Elul 27 and 28/September 11 and 12

Remember Our Cities

In honor of the attack in New York City 14 years ago, today's Elul Thought is by Rabbi Julius J. Nodel, and is entitled, "Remember Our Cities."

IMPLANT within the hearts of all who are entrusted with the guardianship of our cities a
constant awareness of the human values at stake.
CLEAR the slums of prejudice from our hearts.
ILLUMINE  the dark alleys of our indifference.
RENEW in us those places in our thinking which are too often willing to try anything
new as long as it has been done before.
TAX us with dreams that are capable of fulfillment.
REAPPORTION our hearts so that there will be no under-representation of You in our
lives.
BEAUTIFY our vision so that we do not abuse the natural blessings of Your creation.
REMOVE  the litter of ignorance and greed from the people we serve.
HELP us to restore the dilapidated ideals of civic and national pride which are necessary
for our growth.
And PAVE the streets of our intentions with righteousness..
For we know, dear God, there is no greater blight in our cities than fear; no greater crime
wave than the flood of despair; and no greater delinquency than the mischief of inertia.

The prayer that drove my Great-Grandfather away is the one that calls me back

My great-grandfather of blessed memory was turned away from synagogue because of the Unetaneh Tokef prayer. This is perhaps because he lost his beloved wife at such a young age.  It is a shock to read that on “On Rosh Hashanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed.  Who shall live and who shall die.”  The words of this prayer remind us that God takes books off shelves and writes and records our fate.  If I believed these words literally, I, like my great-grandfather, might walk by the synagogue on Yom Kippur with fishing pole in hand.  But I don’t believe in a God like that. I don’t believe that God seals our fate with a calligraphy stroke at this hour of judgment.  In fact, it is this prayer that draws me back to synagogue.  I am fascinated by its metaphor.  I choose to believe in a God who tells me I can change.  That voice of change can be heard from many different directions and I can choose the path that I want to take.   Perhaps, though, our interpretation of the Unetaneh Tokef prayer should be more in line with the teachings of the Hasidic masters who taught us that we each have a book of remembrance on our shelves.  At this time of year we take the books off the shelves and begin writing.  We start to write the next chapter.  That chapter may include acts of righteousness and a commitment to do our best, but it may include some poor choices and some wrong turns.  That’s why we come back each year and take the book off the shelf and write a new chapter.  For the message of this prayer is that we can change.  We can change our direction by turning our outlook through prayer, we can change our actions through righteousness.  It is in the days of Elul that I hear this prayer calling to me reminding me that change is possible.  I am being called to sit before the Divine Judge that a profound love for humanity.