My precious students:* I have a virtual gift for you inspired by a story told by Rabbi Susan Silverman, the sister of comedian Sarah Silverman. It is about a gift their mother, Beth Ann received at a moment of profound transition - her wedding. Her mother received this gift at a bridal shower or some other wedding event. Beth Ann, carefully unwrapped the gift -- it was a mezuzah.
A mezuzah is that little box attached to the side of a doorpost of a Jewish home. Inside is a scroll onto which are hand-calligraphed two passages from Torah.
According to Silverman family legend, Beth Ann pulled out the scroll. Unrolled it. Looked at it for a moment, then said something like: “G** dammit! The directions are in Hebrew!”
What can we learn from this scroll about your transition? It seems to me three lessons for your transition are hinted at with words on the mezuzah scroll itself.
The first comes from the very first word on that mezuzah scroll shema - "listen." (Deut. 6:4) On your first day of classes in 2012, I told you that during high school “you will reach high points along the way only if you stumble. Because the power of making mistakes is that we learn from them.”
Then I shared a personal story about a time when I messed up in front of lots of people. I was six years old in synagogue for Rosh Hashanah sitting between my parents. I was wearing saddle shoes and a red blazer. The rabbi began his sermon. I heard him ask, "Who here has done something wrong or made a mistake during the last year?"
I raised my hand immediately. After all when you are six years old there is no no such thing as a rhetorical question. Besides, I thought to my six year old self, like others I made lots of mistakes in the last year. I raised my hand - but it was the only one up!
What we write in our life matters. But not just what we write in high school or college classes or put on parchment or even doorposts. The Sephardic sage Bachaya Ibn Pakuda (11th century, Spain) taught: “Days are like scrolls; write on them only what you want remembered.” In other words, our days are precious, our deeds are 'recorded' on them. Like scrolls, they can be read by others.
Perhaps it is because of these rules that so many of us fear time is chasing us or running out too quickly. But that’s contrary to the Jewish lesson of time. As we celebrate Shabbat each week or festivals in their season, we mark time as special. At this season between Pesach and Shavuot, we count each day carefully. In all those ways, we give time deep meaning. The tradition teaches us how to add meaning to our lives through how we spend our time.
A mezuzah is that little box attached to the side of a doorpost of a Jewish home. Inside is a scroll onto which are hand-calligraphed two passages from Torah.According to Silverman family legend, Beth Ann pulled out the scroll. Unrolled it. Looked at it for a moment, then said something like: “G** dammit! The directions are in Hebrew!”
Here [holding up parchment] is a scroll like the one Beth Ann opened. For her the contents of this scroll were a mystery. But for you, after four years at Jewish Community High School of the Bay (@jchsofthebay), you know it is not a mystery but rather a reminder of the most powerful lessons from Torah. We celebrate receiving Torah each year with the festival of Shavuot that begins in just two days.
In the weeks leading up to this graduation many of you have discussed with me approaching challenges and opportunities of living in a different residence next year - whether in a college dorm, on a gap year program, or in the Israeli army. Even those of you who plan to go to school while living at home next year will be in a different place figuratively if not literally.
In the weeks leading up to this graduation many of you have discussed with me approaching challenges and opportunities of living in a different residence next year - whether in a college dorm, on a gap year program, or in the Israeli army. Even those of you who plan to go to school while living at home next year will be in a different place figuratively if not literally.
What can we learn from this scroll about your transition? It seems to me three lessons for your transition are hinted at with words on the mezuzah scroll itself.
The first comes from the very first word on that mezuzah scroll shema - "listen." (Deut. 6:4) On your first day of classes in 2012, I told you that during high school “you will reach high points along the way only if you stumble. Because the power of making mistakes is that we learn from them.”
Then I shared a personal story about a time when I messed up in front of lots of people. I was six years old in synagogue for Rosh Hashanah sitting between my parents. I was wearing saddle shoes and a red blazer. The rabbi began his sermon. I heard him ask, "Who here has done something wrong or made a mistake during the last year?"
I raised my hand immediately. After all when you are six years old there is no no such thing as a rhetorical question. Besides, I thought to my six year old self, like others I made lots of mistakes in the last year. I raised my hand - but it was the only one up!
Then I heard quiet laughter, people turned to stare at me. I felt my mother gently tugging my arm down. What was wrong? She whispered, "The rabbi asked 'who here has NOT done something wrong or NOT made a mistake during the last year."
Whoops.
Ever since, I have been trying to listen more carefully, to ask questions to clarify my understanding, and not to jump in quite so quickly. Shema: the lesson is that listening is powerful - listen carefully.
The second mezuzah hint comes from the exhortation ooch-tavtam al mezuzot beitecha "write them on the doorposts of your house." (Deut. 6:9)
What we write in our life matters. But not just what we write in high school or college classes or put on parchment or even doorposts. The Sephardic sage Bachaya Ibn Pakuda (11th century, Spain) taught: “Days are like scrolls; write on them only what you want remembered.” In other words, our days are precious, our deeds are 'recorded' on them. Like scrolls, they can be read by others.
The scroll of your time at JCHS records seasons of resilience as many of you lived through tremendous loss or sorrow and seasons of accomplished triumph as each of you excelled academically, athletically, spiritually, or artistically.
Each of you has the power to choose whether the scrolls of your future days are marked by kindness or cruelty, by compassion or carelessness, by generosity or greed. All of us have the power to write on the scrolls of our days how we hope others will recall their interactions with us. Ooch-tavtam: Write thoughtfully with your deeds.
The third hint comes from last phrase on the mezuzah scroll yeerbu ya'meichem "lengthen your days." (Deut. 11:21) But how is that possible in a fixed world of nature where every day is limited to 24 hours?!?
Consider this: If a banker approached you each year on January 1 saying she would give you $8,760 dollars to spend however you want with only a few rules to constrain you. The rules are: (1) you cannot save or invest any of it from one year to the next, (2) whatever you don’t spend will be taken away at the end of the year, and (3) the banker could decide one day to take back all you haven’t yet spent. How would you spend the $8,760?
Will you be generous? Will you keep it all to yourself? Will you spend it all quickly or very slowly? Give to strangers? To relatives?
8,760 is exactly the number of hours in a year. How do you usually spend your time? Consider thoughtfully how you use each of the 8,760 hours you are given each year. You know it could all be taken away in an instant. You know that whatever you don’t use is wasted. And you know it’s impossible to 'save' time for a rainy day.
Perhaps it is because of these rules that so many of us fear time is chasing us or running out too quickly. But that’s contrary to the Jewish lesson of time. As we celebrate Shabbat each week or festivals in their season, we mark time as special. At this season between Pesach and Shavuot, we count each day carefully. In all those ways, we give time deep meaning. The tradition teaches us how to add meaning to our lives through how we spend our time.
My precious graduates, ultimately the value of your learning at Jewish Community High School of the Bay lies not on some superficial transcript but rather in the scroll you carry here [pointing to heart].
The value of your JCHS education depends on how inspired you are to write through your deeds a Torah of your own invention on the journey of life -- a journey I pray will be filled with: Shema - growing capacity to listen carefully; ooch-tavtam growing courage and resilience to write your deeds thoughtfully; and yeerbu - growing perspective to spend time meaningfully.
------------------------------------------------------
*My charge to Class of 2016 at Jewish Community High School of the Bay (@jchsofthebay) was delivered June 9, 2016 and was inspired by Rabbi Susan Silverman's appearance on @nprfreshair with Terry Gross on May 23, 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comment Here