How Does Judaism Champion both Community and Individual Life?
community. Ritual communication with God is structured in public format
with certain critical prayers only recited in community: i.e. Barchu, the
call to prayer and start of formal service and the Kaddish, transitioning
between sections of prayer and a form of which we recite in remembering loved
ones.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that were it not for the requirement
of a quorum, a minyan of Jewish adults, Judaism would have disappeared into the
history books long ago. Because of rules of what is included in community
prayer and excluded when 10 are not present, wherever Jews settled they made
certain to have that minimal number, and it was specifically men through most of
the years.
While much of the focus of ritual activity is in community, formal times for
services and holiday observances, the system also acknowledges and values the
rights and needs of individuals and families. Because connecting with God
and holiness is a 24/7 business of life, with particular emphasis on the 7, i.e.
Shabbat, where time is shared between community and individual, both contexts
are important and valuable. You could consider the community gathering
times as “formal” visits (even when we do it informally) and individual moments
of connectivity, i.e. blessings of appreciation in particular moments, as
informal. The tradition suggests that we thank God and or do mitzvot 100
times a day. That means most of the connection is in the individual mode,
reminders and opportunities to notice that each moment is potentially holy, as
certain as it is that the next breath you take is a miracle.
Attendees at services at B’nai Israel know that on occasion we are lacking
that 10th person, at least for the first half of the service. That
provides an “opportunity” to teach how the system of connection with God and
enjoying Jewish practices operate for individual settings, a reminder that both
times, with community and on one’s own/in family is uniquely precious and
important.
Before the late Friday night service was introduced in 20th Century America
there was a natural blend of individual and community from the very start of
Shabbat. Before and while Shabbat was welcomed at home with the lighting
of candles, people would go from the end of the work day to the synagogue for an
early quick paced Kabbalat Shabbat, Welcoming of the Shabbat evening service,
after which the main evening celebration of Shabbat would be held at home with a
leisurely dinner introduced by the home melodies (as we do them at Shabbat Seder
on the 2nd Friday of the month), Shalom Aleichem, Eyshet Chayil, Blessing the
Children, Kiddush, washing hands and Motzi. That would lead into a relaxed
evening, of stories shared and Shabbat nigunim and songs. This evening
accentuated the blessings of connectivity that come through the individual/
family mode. Then Shabbat morning, and the more leisurely service, became
the main event for community gathering and celebration of life.
Jewish life reflects enactment of the teaching of Hillel: If I am not
for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And,
if not now, when? If I am not for myself: If I don’t develop a strong
personal/family identity and focus, then who will do that for me??? If I
am only for myself, what am I? If I and or my family remain apart from
others and cut off from life beyond me/us, then what am I? What is the
point of my/family being, if not to share the adventures and lessons learned
with others? If not now, when? What blessing when
individuals/families and communities are doing well and helping one
another.
This month, as we continue on Shabbat following the adventures of the
original Ancestors in Beresheet /Genesis and the Torah’s focus on life as
unfolding stories and challenging twists and turns, for HaShem the adventure
seems to be in watching us juggle the focus on individual and community.
It seems after failed starts with humanity before Abraham and Sarah, it is
Abraham that uncovers the importance of building on individual strength as a
basis for generating partnerships, Covenants, and by extension community that
can generate a societal structure for serving God.
As you move forward in the year 5774, ponder, if you will, ways you can
better balance time for self/family and time for community. Each needs the
other to help us better balance our lives and who and all that matter to us.
So much to be thankful for: friends and partners in life! I look
forward to sharing these values with our friends from Common Ground at our
annual