“On Practice and Patience”

We aspire to wholeness, a lofty goal indeed. How much time does it take to reach that state of wholeness? Who knows? Perhaps after forty years of practice, perhaps after fifty or sixty? A well-known saying of Rabbi Israel Salanter: “It is worth it to study Mussar one’s whole life if it helps one to refrain from lashon hara (lit., “evil tongue,” meaning “inappropriate speech”) even once.” If this is the measure of the thing, we can understand the importance of being patient with ourselves when our aim is to attain a state of wholeness!

For this reason, our steps toward wholeness must be rather small. The words of the Chovot Halevavot  (Gate 8, Chapter 5) come to mind:

Do not belittle anything you do for His sake — even a small matter of a word or a glance. For what seems miniscule in your sight is enormous in His. The sun draws a pattern on the ground, and for that pattern to move a cubit, the sun must move miles in the heavens.

The little things — the kind word spoken, the friendly smile — are considered hugely important from the aspect of the Holy One!  And what a wondrous example is given, regarding the sun: the movement of a shadow by a centimeter represents movement in the skies of many, many kilometers! The lesson: a small change in external behavior represents the result of great shifts in the heart.

Sometimes a person takes the measure of his progress and determines that the path to wholeness is still long. This leads to sadness, or even despair. “I’m still not great!?” This person needs to delve a bit deeper. Why is he sad? Is he really broken-hearted over the fact that wholeness is elusive? Or, could it be that he is prideful, and that his sadness is really a result of his inability to show off how great he has become? And if it be the latter, perhaps his motivation is not so pure? On the contrary, patience with oneself is evidence of pure motives.

When a person hears sublime teachings about the various levels of practice, it is nearly impossible to overcome the urge to “leap to the heavens.” How important it is to resist the urge and to remain rooted, with two feet planted firmly on the ground. One must not skip ahead to forms of practice which are not suitable to one’s situation. Thus did the Sages (BT Sukkah 49b) teach: “Can anyone who wishes, simply leap (to the heavens)? No, for the verse teaches, ‘How precious (i.e., “dear,” “rare,” “hard to attain”) is your hesed, O God.’”

Maimonides wrote (Guide of the Perplexed, I:34) about the disparity in number between the people who want to attain wisdom and truly wise people. Why aren’t there more wise people, given the desirability of the goal? Because wisdom can only flourish where the ground has been prepared by more elementary studies. Without mastering the basics, one cannot attain wisdom itself. Most people want to jump straight to wisdom without bothering to study the preparatory curriculum, but this is impossible. It is the same with wholeness. If you don’t start at the beginning and progress, step by step, you’ll never arrive!

We must know this too: self-improvement is hard work. The nature of the body and the soul make them difficult to work on. Rabbenu Yonah (Gates of Repentance II:26) wrote:

“When I am for myself, what am I.”  Even when I dedicate myself to self-improvement and work at it with all of my strength, meditating on wisdom around the clock, “what I am I?” A person’s capacity is small and weak to begin with, so even one who works hard can only expect modest gains over time… The Rabbis teach (Avot deRabi Natan) the parable of the unforgiving field, where even hard work and good seed will only yield a bit of produce. Now, without the hard work and good seed, the same land would yield nothing but thorns and thistles. But, “God knows the nature of our field.” It may be compared to a king who assigns a field to some subjects and tells them to till and tend it, and to bring him a certain amount of tonnage per acre of produce. They do their best, working it well, but only produce one sixth of what’s been asked of them. The king says, “what is this?” They respond, “Our lord, you gave us an unforgiving field. We worked it well, with all our strength, and this is what it produced.

Anyone who thinks that a little bit of practice will lead to great progress simply does not understand human nature. There is no “short course” to self-improvement!

Consider the great ones who went before us.  Rabbi Menachem Mendl of Vitebsk, who was a student of the Ba’al Shem Tov said: “When I was young, I had as a goal to pray the entire service with perfect kavvanah, even one time.  Now that I am old, I have a more modest goal. I would like, just once in my life, to offer a single blessing with perfect kavvanah.” That is the mark of a great man! Know this: It is no trifling thing to accomplish even something seemingly small. When it comes to spirituality, “the field You have given us is unforgiving….”

Of course, these words refer to one who works at his practice. One who does nothing has obviously not fulfilled his obligation. But one who does work on the little things yet finds that he is not succeeding to any great degree must be patient with himself and not fall into depression. He must know himself and his inclination, and not deny the forces at work within him. He must work on himself to the extent that he is able, without despair or depression, while not expecting more of himself than is possible, giving his very best effort. It’s a fine line, the blade of a knife…but the Holy One does not seek out the worst in His creatures!

The study of Mussar opens our eyes to small defects of character and small transgressions, which would pass notice without that study. The practice of Mussar which comes in the wake of the study is concerned with the repair of these defects. But there are other defects, not so small and hidden: some people struggle with controlling their anger, or with addiction, or with the lust for power or fame. These defects are not the proper subject of Mussar practice; they require great patience and great hopefulness. Indeed, these larger struggles do not enter into our Mussar practice at all. They must be overcome in other ways, because they diminish our very humanity, and one must first be a human before one can study and practice Mussar.

Our teacher was known to ask those yeshivah students who had served in the Polish army, “What was the training regimen like?” One student returned to the yeshivah after service in the calvary and told of an exercise in which the soldiers were made to cross a deep, wide canal with their horses. The commanders told them, “You have two choices: cross, or die.” From this our teacher learned a spiritual lesson. In the spiritual life, too, there are times for extraordinary courage, outside the bounds of our usual Mussar practice, focused as it is on smaller matters. These moments are tests, and for these moments there is no advice. Muster your strength, and pass the test; there is no other choice. When it comes to the big deficits in our character or behavior, there is no time for Mussar study or practice. We cannot spend long periods of time working at, but must pull ourselves together and conquer it, come what may! When it comes to the big things, we don’t have the time to give ourselves time!

All of this has been in reference to practice. But the study of Mussar can be helpful in every instance. With regard to the larger deficits, Mussar study strengthens us to deal with them, and with the small details it offers us common-sense advice on how to behave. In Kelm they said, “Der seykhel iz a shneydmesser oyf midos.” Sekhel (sense/wisdom) is the blade that slices midot (character traits). As the path  of sekhel becomes clearer, the walk becomes more practiced and familiar.

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taught by Rav Shlomo Wolbe — transcribed by Pinchas Vilman — translated by Larry Bach

A very few of us spoke in favor of the proposal from a faith perspective. These were my words:

We’ve heard a great deal of Bible quoting over the last few weeks. If we’re going to argue this out on Biblical grounds, perhaps we should look to a book of the Bible whose values are more deeply aligned with those of our society?

We might consider Deuteronomy, which calls us to come to the aid of the disadvantaged, to lift up the fallen, to care for the marginalized. We can recognize, in its call to pursue justice and fairness, values very much aligned with those of this city. As the book says: Tzedek, Tzedek, Tirdof. “Justice, justice, shalt thou pursue.”

The issue before you, I believe, is a matter of justice. Gays and lesbians are no less capable of forming loving, stable households and families than straight men and women. When they do so, they ought not be treated unjustly by their employer. This is all the more true when their employer is a public entity that has put non-discrimination policies encompassing sexual orientation on the books.

I pray that you will pursue, and achieve, justice with your vote.

That’s the one-minute version, which was all the time alloted. Had two whole minutes been mine, I would have said this:

Mr. Mayor, Council:

We’ve heard a great deal of Bible quoting over the last few weeks, much of it rooted in the Levitical ban on homosexual activity. It’s worth noting, in passing, that the very same word used to ban that activity, to’evah, is used to ban pork as well. If we’re going to argue this out on Biblical grounds, perhaps we can find a more relevant Biblical book, one whose values are more closely aligned with our society?

We might, for example, consider Deuteronomy, which calls us, again and again, to come to the aid of the disadvantaged, to lift up the fallen, to care for the marginalized. We might recognize, in its call to pursue justice and fairness, values very much aligned with those of this city. That pursuit is non-negotiable, and is repeated for emphasis: Tzedek, Tzedek, Tirdof. “Justice, justice, shalt thou pursue.”

The basic meaning of tzedek, translated as “justice,” is “equity” or “fairness.” We are called to have tzedek scales, for example, meaning scales where the weights are equal. We can’t show favoritism, and we can’t cut corners. The issue before you, I believe, is a matter of justice. Gays and lesbians are no less capable of forming loving, stable households and families than straight men and women. When they do so, they ought not be treated unfairly by their employer, measured on a different scale, as it were. This is all the more true when their employer is a public entity that has put non-discrimination policies encompassing sexual orientation on the books!

This isn’t about “lifestyles,” or “choices” or the “erosion of marriage.” It’s about fairness and equity in the workplace, about not offering a better benefits package to some of your employees than others on the basis of their sexual orientation. I pray that you will pursue, and achieve, justice with your vote.

I am proud of my City Council, which voted 7-1 to allow unmarried domestic partners the opportunity to buy into the city’s health plan under the same terms as spouses. Now, the hard work begins. A petition to the void the decision will be forthcoming, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see recall initiatives against the Reps who voted “yes” (El Pasoans love to file recall petitions!). I will do everything in my power to turn out the vote against those efforts, so that these newly-granted benefits don’t disappear. I don’t believe for a minute that a majority of El Pasoans oppose the policy, but I do know just how well-organized and motivated the folks who lost today are.

It ain’t over, folks…

Good morning, Mr. Mayor, Representatives, and thank you for the opportunity to speak.

I’ve come here out of a sense that the debate over whether or not to extend benefits to domestic partners who are not married has been miscast. Again and again, I hear that “the religious community” is opposed to this move. Mr. Mayor, Council, there is no one “religious community.” There are religious folks in El Paso whose understanding of Scripture and of Scripture’s proper place in public life leads them to vigorously oppose offering health benefits to gay and lesbian partners of city employees. You’ve heard a good deal from them over the last few weeks, and I have no doubt you’ll continue to hear from them. I celebrate the fact that we live in a country where they can speak their mind and seek to persuade you in this venue and in others.

I celebrate their right, but I happen to think they’re wrong. I also read sacred scripture faithfully, and I also have a vision of how religious belief ought to inform social policy.  I’m a member of “the religious community” no less than they, and I am proud of the steps this Council has taken to redress a wrong. I believe that offering health benefits to some employee families but not others is unjust, and I believe that gays and lesbians who have formed households together are families, no less integral than the one in which I grew up, or the one I created with my wife. This belief of mine is rooted in Scripture and prayer, just like that of the religious people whose voices have been heard up until now.

So please, Mr. Mayor, and Representatives, remember that “the religious community” is not monolithic in El Paso, and that there are thousands of El Pasoans who attend worship regularly, support houses of worship, and believe that you’ve done the right thing in allowing domestic  partners to take part in the city’s health insurance plan.

The issue: allowing unmarried domestic partners of City employees to purchase health insurance. It was made policy at a budget hearing several days ago, and upon hearing about it, El Paso’s social conservatives got organized. They showed up at City Hall on Tuesday morning, and a few pastors spoke against the decision during the open comments section of the meeting, prompting City Representative Beto O’Rourke to spend some time with them outside of chambers. Newspaper Tree has done a fine job of covering the story, with a narrative piece, transcripts of the pastors, and a transcript of Lisa Turner’s response.

I’ll probably say more about this at our Shabbat Morning Service on August 22 (Parashat Shofetim). For now, I want to be on record (speaking only for myself, but certainly from within the mainstream of Reform Jewish teaching over the last few decades). Yasher Koach, City Council (well, six of you, anyway)! And shame on those who would use the Bible as a bludgeon!

Truly, what’s to be bothered about? A religious denomination exercising its First Amendment right to express itself freely? I’m not bothered about millions of CDs containing biblical literature and contemporary testimony making their way into Texas homes; I’m thrilled! It means our secular democracy works.

Am I concerned that people are “preying on the souls” of my congregants? Absolutely not. If a person’s grounding in their own faith is so insufficiently rooted that a CD in the mail can lead them to abandon it, then my concerns are serious, but they lay elsewhere. But practically speaking, the “success rate” of this sort of effort in winning my folks’ souls is quite low.

I Facebooked the article a couple of days ago, and one commenter pointed out that the money spent on producing and mailing all those discs would be better spent feeding hungry people. I agree, and also maintain that such an effort would also be better evangelism. If Texas Baptists want to win this Jew’s soul, they’d be better off spending their resources “sharing the Gospel” in a more profound and subtle way: by living their lives in a way that leads me to say “I’ll have what they’re having.”

Jews tend to avoid active proselytizing, and certainly the sort of mass-mail efforts being undertaken by the Southern Baptists. At most, Jews are comfortable opening the door and inviting others in if they so choose. But we are deeply “evangelistic,” if we can see that term through the lens of our call, “you shall be holy, for I, YHVH your God, am holy.” Kiddush Hashem (“making God’s Name holy”) means, at the most basic level, living your life in a way that will bring others to recognize God’s holiness too. When a person becomes interested in Judaism not because of what you tell them, but because of what they see in you, you are a “Jewish evangelist” of the first order.

And the opposite is true as well. The flip side of Kiddush Hashem is Chillul Hashem (“desecrating God’s Name”), and the term can be understood as “acting in a way that makes people question the truth of Judaism’s teachings.” When (to name but two recent examples) a Jew bilks thousands of people out of hundreds of millions of dollars, or a group of nominal “Jewish leaders” use the cover of charitable institutions to launder money for tax cheats and criminals, it’s logical to ask: “How can Judaism claim to be a beneficial path when it produces people like this?”

The bottom line: may all people, of all faiths, be true to the very best their faith traditions have to offer, and may their “proselytizing” consist of nothing more (and nothing less!) than living holy lives. What a world that would be..with less unsolicited direct mail, too!

Nice interview, and I do look forward to reading the book (out on August 11).

Centro Mujeres de la Esperanza promotes Fair Trade movement
By Ramón Rentería / El Paso Times
Posted: 07/04/2009 11:10:17 PM MDT

EL PASO — Visitors often wonder why Centro Mujeres de la Esperanza sells coffee.

The multicultural and spiritual community of women in El Paso, Juárez and Southern New Mexico distributes imported coffee, tea and chocolate to the Catholic Diocese of El Paso, restaurants and organizations in El Paso as part of a growing international movement.

“One of our goals is to transform structures that oppress women,” said Sister Maureen Jerkowski, the center’s former executive director. “And this is a way to do it.”

Jerkowski recently resigned her post to begin graduate studies in social work this fall in her native New York.

Centro Mujeres started selling Fair Trade Certified products, such as Café Campesino, four to five years ago as a way to help keep people from feeling a need to cross illegally into the U.S.

“It’s a justice and faith issue, the way I can put my faith into action and not just talk about it,” Jerkowski said. “It means the farmer who grew and cultivated this coffee gets a fair price for it. You cut out the middle person, and the money goes back to him.”

The Fair Trade Federation, for example, represents North American businesses committed to providing fair wages to artisans and farmers in developing countries.

Centro Mujeres de la Esperanza also helps women in El Paso, Juárez and Southern New Mexico with a series of programs designed to shore up their self-esteem, cope with domestic violence or simply refine basic job skills. The center offers lessons
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such as cake decorating, quilt making and flower arranging.

“There is so much oppression of women in this part of the country,” Jerkowski said. “Some of it stems from the macho customs in Mexico and some from the fact that they’re so poor. We’re trying to give them a sense of self.”

That may explain why Gloria Morales, 42, a Juárez mother of three, is so upbeat about the camaraderie, English and job skills, and encouragement that she has embraced at Centro Mujeres, 1000 Wyoming.

“For me, this center is a paradise for all women who want to progress,” Morales said. “The center brought me out of depression. We have a support group that helps us value ourselves so that we can help our families get ahead.”

Centro Mujeres de la Esperanza stands out as a nonprofit social justice organization trying to address local and international issues.

Herminia Escajeda, owner of La Tierra Café, stopped carrying the coffee distributed by Centro Mujeres, but still sells Fair Trade tea and chocolate at her Central El Paso restaurant. She supports Centro Mujeres by selling or displaying its products and pointing customers in its direction.

“The lunch crowd I have didn’t seem to care for coffee,” she said. “The other thing important to me was the group promoting Fair Trade teaches other women to support themselves.”

Sister Maureen Jerkowski suggests Fair Trade puts people before profits.

“I’m proud to say our little center here has sold $55,000 worth of Fair Trade (products) already,” she said. “To me, that’s a big thing.”

Jerkowski applauded the Catholic Diocese of El Paso for becoming the first diocese in the U.S. to declare itself a Fair Trade diocese.

Jerkowski was among an El Paso delegation that traveled to Chiapas in southern Mexico for a firsthand look at where the roasted coffee is grown.

“We visited the co-op there to see that women do have a voice and whether the money is trickling down to the campesinos and the farmers,” Jerkowski said. “We came back committed to making sure we get the story out that it does change people’s lives and keeps them in their country of origin.”

Jerkowski said a Fair Trade coalition is taking shape in El Paso, a city that coffeehouse owner Kinley Pon suggests is often slow to respond to trends.

“All my coffee is 100 percent Fair Trade and I’m moving toward having 100 percent Fair Trade tea,” said Pon, who owns Kinley’s House Coffee and Tea on North Mesa.

Pon attracted more than 500 people to an art and music festival that he sponsored in April to try to educate more people about Fair Trade. He plans a similar block party in fall.

“By educating cities like El Paso or anyone about Fair Trade, the overall effects will improve in time,” Pon said.

Ramón Rentería may be reached at rrenteria@elpasotimes.com; 546-6146.

If we believe in the meaning and value of our heritage, then we should be willing to give it away to anyone and everyone who is interested. Once people share our conviction, they, too, will understand the fiscal needs of our institutions and contribute as best they can.

Amen!

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