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Thoughts to Nosh OnFebruary 2008From the Desk of Rabbi SharffAt the end of December, I had the pleasure of traveling to San Diego with a group of Temple Emanu-El delegates to the Union for Reform Judaism’s Biennial Convention. It was an eye-opening experience studying and worshipping with over five thousand Reform Jews using the newly published Mishkan T’filah. Amid the conversations, dialogues, and sessions, one of the overarching elements I noticed was the ever-increasing use of technology by those in attendance. This included Palm Pilots, Blackberries, blogs, and video projection including the “Torah-cam” all reflecting our need to connect the twenty-first century with thousands of years of our traditions and values. Many of our ancient texts are now available on CD-ROM both in Hebrew and in translation. What used to take up entire bookshelves can now take up just a few inches of desk space. One can get “10 Minutes of Torah” e-mailed from the URJ to our work and home, and a drash is now just a mouse click away.Yet for all of its wonders, technology remains only a tool in connecting both with our heritage and with one another. For exam ple, a weekly interpretation of the Torah portion is only relevant if one takes the time to read it and bring its lessons to life. A CD-ROM of Talmud that sits on the desk helps as much as a collection that sits solitary on a bookshelf.Our rabbis believed and continue to believe that Torah is a living, breathing, growing entity, waiting for us to become engaged. It is to be constantly explored and studied as well as cherished, but only if we take the time to do so. Our technology has assisted our lives in many ways, but has also made us busier than every. One can now be reached 24/7, which in turn takes away our ability to cherish that which is most important in our lives namely family, tradition, and shared customs and values. My prayer for us is that as we find new technological ways to make our heritage accessible, may we also find new ways to also continue to hold onto what we hold most dear. For our technology may be becoming increasingly disposable, but our heritage will always be eternal. Rabbi Ben Sharff |
