It's Not Jewish Christmas . . .

Many Christians think Hanukkah is the Jewish version of Christmas.  Which of course is not the case.  It is a uniquely Jewish celebration rooted in the story of the Maccabees and their success in regaining the Temple after it had been desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes and his troops in the second century BCE.  The observance of the eight-
day festival includes the well-known lighting of eight candles, one for each night of the festivities, and the recounting of the lovely story of lamp oil that lasted just long enough.  

At root, though Hanukkah is all about religious freedom, and the importance of preserving it.  A value to which any person of faith can ascribe.  And, for that matter, so long as religious freedom includes the right to practice no religion, any person period.

The great diversity of religious practices and traditions in our country is especially dear, and part of what makes America what it is today.  Still, the lessons of Hanukkah are often missed, and there are those who insist all should believe as they do.

One of the things I most treasure about serving here at Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ is the fact that we share our building, and various aspects of our life including at various time educational events, worship, travel and community outreach, with Bat Yam, Temple of the Islands.  While we all openly acknowledge the ways in which we are different in beliefs and practices, we also strive to celebrate our commonalities.  And because of religious liberty, we are free to do so.

Sunday, December 5, we will be joining together for a joint celebration, exploring together both Hanukkah and Christmas traditions with special music, readings by my colleague Rabbi Stephen Fuchs and myself, as well a the lighting of the Second Advent Candle and the Eighth Candle of Hanukkah.    

Any who read this who are on Sanibel or nearby are welcome to join with us, Sunday, December 5, at 5:00 PM at our shared address:  2050 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel Florida.  

Why Did He Take a Gun Downtown?

But why did he take an AR-15 style weapon downtown in the first place?  That's my primary question as I reflect on the verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial.  When I was a kid my parents would say of certain actions on my part, "You're just asking for trouble."  That seems to me to be the case here.  Carrying such a weapon into the middle of a protest heavily monitored by the police was just asking for trouble.  The defense argued he was being a good citizen, and was there to protect private property.  But isn't that what we pay law enforcement to do?  The last I knew Kenosha wasn't part of the Old West.

We are told it is very hard to argue against self-defense.  And that may indeed be the case.  And maybe his actions were in defense of his own safety.  But if he was worried about staying safe, why was he there?  Why didn't he stay home, out of harm's way?

Yes, we need to respect the jury's decision, though I can't help but think it might have gone differently had he been a 17-year-old black man.  To their credit, the jury did appear to take their work seriously.  There was no snap judgement.  But still . . . why did he take a rifle downtown?

I continue to support the right to bear arms, but within limits.   I do so in the hope that gun owners will use them wisely and well.  Which is the case with many gunowners I know and respect.  But I imagine most of them would have stayed home that fated day.  Or gone to work, or school.  But not downtown.  After all, if Kyle Rittenhouse had done that--stayed home--or at least left his gun behind, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber might still be alive, and Gaige Grosskreutz would have his whole arm.

Really, in the end, this isn't about gun rights.  It's about commonsense.  Which brings me back to my original question . . . why did he take an AR-15 style weapon downtown in the first place?  Why?

Dad and Dancing Angels

 A collection of my short stories has just come out.  It's called Angels Dancing on  the Roof  and includes seasonal stories that I've written over several years.  Most are Christmas stories, but I have included a Chanukah story as well.

I must say, seeing them is print is a bit of a thrill.  I have had other things, liturgical materials and essays, published, but a whole book!  Cool!  

I will be doing some/readings/signings over the next month.  Being seasonal literature there is a rather specific time frame for promoting it.  But the spirit of the season, which I hope these varied tales reflect, can and should last throughout the year.  I know that's a tad cliched, but who among us doesn't wish that, hope that?  Only the most ardent misanthropes.  I won't say Grinches or Scrooges because (spoiler alert) they both go through a dramatic conversion experience!

The book is dedicated to my Dad, one of the most ardent fans of the Dickens story about old Ebenezer and Tiny Tim.  He would read it to us every Christmas, one stave (chapter) a week through Advent, culminating on Christmas Day with the fifth and final stave.  The epigram on my dedication page, in fact, comes from Dickens.  "It was always said of him, that he knew well how to keep Christmas, if any man possessed the knowledge."

I don't pretend to be in the same league as Charles Dickens.  Not even in the same fictional universe!  But I do hope I have captured some of that same sense of wonder and hope that he did.  

If you'd like to check out the book for yourself, you can find it on Amazon, or locally, at McIntosh Books.

Why I Will Pray on Veterans Day

I've been asked to pray at Sanibel's official Veteran's Day ceremony this year.  I have done it before and have agreed to do it again.  Not because I am a supporter of armed interventions or war.  But rather because I am a supporter of veterans., which to some may seem an odd thing for a pacifist like myself to say.  So let me explain.

First and foremost I respect the fact that veterans have sacrificed their individual interests in support of the larger good.  To be willing to rise above one's own particular needs or interests in support of something greater than oneself is admirable.  Would that more of us were willing to do that.  So many of today's problems, ranging from pandemics to climate change, could be more effectively dealt with if we approached them in a selfless and united manner.  Veterans have shown us how that can be done.

Secondly, I find it appalling that we have asked men and women to sacrifice a portion of their lives, to even risk their lives, and then have left them without the support they need to reintegrate into society and recover from their physical, emotional and spiritual injuries.  That so many vets are homeless, struggling with PSTD, coping with various addictions, is just plain unacceptable.  We have asked them to serve on our behalf and come to our aid--we must come to their aid when they need our help.

So it is that I will pray. I will offer words of gratitude for the selflessness of veterans.  I will pray for those who are sick and injured that we might help bring them healing and hope.  I will pray for those who grieve the losses war inflicts.  I will pray in the hopes that a day will come when there will be no
more need for people to become veterans.  And I will pray for peace.

  

Wheels for Wheels, 2021--Part II

Saturday, as I rode sixty-eight miles on my bike as part of the Howards S. Danner Jr., Wheels for Wheels Cycling Challenge (raising funds for wheelchairs) I was joined by two friends for most of the ride.  And, near the end of the ride, gathered with many fellow Rotarians and others, to celebrate their rides and their support of the effort which led to our success  our success (we have raised as of this writing over $25,000 dollars!)

It was a good day.  It felt good to get some serious exercise.  It felt good to spend time with people whose company I enjoy.  It felt good to be working for a great cause.  And there were also lessons to be learned along the way!

We started the ride before dawn.  We had a lot of miles to cover, and we hoped to make the gathering at 11:00 AM.  That meant we rode in the dark, for over an hour.  And to do so safely, we had to take special precautions:  lights on our bikes, reflective clothing, and so on.  It was important for us to see the road, and it was important for drivers to see us!  How often we forget that on any journey having light to show us where to go is vital!

A good portion of the ride we were heading into the wind--which slowed us down quite a bit.  But then on the return, we had a tailwind and though rather tuckered out at that point (we were already firty-five miles or so into the ride) we were able to make up some lost time!  I was reminded that whenever you face into the wind someone else is being carried along by it.  Sometimes literally, but more often metaphorically.  I was also reminded that often in life, the headwinds come first, and then the tailwinds.  The work precedes the reward.

We also had to deal with rain.  In fact early in the ride, we got caught in a heavy downpour.  It didn't last long, and when it abated there was a lovely rainbow.  And towels.  We were very near one of my friends homes, and so we stopped, and took a few minutes to dry off (a bit--my shoes remained soggy for the rest of the ride!)  Have you ever noticed despite all the rainbow clichés, they never grow old?  Such a persistent symbol of hope!  And  friend with a fresh towel?  Priceless!

When we were all done, the shoulders and necks and legs were all sore, but the good kind of sore that says, you did something today that was worth doing.  And so it was.  Along with the other riders, our bicycle wheels will make it possible for two-hundred
and fifty folks to get wheelchair wheels, seats and all!