And you shall teach them diligently to your children
Words written so long ago, at the foot of a mountain
we all stood beneath.
Skip ahead a few thousand years and we’re still
taking those words seriously. For example
here we are in this room.
If you’re a child. (Check you’re ID’s if you’re unsure)
Then your parents followed those instructions
and sent you here to learn these words.
If you’re an adult (Did you, drive here with smaller
people in the car? Then you’re probably an adult)
Then look how well you followed these ancient instructions.
From September to May, (Skipping the summer months,
of course, when Judaism takes a season off.)
here you are, receiving these words.
Practicing these words so you can stand up in front of
anyone who’s ever loved you and speak them out loud.
Singing these words because once a Rabbi
wandered into the forest saying “sing a little tune”
and now we rock and roll our oldest prayers and rewrite
the musicals of our day to accommodate our spiritual needs.
Teaching these words, because you, Teachers
needed so much to tell everyone what they’ve been telling you.
It is your fire that keeps us learning.
Take these words home with you.
Take them with your attitude of gratitude.
Don’t be afraid to say them on Friday nights
Even if no one here is reminding you.
They are the legacy given to you by your parents
and their parents, and their parents, and so on
all the way back to the mountain.
Teach them diligently to the parents yet to come.
And don’t worry if you forget some of them.
We’ll be here in the fall to do this all again.