Month: July 2012

Setting Reasonable Expectactions in Communal Projects

August 1 is the Siyum HaShas and I coordinated the purchasing process for my Shul and another local Shul. In total, close to 400 tickets were purchased through these efforts.

Here are some lessons learned:

These types of projects are usually more work than anticipated.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do them, just that you should be aware of a potential time underestimation. (A good friend warned me about this at the start of the project).

I think most people do appreciate these efforts on their behalf, but only a few will actually express their appreciation.
That’s ok, your motivation to do these projects should be to help the community. If you’re looking for expressed appreciation, you’ll probably be disappointed.

Some people will give you a hard time.
If possible, try to deal with the complaint with a smile. With some, it might be necessary to be a little more assertive and remind them that your doing this as a favor for them.

Working with people from another Shul adds complications.
With your own Shul, you’ve probably built relationships and an emotional bank account over time, so there’s little friction in most cases. With another Shul, there’s usually less understanding and appreciation, and there might more issues if problems arise.

You will make mistakes.
If you make reasonable efforts to correct mistakes, the person affected will often appreciate that. Even if they don’t, you’ve done all you can.

Bigger communal organizations have a wide cast of people.
Most of the people you will deal with in larger communal organizations will be very cordial and helpful. Show your appreciation and minimize your focus on people who aren’t as cordial.

Correcting Misconceptions About Shul Centrality

I was reading a post by Harry Maryles protesting shuls that go against Jewish halachic norms. I join Harry in that protest, but I would like to look at one of his points.

Harry wrote:

Perhaps this is where the problem really lies. As important as a Shul is – it is not the central focus of Judaism. But in Heterodox (Conservative and Reform) movements this has certainly been the case. …

The truth is that Orthodox Judaism is a full time religion. Halacha mandates that we pay attention to God throughout our day and provides many rituals for both men and women to do so. The Shul is a place where one of those rituals take place. It is our house of prayer. But it does not define us in our totality.

Although Shuls may not be the central focus of Judaism, they are a big part of it. When the Mishna says the world stands on Torah, Avodah and Acts of Kindness, I haven’t seen any major commentators that make distinctions of what’s most central, they’re all important. But just because we can’t assert that it’s the central focus, does not diminish it’s importance.

Prayer is a key component of Judaism and prayer takes place primarily in Shuls. And we’ve pointed out before, in many places, the Shul is often the organizing structure for learning Torah and Acts of Kindness. So minimizing the importance of Shuls by saying “it is not the central focus of Judaism” is misleading.

Perhaps the confusion comes from Harry’s second point quoted above, that “Orthodox Judaism is a full time religion. Halacha mandates that we pay attention to God throughout our day”. I agree wholeheartedly with that statement, but it is most true for a spiritually experienced person who knows about Jewish law and pays attention to the spiritual opportunities available throughout the day. Even many Torah observant people get distracted often and neglect those spiritual opportunities. And certainly those uneducated in Torah observance can not avail themselves of those spiritual opportunities.

This is why the Shabbos Minyan is so central. It is a time and a place where everybody can focus on connecting to G-d. Unfortunately even among the Torah observant, we don’t always take advantage of that obvious spiritual opportunity.

For some spiritual beginners, learning Torah is a better place to start, but for many, the Shul experience is the portal to an increasing spiritual life. I will end with a caveat that perhaps moves me closer to Harry’s position. The Shul experience is just one part. A lasting and growing spiritual life necessitates that the person work on their everyday acts of kindness, learning Torah and the spiritual experiences as expressed in the halacha that are available throughout the day.

In summary, Shul’s are central to spiritual growth but a spiritually mature person observes the halacha throughout the day. For many people the Shul is a logical entry point for spiritual awareness, but it’s important to stress that it can’t stop there.

Spiritually Oriented Shuls Need Rules

My friend, Neil Harris, a resident of Chicago, emailed me an article on Mishkan Chicago, a new organization that “aims to bring dynamic spirituality to the Windy City”. The organization is run by Lizzi Heydemann.

In describing what she is trying to create, one particular sentence stood out:
“What she doesn’t want to do is turn Mishkan into a synagogue, with its inevitable rules and decorum.”

To create a vibrant growing organization, you need to go beyond an inspiring leader and create a governing structure. Governing structures need rules to insure fair governance.

A successful organization needs their finances to be “squeaky clean”. Squeaky clean finances need rules. Rules on how to raise money and rules on how to spend money.

When an organization is spiritual focused, then rules can actually promote growth. The Mishkan itself had more rules on how it operated then any institution in history of mankind, yet it was the greatest center of spiritual connection ever witnessed.

Spiritual growth can occur beyond the confines of the prayer service. The Torah gives us the opportunity to grow in a board meeting, in a membership meeting, when making a budget. Rules express a concern for fairness and a caring for the collective membership. By shunning them instead of embracing them, an organization is leaving a lot of spiritual growth on the table.

I hope the citizens of Chicago continue their quest for authentic spiritual growth and look for those opportunities wherever they turn.