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From the Bimah
May 2008

What is our mission as Jews? Think about it. We are arguably the oldest group in existence. That by itself may be seen as an accomplishment, but if you stand for little, if you have no sense of purpose/mission, it's nothing more than a chronologic description. So what is our Jewish mission?

I would argue it is to transform the world under God's benevolent and moral watch. In other words, our mission is to bring a divinely inspired universal ethic to our globe; one that transcends race, ethnicity, social status and culture. It is not, nor has it ever been, to make the world Jewish.

Ask yourself why has Judaism been so obsessed with law, Talmudic law? The reason is its biblical and rabbinic founders understood belief can't be legislated. On the other hand, they knew behavior can; mandated ethical behavior.

The prophet Isaiah's vision of us Jews becoming a light unto the nations comes to mind. A more critical read of Isaiah, however, suggests a seemingly unachievable vision; unachievable by humans alone that is. To him being a light unto the nations is continual and ongoing. Isaiah's Jewish mission is not to be viewed as a destination.

Such an idea is liberating given the fact that we Jews haven't achieved our mission. More importantly, if Isaiah is correct, we can never achieve our mission (it's continual and ongoing). But that doesn't mean we should stop and give up; that we should assimilate and let go of that which makes us Jewish. To the prophets of Israel , the human condition will always require refinement and improvement. In other words, as long as there are human beings, the Jewish mission to the world is viable and necessary. But in order for that mission to continue we must turn our energy and resourcesÑback to the Jewish communityÑin greater amounts. While we Jews are very generous, we are not giving to fellow Jews and to Jewish organizations to the extent that we can and should.

The late Supreme Court Justice, Louis Brandeis made the point to his fellow Jews that in order to become better Americans begin by becoming better Jews. In the same way, if you identify with our religious mission to the world, begin [continue] by becoming better Jews.

Make the Jewish community your priority. Ask yourself, what percentage of your Tzedakkah allocation -- be it in dollars or in participation and identity -- goes to Jewish causes, and to which ones? Is it 60/40, 70/30, 85/15? When you write a check in support of a Jewish organization, or individual, do you view it as a privilege, a holy obligation; do you feel as if an angel of God is guiding your hand? Or do you see it as a burden?

Our Jewish mission to the world is as relevant today as it was during the time of Abraham and Sarah. Tie into it; bring to it your talent and vitality, your passion. The Jewish community is in need of it; God knows the world is also in need of it -- continually and without end.

Rabbi Michael Gotlieb