My Personal Memories and Prayers
The year was 1967. I was only nineteen years old at the time and ready to begin my junior year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Some of you may remember that summer was called the “Long-Hot Summer” due to racial violence in many American cities. This was the year of protests against the Vietnam War on university campuses throughout the nation as President Lyndon Johnson was ready to invoke a draft lottery to increase American presence in Southeast Asia. A world, filled with turmoil, challenge, frustration, and suffering first heard the Beatles' pop hit, “All You Need is Love”, a tune adopted by the free-love generation as one of its theme songs.
On June 2nd (28 Iyar), Jews celebrate Yom Yerushalayim, the day when Jerusalem was reunited following the Six Day War of 1967. Between June 5th-10th , Israel fought the Six-Day War against Syria and captured the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. On June 10 th the Six-Day War ended as Israel and Syria agreed to observe a United Nations-mediated cease-fire. Israel took Gaza and the Sinai from Egypt, Old Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria. On June 11, 1967 the divided city was reunited, and people of all faiths were free to worship.
Since 1967, Jews from all over the world have returned to the Western Wall and the old city to offer prayers of thanks and love to God for the City of Peace which once again was the united capital of the State of Israel.
I have been privileged to have visited Israel three times as an adult and have offered my prayers for peace and thanks at the Western Wall. It inspired me to observe Jews placing pieces of paper filled with their words of hope and yearning between the massive stones of the wall. Just to the west of the kikar (the courtyard of the Western Wall) lay many of these huge hewn stones that had been toppled by the Romans in 70 C.E. during the destruction of the Second Holy Temple. Today they remain where they fell as testament to the patience and endurance of our ancestors. Those enormous white stones remind me that the Jewish People today must still face life's challenges with courage and fortitude.
When we ask how Judaism survives today, we may look to the holiday of Shavuot which we will be celebrating from the evening of Sunday, June 8 through Tuesday, June 10th. Shavuot is known variously as Yom HaBikkurim (the Day of the Offering of First Fruits), Z'man Matan Toratenu (the Time of the Giving of the Torah), and Pentacost (the Feast of the Weeks).
Shavuot celebrates the harvest of first fruits in Israel. When our ancestors arrived in the land, they were commanded to plant crops in order that the land which God granted them would produce a harvest, part of which the Israelites would offer to God and the remainder of which they would enjoy as the fruit of their labor in their inherited land. Their faith in God was first and foremost.
Biblically, Shavuot is the ending of the seven weeks of the counting of the Omer which prepared the Israelites to receive God's instruction at Sinai. The giving of the Torah required Israel to accept it. When the people did, the Torah served as the terms of the covenant. Each side in the agreement was to fulfill its part. God made Israel a treasured people and Israel promised to serve God by receiving the gift of the Torah with wholeheartedness and by following its precepts.
Inquiring Jews today ask why it took so long for God to give the Torah to the Israelites. Why would God wait seven weeks and one day from the time of the Exodus from Egypt? Our Sages explain that the people were of a mentality dominated by their experience of slavery and therefore required time to rid themselves of slavery's influence upon their lives. We learn that as the day of divine revelation approached, the people became ever more eager to show God that they had readied themselves for this greatest event in the history of human history.
The sin of the golden calf, the murmurings against Moses and Aaron, the rebelliousness of the people and the seditious plans of Korach the Levite and his followers demonstrated to God, however, that the people needed far more time to merit the Promised Land. Their national character required shaping and discipline. The forty years of wandering in the wilderness provided that time. As a leader Moses was known for his humility, his faithfulness, his generosity, his sublime patience, and his constancy. After Miriam's death when the people complained to Moses because they desired water, he lost his patience with them. Moses struck the rock at Meribah instead of speaking to it in order to bring forth water; he had disobeyed God's command. Because of this impatience and lack of faith, Moses was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land.
Shavuot reminds Jews that the giving of the Torah implies that those who reject its instruction will suffer consequences, consequences that are difficult to bear. Shavuot also reminds us as Jews that the Torah was given as a gift from God. It might be seen as a ketubah, a marriage contract between God, the groom, and Israel, the bride. We know by experience that marriage flourishes if the parties show loyalty, honesty, patience, and true love. The giving of the Torah at Sinai was an act of Divine love; the receiving of the Torah by Israel continues to the obligation of God's bride, His Treasured People.
May this summer of 2008 be filled with joy as our community shows its devotion to the many blessings God has provided all of us! May the memories generated and prayers realized strengthen our resolve to serve God out of love and righteousness.
B'Shalom,
Cantor Jeffrey Conn
Cantor@mosesmontefioresynagogue.org |
