I'd
like
to
share
with
you
the
Dvar
Torah
that
I
gave
last
Shabbat.
As
we
turn
toward
healing
and
hope,
the
staff
and
I
wish
you
a
meaningful
High
Holy
Day
season
and
a
Shana
Tova,
a
happy
and
healthy
new
year.
For
those
of
you
who
are
new
to
Temple
Chai
or
have
no
idea
what
I'm
talking
about,
I
apologize
and
invite
you
to
return
to
your
Shabbat
experience.
I'm
going
to
address
the
situation
in
which
many
of
us
find
ourselves
and
the
hurt
that
runs
through
our
community.
We
have
a
lot
to
talk
about.
I
haven't
seen
most
of
you
in 6
weeks.
I
have
literally
travelled
north,
south,
east
and
west
since
I
saw
you.
I
spent
three
weeks
in
Israel
learning
and
I
can't
wait
to
share
new
teachings
with
you.
And
many
of
you
have
been
in
and
out
of
town,
or
started
new
projects,
jobs
or
schools
since
we've
seen
each
other.
And
meanwhile,
back
here
at
home,
here
in
our
spiritual
home,
we
find
ourselves
in a
very
painful
and
difficult
situation.
So,
yes,
we
have
a
lot
to
talk
about.
But
I
want
to
change
our
language
right
now
and
say
that
we
have
a
lot
to
listen
about.
There
is a
phrase
that
appears
several
times
in
our
Torah
portion
- it
is a
phrase
you
know
well
because
it
is
the
very
core
of
our
tradition-
Shema
Yisrael.
Hear,
Israel.
Israel,
listen.
This
is a
time
to
listen
and
to
witness.
To
bear
witness
to
the
fact
that
everyone's
experience
of
recent
days,
months
and
years
is
valid.
To
listen
without
judging.
To
listen
without
arguing.
To
validate,
to
honor,
to
listen.
Our
staff
sat
together
this
week.
The
feelings
in
that
small
room
were
as
diverse
as any
you
can
find
in
this
congregation.
And
yet,
we
agreed
that
we
were
going
to
sit
and
listen
to
each
other.
What
we
found
is
that
even
though
we
have
widely
varied
perspectives
on
what
brought
us
to
this
moment
in
time
and
on
all
of
the
people
and
events
involved
-
what
we
found
is
that
we
were
able
to
listen
with
mutual
respect.
And
we
walked
away
not
knowing
where
the
congregation
will
go
next.
Not
knowing
any
details
about
the
High
Holy
Days
or
the
rest
of
the
year
or
how
we
will
solve
upcoming
challenges.
But
we
walked
out
of
there
knowing
for
certain
that
we
care
deeply
about
each
other.
And
knowing
for
certain
that
we
care
deeply
about
this
community.
I do
not
minimize
the
gravity
of
this
situation.
We
are
facing
nothing
short
of a
tragedy.
And
when
an
entire
community
faces
tragedy
we
can,
if
we
want,
try
to
figure
out
who
is
to
blame.
We
can
say
that
someone
took
too
much
power
for
him-
or
her-self,
we
can
try
to
root
out
a
person
or a
group
we
see
as
the
source
of
the
evil,
we
can,
with
an
affect
of
certainty
tell
everyone
how
one
destructive
person
brought
down
a
wonderful
community.
But
it
is
just
not
that
simple.
Read
Gittin
(55b-56a)
and
try
to
figure
out
the
one
factor
that
led
to
the
destruction
of
the
Temple
in
Jerusalem.
Was
it
two
old
enemies
who
couldn't
set
aside
their
grudges?
Was
it a
group
of
rabbinic
leaders
who
were
too
concerned
with
politics
to
stand
up
against
cruelty?
Was
it
hunger
for
power?
Revenge?
Worship
of
money?
The
answer
of
course
- is
yes,
yes,
yes,
yes
and
yes.
It
was
all
of
those
things
and
more.
There
is a
flip
side
to
saying
that
no
single
person
is
responsible.
And
that
is
that
we
are
all
responsible.
Every
single
one
of
us.
That's
why
confession
in
the
Jewish
tradition
is
always
in
the
plural.
Forgive
us.
Pardon
us.
We
have
sinned.
We
are
all
responsible.
A
community
does
not
become
broken
without
contributions
from
many,
many
people.
Nor,
by
the
way,
does
it
heal
without
inner
work
on
everyone's
part.
I
was
reminded
this
week
by a
friend
and
teacher
of
mine
that
I
don't
need
to
spend
any
more
of
my
time,
not
another
second,
worrying
about
anyone
else's
personal
work,
anybody
else's
spiritual
curriculum.
I
can
only
make
my
own
actions
more
ethical,
more
honorable,
more
rooted
in
Jewish
values.
And
if
you're
thinking
to
yourself,
Thank
God,
she
is
finally
telling
those
other
people
what
they
need
to
hear,
then
I'm
probably
talking
to
you.
This
is
the
time
of
year
my
friends.
The
High
Holy
Day
season
began
on
Saturday
night
with
Tisha
B'av.
This
is
the
time
for
inner
scrutiny,
to
take
a
serious
look
at
ourselves
and
work
on
what
isn't
right.
And
it
is
the
time
to
fix
relationships.
To
apologize,
to
ask
for
forgiveness,
to
commit
to
not
making
the
same
mistakes
again.
Some
of
us,
I
realize,
are
not
ready.
We
are
too
stricken
with
grief,
anger,
shock.
If
you
find
yourself
in
that
position,
I
only
ask
that
you
honor
your
pain.
Live
in
it
for
a
while
because
it
won't
just
go
away.
Find
someone
who
will,
just
by
listening,
bear
witness
to
it.
I
can
only
pray,
that
it
eases
soon
and
that
your
trust,
hope
and
wholeness
are
restored.
For
the
rest
of
us,
we
have
work
to
do.
A
lot
of
people
have
asked
me
to
call
for
an
end
to
the
emails
that
are
flying
back
and
forth.
And
I
agree
- I
desperately
want
them
to
stop.
One
reason
is
that
email
makes
it
virtually
impossible
to
Shema
Yisrael
- to
listen.
We
can
say
things
over
email
with
no
accountability.
We
don't
see
the
other
person's
face.
We
don't
hear
their
tone.
If
we
are
seeking
to
deepen
listening
and understanding
we
cannot
use
a
medium
that
invites
misunderstanding.
But
I'm
not
calling
for
silence.
I'm
calling
for
another
type
of
communication
entirely
-
and
that
is
Teshuva.
And
I
don't
mean
back-handed,
Teshuva
like
"I'm
sorry
that
at
one
time
I
thought
you
had
something
important
to
say
-
I'm
sorry
that
I
didn't
tell
you
off
sooner
-
I'm
sorry
you
twisted
my
words
around."
Here
is
what
I
mean:
I am
sorry
-
hear
me
say
this
- I
am
so
sorry
for
anything
that
I
have
done
- to
worsen
the
divisiveness
in
our
community.
And
I
ask
for
your
forgiveness.
If
that
sounds
familiar,
if
you,
like
me,
can
say
that,
even
if
you
didn't
mean
to,
that
there
was
a
time
when
you
made
things
worse.
If
you,
like
me,
maybe
even
just
once
said
something
you
shouldn't
have
said,
or
enjoyed
a
story
that
wasn't
yours
to
hear. If
you,
like
me,
have
been
quite
certain
that
your
perspective
is
the
only
truth
there
is,
then
I
ask
you
now,
I
ask
all
of
us
to
turn
inward
and
to
take
responsibility.
And,
we
have
to
do
better
next
time.
If
you
can
find
it
in
you
to
do
teshuva,
I
promise,
we
are
listening.
This
Shabbat
is
called
Shabbat
Nachamu.
The
prophet
Isaiah
calls
out
Nahamu,
Nahamu
Ami,
Yomar
Eloheichem.
Comfort,
oh,
comfort
my
people,
says
your
God.
We
are
going
to
be
OK.
I
don't
know
exactly
what
it
will
look
like
and
I
don't
know
how
we
are
going
to
get
there.
I do
know
that
we
have
tremendous
strength,
courage
and
compassion
in
this
community.
I
know
that
we
have
a
deep
love
of
Torah,
Tikkun
Olam
and
Jewish
living.
I
also
know
that
we
have
done
hard
things
before
and
we
can
do
it
again.
I
am
here.
I am
listening.
The
clergy
and
staff
we
are
here.
We
are
listening.
Nahamu,
Nahamu
Ami.
I
pray
from
the
bottom
of
my
heart
for
comfort,
hope
and
healing
for
us
all.
