Temple B'Nai Sholem - New Bern, NC

To be a Jew is not to stand still. Jewish time begins with two journeys: Abraham's from Mesopotamia, Moses' and the Israelites' from Egypt. The words that set our history in motion were Lekh Lekha, "Travel, go, move on." Or as Robert Frost put it, "But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep." The time has come to chart the next stage of the journey, to look at where we are and where we must go from here.

Jews are, to put it mildly, a small people. And we at Temple B'nai Sholem are a small congregation. More than three thousand years later, the words of Moses remain true (Deut. 7:7): "The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of peoples." We were then. We are now.

Why then did God choose this tiny people - us and our ancestors - for so great a task, to be His witnesses in the world, the people who fought against the idols of the age in every age, the carriers of His message to humanity? Why did He promise Abraham and Sarah that their descendants would be innumerable, as many as the stars of the sky and the sand on the sea shore? Why are we so few? What is the meaning of this dissonance between the greatness of the task and the smallness of the people charged with carrying it out?

There is a passage in the Torah that deserves our greatest attention. "When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no mishap will come on them when you number them" (Ex. 30:12). This is a strange verse. It suggests that it is dangerous to count Jews. Many centuries later, ignoring this warning, King David took a census of the people, and disaster struck the nation. To this day, extremely observant Jews do not needlessly count Jews, even to calculate whether there is a minyan in the synagogue. Custom is to take a verse with ten words, and use that instead. Why is it dangerous to count Jews?

Why do nations take censuses? Why do they count their numbers? To estimate their strength - military, political, or economic. Behind the ancient practice of counting populations is the assumption that there is strength in numbers. The larger the people, the stronger it is. That is why it is dangerous to count Jews. If we ever came to believe that there is strength in numbers we would, God forbid, give way to despair. For four thousand years the strength of the Jewish people has never lain in numbers. In ancient Israel, our ancestors were a small nation surrounded by mighty empires: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. In the Diaspora, throughout the centuries and continents, Jews were a minority without rights or power. Jewish strength did not lie in numbers.

Where then did it lie? To this the Torah gives an answer of surpassing beauty. In effect, God tells Moses, "Do not count Jews. Ask them to give, and then count the contributions. That is how you measure the strength of the Jewish people." In terms of numbers we are small. But in terms of our contributions, we are vast. In almost every age, Jews have given something special to the world. In one era it was the Hebrew Bible, the most influential document in the history of the world. In later centuries Jews produced a never-ending stream of scholars, scientists, poets and philosophers.

In more recent times, as the doors of Western society opened, they made their mark in one field after another: business, industry, the arts and sciences, cinema, the media, medicine and almost every field of academic life. Among the shapers of the modern mind, a disproportionate number have been Jews. In the United States alone, where we form a mere 2 per cent of the population, we have contributed 40% of its Nobel Prize winners in science and economics, and a half of its most influential intellectuals.

There is a mystery here in need of demystification. It is not that Jews are brighter, cleverer, more energetic or talented than others. That is a racist doctrine and I reject it utterly. Nor is it that Jews, more than others, are driven to succeed. That is at the heart of much antisemitic propaganda, and it is false. The simple answer, given in the Torah and engraved in Jewish sensibility, is that to be a Jew is to be asked to give, to contribute, to make a difference, to help in the monumental task that has engaged Jews since the dawn of our history, to make the world a home for the Divine presence, a place of justice, compassion, human dignity and the sanctity of life. Though our ancestors cherished their relationship with God, they never saw it as a privilege.

Instead they saw it as a responsibility. Except in their earliest days, God never offered to do things for them: He asked them to do things for and with Him. He challenged them to give. He empowered them to lead. In that familiar yet astonishing phrase He invited them to be His "partners in the work of creation."

I wonder if ever a religion or a philosophy has taken a more challenging view of the nature of mankind. According to Judaism we are not tainted by original sin and therefore incapable of doing good without God's grace. To the contrary, we are a mix of good and evil and everything depends on our choice. Nor are we asked, humbly and passively, to accept the world as it is. That is not what the patriarchs and prophets did. They raged against the injustice of the world. They even argued with God Himself. God's reply was simple. Hit-halekh lefanai, "Walk on ahead of Me." I will show you what to do, but you must do it. The whole of Judaism is a call to responsibility - to God, His word and His world. Judaism is, par excellence, a religion of responsibility. God asked great things of the Jewish people, and in so doing, made them great. Perhaps that is also why He made the Jewish people small.

There is a fascinating passage in the Book of Judges. Gideon is about to wage war against the Midianites. God tells him he will succeed. Gideon assembles an army of 32,000 men. God says: Too many. Gideon gets up and tells the people: Whoever wants to leave, should leave. 22,000 do so, leaving ten thousand men. God says: Still too many. Take the people, He says, to a river and see how they drink. Those who kneel down, send home. Those who raise the water in their hands, keep with you. Gideon does so. By now, only 300 men are left, an absurdly small force. Now, says God, go and fight. They do, and win.

If any story in the Bible tells us about the significance of Jewish smallness, it is this. To win the special battle in which you are engaged, says God, you do not need numbers. You need commitment, passion, dedication to a cause. Precisely because you are outnumbered, every individual will know that he or she counts; that each Jew carries an immense responsibility for the fate of Judaism and the Jewish people. Zechariah put it best: "Not by might nor by power but by My spirit, says the Almighty Lord." Physical strength needs numbers. The larger the nation, the more powerful it is. But when it comes to spiritual strength, you need not numbers but a sense of responsibility. You need a people, each of whom knows that he or she must contribute something to the human heritage, leaving the world better than it would have been had they not existed.

The Jewish question is not, "What can the world give me?" It is, "What can I give to the world?" The Jewish question is not "What can Temple B'nai Sholem give me?" It is, "What can I give to the Temple B'nai Sholem?" The Jewish story is a story of responsibility. Our Temple's number one theme needs to be the same story, a story of responsibility.

As we begin a new administrative year, our members will see numerous changes. In the spirit of renewed vigor, new ideas, and furthering Jewish responsibility, members will have an opportunity to Chair and/or serve on various Temple committees. From membership to fundraising, from religious school to adult education, and from social activities to social action, there is plenty of important responsibility to share.

Last year, under the creative leadership of our Communications/Publicity Committee, a new full color Temple/Membership brochure was designed and printed. Soon, thanks to combined efforts between the Membership and Communications Committees, our Temple will launch a newly designed web-site offering members, potential members, visitors, and the world, useful information about Temple B'nai Sholem.

This would not have been possible without new members such as Mitch Lewis and Marc Kaplan taking-on "Jewish responsibility". Their efforts are a great example of "What can I give to Temple B'nai Sholem". Mitch and Marc are not alone. Indeed, we have many who do much, and yet do not do so for recognition, but for their sense of responsibility to Judaism and to our Temple Family. On behalf of the Temple, we thank you for your sense of "Jewish responsibility."

The door of responsibility is open to you. We welcome you to join us in our renewed spirit of Jewish responsibility at Temple B'nai Sholem. Please contact me personally to show your interest in chairing and/or serving on a committee, project, or other activity.