September 09, 2010   1 Tishrei 5771
Union Temple of Brooklyn, NY
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200th Anniversary of Reform Judaism  
Rabbi GoodmanMouvement Juif Libéral de France. . . . This summer Steve and I celebrated our wedding anniversary with a wonderful trip to Paris and environs. While there, we attended Kabbalat Shabbat services at the Movement for Liberal Judaism in France (MJLF), a member congregation of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, and a thriving center of Reform Judaism in the middle of Paris. Rabbi Célia Surget attended Hebrew Union College for a time, and received Rabbinic ordination from the Leo Baeck College in London. Though thoroughly French, she speaks English and French with equal fluency and elegance. Steve and I participated fully in the Hebrew portions of the service, and sat contentedly, but quietly, as the congregation read parts of the service in French. We knew some of the tunes, and were able to catch on to others that were unfamiliar. It was completely egalitarian, though Rabbi Surget and I were the only two women wearing kippot. (All men wore kippot.) Mostly, it was absolutelywonderful to walk into a Progressive congregation in another country and feel totally at home, even though the spoken language was not our own. The service was essentially identical to our own, and we felt happy and grateful to be there amongst our fellow Reform Jews.

Reform at 200. . . . This summer marked the 200th anniversary of Reform Judaism, as it emerged out of the Enlightenment in Germany. The dedication of the world’s first Reform Temple took place on July 17, 1810, in the small Westphalian city of Seesen. The great visionary Israel Jacobson, z”l, a Jewish educator and wealthy entrepreneur, established the first modern, progressive Jewish school there in 1801. Jacobson protested the tax that was imposed upon the Jews by a number of German localities. He developed his school and his temple, implementing many of the ideals and practices that would become the core of Reform Judaism: a broad universalism, a deep commitment to establishing mutual understanding and friendship with the Christian community, a thorough cultural integration of Jews into their broader society, a shift in Jewish prayer from Hebrew into the vernacular, along with inspiring music and challenging preaching. The town of Seesen has made the commemoration of its role as the birthplace of Reform Judaism into a centerpiece of its civic pride and identity, even though there isn’t a single Jew still living there today. The mayor of the town has dedicated his life to perpetuating the memory of Jacobson and the Temple. The Jacobson School still stands, and serves now as a civic hall. Sadly, the 1810 Temple was destroyed on Kristallnacht, and an anniversary commemoration ceremony took place there this summer on the site, where a monument stands today. A major celebration in Seesen marked this auspicious anniversary, which was attended by many local civic leaders and clergy. Banners flew throughout the town.

Changes. . . . What would Israel Jacobson think if he were to attend a service at a typical Reform congregation today? During this 200th anniversary year, I will be devoting most of my Bulletin messages to various aspects of Reform Judaism, and the changes it has undergone during this time. Meanwhile, as we head into an unusually early holiday cycle, Steve and Philip join me in wishing all of you, and all those you hold dear, a very happy, healthy, and sweet New Year. L’shanah Tovah Tikateivu v’Teichateimu - May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for blessing, life, and peace.

-Rabbi Linda Henry Goodman
Mi Shebeirach for an Aliyah  

Rabbi GoodmanThe Mi Shebeirach blessing has become a regular feature of our services. Mi Shebeirach means “The One who blessed.” It begins: Mi Shebeirach avoteinu, Avraham, Yitzhak, v’Ya’akov, v’imoteinu, Sarah, Rivka, Rahel, v’Leah... Hu y’vareich et… “May the One who blessed our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and our mothers, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, bestow Your blessing upon ... and so on.”

Though most often we have recited Mi Shebeirach for those who are ill, our liturgy actually provides different Mi Shebeirach texts for various occasions. There are blessings at an aufruf for a bride and groom; blessings for new parents and blessings for their babies; and indeed, blessings for each person who is given the honor of being called the Torah to recite the Torah blessing - the honor that we call an Aliyah (going up to the Torah). The Torah blessings are completed, and then the Mi Shebeirach is recited by the Rabbi or Cantor.

While earlier generations of Reform Jews preferred to excise all these “Mi Shebeirachs” from the service, often out of a general anxiety about needlessly elongating the liturgy, our own generation has shown a marked preference for putting them back in. There is a general sense that it is important to acknowledge and bless people in their lives: whether as a prayer for a restoration to health, or in the joy of a new baby, an impending marriage, or for the honor of being called to the Torah.

Our new siddur, MISHKAN T’FILAH, has inserted a Mi Shebeirach for an Aliyah, which essentially is the traditional text. Some of the members of our Religious Practices Committee found the traditional wording objectionable from a theological standpoint, so I took the liberty of rewriting the blessing. The translation of the text now reads:

May the One Who blessed our fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and our mothers, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, bless ________ (son)(daughter) of _________ who has ascended to the Torah, with good health, happiness, prosperity and peace; with wisdom and understanding, with the love of Torah and reverence for the Divine. And let us say Amen.

We have used this already at Shabbat Morning services, and it seems to be well received by those in attendance, and appreciated by those who have been called for an aliyah. Thus, the next time you happen to be at a morning service, you’ll hear this Mi Shebeirach in addition to the one for healing. We hope you will enjoy the addition of this blessing. Though it adds little more than a few seconds to the service, it holds considerable significance for those being blessed, and their families.

Blessings to all –

-Rabbi Linda Henry Goodman

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