Sermon by Rabbi Denise L. Eger, October 22, 2004

Shabbat Shalom

This week I am grateful. I was grateful for the distraction that came from the cantankerous and divisive rhetoric of the campaign trail. I was grateful for the National and American League Championship baseball games. I was grateful to watch the Astros take on the St. Louis Cardinals. I was grateful to watch the Boston Red Sox come from behind so dramatically to defeat the New York Yankees. I am grateful that for a few moments this past week I was able to focus on something other than every margin of error of too many polls, when the only poll that counts is the election on Nov. 2. I await the World Series tomorrow night and next week. Again, I am grateful that there is something other to focus on than the difficult state of the world and our country.

We love baseball in our house. I must confess that I have always loved baseball. Even as a young girl I had an extensive baseball card collection—a Pittsburgh Pirate baseball signed by all of the Pittsburgh Pirates of 1968 including Jim Bunning, Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente, Manny Mota and several signatures of the 1968 New York Mets as well including Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Al Weis and Ken Boswell. I guess my mother should have known then! But as I grew up—I left baseball aside for other things –like music. But always baseball was a part of my essence.

I have to say that my own son loves baseball and plays it so well is an added bonus that has brought a stronger bond to our family. So now we all follow not only the pro teams but also the teams in our pony league. And the beauty of Southern California is that we can play baseball not only in the spring and summer but here we are blessed with fall ball and fall ball clinics. So we spend a lot of time on the bleachers and I must confess too much time eating sunflower seeds! But there is a comfort in reconnecting with a passion of my childhood.

I believe there is poignancy in baseball that is different than other sports. Football is tough and mighty. You can feel the power as the tackle is made. Tennis is a spirited test not only of strength and skill but also of endurance and of psychology. Basketball is quick paced and rough, elbows flying trying to foul but not get caught. But baseball—paced and measured, a game of threes –three strikes, nine innings, and nine players on the field has a different tempo and rhythm. But in baseball something else happens—in addition to tracking the hits made and runs scored and runs batted in and batting averages—errors are tracked. The mistakes made are entered into the official scoring of the game. And there I think the difference lies.

While hockey has its penalty box, a track and field as well as swimming has a false start, football has fumbles---none of these go into the official scoring of the game. Only baseball has hits, runs and errors as part of the official scoring.

And there lies the difference.

We all make mistakes. We try to avoid them. We try to overcome them. But mistakes are inevitable. Sometime they come when we say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Or we do the wrong thing. We misjudge others or ourselves. We forget to say or do. We fail to live up to our own expectations or expectations of those we love and care about. It is inevitable—at one time or another we all make mistakes. Including ballplayers.

And in baseball there is a memory of those mistakes through the way the game is officially scored. If put into the perspective of self-reflection, the errors tell us a lot about the game, the players and the teams. The errors as scored often tell the tale of wins and losses.

So too for us, the errors and mistakes we make, can if we self-reflect, help us learn more those on our team and about ourselves! The successes of our lives as well as the errors can lead us on a journey of discovery about who we are- our true selves. Our personal box scores—of runs and hits and errors help us tell our own stories of change, and growth, if we pay attention to them and keep the memory of them near.

Former manager Alvin Dark was asked to compare teams he managed over the years. "With the A's we depended upon pitching and speed to win. With the Giants we depended upon pitching and power to win. With the Cleveland Indians we depended upon an act of God." Even in baseball faith sometimes must be the driving force.

This week’s parasha is Lech Lecha is about an act of God—the beginning of the story of the Jewish people. This is the week—God calls Avram and Sarai to the land of Cannaan. This is the week –God makes the covenant with them, the promise of nations to come and descendants to carry on their names. This is the week the journey to a land that God will show us –begins.

But what is that journey? Is it a physical journey? Clearly the story of Torah tells us it is. From the land of Haran to the Promised Land of Eretz Yisrael . But I think it is more than that. This week’s parasha is metaphor—This is a journey of self-discovery. This is a journey of self-identity, a journey within.

The very name of the parasha is a clue to this. The literal meaning of the words “Lech Lecha” is --go to your self. What does this mean? The great rabbinic commentator Rashi explains that God promised Avram that the journey would be for his own benefit. Although travel is costly and unsettling and difficult in ancient times, God assured him the journey would bring blessing, fame, and descendants. “All the families of earth shall bless themselves by you.”--God says.

And as God promised our ancestors Avram and Sarai so too this is a promise to each of us that through our journey within, our journey to self-discovery, to Jewish connection through faith in our God we will receive blessings that we can appreciate in our own lives. In a deeper sense, God told Abraham go to your true being! Going on this journey to his self and deepening his faith in God would not be a negation of himself, but would allow him to reach his true essence. And that indeed is the Promised Land.

For the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox—they too have reached their Promised Land this week--- a trip to the World Series. But only after they journeyed through a long and arduous season—and a long playoff series as well. They journeyed through runs and hits and yes, errors—to make it.

So too for us… may our own journeys of self-discovery—take us to the Promised Land of self knowledge, and faith, self-discovery and confidence in the blessing of the covenant that God not only made with our ancestors but with each of… Lech Lecha—Go forth from your ancestors’ land—toward yourself—to yourself—and ultimately toward God.

Sermon by Rabbi Denise L. Eger, October 15, 2004

Shabbat Shalom,

There is perhaps no more beloved children’s bible story than the one from this week’s Torah portion. The love of the story of Noah and the Ark spans both Jewish and Christians worlds. A walk into any children’s store will see that Noah and the ark full of saved animals is often a theme used on wall decorations, wall paper, art, sheets and pillow cases. We find the story interpreted in children’s toys, children’s clothing, stories, videos and books and songs. This is a children’s story of the kindly old man who God appoints as savior of the known world—saving the animals two by two—in a special boat called the ark—as the rains flood the earth washing it clean of all of the evil. This story of the triumph of good over evil—with beautiful rainbows at the end seems so childlike and cute. But the truth is that it is a complicated story. Filled complicated questions about a God who would destroy the world that was just created a week before. And what does it say about humanity’s capacity for evil and wickedness to one another that in the span of a week—we can go from the Garden of Eden to debauchery so great that the only way to save the world is to destroy almost everything in it? And Noah and his family, who following the flood, deal with many issues that survivors of great tragedies deal with—you might say-their actions show significant Post traumatic stress syndrome—as Noah plants a vineyard—drinks himself to excess, has some strange encounter with his son- Ham —and then curses his son. These are hardly the actions of a family of love and righteousness.

And yet, this dialectic between the sweet bible story of Noah and the deeper adult exploration of the story of Noah is important for us to remember. Judaism has many levels. Our learning as Jews should never stop. All too often religious school studies cease after the Bar or Bat Mitzvah ceremony—never again to delve in depth into the teachings of our people. Thus many Jews walk around with the 10 or 12-year-old view of our traditions, our stories and religion. Perhaps some of you still think of the story of Noah and the ark as nothing more than a tale of animals!

But that is why tonight I want to call your attention to a National observance this weekend. This weekend is National Children’s Sabbath. Around the country, Jewish, Christian, Moselm, Bahai and other communities of faith will celebrate and raise awareness in their worship and social justice programs children in our country and their plight.

Children in America are in crisis. They are the poorest of our citizenry. They have little or no health coverage, they are at greatest risk of drug use and prison like never before. For the first time in 40 years the infant mortality rate in our country has risen. In February of this year the Washington Post reported: “The number of U.S. babies dying shortly after birth has crept up for the first time in more than four decades” “The United States has long had one of the highest infant mortality rates among developed countries, but the rate had either declined or remained steady every year since 1958. So government scientists were caught off guard when a preliminary analysis of the most recent data showed that the infant mortality rate had inched up.” “The surprising increase has raised alarm because the infant mortality rate is considered a fundamental measure of a society's well-being,” the article continued.

With all the talk at the debates this past week, about President Bush’s No Child Left Behind, education bill. The truth of the matter is that children in our country are increasingly left behind.

Children of today will not have a better tomorrow that we were all once promised. Not a better physical world as pollution and our environment deteriorates, not a safer world, as terrorism and violence seem so pervasive, not a richer world as our huge deficits cripple our economic well being in this country Children of today have less access to healthcare and even to shelter and housing as prices of homes and apartments have reached new astronomical levels.

Now I know that some of you, will say who cares—I am not a parent, I don’t have kids, I don’t even like children—they’re annoying. And yes, they can be annoying. I’ve met a few adults who can be annoying as well. But the one thing we adults have in common with children—is that each of us was once one. Each of us remember the problems and sore points of our childhood, the struggles and demons we faced and we remember the joys of our childhood—even if that meant growing up and getting out of the house we grew up in!

Children are at risk in our society. And we need to be aware that Jewish tradition holds all adults responsible for the well being of society’s children—even if one doesn’t have children themselves. In Maimonides, Hilchot Talmud Torah Chapter 2 states: If a city has made no provision for the education of the young, its inhabitants are placed under a ban, until teachers have been engaged. If they persistently neglect this duty, the city is excommunicated, for the world only survives in the merit of the breath of schoolchildren.”

Children’s education and safety are paramount in Jewish teaching—we say L’dor vador—from generation to generation—that is how our tradition is preserved—from you to them—even if you don’t have children yourself. —.

But what about here in our own congregation—We also need to deal with children in a way we haven’t really faced it before. I know there are some of you who grumbled when we began a religious school five years ago. Who grumble about the cost to the temple—“Why should I pay for religious school when I don’t have children?”, who grumble about early family services once a month, who are displeased when children show up at services with their parents. I have heard members say to me—“This is an adult temple—let them go elsewhere.”

But I want to tell those of you who think that this synagogue is for adults only—you are mistaken. This is a synagogue whose demographics are shifting. There are more than 100 children who are members of this congregation. 50 of which attend religious school on Sunday mornings. Children of gay parents and children of straight parents. And soon once a month on Saturdays our younger children—15 months –3 years will be meeting regularly for learning and play. Yes, our temple is changing and we are trying to meet the needs and demands of all our members. Parents pay additional sums of money for religious school, and kids programming.

This is a congregation that must learn to welcome its children. These are the children that in the not too distant future—will be the ones to vote—the kids who have been Bar and Bat Mitzvah this year—will be voting in five years. Do you not think that growing up in this congregation they are going to have be supported of civil rights for gay people, or marriage rights for gay folk? Do you think that the children of our congregation will be more sensitive to funding for HIV/AIDS services?

Our children of our congregation are learning about an inclusive and progressive Judaism and that is a good thing. Our children will grow up and go to college and maybe come home to Los Angeles. They will join our congregation as adults and perhaps send their own children to Kol Ami Religious school—this will truly be L’Dor vador—from generation to generation. Then how will we define ourselves?

There are some of us who don’t like change. Well the truth is most of us don’t like change. But let me let you in on a secret. Change happens—all the time. And our congregation is changing and growing in healthy ways.

We have in the last couple of years brought in a significant number of new members and in particular in the last 6 months many of you have joined the congregation. We need you and your gifts of talent and time to build this congregation and make it even stronger.

We are a diverse congregation—we are not gay only—we are gay and straight. We are parents and non-parents. We are men and women. We are coupled and single. We are old and young. We are adults and childrens. We are Jews by birth and Jews by choice. We as a community need to remember this. We truly reflect diversity—and this trend is growing.

But just because we are changing—doesn’t mean we have to give up on our core values-that celebrate Jewish gay life, that commits to a inclusive feminist view of theology or helps us draw closer to Israel, or our focus on being an advocate in the area of social justice and committed to social action and a leader and role model in this area. We are committed not only to our children’s education but to expand adult Jewish education and help adults have better access to Jewish observance, ritual and spirituality. All of these are things we can and must be committed to.

So as we return to the Noah story on this Shabbat—we are reminded that although we might teach and learn from this story one way as children, we teach and learn from this story another way as adults. But both teachings and the learning must exist together in our congregational setting.

May we grow lador vador –from generation to generation---Ken Yehi Ratzon.

“Why was there violence in Gilead? Because they made
what is primary secondary and what is secondary primary.
How so? Because they loved their possessions more than
their own children.”
(Midrash Tanhuma, Mattot)

Sermon by Rabbi Denise L. Eger, October 8, 2004

Shabbat Shalom,

The feast of Sukkot—The feast of booths is officially over. The sukkah decorations are put away, the palm fronds on the roof—have dried out—the myrtle and willow leaves fallen off the lulav, and the Torah covers have returned from their holiday whites to their everyday mantles. Life begins to return to its normal pace. No more Jewish holidays til Chanukah. But now our attention turns from one booth—the temporary booth of the sukkah to the voting booth. In less than a month we and our fellow citizens will execute our right to vote. We will choose the direction of our nation for the next for years. While some of you tonight no doubt were able to watch the debates between the Presidential candidates, surely it is a closely fought election. Neck and Neck as they say.

In addition to who will be the next President of the United States—there are many other issues before us on the ballot. Here in our own state of California, our system of ballot initiatives, cover a wide variety of topics, from gambling to bond initiatives, election reform to healthcare.

While it is impossible for me to go over every ballot initiative with you, tonight on the Shabbat Bereshit—this first Shabbat of the new Torah reading cycle, I would like to highlight one initiative that is on the ballot in November and to look it not from a partisan point of view but from a Jewish point of view. For if we must not only dwell in our sukkah—our booth for the week of the harvest festival but we must carry our Jewish values with us into the voting booth too.

Al tifrosh min hatzibur—Do not separate yourself from the community. This quote from Pirke Avot in the Talmud, The Ethics of our Ancestors, teaches us that we must be involved in the life and thinking of our society. We cannot just sit on the sidelines. Rather we must use our system of values, and ethics and bring them to the communal table. We must be involved in our community; our Jewish community and yes, our larger community of Los Angeles, of our State and of our nation. One way we do this is by voting. And so tonight—I am going to first remind you of your Jewish obligation to vote. GO VOTE. Get out your organizer, your date book , your Palm Pilot, your calendar-- and make sure that you write it in… on Tuesday Nov. 2. ELECTION DAY IS TUESDAY NOV. 2. before 8pm. If you can’t go vote, then do it absentee. But don’t sit out. Make your voice known. No excuses—for not voting.

Secondly, I want to call your attention to proposition 71 --Proposition 71 is called the Stem Cell research Funding proposition. 71 will authorize issuing $3billion in bonds to establish a new state institute to regulate and fund stem cell research.

As you may know, Cells are the basic building blocks of the human body. These tiny structures compose the skin, muscles, bones and all of the internal organs. They also hold many of the keys to how our bodies function. Cells serve both a structural and a functional role in the body, performing an almost endless variety of actions to sustain the body's tissues and organs. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of different specialized cells.

Specifically, stem cells are able to turn into other cells or tissues. Because of this trait, scientists are convinced they offer a revolutionary means of treating various diseases and repairing damaged tissues by replacing the ill cells. Stem cells are believed to be able to treat such diseases such a Parkinson’s, Lou Gherig’s Disease or ALS, there is even thought that Stem Cells might be used to treat diabetes and AIDS. Long-term research is still needed to find out the exact mechanism of this transformation, however. This initiative would help fund that research.

There are two general categories of stem cells. Those still found in adults and those found in embryos. For many years, scientists have conducted studies to determine whether the stem cells in adult tissue have the same developmental capability as embryonic stem cells. The general consensus is that adult stem cells seem to be less versatile. Scientists think that embryonic stem cells have a much greater utility and potential than the adult stem cells, because embryonic stem cells may develop into virtually every type of cell in the human body. Adult stem cells, on the other hand, may only be able to develop into a limited number of cell types.

Embryonic stem cells could be made available from the embryos that are at the present time stored away. Most often these embryos, fertilized in vitro, for use by those who are trying to conceive are thrown away. It is expensive to store these embryos over time and many families choose not to pay for and keep these embryos.

In August of 2001, President Bush gave a major speech and that set important policy of the federal government in regards to stem cell research. President Bush limited the number and use of available stem cells for research. He said:

“Embryonic stem cell research is at the leading edge of a series of moral hazards. The initial stem cell researcher was at first reluctant to begin his research, fearing it might be used for human cloning. Scientists have already cloned a sheep. Researchers are telling us the next step could be to clone human beings to create individual designer stem cells, essentially to grow another you, to be available in case you need another heart or lung or liver.
I strongly oppose human cloning, as do most Americans. We recoil at the idea of growing human beings for spare body parts, or creating life for our convenience. And while we must devote enormous energy to conquering disease, it is equally important that we pay attention to the moral concerns raised by the new frontier of human embryo stem cell research. Even the most noble ends do not justify any means.”

President Bush’s watershed policy statement allows federal funding for embryonic stem cell research but only on a limited number of stem cell lines that had previously been created. This was limited to existing stem cell lines and shut off the possibility of any new lines for research funded by the federal government. Thus frozen embryos—that parents had conceived in a quest for bearing children—and that ultimately will be discarded, could be used to save lives are not available for research. Embryonic stem cells could be made available from these embryos that are at the present time stored away. Most often these embryos, fertilized in vitro, for use by those who are trying to conceive are thrown away. Parents cannot even make the decision to donate them once they have decided not to develop these cells. It is expensive to store these embryos over time and many families choose not to pay for and keep these embryos.

But the present federal policy won’t allow for this research or use.

Our Jewish tradition reminds us that while only God can create life, God has charged humans with doing everything possible to preserve it. “I have put before you this day life and death. Choose life, that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:20). We just read this passage on Yom Kippur Day. As our Reform movement noted in a 1993 resolution on fetal tissue research, Jewish authorities have used the concept of pikuach nefesh, or the primary responsibility to save human life, which overrides almost all other laws, to approve a broad range of medical experimentation. Cutting off funding for medical research that has such tremendous potential benefits - even where, as here, it raises complex and far-reaching issues - is both immoral and unethical according to our tradition.

Our tradition teaches us that human life is of infinite value and that the preservation of life supersedes almost all other considerations. We, as Jews, believe that God endowed humanity with the understanding and ability to become partners with God in making a better world. The use of our wisdom to cure illnesses has been a central theme in Jewish thought and history. Jewish tradition would also embrace the notion of the community banding together to provide this research. While there are fiscal implications in the issuing of bonds to pay for this research, our tradition would also teach that the needs represented by those who seek help from stem cell research and stem cell therapies is part of our communal responsibility as well. The 3 billion dollar principal and 3 billion dollar interest of these bonds estimated over the next 30 years is warranted by the Jewish emphasis on encouraging scientific research and caring for the ill. Maimonidies the great Jewish scholar and doctor, wrote extensively about medicine, research and the Jewish responsibility for making it happen.

While embryos have the potential for life. Jewish tradition does not believe that the clump of cells is yet life. Thus the embryos that would merely be destroyed or thrown out should be used for research—according to Jewish tradition.

That is why proposition 71 viewed from a Jewish perspective is a proposition I support. We Californians can do and should do what our federal government refuses to do—and that is save life.

We through our vote can give the gift of hope to millions who suffer at the hands of debilitating diseases. We can truly save a life. Let us go now from our sukkat shalom—our booth of peace to a sukkat tikvah—to our booth of hope. For that is what the voting booth can be on Nov. 2 –in regards to stem cell research.

Shabbat Shalom.