RABBI LAIBSON (Continued)
While he won't be pursuing spiritual counseling on a full-time basis, Rabbi Laibson is looking forward to working with individuals as well as facilitating groups designed to help people learn to grow more spiritually.
Asked what has surprised him the most as a rabbi, Rabbi Laibson points to a lesson learned as a young adult from a camp director. "He taught us that you never know when you touch a person's soul. I have had people say to me that they remember something I said years ago that, frankly, I didn't think was particularly significant, but it turned out to be very, very meaningful to them. You just don't know when that sort of thing happens."
And when asked, after 23 years as a rabbi, what still keeps him up at night, Rabbi Laibson was quite clear, "What really keeps me up at night is the apparent lack of appreciation increasing numbers of people have for that which is sacred. The very concept of the sacred is, I fear, virtually unknown existentially to most Jews. They can grasp the word intellectually, but I don’t think very many experience sacredness in their lives. "
"The one arena where this is not true is life itself– this, people appreciate as sacred. I see this most frequently while holding the hands of a family during shiva. When someone we love dies, we are reminded that life itself is sacred."
"Many people feel this at the opposite end of the life-cycle, when a child is born. At such moments, people are most likely to feel the sacredness of the moment. But too few find the sacred in more common experiences, such as helping a child with his or her homework, having one’s face frantically licked by a puppy, bringing tzedakah to religious school, or visiting someone who is recuperating from an illness. I think people recognize these experiences as kind, or nice, or even virtuous. But not as sacred."
"When we lose our sense of the sacred, we lose our motivation to look deeply into matters, we forego our awareness of the greater good. Without the sacred, everything is less important than what “I” want. Community is lost. So is faith. So are hope and optimism. Without the sacred, life becomes a bored “whatever.” Zest for life turns into just getting through the day. No wonder more and more people feel as though they are wandering through life without meaning. Without the sacred, life feels meaningless."
Fortunately, Rabbi Laibson's time spent in our community has proven to be anything but meaningless. You can find Rabbi Laibson at Congregation Shir Chadash, located at 6440 Del Amo Blvd., in Lakewood. Visit their website here.
FULL DISCLOSURE: As a member of Congregation Shir Chadash, Rabbi Laibson is my rabbi.
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LBJL March 2014 | www.lbjewishlife.com