SUKKOT SHABBAT CHOL HAMOED 5785
SUKKOT SHABBAT CHOL HAMOED 5785 Lulav of the Year Award Once a year, the eyes of the whole world turn to Hollywood ... and a distinguished movie star opens an envelope and announces the name of the best actor of the year in a movie and the audience goes wild with excitement as the movie star hugs those that are sitting near him, and then, to tumultuous applause, climbs up to the stage and receives the Oscar. And once a year, the eyes of the whole world turn to Hollywood … and a famous television star tears open an envelope and reads the name of the best actress of the year in a television program and the audience goes wild as an excited actress hugs the people sitting near her and then comes up on the stage to receive an Emmy. And once a year, the eyes of the whole world turn to Congregation Shaarei Shamayim on Sukkot, and before a congregation that listens with bated breath ... I announce the “Lulav of the Year Award.” What is the “Lulav Of The Year Award?” (With thanks to Rabbi Jack Reimer for the thought.) And why does it have that name? It’s the award that I give to a person who has shown outstanding courage on behalf of the Jewish people. Why do I call it “The Lulav of the Year Award”? Because while a Shofar you can hide in your pocket, if you want to, and a tallis, you can carry in a bag, even a plain brown paper bag—and no one will know what you have inside—but a lulav you can’t hide. A lulav sticks out and stands tall. The Jerusalem Talmud tells us that in ancient times, the residents of Jerusalem would take a lulav with them wherever they went on Sukkot. It was a strong affirmation of who they were, for a lulav can’t be hidden. The Midrash teaches us that a lulav is symbolic of the spine. And therefore, it is an appropriate symbol to give to a person who has had the spine to stand up tall for the Jewish people and do what he believes is right. And now the envelope, please … and the winner is: it’s Jerry Seinfeld! After a long absence it seems that Jerry Seinfeld is back in the news. He has a new movie and he’s appeared on different shows with his comedy routine and has done several interviews and has been featured in The New York Times and other newspapers. I remembered I once spoke about Jerry Seinfeld and so I did a search in my files, and I found it in a sermon from 1998 where I asked: “Was Seinfeld Good for the Jews?” While I wasn’t a huge Seinfeld fan, my response was yes. In fact I said: Seinfeld was great for the Jews. It represented our fulfillment of the American dream. The popularity and acceptance of his show, Seinfeld, indicated most clearly the liberty, the acceptance, the freedom, that we Jews experience here in America. In this great country of ours we’ve…been accepted as Jews in ways no one ever could have imagined. Seinfeld, the noticeable Jew, was watched by a 100 million people. Bagels have become as much of the American breakfast as bacon and eggs. Bloomingdale’s most popular selling backpack is called “the schlepper.” Being Jewish and things Jewish are in! So, you tell me: was Seinfeld good for the Jews? I’d have to say in many ways, yes, great for the Jews. Where does this whole idea of Jews asking regarding, “Is it good for the Jews?” come from? In some ways it finds its roots in the mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem, as found in the Torah reading the 1st 2 days of Sukkot (Lev. 22:32): V’lo t’chal’lu et Sheym Kodshi (You shall not profane my holy Name), V’nikdashti b’toch b’nai Yisrael (you shall sanctify Me among the Children of Israel). We must not profane, and we must sanctify; why both the negative and the positive? According to our sages, by telling us both positive and negative to sanctify and not to profane the Torah was teaching us a most important lesson: Everything a Jew does, every action we as Jews take, must ultimately be considered as either being a Kiddush Hashem or a Chilul Hashem—either sanctifying Gd’s name or profaning it. Nothing we Jews do is neutral. Seinfeld popularized Jews. Did you ever wonder why with the other comedies of the time, nobody knew or cared about anyone’s religious background. Not Cheers, The Golden Girls, Different Strokes, Kate and Aly, Newhart … were they Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists? Who cared? But when it was Seinfeld, the Jew, everyone took notice. And this is true in so many different ways. There have been hundreds of people who sat on the Supreme Court—many of them great jurist—yet I couldn’t tell you their religious affiliations. However, it seems that everybody knew Brandeis and Cardoza and Frankfurter and Goldberg were Jewish. And thus, it was a Kiddush Hashem. It made all of us look good. Consider now Chief Justice Roberts and Alito and Gorsuch and Kavanaugh … anyone know their religion? Everyone knew Ruth Bader Ginsburgwas a Jew. Everyone knows Elana Kagen is a Jew. And their achievements as Jews reflected not only on them but on all of us. And ultimately, this principle works in reverse. When a Jew commits a crime, when a Jews is involved in a scandal, people not only speak badly of them but they always make mention of their Jewish heritage—the Madoffs and Weinsteins, etc. Thus, a Chilul Hashem is created, Gd’s name is profaned. So, when Jerry Seinfeld was once asked what his program was about and he replied, “Nothing,” he was wrong. If you’re a Jew, everything is about something—for better or for worse. Which brings us to today. What happened to those days of 1998 when Jews were in the mainstream and being Jewish was in? Today Israel’s sense of security has been shattered. Israel and her supporters have become the “bad guys.” American Jews are insecure. On college campuses, where we send our pride and joy, even our own have turned against us. And you know what? Seinfeld is back and he’s making all of us look good again! There was an article in the New York Times … Jerry Seinfeld can no longer be about nothing. The comedian long beloved for his political riffs has been wrestling with what it means to be Jewish amid the Israel/ Hamas War. Yes, Seinfeld has a new movie but that article in New York Times was not writing about the movie. Listen: Since the attacks on October 7th in Israel and through their bloody and volatile aftermath in Gaza, Mr. Seinfeld has emerged as a strikingly public voice against anti-Semitism and support of Jews in Israel and the United States. Recently when asked about his motivation for going to Israel in December to meet with hostage families, he answered, “I went because I’m Jewish.” Seinfeld continues to be good for the Jews, and that’s why he gets this year’s Lulav of the Year Award. It takes courage today in Hollywood and the entertainment business to stand up for Israel and for Jews. And, my friends, we must remember to do the same. We do not stand in this world as isolated individuals. Everything we do in our personal, individual lives can ultimately have enormous effect on the collective Jewish people. I’ll never forget an interview I once saw by the immortal baseball manager Casey Stengel. Am I showing my age? He was asked who was the best pitcher he had ever seen, and he instantly replied, “That Jewish Kid from Brooklyn.” You see, everyone knew that Sandy Kofax was a Jew, but I wonder if it has had been some pitcher from Iowa, would Stengle have said, “The Episcopalian from the Midwest?” None of us are Episcopalians from the Midwest. We’re Jews—Gd’s chosen people. Let’s remember the mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem by living a life that Gd would be proud of, a life of never profaning Gd’s holy Name—so that His name be sanctified among the Jewish people and the world. Amen!
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