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The Obligation to EnjoyMarch 2003From the Desk of Rabbi Cohon"Mishenichnas Adar Marbim b'Simcha-when we enter Adar, we multiply joy!" We all probably know that Judaism is designed to make us better, holier people. But there is a tendency to think that precludes pleasure. Au contraire! as we say in Yiddish… Purim is the antidote to the notion that religion isn't fun. Revolving around the colorful story of Esther in the Bible, it is a romance of kings and courtiers, intrigue, disaster, and deliverance. And throughout Jewish history it has been used to show that a faith based on ethics and meaning still can be pure fun sometimes. At its heart, Purim celebrates the dangerous absurdity of trying to do away with the Jews. Many have, and their attacks have been devastating-but we somehow manage to keep going, and our attackers don't. As the famous nine-word description of the Jewish historical holidays puts it, "They tried to kill us, we won, let's eat!" And on Purim, let's also sing, dance, drink, and generally party in celebration of everything that's great-and most accessible-about Judaism. Join us here for two fabulous events: first, our spectacular Purim Extravaganza and Carnival, the most elaborate, finest, creative, and silly celebration of Purim in Arizona (and, perhaps, the universe), on Sunday, March 16th at 10 AM. Don't miss it! It's not just for kids. If you've never seen our Purim Extravaganza, you must come. If you have seen it, you know just how much fun it is for every age. Our full show is the Purim story as retold in legendary "Camelot" style and starring outstanding performers in unusual roles. The Purim Extravaganza also features our Youth Choir, Avanim Rock Band, Dance Chug, and a cast of thousands (well, a hundred anyway). It's followed by a terrific Purim carnival. On Monday, March 17th at 7 PM we'll have our traditional Purim Megillah reading, preceded by a Purim pizza party at 6:15 PM and followed by a Hamantash bash. Join us, as we prove that Judaism is also about having a good time! Outreach Add-On In last month's column-actually, the columns for the last two months-I wrote about Outreach, the need to bring people in to Judaism, especially disconnected Jews and their partners. In telling the famous Bratslaver Chasidic story of the Prince Who Thought He Was a Turkey (if you have not preserved your February bulletin-under glass!-you can read it on our website, www.templeemanueltucson.org, or email or write me for a copy at rabbi@templeemanueltucson.org) I mentioned that for many Jews returning to their heritage, and for many new Jews-by-Choice, there is a tendency even after moving into the synagogue community to continue to feel, well, like turkeys-that is, to feel that although they are now part of something Jewish they don't really fit in. A central part of what we are doing here at Temple Emanu-El includes demystifying Jewish life and practice, teaching that our amazing tradition of holiness, goodness and service to God is also easily accessible and fun. I'll tell you about the educational part of what we do in moment. But here's how you can help make Temple an even more welcoming, warmer, more Jewish place: Ask someone to meet you at Temple for services, and invite them to come over for Shabbat dinner or lunch. There is no great mystery to what makes people more comfortable in a setting. It is simply knowing someone, and feeling that it's OK to be there and that somebody can show you the ropes. We offer an array of opportunities for different types of service experiences at Temple Emanu-El-but there is always a service at 7:30 PM on Friday and at 10 AM on Saturday. Ask someone to come with you! They'll appreciate the invitation, and you can enjoy-or critique-the service together. And if you aren't always comfortable at Temple, having company can help. Asking a friend, acquaintance, or someone new to you to join you at shul is an easy, safe, inexpensive, and incredibly welcoming way to extend community. Going one step beyond and sharing a meal with them makes Shabbat a part of your life, and theirs, in a gracious, caring, very Jewish way. If you do not have a regular Shabbat dinner to invite someone to, have an informal one, but light Shabbat candles, say Kiddush, and have a challah for motzi. Or ask people home after Saturday morning services for a light lunch-when we don't already have a Tish or Bar/Bat Mitzvah lunch at Temple. Or ask someone to join you for a Family Shabbat-there is always at least one Temple dinner each month. The food is good, it's inexpensive, and everyone is always welcome. On the educational front, we have created two newish formal programs, and already have many formal and informal ones, to help you and your friends, new and old, access Jewish life in beautiful and creative ways. Practical Judaism meets monthly with me, and the response has been terrific. It's an easy way to learn basic Jewish stuff in an open environment. The next date is Sunday, March 2nd at 10 AM and we're exploring Jewish life-cycle rituals. And Emanu-GEL helps everyone learn about how to be a better Jewish parent. It meets Sunday, March 9th at 9:30 AM with Rabbi Freelund. Come, learn, and share. Avanim Rock Band CD Available Now!Our exciting Avanim Rock Band's new CD, A Rock Shabbat, is now available through the Temple office and the Gift Shop. Just released, it is a wonderful, upbeat studio recording of the Avanim Rock Band's unique version of Jewish music. Dedicated in memory of Naomi Millstone, the band's #1 fan, it includes the full range of Avanim's musical expression. Shabbat is a delight, and A Rock Shabbat makes its music a delight too! Featuring Rabbi Sam Cohon, Steve Schulman, Joe and Tommy Millstone, Dr. Gary Love, Howard Salmon, and Lindsay O'Shea, as well as Rachel Morgan, the CD is available for $18, which goes to the Temple Emanu-El Music Fund. It is a first-rate production, bound to get you moving to the music, captivating for kids, and irresistible once you start to listen. Get yours today! Space Shuttle Tragedy Has Silver Lining for JewsBy request, this email to the congregation from Rabbi Cohon in the wake of the explosion of the Space Shuttle Columbia is reprinted. It also ran as an Op-Ed in the Arizona Daily Star: "Man's reach must exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" -- Robert Browning As we all know by now, a tragedy took place Saturday morning. At nearly the moment of completion of a historic mission, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart, killing all seven astronauts aboard, including Colonel Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut. This loss strikes all Americans, and many people around the world. We mourn with the families of the astronauts killed Saturday, with their friends and colleagues. There is heartbreak, and sadness, a sense of mission and purpose that ended in catastrophe. As Jews the loss of the shuttle Columbia is especially painful for us. At a time of national stress and distress in Erets Yisrael, the people of Israel, and Jews everywhere, had delighted in Colonel Ramon's story. An IDF air hero, he brought hope, excitement and pride to a nation-our homeland of the heart-that has been through trauma, disappointment and death in unprecedented ways the last two and a half years. Ramon was a warm, courageous man, and a fine representative of Israel and Jews everywhere. There was a profound irony in one incident from the Columbia. We know that Colonel Ramon, grandson of survivors of Auschwitz, carried with him on his journey a drawing made by a 14 year old boy, Peter Ginz, in the Theresienstadt ghetto. It was called "Moon Landscape", and showed a view of earth shimmering in the background. Ramon had requested an artifact to take into space-and back-from Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Israel, and young Ginz's drawing accompanied him on his historic space flight. Ginz himself later died at Auschwitz. His drawing was with Ramon when he died, and was almost certainly incinerated-shenisrafu al kiddush Hashem, the classic Hebrew prayer of martyrdom reads, "consumed in flame for the sanctification of the Holy Name." Yet in this heartbreaking loss there is also some comfort. Ilan Ramon did not die a martyr's death. The space shuttle was engaged in the great effort to conquer the heavens, and its astronauts had "slipped the surly bonds of earth" and "trod the high untrespassed sanctity of space" in the poet's famous words. This was not death in concentration camp, or death from a terror attack. This was loss from trying to reach-almost literally-the stars. Ramon, the fourth Jewish astronaut and, with Judith Resnick, the second to die on a space mission, was a symbol for Jews of our revival and acceptance and accomplishment. He has died in service to that ideal, and to advance human knowledge and possibility. His loss is a shock, and a tragedy. But it is one that allows us to revere both the life and the quest of all seven of those killed. Astronauts Husband, McCool, Chawla, Anderson, Brown, Clark, and Ramon died in the service of country and, in a sense, of humanity. Their loss, and ours, is profound-but it was also a loss for a noble cause. Such losses, bitter though they are, are the price we sometimes pay to reach toward the stars. Kabbalist Danny Matt was with us this past weekend at Temple as the Bilgray Scholar, and he spoke of a Jewish mystical concept called tzorech gavoha, "the need on high". In this belief, God needs us as much as we need God. That is, our seeking is just as precious as God's love and support for us. Perhaps, in a different sense, tzorech gavoha, the need on high, is what compels us to press to the limits of human knowledge and ability, to take the chances that stretch us and sometimes result in such loss. This can and should continue. It is what we human beings are made for. As poet John Magee said before he died in a flight accident, he had "Put out my hand, and touched the face of God." So had these astronauts. For us, as Jews, Ramon had also touched our hearts. May the memory of these astronauts be bound up in the bonds of eternal life-and may their memory live as a blessing. A Special Thank You The Temple Mavens (successor group to the Senior Congregants) made a special donation to the Rabbi's Discretionary Fund for the assistance of children in November. Those funds were used for a variety of tzedakah-oriented purposes, including: scholarship assistance with camps and conclaves, materials for the Preschool and Religious School, training materials for b'nai mitzvah, assistance in sending children to the NFTY convention, and funds towards Reform Jewish youth programming in Israel. We are grateful for the assistance that the Mavens gave for these worthy causes, and for their efforts which have helped to make tikun olam such an important part of our "golden age" here at Temple Emanu-El. |
