Vayelech 5773

Here stands Moses, on the border—the desert behind him, the river before him.  Here we stand, on the border—the past behind us, the future before us.  We are all always poised on the narrow strip known as ‘now.’  “You shall not go across yonder Jordan,” God told Moses (Deuteronomy 31:2).  There is only this moment, the eternal ‘now’.

Moses anticipates his death in this week’s parashah, Vayeilech.  We do the same at Yom Kippur.  We are further told that “Moses wrote down this Teaching/Torah,” the national story that is also his personal story (Deuteronomy 31:9).  Is it coincidence that this week, at Yom Kippur, we, too, become aware that we are writing the stories of our lives?  There is something shared about contemplating mortality and writing one’s memoir.  It is an attempt to make sense of who were are, and also a plea to be remembered.

During this week of Vayeilech and the Yamim Noraim/Days of Awe, let’s take a page out of Moses’ book, and write the stories of our lives.  This is the time to remember and consider:  What were the big events this past year?  Who were the major characters?  What were the turning points so subtle we only became aware of them in hindsight?  Who taught us?  Where did we go wrong?

“You open the book of our days, and what is written there proclaims itself, for it bears the signature of every human being” (Gates of Repentance, page 176).

Nitzavim 5772

A thousand choices a day:  Accelerate through the intersection or apply the break?  Climb the stairs or take the elevator?  Fries or a salad?   Each one adds up to a life lived either more healthfully or harmfully.  “I have set before you this day life and death, the blessing and the curse.  You shall choose life, so that you and your offspring will live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

It ain’t easy to make the healthy choice.  Fries are delicious and the elevator is faster.   But we all know that it’s better to slow down and eat thoughtfully.  We all know that our diet is too high in fats, sodium, chemicals, and processed food.  If only it were easier to take care of ourselves.

That’s why Temple Emanuel is becoming a home for Community Supported Agriculture.  Farm-fresh, pesticide-free, organically-grown produce will be delivered to the synagogue each week.  Those that have subscribed will be entitled to a share of the goodies—whole, nutritious food, the kind you know you should be eating.  The offerings change each week as the farm yields different crops.

Learn more about Community Supported Agriculture by visiting www.tempecsa.org.  Enroll in the upcoming season (September 18 – December 11, 2012) before this Sunday, September 13, 2012 by emailing Mateo at Tempe.CSA@gmail.com for the discounted payment link of $225/12 weeks directly. Put “Temple Emanuel" in the subject line.   Or you can always join us in January.

We are commanded to steward the land and take care of our bodies.  I hope you will join me in supporting this exciting new venture for the synagogue and for our families.  The choice is yours.

Ki Tavo 5772

Moses enacts the ritual:  the people are divided into two groups by tribe, and each of them assembles at the foot of a mountain.  The priests read out a litany of blessings and curses, to which the people respond “amen.”

Blessings and curses—our lives are full of both.  From the expansive to the mundane, our days are comprised of triumph and torment, joy and frustration.  Both swirl around us, tap us on the shoulder, and change us.

With Rosh Hashanah a mere week and a bit away, now is the time to take stock of our lives.  In what ways are we blessed, and in what ways cursed?  More specifically, who has been a blessing to you in the year that will soon end?  How have you acknowledged them?  How have you been a blessing to others?  What curses do you live with?  How have you been a curse to others?  How have you cursed yourself?  And, perhaps most important of all—how can you turn your blessings into curses, so that next year will be a better year for you, your family, and your people?