Lean In to Judaism |
At a time when everyone was talking about Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In,
I decided to learn from the book and apply it to our Jewish experience. |
Rosh Hashanah Morning 2013 / 5774
North Shore Synagogue, Syosset, NY
Not so long ago, I stood at a local cemetery, doing a favor for a colleague by officiating at a funeral. Not members of a congregation. The grandfather of the family had died, and the immediate family included his beloved wife, their children and grandchildren. All of the grandchildren had become Bar or Bat Mitzvah, but when we stood at the grave of their grandfather, no one could recite kaddish for them. Even with the transliteration, it was literally a foreign language to them, I might even say it seemed like a foreign ritual.
On their faces was embarrassment, disappointment and sadness. They so wanted to properly bury their husband, father and grandfather, but they were clearly feeling helpless and ashamed. And so, when we said Kaddish, mine was the only voice you could hear at the graveside of this beloved man.
When our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and in some cases, great-great grandparents came to this great nation, the United States of America, the world was a different place, and the world for Jews was nothing like what we know today. Our relatives came here in hope of something better. They fought for education, for freedom of religion. They fought to be Jewish, and to be Americans. They found balance between their religious backgrounds and upbringings, and the secular world in which they now needed to thrive.
The Jewish community was a tapestry of worlds woven carefully together. Most Jewish families, especially in smaller towns and in the growing suburban community, immediately gravitated toward the local shul, for they needed a place to pray, a place to educate their children, and a place to bury their loved ones.
With every Jewish holiday came a great Jewish food experience – amazing meals with the Passover seder; great, plentiful dinners accompanied the Shabbat experience; a well desired break-fast after a day spent in synagogue atoning for sins. The meals by no means defined their Judaism, but it enhanced their already very Jewish lives. Our ancestors lived within their Jewish community, and their Jewish community embodied their values and their identity.
In many ways, we need to go back to our American Jewish roots in order to reclaim the essence of being Americans and being Jews. Our foremothers and forefathers were steeped in Jewish culture, Jewish ritual and Jewish connection. Their basic identity simply embraced Jewish life, history and community to its fullest. Our generation, in many ways, has forgotten that Judaism doesn’t just happen to us; quite the opposite. We must embrace it, or it will simply pass us by.
I’m certain that many of you have heard of Sheryl Sandberg’s recent book “Lean In.” Perhaps you are somewhat tired of the conversations that have ensued from this book. Since I am constantly surrounded by conversations on gender, I was intrigued by much of what has sparked from this conversation, and I would like to make a parallel between what Sandberg presents in her book and what is happening in our Jewish world.
For those unfamiliar, in this book, Sandberg, who happens to be Jewish and is currently the COO of Facebook and continually on Forbe’s and Fortune’s top lists, very directly addresses issues of gender in the workforce. For her, it began with an electrifying TedTalk in which she described how women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers. In her book, she digs deeper into issues of women being encouraged to sit at the table, seek challenges, take risks and pursue their goals with gusto.
That topic is for another day, but I think there is much to be learned from Sandberg’s insistence on leaning in to what we care about – leaning in to make the future better. We, the American Jewish Community of the 21st century, must reflect on our history and learn to Lean In to Judaism. There are many parallels, though by no means is it 100% perfect, between women who don’t lean in to opportunity, and Jews who don’t embrace Judaism.
For the rest of this sermon, please download below.
North Shore Synagogue, Syosset, NY
Not so long ago, I stood at a local cemetery, doing a favor for a colleague by officiating at a funeral. Not members of a congregation. The grandfather of the family had died, and the immediate family included his beloved wife, their children and grandchildren. All of the grandchildren had become Bar or Bat Mitzvah, but when we stood at the grave of their grandfather, no one could recite kaddish for them. Even with the transliteration, it was literally a foreign language to them, I might even say it seemed like a foreign ritual.
On their faces was embarrassment, disappointment and sadness. They so wanted to properly bury their husband, father and grandfather, but they were clearly feeling helpless and ashamed. And so, when we said Kaddish, mine was the only voice you could hear at the graveside of this beloved man.
When our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and in some cases, great-great grandparents came to this great nation, the United States of America, the world was a different place, and the world for Jews was nothing like what we know today. Our relatives came here in hope of something better. They fought for education, for freedom of religion. They fought to be Jewish, and to be Americans. They found balance between their religious backgrounds and upbringings, and the secular world in which they now needed to thrive.
The Jewish community was a tapestry of worlds woven carefully together. Most Jewish families, especially in smaller towns and in the growing suburban community, immediately gravitated toward the local shul, for they needed a place to pray, a place to educate their children, and a place to bury their loved ones.
With every Jewish holiday came a great Jewish food experience – amazing meals with the Passover seder; great, plentiful dinners accompanied the Shabbat experience; a well desired break-fast after a day spent in synagogue atoning for sins. The meals by no means defined their Judaism, but it enhanced their already very Jewish lives. Our ancestors lived within their Jewish community, and their Jewish community embodied their values and their identity.
In many ways, we need to go back to our American Jewish roots in order to reclaim the essence of being Americans and being Jews. Our foremothers and forefathers were steeped in Jewish culture, Jewish ritual and Jewish connection. Their basic identity simply embraced Jewish life, history and community to its fullest. Our generation, in many ways, has forgotten that Judaism doesn’t just happen to us; quite the opposite. We must embrace it, or it will simply pass us by.
I’m certain that many of you have heard of Sheryl Sandberg’s recent book “Lean In.” Perhaps you are somewhat tired of the conversations that have ensued from this book. Since I am constantly surrounded by conversations on gender, I was intrigued by much of what has sparked from this conversation, and I would like to make a parallel between what Sandberg presents in her book and what is happening in our Jewish world.
For those unfamiliar, in this book, Sandberg, who happens to be Jewish and is currently the COO of Facebook and continually on Forbe’s and Fortune’s top lists, very directly addresses issues of gender in the workforce. For her, it began with an electrifying TedTalk in which she described how women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers. In her book, she digs deeper into issues of women being encouraged to sit at the table, seek challenges, take risks and pursue their goals with gusto.
That topic is for another day, but I think there is much to be learned from Sandberg’s insistence on leaning in to what we care about – leaning in to make the future better. We, the American Jewish Community of the 21st century, must reflect on our history and learn to Lean In to Judaism. There are many parallels, though by no means is it 100% perfect, between women who don’t lean in to opportunity, and Jews who don’t embrace Judaism.
For the rest of this sermon, please download below.
lean_in_to_judaism.pdf | |
File Size: | 108 kb |
File Type: |