Rabbi says sacred, ordinary are linked

The lecture gave the audience plenty to ponder on how God works in their lives.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- Rabbi Lawrence Kushner offered many glimmers of insight to his audience during a lecture at Congregation Rodef Sholom, 1119 Elm St.
It will be up the audience to ponder the ideas he offered on the wide-ranging topic, "Invisible Lines of Connection: When the Sacred Makes a Surprise Appearance in the Ordinary."
Rabbi Kushner is the scholar-in-residence for the Dr. Sidney M. Berkowitz Memorial Lecture Weekend, "Invisible Lines of Connection: Judaism, Mysticism and Kabbalah," which continues today.
Rabbi Kushner told the audience Friday night that when someone says to him "I don't believe in God" he responds with this question -- "What makes you think it matters to God?"
"We might think everything is up to the heavens except whether you are reverent. You choose to be reverent or not," he said.
Rabbi Kushner said you can imagine God as a big circle and human beings as little circles below. The rabbi noted, "It's a vertical metaphor; God isn't a marionette master." In another model, he said, "God is a big circle and we're little circles within."
What he said
"Spiritual moments are our realization ... the glimmer of God," he said. "Something in us makes us realize that. There is a divine presence in our lives ... we allow God to fiddle with our lives. We get a sense of something, but you don't tell anyone," Rabbi Kushner said.
He compared our lives to puzzles. "Most people don't get a full puzzle. I think on average seven pieces are missing," he speculated. But the missing pieces in our lives may end up connecting us to someone else. "It's how our lives become intertwined," he said.
He mentioned an incident that happened to him at the movies. The movie he wanted to see was sold out, so he ended up at "A River Runs Through It," about a family of fly fisherman. "I happened to see it by coincidence," he said, and noted he had been thinking of his father and their fishing excursions. He hadn't intended to see that movie, but it was the perfect choice. It brought back memories.
"There's a suggestion of something going on in the universe ... that moves us along or pushes us back ... it's part of something bigger," the rabbi said.
"Coincidences are God's way of reminding us," he said. "It's a sense of connection with something else ... but what we've been doing fits into that connection."
All these glimmers lead us to answers or maybe more questions about ourselves, our lives, other people and the universe.
Rabbi Kushner punctuated his talk with family stories, some humorous meanderings, biblical references and remarks that hit home with the Jewish members of the audience.
On tap today
The program continues at 9 a.m. today with a Torah study with Rabbi Kushner followed by "Praying Life the Ancient Masters: A Hands-On Neo-Kabbalistic Prayer Workshop" at 10. A Havdalah service is planned at 6:30 p.m. followed by a community dinner at 7. "Kabbalah and the Jewish Mystical Imagination" is scheduled for 8.
Kabbalah is Judaism mystical tradition and is Judaism's way of comprehending and experiencing the unity that lies beneath apparent contradiction and confusion of everyday reality.
Rabbi Kushner is the Emanu-El Scholar at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco. He is the author of "Filling Words with Light: Hasidic and Mystical Reflections on Jewish Prayer," "Honey from the Rock: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism," and "The Book of Letters: A Mystical Hebrew Alphabet," to name a few.
Rabbi Kushner's participation as scholar-in-residence is made possible by Congregation Rodef Sholom's Dr. Sidney M. Berkowitz Memorial Lecture Series. Dr. Berkowitz was rabbi of Congregation Rodef Sholom from 1946-83.
All events are free, but lunch and dinner reservations had to be in advance.
Rabbi Franklin Muller of Congregation Rodef Sholom introduced Rabbi Kushner, noting his mentor would start "spiritual sparks in our souls."
linonis@vindy.com