Rabbi Ron Shulman
Strengthening Faith
Did you ever wonder how Chizuk Amuno Congregation got its name? Back in 1871, if you were sitting around your living room with some friends to select a new synagogue’s name, is that what you would pick?
Chizuk Amuno is not a known phrase in any Biblical or Rabbinic literature. In an American setting it doesn’t come rolling off the tongue. Why did our synagogue’s founders choose “Strengthening Faith?” As the result of a discovery made in our synagogue archives last spring, on Rosh HaShanah I’ll answer this question.
I actually begin thinking about what to speak about on the High Holy Days just after Passover. On Rosh HaShanah I like to think externally, about the condition of our world, and what Jewish idea or practice can be a meaningful response. There’s a lot of cynicism and disillusionment out there this year. I want to respond with a message of faith, which I will define.
On Yom Kippur, I turn inward. I prefer to discuss something personal to us all and spiritual, a subject that may enhance our repentance and reflection. The prayer Unetaneh Tokef declares, “On Rosh HaShanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed. Who will live and who will die? I’ve written a new English version of this prayer, which we’ll read and my sermon will interpret. It concludes, “On Rosh HaShanah let’s consider and on Yom Kippur let’s decide. Not if we will die, but how we will live.”
I look forward to sharing my thoughts, as well as hearing yours, and celebrating the New Year with you.
Posted in: Holidays, Spirituality
Stuart Aiken
We all require religious strength and I believe we derive this strength from memories of special events. Some memories are fond, and some not so fond. But, truly, God blesses the beautiful memories that we retain and possess wonderful outcomes. No parent can disagree that our sweetest memories often involve our children and there are dozens we cherish. In the course of our lifetime, several exceptional ones come to mind including the births of our children, their birthdays, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and weddings. Of all the memories, one of the fondest I recall is the day my military son called to inform me that he was finally home on American soil following his seemingly unending fifteen month deployment at a Forward Operating Base near Baghdad. His promotion to First Lieutenant just prior to his dangerous deployment gave me a sense of pride, and enabled him to lead his troops in gathering military intelligence for his unit. For security reasons he never described his assignments other than “to catch the bad guys,” but there were mentions about the scares he encountered while executing his duties “outside the wire.” Those were tense days as phone calls and e-mails were infrequent. However, never did I lose faith in God that He would, every single day, watch over Andy. Prayer had never been so important nor so desperately needed during that time because no parent ever wishes to endure the enormous pain of losing a child. Andy was a dutiful Army officer in Iraq, and with God’s help he survived that deployment as well as his thirteen month deployment on the DMZ a year later. This is the reason I participate in Gemilut Hasadim and join the Chizuk Amuno community to welcome home our soldiers at BWI as part of Operation Welcome Home Maryland; showing gratitude to our men and women in uniform is such a small sacrifice compared to theirs. And, the recitation of the prayer for the safety of our troops is another meaningful way to reveal our appreciation, care, and concern for the service men and women who protect us. May we always have memories of joy that bring us strength each and every day so that we can regularly make a difference in the lives of those whom we love beyond words. Stuart Aiken