There is a wonderful celebration in the Jewish community at the end of Sukkoth, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles \u2013 which recalls the people of Israel wandering in the wilderness for forty years.\u00a0 The celebration is known as Simcat Torah<\/em>, which means \u201cRejoicing in the Torah.\u201d\u00a0 In this celebration, the final verses of Deuteronomy are read and then, with great flourish the Rabbi or the reader rewinds the scroll to the very beginning and reads the first verses of Genesis.\u00a0 The Jewish community will read the entire Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures) over the course of a year; so, this is a continuous cycle of readings \u2013 much like our various lectionary cycles that continuously recycle from year to year enabling us to hear the whole of the sacred story told us in the scriptures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In today\u2019s reading from the Hebrew scriptures, we find Nehemiah, the Persian appointed governor, and Ezra, his scribe, standing before the people.\u00a0 Ezra begins to read the Torah \u2013 the book of the Law, to the people.\u00a0 It takes all day and at the end the people begin to weep.\u00a0 Nehemiah instructs them not to weep, but rather:\u00a0 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the\u00a0Lord\u00a0your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our\u00a0Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the\u00a0Lord\u00a0is your strength.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words \u2013 rejoice and give thanks \u2013 celebrate the gift of the Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The back story for this event is that the Persian emperor had released the Jewish people from their seventy years of captivity in Babylon.\u00a0 The captives, as well as those who remained in Israel, lived through a period of abject spiritual poverty after Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians and the destruction of King Solomon\u2019s Temple in approximately 597 BCE.\u00a0 The Temple was gone, along with every vestige of their religious life and worship evaporated.\u00a0 Fast forward seventy or so years \u2013 the Persians overthrow the Babylonians and the Persian emperor gives permission for the exiles to return home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nehemiah is appointed as governor (meaning he\u2019s responsible for collecting the taxes due the emperor).\u00a0 Nehemiah and Ezra return to a still shattered Jerusalem.\u00a0 This is where the story goes beyond today\u2019s consideration (I invite you to take some time to read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah).\u00a0 What was happening here is that the people \u2013 those taken into exile and those who remained had forgotten their story, they had forgotten who<\/u><\/em><\/strong> they were, and, more importantly, whose<\/u><\/em><\/strong> they were.\u00a0 So, Ezra and Nehemiah tell the people their story.\u00a0 The people needed to hear their story so they could, once again, become the people of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This, my brothers, and sisters, is why we recycle the lectionary every three years (two years in the Daily Office cycle).\u00a0 By the way, the Forward Day by Day<\/em> devotional guide is a wonderful way to follow the daily office lectionary.\u00a0 There are other resources to help with this as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nehemiah\u2019s people had forgotten their story; consequently, they had lost their identity as the people of God \u2013 the Chosen people.\u00a0 The people in Nazareth were on the verge of losing their story, their identity.\u00a0 The Roman occupation, and Herod\u2019s disregard of Jewish law had an eroding effect on the people.\u00a0 When Jesus chooses the passage from Isaiah 61: 1 \u2013 2, which heralds Israel\u2019s return from captivity, Jesus is saying to the folks in his hometown, \u201cremember your story.\u201d\u00a0 Remember who you are and, more importantly whose you are.\u00a0 When Jesus says to the gathered congregation, \u201cToday this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,\u201d he is telling them that their story is alive and well and the promise of God\u2019s love and favor is still theirs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our Judeo-Christian faith is full of stories. These stories remind us of the depth and breadth of God\u2019s love for us, and for the whole world. We have stories because it makes it easier for us to remember the great truths of the Gospel. Writer Elie Weisel was once asked by God created humanity, he replied, \u201cGod made man because God loves stories.\u201d One of my favorite stories is about a rabbi named, Baal Shem Tov (which means \u2013 Master of the Good Name<\/em>) who lived in the Ukraine during the early to mid-seventeenth century and is credited as the founder of the Hassidic movement in Judaism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Baal Shem Tov story \u2013 see below]<\/p>\n\n\n\n The moral of this story is that when someone comes to us and tells us our story, we know that we are loved and forgiven.\u00a0 Therefore, we are able in the words of our first reading:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today this scripture is fulfilled in our hearing! Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Baal Shem Tov story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The version I told this morning (23 January 2022) was edited and shortened from the version here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The founder of\u00a0Chassidism, Rabbi\u00a0Israel Baal Shem Tov\u00a0(called the\u00a0Baal Shem Tov, or \u201cthe\u00a0Besht\u201d for short), was well-versed in the secrets of the\u00a0Torah\u00a0and of creation. But he also knew the greatest secret of all: what each man\u2019s purpose is in this world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those who believed this completely and followed his directives were called his chassidim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To each of his chassidim the Besht revealed his task in life, and one, who is the hero of our story, he instructed to become a wandering storyteller. He should travel from town to town and from village to village and tell people stories about the Baal\u00a0Shem\u00a0Tov. \u201cYou will know when your mission is achieved,\u201d the Besht added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shortly thereafter the Besht passed on to his eternal rest. For the next ten years the\u00a0chassid\u00a0diligently and joyously carried out his assignment, wandering from town to town telling the \u201cBaal Shem Tov stories\u201d he had witnessed or heard about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One day, someone told him that there was a rich Jew in Vitebsk who actually paid money for such stories: ten rubles (at that time a huge amount) for every new one, and five for those he had already heard, plus traveling expenses. It was a two-day journey, but to our hero it seemed like minutes. He knew many stories and he really needed the money!<\/p>\n\n\n\n When he arrived at the rich man\u2019s plush home, it was already late Thursday evening, and he was so tired from the road that he wanted only to sleep. But there would always be tomorrow.But he woke late on Friday, and by the time he finished praying, it was already time to get ready for\u00a0Shabbat. But there would be Shabbat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, that evening at the Shabbat dinner, try as he could, he just couldn\u2019t remember any stories, not even one. He thought that after a good night\u2019s rest his mind would be sharper, but it wasn\u2019t. And the next day it was the same thing: he would begin a story, and suddenly his mind would go completely blank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He thought that perhaps he was going mad. No matter what he did, he had no results. He even remained for another two days, but it was obvious that something very strange was going on: he, who knew hundreds of stories about his great teacher, having witnessed many of them himself, and having told and retold them countless times over the years, could not remember anything! He had forgotten everything; he had no other choice than to shamefacedly give up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The wealthy man was very disappointed, but nevertheless, against all hope, he accompanied the\u00a0chassid<\/a>\u00a0to his wagon; perhaps at the last moment some story would pop into his mind\u2014but it didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The host slipped a few silver coins in the pocket of his visitor so he wouldn\u2019t feel completely broken, and helped him onto the waiting carriage. Then, as he put his foot on the first step, he remembered . . .\u00a0\u201cA story!!! I remember a story!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0he shouted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOnce the Baal Shem took ten chassidim (I was one of them) and told us to get in his carriage shortly before Shabbat. We didn\u2019t ask any questions, being used to such journeys. We entered and sat down and, as usual, we immediately felt as though the carriage was flying in the air. Moments later, we landed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe got out and found that we were in a place we had never seen before. It was a large town square that was completely deserted. Even the stores were all closed, and off to one side stood a stage or pulpit, that looked recently built, surrounded by several large crosses and flaming torches, as though there was about to be some sort of large outdoor church ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Besht told us to follow him as he quickly left the square, walked quickly through some winding streets, and in just minutes went through the gates of what was obviously the Jewish ghetto. He stopped before one of the houses and began pounding on the door, until a small peephole opened up and someone frantically whispered from inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Are you mad?! What are you doing out there?!\u2019 Several bolts and locks clicked and slid until the door opened and the owner frantically motioned for all of us to enter, slamming it shut behind us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Tonight is one of their terrible holidays! The worst of the worst!!\u2019 he said, short of breath, as he was reclosing the bolts and locks as fast as possible. \u2018You\u2019re lucky I let you in! In another few minutes the entire town square is going to be filled with bloodthirsty Jew-haters from all around, and the devil himself, Bishop Thaddeus,\u00a0yemach shemo<\/em>\u00a0(may his name be blotted out), will give his annual Easter speech. It\u2019s full of venom against us. Come, follow me \u2014 we will make place for you in our underground shelter. Come! We mustn\u2019t waste an instant! Before they start going wild.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut the Besht turned to one of his pupils and calmly said, \u2018Go back to the square, and when the bishop begins to speak, go up to the stage, pull on his robe, and tell him that I wish to speak to him urgently.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe owner of the house was shocked! He watched in wide-eyed astonishment as the chassid actually began to reopen the bolts, open the door and slip outside. He didn\u2019t know if he should lock them again or not; he\u2019d never seen anything like it in his life! It was like seeing someone walk into a burning furnace!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe chassid, once outside, made his way back through the winding streets \u2019till he reached the square. It was already filled with thousands of people, and more were silently arriving from all sides. A strange, cold silence hung in the air, and it was beginning to get dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe bishop strode to the front of the stage, as if from nowhere, and stood imposingly before the crowd in his bright crimson robes and high pointed red hat. The torchlight danced weirdly in his eyes and made the huge golden cross hanging around his neck gleam diabolically. To make matters worse, the fires and huge crosses surrounding the stage reminded the chassid of the stories he had heard of the Inquisition. But he pushed all these thoughts from his mind, waited for the bishop to begin, closed his eyes for a moment, whispered Shema Yisrael<\/em>, and with his head down, began gently pushing his way to the podium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n