September 22, 2007 - FOUR ARTICLES & THEIR MESSAGES - (Yom Kippur, 5768 )

Each summer a number of us rabbis of the Rocky Mountain Rabbinic Council get together for a High Holiday seminar. One of our colleagues always brings in newspaper articles he has clipped from recent issues. They contain stories which are, in themselves, sermons. When he presented us copies of his articles this year, I thought to myself, you know?, these are really connected and could make a sermon. So, I shall be taking them in the order that I compiled them.

The first article is about Caroline Adams Miller, a motivational speaker and executive coach who, in pursuit of being happier in her life, was asked to do a certain exercise before going to sleep. She was to think back over her day and locate three good things that had happened and analyze why they occurred. Now being Harvard trained and used to things being complicated, Miller thought that this exercise was too simplistic to have any effectiveness. She admits that she was wrong. She reported that: “The quality of my dreams has changed, I never have trouble falling asleep, and I do feel happier.” (Denver Post, 11/27/06).

Now getting in touch and communing with one’s self, as it were, in order to reach some important goal or to reach to some notional synthesis…to holiness, happiness or to God is an act of prayer; so we can say that Caroline Adams Miller was, indeed, praying before she actually fell asleep. I have no problem with making that assertion…that she was involved with Tefillah, with praying. And I would like you mentally to bookmark this idea. Hold on to it for a moment or two.

The second article is more about tragedy than anything else. It’s about a retired United Airline pilot, Mark Zenner, who recently took his own life. (The Denver Post, June 5, 2007) Zenner lived for flying. When, at age 60, he was forced to retire, he felt that he had nothing left to live for. He knew that he needed help, in part due to unresolved issues from his involvement in Vietnam War, but he refused to go for it because of the risk, he thought, that it would probably lead to his losing his pilot’s license. Mark Zenner, tormented by finding himself in a totally no-win situation, left behind family who loved and cherished, and now mourn him. The example he sets for us must be a negative one because it is of a life ended way too short and with a great many things left undone. Indeed, it is, in part, for this reason that Judaism abhors and eschews suicide. In juxtaposition to this story, let me just say that I am proud of B’nai Chaim’s continuing involvement, including tomorrow, in the Second Wind Project, an endeavor which identifies at-risk teenagers and gets them into counseling. For us Jews, nothing is more important than preserving and protecting life. We were there virtually at Second Wind’s inception. In contrast to those who leave behind them wounds that for their loved ones and friends are so very hard to close, we are working to secure life, and to prevent teenage suicide. You might say that we are doing teshuvah for the ills of our society and for the sad, often self absorbed acts of the suicide of our world. And along with tefillah, we’ll mark this teshuvah. Let’s remember that word, too.

The third article is nearly too fantastic to believe. But, it is true. And it involves…you might have guessed it…the concept of tzeddakah, of doing righteously. But oh, what an act of tzeddakah!

[It] seems that there was this Pizza Hut waitress in Angola, Indiana. Her name was Jessica Osborne. She had a particularly pleasant demeanor, always wearing a smile when she served this one particular, regular family. Over the course of time she shared her college ambitions and her dreams, and the fact that financially, she just couldn’t afford them. “She was sweet and bright and cheerful and never complained.” (ABC News 07/13/07) Now, when this family suffered a grievous loss---when the wife’s husband and eldest daughter were killed in an auto accident, the wife decided to share a part of the large settlement with Jessica. She left this waitress a $10,000 tip. Yes, I said $10,000!

Now I don’t know how many of us will ever be in the position of giving away that amount of money---nor would I wish on you the circumstances which brought about the payment of that amount of money, but I can’t help but think what a terrific gesture and what a wonderful investment in life this grieving family made. This act of tzeddakah was probably the most meaningful and profoundly good thing that might have come of all that shock, suffering, misery and grief that followed the accident. In so many ways, this gift had redemptive implications all over it. It must have made the giver feel as good if not better than the receiver. And as the wife said of her act, “it just seemed like the right thing to do.”

Good people, these three articles in one way or another remind us of the key to repentance which is the theme of this day. For our liturgy asks in the Unetaneh Tokef: “Who, dying shall leave a heritage of life?” And as Yom Kippur reminds us, we are all dying at this and every moment of our lives. On this day when we pray for an extension of our earthly existences; on this day when we list the threats which we face…of fire and of water, of sword (war and acts of terrorism), and beast (cars, planes and trains), of hunger (both physical and spiritual) and thirst (for intimacy and meaning), of earthquake and plague, of strangling (crime) and stoning (punishment), we are told that three critical elements can temper judgment’s severe decree: Prayer, Repentance, and Righteous Acts — Tefilliah, Teshuvah and Tzeddakah.

These three articles reflect either in a positive or negative way these three keys to redeeming ourselves from our sins of falling short in our lives. In one case, we learn that the secret to happiness is to concentrate our focus in life on our blessings and upon prayerful reminders of all the good we have and experience in this world. From another, we rededicate ourselves to correcting what is wrong both in ourselves…sometimes by having to get needed help…and in others, and by promising to confront those ills never to repeat them. In these acts of teshuvah do we come back into healthy relationship with God. And the third instance of doing tzeddakah is such a sweet reminder of the wonderful good we can all do by recognizing need and identifying and bringing out the best in others. It doesn’t always take $10,000 to accomplish this. You know better. It takes being there for each other and saying and doing the kindly thing when chips are down and those we care about need our strength and love. Tefillah, Teshuvah, Tzeddakah.

One last article, then, was about a 90 year old, Boulder professor, Kenneth R. Hammond, who had just finished his 12th book. Dr Hammond reports that back in 1935, as he was pushing a broom in a warehouse, he looked down at a newspaper photo of the graduating class of the University of California at Berkeley, and suddenly became irritated. He found himself wondering: “Why not me?” Well, why not him, indeed? Dr. Hammond is today Professor Emeritus of the University of Colorado’s psychology d epartment. His greatest quality, according to the article is his humility. Having achieved a BA, an MA, and a Ph. D. in psychology, and numerous awards and recognitions for his life’s work in judgment and decision making, he remains modest when he speaks about his accomplishments. He actually describes his scholarship as wishy-washy, but, obviously, others in his field do not see it so. Nonetheless, this 90 year old has kept himself in shape, exercising every day, and has kept his mind alert by staying intellectually curious. One might say that he has given us all a prescription for how to age well. Reach high. Exercise your curiosity. Give back. Stay active. Reflect upon your life without false pride and self aggrandized arrogance.

I think that, involved as we are in this day’s struggle over fierce hungers and fiercer desires for fullness in our lives and a nearer-ness to God, Dr. Hammond gives us both an epiphany and an ending to this homily when he asked of life as a 19 year old, “why not me?” I think we can all ask ourselves that question today in our attempts to implement the three keys of repentance: Tefillah, Teshuvah and Tzeddakah. Why not me? Surely we can pray, do deeds which help redeem our world and give of our treasure to make sure that good will indeed triumph.