This past Shabbat, on June 29th,ย Rabbi Ben Spratt delivered a beautiful sermon that felt deeply relevant to our current world, it isย shared below.
At the Brink of Everything
โHow dare they laugh?โ
A woman screamed on Columbus as she and a fellow diner observed a group of teens giggling as they huddled around a YouTube comedy sketch playing on a phone.ย ย The sound of her shout caused me and other pedestrians to pause, ears tuned to grasp clarity and context.ย She continued, โThere are babies locked up and you stand there laughing? You disgust me.โย Whether out of defiance or pure immersion in the device before them, the youth didnโt respond.ย But the womenโs words rippled among the growing throng bearing witness to this social critique.ย Glancing among us, the hypocrisy of the criticism was known by some.ย I bore a cup of Lennyโs coffee, another held a shopping bag from a nearby boutique, and the owner of the voice of rage had a half-eaten burger still in hand and an iced tea before her.ย Somehow, even with babies in jail, we were supping and sipping and shopping.ย And perhaps we lingered for a reason deeper than curiosity over inter-generational conflict.ย Perhaps we too wondered if such signs of life, such luxuries of living, were offensive indications of denial and callousness.ย We, bearers of blessing when so many suffer in curse.
Our Torah portion this week is one of high drama melded with low comedy. Balak, King of Moab, watches as the Israelite vanquish army after army amidst their wilderness wandering.ย He knows it is only a matter of time before they come and defeat the Moabite nation.ย But he hears of a sorcerer supreme, a prophet powerful enough his curses could lay waste legions.ย He hires Bilam, this expert excoriater, to destroy the Israelites.ย After a long journey, involving invisible forces and a talking ass, Bilam stands on the rim of a cliff overlooking the Israelite camp.ย There, on the edge of everything, he opens his mouth in curse, verbal venom ready to spew forth.ย We can imagine him, this hater-for-hire seeing this scourge, a nation encamped where they do not belong, leaders instigating war and conflict. And instead emerge the words Mah Tovu Ohalekhah Yaakov, Mishkenotecha Yisrael.ย Instead of curse, he offers pure blessing.ย Affirming wonder and awe, rather than destruction and horror.
In our Torah text, God is the agent of this change, placing the words in Bilamโs mouth. The medieval commentator Abravanel asks, โWhy would God actively change Bilamโs words?ย Why not simply ensure his curse had no effect?โย Centuries later, Ibn Kaspi would answer, โBilamโs words had no inherent power.ย It was the effect of the words that had power.โ The destructive potency of curse is in the reception.ย We hear words of vitriol and it colonizes in our ears.ย We begin to hear only hatred, see only scorn.ย God changes the words for the sake of the Israelites, knowing that if they heard curse it would only ignite more curse; but if they could hear blessing, perhaps it might inspire more blessing.
The truth of this teaching is all around us. When the average person hears a negative comment or statement from another person, we are 10 times more likely to respond with a negative comment ourselves.ย When we hear a negative statement about a person, place, or thing, it typically takes hearing anywhere from 7-15 positive reports to even be open to the possibility that said person, place, or thing has potential.ย We are 5 times more likely to read news of negativity, and 8 times more likely to pay for such news.ย Like a virulent virus, hate breeds hate, fear fosters fear, and the power of words, written or spoken, linger far beyond the moment.ย They ripple outwards and incubate in the minds and hearts of others.ย And then they spread.
Our sages in the Talmud wanted to know how exactly God changes Bilamโs curse into blessing. In one imagination, God used divine hooks to actually manipulate the lips, tongue, and pallet of Bilam to utter the desired sounds.ย But another rabbinic reading believes that God placed an angel in Bilamโs mouth.ย This oral angel of sorts helped him to dig under the horror and hate and find beneath it a blessing worthy of utterance.
Every morning our liturgy invites us to begin our day with Baruch sheamar vโhaya olam, baruch hu โ blessed is the one who speaks and the world came into being. Blessed is God.ย The Chassidic tradition has a playful rereading of this Hebrew โ Baruch sheamar vโahaya olam?ย Baruch hu!ย A blessing that is spoken and creates a new world?ย That is a true blessing!
Ours is a tradition that believes God both creates and destroys through words, through the potency of both blessing and curse. It is why our liturgists chose to put Bilamโs words as the opening intention of every morning prayer service.ย With our words we may create or destroy, as we stand on the brink of everything, we will always stand before both beauty and horror.ย It is our choice what world we wish to ripple forward.ย Out of the enemy of Israel, one who sought the destruction of every child and every adult, came pure blessing.ย And his words greet us as the opening intention of our morning prayers and how we begin every Shabbat morning service here.
The writer Courtney Martin shared these words by in 2015:
My daughter is on the brink of everythingโฆSheโs justย started talking. She looked up at the moon on Sunday and pointed. I said โmoon,โ not expecting anything, and then she said โmoonโ like it was the most natural thing in the world. Sheโs just starting to use a spoon, all on her own. Last night she scooped haphazard little bits of cottage cheese into her mouth and then clapped for herself between each and every bite.
Iโm learning so much from watching her…Iโm also learning about awe. The other day I brought her over to this obscenely beautiful jasmine vine that has grown bushy and fragrant near our mailboxes. I picked her up and we put our noses right up to the petite white flowers and took in the scent. Then I set her down and she walked over to a jade plant that some neighbors and I recently migrated to a bigger pot, leaned over, and took a big, satisfied whiff. Jade plants, of course, are many things, but they are not fragrant. And yet, if youโd seen her there โ neck craned, eyes closed โ you would have assumed that she was smelling the most potent thing in the world.
Maybe she doesnโt really get what smell is yet. But after I let out a surprised giggle, I realized that there was something so moving about a little human smelling a jade plant. She has no reason not to expect it to smell wonderful. She has no reason not to expect everything to be wonderfulโฆ somehow she can see there is always what to appreciate.
Last year, five words went viral around the globe.ย They now adorn thousands of houses of worship, exist in dozens of languages, on campuses, in homes, even public signage.ย We have displayed them outside Rodeph Sholom since then.ย โHate has no home here.โย What few know is the true origin story of that phrase.ย In the fall of 2016 in North Park Chicago, residents of a neighborhood there gathered to think of some words they could put up amidst the last presidential election that would encourage everyone, regardless of political leanings, to leave behind vitriol and curse.ย Those 5 words were the suggestion not of a sage nor politician, but those of a 3rd grader.ย As fellow residents recall the debates and the emotion, the despondency and the divisiveness, the voice of this child somehow spoke truth into being.ย Hate has no home here.ย It doesnโt matter who you are or where youโre from, how justified your sense of truth, how moral your sense of being.ย As Godโs role with Bilam was to help him speak blessing in the face of curse, the words of that 3rd grader are truly Ruach Elohim, the essential divine spirit.ย Somehow channeling words of blessing that eluded the rest of us adults.
To the woman screaming against all of us finding enjoyment when so many suffer, I hear you. At times I, we, feel so helpless in the face of the injustices of this world we believe our own suffering is the only thing we have to give.ย We gaze at the children laughing over a video or attempting to smell a jade plant, and long to return to innocence and naivetรฉ, for such enjoyments cannot (or perhaps should not) be savored similarly for the seeing and enlightened.ย We see all the work that must be done.ย All the horrors that must be righted.ย All the lies that must be countered, the compassion that must be mustered, the wrath that must be wreaked.
But Bilam offers us a reminder. We are tasked by our prophets to stand on the brink of everything.ย Like the divine gaze, we are to perceive a land of both destruction and delight, but ultimately, use any mechanism we can to speak blessing into being.ย Be it hooks in our lips or angels in our mouth, can we find a way to counter curse with blessing?ย This is our litmus test โ should we, with eyes open to a world that falls apart, come to the brink and see only curse, feel compelled only to rage and ridicule, we have faiths to be the prophets with angels in our mouths.ย If we can muster only venom, we have become agents of a cause of curse that ultimately leads us and the world further towards oblivion, no matter the loftiness of our intentions.
Instead, can we step out on the brink of this land, allow our hearts to break, feel the curses rise like bile in our throats, and dig deeper, plumb the depths until we can find the blessing, the delight. And then speak it into being.
As we near the day when we recall the birth of this nation, and the courageous dream of those before us who stood on the brink of everything, I want to bring in a blessing embedded in the foundation of our country. A blessing that is still aspirational.ย A blessing that bears repeating often, by all:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these areย Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Justin Callis (he/him), our Cantorial Intern, is a fourth-year student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. He is the recipient of the Reuben Peretz Abelson Prize for dedication to Yiddish Song, the Temple Israel of Boston Cantorial Prize, and the Lee Gura Memorial Prize for Aptitude in Synagogue Choral Music.
Sarah Adams, viola, performs locally with the New York Chamber Ensemble, theย Claring Chamber Players, the Sherman Chamber Ensemble, the Friends of Mozart, and the Saratoga Chamber Players.
Violinist Michael Roth is a native of Scarsdale, NY and received his early musical training with Frances Magnes at the Hoff-Barthelson Music School. He attended Oberlin College and Conservatory, continuing his studies with Marilyn McDonald. At Oberlin, he won the Kaufman Prize for violin and First Prize in the Ohio String Teacher’s Association Competition. He completed his Master of Music degree at the University of Massachusetts where he worked with the distinguished American violinist and pedagogue Charles Treger and was a recipient of the Julian Olevsky Award.ย Mr. Roth is currently associate concertmaster of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and has appeared in chamber music and as a soloist with the company, most recently in the debut of “Slice Too Sharp”, a ballet of Biber and Vivaldi violin concerti, and “After the Rain”, violin music of Arvo Part. In addition he is a member of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Principal 2nd violin of the Westchester Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra and the New York Pops. He was concertmaster of the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra for many years and often appeared as soloist there, as well as at the Caramoor and Bard Music Festivals. He has played and toured internationally with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the New York Chamber Soloists.
Known for his sweet and โsumptuousโ (New York Times) tone, American-born Doori Na took up violin at the age of four and began his studies with Li Lin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He quickly made his first performance with orchestra at age seven with the Peninsula Youth Symphony as the first prize winner of the concerto competition. Thereafter Mr. Na went on to win top prizes in The Sound of Music Festival, The Korea Times Youth Music Competition, the Chinese Music Teacherโs Association, The Menuhin Dowling Young Artist Competition, The Junior Bach Festival, VOCE of the Music Teacherโs Association of California, and The Pacific Musical Society. Receiving full scholarships to private high school Crossroads School of Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, he moved to Los Angeles to study with renown violin teacher, Robert Lipsett, at The Colburn Music School. There he appeared as soloist with the Palisades Symphony, Brentwood Symphony, and Torrance Symphony. During that time, the summer of 2004 was Mr. Naโs first time at the Perlman Music Program where his expression and musical identity were greatly influenced. He has been a part of the program ever since and participated in many of their special residencies in Florida, Vermont, New York, and Israel.
Alan Goodis is a touring Jewish musician playing over 150 events a year. Born and raised in Toronto, Alan is a proud product of URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute. Noted for his dedication to building relationships and community through music, Alan tours throughout the US to serve as an Artist-In-Residence and performer at Temples, Youth Conventions and Jewish summer camps.
Julie Silver is one of the most celebrated and beloved performers in the world of contemporary Jewish music today. She tours throughout the world, and has been engaging audiences with her gorgeous compositions and liturgical settings, her lyrical guitar playing, her dynamic stage presence, and her megawatt smile for over 25 years.
Dan is a product of the URJ Jewish camping movement. He has toured Jewish summer camps across North America for the last 15 years. A classically trained singer, Dan received his Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance at the University of North Carolina. In 1995, realizing the potential of music to make powerful connections with Jewish youth, Dan established the Jewish rock band Eighteen. Since that time, Dan and Eighteen have released 13 albums. Songs like, Lโtakein, Bโtzelem Elo-him, Kehillah Kedoshah, Chazak, Sweet As Honey, and Asher Yatzar have become Jewish communal anthems throughout North America.
Naomi Less is an internationally celebrated singer/songwriter, ritualist and educator. Beloved for her warm smile and inviting presence, communities celebrate her imagination and innovation, tenderness and pizzazz! Her original music is sung in worship communities worldwide. Naomi serves as Co-Founder, Ritual Leader and Associate Director of Lab/Shul and is a leader in amplifying women’s voices through her work at Songleader Boot Camp and her Jewish Women Rock show on Jewish Rock Radio. Naomiadvocates for people struggling with fertility journeys as a performance artist and speaker for Uprooted: A Jewish Response to Fertility Challenges. Fun fact: Naomi and her husband wrote the song shine/Yivarech’cha, a Friday night blessing, specifically composed for URJ Crane Lake Camp, sung every Friday night in the dining hall.
Her destiny became obvious to Joanie Leedsโ parents when, at the tender age of 2, Joanie grabbed the performerโs mic at a party and belted out the entire songโTomorrowโ from Annie. Jaws dropped! No one could remember ever hearing a big voice like that coming from one so tiny and certainly no one would have thought she would one day earn a GRAMMYยฎ Award for her original music.
A composer, multi-instrumentalist, and prayer leader, Elana Arian is one of the leading voices in contemporary Jewish music. Elanaโs music is part of Jewish life across the globe, and her compositions are sung in spiritual communities, summer camps, and synagogues from Louisville to London, from Chicago to the CzechRepublic, and everywhere in between. Elana just released her fourth album of original music, The Other Side of Fear, and her compositions have been published in countless Transcontinental Music collections. Elana serves proudly on the faculty of Hava Nashira (Oconomowoc, WI), the Wexner Heritage Foundation (Aspen, CO), Shirei Chagiga (London, England), and as an instructor at the Hebrew Union College in New York, where she teaches in the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. Elana has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Tanglewood, and perhaps most memorably, five separate appearances at the (Obama) White House. She lives in New York with her wife, Julia, and their two daughters, Maya and Acadia.
Known for his unique, engaging, and deeply soulful approach, Noah Aronson is considered one of the most sought after Jewish musicians in North America, making over 65 community appearances each year.
There is a reason why Time Magazine has listed Michelle in their Top Ten list of Jewish rock stars.
Kol BโSeder has been composing and performing contemporary Jewish music since the early1970s. Rabbi Dan Freelander and Cantor Jeff Klepper met as college students; over the past 50years they have released numerous CDs and songbooks. With Debbie Friedman (z”l) and others, they forged a new musical sound for American Jewish camps, schools and synagogues. Their songs, such as “Shalom Rav,โ โModeh Ani,โ and “Lo Alecha,” have become traditionalJewish melodies around the world. They are delighted to be inaugurating their fiftieth anniversary celebration by appearing in support of URJ camps, where they first composed and incubated many of their early songs.
Rabbi Mira Weller (she/her) received her ordination at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles in May 2022. She studied Culture and Politics at Georgetown Universityโs School of Foreign Service and received her Masterโs in Jewish Education at the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at HUC-JIR. She is the proud recipient of awards for her studies in rabbinic literature, her work in Jewish education, and she was granted the Myrtle Lorch Pfaelzer-Monroe Pfaelzer Award for an Outstanding Female Rabbinical School Student (2022). Rabbi Mira speaks Hebrew and Spanish (so please practice with her!). She has a passion for uncovering new possibilities in the great wealth of our tradition and for making music inspired by Judaismโs many cultures. Her guilty pleasures include cupcakes, classical music, and philosophy.
New York bassist Roger Wagner enjoys a long and diverse career. As soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral bassist, Mr. Wagner has appeared on many of the world’s great concert stages.
Sarah Adams 
Leonard Bernstein described 
Praised by the New York Times as โirresistible in both music and performance.โ flutist, 
Margaret Kampmeier, 
Michael Roth
Our initiative for young children and their grown-ups provides a slate of offerings including Shabbat and holiday celebrations, music, classroom readiness programs, and new parent experiences. During the pandemic, we have leaned on $1m of seed funding for Sholom Sprouts established through this campaign as we offer age-appropriate virtual programs for our families with young children, who are the future of our community. We look forward to welcoming our littlest members and their grown-ups back to our new fifth floor, as well as hiring a Program Assistant to increase the capacity of Sholom Sprouts to grow. This program provides a crucial entry-point to the congregation and membership for young families.
