all wrong. But I think I get it now.

And, oh way the way, Meirav Tal was one of the hostages who was released on November 28. So were her partner’s two sons, Or and Yagil. As of today, though, Yaakov is still being held captive in Gaza.

Thank you for listening. Shalom. Salaam.

Rabbi Sherril Gilbert is Co-Executive Director of ALEPH Canada

References:

[1] https://www.irwinkeller.com/itzikswell/sea-of-tears?fbclid=IwAR0N_I_CmdSMdU3YqpZX0RtM84P7NMLFM6QfwWyQ4XT1Fj7sIhKnGu7FwvE

[2] https://ieje.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/JPOST-Meravs-Story.pdf

[3] https://www.timesofisrael.com/taken-captive-yair-yaakov-meirav-tal-hamas-opened-door-with-grenades/

[4] https://ieje.org/wp-content/uploads/resources/We_Cant_Do_It_Alone.pdf

[5] Insights derived from his translated writings Conscious Community and To Heal the Soul

[6] “Clouds of light” teaching from Aryeh Ben David, Facebook November 21, 2023

High Holidays Resources Available In Our ReSources Catalogue

In time for the High Holidays: some of the titles available from the ALEPH Canada Resources Catalogue at https://www.alephcanada.ca/catalogue/ :

1. Machzor Kol Koreh v1.3: New upgrade including many changes and improvements. Embedded sound files of nusach and niggun. Expanded p'sukey d'zimra section, more meditations prior to Ne'ilah, full Yom Kippur Torah reading, minchah Torah reading and interpretive haftarah for Yom Kippur, havdalah, Kos Miriam. Machzor Kol Koreh is a subscription service, so all future editions are included in the initial price.

2. Harley Rothstein's *Nusach and Niggun for RH and YK*: A gentle and melodic approach accessible to you whether you are an emerging or experienced ba'al tefillah.

Vegan is the New Kosher

Rabbi David Rosen says Jewish dietary laws - kashrut - should encompass the harm caused by eating meat. He’s based in Israel where veganism is taking off with both the Muslim and Jewish populations and argues that that vegan is the new kosher.

http://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/tapestry/segment/15545451

Transmitting Torah

In 1922, a young German author named Franz Rosenzweig published an extraordinary book of Jewish philosophy called The Star of Redemption. How he wrote this book is, in itself, an incredible story. He began to write it from the Balkan front during the World War I, where he was serving with an anti-aircraft unit of the Kaiser’s army. Can you imagine writing down a very deep, philosophical treatise on army postcards while listening for the sound of attacking airplanes? Read more here, along with the two accompanying Texts documents:

Transmitting Torah Text 1 and Transmitting Torah Text 2

ALEPH KALLAH 2018 - Amherst, Mass., July 2-8, 2018

Thinking of Going to the ALEPH KALLAH This Summer?

ALEPH Canada is collaborating with ALEPH to offer a special Group Discount to Canadian residents. Take $100 off the prevailing price of KALLAH 2018 for full-week, adult registrations, in dorms or hotel. For the lowest price, take advantage of this special offer in conjunction with Early Bird pricing now in effect until January 31!

Groups must have a minimum of 8 persons and a maximum of 16 persons. If there are 16 people registered in one group, a new group will be formed with a new minumum of 8 persons. Get your friends and communities together to form groups!

Discount codes are not applicable to already discounted Kesher (35 and under) rates, nor Teen and any other Youth rates, because they are already greatly subsidized.

If you are interested in this offer, please contact me, Rabbi Sherril Gilbert, director@alephcanada.ca. As soon as we have a group of at least 8 intended registrants, we will send you a discount code which can be used right away to register for KALLAH. Deadline for Early Bird registration is January 31, so you should contact me before that date to get the best price.

Please visit the website for event and registration information:

https://aleph.org/kallah#promotional-material.

Just added to the ALEPH Canada ReSources Catalogue in time for Chanukah!

The S'fat Emet on Parashat Miketz/Chanukah. Posted by Rabbi Daniel Siegel, who writes, "There is much in this series of teachings I love: that darkness is limited, that trust in God, in the cosmos, in the love we all feel, is a true necessity and relying on the generosity of others to further our own careers is misplaced. Best to stay true to what one believes and be willing to accept the consequences.

"Given the way the sefer is put together, it is special because Miketz is the sidrah for the Shabbat of Hanukkah 70% of the time. So what we get are 19 teachings over thirty three years, all given on Shabbat Hanukkah, Parashat Miketz, and based on the same unit of B'reishit Rabbah. We get to follow his thinking from year to year as he is drawn to the same theme over and over again. He's thinking something through, something that engages him again and again throughout his life. What was troubling him? What was it that drew him to talk about light and dark and the power of evil so much? Note that the verse which begins the midrash is from Job, as are at least two other citations. What does that tell us?"

Find this incredible teaching in the ALEPH Canada ReSources Catalogue, available free or for a small donation. Visit the ReSources Catalogue here and click on Jewish Spiritual texts: https://www.alephcanada.ca/catalogue/#!/Jewish-Spiritual-Texts/c/25660196/offset=0&sort=normal. Chanukah samayach!

Prayer for Cheshvan

By Vera Kisfalvi (Montreal) from Fire Island, August, 1998

My tears are salty as the sea as I look out on Your ocean.
My words form into prayer, lost in the sound of the waves.
I cannot fathom the depth of Your creation.

Easy to feel, here, Your presence in the ebb and flow of each strong swell,
In the grey-blue waters that move and bend beyond earth’s gentle curve.
But teach me to know the depth of Your creation
In every stone and grain of sand washed to shore by surf.

Night falls to the rushing sound of waves cast up by the ocean.
Easy to see Your presence here, in each emerging star,
As it weaves itself into a blanket of spinning constellations,
A silent sea of light that flows and brightens high over the waters.

I will always stand in awe of stars and ocean.
But I long to know the depth of Your creation
In each blade of grass, each dry leaf that falls from the tree.
Teach me to know, Shekhinah, the depth of Your creation,
Every day, in every voice I hear and every face I see.

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi Manifesting the Entire Torah on Simchat Torah

ALEPH Canada Member Accomplishments

SHALOM SCHACHTER

"One of the initiatives I have been involved in as the representative of the Toronto Board of Rabbis to the Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition is an effort to update labour laws to give protection to precarious workers. It is called the Campaign for $15 and Fairness. The element of the Campaign that has received the most media attention is the effort to increase the minimum wage in Ontario to $15 from the current $11.40. The government has responded positively by tabling Bill 148 the Fair Workplaces Better Jobs Act and Committee hearings were held earlier this month.

Myself along with a Protestant Minister, a Muslim Imam and a Sikh cleric releasing the Faith Leader's Statement in the Media Studio of our provincial legislative building at 9 AM May 30 erev Shavuot

This has been a two year effort of collaboration between Unions, community groups and faith leaders. I was active in the effort to mobilize around 200 faith leaders from a very broad range of religious communities in Ontario, 27 of whom are Rabbis and as well 4 other Jewish clergy. The statement is located at http://15andfairness.org/faith-leaders and I invite you to go to it and sign on. This is a degree of Rabbinic involvement in public policy campaign never before seen in Ontario, let alone one pursuing worker and union rights. 

This video is from the subsequent community media conference I participated in at the Queen's Park media studio on July 21, 2017 on the last day of the Committee's public hearings."

Renewing Judaism

Originally posted on the Velveteen Rabbi website by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, June 29, 2017

Renewing Judaism happens everywhere. That's one of the things that was affirmed for David and me during the Listening Tour: the renewing of Judaism is, and always has been, bigger than any organization. And that's exactly how it should be. The renewing of Judaism is organic, and multifaceted, and it’s all over the place. Those of us who are ordained in the lineage of Reb Zalman z”lare obvious and visible stewards of that renewing. But the renewing of Judaism is so much bigger even than the growing community of clergy who self-identify as part of that lineage.

Renewing Judaism means spiritual technologies that enliven Judaism. Matching aliyotof Torah with a theme that arises from the text, and offering a blessing rooted in those words and that theme. Making use of chant as a spiritual technology, maybe cherishing melodies from Rabbi Shefa Gold or from Nava Tehila. Offering a meditation minyan or integrating Jewish contemplative practice into our spiritual lives. Practicing hashpa’ah (spiritual direction). These are some of the spiritual technologies that have arisen over the last few decades -- and I can't wait to see what the next ones will be.

Renewing Judaism means liturgical creativity. Davening bilingually. Chanting in English. Interweaving classical liturgy with contemporary poetry. Setting ancient texts to new melodies that open them up in new ways (e.g. “Mi Chamocha” to “The Water is Wide”), and setting new texts to ancient melodies (e.g. contemporary poems in haftarah trope). Exploring the spiritual ramifications of using different names for God (not only Lord and King and Father but also Shekhinah, Source, Wellspring, Mother, Beloved). Passionate use of both words and silence. Praying with our bodies. Explorations and experimentations with liturgy and with prayer that seek to open the heart and enliven the soul. These are (some) expressions of how renewing our prayer lives can renew our Judaism in all four worlds of body, heart, mind, and spirit.

Renewing Judaism flows inside the denominations of Judaism. The renewing of Judaism flows in the Reform movement: my own shul is part of the Reform movement, and is a place where the renewing of Judaism flourishes.The renewing of Judaism flows in the Conservative movement: when we met with Rabbi Brad Artson at Ziegler as part of our southern California Listening Tour stop, we learned that he studies Zohar daily with the aid of his own handmade poster of the sefirot! The renewing of Judaism flows in the Reconstructionist movement: RRC hosted us in Philadelphia on the Listening Tour for a deep and rich conversation about precisely that. The renewing of Judaism flows in Orthodoxy: the existence of Yeshivat Maharat, ordaining Orthodox women, is a sign of renewed Judaism in the Orthodox world. (Indeed, Yeshivat Maharat hosted us as part of the very first weekend of the Listening Tour, back in May of 2015.)

Renewing Judaism flows outside the denominations, too. There are many independent communities and organizations where the renewing of Judaism is unfolding (Rabbi David’s shul on City Island is one of them. So are Romemu in New York City, Kehilla in the Bay Area, and Or Shalom in Vancouver, all of which we visited on the Listening Tour). During the Listening Tour we met with folks from all three of the other trans-denominational seminaries -- Hebrew College, the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York, and the Academy for Jewish Religion in California -- because the fact of pluralistic rabbinical education is part of the renewing of Judaism. Pop-up shtiebls, home-based havurot, innovative projects like Lab/Shul (NY) and The Kitchen (SF), The Jewish Studio (DC) and Judaism Your Way (Denver), all are part of the renewing of Judaism.

Renewing Judaism is a movement, in the sense of “something in motion.” It's the flow of inspiration, creativity, innovation, and change as those manifest in modern Jewish life -- ideally rooted in and balanced with deep love of the tradition as we’ve inherited it. It's both grounded and creative, and constantly re-articulating the right balance between those two qualities, between roots and wings. The renewing of Judaism affirms that Judaism isn’t (and has never been) static or unchanging: change is core to Judaism and core to authentic spiritual life. (After all, as our liturgy teaches, God every day renews creation.) Our task is figuring out how to balance change with constancy. Sometimes that means our Judaism takes new forms. Sometimes it means that we reinterpret or re-enliven old forms. But tradition teaches that every day God's voice continues to sound from Sinai. If we open ourselves to it, we -- and our Judaism -- are constantly being renewed. 

Renewing Judaism is bigger, and richer, and deeper, than any single organization could contain.  On our travels around North America, and our videoconference conversations with people around the world, we sought to hear not only from those who self-identify as part of “Jewish Renewal” as it has existed until now, but also from people outside of that frequently insular bubble. We sought to hear the voices of people who were once connected with ALEPH and for one reason or another walked away. We sought to hear the voices of people who are engaging in the renewing of Judaism by other names: those who are renewing Judaism in ways aligned with ours in spirit and heart, no matter what name they use for what they do. We learned some extraordinary things about what the renewing of Judaism means to you, and about what you yearn it could yet become. Stay tuned: I'll share more about that in the next post in this series.

Today is Reb Zalman z"l's third yahrzeit. I offer these initial reflections on the depth and breadth of the Judaism he helped to inspire in his memory. May his memory continue to be a blessing.

4th Night Passover Seder, April 13, 2017

Ensouling the World: Shmita as Beginning

ALEPH Canada is incredibly proud to bring you the first offering of the Integral Halachah Institute. Rabbi Daniel Siegel has just completed the first text of the IHI, called “Ensouling the World – Spiritual Teachings about Shabbat and Shmita.” In this deep and timely offering, Reb Daniel and rabbinic student Esther Azar, with support from Rabbis David Seidenberg and Elliot Ginsburg, explore the teachings of the Netivot Shalom and the Ohr HaChayim which “recognize that the cycles of seven are a healing for the soul and a renewal for the next cycle. This message … contains the secret to our ultimate healing as individuals and as a planet.”

About the Sacred Foods Project

From 2005-2007, ALEPH served as the lead agency in a successful interfaith project to incorporate religious and ethical principles in the ways in which we produce and distribute food. Under generous grants from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and The Schocken Foundation, the project brought together religious leaders, faith-based and civic institutions and members of the food industry to improve the quality of our land, air and water, to provide healthier and more sustainable food for our citizens and to improve the lives of agricultural workers.

Launched in July, 2005, the project was housed in ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal and worked in partnership with Faith in Place, The Food Alliance, the Islamic Society of North America, the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, the National Council of Churches, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and The Shalom Center as well as other faith-based institutions, businesses andnonprofit organizations.

Faith, Food and Our Future

Producing and distributing food is the most central activity to our economy and environment, both domestic and international. More than 1.3 billion people work 28 percent of the earth’s land to grow food. In the United States, nearly a quarter of all workers are engaged in the food industry, with food production affecting the local economy as well as the health of its residents, water and soil. Incremental improvements in the way in which food is grown, processed and marketed can have profound benefits for the environment and human health.

The tens of millions of people who purchase food for their homes and families have considerable ability to effect positive change in the environmental practices of corporations. Those who influence consumer choices are a particularly powerful leverage point. Religious guidance has
proven historically successful in affecting food choices on a mass scale. For centuries religious leaders have given advice on what foods truly represent a sacred path. This advice includes the Roman Catholic tradition of eating fish on Fridays, the halal dietary restrictions of Islam, and the Jewish kosher laws and eating matzah instead of bread during the Passover holiday.

The results of the Sacred Foods Project are resources that help religious leaders to address contemporary concerns about health, society and sustainability that are also a growing focus in the business community.

Sacred Food Goals and Accomplishments

• Improving the purchasing practices of communities of faith through their institutions including hospitals, schools, universities, meal programs, senior and day care facilities.
• Working to incorporate new social, environmental, health and community values into the advice religious leaders give and the certification standards they endorse.
• Hosting an interfaith dialogue to create common understanding about what is truly sacred food.
• Involving food business, faith-based and civic organizations and religious leaders in creating practical steps for improving the ways in which our country chooses to feed itself.
• Educating religious leaders on the social and environmental dimensions of our food system.
• Creating a compendium of scientific research, religious law, practice and the theological underpinnings of holding food as sacred.

Aleph Canada Newsletter - June 2013

Mount Monadnock Overlooking Lakeside Franklin Pierce University

With over 500 souls registered, this is on track to be the biggest Kallah since Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2007. Over 600 are expected in Rindge, New Hampshire for our lakeside retreat in the shadow of Mt. Monadnock. There is still time to beat the late registration fee on June 1st, and still plenty of time to register- right up until July 1st for the full conference, or July 5th for the Shabbaton! But why wait? “Lech lecha”- get yourself right now to the Kallah website and get registered, and get ready to enjoy one of the best weeks of your life. What are you waiting for?

Announcing the Integral Halacha Institute - May 2015

To honour the memory of our beloved Reb Zalman and to further his living legacy ALEPH Canada announces
the creation of the Integral Halachah Institute.

Integral Halachah is Reb Zalman’s way of anchoring innovation in the traditional halachic process by adding this new category which goes beyond the classical system while simultaneously including it. It is, in Reb Zalman’s words, both renewing and “backwards compatible.”

In the words of Reb Sherril Gilbert of Montreal, we envision Integral Halachah “as a remedy for engaging with our communities in the sacred work of seriously wrestling with the questions that arise for us about our spiritual practices, ethical standards, and the routine challenges of trying to live our faith. Indeed, I believe that this work can only be done communally.… Indeed, we are the ones being called to create an integral halachah at the growing edge of our spiritual foresight.

Our hope is that the IHI will serve to bridge gaps between generations, between denominations, between communities, and between the affiliated and unaffiliated as we ask and explore the meaningful questions of our time.” Memorial contributions and tzedakah to the Integral Halachah Institute for the Continuation of Reb Zalman’s work may be made by clicking on the CanadaHelps button to the right and choosing the IHI as your designated fund.