Shalom Temple Beth Shalom,
More than a decade ago, acclaimed author Emily St. John Mandel published her dystopian novel Station Eleven, an eerily prescient vision of a post-pandemic world. In the novel, a flu spreads rapidly and kills 99 percent of the world’s population. Civilization’s infrastructure collapses, and the few remaining survivors are left to do just that: survive.
Yet even in this bleak, “eat or be eaten” world, a traveling symphony forms to bring music, beauty and inspiration to the people it encounters. On the side of the symphony’s horse-drawn caravan, the musicians write: “Because survival is insufficient.”
This fictional traveling symphony understood what became clear to so many of us during the real pandemic: simply surviving, living at the mercy of our calendars, is not enough. Even in, and especially in, the darkest times, the symphony’s motto reminds us to seek ways to bring beauty and light into our lives.
The traveling symphony in Station Eleven resonates with me as an expression of the Jewish value hidur mitzvah, the beautification of a mitzvah. For example, we might use a beautiful Kiddush cup rather than a plain plastic one as a way of honoring God. In the same spirit, we can hidur mitzvah our lives by beautifying them to honor our Creator and choosing to live with kavanah (intention) rather than merely survive.
In Psalm 90, the Psalmist asks God, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” But surely the lesson is about more than counting. We are already quite good at counting our days: appointments, obligations, birthdays, anniversaries and the endless reminders on our calendars. The harder task is making those days count.
How blessed are we that the very rhythms of Jewish life are designed to help us live with kavanah (intention), beginning with the practice of daily expressions of gratitude. As progressive Jews, we can and should make this tradition our own. Perhaps you say Baruch atah Adonai before sipping your morning coffee. Maybe you recite the Sh’ma before getting out of bed, pause to thank God for a beautiful day as you leave the house or kiss the mezuzah on your way out as a reminder to live your values throughout the day.
Thanksgiving offers another meaningful opportunity to focus on our kavanah. As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, let’s pause and ask ourselves how we can beautify our celebrations. Is it by inviting a lonely or grieving friend to your family’s dinner? Is it by making an extra effort to connect with a recalcitrant teenage grandchild, even when it is challenging? Is it by bringing Jewish tradition into an everyday moment by blessing the stuffing with HaMotzi before the meal?
One very special way to beautify the mitzvah of expressing gratitude is to celebrate Thanksgiving with our greater faith-based community. Please consider this your personal invitation to join Cantor Kelly and me in representing Temple Beth Shalom again at our Interfaith Thanksgiving services (November 22 in Sebastian and November 23 in Vero Beach). We look forward to seeing you all there!
My friends, it’s never too late to hidur mitzvah our lives. We all know, deep in our n’shamot, our Jewish souls, that survival is insufficient.
With deep gratitude for all of you!