Rabbi Jonathan Blake
"It was not with out ancestors that the Eternal made this covenant, but with us, the living, every one of us who is here today." - Deuteronomy
"This, I submit, is the freedom of a real education, of learning how to be well-adjusted. You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn't. You get to decide what to worship.
It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us...." - David Foster Wallace, "This is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, About Living a Compassionate Life"
As I, and I’m sure my fellow graduates, begin to pack for college, I attempt the impossible, to try to fit my entire life into two duffel bags. Yet, as I stuff in shirts and desk fans, I feel as if something’s missing. Judaism has always been a large part of my life, from Sunday morning Hebrew school to Bat Mitzvah to Confirmation to today. As I stand on the bimah ready to be “sent off” to college, I know this is not a send off from Judaism as well. On the contrary, I think my Jewish education and upbringing will be more important than ever. There are so many online resources for Torah reading, or Jewish learning but if I were to remember only one Torah portion as I enter this new stage in my life, it would have to be today’s portion, Va’et’chanan. Va’et’chanan is in the book of Deuteronomy, a book which contains Moses’s final teachings and speeches as he readies his people to enter the Promised Land without him. Va’et’chanan has everything; it includes the 10 commandments, the Shema, and the V’ahavta. However, what I found most important and applicable for this send-off service as we soon part ways was Moses’s teachings on entering a new home. As it so appropriately is written in our portion, “See, I have imparted you laws and rulers, as the Eternal my God has commanded me, for you to abide by in th eland that you are about to enter and occupy.”
The first rule about which Moses reminds Moses the people is to make no graven images and to worship no false gods. As we enter the new environments ahead of us, we must remember this rule. What it boils down to is that God wants the people to be free of distractions so that they can focus on what is truly important.
With college comes new freedoms, more time, and unquestionably, many distractions. Sometimes distractions help further our education, whether it means joining a club, playing a sport or even just being social and hanging out with friends, but we must remember what is truly important. However, while God decreed that absolutely no graven images at all should be created, perhaps in college, a compromise would be more appropriate. The college student who never leaves the library except to attend class and uses every minute of his or her time to be studious is not really a college student at all. On the other hand, the student who skips every class and sees college as one big party is no student at all either. The most important thing is balance and could perhaps be the ultimate goal of our journey at college.
It so happens that the next law in our portion is to observe the Sabbath. I am not here to promote or demean the Sabbath, but I think the adaptation of this rule is God’s way of further endorsing balance. The Sabbath is the day where no work is done and people are not simply permitted, but commanded to relax. In the high stress environment of college, taking even a small break to relax is necessary for survival. With the pressure to do well in school, be social, and stay true to one’s identity all building up, a student could burst if he or she does not find some way to release their stress and tension. For some, it might mean getting out of the dorm and running around for an hour, for others it could be listening to music or talking to someone. In all cases, relaxation and stress relief is essential. Blowing off work for fun is not what this law teaches, but when we find ourselves inundated with our responsibilities, we can take a deep breath and remember that taking a break does not show weakness, but rather it is what God has commanded for us.
Finding a balance is never easy. Everyone in this room has and is constantly balancing and rebalancing their lives as the “new or unexpected” eventually comes along and impedes or ruins our balance. As a newly graduated senior, that “new or unexpected” is college or a gap year or another program that we will soon partake in; or, as a parent, that “new and unexpected” could be sending that child off to their new life, leaving a large void in that balance. As David Foster Wallace, an author and professor once so wisely said of the value of an education, “You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn't. You get to decide what to worship.” Wherever our lives take us, through college and what comes after, we must enter (and constantly reevaluate) into our balance what we find meaningful, and worthy of our efforts.
While Moses was not interested in creating a spiritually balanced people after he was gone. He wanted assurances that their religious values, traditions, ad heritage would be preserved in their new home. After all, he had no guarantee that Judaism would survive after him. This is true in our lives as well. Our clergy hope that they have given us and taught us thoroughly enough that we will have a strong enough sense of self and self of religion that will carry us through our futures. So what will be do to ensure that our Judaism comes with us when we go to college. On many college campuses there are organizations such as Hillel that hold services and host events to bring together the Jewish students, and often curious students of other religions, on campus. It is a great way to meet Jewish people that might be just like you or could be the polar opposite. It’s also nice to have somewhere to go for services on the Jewish holidays that we can’t come home to WRT for. As it is written in today’s portion, “If you search there, you will find the Eternal you God, if only you seek with all your heart and soul.” In our new homes and new lands, it might not be as easy as it always has been to stay true to oneself, not only religiously but in general as well. As long as you can and are willing to put in the effort to search to find God or find yourself, He, and you, will always be there.
"The Sabbath is the day where no work is ... permitted.."
ReplyDelete"With the pressure ... a student could burst if he or she does not find some way to release their stress...."
Melissa, keeping the Sabbath does not mean, as you understand it, to find time to relax. Even a jungle dweller, who has no Torah, could figure that out. It means honoring the Sabbath because that's what the Eternal One wants from you.
It may be convenient to steer immdeiately from the literal text to some commonplace metaphor, thereby relieving you of any concern of real commitment, but that relegates Torah to just another book for someone's flight of fancy.