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)

Posted by Lee at October 19, 2004 11:12 AM