31
ImagInIng the JewIsh Future
Or you clutched your parent’s shrunken
fingers as they waited for the end, and
knew that just as they bore you into this
world, it was your task to bear them to
the next.
Once again, I think we did better than
7%.
But while the text is beautiful,
it is still a means to an end. We also
thought about questions of choreogra-
phy, and the overall listening and visual
experience. The cantor and rabbi alter-
nated reading so there were different
voices. And we added a picture of a
bird nest to our
siddur
.
We also asked, “what are we com-
municating non-verbally?” Actually,
the literal question was, “If an alien
dropped into our service, what would
it think was important to Jews?” We
didn’t want the alien to leave thinking
that we deified 13-year-old children
in alarmingly short skirts.
What were we communicating to all
the congregants, the guests, Jews and
non-Jews – to ourselves?
We knew that the most important
moment was the Torah service. But we
didn’t think that the emotional arc of
the service reflected that. So we created
a graph of the emotional energy of the
service as it was.
We then attempted to re-order the
service so that the Torah service came
at the emotional peak. This changed
the feel of the entire service. Now it
was clear that the Torah moment was a
mountaintop experience and our chil-
dren took their place at Sinai and our
parents cried and even our non-Jewish
guests felt part of the sacred drama.
Because what is the ultimate purpose
behind the text, the choreography, the
energy and flow? All of this ultimately
aspires to create
connection,
which is
what makes worship truly transforma-
tive. Connection among clergy, connec-
tion with the congregation, and ultimate-
ly connection between all of us and God.
My simple mantra is “Connection
Before Content.”
I draw my proof-text
from a teaching in the Talmud: “What
benediction do the Priests say before
offering God’s blessing? Rabbi Zeira
said in the name of Rav Hisda: “Blessed
are You, Lord our God, Sovereign of
the universe, who sanctified us with the
holiness of Aaron and commanded us to
bless God’s people
with love.
” (
Sota 39a)
Before Aaron and the Priests could
bless the people, they made a
bracha
,
they asked God to help them bless oth-
ers with love. Empathy, responsibility,
compassion, and love for each other is
a prerequisite for any blessing or prayer
to be accepted, absorbed, or effective.
How remarkable that our own Rabbi
Aaron Panken, our leader and teacher,
embodies this teaching so fully. Like
his biblical namesake, Rabbi Panken
is a true
ohev yisrael
,
a Lover of Israel.
We all feel it from him in the way he
listens, speaks to us, inquires after our
families. He is a truly brilliant scholar,
but he too begins with connection,
with love, and this is why it is such
a blessing to be his student, his col-
league, and friend. And as we prepare
for this mountaintop moment, the
ritual of Inauguration, I hope he feels
our connection to him beyond words.
AVOT
GEVUROT
KEDUSHA
SILENT
PRAYER
HAKAFAH
...
TORAH
PASS TORAH
HAFTARAH
SILENT
PRAYER
!
AVOT
GEVUROT
KEDUSHA
TORAH
PASS
HAKAFAH
TORAH
SIMAN
TOV