From the Bimah: Jewish Lessons for Life

Pastor Jeremy D. Battle, from the Western Avenue Baptist Church is a third-generation pastor hailing from Brighton, Alabama. Pastor Battle lives by the personal mantra, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) Tune in to hear more about Pastor Jeremy Battle in his own words and hear him on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 4:00pm.

Once, there lived amongst us a man with the stature of a prophet, a man with the moral vision of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.   His name was Elie Wiesel, and he taught for years just a few miles from here at Boston University. In his book Witness, which is about Elie Wiesel’s teaching at BU, Ariel Burger, his student for 25 years, tells a story that Elie Wiesel shared in class.  The story concerned a man named Isaac Babel, who was both a Jew and a lieutenant in the Russian cavalry.  That cavalry was a fierce fighting force conquering a lot of areas where Jews used to live in the Pale of Settlement.  Isaac Babel himself had a reputation for being a fierce, even bloodthirsty, fighter.  He embodies this enigma.  He is Jewish. And at the same a Russian military man who is about to conquer Jewish towns. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-wes-gardenswartz/rebbe-please-give-me-fervor/

Join us on Temple Emanuel’s Mission to learn Torah at the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.

I want to talk about two words I have never uttered from this bimah. Taylor Swift.  Taylor Swift is dramatically germane to the moment in which we now find ourselves. As you know, Taylor Swift is one of the best-selling, most popular singer songwriters of all time.  She has sold more than 50 million albums.  She has won 10 Grammy Awards.  Her first five albums were all huge, runaway hits, full of simple and catchy tunes that dealt with universal themes like falling in love and fear of rejection. Then came her sixth album, Reputation.  That is where things got very interesting. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-wes-gardenswartz/be-like-taylor-swifts-seventh-album-not-her-sixth/

Tune in as Rav-Hazzan Aliza Berger interviews Rabbi Becky Silverstein on his upcoming Parshat Nitzvaim “Entering into a Brit Hashem, Together,” and his journey to becoming a Rabbi. Rabbi Becky will be joining us on Shabbat morning, September 28th. You can learn more here https://www.templeemanuel.com/event/entering-into-a-brit-hashem-together/

Recently I came upon an article in the New York Times which took my breath away titled, “He was shot and paralyzed 37 years ago. That’s not how the story ends.” Thirty-seven years ago, thirteen-year-old Jeff Williams was hanging out with his brother and a friend, Maury, in the Bronx when the unthinkable happened.  Maury got out his uncle’s gun and started showing it off: spinning the chamber and pointing the it around the room. Jeff’s brother, Reggie, tried to convince Maury to put the gun down. But Maury insisted it was perfectly safe, pulling the trigger to prove the point. It wasn’t safe, though. The gun was loaded. Jeff collapsed. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-aliza-berger/take-your-best-shot/

Tune is as Rabbi Michelle Robinson interviews Robert Mnookin, author of "The Jewish American Paradox: Embracing Choice in a Changing World." Robert Mnookin is an American lawyer, author, and the Samuel Williston Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He will be kicking off our year of adult learning at Temple Emanuel on Sunday, September 15th. Check out his book and join in on a lecture and Q&A with Mnookin himself! Learn more here: https://www.templeemanuel.com/event/adult-education-opening-lecture/

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin authored a book called Jewish Humor: What the Best Jewish Jokes Say About the Jews.  In a section about parents and children, he shares the following: Two Jewish women who haven’t see each other in twenty years run into each other on the street. “How’s your daughter Deborah?” the first woman asks, “the one who marriedthat lawyer.” “They were divorced,” the second woman answers. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” “But she got married a second time, this time to a surgeon.” “Mazal Tov!” “They were also divorced.” At this point the first woman decides to keep her mouth shut.  “But now everything is all right,” her friend goes on.  “She’s married a third time, now to an architect—and he’s very successful.” The first woman shakes her head from side to side. “Mmmm, mmmm, So much nachus from one daughter!” Now in some ways this joke is obviously dated.  The gender norms, the premise that the job of a daughter is to get married off to a successful professional, is not only dated but offensive.  And yet, for all that, there are two truths about this joke that are not dated.  Two truths  that are timeless. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-wes-gardenswartz/nachus-a-reinterpretation/

Whenever there is a mass shooting in our country, including last Saturday in El Paso and Dayton, there is this civic ritual where leaders of both parties say that they are sending thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families.  How are we to understand this?  Is this helpful? There is a cynical read. We send thoughts and prayers in lieu of action.  We send thoughts and prayers in lieu of fixing the problem, which is why the nightmare of mass shootings in our country continually recurs.  I get the cynical read. It has a certain plausibility. But this morning I want to try to make the case for a non-cynical read.  I want to try to make the case that thoughts and prayers are not only helpful, but essential. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-wes-gardenswartz/sending-thoughts-and-prayers/

The other day, I was listening to an episode of This American Life titled “Save the Girl,” documenting all sorts of crazy stories of people swooping in to save damsels in distress, when I heard the most unbelievable story. Yong Xiong grew up in Laos, part of the ethnic Hmong minority. A few years ago, she met the man of her dreams at a New Year’s party. They fell in love. They decided to get married. Because the love of her life is a naturalized US citizen living in Minneapolis, their love story involved lots of government appointments and official paperwork. After months and months of proving their relationship, filing all of the correct forms, and waiting for the appropriate government officials to grant them permission, Yong received a fiancé visa and found herself on a plane to meet her beloved. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-aliza-berger/believe-me-when-i-tell-you-who-i-am/

When I was still swiping for dates, I had a strict no-fisherman policy. Any time I saw someone posed with a large, freshly caught fish, I swiped no. No matter how cute they were, no matter how smart or Jewishly engaged, I was convinced there was no way I would ever fall in love with someone who liked to torture small, scaly animals for sport. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-aliza-berger/go-fish/

Sergei Rachmaninoff was arguably one of the best pianists ever. He was a virtuoso, with giant hands that could easily grasp complex harmonies and move with lightning speed up and down the keyboard. He was not only a performer but also a compositional genius; he could coax the most nuanced sounds from the piano. Maybe because his own internal landscape was filled with dramatic ups and downs, or maybe just because of his musical brilliance, he had a special ability to write music that creates emotional experience. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-aliza-berger/piano-concertos-and-prophecy/

Growing up, my Aunt Vanessa was my hero. Whenever we saw her, it seemed like she was just coming back from some herculean triathlon or from an epic marathon through the Colorado mountains. She was fearless. Every year, she would take us to the amusement parks and would gladly ride all the scariest rides with my sister and younger cousin. (I never had the guts to join them.) In the kitchen, she had this sixth sense.  She could coax the most incredible flavors out of fresh ingredients and made the most gourmet foods with seeming ease. And she was super mom. She went back to school as she was mothering her first child and pregnant with her second. And even though she was running around with her son all day and just studying at night, she graduated with honors, first in her class, and went on to become a stellar labor and delivery nurse. She would wake up before the sun and spent her days at the hospital, helping women to find their own strength and capacity to bring new life into the world.  It wasn’t long before Vanessa was asked to teach nursing and to mentor new nurses as they began their careers. Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-aliza-berger/shavuot-the-spiritual-assignment/

Ugandan Human Rights Activist, Qwin Mbabazi, Celebrates One Year of Political Asylum in Boston. Join Rabbi Wes Gardenswartz and Rav Hazzan Aliza Berger as they sit down with Qwin who shares her story of life as a LGBTQ activist in Uganda and how she found refuge in America. She was persecuted as a child because she was born left-handed in a culture where left-hand dominance is considered the work of the devil. She was persecuted as a teen and as a young adult because she was born gay in a country where being gay was legally a death sentence until 2013. Uganda remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be LGBTQ. And despite this persecution, Qwin had a clear sense of self and a clear sense of purpose from an early age. Read the press release here:  https://www.templeemanuel.com/in-the-news/temple-emanuel-fetes-ugandan-activists-year-of-political-asylum/ 

The story is told of the time that the Pope and the Prime Minister of Israel decided to deepen the relationship between the Vatican and the Jewish state by co-cohosting a friendly golf game that would be played by premier Catholic and Jewish golfers.  The Pope invited Jack Nicklaus to be the Vatican representative.  Jack Nicklaus is a devout Catholic and a great golfer.  After the golf game, Jack Nicklaus goes to the Vatican to report. Your Holiness, I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that I played the best golf I have ever played. God was with me like never before.  My play was inspired from above. Then what is the bad news? The bad news is that I lost by three strokes to Rabbi Tiger Woods. Unfortunately, today, relations between Jews and the non-Jewish world are no laughing matter.   Follow this link to view the sermon and watch the live streaming version on our website  https://www.templeemanuel.com/rabbi/rabbi-wes-gardenswartz/linden-tree/