blogs/brentspodek

By far, the greatest miracle is that we exist at all.

Before the Big Bang, before what the Kabbalistic tradition calls the contraction (??????), there was something. And that something reached beyond what was known and familiar - the universe before the universe - to form something new - the universe as we know it.

Heady stuff, to be sure.

Yet a central truth about human existence is embedded in it.

Most of us, most of the time, like to be around people who are similar to us - similar in tastes, in education, in race and religion. When your preferences reflect my own preferences back to me, then I get to feel secure and validated.

After all, if I'm a middle aged white guy who likes Bruce Springsteen and you're a middle aged white guy who likes Bruce Springsteen, then I know that I must have pretty good taste because clearly everyone likes Bruce Springsteen, right?

This is the importance of a perfect Divinity reaching beyond itself to create the universe. The Divine "knew" that as long as that Divinity was alone, it was incomplete - insufficient, even.

So too are we people incomplete, insufficient, even, when all we are is ourselves.

This is the basis of the interfaith work we do at Beacon Hebrew Alliance. There are so many reasons why it is so important for Jews to reach beyond our comfort zones and connect with people of other faiths and of none.

Our civil society is stronger when these ties are strong. The work of feeding the hungry and caring for the poor is done more effectively when we work together. We can aid each other in moments of distress.

I'm proud that when the First Presbyterian Church of Beacon burned down in the 1940s, Beacon Hebrew Alliance was one of the organizations that helped rebuild it. I trust that in the future, if our brothers and sisters are in distress, we will come to their aid and they would come to ours if needed.

Beyond the pragmatic, we take steps towards completing ourselves when we connect with others. I have certainly come to understand Christianity better in the course of connecting with Christians, and I have also come to understand Judaism better in the course of connecting with Christians.

We as a community have invested in connecting with other faiths and with secular organizations over the past five years. We as a synagogue are richer for it and I believe the broader community is richer for it as well. I know that I am.

If you are interested in furthering these relations, two events in the coming months might be of interest. On November 14 at 6 PM, thanks to the Dutchess County Jewish Federation, we will be welcoming Imam Abdullah Antepli to teach about the Past, Present and Future of Jewish Muslim relations and starting in January, the clergy of Better Together will be leading an interfaith exploration of Psalms.

To the degree that we are able to reach past ourselves to connect with and learn with people who are different than us, we don't simply complete ourselves, but we imitate the Divine in essential ways. We create a miracle in our own little corner of the universe that is no less profound than the miracle of creation itself.