Shalom! Welcome to the Temple Blog!

Hi everybody! Happy New Year! And welcome to our new Temple Emanuel blog. I hope that you will join in the conversation and share your thoughts and opinions - I am looking forward to the lively conversation!


Last week, in my sermon on Rosh Hashanah, I mentioned that I was on an ever-continuing journey to better understand what I believe about God. I shared the answers to a number of questions that I ask (again and again!) about God:

• What words describe God?
• What does God do?
• Does God's presence make a difference in my life (or put another way - How do I become a better person when I let God into my life)?
• and finally - What is it that God wants us to do?

It is this last question that brought about the creation of this blog. Here is an execerpt from my sermon (For the full text of the sermon, check out the Temple webpage http://www.templeemanuelpgh.org/ or email me at jlocketz@templeemanuelpgh.org and I will send you a copy):

Our tradition is full of divine expectations – the words of our sages remind us of God’s Mitzvot, God’s commandments, and our obligation to observe them. There are rituals to do, rules to follow, and blessings to recite – all of which enhance our Jewishness. But there is more for us to do when we remember that we are created B’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. The Midrash tells us:

When God created the world, everything was intentionally left a bit incomplete. Bread does not grow directly out of the earth – instead God made wheat grow so that people could harvest it and bake it into bread. God’s plan was simple – in this way, humans could become God’s partners in the task of completing the work of creation.

It was all part of God’s plan - we are to be God’s Partners in completing the work of Creation. For as we know, our world is far from complete – there is much left to do. And God needs us – we who have inherited this partnership - to help.

In his book, God’s To-Do-List: 103 Ways to be an Angel and Do God’s Work on Earth (Jewish Lights, 2007), Dr. Ron Wolfson tells us just what our partnership with God might entail. He suggests that God has a To-Do List for each one of us – a list that outlines what tasks God wants each of us to do... Dr. Wolfson offers one possible version of God’s To-Do List, but each of us has to come up with our own list. Each of us has to make our own agreement with God; each of us has to set up the rules for our own unique partnership with God. Indeed, there are many tasks involved with completing the world; our first task is to find out exactly what the rest of our tasks are.

So...here we are! Over the next 10 weeks, we will explore our God's To-Do Lists. With suggestions from Dr. Wolfson, Rabbi Mahler and me...and of course - YOU! Using Dr. Wolfson's book as a guide, we will tackle one category at a time beginning with: CREATE.

Week I: God is the Creator. You can be a creator too.

God's To-Do List Suggestions (Dr. Wolfson's from God’s To-Do-List: 103 Ways to be an Angel and Do God’s Work on Earth (Jewish Lights, 2007, p 27)):

1. Use your God-given gift of creativity-paint, draw,sculpt, photograph, compose, dance, write, cook, bake

2. Collect evidence from your "creations"-your children, your achievements, your experiences, your journeys-by creating memory scrapbooks to document them, and take pleasure in your creations.

3. Create a CD of your favorite songs, a website or a blog.

4. Learn a new skill to use for your creative endeavors like knitting or calligraphy.

God's To-Do List Suggestions (Rabbi Locketz)

1. Paint a square for Temple's 'Tent of Hope' Campaign - bring your creative messages of hope for the people of Darfur next Sunday, October 12th at 10:30 am.

2. Help decorate Temple's outdoor Sukkah next Sunday, October 12th at 10:30 am as part of Sukkot Family Day. Creative people are needed to make this the most beautiful (and decorative!) Sukkah ever!

3. Create a new ritual or routine for yourself or for your family.

4. Create space and/or time in your busy week to do something that you have always wanted to do...try a new coffee shop, exercise, study, read a Jewish book, subscribe to the Union of Reform Judaism's 'Reform Voices of Torah (http://urj.org/torah/) the possibilities are endless!

God's To-Do List Suggestions (Yours...)

What is on YOUR list this week?

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