Posted on March 28, 2025 by Rabbi David Katz
How do you get yourself to do the right thing? That’s the question. And a hint is another question: What do dieting, exercise and moral action have in common? The answer? All three have at their center the main/body relationship. When we are on a diet and look at that sugar-filled cupcake, our body longs for its sweetness but our mind tells us, “No! Go for the fresh fruit cup instead.” And when, our body is exhausted after jogging 2 miles, our mind says to our body, “You can do it! Steel yourself. Work through the pain!” And finally, when our face flushes in anger on account of an insensitive remark directed our way, our mind tells our body: “Control yourself. Don’t hurl back the insult. It will only make matters worse.”
The Temple may not be a gym or a health food store but it shares a common goal with both — to get our minds to control our bodies. At Temple we study Torah to find direction on how to act. We pray in order proclaim essential values, reflect upon those values and, fortified by the community, commit ourselves to acting righteously. As a holy community our aim is to become a host of angels performing mitzvot to make the world a better place.
So here’s a personal question: What value or values do you personally prize that will get your body to do the right thing, what idea do you find compelling enough to get you up from your chair and out the front door to fight for a noble cause, what deep reason was yours for joining the Temple in the first place that will motivate you today to repair the world? Now apply that value, idea, or reason to making your presence felt tonight and especially on Sunday, when Rabbi Kinneret Shiryon speaks to us about her fight to promote liberal values in Israel. She is an historic figure, the first woman Rabbi to lead a community in the modern state She is inspiring and will lead us all to good action. On Sunday morning she will give her keynote address. Also joining us by Zoom from Israel will be Yair Lootsteen, who is Chairperson of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism. He will tell us why the the World Zionist Organization election is so vital to the future of the State of Israel.
Mind to body: Come to the Temple tonight and on Sunday morning.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Katz
