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Sermon

for

Yom

Kippur

Year

5736

(1975)

Ezekiel was, and remains, one of the most stirring of Biblical authors, and when we understand his time and problems, he is even greater. Ezekiel wrote to a generation languishing in exile; a generation that, with the lengthening years, had begun to forget Zion; and became increasingly discouraged about any return from Babylonian captivity, let alone a speedy one. Everywhere hope waned and despair replaced it.

Thus Ezekiel describes himself standing in a valley filled with Dry Bones. There, amidst these dried up hopes and desiccated visions which had proven to be mere mirages, the prophet reflects the gloom and disappointment of his fellow exiles. He asks God, "Can these bones live? Can the exiles, scattered and weakened, rediscover their purpose, God's purpose, and renew; their resolve to unite and overcome the tragedy of Exile, causing a new light of blessing and hope to shine from Zion"?

It is easy to recognize, in this terrible question, a similarity to our own feelings about the current low estate of the great hopes and values which we hold dear. The Bicentennial celebration seems to be so hollow because America is in serious trouble, politically and economically, as well as spiritually and morally. Alliances for peace have been shattered; promises of freedom have proven hollow, and revelations concerning captains of industry and leaders in politics seemingly indicate that our world is less righteous and more corrupt, until chaos threatens to sap the strength of the established order. The very few pin points of light, around which the hopeful seem to gather with pathetic eagerness, are extinguished by callous disregard for human feeling or public disclosure; until we too ever more dourly look upon ;a life, and pessimistically ask: Can these bones live. Can the hopes we've cherished, and the values we love, prevail in a world where all we see is motion, but nowhere lasting progress. The more we discover, the greater the hopelessness and despair that envelopes and paralyzes us, until many have joined the cynical in surrender. Many believe by their own actions, "Let's just live it up -- have one last fling, and not worry about what we have no control over."

l, somehow, have the feeling that many of us here, as Americans and as Jews, deep down believe that too much water has gone over the dam to bring America back to our highest hopes and aspirations. We're discouraged when, we read of scandal and misplaced trust. We lose our hope when we see how things are going from bad to worse in our world, and so we ask the same question as Ezekiel: Can these bones live? Can our hopes be realized?

Firstly, let us recognize that such a plaint is too highly colored by emotions; emotions that give a quality of self-fulfillment to a basic philosophical view of life. That view goes way back to ancient times, but is always clothed in up to date styles to make it appealing to all who would crumble under trial. The prevailing explanation of history in ancient times was that human life moved in closed circles -- cycles of time from a golden age, to silver, to iron, to ashes, only to arise phoenix-like out of the ashes, for a new burst of golden splendor. This same philosophy governs the writings of many modern historians like Hegal, Spengler and Toynbee. They select historical ages as cycles of glory and distraction in which mankind. moves inconclusively and never arrives anywhere, except to a new cycle somewhere else. Life moves round and round back to it's starting point, in wide and meaningless circles.

Lost of the illustrious ancients like Plato, and many of our modern thinkers, examine life with a desire to prove the truth of that belief. Some even say that the American period is in its twilight, and the world's spotlight is moving back to begin a golden age in China or the Middle East, as if a vast plan was working without Iran’s playing any role in it. To Hegel, Marx, and others, modern and ancient, who believes in the dialectic, man is a prison of history bound day fate, without any way of changing his destiny. Little wonder that cynicism is spawned by a union of fatalism and human insignificance.

Judaism has always fought that contention. Ezekiel recognized that while the multitude was melancholy, conditions in his time weren't all beyond hope. And his insight is vital to us now, as to the exiles then, because it gives life to the greatness of Judaism in confrontation with difficulty.

Life, as the Prophets taught, and as we confirm in these days, is not a treadmill. Life is a great adventure, replete with an exalted goal. Judaism alone of all ancient philosophies, and in the face of Toynbee and his ilk today, refused to adopt social pessimism. We, the loyal and faithful Jews, moved among men and nations with Ezekiel's great message and inspiration.

Our hope is not lost. Life is a voyage with a haven; a campaign with a victory; a path with a goal, in spite of difficulty and set-back, we, the faithful, shall progress to that goal.

We have maintained that message, and breathed it into countless generations. "Our lives are not dried up. These bones can live." The modern state of Israel is living proof that, while it may take centuries, hope can provide victory for the noblest aspirations of human life. That message needs to be heard today, as in Ezekiel's day.

The prevalent philosophy of pessimism and despair has employed every set back, and every moment of perfidy, to prove that we're moving back to the ashes and there is little hope for man. That is a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom, because it tots our resolve and befogs our vision. 'Hopelessness causes us emotional delusion, and leads us in the opposite path from an exalted Jewish faith.

How then do we overcome the down-drag of despair? By understanding some of the mistaken premises on which we base our thoughts.

I submit that hopelessness is rooted in lack of perspective. A careful examination of history proves that hopelessness is the least justifiable mood in any era. Every generation has had it's crepe hangers who proclaimed the and of human life. Every age has had those who have been discouraged because their highest hopes have not been immediately fulfilled. They find it easier to carp than to labor. The louder the better, until it appears that the optimist seems foolish. But in the sweep of history it is commonly the pessimists who appear foolish. For we do see that victories have been gained, advances have been made, but not by the pessimistic or hopeless apocalyptic who surrendered to immediate bafflement, and therefore was held Immobilized by his own doubt. Let not our pessimism beget paralysis, because victory and progress are the results of unflagging hope and confidence.

Secondly, in considering Ezekiel and his question, "Can these bones Live," remember he was addressing himself to the very people who had brought such disheartenment upon themselves by trusting in vain panaceas and rejecting their own importance in life. They resigned their responsibility for life's direction in favor of an abject dependence upon God to work miracles when the devil was at their door. To be sure, Ezekiel knew that God helps man. God inspires man. God works through man. But to pervert that belief into a supine reliance upon God to work miracles and have life meet our expectations, without our own input or effort, is sheer self-deception.

There is no magical shortcuts to social amelioration, and those who doubt whether these bones can live as they look out upon life, are those who are not fit repositories for God's spirit. For God filled Ezekiel with the conviction that these bones shall live. "I shall breathe my spirit into them." From that conviction came the inspiration which rekindled the spark in the ashes of exile. Ezekiel became the moving hero of the First return to Zion. He inspired his people to a purer faith and a greater effort. They did not wait for God. They served God.

In contrast to Ezekiel, and how he inspired his people to great tasks by kindling illumined hope, see Dr. Kissinger who promises us the panacea of peace by depriving whole nations of dignity, and silencing men of courage by accusing them of being threats to peace. Dr. Kissinger has forced individuals and nations to surrender their hopes, and place their lives in his hands. By means of flamboyant multi-national convocations, and heraldic signings of hollow documents, he cavalierly wrote an end to the hopes of the Latvians, Estonians, and Lithuanians for freedom. He put Solzynietzn into Coventry, and forced Israel to choose between security solvency by risking suicide, thus saving the West from an oil embargo.

Woe upon them who depend on some ego-maniac -- or someone. who believes himself to be God, to work miracles when the devil is at his door. Woe. upon them who refuse to fight back, or are deceived by those who promise to protect and defend them, while robbing them of their power, their pride -- their truth, in order to allow him to be a pied-piper. They cannot think if being moved by God to build and repair, and make whole the breaches in the walls of life.

"Can these bones live"? Of course, but not by miracle or by dependence on others. We live because -- we refuse panaceas for the hard won truth of earnestly gained fulfillment and dignity. Finally, to all those who are so down cast over the revelations of the past few years which laid bare that. the knights in shining armor, who sat in the highest seats of power, were in reality, practitioners of every black art and corrupt tactic take heart. Don't be so disturbed by our present moral malaise. I. also realize that America seems to be going to pieces, and perhaps this society will indeed go to pieces. But stop identifying the break up of the outward structure of society -- the machine and the establishment, with the destruction of it's spiritual values.

If you say that Spengler was right -- "Our society is decadent," I must respond perhaps "you're right too." And maybe it will go to pieces, and maybe it deserves to go to pieces. But let’s face it, our contemporary political and social structure is not releasing America's spiritual potential; it is not fulfilling the patriot's dream. Contemporary American politics is treated as a sinecure by those who would stay in power, by fair means or foul; who feathered their own nests at our expense; who have brought the freedom and openness we cherish and need, almost to it's demise. And we are pessimistic. Well hooray! I believe theta a noble beginning. For as Rabbi Kuk has said, "Even melancholy is in itself a cause for hope." For our despair is indicative of man's striving for moral and psychological equilibrium. Such despair is an indication of man's exalted awareness of ethics and sanctity."

We are suffering from cognitive dissonance because our highest values are buffeted by reality. But we still have those values. We still know what's right. That's more than I can say for the scoundrels who brought us to this sorry state. We still believe, even if that belief seems so frail as to require a miracle to keep it breathing.

Nevertheless, we should have deeper convictions about what God lovers can do to create an uplifted vigorous, righteous society. That deep conviction should flourish because of the way we see Ezekiel's times. We do not think of those days as the nadir of Jewish existence. In perspective we understand Exile as a time of heroism that led to the achievements of Ezra and Nehemia, and gave birth to the noblest of Rabbinic teachings. Those were the times when Jews were forced into the world, bat Judaism did not go to pieces. Yes, Israel fell, but Isaiah’s word did not die. Moses' voice was not stilled. Ezekiel was not forgotten. Torah is not dust. The influence of God's way of life was threatened by the corrupt system, and released to live and be reborn by the faithful who overcame their despair to fulfill spiritual hopes and ethical dreams. The exiles filled the darkness with the light of noble living. They confronted cruelty with love, and challenged every mighty empire with the strength of morality and just living. Men entered the lion's den and the fiery furnace to challenge pagan life in a time when bodies were burned for the crime of differing with the opinions of the emperor, and being enslaved Or protesting imperial abuse. Strange indeed, that while Ezekiel was wondering whether Israel could live, Jews weighed Nebuchadnezzar in the balances and found him wanting. We see from our perspective of 2500 yearn that exile turned out to be a time of uplifted courageous faith. Time has transformed febrile conviction into great achievement.

That lesson must be applied to us. We too are discouraged by our world, and the eye of history is upon us also. That which we admire is the courageous few of earlier times, which became the glory of the entire speck, is our challenge too. While most of us cry, "Our bones are dried up -- can these bones live"? We who understand history and wish to be pit of history can realize that ours can be the time when scoundrels will be exposed and found wanting. When corruption and evil will not wear imperial garb, but righteousness will be exalted by our personal example. Yes, history can say that we too took courage in the face of adversity, even' as we rejoice with Daniel, Shadrach, Mishack and Abednego who did not less in their day. Think of what our children's children will say about us. That we did not desert the faith of Israel, we overcame the darkness and gave them hope and courage for their time.

Amen.