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Meekantor’s Kol Tuv High Holy Days - Standing at the Foot of Mount Sinai Part I: Selichot (Forgiveness) and the 13 Attributes of God Imagine yourself standing at the foot of Mount Sinai. Around you – arid, yellowish brown dunes of sand and a few scattered dry desert bushes. Though subtle, a quiet murmur can be heard, the ambient sound is eerily quiet. You are summoned, by an inner voice stronger than your ability to comprehend or understand “why,” to stand with the other people of your “tribe,” at the foot of a mountain, and wait. You are not completely sure what you are doing here. You look at other people who are congregating here with you. Some are still waking up from their sleep. Children are playing quietly, while the adults are busy “doing.” All you know is that you need to be here, to experience something you are not sure how, or if it will impact your tomorrow. At Ma’a’mad Har Sinai, the Theophany at Mt. Sinai (the Revelation of God on Mount Sinai), the Israelites were summoned to stand by the foot of the mountain. Waiting for Moses to come down, they didn’t know exactly what was about to happen; they intuitively only sensed the power of an upcoming event. According to the Jewish tradition (Exodus 19:24), this earth-shattering encounter between the Israelites and God was the defining moment of our history as a People. We consider our Torah (The Five Books of Moses) as the story of the development of the evolving, yet enduring relationships between the People of Israel and God. Now let’s travel in time a few thousand years forward from that momentous event at Sinai. Of course, in the present, most of us don’t actually stand as a community at the foot of Mount Sinai to welcome Moses, receive Torah carved in tablets, or witness God’s miracles through clouds and burning bushes. But we do get an annual opportunity to spiritually bring ourselves to a place of a gathering, begin the process of Teshuvah, an opportunity to turn inward, and engage in an honest, private conversation with God. Yes, the setting is different: instead of an open space in the desert, we come together in a synagogue or another communal gathering space. The other members of our “tribe” are friends from the synagogue or acquaintances from the larger community. Moses left quite a long time ago; now clergy serve as Klei Kodesh, holy vessels to channel sacred work. The Tablets are nowhere to be found. They were replaced by a Torah scroll, made by people, covered in a white mantel, to signify the sacredness of the occasion. God’s voice can be heard as a Kol D’mama Daka, a soft, small, yet powerful voice of silence; an inner spiritual murmur, if we allow ourselves to hear it. Our ancestors stood by the mountain as a People, they heard the voice of God calling them. While the language may be different, we can still hear it as well. Some people join the congregation for the High Holy Days, because that’s what they’ve always done since childhood; it’s a tradition they feel they want or have to keep. Some are here to teach their children. Some feel that they have to come for “the wife, you know,” and others come for the yearly “tune up,” or the “recharging of spiritual batteries.” No reason is better or worse than another. The fact is, you are here --- even if you fall asleep during the Rabbi’s sermon or the Cantor’s new version of the Hashkiveinu prayer, you are still HERE. And while asleep, your subconscious is having a private conversation with God. In our daily lives, we are all familiar with the complexity of relationships; Ma’amad Har Sinai was the first recorded testimony to such an intensity, a spiritual reflection of a relationship Bein adam La’chavero (between one person to another), and Bein adam la’Makom (between a person to a place or source of holiness, a physical manifestation of Godliness). In the Hebrew month of Elul, also called the “Month of Selichot” (Forgiveness, in plural form), observant Jews around the world pray daily to ask for forgiveness from God. In most Reform congregations, we don’t pray daily, but we do have a specific day when we get into the mode of preparation for the sacred moments to come during the High Holy Days that culminate on Yom Kippur, called Selichot, which usually occurs on the last Saturday evening before Rosh Hashanah. One of the key phrases or intense moments for this spiritual preparation is called “God’s 13 Middot Ha-Rachamim,” God’s 13 Attributes of Mercy, or Divine Attributes. During the High Holy Days (as well as the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot), we utter this threefold repetition during the Torah Service: Adonai, Adonai El, Rachum, v'Chanun… Adonai (translated as Lord), Adonai, God, Compassionate and Gracious, Slow to Anger, Abounding in Kindness and Faithfulness, Extending Kindness to the Thousandth Generation, Forgiving Iniquity, Transgression and Sin …(Exodus 34:6-7). In its biblical context, the revelation of the Thirteen Divine Attributes of God are the essence of God's self, the climactic revelation to Moses after God’s having forgiven the sin of the golden calf. Moses has asked to see God as a sign of Divine favor; God refuses this request (since no person can see God and live), but shows Moses a portion of the Divine Presence by passing by him, only allowing Moses to see what trails behind God. Jewish tradition understands that God gave Moses a liturgical formula that can be used in the future to invoke Divine Pardon and Forgiveness whenever Israel sins, just as happened in the story of the golden calf. Thus, these verses came to be used as a liturgical invocation of God's mercy during the self-examination season of the High Holy Days. This powerful phrase serves as a spiritual bridge between our ancestors and our people today, and will continue to serve future generations as well. I invite you to join your clergy, members of our Makhela (choir), cellist and pianist and readers from Ritual Committee, to stand with us in front of the open ark, as we embark on our communal as well as individual journeys inward, beginning with Selichot (Saturday 8/31), through the intense High Holy Days. Adonai, Adonai, El Rachum ve’Chanun, Erech Apayim ve’Rav Chesed ve’Emet…. Please join us for our Selichot study session, reception, and service on Saturday, August 31 beginning at 7:00 PM. 2
Words from the Rabbi Words from our President It is with great excitement that I have the honor of welcoming to our Senior Staff and to our Congregational Family our new Director of Congregational Learning, Josh Mason-Barkin. After a thoughtful search process beautifully chaired by Kelly Snider we unanimously agreed that Josh should oversee our Religious School, Hebrew/Tefillah program, Teen Jewish Studies, Youth programs and Adult Education. Josh is an excellent educator trained by our Reform movement. With his varied experiences and education he will bring much to our congregational table! What is a Director of Congregational Learning? He is first and foremost an educator who will help us conceptualize a plan for our entire congregation. We are a people who believe in education. We profess to have programs from 0 to 100. Josh will help us broaden and fulfill our mission. He comes to us from Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles where he has been their Director of Congregational Learning for the past three years. Here are excerpts from Josh’s blog: Professionally, I’m a Jewish educator. I earned MAs in Jewish education and Jewish communal service from HUC-JIR and a BA in politics and religion from Ripon College. Formerly, I consulted with schools and trained teachers in my role as director of school services at Torah Aura Productions. I am the author of two books, God: Jewish Choices for Struggling With the Ultimate and Artzeinu: An Israel Encounter, and I have worked in numerous synagogues in California and as an instructor at HUC-JIR in Los Angeles. I serve on the board of the National Association of Temple Educators and I am a member of the Jewish Educators Association and the Society of Professional Copy Editors (a job I held before entering the field of education). Temple Emanu-El welcomes '13-'14 Board of Trustees The Temple Emanu-El members voted and inducted the 2013-2014 Board of Directors at our Annual Meeting held in May. Below is the list of the outstanding individuals who will be leading our community in the coming year; please join us in welcoming them. Feel free to contact any of these volunteers to help you with any questions or concerns you may have. Executive Committee Jeff Hoffman, President Andrew Weinberg, V.P. of Administration Edgardo Laber, V.P. of Leadership & Development Shirley Lee, V.P. of Membership Mark Cahn, V.P. of Education & Youth Dan Winter, Secretary Jim Heerwagen, Treasurer Mike Cahn, Immediate Past President Board Members Rich Albert Dana Brody-Brown Maggie Cant Jeslie Chermak, Brotherhood Enrique Guadiamos Isabel Haggerty, EESY Steve Krandel Judy Levy, Sisterhood Ron Mandel Alissa Meltzer Debbie Michels Melenie Pearson, Sisterhood Eleanor Rusnak Deborah Zimmer I’m also into technology, especially the role and usage of technology in Jewish organizations. I have worked on a number of Jewish websites, including the mobile-optimized sites for the 2012 NATE conference, the 2011 NATE conference in Seattle and 2012 Kallah in San Antonio, musician Noam Katz’s site, and the Temple Isaiah Religious School Blog. I serve as webmaster and tech consultant to B’nai Mitzvah Revolution. I am married to Rabbi Sara Mason-Barkin, and I’m Charlie Mason-Barkin’s dad. In my free time, I enjoy photography, writing, playing with Charlie, and closely following my beloved Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Bears. My favorite Beatle is George. Please join me as we welcome Josh to our family. Josh Mason-Barkin Director of Congregational Learning 408-292-3223 josh@templesanjose.org Front Row (from left): Debbie Michels, Alissa Meltzer, Eleanor Rusnak, Maggie Cant, Deborah Zimmer, Dana Brody- Brown, Shirley Lee Back Row (from left): Edgardo Laber, Ron Mandel, Mark Cahn, Mike Cahn, Andrew Weinberg, Steve Krandel, Jim Heerwagen, Jeff Hoffman Not Pictured: Rich Albert, Jeslie Chermak, Enrique Guadiamos, Isabel Haggerty, Judy Levy, Melenie Pearson, Dan Winter 3
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