Post by Rabbi Neil on Jan 19, 2024 19:00:03 GMT
16th century English poet John Donne wrote that “all mankind is of one author, and is one volume.” In perhaps his most famous text, he reflects on how the life cycle events of every other person affect him and everyone else, adding the famous line, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” He concludes by saying that the passing of every person affects every other person, explaining that “if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
People often read Donne’s reflection here as a reflection on death and while he uses death in his examples, he also earlier refers to birthing rituals. What he’s talking about, then, is not death but the connection between all of us on our journey from the cradle to the grave. Every loss of a person creates a loss in every other person still alive, just as every birth enriches everyone already alive. He’s talking about human connectivity, about community.
Around a thousand years before Donne, the Babylonian Talmud spoke in slightly similar terms, albeit with a particularist difference. It says in a number of places (e.g. Shavuot 39a, Sanhedrin 43b, Sotah 37b) the phrase kol yisra’el areivim zeh lazeh – all Israel are responsible for each other. In Talmud, the connection between Jews led to moral responsibility – we are not just affected by the actions of others as John Donne would later say, but we are specifically responsible for the behavior of others as well. In particular, the negative actions of one Jew affect all other Jews so we have a moral and religious responsibility to protect the vulnerable and also to lead our lives according to the highest moral ideals so that we do not affect others. In Pirke Avot (2:4), Hillel warns us al tifrosh min hatzibbur – do not separate yourself from the community. That could be read as an injunction not to try to lead private lives away from everyone else but, with Donne’s words in mind, perhaps it could be read as mentally or spiritually – do not separate yourself from the concerns of every member of the community. Do not say “This does not affect me,” when everything affects you since no-one is an island.
Of course, the Babylonian Talmud is talking only about Jews, for perfectly understandable historical and sociological reasons. Twentieth century thinker Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, though, played off Donne’s “no man is an island” line to go far further than Talmud and explain that no religion is an island. He said that “The religions of the world are no more self-sufficient, no more independent, nor more isolated than individuals or nations. Energies, experiences, and ideas that come to life outside the boundaries of a particular religion or all religions continue to challenge and to affect every religion.” For Heschel, no religion is an island because he says “we are all involved with one another. Spiritual betrayal on the part of one of us affects the faith of all of us. Views adopted in one community have an impact on other communities. Today religious isolationism is a myth.”
The essence of Jewish community, particularly progressive Jewish communities like Temple Beth Shalom, is that no-one is an island. Our community’s tagline “Come as you are” is really important to me as a Rabbi. To me, it means that whoever you are, what you uniquely bring to our community adds to all of us. That’s different to all of us being responsible for each other because that, at least in the early Rabbinic mind, meant that we were responsible for correcting the behavior of each other. Not so any more. Maybe by our own individual actions we can inspire others, but we are not here for tochachah, to rebuke others. We are not here to conform but to add.
That is why a New Members’ Shabbat is so important, because we celebrate what every new person in our community brings. In a world where the individual is elevated above the collective, communities like ours remind us that there is no such thing as a disconnected individual. Everything we do affects everyone else, so we have a moral responsibility to enrich the lives of those around us. Celebrating our connection to each other therefore makes us better, not just because it enriches our experience but also because it reminds us of the importance of our best selves. We want to share the best of ourselves with each other in the community. Being in community lifts us, not because of fear of rebuke but because we want to share our best selves with others.
It's important to clarify, though, that there is no pressure to do so. Sometimes we struggle. Sometimes we are in pain. Sometimes we feel isolated or alone. Sometimes we just want to be in the company of others, not having to put on a brave face. So, sometimes we gather in community to support others, and sometimes we gather in community to receive support. I believe that is actually still being our best selves because it’s our most authentic self. Being our best doesn’t mean always giving, it means taking care of others when we can and ourselves as well.
Sometimes it seems that Temple Beth Shalom is an island of community in an increasingly-fragmenting society. Heschel reminds us that that is not the case, though. We are not an island but a hub, the center of a social wheel, an essential part of Santa Fe and of New Mexico, and we form part of the tapestry of the United States and all of human society. This is why we welcome our new members this Shabbat because every new member adds to our already wonderful community. It is also why we celebrate our Board members this Shabbat for their dedication and commitment to helping this essential sacred community thrive. This community supports those in need, enlarges the horizons of those who wish to learn, enriches those who seek spirituality… we literally save lives here at Temple Beth Shalom.
So, tonight, we honor not just all members who have so far helped to create this magnificent community, but also the new members who bring new ideas, new thoughts, new ways of being Jewish to our community, and we also honor the Board members who help to support our community and therefore all of our members in so many differing ways. Temple Beth Shalom is a very large family. None of us is an island. We connect through our membership, through our shared vision, through our supporting each other through life. We are essential, and every Board member and community member is essential. Every member is a piece of the continent and we are involved in each other. So, may God continue to support us, our community and every valued member, and let us say, Amen.
People often read Donne’s reflection here as a reflection on death and while he uses death in his examples, he also earlier refers to birthing rituals. What he’s talking about, then, is not death but the connection between all of us on our journey from the cradle to the grave. Every loss of a person creates a loss in every other person still alive, just as every birth enriches everyone already alive. He’s talking about human connectivity, about community.
Around a thousand years before Donne, the Babylonian Talmud spoke in slightly similar terms, albeit with a particularist difference. It says in a number of places (e.g. Shavuot 39a, Sanhedrin 43b, Sotah 37b) the phrase kol yisra’el areivim zeh lazeh – all Israel are responsible for each other. In Talmud, the connection between Jews led to moral responsibility – we are not just affected by the actions of others as John Donne would later say, but we are specifically responsible for the behavior of others as well. In particular, the negative actions of one Jew affect all other Jews so we have a moral and religious responsibility to protect the vulnerable and also to lead our lives according to the highest moral ideals so that we do not affect others. In Pirke Avot (2:4), Hillel warns us al tifrosh min hatzibbur – do not separate yourself from the community. That could be read as an injunction not to try to lead private lives away from everyone else but, with Donne’s words in mind, perhaps it could be read as mentally or spiritually – do not separate yourself from the concerns of every member of the community. Do not say “This does not affect me,” when everything affects you since no-one is an island.
Of course, the Babylonian Talmud is talking only about Jews, for perfectly understandable historical and sociological reasons. Twentieth century thinker Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, though, played off Donne’s “no man is an island” line to go far further than Talmud and explain that no religion is an island. He said that “The religions of the world are no more self-sufficient, no more independent, nor more isolated than individuals or nations. Energies, experiences, and ideas that come to life outside the boundaries of a particular religion or all religions continue to challenge and to affect every religion.” For Heschel, no religion is an island because he says “we are all involved with one another. Spiritual betrayal on the part of one of us affects the faith of all of us. Views adopted in one community have an impact on other communities. Today religious isolationism is a myth.”
The essence of Jewish community, particularly progressive Jewish communities like Temple Beth Shalom, is that no-one is an island. Our community’s tagline “Come as you are” is really important to me as a Rabbi. To me, it means that whoever you are, what you uniquely bring to our community adds to all of us. That’s different to all of us being responsible for each other because that, at least in the early Rabbinic mind, meant that we were responsible for correcting the behavior of each other. Not so any more. Maybe by our own individual actions we can inspire others, but we are not here for tochachah, to rebuke others. We are not here to conform but to add.
That is why a New Members’ Shabbat is so important, because we celebrate what every new person in our community brings. In a world where the individual is elevated above the collective, communities like ours remind us that there is no such thing as a disconnected individual. Everything we do affects everyone else, so we have a moral responsibility to enrich the lives of those around us. Celebrating our connection to each other therefore makes us better, not just because it enriches our experience but also because it reminds us of the importance of our best selves. We want to share the best of ourselves with each other in the community. Being in community lifts us, not because of fear of rebuke but because we want to share our best selves with others.
It's important to clarify, though, that there is no pressure to do so. Sometimes we struggle. Sometimes we are in pain. Sometimes we feel isolated or alone. Sometimes we just want to be in the company of others, not having to put on a brave face. So, sometimes we gather in community to support others, and sometimes we gather in community to receive support. I believe that is actually still being our best selves because it’s our most authentic self. Being our best doesn’t mean always giving, it means taking care of others when we can and ourselves as well.
Sometimes it seems that Temple Beth Shalom is an island of community in an increasingly-fragmenting society. Heschel reminds us that that is not the case, though. We are not an island but a hub, the center of a social wheel, an essential part of Santa Fe and of New Mexico, and we form part of the tapestry of the United States and all of human society. This is why we welcome our new members this Shabbat because every new member adds to our already wonderful community. It is also why we celebrate our Board members this Shabbat for their dedication and commitment to helping this essential sacred community thrive. This community supports those in need, enlarges the horizons of those who wish to learn, enriches those who seek spirituality… we literally save lives here at Temple Beth Shalom.
So, tonight, we honor not just all members who have so far helped to create this magnificent community, but also the new members who bring new ideas, new thoughts, new ways of being Jewish to our community, and we also honor the Board members who help to support our community and therefore all of our members in so many differing ways. Temple Beth Shalom is a very large family. None of us is an island. We connect through our membership, through our shared vision, through our supporting each other through life. We are essential, and every Board member and community member is essential. Every member is a piece of the continent and we are involved in each other. So, may God continue to support us, our community and every valued member, and let us say, Amen.