Jewish Educators to the Rescue!

For decades, our synagogue has given several gifts to young men and women in our congregation celebrating their B'nai Mitzvah, including a siddur, our prayer book, and a Tanach. Tanach is an acronym for the Hebrew Bible, containing the works of the Torah, the Nevi'im (The Prophets), and K'tuvim (The Writings).

When we give our young people the siddur, we tell them that if it ever wears out, we will give them a new one. During my 26 years here, more than a few have taken us up on this offer!    

When I give them the Tanach however, I always say to them that of all the gifts that they will receive for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah, this is the one that I hope they will use most often and will mean the most to them. After all, the Tanach is the foundational work of Judaism, containing our history and origins, the importance of monotheism, and the 613 mitzvot that are the basis for all Jewish law and observance.

Now fast forward to earlier this week. Jared Polis, the Jewish governor of Colorado, was about to be sworn in for his second term of office, and he could not find his Tanach, his Hebrew Bible. According to accounts, this discovery was only made 30 minutes before the actual ceremony.

What's a Jewish governor to do in that situation?

It seems that a lawyer invited to the swearing in ceremony was the son of Rabbi Steven Foster, the Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Emanuel, the large Reform synagogue in Denver. (Fun fact: I met Rabbi Foster in 1984. Truly a mensch, and an outstanding Rabbi!) Rabbi Foster’s son immediately reached out to the current associate Rabbi of Temple Emanuel, who coincidentally was having lunch with the Temple's Cantor at a local Jewish deli.

You can't make this up!

The swearing in ceremony was not close to Temple Emanuel. But the Rabbi knew that just 2 blocks away from the capital, the annual national conference of Prizmah, a network of Jewish day schools and Yeshivas throughout the country, was taking place. Quickly, it was determined that one of the vendors at the conference, Mesorah Publications, had a Tanach, gave it to the head of the Denver Jewish Day School, who then ran over to the capitol building, cleared the Tanach with security, and gave it to a member of the Governor's staff literally seconds before the swearing in ceremony.

In an age where cooperation between Jewish groups and denominations is often hard to come by, this story takes on an added importance.  So allow me add some context to demonstrate why I loved this story. The Jewish governor reached out to a friend who had contacts with the local Reform Rabbi and congregation. That Rabbi put that friend in touch with a network of Jewish educators representing Conservative and Orthodox institutions throughout the country, who in turn put him in touch with the representative of Mesorah Publications, the publishers of the ArtScroll Siddur and other important works with a decidedly Orthodox perspective in order to save the day for the Governor, whose swearing in ceremony was presided over by a Colorado Rabbi well known for her left of center religious and political perspective.

Whenever we read the Torah in the synagogue, we always conclude the Torah service with the words

Eitz Chayyim hee, L’Machazikim bah

It is a tree of life to those who grasp it, and those who support it are fortunate.

Its ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace (Proverbs 3:17-18)

This well-known prayer recited as we return the Torah to the ark reminds us that the Torah has the capability to not only bring peace but at the same time uplift all those who who turn to it for inspiration, guidance and truth.

Look at what those Jewish educators accomplished together, casting aside denominational differences to help to find a Tanach for Gov. Jared Polis.  Imagine what our entire Jewish community might accomplish if we followed their example, working together despite our differences and divisions to address the real challenges facing America Jewry.