I had a dream a couple nights ago
Aug. 15th, 2006 12:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xiphiasI dreamed that it was Shavuot (which is actually in the late spring, not late summer/early fall), and Cherie and Everett (my rabbi growing up and her husband), and Mom and Dad were with Lis and me at Temple B'nai Brith for services. Mom, Everett, Cherie, and Phil (the darshan for TBB) were all leading different parts of the service.
Anyway, at one point, one of them was giving a sermon about the importance in Jewish thought of community vs. individualism. See, Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mt Sinai, and how it was given to ALL the people as a group. And the sermon was about how, in Judaism, the community is the central thing, rather than the individual, as it is in American culture.
Then there was a disruption. 'Cause Sen. Lieberman was there for services, and he took this PERSONALLY. He thought that this was directly directed at him, and was saying that he was being selfish and self-centered by considering an independent run after losing his primary. Which was, in fact, a lesson that could reasonably be drawn from the sermon, but was NOT what the person giving the sermon had had in mind, since he or she (I can't remember if Phil or Cherie was giving the sermon, since, in real life, I've heard them both give lectures on this theme) had written the sermon long before the whole election thing, and, in any case, didn't particularly consider Joe any more, or less, than any other community member.
Anyway, Joe Lieberman was nearly in tears, and stormed out. My father followed him to talk to him and listen to how he was feeling, and they had a long talk. At the end of it, Lieberman had really started to examine his own motives, and was starting to think that, yeah, if he wanted to be the kind of person he wanted to be, he should support Ned Lamont. He was still unhappy and hurt, but Dad had really helped him out by listening to him.
Anyway, at one point, one of them was giving a sermon about the importance in Jewish thought of community vs. individualism. See, Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mt Sinai, and how it was given to ALL the people as a group. And the sermon was about how, in Judaism, the community is the central thing, rather than the individual, as it is in American culture.
Then there was a disruption. 'Cause Sen. Lieberman was there for services, and he took this PERSONALLY. He thought that this was directly directed at him, and was saying that he was being selfish and self-centered by considering an independent run after losing his primary. Which was, in fact, a lesson that could reasonably be drawn from the sermon, but was NOT what the person giving the sermon had had in mind, since he or she (I can't remember if Phil or Cherie was giving the sermon, since, in real life, I've heard them both give lectures on this theme) had written the sermon long before the whole election thing, and, in any case, didn't particularly consider Joe any more, or less, than any other community member.
Anyway, Joe Lieberman was nearly in tears, and stormed out. My father followed him to talk to him and listen to how he was feeling, and they had a long talk. At the end of it, Lieberman had really started to examine his own motives, and was starting to think that, yeah, if he wanted to be the kind of person he wanted to be, he should support Ned Lamont. He was still unhappy and hurt, but Dad had really helped him out by listening to him.