George Gazarek
D’varim begins the Book of Deuteronomy, the last book of the Torah. In eleven short weeks, we will be celebrating Simchat Torah where we physically roll the Torah all the way back to begin once more the story of creation.
In D’varim, we have the first of Moses’ farewell speeches to all Israel. He tells the story of their travels from the foot of Sinai to the plains of Moab. He reminds them of their disobedience to God and the punishment they suffered as a result of their disobedience. And he includes in his story those times where they followed the word of God and enjoyed the rewards. Some of the place names and events in this telling of the story differ from that read in previous books of the Torah. With Moses quickly approaching 120 years of age, I think we can allow him some wiggle room.
In February of next year, we at Congregation Sha’are Shalom will begin a nine-month celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of our founding. Suzanne Darby is chairing a committee that is planning many wonderful events. Part of that celebration will include the telling of our story. How we got from the pages of a phone book to the plains of Waldorf. Our successes and our shortcomings. You will hear this story many times from different people and it may vary according to the teller. Although none of our founders are approaching 120, I think we can allow them a little variety.
Moses is directing his words at three different audiences. His first audience is the Israelites in the story that are standing there on the shores of the Jordan listening to him speak. They are the sons and daughters of the slaves that God brought out of Egypt. Many scholars today believe this book was written during the time of the Babylonian exile. And so the second audience is the contemporaries of the author. The third audience Moses is addressing his words to is you and I. Those that follow the author from generation to generation. The Torah wasn’t written to be a history book but rather to be a guide for all of our generations to follow as we live our lives.
Early next year, we will hear the stories of our founding and the events of the last twenty-five years. Those stories also will be addressed to three audiences. The first audience, of course, is the founders themselves. They will delight in reminiscing all the exciting moments that they have lived through and that have become such an important part of the story of their own families. The second audience is those of us that have joined the congregation in recent years and have not had the joy of living through the adventure. We need to hear and to understand what a wonderful gift the founders have given us. The third audience is those that will join us in years to come. For it is certain that they too will want to hear the story told.
The words of Moses in his farewell address emphasize three main points. The first point is the key role that God plays in Israel’s history. From the first time God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, through the plagues in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea. God was there at Sinai and every step of the journey. The second point is Israel’s right to the land by way of their covenant with God. This is the land that God promised to give them flowing with milk and honey. The third point is that obedience to God is the only path leading to their future success. The 613 mitzvot are not just a set of commandments but are a guide to an ethical and moral life in the image of God. This is why we Jews love and revere the Torah. Why we dance with it on Simchat Torah and why we draw strength from its words.
The stories of our founding and twenty-five years of growth will also have three main points to them. The first point is the power of ideas. For it was one man’s idea to go through the phone book and call people with Jewish sounding names to invite to a backyard picnic and social that started it all. The courage and the tenacity of that one man to follow through on his idea and to take action, this must be part of our story. The second point is the story of the founders themselves and their love for Judaism and Jewish community. For it was this love that drove them to achieve all that we have today. And it was this love that sustained them through twenty-five years of sacrifices and hard work.
Our stories cannot end there. If they do, they will be like the stories that are told at retirement dinners and at funerals. If our stories are to be of a thriving and living congregation then the third point has to be our vision of the future. In our wildest imagination, where do we see ourselves twenty-five years from now? How many members will we have? What kind of clergy will we have to serve them? Where will we fit all those beautiful children in the Religious School? I challenge the congregation to make this vision a part of our story. I especially challenge the new families that have joined in the last five years to play a major role in painting this picture.
Let’s build our vision like we built this building with everyone contributing something. But now our contributions are not material things but rather our precious ideas and creativity. Let our twenty-fifth anniversary celebration not be a celebration of the end of something but rather may it be a bridge from the past to the future. Last Saturday at Torah Study, as we finished the Book of Numbers, we said the age old blessing.
“Chazak Chazak, v’nitchazeik.”
Be strong, be strong, and may we be strengthened.
As we begin our celebration of twenty-five years of accomplishments by our founders, let us all say.
“Chazak Chazak, v’nitchazeik.”
Be strong, be strong, and may we be strengthened.
Shabbat Shalom.