As we conclude the reading of the “holiness code” and the Book of Leviticus this week, we cannot help but feel the weight of the curses at the end of this reading, the results of what would happen if we do not fulfill our calling as a “nation of priests”.
Right now many of us in the Reform movement wonder about the tragedies of fate as we mourn the loss of one of our greatest lights, Rabbi Aaron Panken, Ph. D. I urge all of you to read his full obituary in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/06/obituaries/rabbi-aaron-panken.html or this longer description of him from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, where he made such a difference as President and Professor, leader and teacher: http://huc.edu/news/2018/05/05/rabbi-aaron-d-panken-phd-12th-president-hebrew-union-college-jewish-institute-religion-zl
Rabbi Panken’s accomplishments are astounding.
What stands out about him, in addition, is his personal touch, his friendship, compassion, welcome, and approachability. He was a youth advisor for Jews in the community in which I grew up, and a colleague and a teacher for me in the Reform movement. Rabbi Panken was first and foremost a mensch, a person of supreme integrity guided by love and kindness for everyone.
The “holiness code” seldom represents more than a distant ideal. In losing Rabbi Panken this week, we can hold on to his memory as evidence that it is possible to come close to that ideal in life. We have much to do in order to live up to him as we make his memory a blessing.
Wishing all of you a good week,
Jonathan