Rabbi's Message

Rabbi Lawrence Kushner tells of the time he brought a preschool school class into the synagogue sanctuary for a tour. He showed them the bimah, the ner tamid, and then finally, the aron kodesh, the holy ark.

“What do you suppose is in there?” he asked them.

“Nothing!” one child answered, “It’s empty.”

“A new car!” another shouted.

“A Torah!” responded another.

“I know! I know” one child insisted, “It’s a mirror!”

While the correct answer was obviously the third response, Rabbi Kushner was most impressed by the fourth. He would later teach: for those who are prepared to look deeply and imaginatively, the ark contains a mirror, reflecting the truth about ourselves, our values, our accomplishments and our limitations.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel, the Kotzker Rebbe (19th century, Poland), said that all Jews are taught not to lie, but an important second step is to teach: “you should not lie to yourself.” It is this reflexive turn, the turn inward, that characterizes most of what the Kotzker Rebbe taught during his lifetime.

Modern Conservative Rabbi, Harold Schulweis, of blessed memory, proposed this reflexive turn as a way to hear the Ten Commandments anew each Shavuot. He turned each commandment inward and challenged us to look deeply into the mirror of Torah.

“I am the Lord your God.” Where is the image of God within me? What have I done with that precious gift?

“You will have no other gods before Me…including yourself.” When have I made of myself the measure of all things and the center of the universe?

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” What were the promises and commitments I once made to myself that were subsequently broken, ignored, or allowed to slip quietly into lazy neglect?

“Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.” Where is the sanctified Sabbath within you? Where in your life is a place of peace, your haven and refuge from competition and conflict?

“Honor your father and mother…within you.”  What does it mean to carry a father’s love or a mother’s wisdom within? What has become of the fatherly and the motherly in you?

The Sixth Commandment, for example, teaches “You shall not murder.” Within this is the commandment, “You shall not murder yourself.”  What are all the ways we murder ourselves in our daily lives?

“You shall not commit adultery…against yourself.” How have we adulterated ourselves, betraying sacred principles, practicing moral promiscuity and spiritual unfaithfulness?

“You shall not steal…from yourself.” When do we steal from ourselves? What do we steal? And how do we make restitution?

“You shall not bear false witness…against yourself.” When do we offer false testimony about ourselves? Or to ourselves? And why?

“You shall not covet…yourself.” We covet ourselves when we simply cannot live without all that was once ours but is no more. What are the attachments to the past the hold us back from the present and the future?

Tonight, begins the holiday of Shavuot, during which we celebrate receiving the gift of the Torah, the mirror of our souls.  Tomorrow (the first day of Shavuot), we will celebrate the Confirmation of our tenth-grade students. I am so proud of our Confirmation Class of 5783 and wish a hearty mazal tov to them and their families.  This year in Confirmation class, I invited the students to hold up a metaphorical mirror in order to explore their Jewish identities.  Tomorrow, our students will share from the bimah what they found; all that they confirm about their Jewish identities, a connection to God, Israel, and community, and a deep appreciation for our TBS community. This Shavuot, may we all be inspired to do the same—to use the Torah as a reflective mirror that offers a window into our souls.   

Hag Shavuot Sameah.