Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thank you for joining me. I'm Rabbi David Lyon from
Congregation Meth Israel in Houston. For so many weeks, actually
for so many years, I've shared my thoughts about Jewish thought,
Jewish teaching, Jewish life, not only in the context of
our own Jewish experience, but in the context of a
(00:20):
world of faiths and traditions, giving room for all of
us to share how we observe our life, how we
live our faith, and how we make a difference in
the world according to our own sacred teachings. And so
you've come to learn a lot about Judaism and maybe
a little bit about me and how I interpret it
(00:42):
for my congregation, for myself and family too. There's so
many ways that we celebrate joys in our faith traditions.
This past week, during the month of graduations, my wife
and I share the joy of a daughter who earned
her master to degree and a son who earned his PhD.
(01:04):
For a family that celebrates education, hard work, and faith,
they were truly reasons to celebrate, very deeply. At the
very same time, like many of you, we observe the
world's history around us unfolding somemative that it is positive
(01:24):
but I would dare say that much of it is
concerning causing all of us to struggle more than ever before.
Perhaps we're prospering. The markets aren't bad, but for the
sake of others who are not in the markets or
don't live the lives that they wish to live. There's
still a gap between where they are and where they
(01:46):
want to be. And for people of faith who find
meaning in the sacred texts, in the Torah, in the
Christian Bible, in the Quran, and other faith texts, we
know that there's something missing because the well being of
all God's people is something that we hold dear. We
don't think only of ourselves, even if we have to
(02:09):
think of ourselves first, there's always room for others and
the well being that we share in the communities where
we live, and of course in the world we share now.
By hellll a long time ago taught if I am
only if I am not for myself, who will be
for me? If I am only for myself? What am
(02:31):
I if not? Now, when it goes to the heart
of everything that we need to be, Yes, we have
to take care of ourselves more than anybody will ever
take care of us. We have to be personally responsible,
of course, But if we are only so selfish or
self centered about our own needs, without any room at
(02:52):
all at all for others, then what are we? He
didn't ask who are we? He asked what our because
we become a thing, an automaton that is unfeeling for
other per people's concerns and needs. And of course, the
third part of his questions was if not now when
(03:14):
it's simply a question that helps us to know that
life is short. In the scheme of things, our life
may be seventy years, which the missioner calls a full life,
or maybe many more, as people have the luxury to
live today in fairly good health too, to be ninety
or even one hundred. But there are many more lives
(03:35):
that are cut short, and in the short time that
they live, they filled. They're filled with dreams and hopes,
not only to make a difference for themselves in this world,
but many of them are aspirational to make a difference
for others too. And that's what happened this past week
when Sheer Milgram and our own Lifinski were murdered when
(03:58):
they exited an Ajac pro Graham in Washington, d C.
How unfortunate, how deeply sad that the murderer, in the
name of something larger, murdered two young people just because
they were Jewish. I'm not being political in my comments here.
(04:19):
I'm sharing with you as a grieving Jew, a grieving rabbi,
and a grieving human being who preaches humanity, who preaches
ways to find paths to peace, because we know that
other people are suffering too, and what's happening in the
Middle East, like it's happening in other places too, is
about not listening, not understanding, and sometimes just not caring.
(04:44):
But rather than carrying the torch of hate or the
torch of revenge, let's carry the torches of peace and understanding.
Because what this young couple was doing was participating in
a program not only for Jewish people, but for many
kinds of people who believe in different ways and live
(05:05):
in different places and manners, sharing thoughts and ways to
make the world a better place. That is the function
of the American Jewish Committee, the AJAC. But what has
happened in our world today is that they have globalized
the Intovada. Those are the words that are used. Globalizing
the Intovada does not a matter about what you believe,
(05:29):
how you feel about the Middle East, what you think
about in American politics, it's just jew hatred. If you're Jewish,
there's hatred and the potential to be hurt or, as
we come to know, to be murdered. That is so abominable,
so fearful, so difficult for a normal human being who
(05:52):
appreciates faith, diversity of faith, and the common humanity that
we find between us when we turn on the news
and face the day in front of us, because all
of us are held to account at one point or another,
with our family and friends, with our leaders in worship,
and ultimately with our God. And our God created us
(06:17):
in God's image to share a common outlook for the
world and its people and all that dwells on earth,
to find a way, even if it isn't our own way,
but a way to be in peace with each other.
The direction that we're heading is fearful, and if you
don't feel some thread of fear, then you haven't been
(06:39):
completely aware of what the world is about today. If
you feel some hope, then I'm with you because I
feel that even out of the grievous concurrences that happened
this past week and in recent times, there is always
a sliver of hope because there are people aiming to
do the right thing for the right end according to
(07:02):
their texts and sacred teachings, and because of faith. And
so I was attending a program just recently when Rachel
goldber Poland, whose son Hirsh was murdered by Hamas and
the tunnels, shared with us that she still has faith.
Why does she still have faith? Because she said, not
(07:22):
to have faith deprives her of the hope that even
her son lived with every single day. And she was
grateful to God for the years they shared because in
every glimpse of his personality, her son reminded her of
what was sweet and good and enduring about the world
and life's potential. She did not want to give up
(07:43):
on it, because if she did, she would have given
up on him and his hopes and dreams too. And
so she shared with an audience of over thirteen hundred
people that evening, when she was asked about faith, she
let us know that we need to keep faith too,
But where does it come from for us if we're
(08:03):
lacking or struggling in it. In Psalm one one, the
Psalmist asked from where does my help come? And the
Psalmist answered, my help comes from utter nigh, Maker of
heaven and earth, and in many other translations, my help
comes from the Lord maker of heaven and earth, who,
even when we stumble, lifts us up and secures us.
(08:27):
And that hope is a hope that is endured for
centuries and centuries. But very often, as it happens, faith
seems to booy us along the way because in times
of gratitude and happiness, as when I officiated a wedding
under the wedding hoopah, there's no question but that God's
(08:47):
blessing surrounds us. And so even those who struggle with
faith they were who have no faith, are able to say,
what a miracle, Thank God, what a beautiful evening, so
happy for the couple. But in times of grief, it's
much more difficult, especially for those who struggle with faith
or who have no faith at all, to say something
hopeful that God's way in the world might guide us
(09:10):
still to greater peace. But is then when we dig
even deeper to understand that it isn't by human means
alone that we can accomplish everything that we've been given
to do. We have to believe in some way that
deep down inside of us was created abilities, skills, thoughts,
(09:33):
feelings about humanity and what our short time on earth
can be when we find the right purpose to make
the right difference. And that is an expression of faith
and goodness and worship, because when I see it in
people who are struggling with faith, I urge them to
(09:53):
dig deeper to find what God placed in them, because
sometimes we don't find everything God gave us when we're
thirteen or twenty five or even forty. But even now,
as we are older seeking a way in this world,
we have to discover what God placed in us a
long time ago and is just now ready to be revealed,
(10:15):
ready to be used to make that difference. I got
a letter an email from a congregant recently who said
to me that he wanted to pull away from the
synagogue because he's been fearful, he's been marginalized by anger
and thoughts about what's happening in the world. I wrote
(10:35):
him back, and I said to him I could have
written the same letter. Is there are times when I'm
fearful and I'm feeling disillused and feeling angry. I want
to step back too, but we have to resist that temptation,
and rather than step back, we have to step in.
I urged him not to go away, but to come
(10:56):
back and to be a part of what we can
learn together, what we can do together, and what we
can hope together. A couple of days passed after my
reply to him, and then he replied to me again,
and he thanked me for helping him see a different
way to orient towards the issues in the world in
a way that is more helpful and more healing. And
(11:19):
he said that after his summer break from Houston heat
he will return and join us again. I think embedded
in that email exchange between us is what I'd like
you to know too. And in a world that seems
darker and more troubling, it isn't our time to step away.
It's our time to step in. It isn't the time
(11:42):
of the Great Depression in nineteen twenty nine, or the
time of the Great World War that ended in nineteen
forty five, or the Vietnam War of the sixties. But
this is our time when we identify the troubles that
surround us, and it isn't going to be resolved or
smoothed over anytime soon. If all of us back away,
(12:04):
we have to back in, step up, and make a difference.
And if we need inspiration or hope, then we can
find it in our sacred texts, from worship leaders and
others who lead us with positive expectations that we can
accomplish together, not by living in silos, but really by
(12:24):
leaning over and extending a hand of people who want
the very same things, even if it isn't to accomplish
the same end. But if there is peace, if there's neighborliness,
if there's some relief from the strife that we're experiencing,
then I am hopeful that we can do it better
than we have done. I'm Rabbi David Lyon from Congregation
(12:48):
Beth Israel in Houston. To listen Aganner. To share this message,
please find it at my podcast called Heart to Heart
with Rabbi David Lyon. You can find it at Sunny
ninety nine dot com on the iHeart Radio app. As
I enter the week to come, I want you to
invite you to join me there to take a moment
(13:09):
for yourself to express gratitude for your family and friends
and gratitude for the strength you still have to lean
in and make a difference where you can, and if
you're looking for hope, looking for ways to make a difference,
wherever you live, anywhere in the country, there are people
just like you. Ask them how they're feeling about the world,
(13:32):
ask them what their aspirations are, what is their future
for their family and friends. When we begin to share
stories between us, we discover that we have so much
more in common than we have that is uncommon between us,
and we have the possibility of sharing the path and
the way to make that difference for a better world
(13:53):
in front of us. I know this past week has
been extremely difficult for the Jewish world, and there is
no celebration that anybody should be experiencing because two young
people who were focused on making the kind of difference
we all want to see were eliminated from this world.
But it's in their memory that all of us will
(14:15):
rise up, perhaps to do the right thing this week
and in the weeks to come. I invite you to
join me in that way, to lean in, not to
lean back or step away, but let's find the ways
that we can. Then when we look up, perhaps we
will find that in God's own way, we have been
helped and healed, and peace will be available. Thank you
(14:38):
for joining me today. I look forward to being with
you again next time and sharing messages that we can
all share for a better world we wish to see
Thank you for joining me. I'm Rabbi David Lyon from
Congregation Meth Israel in Houston. For so many weeks, actually
for so many years, I've shared my thoughts about Jewish thought,
Jewish teaching, Jewish life, not only in the context of
our own Jewish experience, but in the context of a
(00:20):
world of faiths and traditions, giving room for all of
us to share how we observe our life, how we
live our faith, and how we make a difference in
the world according to our own sacred teachings. And so
you've come to learn a lot about Judaism and maybe
a little bit about me and how I interpret it
(00:42):
for my congregation, for myself and family too. There's so
many ways that we celebrate joys in our faith traditions.
This past week, during the month of graduations, my wife
and I share the joy of a daughter who earned
her master to degree and a son who earned his PhD.
(01:04):
For a family that celebrates education, hard work, and faith,
they were truly reasons to celebrate, very deeply. At the
very same time, like many of you, we observe the
world's history around us unfolding somemative that it is positive
(01:24):
but I would dare say that much of it is
concerning causing all of us to struggle more than ever before.
Perhaps we're prospering. The markets aren't bad, but for the
sake of others who are not in the markets or
don't live the lives that they wish to live. There's
still a gap between where they are and where they
(01:46):
want to be. And for people of faith who find
meaning in the sacred texts, in the Torah, in the
Christian Bible, in the Quran, and other faith texts, we
know that there's something missing because the well being of
all God's people is something that we hold dear. We
don't think only of ourselves, even if we have to
(02:09):
think of ourselves first, there's always room for others and
the well being that we share in the communities where
we live, and of course in the world we share now.
By hellll a long time ago taught if I am
only if I am not for myself, who will be
for me? If I am only for myself? What am
(02:31):
I if not? Now, when it goes to the heart
of everything that we need to be, Yes, we have
to take care of ourselves more than anybody will ever
take care of us. We have to be personally responsible,
of course, But if we are only so selfish or
self centered about our own needs, without any room at
(02:52):
all at all for others, then what are we? He
didn't ask who are we? He asked what our because
we become a thing, an automaton that is unfeeling for
other per people's concerns and needs. And of course, the
third part of his questions was if not now when
(03:14):
it's simply a question that helps us to know that
life is short. In the scheme of things, our life
may be seventy years, which the missioner calls a full life,
or maybe many more, as people have the luxury to
live today in fairly good health too, to be ninety
or even one hundred. But there are many more lives
(03:35):
that are cut short, and in the short time that
they live, they filled. They're filled with dreams and hopes,
not only to make a difference for themselves in this world,
but many of them are aspirational to make a difference
for others too. And that's what happened this past week
when Sheer Milgram and our own Lifinski were murdered when
(03:58):
they exited an Ajac pro Graham in Washington, d C.
How unfortunate, how deeply sad that the murderer, in the
name of something larger, murdered two young people just because
they were Jewish. I'm not being political in my comments here.
(04:19):
I'm sharing with you as a grieving Jew, a grieving rabbi,
and a grieving human being who preaches humanity, who preaches
ways to find paths to peace, because we know that
other people are suffering too, and what's happening in the
Middle East, like it's happening in other places too, is
about not listening, not understanding, and sometimes just not caring.
(04:44):
But rather than carrying the torch of hate or the
torch of revenge, let's carry the torches of peace and understanding.
Because what this young couple was doing was participating in
a program not only for Jewish people, but for many
kinds of people who believe in different ways and live
(05:05):
in different places and manners, sharing thoughts and ways to
make the world a better place. That is the function
of the American Jewish Committee, the AJAC. But what has
happened in our world today is that they have globalized
the Intovada. Those are the words that are used. Globalizing
the Intovada does not a matter about what you believe,
(05:29):
how you feel about the Middle East, what you think
about in American politics, it's just jew hatred. If you're Jewish,
there's hatred and the potential to be hurt or, as
we come to know, to be murdered. That is so abominable,
so fearful, so difficult for a normal human being who
(05:52):
appreciates faith, diversity of faith, and the common humanity that
we find between us when we turn on the news
and face the day in front of us, because all
of us are held to account at one point or another,
with our family and friends, with our leaders in worship,
and ultimately with our God. And our God created us
(06:17):
in God's image to share a common outlook for the
world and its people and all that dwells on earth,
to find a way, even if it isn't our own way,
but a way to be in peace with each other.
The direction that we're heading is fearful, and if you
don't feel some thread of fear, then you haven't been
(06:39):
completely aware of what the world is about today. If
you feel some hope, then I'm with you because I
feel that even out of the grievous concurrences that happened
this past week and in recent times, there is always
a sliver of hope because there are people aiming to
do the right thing for the right end according to
(07:02):
their texts and sacred teachings, and because of faith. And
so I was attending a program just recently when Rachel
goldber Poland, whose son Hirsh was murdered by Hamas and
the tunnels, shared with us that she still has faith.
Why does she still have faith? Because she said, not
(07:22):
to have faith deprives her of the hope that even
her son lived with every single day. And she was
grateful to God for the years they shared because in
every glimpse of his personality, her son reminded her of
what was sweet and good and enduring about the world
and life's potential. She did not want to give up
(07:43):
on it, because if she did, she would have given
up on him and his hopes and dreams too. And
so she shared with an audience of over thirteen hundred
people that evening, when she was asked about faith, she
let us know that we need to keep faith too,
But where does it come from for us if we're
(08:03):
lacking or struggling in it. In Psalm one one, the
Psalmist asked from where does my help come? And the
Psalmist answered, my help comes from utter nigh, Maker of
heaven and earth, and in many other translations, my help
comes from the Lord maker of heaven and earth, who,
even when we stumble, lifts us up and secures us.
(08:27):
And that hope is a hope that is endured for
centuries and centuries. But very often, as it happens, faith
seems to booy us along the way because in times
of gratitude and happiness, as when I officiated a wedding
under the wedding hoopah, there's no question but that God's
(08:47):
blessing surrounds us. And so even those who struggle with
faith they were who have no faith, are able to say,
what a miracle, Thank God, what a beautiful evening, so
happy for the couple. But in times of grief, it's
much more difficult, especially for those who struggle with faith
or who have no faith at all, to say something
hopeful that God's way in the world might guide us
(09:10):
still to greater peace. But is then when we dig
even deeper to understand that it isn't by human means
alone that we can accomplish everything that we've been given
to do. We have to believe in some way that
deep down inside of us was created abilities, skills, thoughts,
(09:33):
feelings about humanity and what our short time on earth
can be when we find the right purpose to make
the right difference. And that is an expression of faith
and goodness and worship, because when I see it in
people who are struggling with faith, I urge them to
(09:53):
dig deeper to find what God placed in them, because
sometimes we don't find everything God gave us when we're
thirteen or twenty five or even forty. But even now,
as we are older seeking a way in this world,
we have to discover what God placed in us a
long time ago and is just now ready to be revealed,
(10:15):
ready to be used to make that difference. I got
a letter an email from a congregant recently who said
to me that he wanted to pull away from the
synagogue because he's been fearful, he's been marginalized by anger
and thoughts about what's happening in the world. I wrote
(10:35):
him back, and I said to him I could have
written the same letter. Is there are times when I'm
fearful and I'm feeling disillused and feeling angry. I want
to step back too, but we have to resist that temptation,
and rather than step back, we have to step in.
I urged him not to go away, but to come
(10:56):
back and to be a part of what we can
learn together, what we can do together, and what we
can hope together. A couple of days passed after my
reply to him, and then he replied to me again,
and he thanked me for helping him see a different
way to orient towards the issues in the world in
a way that is more helpful and more healing. And
(11:19):
he said that after his summer break from Houston heat
he will return and join us again. I think embedded
in that email exchange between us is what I'd like
you to know too. And in a world that seems
darker and more troubling, it isn't our time to step away.
It's our time to step in. It isn't the time
(11:42):
of the Great Depression in nineteen twenty nine, or the
time of the Great World War that ended in nineteen
forty five, or the Vietnam War of the sixties. But
this is our time when we identify the troubles that
surround us, and it isn't going to be resolved or
smoothed over anytime soon. If all of us back away,
(12:04):
we have to back in, step up, and make a difference.
And if we need inspiration or hope, then we can
find it in our sacred texts, from worship leaders and
others who lead us with positive expectations that we can
accomplish together, not by living in silos, but really by
(12:24):
leaning over and extending a hand of people who want
the very same things, even if it isn't to accomplish
the same end. But if there is peace, if there's neighborliness,
if there's some relief from the strife that we're experiencing,
then I am hopeful that we can do it better
than we have done. I'm Rabbi David Lyon from Congregation
(12:48):
Beth Israel in Houston. To listen Aganner. To share this message,
please find it at my podcast called Heart to Heart
with Rabbi David Lyon. You can find it at Sunny
ninety nine dot com on the iHeart Radio app. As
I enter the week to come, I want you to
invite you to join me there to take a moment
(13:09):
for yourself to express gratitude for your family and friends
and gratitude for the strength you still have to lean
in and make a difference where you can, and if
you're looking for hope, looking for ways to make a difference,
wherever you live, anywhere in the country, there are people
just like you. Ask them how they're feeling about the world,
(13:32):
ask them what their aspirations are, what is their future
for their family and friends. When we begin to share
stories between us, we discover that we have so much
more in common than we have that is uncommon between us,
and we have the possibility of sharing the path and
the way to make that difference for a better world
(13:53):
in front of us. I know this past week has
been extremely difficult for the Jewish world, and there is
no celebration that anybody should be experiencing because two young
people who were focused on making the kind of difference
we all want to see were eliminated from this world.
But it's in their memory that all of us will
(14:15):
rise up, perhaps to do the right thing this week
and in the weeks to come. I invite you to
join me in that way, to lean in, not to
lean back or step away, but let's find the ways
that we can. Then when we look up, perhaps we
will find that in God's own way, we have been
helped and healed, and peace will be available. Thank you
(14:38):
for joining me today. I look forward to being with
you again next time and sharing messages that we can
all share for a better world we wish to see
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