How appropriate it is that on this week when we are coming to grips with the murder of 11 Jews, who were killed simply because they were Jews, that we should be reading of the death of Sarah and Abraham, the first Jewish mother and father to give birth to a Jewish child. Each, and all, of us have connection to that first birth.
No matter how we draw our family trees, or how we connect ourselves to this ancient tradition of ours, or how we practice our Judaism, we each have Abraham and Sarah's DNA in us. Even the person who chooses to become Jewish is given a Jewish name and called the child of Abraham and Sarah. We are each, literally or metaphorically, descendants of Sarah and Abraham and their child, Isaac.
This ability to trace our lineage and to know from whence we came immutably connects us deeply to each other. Thus the death of a Jew is mourned by each of us. And the murder of eleven of our own is unbearable.
Whether we are regular attendees of Services, or whether we attend only on the High Holidays, or whether we have only been in a Synagogue once in our life, the 11 Pittsburgh martyrs are us. Like us, they were sitting in their pews, praying, or talking, or singing, or meditating, or wondering when services would end.
I read about the victims for whom the first four funerals were held on Tuesday. They included:
Jerry Rabinowitz, a doctor, who treated gay AIDS patients from the beginning of the epidemic. He was remembered for his eminent skill and humanity for all those who suffered at the hands of this terrible disease.
Cecil and David Rosenthal, brothers, who faced their personal challenges in life with the greatest of warmth and love. They relied on each other. They did everything together. They were the first faces worshipers at Tree of Life synagogue saw every Shabbat morning.
Daniel Stein, former president and leader of the community, remembered as a devoted grandfather, father, husband.
They were leaders, each in their own way. They were beloved. They were needed. They were us.
Like us, I am certain their lives were imperfect. Like us, they had good days and bad days. They included a healer, two people who welcomed others and made them smile, and a congregational leader and family man. We can define them by the good they brought to the world. Go to any synagogue on Shabbat, look to your left or to your right, or in the mirror, and you will see them. We share tradition, we share community, we share goodness, and we share Abraham and Sarah.
One thing is for certain; the victims did good in this world. And how could they not do good? Rashi tells us that our common mother, Sarah, was exceedingly good her whole life.
I have been grappling with what to write for this Shabbat message, since I first learned in horror that people were killed last Shabbat simply because they were Jewish.
I have come up with three responses. The first is that each of us needs to keep doing good in this world. The Talmud tells us in a number of places that, "Gemilut Chasidim", deeds of kindness and love make us better people and makes the world a better place. We are also told in Pirkei Avot that one of the necessary qualities required in order to acquire Torah is that one must have a "Lev Tov", a good heart.
The second response is that we each should make a decision to come to Shabbat services at least once in the next few weeks. the Talmud provides a list of activities that will do us good now and in the future. One of those prescribed activities is prayer. I am a big believer in the fact that each of us should express our Judaism in a way that is comfortable for us and that, for many, attending services is not a preferred form of expression. I would say that, inasmuch as Jewish lives were taken while they were in Synagogue, it would be a great statement to the world, and to the memory of those who were murdered, to make it a point to attend services.
Finally, I would recommend that we each take steps to "Do Jewish". There is power in lighting Shabbat candles or saying the blessing over wine, or Challah. We are strengthened when we visit a Jewish museum. Our lives are improved when we take a class, or read a book, with a Jewish topic.
We are the children of Abraham and Sarah, a couple who changed the world and made it a better place. Despite the troubles in the world we must continue the story that they told, and the stories that the victims in the Tree of Life congregation told.
Do good, Do Jewish, attend Shabbat services, heal, make others laugh, and be a leader in making this world a better place.
With sadness and hope for renewal, I offer wishes for a Shabbat Shalom - Rabbi Michael S. Jay