This We Believe – High Holidays 2016/5777

These talks were delivered at High Holiday services in October 2016 for Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation and later available through The Kol Hadash Podcast and as separate blog posts here. If you are interested in celebrating the Jewish New Year with us in Deerfield, Illinois, please email our office or call 847-383-5184.

Are Humanistic Jews “non-believers”? Or do we share conclusions and values beyond encouraging everyone to think for themselves? As our Jewish New Year begins, let us return to our core convictions. This we believe: this world, this life, these hands…and you.

Why We Believe – Rosh Hashana Evening October 2, 2016 7:30 PM
We celebrate what we share rather than argue the unprovable. Our individual beliefs do not always have to agree in order to find community and common ground. Ours is a Jewish tradition of change, diversity and integrity. And, as Humanistic Rabbi Sherwin Wine once wrote, “Believing is better than nonbelieving.”

This World – Rosh Hashana Morning October 3, 2016 10:00 AM
Our Humanism is a positive emphasis on this world – what we experience, what we need, what we can know. Our Rosh Hashana does not represent divine creation of the world; rather, it encourages us to discover what the universe truly is, and then to create the world we want.

What Can I Do? – Rosh Hashana Family Service October 3, 2016 2:00 PM
Part of growing older is discovering what we can do for ourselves, and learning to do more. Realizing how much we have already accomplished is an important part of the journey.

This Life – Yom Kippur Evening October 11, 2016 7:30 PM
The Jewish “Days of Awe” were traditionally a time of judgment – who would live, who would die, and who would earn a portion in the World to Come. We believe in life before death, making the most of our time in this life, the only one we know. Living the best we can while we are here is the best we can do.

These Hands – Yom Kippur Morning October 12, 2016 10:00 AM
We would love it if the righteous were rewarded, the wicked punished, and everything worked out for our benefit. But wishing does not make it so. In the absence of cosmic providence, the work of justice, compassion, forgiveness and self-improvement is up to us.

What Can We Do? – Yom Kippur Family Service October 12, 2016 2:00 PM
There are times to do things on our own, and there are times we need help. We can do more together that we can separately. One of the shortest and most important poems in English is “Me? We!”

And You – Yom Kippur Memorial & Concluding October 12, 2016 3:30 PM
“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am for myself alone, what am I?” Rabbi Hillel’s balance between individual and community is expressed in our society, and in our families. If we are connected to more than ourselves, then love and loss are also part of our lives.

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