Each night Sportscenter features the ten greatest plays of the day. On Rosh Hashanah we can ask what are the greatest sins in Jewish history? Not the greatest sins committed by individual Jews. That would be too long a list. It would include Arnold Rothstein fixing the 1919 World Series. My questions is, what is the greatest sin committed by the Jewish people as a group? I think there is no question about it. It is the Golden Calf.
The generation of our people which witnessed the ten plagues, the generation which crossed through the divided sea, the generation which collected manna every morning built a Golden Calf to replace God. While Moses was on the top of Mount Sinai receiving the Torah, the people turned away from the God who took them out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an out stretched arm.
The Torah describes God responding to seeing the people worshiping the Golden calf with anger and frustration. God tells Moses, I am going to destroy this entire people.
Recently I learned from Rabbi Rick Jacobs an interesting Talmudic interpretation of this story. Rabbi Eliezar taught that God said to Moses, “Now that Israel has sinned, what are you to me?” All at once Moses became weak and had no strength to answer. He felt he had failed as the leader of the people and no reason to go on. But when Moses heard God say, “Let me alone that I may destroy them,” Moses said to himself, “D’var zeh Taloui Bi, This thing depends on me, D’var zeh Taloui Bi.”
At once Moses regained his strength. He stood up and sought mercy for the people of Israel. Moses understood that only he could act to save the people. The continued existence of the people of Israel rested on his shoulders. That thing depended on him and Moses convinced God to spare the people.
Today we can each ask ourselves, what depends on me? About what should I say, “D’var zeh Taloui Bi, This thing depends on me?”
Some people feel that everything depends on them. In our families or at work, we may feel this way. We may live or work with people who feel this way. It is no way to work or live.
It is important to know that some specific “thing” depends on you. There can be joy in being able to select, to choose, to identify that thing. To say this is me, this is happening because of me.
People need to feel purposeful. I recently learned that despite the fact that our nation is at war one of the branches of our armed services has a waiting list. Which one? The Marines! The Marines have a waiting list for boot camp. Young people want part of the sharp end of the spear. They want to be one of the few, the proud, the brave.
Movies are filled with stories of individuals who felt themselves to have no purpose, finding their purpose, discovering there place and time to shine. We could list countless sports movies in which the once rejected athlete emerges as the star and takes the last shot in the key game against the dreaded foe.
In action movies the key good guy always ends up in one on one combat with the key bad guy. It could be the sword fight on the stairs between Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone in the Adventures of Robin Hood. Or it could be Obi Wan Kenobe and Darth Vader dueling with light sabers in Star Wars.
In the real world individuals face key moments. In one month it will be exactly 50 years since Cuba Missile Crisis. Some of us clearly recall this turning point in the cold war. I realize that for those of you under 60, it is history. So let me provide a brief history lesson.
On October 16th, 1962, the American government discovered that the Soviet Union was placing medium range, surface to surface nuclear missiles in Cuba aimed at the heartland of America.
President John Kennedy had to decide how to respond. Many of his military advisors wanted him to launch a surprise surgical air strike on the missile sites. Other advisors urged him to mount a full scale military invasion of Cuba. President Kennedy understood, D’var Zeh Taloui Bi. He had to make the decision. It was up to him to consider how the Soviet Union would respond to military action.
The world was on the brink of nuclear war. President Kennedy chose to resist the advice from the generals. And instead he established a naval blockade of Cuba. He was firm with the blockade. As days passed the pressure built for military action but President Kennedy remained committed to diplomacy and blockade. After two weeks of blockade and negotiation, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev backed down and agreed to withdraw the nuclear missiles from Cuba and the United States pledged not to invade Cuba. Months later America quietly withdrew some obsolete missiles from Turkey.
Our lives are generally not so dramatic. We are not called upon to take the game winning shot or duel the villain with a light saber, or save the world from nuclear war.
Nevertheless, we can ask, “What depends on me? About what can I say, “D’var zeh Taloui Bi, This thing depends on me?” We can ask this question about our families, our work, among our friends, and the synagogue.
What aspect of family life depends on you, in your small family or in your larger family? Circumstances change. We change. The needs of those around us change. Times change. Where I was once needed. I am no longer needed. We can ask where am I needed now?
What aspect of the life of this community depends on you? Everybody does have to be chair of the budget committee. Everybody does not have to teach kindergarten in the religious school. Everybody does not have to work in gardens but everybody needs their spot.
Most of what we do here began with a single person saying, “D’var zeh Taloui Bi, This thing depends on me.” Years ago one person said, we need to become part of PADS. Many people responded back then and many people continue to respond. Because one person saw the matter depending on him, we have provided shelter and meals to hundreds and hundreds of people.
In the mid 80s, one person said we have to have a Youth Israel Trip. As a result we have sent seven groups of teens to Israel. We are currently working on the next trip for December of 2013.
I want to share with you the story of two young women from our congregation taking the initiative to help others. Katie Gelman started Operation Stuffed Animals. Katie describes her project,
“Operation Stuffed Animal gives toys to kids in need. We collect new and gently used animals, and send them to mission groups that travel worldwide to help children. Most of these kids have never had any toys. The stuffed animals provide joy and comfort."
“Operation Stuffed Animal gives toys to kids in need. We collect new and gently used animals, and send them to mission groups that travel worldwide to help children. Most of these kids have never had any toys. The stuffed animals provide joy and comfort."
Julia Carter following in her brother Adam’s footsteps spent last spring doing micro philanthropy on the grassroots level in Central and South America.
Our two Etz Chaim teens, Katie and Julia, joined together. Julia delivered stuffed animals which Katie had collected to children in a hospital in Panama. Every one does not have to go to Panama. Part of the process is understanding one’s unique role.
Near the end of camp this summer, one of the Chalutzim counselors told me she was thinking about returning for a third summer as a counselor in our Hebrew immersion program. She asked me what keeps me coming back to Chalutzim summer after summer. I told her
“D’var zeh Taloui Bi, This thing depends on me.” I feel I bring something unique to the program.
“D’var zeh Taloui Bi, This thing depends on me.” I feel I bring something unique to the program.
Most people think of Frank Carpa’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” as a Christmas movie. I understand that it is really a Rosh Hashanah movie. It tells the story of George Bailey, who grows weak when he sees his life as a failure. He grows weak like Moses did after learning of the Golden Calf. George, like Moses, no longer has any strength to go on.
George wants to die. He declares that the world would be better off if he had never been born. Because it is a Frank Capra movie, George’s guardian angel intervenes. George gets to see what the world in truth would be like if he had not been born. He would not have been there to save his brother from drowning. He would not been there to prevent a pharmacist from sending the poison to a customer. He would not have been there to marry his wife. He would not have been there to provide loans to help families purchase their first homes. George awakens from this vision of this alternative reality with a renewed understanding of the importance of his life. He recognizes how much does indeed depend on him.
In the Midrash, Moses rises from his weakness when he realizes how much depends on him.
God does not say to Moses, “This depends on you.” Moses says, “This depends on me.” Moses does not wait for God to assign him a task. Moses takes the initiative.
We cannot wait for other to invite us to act. We have to take the initiative to act. We must take charge of our own lives. As the New Year begins we should each ask ourselves, What depends on me? About what will I say, “D’var zeh Taloui Bi, This thing depends on me?”
