"REDEDICATING THE HOUSE"

While Rosh Hashanah begins our new spiritual year, January first not only starts a new secular year, but also a new fiscal year with new leadership for Bet Aviv. In preparation for the new synagogue year, Bet Aviv just held its annual meeting and the evening ended with a Hanukkat Habayit—a dedication ceremony when we affixed a mezuzah on the Rabbi’s office at The Meeting House. As the past synagogue year folds into the new synagogue year, an act of rededication on all of our parts is as appropriate as it is sacred. It is humbling and inspirational to take a moment from the flux of time and to recommit ourselves to the program and mission of Bet Aviv. Regardless of the primary focus of our experiences at Bet Aviv—worship, study, Choir, Sisterhood, Men’s Club, Camera Club, or social gathering—it bids us well to rededicate and recommit ourselves to wonderful experiences that take place in this our spiritual home. The words on the particular mezuzah that is on the door lintel are taken from the Book of Deuteronomy, “Baruch atah b’voechah u’baruch atah b’tzaytechah; blessed may you be as you enter and blessed may you be as you leave.” May we be so blessed in all of our activities at the Meeting House as members of Bet Aviv.

On December 11, Marsha and I traveled to Indianapolis to join my family of origin and friends to celebrate my mother’s 95th birthday. How delightful it was for all of us, especially my mother, to welcome relatives and friends from afar. It was a sacred opportunity for my mother and family to thank God for the miracle of good health, new life and the opportunity to gather in joyous celebration on such a sacred occasion in our family’s history.

At the end of December, we celebrated Hanukkah, the festival of rededication, not only of the ancient temple, but of our spiritual home as well. In the not too distant future, the Jewish people will welcome the new month of Shevat, the month in which we celebrate Jewish Arbor Day. On Tu B’shvat the Jewish people literally and figuratively plant seedlings with the hope that even in the darkest days of winter, not only can we yearn for new life and new growth, but we can actively plant the seeds, so that as Jews and as human beings, we continue to learn more about faith and our heritage hoping to rededicate our lives to make our world better. We are grateful for all of our acts of kindness that lead us to make sure our lives and the lives of others will be filled with greater sanctity.

Rabbi Seth Bernstein

Rabbi Seth Bernstein was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is a graduate of Indiana University. He was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1977. Part of his training included a year of studies at INTER-MET, an interfaith seminary in Washington D.C. Following ordination, he was Assistant and Associate Rabbi at Congregation Rodeph Shalom in New York, NY, from 1977-1986. During that time he was active in UJA-Federation’s singles and disabled activities. He was instrumental in founding the Shadchanus Bureau for introducing Jewish singles for the purpose of marriage. He received the General Assembly’s award for his work in 1982.

Rabbi Bernstein was selected as rabbi of Bet Aviv, Columbia, Maryland, in May, 2011. In 1986 Rabbi Bernstein became the rabbi of Temple Sinai in Worcester, Massachusetts. He is trained in family therapy and hospital chaplaincy. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Andover Newton Theological School in the areas of chaplaincy and family systems theory. His doctoral project was on the impact of serious illness on the family system at life cycle events. Since 1991, Rabbi Bernstein has served as the Jewish Chaplain at UMASS-Memorial Hospital and since its founding, has been the Pastoral Care Director of the Jewish Home Hospice in Worcester. He is a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains and the National Association of Jewish Chaplains (N.A.J.C.). For the past two years Rabbi Bernstein served as the Chair of Certification of the N.A.J.C.

Rabbi Bernstein is the Rabbinic Founder of the H.E.A.R.T. Program in Worcester involving Temple Sinai and Emanuel Baptist Church in an after school tutorial program that received the Kuhn Social Action Award from the Union for Reform Judaism in 1995. He is the Past President of the Interfaith Coalition for the Homeless, Jewish Family Service of Worcester, the Worcester Pastoral Counseling Center, and co-President of Worcester Interfaith, a community organizing effort for Worcester and Central Massachusetts.

Rabbi Bernstein’s initiatives at Temple Sinai include a wide variety of adult education classes that he has taught. He taught 5th Grade Judaica and 7th Grade Judaism and Sexuality courses in addition to Confirmation class for 10th graders. He coordinated the effort to send a truck load of supplies to victims of Hurricane Katrina from Central Massachusetts and has been active locally and nationally with disaster relief efforts of the American Red Cross. He was active in the Worcester Clergy Police Partnership to help reduce crime in Worcester, especially involving young people. Rabbi Bernstein serves on the rabbinic cabinet of United Jewish Communities and Israel Bonds. He has been active in the mentoring and colleague-to-colleague efforts of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and currently serves as the responder to the Rabbinic Rapid Response effort to assist rabbis and their families who are in crisis. He is a member of the editorial team of the new Gates of Healing booklet to be published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis.

Rabbi Bernstein believes that The Oakland Mills Interfaith Center presents a huge opportunity. Early in his career, the Rabbi studied with clergy of various faiths in an interfaith seminary in Washington, DC. He loved the engagement. He believes that "a lot of one’s thinking is influenced by how we see each other…being in each others’ context…finding commonalities, differences, and then embracing one another. To me, it’s a very exciting opportunity to live in each other’s house." He is looking forward to learning more about The Meeting House, becoming involved in the planning, and learning more about the different faiths who worship there.

Paraphrased from an Interview with Rabbi Bernstein:  "Rabbi means teacher, and I see myself as a teacher. My teaching style is informal, and I do a lot of adult education. But I consider myself a pastoral rabbi. I like to deal with the real problems and joys in people’s lives…deaths, weddings, baby naming, illnesses. It has become more important to me, deepened my own faith, and allowed me to become more engaged with the members of the congregation. Being present in people’s lives defines me."

Our new feature called Ask the Rabbi will contain the answers to questions on various aspects of Jewish life. Each month one or two questions of interest to our congregants and answers supplied by Reform rabbis will appear in this space. Let us know what you think. If you have a question to submit, please click here to send us a message.

Q:Life after Death: What does Judaism Say?

Text:  At the time of judgment in the future world everyone will be asked, “What was your occupation?” If the person answers, “I used to feed the hungry,” they will say to him, “This is God’s gate; you who fed the hungry many enter.” “I used to give water to those who were thirsty”-they will say to him, ”This is God’s gate; you who gave water to those who were thirsty may enter.” “I used to clothe the naked”-they will say to him, “This is God’s gate; you who clothed the naked may enter”…and similarly with those who raised orphans, and who performed the mitzvah of tzedakah, and who performed acts of caring, loving-kindness. Interpretation: This midrash is based on a verse in the Book of Pslams that says “open for me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter to praise God” (Pslam 118:19). Although the plain meaning of the text likely refers to the gates of the JerusalemTemple, where it was believed that God’s Presence resided, the midrash understands it in terms of the future world. Thus the gates of righteousness are understood to be the gates leading into the world-to-come. There was a rabbinic belief that when a person dies, that person will be brought before the heavenly court for judgment and asked a series of questions. The Talmud (Shabbat31a) delineates the following four questions: Did you conduct your business affairs with honesty? Did you set aside regular time for Torah study? Did you work at having children? Did you look forward to the world’s redemption? These questions clearly demonstrate that ethics is at Judaism’s core. The midrash based on the Book of Psalms also demonstrates God’s concern for how a person lives his or her life and whether a person left the world a better place for others. Such a person, deemed a righteous one, is allowed entrance into the gates of righteousness. Life after Death: What Does Judaism Say? Jews and Judaism have generally been much more concerned with this world than the next and have concentrated their religious efforts toward building a better world for the living. This is in marked contrast to the religious traditions of the people among whom the Jews have lived. For example, in Islam, afterlife plays a critical role, and while this may not represent mainstream Muslim thought, to this day Muslim terrorists who are sent on suicide missions are reminded that anyone who dies in a “holy war” immediately ascends to the highest place in heaven. Belief in any type of afterlife was little pronounced in the early biblical period. During the rabbinic period, however, it began to assume a more prominent place in Jewish faith. A doctrine of the immortality of the soul developed that suggested that the body returns to the earth, dust to dust, but the soul, which is immortal, returns to God, who gave it. In addition, Rabbinic Judaism also affirmed the eventual resurrection of the body with its soul that will occur with the coming of the Messiah. (Reform Judaism rejects the idea of resurrection, and both Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism usually understand the messianic idea in more abstract metaphoric terms.) This remains an area in which each of us must confront the wonder of existence on our own and make peace on our own terms with the mystery of death. Questions for reflection If you believe in a future world, what is your conception of it? What is your understanding of a person’s soul? How would you define it? Proverbs 20:27 says that “the soul is God’s candle.” What does this mean to you? Adapted from Ronald H. Isaacs, A Taste of Text: An Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash (New York: UAHC Press, 2003), 51-56. Published as 10 Minutes of Torah, Union of Reform Judaism, April 12, 2007