Words or Things

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Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Welcome, I'm Rabbi David Lyon fromCongregation Beth Israel in Houston. When we
open the Book of Deuteronomy in theTorah, it is the last of the
five books of Torah. In Hebrew, the book is called devarim, which
means words, and the first coupleof words of the Book of Deuteronomy are

(00:22):
elah hadvarim, that is, theseare the words. What follows are the
words that Moses spoke to the Israelitepeople as they made themselves ready to enter
the Promised Land. Imagine the wordsand instructions that Moses wanted the Israelites to
know and do before the end ofhis days. Moses knew that he wouldn't

(00:45):
enter the land, and he wouldsoon learn that his days were coming to
an end. Moses words would affectthe legacy of the Jewish people, the
Israelite people to this very day.Our own words will not likely be as
indelible, but it doesn't mean thatthey can't leave a meaningful impression to So

(01:06):
the question remains for us, andby way of a lesson that Moses provided,
what speeches instructions would we wish toleave our families, our friends,
our coworkers, How would we likethem to remember us through our deeds.
Our legacy doesn't begin with the daywe were born. It begins with what

(01:30):
we inherited from previous generations, howtheir words, wisdom and faithfulness shaped our
life, and what we will leaveothers to finish when we are gone.
But what of the past? Veryoften we speak of our life experiences,
some of them positives, some ofthe negative. Sometimes we have to overcome

(01:51):
so much that was a burden inour childhood, So what of that past?
In Deuteronomy, Moses implores the peopleto value justice. He says,
hear out your fellow Israelites, anddecide justly between anyone and a fellow Israelite
or a stranger. You shall notbe partial in judgment, hear out,

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low and high alike. Fear noone, for judgment is God's. So
to begin, we take a cuefrom moses instructions, and as we evaluate
our own place in the world todayand consider the past and also how we
want to create the future in thelegacy of our own life, Moses instructs

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us fairness amongst us is an obligation. He says, hear out low and
high alike, it's a direct referenceto fairness that is due the poor and
the rich, and to cases thatinvolves small and large matters too. And
though we rely on our own justicesystem and also on settlements between parties that

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ever reach a court of law,our tradition leaves ultimate judgment to God,
even so as we consider the past, and we want to be fair in
our judgment long before it might everreach a court of law, or even
to come before God in the endof days, so to speak, what

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obligation do we do? You andI have to be fair, to be
jugitious in our words and our assessmentof matters, of issues of people and
their words too. If we reallyare the grown up in the room,
if we really are the non anxiouspresence, then perhaps we have to be,

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in a sort of way in therole of judge tomb. Don't we
do it all the time with ourchildren and grandchildren. If we are employers
or supervisors, don't we act asa judge in many ways? If we
can be ju dishes, if wecan be fair to all, to be
sure that we honor the obligation offairness between people, and we may be

(04:09):
in effect without even knowing it,building our legacy, for our family,
for our co workers, and toearn their respect and esteem too, and
perhaps because we might not have beentreated in the way that we would like
to treat people today. We canbuild our legacy by understanding the past,

(04:30):
what it was, what it couldn'tbe, perhaps to let it go or
even to forgive it, but makinga commitment to ourselves to be sure that
the present and the future are differentwhat of the present. Taking a cue
from the role of a mentor,as Moses was for his successor Joshua,

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the best teachers lead not just bywords, they also lead by deeds.
We know it, and in Hebrewthat word that describes the Book of Deuteronomy
divarine, it means words and things. Now some have noted that speaking mindfully
and truthfully can create communities of trustthat lead to many positive outcomes, but

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speaking disrespectfully and dishonestly can transform wordsinto things which become tools for insurrection and
dislocation of community and heritage. Tobe a mentor is also to prepare the
future and for one's successor in thefamily, in business, and in one's

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faithfulness, and so in the present, in the moment, sometimes in a
heated moment. We have to bethe non anxious presence in the room.
We have to be able to turndown the temperature, so to speak,
and to find that our words canbe effective when we use them in a
proper way, to affect positive change, to hear people's concerns, and to

(06:00):
adjudicate the issue properly, to besure that without the court of law before
us, we can bring people toa sense of fairness and judgment so that
everybody can go home peacefully at theend of the day. But if our
words cannot be words, then evenas the Hebrew words suggest, divarim can
become things. They land heavy,they sit like concrete. They don't move

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effect or initiate any positive change.They don't land in us emotionally or even
intellectually. They just hurt. Andso the way we choose our words,
either in the moment or even aftersome time for consideration, which is proper
in some in some cases, we'llfind that our divarim, to use the

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Hebrew word, can always remain wordsat their best and not things at their
worst. So we've considered how totransform the past into something better, and
also how to stand in the presenceand be sure that we can affect the
changes that we want to see ina meaningful way. But what of the

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future. Torah ended with a promise, not an inheritance. That is,
Torah ended with a memory of Moses. In the last few verses of Torah,
we read that Moses was the greatestprophet who ever lived. Never again
did there a prophet live like Mosesin the Israelite community to lead us into

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the Promised Land. There the biblicalpromise would be fulfilled in our people would
be sustained. That was the hope, That was the promise, That was
the legacy that the people of Israelwould bring with them, even though Moses
would not accompany them into the PromisedLand. And so when our life's legacy

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is told, it should include apromise to sustain our faith, our good
judgment, our experiences and memories.It might be reflected in a home,
a building, a school, alegacy, a foundation, you name it.
But in the ways that we rememberthose who are closest to us,

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it isn't what they left us toput in the bank. It's often the
words, the messages, the lessons, the way they acted and comported themselves.
And sometimes if they were fortunate,they did leave buildings with their names
on it. We need those kindsof gifts too, But in the end
of our days, it isn't reallya bundle or an inheritance at all that

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should be remembered about us, butrather, how do we affect a generation
that would learn from us how tospeak, how to use words, how
to pass judgment, To be surethat we were constantly building the family we
love at home, the neighborhood inthe city that we've come to contribute to
and to benefit from, but alsothose with whom we've worked. How would

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we like them to remember us?Without the words that Moses spoke to his
people, the land that flowed withmilk and honey, which would be God's
inheritance to them, would have beenthe end, but not the means.
Instead, many centuries later, tothis very day, modern Israel has transformed

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a land of potential into a landof plenty. The question that lingers is
what will we, who are stillin our prime, due to honor our
past or to improve upon it,to build in the present, and to
leave for the future to complete.The answers reflect all of our sense of

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faith and commitment, perhaps to theobligation that we have to God in whose
image we are created. But ifit isn't to God, God's self,
and perhaps simply to each other ashuman beings who strive to live to a
very high standard of moral responsibility,the questions have been posed correctly. Now

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what will we do to build theindelible answer that we would like people to
remember about us. I'm Rabbi DavidLyon from Congregation both Israel and Houston to
listen again. To share this messagewith others, find it at Sunny ninety
nine dot com or at my podcastcalled Heart to Heart with Rabbi David Lyon.

(10:35):
You can also find it at theiHeart media app. As these summer
days and fall season come, wehave to prepare to appreciate the seasons of
our own life. There is apast that continues to grow. It isn't
only our childhood memories. It's alsothe wary places we've been and the deeds

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we've already done. Some have beenmagnificent, and we're proud of what we've
accomplished, but sometimes there is regrettedremorse. Judaism, like other faces,
provide a means of repentance to overcomeand be forgiven for the things that we
couldn't help but are committed to doingdifferently in the future. It helps us

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to stand firm on our own twofeet and to face the present with people
who are dear to us, tobe sure that they understand that while we
are not perfect people, we arepeople who recognize the difference between right and
wrong, and the legacy we wishto build with others begins at home with
the people we call our loved ones, our dearest family, and closest friends,

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but beyond it, because we arepeople of the community and people of
the world. Where we go,what we say, what we do is
a part of the root of thatHebrew word divarim that means words and things.
And if we wish at most andmore often to use our words to

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be heard and appreciated, to beleaned on and counted on, then we
need to be sure that we takethe time that is necessary to find the
words to express ourselves thoughtfully and meaningfulyin the best of times and the worst
of times. And I would daresay that currently in our world we're faced

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with challenges to dig deeper and tofind the words that express ourselves in a
meaningful way, so to others canunderstand as even if they don't agree with
us, everyone is entitled to hisor her opinion. But if we wish
to be heard, we also needto find the words to express ourselves meaningfully.

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If we don't, it's a choice, sometimes a consequence, But those
words become things, and things canbecome all sorts of things. We don't
want to give people ammunition if weuse words are hurtful because the thing that
we use instead of words will beused against us. We don't want to

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give them ammunition by offending them orinviting them to offend us. We don't
want to give them things that canharm us physically. Either to make suggestions
or accusations that are unfair or justcan also be reasons why people will come
back at us, if not now, then later. Our reputation is something

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that some teenagers misunderstand. They thinka reputation is always negative. Of course
it isn't. A reputation can bevery positive. Consequences can be very positive
too. But which ones we desire, which ones we will earn, is
completely up to us, and youknow it. So we have to decide

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now. As our weak unfolds tounderstand for ourselves as leaders, as mentors
in the places where we live andwork, how will other people learn from
us the difference between words and things, how to be fair and just,
Long before we might ever come beforea court of law, to be sure

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that the place where we live inwork is a place of fairness, a
piece of justice, a place ofpeace. It really does begin by regarding
those who came before us. Evena Moses was a mentor to his own
people, who led them, butnot into the Promised Land personally, but
with all the words and all thelessons and all that they needed to inherit

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not by way of abundance, butby way of lessons for the future of
their people. And Rabbi David Lyon, thank you for joining me this time.
I look forward to being with youagain next week, as I wish
you good words, good lessons,and good health.