Reflection: Calling - PG# 5020 (2006/2007)
by Michael Siegel
Often we are so focused on what we need from God that we forget what God needs from us. According to the Bible, human beings have the power to make God's name known in the world through what they say or what they do. God depends on us, God calls upon us, to make the Divine presence known in the world.
This message was taught in a bold interpretation by our Rabbis. Based upon a verse where God said to the Children of Israel: “You are my witnesses.” The Rabbis taught: “If you are My witnesses, then I am God. But if you are not my witnesses then how can I exist in the world as God.”
Each day presents us with numerous opportunities to be a witness for God if we but hear God's call. A well chosen word, an act of kindness, or just a smile can bring the presence of God into the world. How much better would our world be if people considered God's needs above their own.
Reflection: Community - PG# 5115 (2007/2008)
by Michael Siegel
There is a story told about two men on a wooden ship well out into the ocean. Suddenly, one of the men began drilling under his seat. The man sitting next to him became alarmed and asked for an explanation. The other stopped drilling just long enough to say that this was his seat and there he will do what he wants, and demanded that the questioner just mind his own business.
Friends, this is a wonderful illustration of the effect of our actions on the larger community. We may think that what we do affects only us, but the fact of the matter is, is that there is always resonance to our actions. In an individualistic society where the sovereign self reigns supreme too many of us play the role of the man with the drill. We seem to be more interested in protecting individual rights then thinking about the responsibility we have to one another. Community begins when we show awareness of those around us and the power that our actions have over the larger whole.
Reflection: Diversity - PG# 5102 (2007/2008)
by Michael Siegel
Reciting a blessing is one of the best ways to express gratitude and acknowledge the presence of God in the universe. Our Rabbis created a blessing for every occasion imaginable. There are blessings for natural occurrences such as hearing thunder or seeing a rainbow. There are blessings for people as well; whether for a king or someone you have not seen in a long time. There are even blessings for seeing a person who might appear different from the norm. It reads: “Praised are you Lord Our God, Ruler of the Universe who creates differences in the creation.”
What is the purpose of such a blessing? So often differences are feared and bring out the worst in people. By acknowledging that diversity is part of God's larger plan, we are given the opportunity to see the person and not that which makes them different from us. Ultimately, that may be the greatest blessing of all.
Reflection: Faith - PG# 4906 (2005/2006)
by Michael Siegel
Faith is what stands between me and the abyss: between me and chaos. To live in a universe where we allow ourselves to believe that things happen for no reason is to embrace moral chaos. According to the Bible, the creation began with God's act of ordering a universe that was, in the Hebrew, Tohu Va Vohu, null and void. God separated the light from the darkness. It seems to me that the person of faith is faced with a similar challenge, choosing a universe of meaning over moral confusion, choosing order over Tohu Va Vohu, even when the happenings around us are beyond reason. My faith teaches me that there is a God who injects the world with meaning. My faith teaches me that right and wrong, good and evil are not relative terms. My faith teaches me that God has expectations of who I can be, and how I should live. My faith teaches me that God desires to be in covenant with people, and that together we can make the world whole. My faith teaches me that taking one step toward God can change everything. As beings created in the image of God, we too can create a sense of moral order in a chaotic universe, we too can bring light into a dark world. This is the power of faith.
Reflection: Faith - PG# 5012 (2006/2007)
by Michael Siegel
Rabbi Michael Melchior is one of the most important Rabbis in Israel today. During the second World War, as a young boy, he was saved by Danish fisherman who hid him from the Nazis by placing the boy under a load of fish. Melchior remembers his father saying to him as he was placed on the boat: “Son, we may never see each other again, but remember these people have a conscience and are decent. You can trust them.” When the boat was stopped by a Nazi patrol, Melchior remembered thinking: “Thank God, there are people in the world with conscience. There is decency and trust in the world.” Such faith in others helped him to survive the war and has guided him ever since. Such a story reminds us that faith in God should not be our only concern in this world. There is a great need to find a way to restore faith in each other as people of conscience and decency as we navigate the journey of our lives.
Reflection: Faith - PG# 5219 (2007/2008)
by Michael Siegel
So often, when we speak of faith, our thoughts turn to God. But sometimes the most powerful type of faith is the kind that we learn to have in each other. When the Nazis came to round up the Jews of Denmark, many were saved because a group of Danish fishermen were willing to risk their lives to ferry them to safety. It has been estimated that 7500 men women and children were saved by these brave souls. A generation of children learned that they need not lose faith in humanity. In Yad Vashem, the Museum dedicated to the Holocaust in Jerusalem, a Danish fishing boat is on display. It is a powerful statement to all who pass by that even at the darkest time in human history there were people worthy of our faith.
Reflection: Fear - PG# 5118 (2006/2007)
by Michael Siegel
A Rabbi who was on his deathbed was asked by one of his disciples to express his most profound wish. He said: “I hope that the day will come when people will learn to fear God as much as they fear each other.” The students were shocked. “How is it possible that people would fear each other more than God?” The sage looked at his students and said: “When someone does something wrong they will often say: ‘I hope no one sees,' but they never say ‘I hope that God does not see' because they know that God is watching.”
Friends, imagine a world where people actually lived with an awareness of the Almighty throughout their daily lives. An awareness that would affect their interactions with other people, an awareness that would affect their business dealings, their public and private moments. In such a world, I suspect that the Rabbi's worthy wish would be fulfilled and awareness of the Almighty would take the place of fear of each other.
Reflection: Forgiveness - PG# 5110 (2006/2007)
by Michael Siegel
The great Rabbi Susya of Hanipol was once asked to speak in a far away community. The journey was long and the rain fell for most of it. When he finally arrived in the community it was already late and there was no time to freshen up or change his clothes. Rabbi Susya went to the Synagogue with filthy clothes on. At the door he was reprimanded by one of the townspeople. “Don't you know that the great Rabbi Susya is coming today? How dare you beggars come around wearing such filthy clothing?” And he was sent away.
The next morning the Rabbi was introduced to the community. After his lecture the man came and apologized to the Rabbi for the case of mistaken identity. To this Rabbi Susya said: “It is not me that you should be asking forgiveness, it is from all beggars.” So often we ask for forgiveness from those who can have an effect on our lives. The others who equally deserve to be approached are too often ignored. Forgiveness should be about the act and not about the individual being asked.
Reflection: Diversity - PG# 5002 (2005/2006)
by Michael Siegel
One of the most dangerous aspects of religion is the notion that there can be only one set of truths in the world. If that is so, then someone has to be right and everyone else has to be wrong. Look around the world and you can see the results. So much pain and suffering, all because there are those who think that they have the only truth. If God is infinite and beyond our understanding, then is it not possible that God has the power to recognize more than one truth? This is a lesson taught beautifully by the prophet Isaiah. In presenting God's vision of a redeemed world, God said: “For my House shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” In God's house the prayer of all people can be heard. If God can accept the prayers of more than one religious approach, if God can celebrate a diversity of beliefs, why can't we? Our faith traditions expose us to truth, they do not give us a monopoly on the truth.
Reflection: God with us - PG# 5309 (2009/2010)
by Michael Siegel
The story is told of a king who possessed a beautiful gem that he prized above all else. One day, to his horror, the king discovered a scratch on his beautiful stone. Immediately, he sent messengers to every corner of his kingdom offering a great reward to anyone who could remove the scratch. One by one, jewelers came to examine the stone only to tell the downcast king that nothing could be done. One day, an artisan came to the palace and heard of the king’s plight. Examining the stone, the artisan announced to a stunned court that he could repair the king’s gem. He took his tools and the gem into another room and emerged triumphantly with the gem in hand. When the king gazed at his beloved stone he was amazed to see that the scratch was still there, but that the artisan had etched a rose at its top, so the scratch had become the stem of a beautiful flower.
Friends, this is a parable that reflects the path of life. Each of us is entrusted with a beautiful life with many facets. Life’s challenges create scratches that appear on the beautiful surface of our gem of life. Faith is a constant reminder that there is a God who continues to walk with us, and a world that remains beautiful. Like the artisan, faith does not take the scratch away, but it gives us the rose to put atop the scratch.
Reflection: Gratitude - PG# 4904 (2005/2006)
by Michael Siegel
Gratitude is the beginning of the religious journey. Our ability to stop during the course of a day and thank God for that which we are blessed is a vital component of a spiritually active person. Not because God needs to hear these words, but because if we don’t acknowledge God then the Almighty becomes less of a presence in our lives. If we can’t see God’s goodness when it surrounds us, how will we see God’s blessings on challenging days, when they are harder to perceive, harder to feel?
There is a wonderful line in the Jewish prayer book which serves as a personal wake up call for me each morning. Hamehadesh olam bechol Yom: God you renew the creation each day. I take these words to mean that each day is like a new day of creation, and God declares each day Tov: good. However, it is for me as God’s partner to live my life in such a way that the world becomes Tov m’od: very good. That process begins with my acknowledging God as creator through expressions of gratitude for the blessings of the day, and working to open my eyes to the wonder that surrounds me in a world renewed daily.
Reflection: Gratitude - PG# 5121 (2007/2008)
by Michael Siegel
Our rabbis teach us that when the Messiah comes, all forms of prayer will cease with the exception of expressions of thanksgiving. Why should this be? The ability to say thank you is nothing less than the beginning of faith. Offering words of thanksgiving is the most effective way of acknowledging that there is a Creator in the world and the blessings that surround us were given by the gracious hand of the Almighty.
The rabbis were also aware of the fact that without prayers of gratitude people are prone to praise themselves and ultimately close themselves off from the Almighty. The rabbis understood that a world lacking thankfulness is a lonely place even if the Messiah is present. Friends, God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Surely you could us one to say thank you.
Reflection: Heaven on earth - PG# 5313 (2009/2010)
by Michael Siegel
The story is told of a man who asked to see heaven and hell. First he was taken to hell, where there were long tables filled with the most sumptuous foods and delicacies. When the man looked at the people’s faces there was only sadness. He then noticed that their bodies were gaunt. Next he was brought to heaven, where the man was shown the exact same scene. There too the tables were heaped with food. Except in heaven, the people appeared to be well fed, and the expression on their faces was joyful.
When the man asked the guide to show him the difference between the people’s experience in heaven and hell he pointed to their arms. There the man saw that in both places the people’s elbows were held in a straight position, so that even though they held forks in their hands they were unable to reach their own mouths. In this way, the people in hell starved amidst the bounty. While in heaven, the people understood that if they fed each other, and shared that which was before them that they could all be satisfied.
Friends, this is a story for our day. There are many in our country who are feeling economic hardship; whose very existence has become precarious. All this in the wealthiest country in the world! America’s bounty is before us; the difference between a heaven or hell of our own making is in the acceptance of responsibility to sustain one another.
Reflection: Hope - PG# 5007 (2006/2007)
by Michael Siegel
Of all of the motivators, hope may be the greatest. Hope gives people the strength and the courage to do things that might have been considered impossible. Simply put, life without hope is hopeless. According to an old parable, one summer night, two frogs fell into a bucket of milk. The first frog, realizing the hopelessness of his situation, promptly gave up and drowned. The second frog began thrashing about furiously with all of his might. The following morning the farmer was surprised to find a bucket of milk turned to butter with a frog sitting on top of it. Let all of us cling stubbornly to our hopes. All of us know the power of hope and all of us know the despair that comes from hopelessness. Hope forms the bridge which leads us from darkness to a new dawn.
Reflection: Joy - PG# 5016 (2006/2007)
by Michael Siegel
Where is joy to be found? In our age, there's no limit as to what people will do in search of it. A parable is told of a man who left his family to find joy and fulfillment. He believed that if he climbed the tallest mountain, he would find it. After traveling across the sea and scaling the summit, he prayed to God to show him the joy and fulfillment that he so desperately sought. Suddenly, a rock split open and there appeared a beautiful white flower. When he picked it up, he realized that it was the same flower that his daughter gave to him when he left on his journey. That's the way it is with happiness. So often we believe that it is far from us, but in reality it is close at hand. It grows in our own gardens. And it is found in the little things, the simple joys, just waiting to be rediscovered right outside our doors.
Reflection: Justice - PG# 4916 (2005/2006)
by Michael Siegel
One of the most dramatic statements that the Bible makes is that the God of Israel is concerned about the stranger, concerned about the person who is the most vulnerable. In a world that worshiped strength and power, God’s interest in the poor, the widow, and the elderly could have only been seen as a sign of weakness by much of the ancient world. Yet, what the rest of the world saw as weakness, we saw as our greatest strength. The measure of a just society, then and now, can be seen in how it treats those on its margins. Imitatio Dei, the imitation of God reaches its highest expression when we hear the cries of those in need with our ears and hear what God hears; when we search out those in need with our eyes and see what God sees; when we extend our hands to others, and give on behalf of God. A just society begins when we see that we have the power and the responsibility to be an extension of God’s concern for the stranger.
Reflection: Justice - PG# 5018 (2006/2007)
by Michael Siegel
The creation of a just society has been one of the greatest challenges for humankind. Listening to conversations or reading the newspaper you might think that acting justly is everyone else's responsibility but our own. Before Fiorella La Guardia became the mayor of New York he served as a night court judge during the Great Depression. One evening, a destitute woman was brought before him for judgment after being caught attempting to steal food for her family. La Guardia told the woman, “I fine you ten dollars for stealing, and I fine everyone else in this courtroom, myself included, fifty cents each for living in a city where a woman is forced to steal to feed her children.” Friends, the creation of a just society is everyone's responsibility. The Bible teaches: Tzedek, Tzedek Tirdof: Justice, O Justice will you pursue. The repetition of the word justice, reminds us that the creation of a just society is everyone's responsibility.
Reflection: Kindness - PG# 5220 (2008/2009)
by Michael Siegel
The Rabbis taught that the world rests on three things: faithful prayer, ritual practice, and acts of kindness. To understand what they were attempting to teach, imagine a three-legged stool. If you take any of the legs away it cannot stand. This lesson reveals a great truth about any religion.
Prayer has great meaning to people and acts of ritual lead us to moments of deep sanctity. Both enrich the spiritual life of the individual. But if our religious practices do not lead us to acts of kindness, then the three-legged stool will collapse, and the world will suffer as a result. The true measure of prayer or religious practice is how it affects the lives of others than your own.
Reflection: One soul at a time - PG# 5304 (2009/2010)
by Michael Siegel
Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev was one of the best loved of all of the Hasidic Masters. Like other Rebbes, Levi Yitzhak was thought to have remarkable spiritual powers. When he prayed, it was believed that this Rabbi had direct access to God Almighty. Levi Yitzhak was also known as a tireless advocate for the Jewish people.
One Yom Kippur Levi Yitzhak’s prayer was so powerful he found himself standing in heaven on the Day of Atonement. There before him were the scales of judgment. As Levi Yitzhak prayed the scales judging the world began to move in a positive direction. The angels could not believe what was happening. They cried out, “Levi Yitzhak, you are saving the world, don’t stop praying!” Suddenly, Levi Yitzhak looked down from heaven and saw Hayim. A poor man, he did not have enough food to fill his stomach before the great fast, and now as the day wore on, Hayim had fainted and was near death. Levi Yitzhak left heaven so that he might attend to Hayim. As he returned to earth, the angels cried out; “Levi Yitzhak, you could have saved the world!” Levi Yitzhak then heard another voice, the voice of the God Almighty, “He is saving the world.”
Friends, the world will not be saved in a world movement. No, the world is saved one soul at a time. Saving Hayim the water drawer, the most downtrodden of men, is a step toward saving the entire world. All of us can play the role of Levi Yitzhak.
Reflection: Patience - PG#5206 (2007/2008)
by Michael Siegel
Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor, learned a powerful lesson about patience and perseverance. He learned it from a man who steered his royal boat during a terrible storm. The old man lashed himself to the ship’s tiller to prevent himself from being swept overboard. All the while the man prayed aloud: “O, seas, you may sink me if you will, but whether you sink me or save me, I will hold my tiller true.”
We can all learn a powerful lesson from this elderly pilot. The sea of life can be calm or it can stormy. The important thing is to hold the tiller of life with a firm hand, to steer it according to what you know to be proper values, and have the faith that eventually you will come to calmer seas.
Reflection: Self Control - PG# 5210 (2007/2008)
by Michael Siegel
One of the great Hasidic masters, Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sasov, once taught his disciples this lesson: “Here are some qualities that with the proper self discipline will make for
good character. Remove anger from your heart; find peace of mind, for when you have no peace, you have nothing; reprove no one until you yourself are perfect; remember that the souls of others are just as much of the Godhead as your soul is; and keep in mind that only one who has withstood temptation can be called righteous.” Rather than looking to others to follow the words of the Rabbi, imagine yourself practicing the type of self control that would make you less prone to anger and judgment, while at the same time being more peaceful and accepting of others. Imagine seeing the world through God’s eyes and not simply your own.
Reflection: Suffering - PG# 4913 (2005/2006)
by Michael Siegel
In my nearly 25 years in the Rabbinate, I have learned little about the reasons for suffering in this world. I can’t say that I have made any more sense of why bad things happen to good people then when I left the Seminary. What I have learned is that what religion offers the person who suffers is the knowledge that they are not alone. What I have learned is the importance of being present for those who are suffering. I have learned that when a person says “Why is this happening to me?,” they are really saying, “Ouch, this hurts so badly.” What is needed in such moments like these is not a theological discourse ala Job, but rather an expression of caring, support, and friendship. It is not what you say that will ultimately make a difference but just caring enough to show up. In these moments of quiet caring, I have felt God’s presence most profoundly. After all of these years I never underestimate the power of a phone call or a knock on the door.
Reflection: Timely action - PG# 5314 (2009/2010)
by Michael Siegel
A Rabbi once told a young boy the story of the binding of Isaac; that troubling tale of God commanding Father Abraham to take his son Isaac and sacrifice him on one of the mountains. As he told of the father and son walking up the mountain together the boy became visibly upset. The Rabbi hastened to tell the lad that an angel would come at the last minute and save Isaac. Still the boy continued to cry. “Don’t you see?” the Rabbi said, “Isaac was saved in the end.” Through his tears the boy stammered: “What if the angel came too late?” The Rabbi smiled and said “Angels are never late. But sometimes human beings are.”
How true these words are today. How many tragedies might have been averted if only people were not too late in acting? Perhaps someone else will respond we think. Perhaps it’s nothing. Of course, what applies on an individual level can easily played out on the international scene level. The world was too late for the victims of the Holocaust, just as the world it appears is too late for the hundreds of thousands of people of Darfur. How different our world would be if we determined to be on time for the ethical issue of our day, from the person on the street, to the cries in the night, to those who live fearful existences around the world. We have the power to play the role of the angel, and be late no more!
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