Last April, Janice and I represented Dayspring UMC at a lovely gala sponsored by Temple Emanuel, the synagogue located around the corner from Dayspring, near Rural and Guadalupe. Dayspring was honored with their George Korobkin Community Service Award “presented to individuals, groups or organizations that have had an impact on the togetherness of the Valley and its people.”
Renewing our relationship with Temple Emanuel has been delightful and gratifying. Dayspring was a big support during the synagogue’s early years. Rev. Bert Lewis and Rabbi David Pinkwasser brought the two faith communities together to develop mutual understanding and to support a number of neighborhood initiatives.
I first met their present rabbi, Dean Shapiro, at a meeting of the Tempe Interfaith Fellowship shortly after being appointed here. We partnered on the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at Dayspring in November of 2014 and have collaborated on a number of projects since. Last year, Temple Emanuel held their High Holy Days’ services at Dayspring – we have double their seating capacity – and will be doing so again this fall. In fact, we have all been invited to attend their closing Yom Kippur service at Dayspring on Sept 19 at 5:45pm.
Yom Kippur is the tenth and final day the annual period known in Judaism as the High Holy Days that starts with Rosh Hashanah. According to Jewish tradition, on Rosh Hashanah, God inscribes each person’s fate for the coming year into the Book of Life and waits until Yom Kippur to “seal” the verdict. During the intervening days, the person seeks to improve their behavior and be reconciled to others and to God. At the end of Yom Kippur, one hopes that they have been forgiven by God.
There is a Hebrew expression, tikkun olam, which literally means “to mend the world” or “to perfect the world.” We play a role in mending the world when we recognize where we have fallen short in our relationships and our commitments and then take steps to remedy our shortcomings. Other intentional steps involve building community and working for peace and justice. To that end, Rabbi Dean and I are in the process of planning shared activities for our congregations. An interfaith build day with Habitat for Humanity, a panel on “Earth Stewardship from a Faith Perspective,” and “Community Conversations” over a meal or refreshments are all in the works. I hope you’ll take advantage of some of these opportunities to foster community and grow in our understanding of each other’s faith traditions. Jesus himself, after all, was Jewish!
Shalom,
Pastor Jeff