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SERMON BY RABBI GLENN ETTMAN
delivered on THE SECOND DAY OF rosh hashanah
september 14, 2007
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Photo by
Chris Gaines |
Crossing our River Dreams
A Sermon for Second Day of Rosh Hashanah
I truly love living this close to the water. There are times when merely driving by it just overcomes me with a sense of calm and coolness. I even have my own little spot that I like to go and just sit, listen and be in awe of this amazing creation of God's, the water and the ocean.
With its undulating waves which flow in and out; drawing in and receding out. It reminds me of the breath of our bodies with the flowing in and out. Reminding us that we are directly in partnership with the natural and created world forcing us to remember that there is something bigger in our world.
The sea is ominous in size, yet peaceful in grandeur. At times it is choppy, dangerous, and scary where waves swell and crash against the shore. But there are also times when the water is just calm, and full of peace. Its smooth glass-like appearance reflects the brilliance of the world. Sun colors burst forth from the horizon. A calm consumes us as we sit and listen the rhythmic rush of the waters. We hear the Rish Rush shel ha-mayim which in Hebrew just sounds so elegant. One ocean, two distinct ways to look at it. Two completely different lives and perspectives, manifestations and realities.
A body of water can be very unpredictable. Water, in this way, is really much like life. We do not know what is going to happen. We do not know if it will be calm or bumpy. But also, can help us understand the beauty of our lives and, moreover, the beauty of this time of year.
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Traditionally, in the Reform movement, on the second day of Rosh Hashanah, we read from the very beginning of the book of Genesis. We learn and hear about the creation of the world and all the wonder therein. First there was darkness and light. Then land and water. And so on and so on. On a day overwrought with the possibility of what is next for us, we are reminded about the amazing beauty of our created world and all the possibility with which God created. And, the faith God must have had in creating everything, even us as humans.
But what about our created world is so amazing. What about this section of the Torah can we really derive some meaning and some understanding. Many in the world today point to these very words and insist that we teach this as the only way the world was created. Others try to meld the Big Bang theory of the universe to this text. But what these words remind us to be a bit less literal in our understanding. These words force us to remember a little bit about what it means to create. And what was entailed in our creation. Even more, what is at stake in our relationship and understanding of the created world around us.
Creation was an act of faith on the part of God. All the more so in creating beings who can think, live and be. It is we who must make the leap from the known to the unknowable, from the visible to the invisible, from what we see and infer to what lies beyond in our hopes. Ultimately relating to the blessing of life that is before us today and this New Year. We are able to see a microcosm of this relationship through our connection to the water which we are blessed to have so close to us in our beautiful city of San Diego.
Let us think about how water factors in our collective history and points us to our connection with it. A lot of good has come out of water, but also bad has emerged. Think of how marvelously water figured into our story when we crossed through the Red Sea and were redeemed from bondage in Egypt in the book of Exodus. And how we laud, Miriam, Moses' sister and water-bearer. But also remember the wrath that was wielded by God when Moses attempted to give the Israelites water in the book of Numbers. Water brings us life and rebirth but also can take it away, drowning our hopes in an abyss as we have seen too recently with major hurricanes, and tsunamis. Water is a mysterious symbol reminding us of how unpredictable life is. But also how beautiful and awe inspiring it is as well.
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Earlier today we read from the prayer "Unetanah Tokef." While the words are beautiful Hebrew poetry, the message is ominous and speaks to this unpredictability of life and the faith we must have in what we do.
The prayer reads:
Who shall live and who shall die…
Who by fire, and who by water
Who by sword and who by beast.
Who by hunger and who by thirst…
This is real wrath of God type stuff. And for many of us here, challenges us on one of the Holiest days of the year. But the point and the message is not in these daunting words rather in the refrain which bridges them. Reminding us of this partnership and faith God has in us and we, therefore must have with God.
Listen to how each verse ends:
OO'TESHUVA, OO'T'FILLAH, OO'TZEDAKAH, MA'AVERINE ET-ROAH HAG'ZAYRAH.
But repentance, prayer and charity, temper judgment's severe decree.
The key is in the word, MA'AVERINE. Usually this word is translated as "temper" but the word comes from the root, AVAR – to pass over or pass through…to continue. Meaning, then, repentance, prayer and charity allow us to pass over and through judgment's severe decree and all the challenges with which we have to deal. It allows us to act in order to change our lives. It allows us to have faith in the world around us. And it permits us to take some level of control in order to deal with the unpredictability of life.
OO'TESHUVA, OO'T'FILLAH, OO'TZEDAKAH, MA'AVERINE ET-ROAH HAG'ZAYRAH. But repentance, prayer and charity, allow us to pass through lifes uncertainties, verities and beauties. Heeding this message we are taking control of our lives and creating something new. Not with regret or concern or guarantee that it will all be perfect. Just created, as God created, and it was good.
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The proverbial ball has dropped into this New Jewish Year. Now, as we clean up from the celebration of our rebirth as a people, we prepare ourselves to be written in the book of life next week. We all have the power to define our lives amidst what we do not know. We face uncertainty. We face rocky waters. And we face rough seas. But we stare them down garnering strength from hope and with faith.
Converesly, also, we face the wonders, good times and joys of life as well. And we too stare them down and we live. No matter what, we will cross over and pass through and continue on. Acting justly, living righteously, living, being and blessing. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel's words remind us of this message when he teaches that:
"It takes three things to attain a sense of significance:
God, A Soul and a moment.
And these three things are always here.
Just to be is a blessing
Just to live is holy."
We must heed these words and be blessed by our challenges, our perspectives, and our own journeys. Now, as we walk to the edge of our waters of all that is possible and new in this New Year, we pray that the ocean of awe will flow into our own personal river of dreams. As we learn to live in partnership with the each other and ultimately, with the Divine.
Cain yehi ratzon…
Rabbi Glenn Ettman
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