I love those radio commercials that end “I’m Tom Bodett for Motel 6, and we’ll leave the light on for ya’.” It actually reminds me of one of our prayers that has occupied my thoughts of late: the “Prayer for our Congregation,” which we recite prior to returning the Torah to the Ark. The version with which we are probably most familiar as Reform Jews is actually an amalgam of three prayers composed between the 4th and 11th centuries. The third of these prayers, a Mi Shebeirach from medieval France, calls upon God to bless “this congregation (as a praying body) and all other holy congregations.” God will bestow special reward upon “whoever dedicates synagogues for prayer, whoever enters them to pray; whoever donates lamps for lighting, wine for Kiddush and Havdalah, food for wayfarers, charity for the poor; [and] whoever occupies himself with the needs of the community in a faithful manner.” The word “money” is not to be found; only the tangible articles are—the synagogue building, the items needed to perform the holy tasks inside it, AND most importantly, “whoever enters to pray.” Why would the Reform liturgists do away with this language? Perhaps a return to the original text would not be such a bad thing, for “this congregation and all other holy congregations” are in dire need of these basic necessities; and we are praying that “whoever occupies oneself with the needs of the community” will come to us and stay with us. “Those who donate...” are growing fewer in number as temple affiliation continues to drop lower on the priorities list. Perhaps even you, dear friend, have opted to give less or have considered leaving your congregation. We have lost sight of those concrete items mentioned in the prayer above, both figuratively AND literally. That check we write looks like a lot of money if all we see of the temple is either from the curb as we drop off our children or from our seats in the 23rd row at High Holy Day services. From the curb it is impossible to see the need for “lamps for lighting” and “wine for kiddush.” Would that all could see their temple statements as a reminder of their commitment and not as a bill, as an investment in our community, and not as another financial burden. If there are fewer and fewer who “occupy themselves with the needs of the community,” neither the “holy congregation,” nor the “synagogue to enter to pray” will be here. Our synagogues do not exist for profit. We exist to glorify God and to pass along God’s teachings. We are here to learn with you, inspire you, comfort you, and rejoice with you. Without you, we have no purpose, no raison d'être, for Judaism is a faith based on community, and that takes y-o-u. We’ll leave the light on for ya’, but we can’t do it without your help and commitment. Come on in... That special reward is waiting.
