Focusing on the right problem

Samuel Pierpoint Langley, an astrophysicist, ran the Smithsonian Institution in the early 1900s. But his “Great Aerodrome” flying machine did not soar into history; it splashed into the Potomac.

The “aeroplane” devised by two bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio, however, did fly. Today, their “Wright Flyer” is on display–at the Smithsonian.

Langley, wrongly, focused on propulsion. The Wrights, correctly, focused on balance.

How do we discern where to focus, where to invest ourselves and our energies?

The Sapir Journal dedicated the entirety of its recent issue to a rising problem–antisemitism. The article that stood out to me was from its editor, Bret Stephens: “Three Falsehoods about Antisemitism and One Truth.”

That truth? That antisemitism is not our problem; it’s their problem, with us. He concludes: “The real question [for us], isn’t how to solve antisemitism. It’s how to thrive in the face of it.”

Still, we must stigmatize antisemitism, and continue to invest in security. But we Jews will not be the ones to solve antisemitism, if it can be solved. Antisemitism does not belong to us.

What does, is Judaism.

However, the latest Pew survey reveals that Jews care most about the Holocaust & antisemitism. Meanwhile, the percentages who identify as Jewish through synagogue affiliation, charitable giving, and rituals or practice are at all-time lows.

Sadly, what binds us is not that we love ourselves, but that others hate us.

Like Langley, we focus on the wrong problem. Worse, we ignore what really matters, which we do control: keeping Judaism alive, vibrant, and thriving, now and in the future.

When we rabbis meet with b’nei mitzvah families, inevitably the student says, “Why does it matter?” Sadly, too many parents can only respond, “It’s just what we do.”

The percentages of people who feel proud to be Jewish are higher than ever. Since we don’t talk about it, though, we don’t have language for it.

If Judaism is personal, it is not private. If we are going to suggest that Judaism is something about which we care, whose practices give us meaning, then we need to be able to say why it matters, and we need to show up for it.

Langley launched an unmanned craft, while Orville climbed aboard and steered the Wright Flyer himself. We need to be in a practical relationship with our Judaism, rather than keeping it only as a principle.

Judaism is both an inside and outside practice. We have to be in service of a purpose outside of ourselves. Being of service transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, to create more healing, justice, hope, love, and peace, in accordance with Jewish living.

When families receive their child’s b’nei mitzvah date in the fourth grade, they pick one aspect of Judaism to commit to. Then we connect the “Jewish what” with the “Jewish why”: “When I light Shabbat candles each week, I remember the sources of light in my life.” This is how we build a shared Jewish vocabulary, but also a shared Jewish experience.

My personal “Jewish why”: My heart races faster with the electric pulse of Jewish wisdom and practice. Whether I am studying the Talmud or building my sukkah, those acts link me in the chain of generations of past and yet to be. Together we can transform the world from the way it is to the way it can be.

What if we asked ourselves: what is my Jewish why–why does Judaism matter to me? A focus on Jewish thriving both strengthens the participation of Judaism in the world’s affairs, and our own sense of who we are. That is what real security is about:

If we know who we are, we cannot be shaken.

Stephens ends his article: “[The statement] ‘We are still here, better and stronger than ever’ is always a fine reply to antisemitism.”

Turns out, when we want to really thrive, focusing our energies on sustained flight also addresses propulsion.

When we make our Jewish identity include both word and deed, this gives us wings. And when our priorities are–the right place, we can truly soar.

Rabbi Wendi Geffen is the Senior Rabbi of North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe.