Bet Mishpachah D'rash: Tapestry and T'shuva

<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" LINK="#000000" VLINK="#000000" ALINK="#000000"> <CENTER><TABLE><TR><TD WIDTH=20% VALIGN="TOP"> <A NAME="top"> <P> <B><a href="http://betmish.org/text/ss5764drash.html">Text-Only Version</a></B> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/index.html">Home</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/whatsnew.html">What's New</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/calendar.html#July8">Coming Events</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/drashot.html">D'rashot</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/do.html">What We Do</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/who.html">Who We Are</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/contact.html">Contact Us</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/faq.html">Frequently Asked Questions</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/archives.html">Archives</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/links.html">Links</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/member.html">Membership</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/credits.html">Credits</A></B></BIG> <P> <BIG><B><a href="http://betmish.org/addbook.html">Guest book</A></B></BIG> </FONT></TD> <TD ALIGN=CENTER VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="80%> <CENTER>    <table border="0" align="center"> <tr> <td align="center"> <a href="http://betmish.org/index.html" target="_top"><IMG border=0 src="http://betmish.org/images/banner2.gif" align=center height="104" width="512" hspace=5 alt="Bet Mishpachah banner"></a> </td> <td align="left"> <font size="-5"><a href="http://betmish.org/child/descriptions/banner.html">Banner<br>Description</a></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center"> <p><font size="-1"><i>Washington, DC's Egalitarian Synagogue</i><br> <i>Embracing a Diversity of Sexual and Gender Identities</i></font> </p> <p> <b><font face="Arial"><font size="+1">Rabbi Bob Saks<br> </font></font></b><br> <font face="Arial"><font size="-1"><i>Founded in 1975 by Members of the GLBT Community<font color="white" size="-4"> </font></i></font></font></p> </td> <td align="left"> <font size="-4" color="white"> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </center> <center><h1>Tapestry and T'shuva</h1></center> <center><b>Sarajane Garten <br><span lang="Transliterated Hebrew"><i>Erev Shabbat Shuva D'rash</i></span> 5764 <br>October 3, 2003</b></CENTER> <P>Needlepoint is a very precise craft. Twelve or fourteen or sixteen open squares of canvas per inch. The needle going up and down, in and out of each little square twice. Colors and stitches combine into patterns and designs that sometimes look better from far away than from close up. Time and patience and precision are the needle artists' friends. <P>I learned needlepoint the easy way. I had a crush on Amy who liked teaching me things. I had learned sewing from Ruth years before. Most likely I taught them how to cook. One day I took a piece of needlepoint to my framer for finishing. It was a fairly complex piece; I had worked on it for more than a year. It was a gift for my Mother's house. <P>As the framer inspected my work -I hastened to explain to her that there was an error in my stitchery, and showed her exactly where I had used a medium gold instead of one of the lighter shades, there being five or six shades of gold in the piece. Did she think I should re-do the section? Would my Mother notice? Could I get away with it? <P>She answered my question with a question - she was Jewish after all. Had I ever seen the tapestries in the Cloisters? Well of course, I replied. Did you notice any flaws in the design? I admitted I wasn't allowed close enough. Well, she proceeded to inform me, there is not a single tapestry in any museum that is flawless. Needlework has been how women pass the time for centuries. If you could get a close look at any single piece of tapestry in any museum you would find the mistake that had been made. Sarajane, there is nothing wrong with your needlepoint; it is truly museum quality! <P>Now that Elul has passed, and Rosh Hashanna, for that matter, we gather tonight for an extraordinary Shabbat; full of potential, full of opportunity. The Gate of Heaven are open, and we are asked to turn towards God in earnest repentance and joy. I have never, as some have, approached this time of year with fear, but with gladness and joy. God does not require perfection from us. We are partners in the ongoing perfection of an imperfect universe. <P>This Shabbat, falling between our Holiest of days, is no more special than any other Shabbat; it is just as special as every other Shabbat. So Ma nish ta nah? Why does it feel different? We add additional prayers, special psalms, but mostly, we are what is different. This time of year we are usually more conscious of our religious obligations, if not our desire for a spiritual awakening. This time of year, we reach out to friends and loved ones, to make amends before the gates close. The past few days, reading the obituaries in the Post with Jewish stars in the little box, I thought, weren't they re written down in the book last year? A visceral, if illogical response. <P>I know some of us find this a difficult time of year. But I see this time of year as an extraordinary gift. Simply put, it is an opportunity to consider the past year and dedicate yourself to doing better. The goal is not perfection. The goal is sincerity. For who may approach God? Those of us with pure hearts, or in more contemporary words, sincerity of purpose. <P>I keep thinking of that day in the framing shop. I was so worried about those stitches in the wrong color, that I was ready to pull the piece apart. I simply couldn't see it in its entirety. My mother's house is long since closed, and that needlepoint hangs in my house now. If you come over I could show you exactly where the wrong color is, but it's getting harder for me to see it these days. I really have to look at it for a while to see anything wrong. What I see now is the beauty of the piece, and the kindness of someone teaching me a valuable lesson. Do not fear these next few days. Do not worry that your Hebrew isn't good enough, or you haven't been able to forgive someone who has asked for forgiveness. Maybe you can forgive them next year. Just accept these next few days as the gift from God that they are. God does not require your repentance to be perfect. Like my needlepoint, with it's six shades of gold adding depth and dimension, it just has to be heartfelt. <P>Copyright Unpublished material: Sarajane Garten, October 3, 2003. </TD></TR></TABLE></CENTER> <P><HR> <p align="center"><FONT face=Arial><small><small><b>For a description of any of the graphics on this page, click on the D next to the graphic. <BR>For more information, contact our office at <a href="mailto:office@betmishpachah.org?SUBJECT=Request for Information from Web Site">office@betmishpachah.org</a><br> Send comments about this site to <a href="mailto:webweaver@betmishpachah.org?SUBJECT=Comments About Web Site">webweaver@betmishpachah.org</a>.<br> Copyright 1996 - 2008 Bet Mishpachah.</b></small></small></FONT> <CENTER><font face=Arial size="-1" color="#999999"><small><small><P><b>This page last modified on Monday, January 26, 2004 at 11:15 AM EST.</b></small></small></font> </CENTER> </body>