Rabbi's Message

November 4, 2009

I cannot vouch for the accuracy of these statistics, but even if they’re off by a lot, which I doubt, they are worth noting:
If you could fit the entire population of the world into a village consisting of 100 people, maintaining the proportions of all the people living on the Earth, that village would consist of 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 Americans (North, South and Central), and eight Africans.
There would be 58 women and 42 men, 30 Caucasians and 70 non-Caucasians, 30 Christians and 70 non Christians, 89 heterosexuals and 11 homosexuals. Six people would possess 59% of the wealth, and they would all come from the USA; 80 would live in poverty; 50 would suffer from hunger and malnutrition; one would be dying, and one would be being born, one would own a computer, and one would have a university degree.
Consider as well the following: If you woke up this morning in good health, you have more luck than one million
people who won’t live through the week.
If you have never experienced the horror of war, the solitude of prison, the pain of torture, were not close to
death due to starvation, then you are better off than 500 million people.
If you can go to your place of worship without fear that someone will assault you or kill you, you are luckier than
three billion people.
If you have a full fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and a place to sleep, you are wealthier than
75% of the world’s population.
If you currently have money in the bank, in yourmwallet and a few coins in your pocket, then you are one of eight
of the 100 people in the village.
Finally, if you can read this message, you are not among the 30% of the world’s population who cannot read.
I repeat, I cannot vouch for the accuracy of these statistics, but I doubt they are far enough off to change their
import. While there are many of you reading this whose lives are filled with all kinds of trouble and pain, in the
larger scheme, almost every one of us is blessed far beyond the average human being. No doubt, this is in large
part due to our living in the United States, where even those who are ill have access to the best medicine in the
world, where most of us need to be on a diet, where if we commit a crime we will be tried in a justice system
that truly strives for justice, where the explosion of a bomb is not an everyday occurrence, where our homes
have more space than we need and are heated and air conditioned, and where we have a change of clothes for
every day of the week and then some.
There is only one acceptable response to this reality: the willingness to share some of that blessing with those
not so blessed, whether around the corner or around the world. That is perhaps the most ancient of all Jewish
teachings. And that may be the most consistent message I have tried to convey to you over my 31 years of being
Emanu El’s rabbi. And it is the same message I heard Rabbi Kahn convey over and over during my eight years as his Assistant and Associate rabbi.
I know times are tough for many of you. But I think we all know that the further down the economic scale you go, the tougher times are. There are more hungry people than usual and more homeless people than usual. In general more people need help right now.
So I have a suggestion.
Emanu El is one of and handful of congregations in the country which has a vehicle to respond to these needs through the congregation. Our Sylvia and Aubrey Farb Community Service Fund reaches out into the poorest and most needy parts of Houston. The end of the year is approaching. If you have set aside dollars for tzedakah, please include the Farb Fund on your list. We are being inundated with opportunities to help people of all ages who are in all kinds of needs. Help Emanu El reach out into the community and make life a little better for a lot of folks in need.