Sermon by Rabbi Denise L. Eger, May 30, 2006

Shabbat Shalom,

We have just read from our weekly Parasha the beginning of the book of Numbers a recounting of the death of Nadav and Abihu—two of Aaron’s sons. This isn’t the actual story. The story of their death is recorded in Leviticus chapter 10. They brought a sacrifice that was called an alien sacrifice upon the altar. One that God didn’t ask for. Much has been written about this sacrifice and the incident that caused their death. But the fact that this story is repeated in the Torah is actually an important point. It reminds that that we don’t always learn the lessons the first time around! I don’t know about you but my parents often had to say things on several occasions to motivate me to do them. It is no less true for adults than kids!

We all need reminders at times to live up to our responsibilities. And we sometimes have to be told numerous times to get us to even consider changing our ways. And yet we still fall back into the same patterns.
Certainly throughout the Israelites’ journey in the wilderness, although they had seen God’s great power and experienced the Divine voice at Sinai, their faith went lacking. They saw the Red Sea split, and yet they doubted Moses would deliver. They heard the voice of God ring out the Ten Commandments and saw the smoke and thunder on Mt. Sinai but still doubted that Moses would return. God sent food, manna and water in the desert and yet they doubted that God would deliver them safely to the Promised Land.
We have to be told time and time again. We have to be shown time and time again and thus the story must get repeated both in Leviticus and now in the book of Numbers.
Which is why tonight I am going to talk again about marriage. I know some of you think we shouldn’t bother with this topic. It is a broken institution some say. Less people in the world are marrying and in our country one out of every 2 marriages end in Divorce.
But on June 5 our Congress is set to once again take on the Federal Marriage Amendment that would enshrine discrimination into our Constitution. It would take to the federal level an amendment to our constitution to forbid the recognition of marriage of gay and lesbian couples. But The FMA also would prevent legislative or judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex couples or other unmarried persons. There have already been hearings on the topic in both the House and the Senate. Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin (Whose sister is a Reform Rabbi) was so disgusted by the process he left in protest.
Now many people say it doesn’t have a chance of ever being passed since it will take 2/3 of the Congress both the Senate and the House to approve it plus it will take 3/4 of the State legislature or state constitutional conventions to approve any change to our National Constitution and those are big hurdles. According to the website www.Stateline. Org. “Thirty-nine states already prohibit gay and lesbian couples from marrying with laws modeled after the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Passed by Congress in 1996, the federal DOMA bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages and allows states to ignore gay marriages performed elsewhere.”
But even if these votes are symbolic—and have no chance of passing, each hearing, each try by the right-wing extremists to further marginalize gay and lesbian lives and families is a victory for them of sorts. They create their platforms for their vision which puts many of us on the defensive. We have to always be in reactive mode. We have to always be putting out fires.
But most important when so many in our own community are ambivalent about marriage in the first place it makes it difficult to secure this right. Even if you are not one who would ever see yourself get married, the truth of the matter is that our society functions around the institution of marriage. From our tax structures to our inheritance structures to the very ways family is defined—marriage is the operative institution. Now perhaps we ought to be merely lobbying for changes in the tax code or inheritance laws. And that might all be true, but there are still many who long to have their relationships celebrated and honored by family and friends and community and to be recognized as kin to one another. There are many who want to stand under the chupah and be married.
As Jews marriage is an important ritual. It is the core of our relationships. And it is at the core of our theology. In fact as we are about to observe the holiday of Shavuot—the image marriage plays a central motif in the Shavuot midrashic literature. God is seen as the bridegroom and Israel as the bride and the Ten Commandments and Torah as our Ketubah—our covenant of marriage between the parties. In fact the Rabbis describe Mt. Sinai being held over Israel’s head’s as the chupah is held above the wedding party’s heads at the ceremony!
Even our Haftarah this Shabbat from the book of Hosea stresses this idea—I will betroth you to me forever, I will betroth you to me in righteousness and justice, goodness and compassion. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. Hosea speaks of the time when Israel and God will be united and devoted to one another as they were in the days “When she came up from the land of Egypt.” (Hosea 2:17). There is a longing for the early days of married life between God and Israel.
So too in Megillat Ruth which we read on Shavuot, marriage and devotion is a central theme. Through marriage Ruth stays with her mother-in – law. In fact, the words Ruth speaks in devotion to her mother-in- law Naomi have become words shared at gay weddings worldwide. “Wherever you lodge I will lodge, wherever you go I shall go, Your people shall be my people and your God my God.” They do something radical for their era and they keep at least for awhile a woman-centered household at a time when that wouldn’t happen. Indeed the story turns on Boaz becoming Ruth’s redeemer and as next of kin he marries her. But for a while in our very own Bible we can see a future for a household headed by two women!
So for us fighting the Federal Marriage Amendment is a critical act of not only justice but flows out of our theology as Jews. We believe in marriage. We Jews believe that marriage is a sacred state of being for a couple. And we believe that marriage ought to be available to gay couple and straight couples without the interference of the government in our lives and in our religion.
Many things get said in these platforms of the radical right. Many things will be said that will be hurtful to gay people in the days ahead as this vote goes to the Senate. The radical right will get their message out that somehow their theology is superior and their theology is the only correct theology. But we need to be armed and ready. That our Theology—our Jewish theology holds marriage dear—not just for straight folks but for those gay and lesbian couples who wish to enter into familial relationships. It is not about sex or bedroom doors. This is about family and kin. This is about holiness and happiness. This is about Justice and faith.
Please call our senators. Even though they are both on the record as opposing this Amendment. They need to hear from us. Please call your Congressman or woman. They need to hear from us. You can be sure they are hearing from the other side. Let’s let them hear from people of faith who believe that the federal government has no place in this discussion –and that are religion, our theology encourages marriage for all.

Ken yehi Ratzon
So be it God’s will.

“Da Vinci Code” by Rabbi Denise L. Eger, Sermon on May 19, 2006

Shabbat Shalom,

There is no escaping this week’s blockbuster movie opening of the “Da Vinci Code”. It is everywhere. Tom Hanks peers down at us from countless billboards, buses, and bus shelters! While I haven’t seen the movie yet, (although I am sure that I will), I did read the book a long while ago…when it first came out. It is a printing phenomenon, with over 60 million books in print! Translated into 44 different languages. It has taken the book world by storm.

Author Dan Brown has woven a fast paced tale of intrigue that carries the main character Robert Langdon, from the streets of Paris and a murder at the Louvre museum to the far reaches of Scotland and Rosslyn Chapel chasing a long lost secret that threatens the very fabric of Christianity. This is a story that contains murder, mayhem, secret codes, the Knights Templar and Vatican conspiracies.

The premise of the book is based on a theory about the search for the Holy Grail. As you may know the Holy Grail is supposedly the cup used by Jesus of Nazareth during the meal known as the Last Supper. This cup was then used by one Joseph of Aramathea to catch some of Jesus’ blood when he was crucified on the cross. This cup entered into folklore with a great flurry, including being an important focus of the Arthurian Legends. It was connected with the Knights Templar—a secret society of Knight dedicated to protecting the remnants of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem as well as relics of the early church including finding and guarding the Holy Grail. The grail legend infuses medieval texts and stories, epic poems, operas like Parsifal, and the movies such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and now the Da Vinci Code.

But this story turns on a different understanding of the Grail… and the Holy Grail of the Da Vinci code is none other than the progeny of Jesus. Dan Brown took a theory that had long been bandied about and brought it to the attention of the world in a new way. This theory is that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and she had a child by him. Following his death, Mary fled to France with her child. That child, a daughter, Sarah was then connected to the Merovingian dynasty of kings who ruled over France in the middle ages. Thus the Holy Grail—is not a chalice that held the blood of Jesus but the bloodline of Jesus.

Further, a secret society called the Priory of Sion—which indeed is the French word for ZION—another name for Israel—is charged with guarding the secret, guarding the descendants of Jesus, and the secret religion of female centered spirituality that Jesus and Mary supposedly were dedicated to.

This theory embedded in the “The Da Vinci Code,” has caused many Catholic Church leaders to call for a boycott of this film. The Catholic Church in particular feels threatened by this story because it basic premise eats away at its hierarchical, male centered Church. And to them it is nothing short of blasphemy to call for a female-centered spirituality when God is envisioned as a man!

The story upsets many other Christian leaders because they fear the popularity of this story. Even though it is a book of fiction, they fear it will cause many to question the basic premise of Christianity which is that Jesus was God on earth and that he died on the crucifix and was resurrected three days later. Nowhere in their bible does it say that Jesus married. But it does teach that his death according to all forms of Christianity is the sacrifice that atones for the sins of Christians. Jesus is God incarnate on earth and did not have descendants. Thus it calls into question the divinity of Jesus.

While these theories are fascinating for those of us interested in religions of the world, and for those who might love conspiracy theories, for the Jewish community we aren’t really concerned with the divinity of Jesus other than how it affects our relationships with Christians!

This very issue was one of the demarcation points between Judaism and early Christianity. Jesus didn’t fit our bill of Messiah.

So what is the Jewish perspective on the Messiah?

Our Jewish tradition had clear expectations of the messiah. The Messiah would be a descendant of the line of King David. The Messiah would be the anointed one of God in the same way that King David was handpicked by God to succeed King Saul on Israel’s throne. Elijah the prophet would return and herald the coming of the Messiah. The Messiah would be a real political king who would reunify the Jewish people into a mighty kingdom and throw off any domination by foreign powers. Then this Messiah-King would usher in a period of great joy, faith and stability for the Jewish people. The Jewish Messiah will restore the Temple in Jerusalem and the world will worship God as One. But our Messiah would never be God or a divine figure. The Messiah would always have been mortal.

That is part of the irony of the Jesus story even as told in the Christian Bible. Jesus was not a political figure in the sense that he represented any real constituency. He was the leader of only a small group of disciples. The Christian Bible claims he descended from the line of King David—creating a reason for him to be born in Bethlehem, the birthplace of David. Even though his earthly parents, Mary and Joseph came from the Galilee, in Nazareth. And the Romans mocked his status at his crucifixion by placing a sign over his head, King of the Jews. But he hardly was able to overcome the Roman domination of Israel during his lifetime nor was he able to bring a time of justice into being, which are hallmarks of the Jewish messiah. Further his disciple Paul, who was once named Shaul, lifted the need to observe Mitzvot as a part of Christianity in his bid to extend Jesus’ sovereignty to non-Jews. This was the real breaking point between Judaism and Christianity. Until that time most Christians still observed Jewish law. But because of Paul’s teachings that the mitzvot were no longer necessary—in his words it is faith not works, Christianity developed in a very different fashion from Judaism.

Traditional Judaism still believes in and prays for the coming of the Messiah. We sing Ani Maamim beemunah shlemah, ---Words written by Maimonides, I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah. Traditional Judaism in the Ritzeh prayer of the Amidah, prays for a restoration of the Temple and the ancient sacrifices—hallmarks of the Messiah.

Conservative Judaism in its most recent statement Emet V’Emunah (Truth and Faith says this about the idea of the Messiah. “We do not know when the Messiah will come, nor whether he will be a charismatic human figure or is a symbol of the redemption of humankind from the evils of the world. Through the doctrine of a Messianic figure, Judaism teaches us that every individual human being must live as if he or she, individually, has the responsibility to bring about the messianic age. Beyond that, we echo the words of Maimonides based on the prophet Habakkuk (2:3) that though he may tarry, yet do we wait for him each day."

Our Reform Judaism long ago rejected a human messiah and especially a human king messiah. Instead Reform Judaism understood that it would take the collective efforts of humanity to bring about a Messianic age. That Messianic time would be a utopian era of peace and justice and equality for all. When as the prophets teach, “All could sit beneath his or her vine and fig tree. And as Amos taught, “Justice will roll down like water, Righeousness like a mighty stream.” This belief of Reform Judaism in a Messianic Era or time is reflected in subtle changes in certain of our prayers. In the Avot v’Imahot prayer in the Amidah we no longer pray for a go-el—a redemeer which is a reference to the Messiah, but for geulah—a redemptive time. In The Gevurot prayer, we no longer pray for Mechayei Meitim—the ressurection of the dead—a traditional belief and hallmark of the Messiah for all Jews, but to God who gives life to all. And in the Ritzei prayer we no longer pray for the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem and the reinstitution of sacrifice. But for our prayers to be accepted by God.

And isn’t that the point—our relationship to God, our faith, needs to be strengthened in all we do. We live in a world that has too much despair, too much hatred, too much oppresion, too much war, too much poverty. We come to synagogue, to be strengthened and to be uplifted and renewed to face the difficulties that life throws our way. We observe Jewish holidays, holy days and life cycle moments to give us the fortitude to make sense of our world and most importantly our lives. We pray to change outcomes not only in the world but in ourselves!

At the end of the day, if the the Da Vinci Code has given us pause to consider questions of our faith and our spirituality. Then this is a good thing. It might not be our religion that is at the core of this story, but it gives us a chance to reflect on clarifying our own traditions’ ideas and where we stand in relationship to that.

Soon we will observe the holy Festival of Shavuot. Feast of Weeks. We will remember the moment at Sinai when we became covenanted to God. We will celebrate the giving of Torah and read from the Ten Commandments. Shavuot each year is a chance for you to renew your own place in the Jewish world. It is the time when you can pledge yourself anew to the covenant we made so many generation ago. It is the time when you should stand up at Sinai and be counted. Shavuot begins Thursday evening June 1, I hope you will join us here and renew your own place in the covenant of our people.
And that’s no conspiracy!

Delivered at Congregation Kol Tikvah, Friday May 5, 2006, by Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Shabbat Shalom,

Aseh l’cha chaver, aseh l’cha Rav. Our tradition teaches, “Acquire for yourself a friend, acquire for yourself a rabbi/teacher.

I am so honored to be here at Kol Tikvah tonight as you pay tribute to your Rabbi, my rabbi this weekend.

Rabbi Jacobs has been my teacher, my friend, my mentor and yes, my rabbi. He held my son, Ben at his Bris, officiated at my wedding, got me involved in rabbinic organizations and social justice causes. He raised my awareness of the plight of others and he always challenges my assumptions.

Indeed this is what a rabbi is to do: to teach, to cajole, to nudge, and to bring us all to a higher plane of being; a place of deeper introspection. A rabbi indeed should bring us to a place of holiness.

Rabbi Jacobs has done that throughout his amazing career. You might not always have agreed with him… but a prophet often walks a lonely path. Just look at Jewish history, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel were often shunned and their message ignored. Jeremiah was even imprisoned for speaking the truth.

Rabbi Jacobs has always sought the truth and has sought justice for others. He has been an advocate for those who have little or no access. He has spoken out when others through fear or cowardice remained conveniently quiet. He has lifted up the plight of those who have so little and tried to bring reconciliation and healing where there has been pain, suffering and brokenness. He has tried to bring holiness into the lives of the people in his community and into our world. For this we say thank you. For him we give thanks.

Our Torah portion this week speaks of holiness. We are commanded, “KEDOSHIM T’hiu- KI Kadosh Ani Adonai Eloheichem. Be holy, for I Adonai your God am holy.” (Lev. 19:2) On our holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur Afternoon we also read this portion. We try to remind ourselves of the ways in which we can and should elevate our behaviors and overcome our human frailties, to bring out the holiness inside each and every one of us. Rabbi Jacobs has challenged us to live with this frame of Torah.

According to Jewish tradition holiness is a state of being, a way of living, a path of action! We learn this from this week’s Torah portion.

First and foremost, holiness is a state of being. We are to always to strive for holiness and to live our lives with an outlook of holiness. The mitzvot we perform—or the behaviors of holiness—help us perfect our baser human nature and to elevate it towards the path that God wants us to walk.

As the prophet Micah taught—What does God require of you? Only to do justice, to love compassion and walk humbly with your God. We learn then that aspects of holiness must include – justice compassion and humility in the journey of spirituality. The Jewish journey of our people demands us to fulfill this ethic.

This is a simple formula for holiness but it helps us remember exactly what we are called to do and to be.

Our Jewish traditions sanctifies both time and space. Shabbat is holy. We call say Shabbat Kodshecha—God you made the Sabbath Holy through Your rest. Eternal time of Shabbat and the holy days our festivals removes time from the world of the mundane.When we light a candle and make the blessing over the wine, the kiddish, (again from the word for holiness), we lift time beyond its limited boundaries.

So it was with the ancient temple in Jerusalem. It was holy space. A place that God picked for us. And eretz Yisrael—sacred ground.

There is other sacred ground in our lives. We make holy our relationships—between spouses through kiddushin, through marriage. And we also make the relationship to our children sacred. We bless them on Shabbat and ask God’s protection to surround them through our prayers. Time and place, our relationships can all have aspects of God holiness and be transformed into sacred space.

But holiness is also the way we act in the world. Our torah portion reminds us most clearly that there are certain mitzvot, certain expectations and responsibilities that we Jews have to one another, to our neighbors and to God. We are taught in this week’s parasha: Revere you mother and father, keep My Sabbaths. Leave the four corners of your field for the poor. Do not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block before the blind. Do not profit by the blood of your neighbors. Rise before the aged, the stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens, be honest in you balance, weights and measures. These very specific ways of living call us to a holy life. These actions call us toward God and specifically call us toward holiness. By performing these mitzvot and being scrupulous in their observance we add a sacred dimension to our world that all too often is empty of decency.

As Rabbi Jeffrey Summit of Tufts University writes:
Many people find it daunting to hear that religion should "bring holiness" into their life. We are neither saints nor holy people. What do I mean by bringing holiness into life? I'll tell you a story about a woman I knew in Jerusalem. She was an older Jewish woman originally from Yemen who decided that her special mitzvah, her special connection to Judaism, was to help poor brides and grooms get married. She didn't have a lot of money but she was a good cook and had a lot of energy. She would find couples in her neighborhood who had very little, or came from big families without much support and she would basically help them make a wedding. She would shop for them, cook for them, organize so that they could afford it and things would be nice. People spoke about her as a tzadeket, a righteous, holy woman but she would just say, "it teaches in the Talmud that it's a mitzvah to help someone get married." And the Talmud does say that there are certain things you can do (helping someone get married is one of them) where you are rewarded both in this life and in the world to come. But the point of the story is not that she was doing a "nice thing," or a "good deed." She was doing a Jewish act because it was part of her tradition and that act brought tremendous meaning to her life.

She was doing a holy act. Not too complicated. A simple idea—help others get married. Not only did she bring holiness to others through her efforts, she deepened and enriched her own sense of the holy, the sacred in life.

Not to mention that the very ceremony of marriage is called Kiddushin—it comes from the word for holiness—kedusha.

We too need to ask our selves, “How can I bring holiness to other?” What ways do I add to the holiness of my world?

Rabbi Irv Wise tells this story. A Jew went to his rabbi to ask advice. (The man had been in poor health and he had been reviewing his life and his deeds. The man approached the rabbi with anticipation and asked, "Rabbi, what do I have to do to make sure that I die a good Jew? I care about my religion but my life has been taken up with so many other things. Tell me. I'll do anything that you say." The rabbi thought for a moment, considered the man and his request and then replied, "It's easy. If you want to die a good Jew, all you have to do is to live as a good Jew."

Living a life of Holiness is not a Herculean task. Holiness is not just for saints or tzaddikim in Hebrew. Judaism teaches each person, each Jew to live a life of holiness every day. Judaism teaches us to elevate our souls through a blessing and an act. The great teacher Chaim Volozhin (Nefesh Hachaim Shaar Aleph Chapter 4) says, "If someone sanctifies himself properly through the performance of all the Mitzvot...Then he himself is the Beit HaMikdash itself (That person is the Temple in Jerusalem) ...Because this is the truth regarding Tzadikim righteous ones, through the deeds which are desirable by the blessed one they are the Mikdash mamash"

In other words, when we do holy acts, as described in this week’s parasha, visit the sick, revere our parents, leave the four corners of the field, we become the very dwelling place of God on earth! Through us and in us we draw God close.

That is the message of our portion—Kedoshim t’hiyu—be holy, Draw God near through the acts of kindness, generosity and justice that you perform. That is true holiness. Are we always perfect? No. But d

Rabbi Jacobs, you through your work have always sought to draw God close through your work. Through your generosity, your kindness, and the countless acts of justice that you perform. We are blessed to have had you show us the path towards a life of justice and yes, point us toward a life of holiness.

Even as you leave the pulpit, we pray for your continued strength and good health. We pray that the sacred work of your hands continue to bring justice and holiness to yourself, your family and all of your loved ones. And that the sacred work of holiness will surround you and uplift you all the days of your life.
Amen.