Psalm 27: Though Enemies Surround Me, I Will Have No Fear

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Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Transcript

Transcript

Okay, so before I click Go on the music here, and this is a setting for Psalm 27 the line achaoti, we started looking at this last week. One thing do I seek to be in the presence of God, God's temple all day, to behold God's radiance. So the video itself, I think, is very soothing. So I just want to invite you to let it wash over you, you know, and not just watch it out of the side of your eye, you know, while doing other things, but actually take a moment to breathe in, breathe in the setting, and kind of imagine yourself on these shores as well. You

can you Hear it?

Adonai, me. Adonai,

Don't mind shifting.

Shifting.

My Head.

Of My

Hello, that's by Father morale. Hmm,

it's nice to start off the morning with our feet in the sand, right? So I want to oops, nope, not that. I. I want to, I want to go into this Psalm and spend a little time with the psalm itself, and use this as our kind of like our way into the morning, our moda Ani, our entree into into into davening this morning, so we may spend more time here than we usually spend in the first part of services. And that's okay, because we're in the month of Elul, and this psalm, whatever tune we might sing it to, is part of the practice of the month. I wonder if we could before going into like looking at the words of Psalm 20. Psalm 27 Eric and Ricky, both of you are here with your shofars right? Ricky, yes. Eric, yes. I wonder if both of you could unmute and basically do dueling shofars. But not dueling, you know, but like, one calls with the sound of the shofar, the other calls with the sound of the shofar, and they're in dialog. And what that dialog can mean is whatever you want, whatever call sounds like the right response to whatever the first one plays. And maybe Ricky, you can go first. How does that sound? I know it's a little crazy. Sounds good? Great, amazing. And so my invitation, yeah, I do. Thank you very good. And my invitation for everyone here is that question, what does it mean to be in God's house? And so as you hear the sound of the shofar, you know, washing over you and in through you, penetrating your body, what does it mean to be in God's house? And that the answer is, whatever comes to you. All right, Ricky, you can start us.

Eric, yes, would

you want me to just do the whole thing, or was Eric gonna respond? Oh, we didn't hear you. I could Yeah, I couldn't hear you.

We didn't hear you. Do it again.

I can hear you now. Oh, you know what. Hold

on. Let me.

Can you hear me? Now? Let's see, yes, all right. My earphone out. Okay,

no,

all right, it's all Eric did. All right, it's

all Eric Be in dialog with yourself.

Ah.

Yeah, lovely,

I made one more adjustment. I could try again.

Amazing, please. I like Eric, your skills have dramatically improved from previous years. You are, you have, you're, you're, like, up here now you're a master. All right, yes, Ricky, not that you weren't good before, but that's just, you know, I like that. Yeah, go for it, Ricky.

I don't think

it's gonna work. I'm on the phone. Original sound, okay, all right.

I found this poem this morning that that I love. Pray by Rachel rabbi, Rachel Baron Blatt. She's She writes, sometimes I manage formal conversation, a love letter and morning, oh evening and morning and afternoon, but most of the time, I rely in the chat window open between us all day. I want to tell you everything this month you are near. Walk with me in the fields. I want to take your hand and not let go.

This is like an interpretation of that psalm 27 you know, Chief Tibet, I don't. I want to sit in your house. I want to be visited by your presence. I want to take your hand and walk through the field and not let go. I love this, the idea of the chat window being open all day. You know what we're doing here, formal. But the truth is that chat window is open all day. Okay? Any, any comments, just on anything that's happened so far before we go on, on Hopper Morales, beautiful setting, and the words so far of Psalm 27 I

Miriam's just beautiful, beautiful tears in heart, yeah, okay, The David Adonai orivi, she me, me. Ira Adonai, mozhayai Mimi, a Psalm of David, the Lord is my light and my help. Whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Whom shall I dread? At any point, feel free to interrupt me. I'm going to go slow enough that if you want to unmute and like offer a comment, you're invited to when evil ones assail me to devour my flesh, it is they my foes and my enemies who stumble and fall. Should an army Besiege me, my heart would have no fear. Should war beset me, I would be confident. Wow. How is that possible? A hat. SHA AlTi, me at Aron. I one thing I ask of God. OTA of a Keith Schnabel, and this is what I seek. Shifty beveron, I call you may. Hi. Lahas benomadonai, Luba care Hello. One thing I ask of God, one thing do I seek to to dwell in the house of God all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of Adonai Yod, hey, Vav, Hey, to visit God's temple. He will shelter me under his sukkah, say, pavilion here, but it's suka in Hebrew, which is feels very different from pavilion. A suka is a fragile house made of natural materials. But Yom Ra, yes, tirani, betterelo have but sorry, Roman, many he will shelter me in his Pavillion pavilion on a bad day and grant me the protection of his tent and raise me on a High Rock. Raise me high upon a rock. Now is my head held high above my enemies round about, and I will sacrifice in his tent with shouts of joy, singing and chanting a hymn to God. Hear My Cry aloud. Shema Adonai, Koli, a cravanini, the Anani, have mercy on me. When I call answer me. I feel like maybe next time, we'll come back and do the second half, you know, but what? What's the like? What's the overwhelming, driving feeling in the first half of this psalm?

I I mean, there's, well, there's a lot of fear, but overall a tone of like, you know, hope and triumphal triumphalism, triumphalism as it were. I mean, I always, it's always notable to me that we recite this during election season. Interesting,

why?

I mean, I just often, you know, during election years, I often resonate with that when reading the you know, when evil men assail me to devour my flesh, it is they who stumble and fall. I mean, not, not to get overtly political, but often that's the sort of imagery that that that verse evokes for me. Mm,

that's

really interesting. Any other, any other interpretations of that, for people,

I think my first, I mean, my initial reaction is, this is, it's got. You know it can't be a literal meaning, because this can't be true if there's a war. You know, the people who are living in war right now around the world, in various places, aren't sheltered, aren't safe, aren't you know, their their foes are not falling away, their foes are in front of them and killing them and harming them, and, you know, destroying them. So then think about what is this? You know, it can't mean that we're just supposed to passively sit there while they while we get destroyed thinking, you know, somehow God is going to save us at the last minute,

right? Like the guy in the the guy in the flood, in the flood, right? No, no to the boat, and no to the helicopter and no to the whatever, because God will save me. And then God says at the pearly gates, what on earth was the matter with you? Why didn't you take the helicopter, the boat? He said, I was waiting for you. God, where were you? And he says, I sent you the boat. Yes, right,

yes, yeah. So, so is, you know, is this about our own maybe not the literal wars. Maybe it's just in our daily life is, is to remember that there's this piece of us that is God and and that is, is what helps sustain us during not real wars, but The, you know, the stress of everyday living. Yes.

Yeah, this. This reminds me of, I mean, as many of you know, I work with Chef a gold as a spiritual advisor, and I've had this ongoing conversation with her where, you know, she'll say to me, like, can you meet this challenge with joy? And, like, for the last, for a long, oh, a year, I was like, you've got to, huh? Like, no, no, maybe endure. You know. Like, this is a ridiculous ask, but I think that that this is kind of what she means, right? Can you, like you said Glen, can you, can you meet the stresses of everyday life if you're in, if you're in God's house, God's house is huge and expansive and soaring, and you're like a little speck of dust in a good way in that house, right? And so if you can, if you can tune into the vastness and the gloriousness of just sky, of nature, of all those things, even as you are in intense struggle, you can Bring some kind of safety and joy and confidence.

So I have another perspective on this as well, that in the at any moment, there are many of us who are surviving, and there are many of us who are not surviving, and while you're in the process of still surviving, you are being saved by God, even, even in the seemingly not miraculous moments in which you're surviving, you're surviving with the hand of God. And I just lost a friend yesterday and a week ago, when he decided to go home from from the hospital to die, she she said, it's It's okay. I know I'm okay. I know that even in this I'm being held and protected and saved by God. So yeah, even then, even

then. Thank you. First of all, elior, how how sad. And may Your friends memory be a blessing. I hope you know you'll remember them as we say Kaddish. You're reminding me down like down at the bottom of this Psalm, it says visot anibotech in this, in this, I have a sense of trust. Where can I find it here, the Zota ni Bota. And in the kind of situation you're describing, the Zoet in, in what exactly do I have a sense of of assuredness or confidence, I have to find it here. The Zota ni Bota. Um. And and, and I think it's exactly what you said. And in I as I breathe, as I live, I am being held as I breathe, as I live, in this moment, I'm here and I'm in God's house in this moment and in the next moment and in the next until I'm not but right now I am

fruity. Go ahead, yes,

I have a different experience with this psalm. As Rabbi Lizzi knows, I recently had an experience where my to me it's not about everyday life and it stresses it's about evil, the encounter with evil. It kind of connects to Eric's comment about the election, that there is something I was recently assailed by an evil woman to use this language, and it was so startling, just startling and other worldly experience that I found the Psalms very helpful, that it was not uncommon, actually, that many of the psalms are about, you know, and we should feel that now, I think with The election content, it's it's, I've never thought about evil before in my life, but now I'm trying to make Wow, manage encounters with it.

I mean, thank you. And this psalm really does set up a kind of interesting, you know, there's, there's me, and then there's the world around me that I can't control, you know, which includes people, which includes disease, which includes war, which includes, you know, the economy, which includes elections. We you know, it's sort of like here, here's little me in God's house, and then here's like, all of the rest of the stuff happening in in the like amusement park of God's house, some of which is absolutely delightful and magnificent, and some of which is terrifying and unfair. And how we choose to walk walk through this place is really, it's it's both a choice and an opportunity. And so this writer, this psalmist here, is saying, right, take a deep breath and have have faith. But like in the breathing, is your faith right in the in the surviving, as elior said. And then we come finally down here, cave el Adonai hazach, the ametsli Becher, the cave el Adonai. So they translate this here as, look to the Lord. Be strong and of good courage. Oh, look to the Lord. But I wanted to also give you Reb Zalman chapter shalomi translation to this. And I can put this in our Slack channel, our Minion Slack channel later, if you want. He has a much more colloquial translation for the whole Psalm, so you can see it here. Is there anybody who would like to read it out loud? And I yeah, oh, Eric. Eric, my goodness. Okay. Great. I love how eager you were for that. And what I also want to say is Let, let this be a healing Psalm. Let you know if there's someone you are thinking about now who would be on your Misha Barath list. Let us say this as a prayer for them. You know, really channeling this, you know, heart space and head space and spiritual presence and way of moving through the world with a sense of trust and confidence and being held in God's house. Let us channel that on their behalf. So if there's anyone you're thinking about for me, she berach, you can say, say their name, or say or place their names in the in the chat. All right, thank you, Eric,

yeah. And I just, I just really want to endorse Rabbi Solomon's Psalm translations in general, they're very, very wonderful, very wonderful and heartfelt. Alright, so, yeah, you are my light. You are my savior who need I dread. Yah, with you as my strong Protector, who can make me panic when hateful bullies gang up on me, wanting to harass me, to oppress and terrorize me. They are the ones who stumble and fall, even if a gang surrounds me, my heart is not weakened. If a battle is joined around me, my trust in you is firm. Only one thing do I ask of you? Yeah, just this alone. Do I seek? I want to be at home with you. All the days of my life, I want to delight in seeing you, seeing you when I come to visit you in your temple, you hide me in your Sukkah on a foul day, you conceal me unseen in your tent. You also raise me beyond anyone's reach. And now, as you have held my head high despite the presence of my powerful foes. I prepare to celebrate and thrill, singing and making music to you. Yah. Listen yah to the sound of my cry and being kind answer me. My heart has said, I turn to seek you. Your presence is what I beg for. Don't hide your face from me. Don't just put me down. You who have been my helper, Don't abandon me. Don't forsake me. God, my support, though my father and my mother have left me. You yah will hold me securely. Please teach me your way. Teach me your way and guide me on the straight path. Discourage those who defame me because false witnesses stood up against me, belching out violence. Don't let me become the victim of my foes. I wouldn't have survived if I hadn't hoped that I would see yet. Scroll up a little. Please see Yes. See Your goodness God fully alive on earth. So I tell you, my friends, you too, hope to yah, be sturdy and make strong your heart and most of all, keep hoping to yah,

you this translation down here toward the bottom, I wouldn't have survived if I hadn't hoped that I would yet see your goodness fully alive on this earth. This reminds me of, first of all, Martin, who I think you're here this morning. Okay, Martin, you're here. Are you able to talk? Can I ask you a question? Okay, so, yeah,

yep, yep, yes, yeah.

So at the beginning of the trainings, you do to help, to help people unlearn racism, you ask, you ask, do you think it's possible that we could end racism in our lifetimes? And everyone says, I don't know, no. And what do you say?

Yeah, we say so yes. We say, like, probably about 90% say no. And then we would generally follow up and say, You know what about your children's lifetime, or their children's lifetime? And you know, we might get three generations to get to, like, 40 or 50% of the room saying yes. And then the next question is, do you think that you can end the impacts of racism in yourself? So that's what we followed up with. And generally people are puzzled at first, but then more hands raised when you start to think about being able to end the impacts of it on yourself, as opposed to ending the thing itself.

Do and just to, just to reframe in a way that actually makes it possible to transform yourself and the world around you just a little bit. Because, of course, like you're not an atom, you are, and, you know, a part of a system. Each one of us is part of a system. Um, the power and importance of being hopeful, not being optimistic, that things will just get better, but that somehow, something I do could contribute to creating a little bit of hope, and that little bit of hope could be a seed of actual transformation in myself and beyond me. Can you hear its own May it be so I just want to invite us to say, like, just say out loud the Shema because, you know, because it's because it's minion, and because it's an obligation daily as Jews to remember the oneness all of all of all. Hang on. I'm just going to pull it up so we have it right in front of us, and then we'll go into Kadisha toe mourners, Kaddish for everyone who's remembering somebody this morning. So feel free to cover your eyes and take a deep breath with each word of the shimmy. Shima, Yisrael, Adonai, oh, you know what I'll

do. So just for the sake of having a little more music in our Minion, we'll do the chant, the chant for viahata. If you want to say all the words of via Hata, you may, of course, I'm just going to repeat that first line.

You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength, with all your being. And set these words, which I command you this day on your heart. Teach them to your children and speak of them when you are in your home, when you are on your way, when you lie down, when you rise up, bind them as a sign upon your hand. Let them be a symbol before your eyes. Write them on the doorpost of your house and On your gates you will love the

the whole

we're gonna move into Kadisha tome mourners Kaddish coming off of coming off of this love.

So I know Miriam is saying Kaddish for her mother, Teresa Owen, Susan, Saint katish for her father, Mark nurlove, Leah Ari is remembering Nancy Pryor, mother in law. Today is the anniversary of 911, many of you either personally knew or personally was one degree away from someone who died that day, and that day, in many ways, changed everything for our world. So remembering with a lot of love and a lot of heartbreak. Thank you. Gail Nathan Pollack, davidavraham. Basara, thank you. Aliyor. Anyone else for Kaddish this morning? Is there anybody who would like to lead us in Kaddish applause? Uh, anyone who's not saying Kaddish but wants to practice leading,

okay, I could try, and if I stumble, you will, you will not let me fall. All of you. Oh,

Susan, it's such a it's it's such an honor to be the space where, during the year of Kadesh, for your Father, you're gaining confidence leading saying Kaddish. So yes, of course. Okay, we're here for you.

Each cada the ytkada, she may rabbi, Deena, Deva. You they are mad, diva family. Amen,

it's Baraka. You should it Barack, hello, Schnabel. Who do I say this twice? That's on, yeah, okay, they allow me called behavusha, the shirata to Schnabel. Amen Rabbi Deena lenu, they are cool, Israel. Oh.

There. Amen, jus Shalom. Elena, they are called Israel. They are called yoshita vimru.

Amen, Susan, we. Right, yeah, Was that your first time leading Kaddish? Yeah?

Yeah. I know Miriam kelly green led the way the other day with that, but I'm like, if she can do it, I thank you. I

love that. Yes, that's a rabbi Deena Lappy when she when she leads a bait Midrash, when she teaches Talmud in a group, you know. So there'll be people of all different levels, people who just learn their Aleph Bet, people who have been studying Talmud their whole lives and everything in between. And she compares it to being like in the gym, not like, not like the workout gym, but like the gymnastics gym when you're a kid, and there are some, you know, and you're, like, five years old, and you can do a somersault, and, but then you look on the balance beam, and there are girls, you know, people who can, like, tutorials on the balance beam, and, you know, and they're doing the pommel horse, and they're on the, you know, the rings. And you think to yourself, like, I will get there one day. You don't think to yourself, like, uh, Never, not me. You're like, that's cool. One day that'll be me. And that's kind of the fun of minion, isn't it? But like, you can think to yourself, one day, I got that, and indeed you do, and you just gave other people hope that one day that'll be them too.

Thank you. Yeah, no cartwheels and a quick question that lay Allah, Layla, Layla is on Yom Kippur. You say it twice

on the High Holidays and during the 10 days, yeah, during those 10 days, Layla Ayla, like higher and higher, higher. Gotcha. Yeah. I'm going to turn off the recording. Shabbat. Shalom,

sorry. I blew up your spot with my ashiko. I

just got so excited for you. Thank

you.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai