Nitzavim 2008 Carr Reuben

Life Lessons Within Ourselves

Nitzavim, Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20
Haftorah: Isaiah 61:10-63:9

Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben, Ph.D.
Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation

Sometimes life seems overwhelming. For some it's the stress of coping with raising their children in an apparently a-moral world. For others it is learning how to live each day in spite of enormous challenges to our bodies and our health. For still others it is the experience of being squeezed in the "sandwich generation" between taking care of their kids and coping with the decaying physical or mental lives of aging parents.

For too many, any natural inclination they might have to search for meaning and purpose in life seems to consistently take a back seat to the strain of all it takes just to make a living. Yet Judaism expects more from us. Judaism teaches that we are created in the image of God, and in the words of Teillhard de Chardin, "are not human beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a human experience." The irony is that it is by having this human/physical experience that we come most directly in touch with the holy and sacred in life.

For life to be filled with holiness the first and most important ingredient is gratitude. Each morning when we wake up we are commanded by Jewish tradition to utter words of thanks for the miracle of daily rebirth. "Thank you sovereign of the universe for graciously returning my soul back to my body - your faithfulness (in me) is tremendous." These are the traditional words of prayer that Jews have recited daily for over a thousand years.

Giving thanks with a simple prayer each morning teaches us that Jewish religious practice is fundamentally an intimate affair - all that is necessary is a caring soul with an open and loving heart.

Too often we think there is some great knowledge, or technique, or pre-requisite wisdom, or learning that must take place before we qualify for undertaking serious spiritual work. This week in the Torah we learn the exact opposite is true.

The Torah tells us that every one of us is perfectly suited and qualified as we are to engage in growing our own souls and following our own spiritual paths. "Surely this Torah which I give you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond your reach. It is not in the heavens, that you should say, 'Who among us can go up to the heavens and get if for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?' Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who among us can cross to the other side of the sea and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?' No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it." (Emphasis mine) Deuteronomy 30:11-14.

We read this passage and are reminded once again that normative Judaism expects us to be engaged in a life-long search for spiritual meaning and purpose. We are expected to pursue spiritual growth and knowledge for its own sake. We are encouraged to discover that the most important things in life aren't things at all � they are encountering other human souls, nurturing relationships, and giving love. We learn this week that the things that matter most are as close to us as our own mouths and hearts. Perhaps this is our ancestor's way of teaching us that not only do the words that we speak really matter, but the intentions of our words count as well.

Yes, it is so easy to get overwhelmed by life. From school, to friends, to family, to jobs, to the state of the planet, to the messages we get from movies, television, magazines and the internet today. There is real wisdom in the words of this week's Torah, that the lessons of life we truly seek can be found within ourselves. The Torah speaks of our mouths and our hearts, and it's hard to get much more intimate than that.

May you approach the upcoming New Year of 5769 with the realization that you have the ability to discover life's meaning every single day in the relationships you create, the lives you touch, the love you give. Make this year your year of commitment to spiritual growth and self-discovery.

Rabbi Reuben's latest book is There's an Easter Egg on Your Seder Plate - Surviving Your Child's Interfaith Marriage (Praeger Publishing, 2008). These and his previous books can be found at www.rebreuben.com