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The Synagogue: Home for the Spirit A colleague of mind who tried to persuade a person to join his congregation was told, “Look rabbi, I appreciate the importance of religion, but I just don’t believe in organized religion,” to which the rabbi replied, “Then you’ll love our synagogue. It’s totally disorganized.” We have all heard people say that “religion” is either too expensive, or simply expendable. The same people would not say, “I believe in medicine, but I don’t believe in medical schools or hospitals.” Nor would they say, “I believe in law & justice, but I just don’t believe in law schools, courts & police.” Nor, “I believe in art & beauty, but not in art schools & museums.” “Let them build me a sanctuary so that I may dwell among them” so Torah teaches us after our ancestors left Egypt. This was the first effort to “organize” our people and our religion. For over 3, 000 years now, our people have been builders of sanctuaries…and other faith traditions have done likewise. What purpose do our sanctuaries and our “disorganized” synagogues serve? The synagogue creates the ideal Jewish setting for worship. Surely we have the opportunity and privilege to reflect and seek that which is noblest within ourselves as we attempt to search for God. In the noisy, frightening world, it enables us to pause periodically to listen to the “still, small voice of the spirit within.” The synagogue provides us with a place for community, for young and old, for spiritual seekers and for rationalists, for serious Jews and for secularists, for Zionists and for globalists, for political animals and for cultural junkies. It is the penultimate, recognized address of the Jewish community for Jew and non-Jew alike. The synagogue effectively transmits the teachings of the sages and the visions of the prophets, the poetry of the psalmist and the prayers of the kabbalist. The synagogue is the strongest force for Jewish continuity-now, as it has been across centuries. It continues to creatively nourish our will to survive with purpose and hope, as well as to provide celebratory joy in living vibrant Jewish lives. The synagogue raises to the loftiest significance the great milestones from birth to death by clothing each one of us in the warmth of sacred words and hallowed rituals. It provides community with which we can share such precious occasions and life-affirming moments. The synagogue nurtures a caring community for Jews and those who live among us who take Jewish living and values seriously by helping us to see the world through Jewish eyes and providing us with guidance, comfort and inspiration. Through community and caring, Judaism is kept alive and we are enriched. The synagogue is a health insurance plan. Skeptics and cynics note, about a decade ago, the Center for Corporate Health reported, “Research shows that just being a member of a…church or synagogue drastically cuts the risk of early death. It protects against heart disease even in the persons with high blood pressure or other risk factors.” Know that I wish each and every one of you good health… And so, this summer, I want to share with you memories, prayers and hopes. I want you to be a member of a synagogue, wherever you may live, now or in the future. Remember, your health and the health of the Jewish people depends on your commitment I really hope that you will come to understand that we want you and need you to be with us as we, like those who came before us for thousands of years, seek to travel towards a Promised Land. We are covenanted partners on an amazing journey that is simultaneously mundane and sacred. Whether young or old, seasoned or novice, seeker or scholar, there is a home for you and your spirit. May summer’s warmth and beauty bless you and may we share our searching and our blessings with one another, so that we will come to understand that…Ultimately, the synagogue community keeps alive and articulates our most treasured memories, our most fervent prayers and our most cherished hopes.
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