In 1993 one of my favorite movies was released starring Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, and many others. But the most famous came from a no-name White House attendant who stated: “WE’RE WALKING, WE’RE WALKING, and…WE’RE STOPPING.”

As we reach the summer months, the Torah takes us through the book of Numbers—our people’s ancient journey from Egypt to the promised land where we wandered in the desert for forty years. In a way, this quote from the movie Davie is a perfect parallel for the entire Book of Numbers—we are “wandering, and we are wandering, and we are stopping…”

So if you missed last weekend’s congregational meeting (June 9, 2013), we made a very important stop on our congregational journey and I would like to share with you some of what I spoke about last week.  

First, I would argue that the essence of a religious institution is to promote a reflective practice. If we cannot not learn from our past, then we will not be able to create a more vibrant and productive future.

In last week’s parashah, Parashat Chukat, the Israelites have reached the edge of the Promised Land but they cannot enter because their beloved leader Miriam has died and the well of water that she inspires—perhaps through her enthusiasm, her love, her creativity, or even through her sheer will power—has dried up and the Israelites are now without water.

But instead of mourning her loss, the Israelites skip right to rebellion and they protest against Moses and Aaron by arguing that they would have rather died in Egypt than to perish in the wilderness without water, or seeds, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates!

In one of the most famous lines in the entire book of Numbers, God says to Moses:  “Take your rod, and gather the people together, you, and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth water.”

Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he struck the rock twice…” (Numbers 20:8-11)

This story, which is only about thirteen lines in Hebrew, is layered with history and complexity. While this story is often used to explain why Moses is not allowed to enter the Promised Land, I think that this Torah portion can offer us some much needed insight into the life a congregation standing at the precipice of a annual, congregational meeting in need of reflection and rejuvenation.

Number One: Spiritual and religious work, by definition (whether in ancient times or now) cannot be accomplished in one year, one term, or even one generation. Like Moses who passes his mantle to Joshua, our work must be passed on committee-to-committee or chairperson-to-chairperson or lay leader to lay leader. No one person or leader can sustain a community forever and even our greatest leader, Moses, was asked to step aside when the time was right for another leader to step up to lead the people. This takes great humility and grace, and it may be the hardest part of being a leader, but being a Jewish leader also means knowing when to create room for a new leader to take one’s vision on to the Promised Land.

Number Two: Our time, energy, and enthusiasm is indeed limited so let us use our resources wisely. Miriam’s well was not inexhaustible. Our job as a community is not to figure out what makes each of our own individual wells full, or to create programs for each our individual needs—but to be patient—to wander in the desert a little longer until we find that strikingly beautiful oasis that has the ability to fill our collective well to enliven our hopes and dreams with a communal vision for the future. As a new Rabbi, people often ask me can we start x program or fill y need and of course I want to say ‘yes’ to everything—but I believe that our role as a synagogue is not to create small NICHE programming—because you can find that anywhere in Santa Barbara. Assumingly, you can fill you calendar with an event at the Opera, or the Music Academy of the West, or a Foundation Event any night of the week because I have been told that there are more non-profits per capita in Santa Barbara than anywhere else in the United States. So if you want to fill a niche market you can certainly approach one of the 800 or so non-profit organizations in Santa Barbara because they are all worthy and valiant causes that we can support.

But the role of a religious and spiritual community is not to pursue what is unique to each individual passion; but rather, to help us find a common vision so that we can create a more cohesive and powerful community in order to pursue both tikkun ha’olam (healing the world) as well as tikkun ha’nefesh (healing of the soul).

Number Three: This type of communal vision can only be created vis a vis small group encounters and intentional relationship building activities and conversations. While I love teaching about Judaism, I would argue that my this is only part of my job as a Rabbi. The other part of my job is to help foster real relationships among people using our texts, traditions, and rituals as a vehicle through which to bring people together. Whether it has been through the Social Action Roundtable, The Campaign for Youth Engagement, Torah and Tonics, Parlor Brunches, Adult Education, BHY programs and many other forums, my goal is always to help foster real relationships with the other participants in the room. I sincerely hope this is a theme that becomes more evident as our calendar year progresses.

I want to thank everyone at CBB who has made this such an incredibly great first year at CBB for me. It has been a dream come true to work at such a welcoming and vibrant congregation. I feel at home and it has been such a blessing that you have welcomed me into your community. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you to all the out-going and in-coming board-members. A special thanks to our Social Action Trustee Bob Ingrum and At-Large Board Member Evely Laser Shlensky for their work on the Social Action Roundtable. Thank you to Lori Goodman for her incredible leadership on the Campaign for Youth Engagement.

And a special thank you to all of the members of the Social Action Roundtable as well as the Campaign for Youth Engagement Committee for their tireless work on these two campaigns. Please keep your eyes peeled for more information about both of these projects in upcoming publications. Have a great summer and see you soon for services in our outdoor chapel! 

Sincerely,

Rabbi Stone