September 8, 2010: Giving and Taking

Dear Chevre (Friends):

Mussar is a quintessentially Jewish approach to moral self-improvement. More than merely a stream of literature that constitutes a substantial portion of the corpus of Jewish knowledge, Mussar designates an entire way of life. Its domain encompasses all supererogatory behavior going beyond the letter of Jewish law, including how we relate to one another in business, in community, and in our daily lives. A central tenet of Mussar is that cheshbon ha-nefesh (moral inventory) and teshuvah (repentance) are not relegated to the High Holiday season, but are practiced daily throughout the year.

Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler, a teacher and practitioner of Mussar from England in the early twentieth century, produced a treatise on human relationships entitled Giving and Taking. “These two powers,” he wrote, “form the roots of all character-traits and all actions. And note: there is no middle way… Every person is devoted, at the deepest level of his personality, to one or the other of the two sides—either to lovingkindness and giving or to grasping and taking.” For R. Dessler, selfless giving engenders love within the giver’s heart. Although R. Dessler acknowledges that a certain amount of taking is necessary for society to function, he considers unchecked taking to be the source of most of the world’s evil. The goal of pious living is to minimize taking and maximize giving in all our affairs.

Chevre, on the cusp of the New Year, my heart is full of gratitude for the acts of giving within our community. The work of the Needs Assessment Committee is wrapping up, its report will be written and disseminated within days, but one thing is already clear: JCOGS has entered a new phase in its growth into a stable, mature institution. We are placing more diverse expectations and more formidable demands upon JCOGS then ever before. We cannot take from JCOGS unless we also give to JCOGS. I’ve heard it expressed recently that a handful of members keeps JCOGS running, but my experience in recent months tells me otherwise. The Needs Assessment process, the Cemetery development, the weekly Friday night services, the Mashgiach training, the Chesed Committee work, the Israeli Scouts Caravan, the Nearly New Sale, the Yiddish club, the book club, the “August anniversaries” service, the High Holiday services, the choir, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah training, the Religious School planning, the office management, the website administration, the Executive Committee and Board leadership, the events coordination, the beautiful improvements to our sanctuary and building—none of these activities could have taken place without the exertion of dozens of givers.

My blessing for JCOGS for 5771 is as follows: may it be a year of continued growth, prosperity—and giving.


Rabbi Brian
rabbi.brian.besser@gmail.com