We Are All Responsible for Each Other

Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh
Every member of the Jewish community is responsible, one for the other.
Bab. Talmud. Shavuot 39a

Five Ways to Help Build the Temple Sholom Community - Besides Giving Money

One of the things that I have kept hearing in the aftermath of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene is how good people felt to be a part of a community that reached out to them in time of need.  Whether that community was your local municipality or Temple Sholom, none of that happens by magic.  Reaching out at that moment is very important, but what makes that possible is the strength of the community already in existence when a crises happens.  To that end, I would like to ask you, as a member of this community, to consider these five actions to help strengthen Temple Sholom.

1) Ask someone their name - At services, in the parking lot, at a fundraiser, you now have permission to go up to someone and say, “I know that I see you all the time, but I don’t know that we were ever introduced.  My name is...”  
2) Use that information and recognize Temple people outside of the Temple.  One of my favorite stories is told by a member whose husband, whom she thought wasn’t so involved with the Temple, pointed at someone in a crowd in New York City and said, “Hey, aren’t they a member of our Temple?”
3) Introduce your Temple family to the other people you know.  Don’t be afraid to say, “They are a member of my congregation.”  Who knows?  Your friend could take that opportunity to ask more about this wonderful community that you’ve chosen to be a part of.
4) Make time for the Temple - After reading the Temple Topics, go back to the calendar page and put the upcoming events into your personal calendar.  If your calendar is electronic, go to the Temple website, click on the events and add them to your calendar that way.  (And, Shabbat is an event, too, even if it happens every week.)
5) Make time for the other members of the Temple.  If someone is sitting shivah, even if you don’t know them very well, pick up a box of cookies and drop by.  If there is a Bar Mitzvah, attend, even if you are not invited to the reception.

What does the quote above mean - that each one of us is responsible for the other?  To be responsible for another, we must first know them (by name at least).  We must acknowledge that we are connected, whenever we see them and show to others that we are in some way related.  And, finally, we must build a relationship of trust - through presence and tangible support.

Here is the twist - we do these acts - we strengthen our community, not for others, but for ourselves.  A strong community is there when we need it - either to share in celebration or to support in sorrow.  By providing such a place for others, we ensure it is there for us as well.