Yom Kippur, with its message from Torah, is just behind us: “I have set before you this day life and death, blessing and curse; you should choose life, that you and your descendants may live”. That little sentence packs more punch than Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne combined. We have free will. Our choices carry great weight. Ethics and spirituality point us one way (though choosing life and blessing would be Pavlovian, and thus meaningless, were the opposite choice not truly available), and the decisions we make have huge impact even on those who come after us.
Each moment we make myriad small decisions, the sum of which makes us agents of life/blessing, or of death/curse. Consider just our time on the road, ‘the way’ — Are we nice to turnpike toll-takers? Do we ever drive angrily? Have we gotten behind the wheel after two or more drinks? Do we get behind the wheel of a gas-guzzler? Every day, every hour, we make blessing-or-curse choices.
In the coming season, we will each make at least two decisions on a much larger scale. In the civic arena, we will vote — a sacred responsibility, a national mitzvah. Others struggled and died over the right to free elections; let us not squander that birthright. From county clerk to commander-in-chief,* elections matter enormously. Voting is itself a blessing, a life-affirming choice — and may our choice of who to work for, donate to, and vote for, itself bring life and blessing to our society.
The race which captures our attention features a sharply divided electorate of over 100 million. But let’s turn now to the other momentous decision we will make, in a smaller race toward sustainability and wholeness, with a hopefully unanimous ‘electorate’ of 450 households.
I trust that we have consensus on the following: we love Adat Shalom, and want to see it (and its members) flourish. We enjoy a unique approach to Jewish living, which is worth supporting. We treasure Adat Shalom’s participatory, egalitarian spirit, which includes giving of our fiscal resources, as well as our time and energy. We stand in support of the community and its needs. Yet along with these givens, come a few less obvious realities:
Well, all that is about to change! In the weeks and months ahead, we look forward to your help and support in a capital campaign which will enable us to pay off the mortgage; make the most of our grounds; and leave room in our budget, starting just a few years out, for expansion of both our programs and our space.
As we are generous with our time and energy — and as we were generous in the important High Holy Day appeal which just concluded — may we be especially generous in this last-chance-to-‘own’-our-building campaign. Many volunteers have already done tremendous work to set up the campaign, and to ensure our solid fiscal standing well into the future. We owe them our thanks, and our receptivity, and ultimately our gifts.
In the coming months, look for numerous opportunities to learn more about the campaign, and to get involved as volunteers, as well as donors. I hope to see you at many of these events, and to join you in pledging meaningful support for this vital project. May we see this as the opportunity that it is, and may our building continue to be filled with the learning and music and spirit and community which make this effort so worthwhile.
May our choices affirm life and blessing. May our prayers for American political life be answered. And may we all step forward to help lay a truly solid foundation for Adat Shalom’s future. Chag ha-Sukkot sameach….
l’shalom,
Fred Scherlinder Dobb, Rabbi
* Unless you live in DC, that is, where only local and national slates are available — yet vital congressional / senate representation, with power to rescind local laws on matters as important as banning assault weapons, is denied.