The Charlotte Jewish News - September 2016 - Page 11
Reflections from Temple Beth El
Each week one of our Leader
ship Team members writes a blog.
Some are straightforward. Some
are complex. Some are whimsical.
All reflect what our professional
leadership is thinking about.
Recent blogs have inspired
people to get involved, take ac
tion, reflect on life, and think
about new perspectives. Did you
have a chance to read any of the
following blogs?
* Creating Sacred Space with
Sacred Sound by Cantor Andrew
Bernard
* The Power of Reframing, or
“What I Learned in Yoga This
Week” by Rabbi Dusty Klass
* Accidental Intertextuality and
You by Cantor Mary Rebecca
Thomas
* Warm Cookies and Cold Milk
Are Good for You by Dr. Laura
Bernstein
On July 22, Rabbi Asher Night
wrote Sh’ma Yisrael: Listen Is
rael. We share this blog in its en
tirety with you here:
On the third Shabbat of this
month, we will read a verse of
Torah that is better known than
any other in our scriptures. Recog
nized as the watchword of our
faith, the verse contains six He
brew words:
Sh ’ma Yisrael, Adonai
Eloheinu, Adonai Echad
Listen Israel, Adonai is our
God, Adonai is One.
Venerated by centuries of our
people, the Sh’ma has been taught
to our children, exclaimed by our
martyrs, and recited at the bed
sides of the sick. The phrase is our
monotheistic standard, proudly
exclaiming belief and the ethics of
our faith: God is the unifier of the
universe, the parent to creation
and humanity. Because we are
created in the image of the one
God, we are responsible for one
another and all of God’s creation.
It is interesting that the verse
begins with a command to listen.
One could argue that the words,
Sh’ma Yisrael aren’t needed be
cause the statement of faith would
be complete with the words,
“Adonai is our God, Adonai is
One!” But the Sh’ma is powerful
precisely because it isn’t just a
theological statement.
The command to “listen” is an
important reminder about how we
live as God’s partner. Through lis
tening, we pay close attention to
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Thursday,
September 22
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God’s oneness. We listen to our
selves, to our breath and heartbeat.
We give attention and presence to
our families and their needs. We
listen to the world around us, even
to voices that have been muted or
sometimes come across harsh.
Why? Because listening is an im
perative first step in being effec
tive partners with God in knowing
ourselves, raising children, living
in community, and helping people
in need.
My first step as your rabbi is to
listen. I don’t assume to know
what is on your minds. I don’t as
sume to know what is central and
important in your lives. Each
member of our congregation has
desires and interests. Each mem
ber of our congregation is facing
the dynamics of modem society in
similar and different ways. Each
of us is a central element to the
living faith that we build, to
gether. In the last month, I have
begun to listen. I will continue
over the next year. Indeed, we are
in the beginning stages of plan
ning conversations, in both
smaller and larger settings that
TEMPLE
BETH EL
will help us listen and learn from
one another.
I invite you to help weave a so
cial fabric of shared belonging -
shaped by the idea that when we
listen to one another, we are better
able to be in relationship, be well-
connected, care for the well-being
of one another, and better support
each other’s learning and spiritual
growth. That is what the Sh’ma is
all about. That is what Temple
Beth El is all about.
Sh ’ma Yisrael, Adonai
Eloheinu, Adonai Echad.
Please visit our website at
www.templebethel.org to read or
subscribe to our weekly blog
posts. Thanks for reading and
joining in on the conversation.^
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