How Jews ShouldBo74 Riemer

BO74

TORAH-FAX 5774 BO
HOW JEWS SHOULD TRAVEL BY RABBI JACK RIEMER
There is a passage in todays Torah reading that has een the te!t o" many# many sermons y ra is# in$luding me% But this morning# & want to use this passage to tea$h a lesson that is di""erent "rom the one that it is usually used to tea$h% 't the eginning o" the sedra# (haraoh and the people o" )gypt are e!hausted% They ha*e gone through se*en plagues in a row and they are worn out% 'nd so# his ad*isors say to (haraoh+ ,How long will this man# -oses# e a snare to us. /et the men go to worship the /ord their 0od already% 1an you not see that )gypt is lost.2 That was not an easy thing "or the ad*isors to say to (haraoh% They too3 their li*es in their hands y saying to him+ ,1ant you see that )gypt is lost. 4ont you reali5e that it is time to gi*e up and let the people o" &srael go.2 (haraoh $ould *ery easily ha*e said to them+ ,How dare you tal3 to me li3e that.2 He $ould ha*e said+ ,O"" with their heads62 But (haraoh did not say that% &nstead# he summons -oses a$3 to the pala$e# and he says to him+ ,O3ay6 O3ay6 )nough already6 & will let you go to worship the /ord your 0od% But on one $ondition+ & want to ma3e sure that you $ome a$3# and so & want to 3now+ e!a$tly who do you intend to ta3e with you on this three day 7ourney. (haraoh "igures that you only need men i" you are going to ser*e the /ord% )*idently# (haraoh did not elong to an egalitarian $ongregation# where men and women ha*e e8ual rights# and so he as3s+ 9ho do you intend to ta3e with you on this three day 7ourney to worship the /ord. He "igures that i" -oses says+ we are only going to ta3e the men with us on this 7ourney# and that# i" they lea*e the women and the $hildren ehind in )gypt# then there is a strong li3elihood that they

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will $ome a$3# ut i" they ta3e e*eryone with them# there is a real possi ility that they will 3eep on going and es$ape "rom )gypt% 9hat is -osess answer to (haraohs 8uestion. He says+ , inureynu u*i53uneynu neyley$h2 ; we will go with our young and our old together% 9e will go with our sons and our daughters together% 'nd when (haraoh hears that# he says+ no deal% & will not let you go# e$ause# i" you ta3e your entire "amilies with you# there is no $han$e that you will $ome a$3% &" you ta3e the entire people o" &srael with you# the li3elihood is that you will 3eep on going until you rea$h the (romised /and# and we will ne*er see you again% 'nd so he turns down the re8uest o" -oses that the &sraelites e allowed to go on this three day 7ourney# and he throws him out o" the pala$e% That is the story# as it is "ound in the Torah% <ow# who 3nows how this story has een interpreted y ra is down through the $enturies. -any# many ra is# in$luding this one# ha*e used this phrase o" -oses+ ,we will go with our young and our old together2 as a spring oard "or a sermon on the importan$e o" $aring a out the Jewish edu$ation o" our youth% & ha*e spo3en# and you ha*e heard other ra is spea3# many times on this *erse% 'nd we ha*e said+ <oti$e that the youth are mentioned "irst% <oti$e that -oses says+ we will go with our young and our old together% 'nd there"ore# let this synagogue o" ours ha*e the same priorities that he had% /et us in*est in the Jewish edu$ation o" our youth# "or the "uture o" our people depends on them% -oses put them "irst;;;and so should we% /et us put a high priority on our s$hool and on our youth a$ti*ities program# "or i" we dont# the Jewish way o" li"e will end with us% That is the sermon# as you ha*e heard it "rom me and "rom many other ra is down

through the years% But this morning# & want to treat this *erse di""erently% & want to read it as meaning+ 9e will go ; not only with our youth ; ut with our old as well#

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e$ause & elie*e that honoring# and $aring a out# and ma3ing use o" the talents o" our old people is 7ust as essential to our "uture as $aring a out the wel"are o" our youth% This morning# & want to ma3e the $ase that we should ma3e use o" the old in our $ommunity# "or i" we dont# we *iolate the Torah# we *iolate the law o" the land# and we waste resour$es that our $ommunity needs *ery mu$h% 9hat mo*es me to tal3 a out this today is an essay y Ra & read re$ently% & $ant say "or sure what moti*ated Ra i Je""rey >% Sal3in that

i Sal3in to write this essay#

ut & ha*e two guesses% One is that he is a "an o" Ro$3 musi$# and the other is that he re$ently went through the e!perien$e o" $hoosing and eing $hosen "or a new pulpit% Ra i Sal3in is one o" the most talented ra is in the $ountry# and so & is who ha*e di""i$ulty "inding a assume that his own e!perien$e was not *ery di""i$ult# ut & imagine that it may ha*e made him "eel more sympathy "or other ra un$orre$ta le sin o" eing in their "i"ties% Ra i Sal3in pointed out something in his essay that & had not noti$ed e"ore# and pulpit# simply e$ause they ha*e $ommitted the irrepara le# un"orgi*a le# and

that you may not ha*e noti$ed either% He pointed it out to me that Bru$e Springsteen is ?4 years old# that James Taylor is ?@ years old# that )ri$ 1lapton is ?A years old# that Joni -it$hell is 7B years old# that (aul -$1artney is 71 years old# that (aul Simon is 7: years old# that Bo 4ylan is 7: years old# and that /eonard 1ohen# who is the grand old man o" Ro$3 -usi$# is 7C years old% 'nd not one o" these giants o" ro$3 musi$ has retired yet% <ot one o" them is li*ing in an old age home% &nstead# e*ery single one o" them is still out on the road# still strumming away on their guitars# and still singing their musi$# and people are still $oming out y the thousands to hear them# and to sing with them# and to $heer "or them%

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)*ery one o" these ro$3 stars would answer (haraohs 8uestion the same way that -oses did% They would say+ o" $ourse we are going to go to ser*e the /ord# "or how would these youngsters 3now what to do or how to per"orm without us. O" $ourse we are going to go to ser*e the /ord# and i" the young people are smart# they will "all in line ehind us# and learn how to sing and how to ser*e the /ord y wat$hing us% Ra i Sal3in says that that is the way it e*idently is in the world o" ro$3 musi$%

The giants are still around# still singing# still mo*ing "rom $ity to $ity# still oun$ing around on the stage# and still singing their hearts out% 'nd the longer they do it# the more honor and the more appre$iation they re$ei*e% Dn"ortunately# says Ra i Sal3in# it is not li3e that in Jewish li"e% <ot at all% He

says that he met a Jewish edu$ator re$ently who poured out his heart to him% This edu$ator has done a "ine 7o all his li"e% He is an e!perien$ed# $apa le# $reati*e and talented person% He is respe$ted y his $olleagues# y his "ellow tea$hers# y his students# and y their parents% But this year# the synagogue that he wor3s "or "ell into hard times# and so it had to $ut a$3 on its sta""% 'nd there"ore# he has een loo3ing "or a new position% 'nd so "ar# a"ter many months o" loo3ing# he has not een a le to "ind one% 4o you 3now why. He has not een a le to "ind a new position e$ause he is now in his early "i"ties% He $annot e*en get an inter*iew "or most o" the positions he applies "or# e$ause they are loo3ing "or someone who is younger# someone who will e a le to relate to the 3ids# and someone who will e with them "or many years to $ome%

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'nd this man said two things to Ra

i Sal3in that ro3e his heart+ Eirst# he said#

dont these $ongregations 3now that ageism is against 'meri$an law. Fou are not allowed to dis$riminate against the old# any more than you are allowed to dis$riminate against women# or against mem ers o" any ethni$ or religious group% 4ont these $ongregations reali5e that they are *iolating 'meri$an law. 'nd the se$ond thing he said was+ dont these people e*er go to shule. 9erent they in synagogue on the Sha ser*i$es on this Sha at o" >idoshim when we read in the Torah the words+ ,Gihadarta piney 5a3en2 ; you shall honor the aged. 9erent they at at o" Bo when we read "rom the Torah the words o" -oses+ ,Binureynu u*i53uneynu neyle$h2Hwe will go with our young and our old together. 9ere they not in synagogue at least on Fom >ippur# when we re$ite "i*e times+ on$e during -aari*# on$e during Sha$harit# on$e during -ussa"# on$e during -in$hah# and on$e during <eilah ; that heart rending plea+ ,'l tashli$heynu let 5i3nah2 ; do not throw us away when we grow old% Surely# Ra i Sal3ins "riend said+ i" we as3 that o" 0od# must we not as3 that o" oursel*es and o" ea$h other. How $an people who say these words sit on personnel $ommittees that *iolate these words. 'nd sin$e when has I5i3nah# whi$h used to mean Ithe *ery old# $ome to mean Ipeople who are middle aged as well. Ra i Sal3in says that he did not 3now what to say when this itter edu$ator

poured out his heart to him this way% He did not 3now how to de"end those synagogues that $ommit the sin o" ageism% He really didnt% 'nd neither do &% But he did thin3 o" one thing that he would say i" he $ould spea3 to the personnel $ommittees o" those synagogues that $ommit the sin o" dis$riminating against the old% He would not tell them the story o" Ra and say it was a u i '3i*a who started studying at the i )lie5er age o" 4B and e$ame the leader o" all &srael# e$ause they would dismiss that story e maise% He would not tell them the story o" Ra

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en '5arya who had to lie a out his age and pretend that he was older than he really was in order to e$ome the head o" the Sanhedrin% He would not tell them those stories# e$ause he 3new that they would dismiss these stories as Talmudi$ legends# not to e ta3en seriously% 'nd so he says that i" he $ould spea3 to these personnel $ommittees that $ommit the sin o" ageism# he would tell them the story o" Ra i Herman S$haalman instead% i Herman S$haalman is. Ra i Herman S$haalman is one is whom other

4o you 3now who Ra

o" the giants o" Jewish li"e in our time% He is a thin3er# and a past president o" the 1entral 1on"eren$e o" 'meri$an Ra ra Ra is# and he is one o" those ra is turn to when they are in sear$h o" guidan$e% 'nd this is his story+ i S$haalman was one o" the "i*e students o" the Ho$hshule in 0ermany whom

the He rew Dnion 1ollege in 'meri$a sa*ed and rought o*er "rom 0ermany 7ust in time# e"ore the gates o" 0ermany swung shut% 'll "i*e o" these students turned out to e e""e$ti*e and talented ra is# who enri$hed Jewish li"e in 'meri$a% Bringing them o*er "rom 0ermany turned out to e# not only a great good deed whi$h sa*ed their li*es# ut a wonder"ul in*estment "or 'meri$an Jewry# "or ea$h o" these "i*e students did mu$h to impro*e Jewish li"e in 'meri$a% Ra i S$haalman was ordained y the He rew Dnion 1ollege in 1in$innati# and i o" a small $ongregation in the -idwest# i o" Temple

"rom there he went on to ser*e as the ra

and then as the regional dire$tor o" the Dnion o" Re"orm 1ongregations in the -idwest# and then he went on to ser*e "or many years as the ra )manuel in 1hi$ago% One o" his ma7or a$hie*ements during his years as the regional dire$tor o" the Dnion was that he helped to "orm the Olin;Sang;Ru y $amp in 9is$onsin% That $amp is the "lagship o" the $amps that the Dnion now runs% 'nd "or many years

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now# Ra

i S$haalman has een going a$3 to that $amp during part o" ea$h

summer% 'nd while he is there# he tea$hes the $ounselors# and he tells stories to the $ampers# and he $harms the sta"" and the 3ids ali3e% They lo*e to sit around him and listen as he tells them stories% 'nd do you 3now how old Ra i S$haalman is. He is C7 years old6 C7 years old6

'nd yet he still has the a ility to hold the 3ids at $amp spell ound with his stories# and he still has the a ility to im ue them with Jewish *alues% He $an still do so at the age o" C7 etter than many ra is who are hal" his age%

There"ore# on all the other years when we read this sedra# & tal3 a out this *erse# in whi$h -oses says to (haraoah+ ,9e will go with our young and our old together2# and & say that it means that we should $are a out our young and that we should in*est our "unds and our energy in their edu$ation% But this year & want to draw a di""erent lesson "rom this *erse i" & may% This year ; in honor o" Bru$e Springsteen# and Bo 4ylan# and /eonard 1ohen and Joni -it$hell and all the other old "ol3 who are still ma3ing good musi$ ; and in honor o" Ra the many other ra i Herman S$haalman and is whom you and & 3now who are still tea$hing good Torah

e*en though they are up in years# and in sympathy with that edu$ator whom & ha*e told you a out today who is ha*ing trou le "inding a position# e*en though he is $apa le# talented and $reati*e# 7ust e$ause he has rea$hed the ripe old age o" "i"ty something# and in pride that we li*e in a land that has outlawed ageism# 7ust as it has outlawed e*ery other "orm o" dis$rimination# and in pride that we are the inheritors o" a Torah that tea$hes us to re*ere the old and to ma3e use o" their talents# let me 7oin with -oses and let me in*ite you to 7oin with me# and let us say together# as he did to (haraoh se*eral thousand years ago ; , inureynu# u*i53uneynu neyle$h2 ; we will go with our young and with our old together# hand in hand# heart with heart# to ser*e the /ord%

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Eor this is the way that Jews ha*e always tra*eled through li"e# and this is the way that Jews should always tra*el% 'nd to this# let us all say;;; y our deeds as well as y our words+ 'men%