Make a Life-Long Commitment

Well it’s June, and we have completed five months of 2010. I heard a story last week on a cable news program asking people if they have kept their New Year’s resolutions. Well, I’m unhappy to report that the public hasn’t let us down yet - in fact 3 out of 5 people broke their resolution a long time ago or didn’t make one. How about you? It’s nothing more than a commitment - what or who are we if we cannot commit to something?

Jewish wisdom defines marriage as “the commitment a man and woman make to become one and to pursue together common life goals.” A plan for one’s life goals is a strong foundation for a meaningful, productive, spiritual life, and it forms the bedrock for a fulfilling marriage as well. Life goals also create a context for living that enables couples to put other matters into perspective. Couples may argue over a stray toothpaste cap, the style of a new couch or whose turn it is to get up with the baby, putting the toilet seat cover up or down, which way to put the toilet paper on, or where to spend a vacation. There are conflicts over the color of a new kitchen or whether to

give priority to career or family. There are also conflicts over whether or not to have children, over the education of the children and which or how much religion to have in the home.

These and other issues like them, are anything but trivial. These are life goal issues. They are issues every individual needs to carefully consider. Life goals are those things you’d regret not having done if you died tomorrow. There is no course on life goals offered in high school or college. You won’t find a life goals channel on cable television, your boss won’t encourage you to think about them on the job, and there is no apparent connection between planned life goals and your capacity to earn a heftier salary.

Establishing life goals is a necessity. Everyone has moments when life goal questions flash in and out of their mind, though these questions rarely receive their due attention. We’re too busy living and trying to get ahead to think about where we really want to go. On occasion, usually in the setting of a late night conversation, issues of life goals do make their way into our discussions. As enlightening and inspiring as these after-hours talks may be, by the next morning they have often fallen victim to the relentless pursuit of whatever it was we were pursuing before we stopped to consider the broader context of our lives. I ask you, the members of Sinai Reform Temple, to add temple to your 5 goals in life. Your may not see the need, but it is there, spiritually, ethically and

morally. God and religious beliefs do not rest. It is a 24/7 job. When you’re out and about driving and someone cuts you off, and you react fast enough to avoid an incident, what do you say to yourself? THANK GOD. When a close friend or relative is ill you pray to God to bring them through it.

We are here to support you through all the storms that god has and will lay in our paths. Come to services, pray with others, feel the warmth of a Shabbat, renew old friendships. More than anything, make that commitment to temple. We need your support, not just financially (but that helps), but spiritually too. Teach your children the religious values that you grew up with. Yes, lives are busier now than when you were a child, but don’t let Judaism be the victim. Attend services, join us for our festivals and holiday services . Be part of the Jewish community; don’t just “be Jewish.”

Congratulations to the 2010 Confirmation class—Chelsea, Matt and Elliot. The Temple’s heating and air conditioning unit has been inoperative and unrepairable for the past two years, due the high cost of the repair work. Thanks to the late Irene Finell who loved Sinai Reform Temple and left us in her will as a beneficiary of her estate, we were able to replace the unit. The work has been completed, so the heat and air conditioning is now working at its capacity.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the high school and grade school children that are graduating in a few weeks and wish them well. And, may you all have a safe and good summer.

Shalom,

David A. Ellner