Rabbis Rice: Edges of the Harvest

    For some of us, Judaism is a religion of holy day observances. We go from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur to Chanukkah celebrations to Passover Seders. Maybe, if we try to tap in, we hear or read somewhere about Tu B'Shevat or Yom Hashoah. And so we often forget to realize that just as life itself is challenging, and our school work and/or careers and our relationships require constant attention, so too being Jewish asks that our spiritual discipline actually be attended to daily, not seasonally. The authors of our Torah sensed this would happen - that people would only consider spiritual matters on given days. And so, in the Torah portion last week, interspersed with the declarations of sacred days on the calendar, they purposely inserted ethical passages. It was as if the authors of Leviticus meant to say: do not forget our holy days. Still, do not imagine that Judaism takes a vacation between them. Being a Jew can be a full time occupation. And not just for rabbis, cantors, and other Jewish professionals.

     In this list of God's holy days, Shabbat is, of course, mentioned. The feast of unleavened bread, Passover is discussed. Shavuot, which we will celebrate shortly is found. Then right before it mentions Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we get this beautiful commandment in the Torah. It says:  "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field. You shall not gather the gleanings of your harvest, for the poor and the stranger you shall leave them..." (Leviticus 23:22)

     How many of us are farmers? On the surface, the Torah is clearly addressing itself to an agricultural based society. Still the import of this passage stretches beyond agricultural concerns. We all plant seeds, nurture new shoots, harvest the results of our labors. Whether we work with soil and seed, paper and pen, numbers, laws, votes, events, homes, animals, people, schoolwork, whatever, we all plant and we all reap. Do we reap all the way to the edges?

     Consider the "field" of your life. Examine whatever it is that occupies your time and space: What are its edges? Because the Torah is advising us not to reap it all. If there is credit to be had at work, do not take it all for yourself. If there are emotions to be stirred at home, leave room for the feelings of others. If there is money to be earned, take care to give some of it to others. Reach and take, says the Jewish Tradition, but not everything! Not the edges! Leave room there for others.

     By not taking it all, Judaism teaches us the way of community over individuality. In the Jewish community the edges are where we meet others, they are not boundaries that keep us apart. We Jews seek not to rule the land, but to nurture it. When we leave the edges for others, when we allow the stranger to partake of the fruits of our labor we enter into a state of belonging, a state of relationship, a state of mind, heart and politic that brings us into relation with others. Especially with others who might be less fortunate than ourselves. So embedded in the Torah portion, is one of the central principles, of the Jewish way of life. We learn that it is a religious obligation, not an act of charity, that we share what we have with others.

     There are many things that we share as a Micah community: a common heritage, a love of music, an appreciation for creativity, and a beautiful place to worship. 

Rabbis Rice: Oseh Shalom

Martin Luther King taught: "When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout angry words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love."

We are tremendously saddened by the tragic news of bombings at the Boston Marathon this week. We are shaken to the core by these acts of violence and destruction, and we mourn the loss of life and pray for those wounded and their families. Yet, in the midst of this tragedy, heroes also emerged--first responders who ran towards the blast to help, runners who changed course to go to hospitals to give blood, and citizens of Boston who opened their homes to marathoners who needed a place to stay.

This week, as a Jewish world, we marked Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day. Then, on the very next day, Israel celebrated Yom Ha'atzma'ut, Israel's Independence Day. The juxtaposition of these two days is very intentional. Israelis are always mindful of the destructive acts of violence and war, and the powerful, redemptive actions of heroes. We at Congregation Micah are particularly mindful of the fragility and preciousness of life, felt in the life of Israel this week, and sadly, here at home with the tragedy of the Boston Marathon explosions, as well as the plant explosion in the city of West, TX.

Oseh Shalom--May the one who makes Peace in the Heavens, make peace in Israel, in Boston with the victims and their families, for all those affected in West, TX, and in our world.

Sunday at the Movies: April 21, 28, and May 5

Join us at Micah for Sunday at the Movies, an adult education series. For three consecutive Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., we will screen a movie with discussion following. Choose just one or come for all three! Light snacks will be served.

April 21: "The Other Son" 

"The Other Son" is the moving and provocative tale of two young men -- one Israeli, the other Palestinian -- who discover they were accidentally switched at birth, and the complex repercussions facing them and their respective families.
Directed by Lorraine Levy, released in France in April, 2012.

NY Times Review:
"The film is propelled by a hopeful, good-hearted humanism, and it sets out to show that, in spite of political, religious and cultural divisions, people are people."

602 IMDB users rated the film at 7.1 out of 10 stars.


Upcoming Screenings
April 28: "Hollywood: An Empire of Their Own"
May 5: "Walk on Water"

Raise the Roof with Laughs at Micah: Info + Videos

Love to laugh? Congregation Micah is hosting a comedy night with NY Comedian Johnny Lampert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 18 in our social hall. The event, Raise the Roof, will be an entertaining evening with an open bar, hors d’oeuvres, dancing, fun, and of course – comedy!

Lampert has made a name for himself around the country with club, television, and casino performances. He often appears at New York and Los Angeles clubs such as The Comic Strip, Caroline’s Comedy Club, and The Improv; and can be seen on TV with MTV, HBO Comedy Showcase, and Comedy Central, among others. Trump Plaza, Trump Castle, The Sands, and The Claridge are casinos that have welcomed Lampert to work with stars such as Dana Carvey and Chris Rock. Lampert has also performed at many Jewish events and is raved about by The Jewish Reporter. His success is expounded upon on his site, johnnylampert.com, and is the reason he was picked to entertain at Raise the Roof.

Tickets are available at Micah for $50 per person. Patron Levels are at the following prices and include two tickets to the show: $250 – Jackie Mason, $500 – Billy Crystal, $1,000 – Mel Brooks, $5,000 – Jerry Seinfeld. For more information, contact the Micah office at 615-377-9799 or at office@congregationmicah.org.

Videos of Johnny: 

Micah's B'nai Mitzvah Kids Featured in The Tablet

Sometimes we can get so distracted by the busy nature of our own lives that we miss all the myriad of ways that our wonderful congregation is reaching out to and affecting the larger community and world. Our Micah professional leadership is often just as busy around Nashville as they are at Micah, participating in boards, sitting on panels, and delivering lectures. But Micah's outreach into the community doesn't stop there. Even our religious school teachers and students are having an incredible effect on the larger community.  Check it out!

  

 

From Tablet Magazine - Written by Marjorie Ingall 

     "...At Congregation Micah in Nashville, Tenn., teacher Rachel Tawil Kenyon ensures that there's Jewish perspective and pedagogical value to mitzvah projects. She told me, "Stuff is more tangible to kids than money. We just did a collection for Children's Family Services and the YES program that ended up with maybe $1,000 in school supplies, but that doesn't mean much to kids. What matters to them is seeing the pencils, and carrying the backpacks out to my car. They can wrap their brains around that much more easily than [the abstract notion] of a dollar."

     Last year, Kenyon's seventh-graders did a project to help a local shelter for battered women. "We started with an education component, talking about domestic violence," Kenyon said. "What you learn about relationships as a teenager affects your relationships later. We've had a representative from a shelter and a former resident come speak. The kids learn about what you might need if you flee your house with nothing but a backpack. Even upper-income women may not have access to money. So, we make care baskets-personal hygiene stuff. The girls get really into getting hair products. Kids will say, 'iPhones!' and then we say, 'OK, if we can't give them iPhones, what can we do?' We get them calling cards. And we keep impressing on the kids that our projects are not about going home and asking your parents for money, though they may choose to give some of their bar or bat mitzvah money."

     Kenyon has her students do independent research and interviews, then do a Shabbat presentation to the group about their cause. "Suddenly they feel personally connected," she said. "I grew up in a theater family, and I know that for adults who don't go to the theater as a child, it's like pulling teeth to get them to go as adults. But if you start as a kid, you grow up to be a theatergoer. Doing something well now makes it become second nature."...."

Click here to read the full story.

Yom Hashoah Commemoration: April 7

Join us for the community-wide Yom Hashoah Commemoration from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 7 at Micah.

Local rabbinic and cantorial leaders will join together for the day, accompanied by pianist Russell Davis. Cellist Michael Samis will be a featured performer.

The Jewish Federation and Jewish Foundation of Middle Tennessee are co-sponsoring the event. Contact our office for more information!