The Missing Al Chet -- Kol Nidre 10/13/67

When Sidney Ballon speaks in this 1967 Kol Nidre sermon about spousal relationships, at least from the perspective of a son, it seems not only theological and philosophical, but also deeply personal.  I picture the tenderness as well as the friction between two strong and vulnerable and very loving partners.

As is often the case throughout these Mid-Twentieth Century sermons, this piece includes many statements that stand the test of time and others that clearly do not. References to gender do not reflect the sensitivities developed in recent decades. Had this been written today it is likely that the phraseology would be more contemporary and more inclusive when referring to the sanctity of marriage. With that disclaimer in mind, this is a heartfelt and moving description of Jewish values as they apply to committed relationships without respect to gender.

May we, on this Holy Day, always resolve to have God as our partner in our households. May His Divine presence bring peace into our hearts. May we forgive and be forgiven our faults and resolve they shall be no more.

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One of the distinctive prayers of the Yom Kippur service, with which we are all familiar, is the Al Chet[i]. It is a kind of confessional in the course of which we make mention of a number of human shortcomings we might have been guilty of during the past year, and we pray for forgiveness. In our Reform prayer book this list of sins which we have sinned is a comparatively short one. In the traditional prayer book it is a good bit longer and the worshiper makes mention of many more of his possible shortcomings. But even the longer traditional list, it seems to me, is not quite complete, and something of importance has been left out that might have been included. We read of the sin which we have sinned by disrespect for parents and teachers. We read of the sin which we have sinned by exploiting or dealing treacherously with our neighbor. But strangely enough no mention is made in this prayer of a human relationship more important than with neighbors or teachers, and even more important than with parents, and that is the relationship between husband and wife.

In all probability no great significance should be attached to this omission, but it is nevertheless surprising. It may be due to the fact that the editor of the prayer thought the list of sins as given was already inclusively enough to cover any problems between husband and wife as well, but if this is so, the same thing could also be said about parents and teachers and neighbors. It may, perhaps, be that the author had such an exalted opinion of Jewish family life that it was inconceivable to him that any wrong could be committed between a husband and a wife. The fact is that we Jews collectively do have a reputation for having achieved an exceptionally high quality of family life. A director of the Catholic Conference on Family Welfare once wrote, "Any student of social history will recognize that the world owes much to the Jewish family."

I remember that once when I had occasion to speak to a college sociology class, the professor asked me to comment on the strength of Jewish family life because, he said, the Jewish family had a reputation for more stable, closer ties, and in these days when family life is so shaky and divorce rates so high, it would be worthwhile, he felt, to listen to the secret of success of the Jewish family. To be realistic, however, it must be admitted that even in the most blessed of marriages there may be moments of tension and irritation, and that as human beings none of us do or can attain perfection in any respect. And even though the reputation of the Jewish family is high, surely even as husbands and wives, as well as children, pupils, or neighbors, we may pause on this solemn day and at least think to ourselves an Al Chet for the sin which we have sinned by falling short in some way, in word or deed or attitude, in our family relationships, and we can say in our hearts a prayer for forgiveness from God and from one another.

It would not be amiss on this day when we look to self-improvement in all respects of our life, to ask ourselves why it is that the Jewish family has indeed acquired such renown. What are the basic principles of family life that Judaism has set before us that has helped us achieve such a reputation? There are four Hebrew words or phrases we ought to know around which these principles revolve. And just in case you may not already know them, let us make a bit of a Hebrew lesson out of this sermon period.

The first of these terms is Kiddushin. Very often when performing a marriage ceremony, I center my remarks upon this word which is the traditional name by which the marriage ceremony is known. The literal meaning of Kiddushin is sanctification. And sanctification means investment with holiness. Kiddushin comes from the same root as Kadosh which you will remember from one of the more important Congregational responses in the service—Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, Holy, Holy, Holy. It is from the same root as Kiddush, the prayer over wine by which we sanctify the Sabbath and the festivals. It is also the same root as Kaddish, the prayer by which we sanctify God's name in memory of the dead.

There is an important implication in the use of this term. We know that the institution of marriage rests upon a biological basis—it needs a human physical need and assures continuation of the race. We know that marriage rests upon an economic basis—it makes it much more convenient for men and women to care adequately for the requirements of food, shelter, and other necessities of life. We know that marriage rests also upon a psychological basis—men and women escape their loneliness and satisfy their desire for companionship more easily through marriage. But by the title Kiddushin, Judaism suggests that there is yet another much more significant dimension to marriage than those we have just mentioned. There is the element of holiness. Marriage is a sacred covenant. It is a union involving ethical responsibility and religious principle. Leo Baeck, noted theologian, describes it as "the experience by two people of a divine mystery which commands them to realize and fashion their whole life through each other." It is a relationship so significant that the prophets in the Bible often used the terminology of marriage in describing the covenant which binds together God and Israel. God's love for Israel is compared to that of a husband for his wife. And perhaps more beautifully than anywhere else, this figure is used by Hosea when he proclaims in the name of God, "I will betroth thee unto Me forever, yea, I will betroth thee unto Me in righteousness and in justice, and in loving-kindness and in compassion. And I will betroth thee unto Me in faithfulness, and thou shalt know the Lord."[ii]

Out of this concept of Kiddushin there follows quite naturally the second basic principle upon which the Jewish idea of the family is based and that is Taharat Hamishpacha, the Purity of the Family, by which is meant sexual discipline and fidelity to marriage vows. One of the most significant factors in making for the health and well-being of the Jewish family and the Jewish community was it's a very strong emphasis on the laws against sexual promiscuity. It is interesting to note that just as the marriage covenant was compared in the Bible to the relationship between God and Israel, so also was adultery used as the figure of speech to describe the betrayal of God and the violation of His commandments. We hear a great deal today about the New Morality.[iii] The New Morality does not consider it necessary to limit the sex relationship to marriage. It has other criteria which Judaism, however, cannot accept because Jewish tradition calls for discipline, fidelity, and responsibility in the sexual relationship.

The third important phrase in Jewish family life is Shalom Bayit, literally peaceful household. This, too, is but a secondary aspect of Kiddushin, for how can marriage be sanctified if the household is contentious? To avoid contention there must be truth, respect, and understanding. Truth, the rabbis said, is the beginning and end of all things, and this is especially so in the circle of family life. Deception even in little things contributes to the erection of barriers, the diminishing of sanctity. Husband and wife may differ on many questions but they cannot afford to conceal the truth, and the lines of honest communication must remain open; nor is telling the truth merely a matter of refraining from deception. It is also a matter of not holding back one's true feelings when they should be made known. It is not good, necessarily, to avoid debate by seeking refuge in silence. It is important to be able to bring into the light the truth of our feelings, and to bring into the light whatever it is that disturbs us. Otherwise what we may repress may remain within us and continue to disturb us until it surprises us by breaking out at some time in an unfortunate and undesirable manner. The knowledge of husband and wife, that one can have complete faith in the other, that there is honest communication between them with regard to what is spoken or even unspoken, is a cement that strengthens the bond between them.

Lines of communication must operate, furthermore, not only when there are grievances that need to be aired, but also for the expression of appreciation and tenderness when appropriate. What may sometimes seem to be a problem can melt away in the warmth of an affectionate word or an appreciative caress. Everyone has the need to be loved and appreciated, and we respond to those who express such love and appreciation to us. It is not a sign of weakness nor maudlin sentimentality when we speak such words. It is rather the stuff by which homes are brightened.

And the last Hebrew term I would mention this morning is Gidul Banim, the raising of children—the readiness to assume a responsibility for the future. The sanctification of the marriage bond is not complete without such a sense of purpose and meaning. It is most unfortunate that altogether too many young people look upon marriage only as the fulfillment of a personal desire for romance and happiness. There is no doubt that romance in marriage is desirable and that happiness is not to be disparaged. In the marriage ceremony we even recite a benediction which praises God who maketh bride and bridegroom to rejoice together. But Hollywood notions of romance are not realistic and married couples do not remain forever on cloud nine. And happiness is not something we can go out and acquire merely because we selfishly want it. It is, rather, a byproduct of a more stable and meaningful way of life. Marriage implies not only the satisfaction of our own personal desires but a social responsibility. The purpose of Jewish marriage is to create a Jewish home, to raise a new Jewish generation. A child is not only the fulfillment of the love of husband and wife, but is the link with the future of our people and the vehicle for transmission of our heritage. Husband and wife are thus obligated for the development of their child. They have the responsibility of giving him a sense of security and self-esteem, so that he may be an adequate human being. They are to provide him with the benefit of a good example and to inculcate him with an appreciation of Jewish values. The rabbis had even said that not the biological parent is the true parent of a child, but rather his teacher is the true parent. To fulfill the highest ideal of parenthood is then to be mindful of the responsibility of being, in the best sense, the teacher of one's child. Where husbands and wives lift themselves above a selfish concern for themselves and look upon themselves as partners in the fulfillment of some higher Jewish purpose, as partners with God in the creation and perpetuation of life, where they join wholeheartedly in the responsibility of creating a pleasant and meaningful Jewish home, where they express a mutual interest in the wholesome Jewish development of the child, their marriage is sanctified and approaches the Jewish ideal.

To repeat the Hebrew phrases I would have you remember, Kiddushin Taharat Hamishpacha, Shalom Bayit, and Gidul Banim—sanctification, purity of the family, a peaceful household, and the responsible raising of children—these are the most important traditional ideals of the Jewish life. Taken all together they imply that a happy, successful marriage is not something acquired by chance or good fortune. It is rather something into which we have poured the proper ingredients. It is something to which we must give our best effort. It is something which resides upon a meaningful philosophy, upon appropriate objectives. It requires that we build upon a sound ethical and moral foundation.

The rabbis of the Midrash once pointed out that the Hebrew word for man, which is "Ish" and the Hebrew word for woman which is "Isha" have each two letters in common and a third wherein they differ. The two letters which differ are yod and hay which taken together spell "Yah," a Hebrew word for God. The two letters they have in common are alef and shin which taken together spell "Aish," the Hebrew word for fire. Thus they pointed out that if you take away God from man and woman you are left with fire. Only when God is present can there be a peaceful and a meaningful union. May we, on this Holy Day, always resolve to have God as our partner in our households. May His Divine presence bring peace into our hearts. May we forgive and be forgiven our faults and resolve they shall be no more. May we all know the joy that comes from a happy home and a devoted family. May we be gladdened by our children, and may God's blessings ever be with us.

Amen.

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[i] Al Chet (or Al Cheyt) Hebrew, literally "For the sin ..." is a confessional recited by the entire congregation in unison, each line begins "For the sin we committed before You through ..." followed by the sin or general classification of sin. While typically translated as sin, the word Chet comes from archery and more literally means “missing the mark”—a somewhat more forgiving expression than the word “sin” in common usage.

[ii] Hosea 2:19-20

[iii] Surprisingly I found no explicit definitions of the New Morality. It is linked, however, to the term Situation Ethics coined by Harvard professor Joseph Fletcher whose 1966 book on he topic described a system of ethics that evaluates acts in light of their situational context rather than by the application of moral absolutes. The sexual revolution and free love movement of the Sixties, spawned by the new technology of oral contraception, were primary instances of Situation Ethics and the New Morality—“if it feels good, do it, as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody.”

The Aftermath of a Miracle -- Rosh Hashanah morning 10/5/67

I have mentioned throughout this series of sermon postings that there are certain favorite topics any rabbi is destined to return to on a regular basis. Israel is such a topic in general and for Rabbi Sidney Ballon in particular. He spoke passionately about the Jewish homeland before and after statehood, so in this 1967 Rosh Hashanah sermon, in the aftermath of the Six-Day War, he was no less passionate. He saw it not merely as a great military victory, and not even just the modern miracle that it was. For him it demonstrated that in this crisis both Israeli and American Jews were awakened to a hidden truth of how deeply they were committed to Jewish survival.

We cannot wait only for a moment of great crisis for our Jewish feelings to be shaken up. Jewish life is always in crisis. It is only that sometimes the crisis is more dramatic than at other times.

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As we gather now on this day of Rosh Hashanah, there is one subject above any other that clamors for attention. To borrow a phrase from Rashi[i], which some of you may remember from our adult education course, “Ain zeh omair ela darshayni--this matter bags for comment.” It is impossible not to make mention on this day, as we look back upon the past year, of one of the most significant happenings in centuries of Jewish history, the crushing defeat by Israel of the Arab nations who were posed to destroy it.

Don't you still recall with amazement the events of that week in June![ii] Here was a tiny nation of approximately two million, confronted by hostile Arabs totaling over two hundred million! These Arabs were inflamed by venomous words poured into the airwaves by the president of Egypt. These Arabs had been furnished with two billion dollars’ worth of military supplies and equipment by Soviet Russia, who was very outspoken in her pro-Arab sympathies. Israel presumably also had friends, but they were hesitant and embarrassed. They did not want too strongly to offend the Arabs nor to provoke the Russians. The picture was dark, indeed, as Nasser blustered, U Thant[iii] capitulated, and Israel's a big power allies vacillated or deserted her.

But when the showdown came, it was all over in less than a week. Some call it a six-day war, some a four-day war and some even just a two-day war. But whatever was, it was already obvious within only a few hours what the result would be. The Arab defeat was total and disastrous. Their armies were put into reverse. The desert was strewn with their equipment. Their territory was overrun. Their fortifications destroyed. The Straits of Tiran[iv] were opened. Jerusalem was reunited.

The Israelis had had a great deal of confidence in their own ability to defend themselves, but even they were surprised, and the world referred to their achievements not as military victories, but as the enactment of a miracle.

There are those who will argue that to speak of miracles in connection with this brief war against the Arabs is to belittle the courage and ingenuity of the Israel Defense Forces, and to imply that the Israelis merely sat back and let Heaven do the rest. But the Israeli army itself speaks in terms of miracles. Elie Weisel[v] reports that the Chief of Staff, Gen. Yitzhak Rabin[vi] admitted without embarrassment that he no longer understands what he and his men had accomplished. From Rabin down through the lowest grade soldier in the ranks we are told that they feel alive today because of a miracle.

But what is a miracle? Martin Buber[vii] once described a miracle is something which left us with abiding astonishment. The natural and rational explanation of what happens is not the issue. It is not that something seems to have been due to supernatural cause that makes a miracle. It is rather that the event is experienced as a miracle, as an act of God, by those involved. Thus, he says, the crossing of the Red Sea may have its scientific explanation, but what is important and what makes it a miracle is that the very natural process involved was so unexpected and surprising and was understood by the Israelites only as an act of God. It was experienced as a miracle and filled them with an abiding astonishment.

Israel's victory over the Arabs this past year has left the modern Hebrews also with an abiding astonishment. Even the religiously indifferent among them now wonder whether they have not beheld an act of God. A professor at Bar Ilan University[viii] writes that “the attitude of miracle is uppermost. The vivid experience of God's unbelievable power prevails in the minds of religious and nonreligious alike." Elie Weisel, to quote him once again, says that even the freethinkers interpret the recent experience as organically a religious one—it has compelled each Jew to confront his people, his past and his God. Thus the war has had an interesting and profound effect upon the Jews of Israel. Stories have been told of how some Israeli soldiers in the excitement of the war turned to their religious comrades and begged to be taught how to pray and how to put on the Tephillin because they had never done either before. Other nations would have rejoiced on such an occasion with great victory parades which boasted of military prowess. Israel's military heroes gathered at the Western Wall and wept as they responded to the mystique of Jewish history. There was a religious emotion that swept the land that many people had long thought they were incapable of feeling.

One hopes that these emotions which have been aroused will not be transient. One hopes that there will be some lasting effect. The Jews of Israel had experienced the revelation that some religious feeling lies dormant, after all, in all of us. This revelation is both a challenge and an opportunity. One hopes that they will be moved to accept this as a challenge to re-explore the Jewish faith, and as an opportunity to find their way back not to religious uniformity, but rather to the common recognition that the religious aspect of Jewish peoplehood is essential, that in the religious dimension we find our common bond as people.

The element of the miraculous was not confined to Israel alone. What happened amongst ourselves in this country was almost as great a miracle as what happened to the Jews of Israel. What happened here was also a cause of abiding astonishment. The deep anxiety which took hold of the Jewish community, the cries of protest, the outpouring of funds for the UJA[ix] and Israel bonds were unbelievable. Young people clamored at the doors of the Israeli Consulate to be permitted to go to Israel and help. Children went around ringing doorbells and making a collection. The normally faithful, of course, extended themselves far more than ever in the light of the emergency, but now many a Jew who had been aloof and indifferent to Jewish life suddenly experience a deep concern and was drawn into the orbit once more. Jews whose sense of identification with the Jewish community had heretofore been most tenuous now were aroused by emotions they never knew they could feel. It was an amazing performance as money poured in from rallies and mass meetings held everywhere. New York City had its million dollars-a-minute meetings. Numerous individuals emptied their savings accounts. Congregations gave away funds accumulated for the building of new synagogues. It is, of course, always easier to raise money in a time of emergency, but never in their wildest dreams had any fund raisers expected the kind of response that took place, even under the most provocative of circumstances. Our own congregation contributed more than six times its normal amount to the United Jewish appeal and that you know has to be put into the category of a miracle. Like the Jews of Israel, we Jews in America surprised even ourselves by the spontaneity and the extent of our concern.

It is not too difficult to analyze why such an overwhelming response to place. Back in our minds there was first of all the memory of the six million. It seemed to every one of us that in a somewhat different manner a similar catastrophe might be in the making. It was not too far-fetched to think that if the Arabs were to continue successfully on their way, mass destruction of our people in Israel would be the consequence. Genocide was again the objective. The Arab masses were being incited not merely to wage war against a government, but to annihilate a people. This was the tone of Arab propaganda before the war, and this is what even had been spelled out in detail in actual written battle orders which were captured by the Israelis during the war and are now available for all the world to see.

Secondly there was a sudden realization that the continued existence of the State of Israel was of no little significance to every Jew, and the thought of Israel disappearing from the world proved to be all too terrifying. We experienced a feeling of personal involvement as never before. It became not merely an Israeli war, but a Jewish war. How could you think of the blood, sweat and tears of the past 19 years going down the drain, of the idealism and self-sacrifice of pioneers for decades before that going for naught. What would happen to Jewish morale everywhere? What would happen to the Jewish image everywhere, which in recent times had acquired so much more respect and self-respect? When and how would we again be enabled to emerge from a new lamentation over the destruction of our people. Consciously or unconsciously these were the questions that troubled us.

And again there was the realization that if Jews the world over did not stand by Israel, who would? We were stirred by a deep sense of brotherhood and commitment to our people all the more because of the very fact that to the rest of the world the emergency was just another political problem to be carefully weighed from many angles. It was only the Jews that were passionately concerned with the fate of their people. The rest of the world temporized and debated, and worried only about oil and Cold War politics. And it was not only the political leadership that disappointed us, but the religious leadership as well. Official Christian circles were comparatively silent in the face of the threat to Israel. There were some individuals who rose to our defense, but official Christian leadership held back. Some of them now plead with Israel to be generous in dealing with the Arabs, but we did not hear any outcry when the Arabs seem to have the upper hand and threatened annihilation of Jews. Christian concerns have been more with Holy Places than with Jews, more with currying the favor of Arab Christians than with the preservation of Jewish lives. Whatever excuse the Christian world may now offer or whatever the explanation may be, in the moments of emergency there was a great reluctance to speak forth. Its reaction was painfully slow. It was almost as if they might have been happy to see the whole political and theological problem of Palestine solved by Jewish defeat.

These are the elements, I believe, that contributed to the miraculous response of American Jewry. And even though we know this and understand this, I think like the Israelis we nevertheless surprised ourselves. For us, too, there was a revelation in the midst of the miracle—the revelation that for so many of us our Jewish ties were stronger than we thought, that beneath the mask of indifference to Jewish life that so many of us wear, there was a residue of feeling which could on occasion churn its way to the surface. There was the revelation that our Jewishness may after all may be number one loyalty in our life, that we are more deeply involved in it emotionally that we might have imagined.

And again, as with respect to the Israelis, one hopes the emotions stirred by this emergency will not be transient among us either. The shock of circumstances aroused our innermost feelings and revealed to ourselves our true identity. We also are faced with a challenge to act accordingly, to seize the opportunity to strengthen our Jewishness and make the most of it at all times instead of stifling it between emergencies. An individual is at his best when he is himself. When he tries to be something other than his true self he fails as a person and lives a lie. The Israel crisis has revealed to us who we really are. Let us fulfill ourselves meaningfully.

According to a meal Emil Fackenheim[x], a well-known theologian, the one significant principle by which an authentic Jew must live today is that he is forbidden to do anything that shall hand Hitler yet another posthumous victory. He must not contribute in any way to the dissolution of the Jewish people but must rather so act always as to build it and preserve it. This means we must all continue to be interested in Israel. We must all be concerned with the vitality of our synagogues and with the Jewish education of our children. We must all be generous in our material support of whatever is meaningful to Jewish survival and fulfills Jewish ideals. We cannot wait only for a moment of great crisis for our Jewish feelings to be shaken up. Jewish life is always in crisis. It is only that sometimes the crisis is more dramatic than at other times. The dangers of acculturation and assimilation are always with us and we must be permanently on guard against them. It is senseless to act only when there is a knife at our back. We must be Jewishly aware in Jewishly alert even in time of comparative calm.

On this occasion of the New Year let us give thanks to the Almighty for the great deliverance we have experienced. Let us also pray for our understanding to appreciate the revelation of our inner selves that it has brought us. May we always remember who we are and what our responsibilities must be, and may we respond authentically to the appeal of Jewish emotions which stir us. And let us remind ourselves and all the world that we justify our existence as a people and our faith as Jews by holding constantly before us a vision not only of Jerusalem restored and Zion at ease, but also of an entire world at peace, when all nations shall dwell unafraid together, Jews and Arabs and all the rest.

In the words of the prophets:

The Lord has comforted His people

He has redeemed Jerusalem

The Lord has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations

And let all the ends of the earth see the salvation of our God.[xi]

Amen   

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[i] Shlomo Yitzhaki, today generally known by the acronym Rashi (RAbbi SHlomo Itzhaki; (1040–1105), was a medieval French rabbi and long highly esteemed as a major contribution Ashkenazi Jewry gave to Torah study. He is famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). He is considered the "father" of all commentaries that followed on the Talmud and the Tanakh.

[ii] “The Six-Day War” was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967 by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt (known at the time as the United Arab Republic), Jordan, and Syria. After a period of high tension between Israel and its neighbors, the war began on June 5 with Israel launching surprise bombing raids against Egyptian air-fields. Within six days, Israel had won a decisive land war. Israeli forces had taken control of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria.

[iii] U Thant (1909-1974), Burmese diplomat who served as the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, from 1961 to 1971. He was widely criticized in the US and Israel for agreeing to pull UN troops out of the Sinai in 1967 in response to a request from Egyptian president Nasser. Thant tried to persuade Nasser not to go to war with Israel by flying to Cairo in a last-minute peace effort.

[iv] The Straits of Tiran are the narrow sea passages between the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas which separate the Gulf of Aqaba from the Red Sea. Access to Jordan's only seaport of Aqaba and to Israel's only Indian Ocean seaport of Eilat is contingent upon passage through the Gulf of Aqaba, giving the Straits of Tiran strategic importance. Egypt's blockade of the Straits to Israeli ships and ships bound for Israel in 1956 and again in 1967 was a catalyst to the Suez Crisis in 1956 and the Six-Day War in 1967.

[v] Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel (born 1928) is a Romanian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and Buchenwald concentration camps.

[vi] Yitzhak (1922-1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995.

[vii] Martin Buber (1878–1965) was an Austrian-born Israeli philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of existentialism centered on the distinction between the I-Thou relationship and the I-It relationship.

[viii] Bar-Ilan University, established in 1955, and Israel's second-largest academic institution, is in Ramat Gan, located east of Tel Aviv.

[ix] The United Jewish Appeal (UJA) was a Jewish philanthropic umbrella organization that existed from its creation in 1939 until it was folded into the United Jewish Communities, which was formed from the 1999 merger of United Jewish Appeal (UJA), Council of Jewish Federations and United Israel Appeal, Inc.

[x] Emil Ludwig Fackenheim, Ph.D. (1916-2003) was a noted Jewish philosopher and Reform rabbi, born in Halle, Germany, arrested by Nazis on the night of November 9, 1938, known as Kristallnach, researched the relationship of the Jews with God, noted for his belief that the Holocaust must be understood as an imperative requiring Jews to carry on Jewish existence and the survival of the State of Israel, and that continuing Jewish life and denying Hitler a posthumous victory was the 614^th law," referring to the 613 mitzvot given to the Jews in the Torah.

[xi] Isaiah 52:9-10

God Is -- Erev Rosh Hashanah 9/2/66

The year 1966 was a time of increasing anxiety over United States foreign and domestic issues. It was also a period in which even theologians were expressing doubt in the very existence of God. Returning to his pulpit at the Nassau Community Temple in West Hempstead, New York after a six-month sabbatical in Jerusalem, and despite his dismay over the perplexing problems of the day, Rabbi Sidney Ballon’s belief in God never wavered. Societal challenges only served to reinforce in his mind the need to be conscious of the moral order of the universe that Judaism not merely offers, but demands.

...we must live in the faith that there is a Divine standard by which all human actions must be criticized and judged. We as Jews must bear in mind the special obligation that falls upon us by virtue of our unique place in history....

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This service on the eve of the New Year is a truly gratifying occasion for me. Rosh Hashanah Eve is always exhilarating, but this Rosh Hashanah, in particular, is all the more a joyful experience for me because of the fact that I was away for so long in the year that has ended. I have, of course, been back for some time, but because I returned during the summer lull in activity, I have as yet not had the opportunity of seeing most of you again, and it does feel as if this evening constitutes our official reunion. It was good to be away and to study and work in such an exciting environment as Israel. It is good to be back. I am humbly grateful that our long journeys were safely completed and happy to be again in the midst of the congregation.

And yet, together with the joy that I now feel there is also a deep sense of frustration. The rabbis of old made the statement, “Avir Eretz Yisroel machkim—the air of the land of Israel makes one wise,”[i] but I must confess to you, I do not feel too wise this evening. We stand at the beginning of a new year. We try to take stock of the old, and if we do any serious thinking at all we cannot help but be a bit disquieted. We look back upon a year of escalation of a so-called “undeclared war” in Vietnam.[ii] We seem to have slipped into a predicament that nobody wants to be in, but neither can anybody figure a way out. We look back upon a year of increased tension in our big cities.[iii] We once told ourselves smugly that it was only the South that had a racial problem and now it is even greater in the North. We look back upon a year of economic stress. There were more strikes in the country than in any other previous year and inflation[iv] threatens us ever more seriously. It was a year also with a spotlight on spiritual confusion, as demonstrated best by the time magazine cover that proclaimed in bold lettering that God is dead. [v]

There were, indeed, many things to disturb us during the past year, and you the congregation have gathered here now for some direction and reassurance. You have come to the uplifted and to be filled with hope. I, as a rabbi, wish that I could fulfill your need, that I could stand before you and with a wave of my hand make our problems magically disappear. I wish that I as preacher could glibly pronounce the formula that would provide the solution to all fears and doubts. There was, indeed, much wisdom to be gained in Israel, but not the kind that I wish I now possessed. I remain troubled about many things even as you are, and have no easy answers to give you.

All that I can do is to try to interpret for you what this festival of Rosh Hashanah stands for, and what it tries to say to us, and hope that this will enable us to find some comfort, and that it will point the way meaningfully in these days of crisis.

The festival of Rosh Hashanah makes no direct pronouncements with regard to contemporary questions of politics or economics, but it does make a simple and direct statement of a spiritual nature having to do with God. We referred a moment ago to the sensational proclamation that God is dead. Rosh Hashanah agrees with this statement two thirds of the way. Two of its three words are acceptable. The message of Rosh Hashanah is not that God is dead, but rather more simply that God is! "Thou didst lay the foundations of the earth,” says the prayerbook, “and the heavens are thy handiwork."[vi]

This does not mean that Judaism ignores or is unaware of the problems that trouble modern theologians and that have caused them to decide on deicide and declare God is dead, but Judaism has simply not been strapped by the kind of theological rigidity which has brought these theologians of another faith to theological disaster. Judaism has been aware from the very beginning that man's relationship to God would often be frustrating and that his understanding of Him must necessarily be limited. Jewish tradition has very clearly warned us that our perception of God might vary from time to time, that sometimes He seems close and at other times very remote, and always our knowledge of Him can only be partial. 

The rabbis said that we speak in our prayers of the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob because in each generation the conception of God was somewhat different, and the God of Abraham was different from the God of Isaac which in turn was different from the God of Jacob. The Bible approach raised Moses as being closer to God than any other human being, but he is, nevertheless, told that he cannot see God, but only God's goodness will pass before him. The profits and psalmist spoke of a God that hides. Job protested to God that he was suffering innocently. A Chassidic rabbi once called God to trial to justify why His people Israel were suffering. There were no sure descriptions of God. There were questions about God, and yet the faith persisted that there is, nevertheless, design and intelligence in the universe. The death of God theologians would not accept this statement without scientific proof, but there are many scientists who would assert that there may be dimensions to reckon with beyond the reach of science and physical measurement. For Jewish tradition there is intimation of divine power in the miracle of creation, in man's perception of moral law, in the existence of the people of Israel. “The rhythm of the seasons and the stars in they are heavenly courses,” to quote the prayerbook, the manifestation of conscience in the heart of man, the unique historical experience of the Jewish people validated its faith.

What is more significant, however, for us is not merely the faith that God is, but the implications of that faith. Granted that God is—what does it mean to us? Rosh Hashanah also tries to tell us this, and does so best, perhaps, in the three parts of the shofar service to be read tomorrow morning. 

The first of these three sections is known as Malchuyot. Roughly translated this means sovereignty or kingship. One of the thoughts emphasize most on Rosh Hashanah is that God is King. Adonoy Melech. It is He who is Moshail b’chol ha-aretz—the ruler over all the earth. In an age when kings are discredited it may not seem very meaningful to describe God as King, but let us not take this anymore literally than was intended. We are dealing with a figure of speech, not a description of fact. Our tradition tells us that no human word or combination of words is adequate in explaining the infinite God. All we do when we try to describe God in human terms, when we say He is Father or Creator, Teacher or Lawgiver, Judge or Redeemer is to convey to the best of our feeble human ability some small impression that we have of the Divine that we cannot fully or accurately describe. 

Thus, when we say that God is King, we are not saying He is a sovereign in the earthly sense of the term. We are, perhaps, not even saying anything at all about God but rather more about what we expect of man. When we say that God is King we are saying that man must be cautious with respect to what he considers worthy of his ultimate allegiance. We are saying that man must not let his own instinctive desires for pleasure or power or profit rule over him, but must subject himself to a higher divine demand for doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly. When we say that God is King, we mean that no human government or political system is justified except that it governs in terms of itself being subject to moral law. When we say that God is King it means that the vast body of new scientific knowledge that man has acquired must not lead to arrogance and self-glorification on the part of man but must rather be subject to a deep sense of responsibility and be directed toward the benefit of mankind and not its destruction. When we say God is King, it means that we must question every human purpose and loyalty and determine whether there is not a higher godly standard with which they must be brought into harmony.

The second part of the shofar service is called the Zichronot. Roughly translated this means remembrance. God remembers all that ever takes place, but most especially He is Zocher Habrit, the one who remembers the covenant with Israel. Again, this phrase tells us not so much about God but rather about what we expect of the people of Israel. If God remembers His covenant with Israel then we, His people, are obligated also to remember, to remember the heritage of our past, the unique origins of our people and our commitment to be coworkers with God in the building of His kingdom, words you will recall from one of our Friday evening services. According to the Bible when the patriarch Abraham was called upon to leave his homeland and to go forth to become the father of a new people he was charged with the words, “Be thou a blessing.”[vii] When Israel stood at Sinai we were charged to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.[viii] When we say God remembers the covenant, we say that the obligations of this covenant still hold for the Jew. The Jew must take his history seriously, and his thoughts and actions of today must be considered in the light of his mission to be a blessing and a holy nation, which is the special religious destiny imposed upon him by the past.

And the third part of the shofar service is called Shofarot. Again, roughly translated this means shofar calls. They remind us, we are told, of the trumpet blowing at Sinai when the commandments were proclaimed to Israel, and Israel was called by the shofar blasts to fulfill them. Israel was then, in effect, admonished that it was not enough in this world to think and to talk, but one must also act. The God who is King and the God who remembers is also a God who calls to action. There are things to be done in this world. God's law is to be fulfilled. A way of life is to be lived. In the Ethics of the Fathers we read, not the teaching is the essential but the doing.[ix] Other rabbis said that if God had to make a choice between people who merely believed in Him and people who merely performed His commandments, the choice would be clear. He would say," would that they would forsake me, if only they would keep my Commandments." The rabbis did not mean to belittle the importance of belief in God, but they did want to emphasize that meaningful belief entails action. It is not enough for anyone to say, “I believe, I agree.” He must also do. It is not enough to say we are a people that believes in God. We must also act like a godly people. Individuals and families, nations and societies must in the words of our prayerbook always rouse themselves from indolence and in difference, from selfish ease and be moved to serve under the banner of truth and love, of justice and peace.

Here then is the message that Rosh Hashanah brings to us once again this evening. Are we dissatisfied with ourselves and with the world when we take stock? Would we like to improve our own ways and contribute to the betterment of society? Then we must live in the faith that there is a Divine standard by which all human actions must be criticized and judged. We as Jews must bear in mind the special obligation that falls upon us by virtue of our unique place in history, and we must be mindful that lip service to personal virtue and social ideals is not enough, but that we must be prepared to act in accordance with our words. As we begin, now, this New Year, may this be the spirit in which we confront the problems that beset us. May this be our resolution and our way of life in the year to come, and may we be rewarded for our effort with a good year that shall see faith restored, world peace renewed and the dignity of all men upheld.

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[i] Jewish Babylonian Talmud, Baba Batra 168b.

[ii] In 1966 public dissatisfaction was growing against Johnson administration policies in Vietnam as was skepticism about what the American people were being told about it, commonly referred as the “credibility gap.” James Reston of the New York Times wrote: "The time has come to call a spade a bloody shovel. This country is in an undeclared and unexplained war in Vietnam. Our masters have a lot of long and fancy names for it, like escalation and retaliation, but it is a war just the same."

[iii] For example, in July 1966, in North Omaha, Nebraska more than 500 black youth gathered to protest the absence of recreation programs and jobs, and stormed a local business district, throwing rocks and bricks at Jewish-owned businesses in the area. The National Guard was called in after three days of random violence and organized raids.

[iv] 1966 started as an economic boom year. However, market pressures caused by a full employment economy, plus increased spending on the military in Vietnam put great demand on capital resulting in rising inflation.

[v] The cover of the April 8, 1966 edition of Time magazine asked the question "Is God Dead?" and the accompanying article addressed growing atheism in America at the time.

[vi] Psalm 102:25, "Of old You established the earth; the heavens are the work of Your hands.

[vii] Genesis 12:1-2, God said to Abram, 'Go away from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you great. You shall become a blessing.

[viii] Exodus 19:5-6, God speaks to Moses: “Now therefore, if ye will hearken unto My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be Mine own treasure from among all peoples; for all the earth is Mine; and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.”

[ix] Perhaps not surprisingly, this was a tenet Ballon spoke to a year earlier on Rosh Hashanah morning 1965 (viz., http://harav-shimon.blogspot.com/2012/08/jews-without-problems-rosh-hashanah.html)