In a film, “Crimes and Misdemeanors”, Woody Allen gets into theology, which evokes long articles in the New York Times. In the film, during a Passover Seder, a debate ensues about the meaning of life. A greatly troubled Dr. laden with guilt, since he permitted the murder of his mistress, listens to his traditionalist father read the Haggadah. A Holocaust survivor member of the family asks, “ if you had a choice between truth and God which would you choose?” The answer of the father, “I would choose to believe in God”.

So what is truth? In science there is no such thing as a fixed and final truth, but only a working hypothesis that the next moment may require a revision in the light of newly found fact. One Rabbi said, “we must search out and fashion the beautiful, surround ourselves with it, nourish ourselves upon it. The embodiment of beauty is equally our task.” Was this not the early goal of Reform Jewish worship? Introduce great music, the organ, sermon in vernacular, decorum, trained cantors and choirs. The American Synagogue has devoted time, talent, tenacity and vast resources, to beautifying our service. And our scholar and sage, Dr. Solomon Freehof admitted that all this has failed to evoke the need or mood of prayer.

We must find a way to bring genuine prayer into the hour of worship. If we fail then our beautiful words and gorgeous music will echo and re-echo in the empty sanctuary. For in truth, our yearning for meaning will always persist. Our nature seems to abhor a vacuum of the spirit. We are Reform Jews because the faith of Israel demands no abdication of our mind, and we are Reform Jews, because the faith of Israel requires every possible sacrifice of our souls, wrote one poet.

What is needed is to somehow ignite a spark within every Jewish heart, a spark that will renew our faith, that there is truly a God who cares, who listens, who is personal and who is with us. The very existence of our synagogue is to teach people that they are unique! That their lives are significant! The test of a Religious Institution is how we treasure each and every person, no matter how smart he is, no matter how much money he has. The very life meaning of the synagogue is to say your life counts. You are important to us, and to God whom we serve. It is to say, when you are not here we miss you. We really care for you.