The Best Inheritance

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Thank you for joining me. I'm Rabbi David Lyon from
Congregation Beth Israel in Houston. At this time of the
year in August, we generally open the Book of Deuteronomy
to begin the last of the five books of Moses.
In this fifth book, after Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers,

(00:23):
Deuteronomy is the book that begins with the Hebrew words
ailah hadivarim. These are the words, and what follows are
the words that Moses spoke to the Israelite people as
they made themselves ready to enter the Promised Land, just
as God promised to give them. Imagine the words and

(00:43):
instructions that Moses wanted the Israelites to know and do
before the end of his days. We learn we read,
as did Moses, that he wouldn't enter the land, and
he would soon learn too, that his days were coming
to an end. In Deuteronomy, chapter thirty one, we read

(01:06):
that God said to Moses that his days were coming
to an end. The rabbis and their own interpretations later
raised the questions, how did it affect Moses? How did
the people respond? One of the lessons that we learn
is that the Israelites, though they were concerned that Moses
would not accompany them into the promised land. That Torah

(01:28):
only says that moses days were coming to an end,
but not everything that he meant to the people, his teachings,
his inspiration, his leadership, his commitment to God and Torah
would not cease. It would carry on not only in
his successor, Joshua, but also in the people. Moses's words

(01:49):
would affect the legacy of our people to this very day.
Our own words will not likely be as an indelible
as his, but they can leave a meaningful impression to
So when we say Devarim, these are the words, we
account for them by acknowledging moses words to the people

(02:09):
as his final speeches, sometimes repeating the story of the
people's journey through the wilderness, their time at Sinai, their
commitment to God, and God's teachings found in Torah. And
these were the indelible words his final speeches, his orations
to the people. And so we learn that words can

(02:32):
mean so much. What speeches and instructions would we, in
our own time leave for our families, our friends, and
our coworkers. How would we like them to remember us
through our deeds? As well. Our legacy doesn't begin with
the day we were born. It begins with what we
inherited from previous generations, how their words, wisdom and faithfulness

(02:56):
shaped our life, and what we will leave others to
finish when we are gone. So, just as it was
for Moses and his generation, all that they became didn't
begin when they were born. It began with the generations
that preceded them, and so it's true for us too.
We perhaps were born in a certain set of circumstances,

(03:19):
but those circumstances preceded us. We simply were born into them,
and then we would choose, if we're able and have
the privilege to do so, what we will make of
them in the future. The old saying is that some
people were born on third base and they think they
hit a triple. It accounts for the sense of arrogance

(03:40):
or entitlement. But we know in America, by and large,
however we are born, doesn't mean that we have to
stay in that set of circumstances. Given education, opportunity, and
some privileges along the way, through hard work and merit,
we can make our way and change our future and

(04:02):
destiny to But what of the past in Devarim. In
the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses implores the people to value
certain things above all. Justice. He says, here out your
fellow Israelie, and decide justly between anyone and a fellow
Israelite or a stranger. You shall not be partial in judgment.

(04:24):
Here out, low and high alike, fear no one, for
judgment is God's fairness among us is an obligation not
only for those who are part of our community, but
as the text says, for the stranger among us two
thirty six times and the tour does it say, welcome
the stranger. For you, we're strangers in the land of Egypt.

(04:48):
It says, here out, low and high alike. It's a
direct reference to fairness that is due to the poor
and the rich, and to cases that involves small and
large matters too. It is okay to attend to the
large matters because everybody's watching, or it'll make the headlines.
The small matters are important too, and they really are

(05:11):
the deepest reflection of our commitment to all that is
high and holy and fair. And just just because those
issues won't make the headlines, does it mean that someone
isn't watching And namely God, because the verse that I
quoted from Deuteronomy, Chapter one, verse sixteen ends with fear

(05:32):
no one for judgment is God's. We have civil courts,
we have criminal courts, we have appellate courts, but ultimately,
at the end of our days, it is God who judges.
That we rely on our justice system and also on
settlements between parties that never reach a court of law.
Our tradition leaves ultimate judgment to God. There have been

(05:55):
a few cases when I have counsel people who are
unsatisfied with the sense of justice that they received in
a skirmish, a disagreement with another person or a company.
They've taken it to the courts, they've received the outcome
and the verdict, and still feel unsettled about the circumstances

(06:16):
or how someone could get away with such a thing.
In our world, there is a system of justice and courts,
thank goodness, and the appellate courts too, even the Supreme
Court as well. But for those who aren't able or
whose cases won't ultimately make it to the Supreme Court
if they need it, there is a sense of justice

(06:36):
that still sits with us, that goes unaddressed, and certainly unmet.
I've had to say to certain people that we have
to accept the system of justice that the courts do
provide us, and sometimes we have to learn from the
circumstances we find ourselves in, because sometimes there's a bit
of the justice system or the process of justice, or

(06:58):
the verdict that justice is escapes us. But in the end,
how a person ultimately is judged as not about what
people think or even say. It's ultimately what God will
come to pass and judge, and that can be a
sense of comfort and consolation if we can see the

(07:18):
long game. How does a person who thinks that they
won live life with a sense of guilt, a sense
of richness, sense of struggle. Sometimes we say that the
sweetest revenge is to live a good life, to take
the high road, to hold one's head high, and as

(07:38):
difficult as it might be, to live a good life
is the sweetest revenge, and it lives up to all
that our traditions and our sacred texts help us to
be in the sight of God, to know that despite
what we might feel was unjust and God's sight, we
are doing all that is right and all that is good.

(08:00):
But what of the present, Taking a cue from the
role of a mentor, as Moses was for Joshua, his successor.
The best teachers lead not just by words, but also
by deeds. In Hebrew de Varim as I have described,
it means words, but it can also mean things. Some
have noted that speaking mindfully and truthfully can create communities

(08:23):
of trust that lead to positive outcomes, but speaking disrespectfully
and dishonestly can transform words into things, and those things
become tools for insurrection and dislocation of community and heritage.
To be a mentor is also to prepare for the
future and for one's successor in the family, in business,

(08:45):
and in one's faithfulness. How we use our words may
make a big impression and a big difference on those
who we work with, those who are younger than us.
Our men tees follow us closely what we say and
what we do. But if we fail in that regard

(09:07):
to speak sincerely and honestly, to treat others with kindness, fairness,
and justice, then our words become things. And those things
are simple. They can lead to ignorance, They can lead
to indifference, and ultimately it's not what we want our
men tees, our children and others to learn from us.

(09:30):
So what of the future. Torah ended with a promise,
not an inheritance that as Torah ended with a memory
of Moses, it says, the greatest prophet who ever lived,
led us to the promised land, and there the biblical
promise would be fulfilled and our people would be sustained.

(09:50):
When our life's legacy is told in our time, it
should also include a promise to sustain us your own community,
your faith. What is inherently important to you as a family,
as a community, as a business as well. It can
be reflected in our house of worship, in our schools,

(10:10):
in all that we do it, in all the places
where we do it, and any inheritance should be assigned
for that purpose. An inheritance is a bundle, and sometimes
it does help us to feel more comfortable than at
ease in our life. But the old saying that money
can't buy happiness is still true. I've had people tell

(10:31):
me that it is true that money can buy happiness,
But I would say that the long game is I've
described it is not that money will buy happiness. Money
will make life a little more comfortable. But I've seen
plenty of people with plenty of money, who are terribly
unhappy and sometimes buy their own unhappiness deeds, words, and

(10:55):
inheritance of values, of faith, of life. Sacred meaning is
more enduring because even if you have the money, it
might even endure longer because of those underlying values and teachings.
And if there is no money to be enjoyed, a
life of meaning built on values, sacred teachings and good

(11:17):
deeds provides a sense of wholeness, of sustenance and comfort
that no money could ever buy, especially if it's misused
or ill gotten. Without the words that Moses spoke to
the people, the lamb that flowed with milk and honey
would have been the end, but not the means. Instead,

(11:41):
so many centuries later, modern Israel has transformed a land
of potential into a land of plenty, and though the
issues and crises efface the region endure today, it does
not erase the ultimate hope that Jews and Arabs, Christians
and Drews in Israel's te will hold on to, and

(12:01):
that we wish for the region as well. The question
that lingers is what will we who are still in
our prime, due to honor the past, build in the
presence and leave for the future to complete the answers
reflect our sacred view of time and world history. The
questions have been posed correctly, But now what will be

(12:22):
our indelible answers? I'm Rabbi David Lyon from Congregation Beth
Israel in Houston. To listen again or share this message
with others, please find it in my podcast called Heart
to Heart with Rabbi David Lyon at Sonny ninety nine
dot com on the iHeartRadio app. So what will be

(12:42):
our indelible answers? I hope that they will be reflected
in words, words carefully chosen, words that we've learned from
others who have gone before us, Words from literature, sacred text,
and other important speeches that have guided generations and should
continue to do the same in our own. And they

(13:03):
should be found in memories, the stories and tales of
the past, from our families, our work experiences, or even
the legends the sagas that we've come to learn tell
great stories, epic hopes that build and help our own
imaginations imagine what can be our indelible answers should be

(13:26):
reflected in our deeds, because there's no substitute for deeds.
Words can be spoken, even fine words, but they pale
in comparison to the deeds. It must be done, and
we should choose carefully what we do. And finally, indelible
answers should be found in inheritance, but not only in money.

(13:47):
That's the least of it. The best inheritance is the
contribution of wisdom, of deeds, of words and ways. Our
tradition teaches that if our our wisdom exceeds our deeds,
and our wisdom will not endure. But if our deeds
exceed our wisdom, then our wisdom will endure. What does

(14:10):
it all depend on? It depends on our deeds, what
we do, how we help, the difference we make where
we live, where we participate and engage, perhaps in the
household or at work, perhaps on social media, perhaps in
the ways we help another person and remain anonymous in

(14:31):
the same time, holding the door open, expressing a compliment,
offering some help. Our deeds make an impression, and the
ripple effect can be amazing. So as we read the
Book of Deuteronomy, the final words and speeches, let's think
about the indelible impression we wish to make. May it

(14:52):
be for good and always for blessing. Thank you for
joining me today. I look forward to being with you
again next time.