Commencement Address
Stephan T. Badin High School
June 1, 2007
First, I would like to offer my congratulations to all students of the Badin High School class of 2007, as well as to your parents and families. If I may quote from the Psalm 118: verse 23, using a very vernacular translation is:
This is a day the Eternal has made, let's party!
Second, I would like to note how remarkable it is that it is unremarkable for a Catholic High School to invite a Rabbi to give the commencement address and that a Rabbi gives commencement address at a Catholic High school instead of leading Sabbath services. It has been only 41 years since Nostra Aetate, The Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, by Pope John Paul VI was issued. This document caused Jews and Catholics to reexamine our 2,000 year old relationship.
Graduation and commencement are the two names for the ceremony in which we now participate. The words "graduation" and "commencement" are used interchangeably but in fact have different meanings. Graduation refers to the process of completion. Commencement refers to what begins after the ceremony. The word graduation refers to the past, commencement refers to the future.
In the Old Testament, called Tanakh in Hebrew, the greatest of all commencements was the one in which no human was present. It is the very first word of the Tanakh , the old Testament B'raysheet that Jews use when we refer to the creation of the world.
So what does the first chapter of genesis, of B'raysheet teach us about beginnings, our beginnings?
The generally accepted translation, of the first line of B'raysheet is, ...in the Beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth. There was nothing, and from this nothing God created our world. The medieval philosophers called this Creation Ex Nihilo in Latin, "creation from nothing." If Creation Ex Nihilo serves as our personal model, it means each of us is born who we are, not just physically but spiritually, emotionally and intellectually. Who we are is encoded into our DNA like a blueprint. Whether we are clumsy, intellectual, energetic, lazy, emotional, rational or distant is determined at the moment we are created. If this how we understand our beginning, our B'raysheet then our task in life is to position ourselves to take advantage of our strengths and find ways to support our weaknesses. We pray to God to be merciful and allow us to change.
One of the greatest of all Jewish medieval commentators, Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak, understood the first verse of the Tanakh differently. The Tanakh is written without vowels and punctuation. More times than you think there are two possible ways to understand a single word in the Tanakh . One word can change the meaning of an entire sentence. When a translation of the Bible is written, a choice must be made, only one version of each word may be used, even though it may not be entirely clear which word is correct. Following an ancient tradition, Rabbi Yitzchak translates the first verse of the Tanakh , ….WHEN God created the heaven and the Earth…. Rabbi Yitzchak taught that the words, ...the earth was void and without form, was not a second sentence, but a description of what existed. According to Rabbi Yitzhak, the first sentence of the Tanakh is WHEN God created the heaven and the earth, the earth was void and without form.
|
This is a radically different reading. God took stuff that already exist and turned it into the world. This is not Creation Ex Nihilo , something from nothing. We assume the stuff that God used to create the world was also made by G-d. How it got there is unimportant. If this is the model of our creation, our B'raysheet who and what we are is not predetermined at all. Our inherited makeup is the raw material that we use to shape who and what we are. Now it is true that we have limitation imposed on us by our DNA, I, for example, could never have become a jockey. However, these predetermined characteristics should be far less important. We must be created with enough raw materials to form a human that reflects Gods divinity in the world. So how do we deal with our predetermined limits?
In the story of the exodus, God sends ten plagues to force Pharaoh to release the Israelites from Egypt. After each of the first five plagues, Pharaoh hardens his heart and refuses to let Israel go free. (Ex 9:12) After the sixth plague of boils, God hardens Pharaohs heart, that is, God made Pharaoh refuse to let the people go. How could God punish Egypt when it was God that made Pharaoh refuse to let Israel go? The ancient Rabbis point out Pharaoh chose five times to reject God. God helped Pharaoh continue to follow that path that Pharaoh had chosen for himself. In other words, God assists us in following the choices that we make. This teaching is most profound. Our freedom of choice is not unlimited. whichever path we choose, God helps us.
We may have a tendency to anger quickly, but we can choose to not become angry. However, every time we choose to become angry, choosing anger becomes easier the next time and even easier the next. Soon, we no longer have a choice. Every choice we make become a part of us. Now our religions teach that just as God helps us follow the paths we choose, God can help us alter on which path on which we travel through the processof repentence. It is difficult to change after we followed a particular path for years. It is far easier when we choose the correct path in the first place.
So today, every senior has a chance for a new B'raysheet a new beginning. If you believe that who you are is determined at birth, it is now time to find the place in the world into which you best fit. If you lack discipline then you must seek out a structured environment. If you are creative, find a place where you can be imaginative. If you wish to learn, seek out place to study. If you wish to have a relationship with God, set the time to do so. You now know yourselves well enough to seek out your place.
If you believe that you yourself shape who you will become, now is the time to begin that process. You yourself must acknowledge who you are and what about yourself need change. While it may be pleasant to go out into the world and sample what it has to offer, remember that each choice you make sets your life down a particular path. Once you choose a path, it is very difficult to change.
In either case, we can only succeed if we are humble enough to admit that without God's help and guidance, we can accomplish nothing. If you walk away from Badin High School with only that, then you will be much more likely to succeed in life.
I would like to conclude with the ancient priestly blessing from the book of Numbers,
May God bless you and keep you
May God's countenance shine on you and be gracious.
May God's countenance be ever with you, from this day forth, and may God grant you peace. Amen.
|
|
