Kol Nidre Sermon draft

Kol Nidre Sermon Draft

1. Maslow hierarchy of needs
Maslow, one of the classic psychologists, talked about a pyramid of human needs. At the bottom is
.A. the need for food and water;
There tragically are many without adequate of either and water will be an increasing problem.
B...above that is shelter and security;-many substandard housing and not secure-darfur, Iraq
Caboose that is love and companionship; -many feel unloved and alone (call weather)
D. Above that is the need for esteem and appreciation-kavod –much low self esteem and feel no kavod

God wants us to live abundantly with enough food, water, housing, security, love, friendship, esteem, companionship-Judaism says tikkun olam fight for the right of all for this and work towards it for ourselves. Never give up. Have faith.


E. is the question that we ask tonight, at the top of the pyramid, is self actualization of meaning and purpose in life. Many don’t feel meaningful purpose

2. Most people spend most time and concern on 1-4,
3. The largest questions in our life often focus on area 5, the least discussed, explored, or reflected upon in our culture. And as we age we concern ourselves with self-actualization-the meaning and purpose of our lives, what good have we done, has it been worthwhile, more and more.

4. Out of concern about that and concern about the future, according to studies certain Americans believe in astrology and a sixth has actually consulted psychics. There is even a new scholarly field which studies meaning. It is called “experimental existential psychology, or XXP.” It explores how people find meaning and purpose in their lives. A topic that once was the province of poets and philosophers, research now say can be granted under the cold light of science. How people deal with existential concern explains a broad specter of behavior. It is a new field of study being taught at science universities. The question is getting ever more complicated because of, for one thing development in science. Scientists believe that eventually, in the near future, we will have a do it yourself virtual reality, abandoning our own world for a made up one will an ever larger.
What do we make about our lives part of adult life? For futurist, Ray Birdwell, this is only the beginning. We are approaching the age of full immersion virtual reality. Thanks to innovations in genetics, nana technology and robotics, we will soon be able to design our own mental habitat. Those same technologies will help us overcome our genetic heritage, live longer, become smarter. It is amazing to think about that we will learn how brains operate and devise computers that function like them. The barriers between minds and computers will disappear. Then the question is what do we do with these enhanced human beings? They will become our relations to one another, but what would our purpose in life be? As we move into that kind of world over the next decades and century, we will continue to contemplate the questions that have perplexed humanity since the beginning.

As we age the question on our purpose and meaning on this earth grows greater. Has there been a purpose? What difference have I made? Can I make in my remaining time? Does it matter? The main question that we ask ourselves is about the meaning of our lives. Rabbi Harold Kushner who wrote “When bad things happen to good people” also wrote a book “When what you have isn’t enough – a search for life’s meaning.” That book, based loosely on the biblical book of the ecclesial Kohelet, begins with a story of someone who came to see him who said that he sat next to a fellow in a desk in an office for many years. They exchanged little stories about their families, they knew each other’s names, and they worked side by side for over a decade. They didn’t socialize much together. Then one day the fellow died of a heart attack. A week later, his wife came in, cleaned up his personal effects, after receiving condolences from the office, and left. A few days later, somebody new was at the desk working, as if the person never existed. So the question to Rabbi Kushner was “Is that all it is?” It’s like a pebble that drops in a pool that makes a few ripples and then disappears.


. In order to answer this question, of course, the key would be to know what our goal is, what we want to achieve, what the answer is. It isn’t as easy as Map quest, or a gps system, where you plug an address in your computer, and say where you are and where you want to go and then it gives you the exact directions for doing so.



Friends, we gather tonight on the beginning of the holiest Day of the year, a day that the Torah commands us to afflict ourselves to atone for our transgressions, so we can become, NAKI, clean before G-d. Historically, with the haunting melody of Kol Nidre, this day has been a day of intense introspection for Jews. To consider our lives in the largest possible scope, to take a break from all our activities, these 24 hours are very precious to us today, but we know how important it is to spend the day reflecting and preparing ourselves for the future. This day is a day for, first of all, clearly understanding ourselves that is the purpose of all the prayers, confession and atonement.
Life goes so fast. Over before we know it. The first answer is that there is 86 thousand seconds everyday. We sleep about 25 thousand of them-not counting naps. What do we do with rest?
Of course, for G-d, our seconds don’t mean the same thing. There is the old joke about the fellow said to G-d, “G-d how long for you is a second”? And G-d says “a million years.” “And G-d, how much money for you is a penny?” and G-d says “a million dollars.” So then the man says “G-d, can I have one of your pennies”? And G-d says “yes, in just a second.” But for us, all we have is our seconds, this time with which we live. I’m fifty-one now, and I meet vigorous people in our congregation who are 89 and 93. That age doesn’t seem as far away as it did awhile ago, what happens in one’s life? One 87 old fellow here told me his life was just like a click of a finger, and then he clicked his fingers.

Yom Kippur then, bids us contemplate “what then is the destination”? , and “how does Judaism help us on this journey”?

1. Never give up
One illustrativeexample came from the Chicago Bears and the exciting Kevin Hester. In that great play where he caught a kick from the Giants, and stood under the goal post. They thought the play was over, they started walking off the field, and he took off and tied for the longest touchdown in sport’s history – 108 yards, simply because the Giants didn’t know that you don’t walk out until the play is over. Don’t assume because your old, that’s it, or reached a dead end in career, or relationship or health.
There is a lot of Jewish thinking about aging. One of the favorites I hear is aging is not for sissies, it is tough to get old. You may wonder why nature fized it this way. There is an old rabbinic legend about why this happens. The story was that before Abraham, people did not show their age, they simply got to a certain point and died. And Abraham and Isaac were walking down the street and Abraham didn’t look any older that Isaac at that point, and people didn’t know who was the older and who they should give honor to. And Abraham mentioned that to G-d and G-d said “well if I change that and I make you look older, so they will know to whom to pay homage, you will feel older. There is no other possibility.” Abraham said, “Well, we have to teach the world respect for the elderly.” And G-d said “OK” and changed nature so that people began to show their age. And that’s the first time the work Zaken, old was used in the bible in the context of Abraham. The Torah tries to communicate that the value by saying to us that you have you have to stand before the gray haired. It is a mitzvah to show respect to the elderly. The commandment to honor your father and mother is viewed as older people and teachers as well. It is obviously though that the cry of the psalmist who said “don’t abandon me in my old age”-. The worry that old people will be neglected. But the psalmist also taught us-teach me to number my days, that as long as I am getting older, I should learn something from the experience.
It is obvious that people are always looking for the fountain of youth. In fact some pharmaceutical companies, who are not cranks or quacks, that include well regarded Harvard scientists, who believe that they are going to develop a pill that treats many feared diseases, like diabetes, degenerative nerve conditions, many form of cancer, and the only side effect is the increase of life span. That is what they are working on. May we all live to experience that little pill!!. But in the meantime, there is a lot of wisdom about how to stay younger than our chronological years might indicate-, a lot of studies show that older people who frequently visit museums, play musical instruments, play chess or have schedules packed with other brain stimulating but fun activities, are less likely to develop dementia. I’m sure if you put regular synagogue attendance in the mix it would be number one.
There is a lot of evidence that growing old doesn’t mean frailty, researchers are finding. They may not be the inevitable result of aging, rather as preventable and perhaps treatable. Weight training, even in older individuals reduces inflammation, helps prevent falls. They are studying now the question of if a combination of aerobic exercises, weight lifting and balance training can help frail, sedentary individuals retain the ability to walk at least four blocks. There are even studies that say thinking negatively about getting old and you age more quickly. But if you think good thoughts about aging, you’ll likely stay healthy a little longer. People 70 or older who have negative thoughts and beliefs about aging had poor memories as the years passed. Those with positive views lived a medium of 7 years longer, even after taking into account differences in their age and health.

But of course, there comes the inevitable point of illness. There is a book by a professor, Donald Murray, called “My twice lived life,” about coping with what life deals us and seizing control of it, about living in the moment, and also about accepting our lot. The book says life is a journey and adventure, a ride filled with obstacles that help us to see living in a new light. The other book I read about is called “Learning the? the blessings of imperfect life by a young professor who was struck with Lou Geris disease at the age of 35. That disease made it urgent for him to ask all kinds of questions that most of us avoid. What he learned from those questions is that formal consciousness of my own mortality has been my best guide to being more fully alive, live more fully in the present.

The advice to aging well is pretty documented, Dr. Abraham Weil wrote “Healthy Aging”, talking about how important it is to do exercise throughout your life, eat healthy, take vitamins, watch stress , think positively, rest, and keep learning. In fact, some scholars believe that the real question is not how old are you, but what is your real age. I love the story about a Rabbi who was asked in an interview what age he works with; he said “I work with young people of any age.” These 137 factors including, do you take vitamins, how do you handle stress, do you smoke, do you floss, are you active, do you get your fiber, do you laugh, do you learn, do you get regular checkups, do you buckle up. 137 different things that affect your real age.
These questions have a greater urgency as one becomes older in life. The old joke about a Yemenite Jew who is 76 goes to the doctor for a checkup, and the doctor says “You are amazing; you have the body of a 40 year old. How old was your father when he passed away?” The man said “Oh, my father didn’t pass away, he is doing fine, and he is 95. In fact he is getting married next week.” “Your father is 95 and is getting married! Oh my goodness. Why is a man 95 getting married?’ He said “Well, his parents thought it was a good idea, since he’s got this girlfriend.” The Yemenite Jews are notorious for long lived, but of course, even with all the increased technology, none of us are going to live forever. So the question becomes especially acute for the aging. Where do we find meaning and how does that help us in our quest for a better life but after having thought about all of this, about whether it is a little pill or all this work to try and stay young, still there is the large question of what is it all for. We want to live healthy, we want to live long, we want to be remembered well, we want to live productively and positively. Asking what is the meaning of life is even to be viewed humorously. You used to have to go to India and climb a mountain and wait 6 months to talk to the guru, who would give you a two word answer. Today you can click on the internet for a search for the meaning of life and you get more information than imaginable

But we never, ever, stop until this play is completely over. One of the marvelous books I read over the summer is the book about the smartest man who ever lived. Now, some of you probably are going to say Einstein, but according to books on genius, Einstein was number ten. The smartest man who ever lived was Leonardo Deviancy. And his book is called “How to think like Leonardo Divine, seven steps to genius every day.” One of the main points about this book that was so interesting to me was that several of the essential steps in Da Vinci’s genius are that he never, ever gave up. In the face of amazing adversity that would cower almost all of us, he never gave up. Even on his death bed, he was always curious, trying to learn. He doesn’t fear a single second wasted. But towards what end? What purpose? What goal?
The Jewish people have thought about this question for a very long time.

2. It’s the journey-enjoy it. There really is no determinate ending. Part of our clear understanding on this journey is that when our little piece physically ends, the journey itself never ends. There is such a huge amount of discussion about the end of that HBO hit series Sopranos, because it didn’t seem to be really an ending. It just sort of ended without resolution. And there is even editorials in the paper about it, one of them in the Tribune said endings are hard, beginnings are easier, they are full of energy and possibility. The creator of the series invited questions, not just about the unorthodox ending, but by filling the scenario with clever portions. If we physically learn anything from the Sopranos its -- and that’d how the editorial ended. And there were even articles which compared the ending of the Sopranos, that TV show about mobsters to great works like Gone with the Wind, which didn’t really end. Scarlet vowed some day to win Rhett Butler back, but its summer vows, you don’t know if she does. Or the Samuel Beckett play, Waiting for Godot, where the two main characters wait for Godot who never shows. They keep waiting for the answer and you are left with the unresolved issue does life have any meaning whatsoever. Well, a lot of that is in the journey
3. The task on the journey is raising holiness
. G-d wants us to stay healthy. G-d wants us to use our time productively, to help ourselves and the world to grow in holiness, to repair the broken world, to work with integrity, to live intensely, Jadishly, to be part of a religious community, to do no harm, to do good and to do so as long as our breath lasts, and not to walk off the field before the play is over. We will have all of eternity to bask in glory and not worry about this world and doing good deeds. But while we are in this world, until the very last breath, it is ours to continue to grow. Even Deviancy on his death bed continued to grow. So for these 24 hours, as we take a stock of our lives and ourselves, as we reflect on what G-d wants from us, where will we find meaning. Yes, it is true that one day someone else will take our place at the desk where we sat, doing our work that we someday will cease living physically. But while we are here, we are commanded to live holy lives, to help others, to help ourselves, to grow in love and holiness that is to have a life well lived. Moses was not able to enter the Promised Land, the thing he wanted most, to remind us that we never complete our journey, we continue journeying. At some point, our journey in this world stops and we move on to the next world. Until then, the laws of the road are to live hold lives.

. A wonderful Rabbi named Daniel Matt put it this way. A spiritual task is to discover the divine spark in each person, and situation we encounter. To become aware that single thing we do, see, touch or imagine has the possibility of being laded with holiness. Judaism teaches that we must raise the fallen sparks of the unperfected world, to make that a spiritual adventure. For Judaism it’s living the journey in a hold way, continuing to look around us to see opportunities that we have to make the world better, to do tikkun olam, to save the world.
4. Community important to help out-As Jews we are also members of a covenant of people, and that helps us understand that this search for meaning takes place in the --?—community. We ask ourselves what is the purpose of our existence, how do I respond as a Jew to the exigencies of life. Some of the authentic questions of life, we do not do this alone, we do it within a community
5. But the main thing in all of this life and the next is God. Question in parasha a few weeks ago-Moses asks at end-what does God ask of you? Who cares? Best seller book by Harris posits God and religion have just a source of evil for the world. There are even synagogues called secular human ism which don’t say shma yisrael-they pray to the best we revere in humankind. To Judaism though, there is no more important question in life that what does god ask of us. It is what gives us ultimate meaning, purpose, esteem. Security.
Interesting studies over the summer showed 1. The subconscious has much more power over us than we thought and does not limit its control to our dreams at night but can effect us all day long, and helps explain why we can be noble one minute and petty the next. Next study-can’t say “he’s a dirty rat” because rats turn out to be nicer than humans. Next study-we are closest to chimps, both can be purposely vengeful to punish bad behavior but humans alone are also spiteful for no good reason. Dogs fight in the natural world over territory-only human stoop low as to train dogs to fight for our sport, or mass murder for no purpose. We can’t rely on human spirit-it too easily duped. We need God. Almost all people believe-but if we don’t squarely face what God ask of us-it means nothing.
Micah the profit answered 2800 years ago-do justice, love mercy, walks humbly with god. Moses answered 500 years earlier, to be in awe of God, to serve God through prayer, study of torah and mitzvoth, and to love God. The punch line there-Man does not live by bread alone, but from what comes from God’s mouth.

We have a choice as we live on this planet, waiting for the next world and the next life-we deserve to have enough food, water, shelter, security, companionship, esteem, respect. If we or our neighbor do not, we must fight for it, with justice and mercy continually and never give up. But mean while, as the overreaching guide principle, the reason why we are here,, the thing that gives us and our lives eternal meaning and purpose, is to use our God given talents and abilities, with our loved ones, our neighbors, our community, our country, our world, to be in awe of God-year, to learn what God wants from us by studying the tradition, to live what God asks of us through the mitzvoth, and to love both God and our neighbors through prayer and deeds of loving kindness. That’s why we say that it is repentance yeshiva -reflecting on our errors and rectifying them, tfilah-praying over it, and tzedakah turning our lives out to help others. That is the key to this holiest of days

.