Surveys reveal a disturbingly large number of American Jews who feel disconnected from their Jewish identity. How painfully sad! In response, and with the High Holy Days just around the corner, let me share what being Jewish means to me.
- It means championing what is arguably the single most revolutionary concept in the annals of human civilization--monotheism--introduced to the world by the Jews, and its corollary, the inherent belief that we are all created in the image of God (in Hebrew, B'tzelem Elohim).
Strikingly, Jews have never been satisfied with things as they are. If Isaiah and the other prophets returned to earth, as perennial critics of the status quo, they would remind us that, for all that has been achieved, there's much more work to be done before we can declare success here on earth.
There's a story of an elderly woman in New York who asks her travel agent to book her on a trip to a remote part of Asia. He warns that it will be arduous for her, involving planes, trains, buses, and some hiking up a mountain. She insists she must go to see a legendary spiritual leader. Finally, she arrives at the base of the mountain, only to see a long line of people in front of her, all waiting to meet the guru at the summit. As she finally approaches, she's told by a local aide that, given the big crowd, she is only allowed to say three words to the religious figure. When it's finally her turn, she looks him in the eye and says: "Sheldon, come home."
May every Jew everywhere feel, or perhaps come home to, the sense of joy, connection through time and space, shared destiny, collective responsibility, and daily inspiration that I've had the privilege of experiencing throughout my life.