Rabbi Gary J Robuck 2024 RH sermon

Rabbi Gary J Robuck

ACT Jewish Community

Before Time, After Time, Better Time  
On Wednesday night, the 2nd of October 2023, the Jewish world last gathered to welcome in the New Year.  Many greeted Rosh Hashanah in shul just as we do tonight, and many more sat down together at the festival table, a table bathed in candlelight and featuring sweet yontif wine, apples and honey and a round challah.  And we exchanged the blessing of the New Year saying:  l’shanah tovah tikateivu  – “may we be written in the (Book of Life) for a good New Year.” How little we knew then.

It was the before time.  Before the murderous rampage of October the 7th  deprived of life upwards to 1,200 Israelis – so many of them young, before the abduction of 251 men, women and children, before the fall of rockets from the south, north, and east, before the sacrifice in battle of Israel’s young and heroic citizen-soldiers and before the fearful loss of life and the misery visited upon those throughout the region.

Can you remember what it was like in the before time, before the shameless rallies in our country’s streets, before encampments took over university campuses around the world?  Before one-sided resolutions, the spewing of ignorant, misinformed and hateful speech, before Jewish schoolchildren at Melbourne’s Mt. Scopus College were met at school with the words, “Jew Die”, before the placing of posters and their tearing down, the wearing of ribbons and the cries of solidarity, “bring them home”?

Today and throughout these Yamim Noraim, however much we may celebrate, our thoughts and prayers must remain with those still being held hostage.  That is why we will display reminders of the Bibas family on the chairs in the front row, and why some will wear yellow ribbons.  How could it be otherwise? They are our friends and our family, some 101 in number.  It would be unconscionable to forget them or those among our brothers and sisters who must retreat to bomb shelters every night, or those who fight so bravely in Israel’s defence.  Our role and our risk are not equal to theirs, but we are bound together just the same.  We must have their back; reaching out, speaking up, standing forward, remaining informed, informing others, and unfailingly and often expressing our solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel.

It would be easy to conclude now, in the after time, that for Jews and those who attach themselves to us, everything has changed.  And it has to some extent.  It is as if we have stones on our hearts.  Everything is just plain harder.  But tonight, we must affirm too, “that not everything has changed”.  We are still a covenant people that is and will always be unalterably bound to the God of Israel, the Torah of Israel and the people of Israel.  We are, as Rabbi Sacks z’l has taught us, like others before him taught, “a people of faith, not fate”.

And what does it mean to be a people of faith in this after time?  Being a people of faith means that we, like our ancestors, are not to anguish over the future, rubbing our hands in futility or shreing gevalt.  Instead, we are required to rebuild our future lamrot ha’kol – despite everything.  To become more animated Jews, learning, doing, growing Jewishly in this tragic, lamentable and unhappy after time.  Being a people of faith, the descendants of people of faith, means that we, like them, must not allow our people’s story to be written by those who seek our destruction, who desire to put us out of business.  Being a people of faith means that we must forever work to dispel what seems now to be an impenetrable darkness and replace that darkness with light and joy; to project hope, to teach our children, to come to shul, to work for tikkun olam, and most importantly, to “choose life” each and every day.

This is the character of the Jew. The Jewish people are a “light unto the nations,” our Torah is “light” and in our prayers we ask that an or chadash, a “new light” shine upon Zion.

Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, an orthodox rabbi, Talmudist and 20th century Jewish philosopher, elaborated on the differences between faith and fate.  Referring to a covenant of fate he wrote:  “A group can be bound in the covenant of fate when they suffer together, when they face a common enemy. They have shared tears, shared fears, shared responsibility. They huddle together for comfort and mutual protection. That is a covenant of fate.

A covenant of faith is quite different. That is made by a people who share dreams, aspirations, ideals. They don’t need a common enemy, because they have a common hope. They come together to create something new. They are defined not by what happens to them but by what they commit themselves to do. That is a covenant of faith”.   (Quoted by Rabbi Sacks during his lecture at the Lambeth Conference, 2008)

Our people have been aboard an agonising roller coaster this past year and I fear that we are not yet nearing the ride’s terminus.  Before it stops there will be many more tears shed on all sides.  But it will stop, this dreadful war.  The hate will return underground I should think, Israel will survive, the dead will be buried and mourned, and their loved ones will somehow, resume their lives, their grief forever walking beside them.

Soon, God willing soon, we will enter a better time in which we will smile and laugh and enjoy a show, a sporting match and not feel guilty about it. We will go off to work, to school and not wonder whether it is OK to display the Magen David around our necks or the kipah on our heads.  We will open the paper or turn on the computer in the morning without a feeling of dread.  And our shuls will require fewer guards, and no one will feel afraid to bring their children.

This better time will not be the olam ha’ba, “the world to come” envisioned by the Rambam, by Nachmanides, by men like Chaim Luzzato or by the Chasidim; a place without eating, drinking, sleep, death or sadness – where there is no evil but only good (MJL, The World to Come).  But assuredly this better time will be one when we can again be free of terror, free from threat, free from hatred, free as we have been before, to write on this “birthday of the world” a new and better chapter in our book of life, a happier, more peaceful story for us, our people, the State of Israel and for all humanity.

Ken y’hi ratzon – so may it be.  Amen

Rabbi Gary Robuck is the Director of Education for the ACTJC in Canberra and Rabbi of the ACT Progressive Congregation.