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Rabbi´s Message, from October 2006 bulletin: I often encounter questions about the relevance of Judaism and Jewish teachings to our existence outside of the synagogue and the Jewish community. One of the most important things that Judaism demands of us is communal participation both in and beyond the synagogue. In conversations with people in South Lake Tahoe, Carson City, and the Carson Valley, I often find us all agreeing about the friendliness of the places we live, how people here get the notion that we live in a place where we will meet the same people over and over again. The premium on smiling at each other and taking an interest in each other’s well being thus is self-evident. Judaism, of course, in asking us to take care of those around us, finds this totally consistent. Of course, we ask of ourselves, and Judaism asks of us, more than cheerful and civil behavior. “Justice, justice, you shall pursue,” reads the Torah – for ourselves and for the world. The notion that we have received a creative capacity from the universe, also asks of us to use those abilities to help complete creation, to help our world and our fellow travelers on it to become better. To be a light unto the nations, as our sages ask us to be, means holding ourselves to an even higher standard of behavior than any communal or cultural norms that are commonly held. So how can we pursue this in our lives, in our town, in our country? In our own lives, with our families, our friends, and our extended family of Temple Bat Yam, one of the most important things we do for each other is showing up – as the great Jewish scholar Woody Allen said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” To be present for each other, for our celebrations and our times of trouble conveys the greatest caring we can, and at TBY we definitely work towards this. Showing up and participating means a lot outside of our extended family as well. To show our partnership with our community, we participate in good causes that make an impact locally. TBY members work at this too, giving time and energy to many of our local agencies, from Soroptimists, to the Tahoe Women’s Center, and Tahoe Youth and Family Services. Our Bar and Bat Mitzvah students have helped local food banks, agencies that work with the homeless, worked with the elderly, and more. We reap the benefits of these connections – the more we participate in the betterment of the world around us, the better those communities are to live in. I hope that through our local efforts, we continue to make an impact beyond our small communities too. As the election season comes to a close, one of our most important civic duties, voting, comes up. While I know that our community cherishes this sacred duty, I can’t help but wonder if we are all doing enough to make sure that everyone understands how important voting is. With voting numbers at all time lows in the last few elections, with a very important mid-term election coming up, we must urge everyone we know to participate in this election. This is important because regardless of our political opinions, the more we show up to vote, the more of us who vote and show up to hold our elected officials accountable, the more likely we are to make a difference in our communities, our states, our country, and our world. So as November 7th approaches, let us take the lessons of the Days of Awe, our High Holy Days, to exercise loving-kindness towards the world by bringing ourselves, and at least a few people who might not have voted without our influence, to the polls. And then, let’s hold our new and returning representatives accountable to the things that they have promised us. With our participation, we can work to bring forward the best of our Jewish and human values to influence our communities and our leaders. |