Thanksgiving
Already today I have read and listened to hundreds of messages of thanks. I loved the fact that when the staff of National Public Radio invited folks to share poems of thanks one of the items mentioned numerous times was public libraries. I am reminded that Andrew Carnegie had to amass a significant unequal share of the wealth to be able to create the initial Carnegie public libraries. Obviously nice sounding terms such as philanthropy can mask that we often laud those who mistreat thousands only to admire them for giving a portion of that money to benefit the community. That statement might be unfair to some, but, in general it is most often true. Yet, I am enormously grateful for public libraries and other
philanthropic gifts.
I am also this morning reminded of the passage from Deuteronomy (15: 4-11) which Rabbi Joshua Lief chose as the text to talk about during the interfaith Thanksgiving service at Temple Shalom. In particular I am thinking of verse 7: “If there is among you a poor man, one of your brethren, in any of your towns within your land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever that might be….(10) You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him;…”
The folks in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life Synagogue where the sad and tragic shooting took place recently remind me and others what Rabbi Lief has also strongly suggested; that we not respond to hate with hate.
Once again, I am grateful for the reminders which it seems to be are contained in all these:
• None of us are in a position to judge.
• We are all more than our most hurtful deed and more than any socially constructed label which has been assigned to us.
• We are our brothers (land sisters) keepers.
• We are all deserving of unconditional love and respect because none of us are deserving.
May we all be a blessing and be blessed this Thanksgiving Day.
Written November 22, 2018
Already today I have read and listened to hundreds of messages of thanks. I loved the fact that when the staff of National Public Radio invited folks to share poems of thanks one of the items mentioned numerous times was public libraries. I am reminded that Andrew Carnegie had to amass a significant unequal share of the wealth to be able to create the initial Carnegie public libraries. Obviously nice sounding terms such as philanthropy can mask that we often laud those who mistreat thousands only to admire them for giving a portion of that money to benefit the community. That statement might be unfair to some, but, in general it is most often true. Yet, I am enormously grateful for public libraries and other
philanthropic gifts.
I am also this morning reminded of the passage from Deuteronomy (15: 4-11) which Rabbi Joshua Lief chose as the text to talk about during the interfaith Thanksgiving service at Temple Shalom. In particular I am thinking of verse 7: “If there is among you a poor man, one of your brethren, in any of your towns within your land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever that might be….(10) You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him;…”
The folks in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life Synagogue where the sad and tragic shooting took place recently remind me and others what Rabbi Lief has also strongly suggested; that we not respond to hate with hate.
Once again, I am grateful for the reminders which it seems to be are contained in all these:
• None of us are in a position to judge.
• We are all more than our most hurtful deed and more than any socially constructed label which has been assigned to us.
• We are our brothers (land sisters) keepers.
• We are all deserving of unconditional love and respect because none of us are deserving.
May we all be a blessing and be blessed this Thanksgiving Day.
Written November 22, 2018
RSS Feed