When
Deanna and I got married, her father suggested that we speak to his financial
advisor about starting an investment portfolio. We showed up with our modest savings and he recommended two
mutual funds. I followed their
progress and noted, after a few years, that they weren’t doing so well.
I
asked the advisor about them and he said, “Well, historically they’ve done
well.”
And
I said some version of, “I’m a very respectful student of history, but how does that help us
now?”
And
he said then, what he would say to us over and over again, you need to look at
the long haul.
At
the time, I thought to myself, the phrase “you need to look at the long haul”
must be his way of saying, “I messed up, but I can’t actually say that.”
But
truly, over 25 years later, I’ve come to realize that he’s right. Investments don’t necessarily pay off
immediately, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest. Careful, mindful investments generally
do pay off in the end.
This
morning, I want us to think about our investments – financial and spiritual –
and the benefit they bring over the long haul. Specifically, I want to talk about the importance of
investing in the approach to Judaism that our synagogue represents.
For
several months, we’ve been urging the congregation to vote for Mercaz, the
organization that supports Masorti, or Conservative, Judaism in Israel. The investment in a type of Judaism in
Israel that is traditional yet open and fully egalitarian is crucial. But we don’t always feel the importance
of that investment, frankly, and we should.
Here’s
a situation that will explain way we need to invest in Masorti Judaism:
For
over two decades, the Masorti movement in Israel has sponsored a program to
prepare children with special needs for bar and bat mitzvah. Participants have
included children with cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, ADHD, autism, blindness,
hearing impairments and learning disabilities.
Each
year, the Masorti movement partners with over 40 special education schools to
bring appropriate bar/bat mitzvah training to over 300 children with special
needs. Whatever the physical,
cognitive or emotional challenges, each child receives an aliya to the Torah.
This
is the only program of its kind in Israel and it has drawn families from across
the religious spectrum, including many Orthodox families.
Let’s
fast forward from the genesis of this program to recent events, April
2015. The Masorti synagogue in
Rehovot, a suburb of Tel Aviv, was planning a Shabbat morning b’nei mitzvah
celebration in a Masorti synagogue for four children with autism.
