Remembering Senator Lieberman: A Life of Service, Faith, and Humility

Last week we lost a noble and wise Kesherite, Senator Joseph Leiberman, z”l. On Wednesday, when the news came to light and the texts of his passing began flowing in from all directions, I was just sitting down with a weekly Rambam-learning group of Kesher congregants who knew the Senator well. They began to tell stories about him, of which there are so many. Some were humorous, such as the time at the beginning of his vice presidential campaign that the media reported the profound honor the congregation had for the Senator, as the entire shul stood up when he walked in, though in actuality it was parshat Yitro and all had stood for the Ten Commandments.

Some stories told of the way in which he went the extra mile for the community to help behind the scenes with community needs. The senator’s humility and his profound honor for each person are also the subject of dozens of fond memories for our members. He so seriously saw the image of God in each person and gave each his full attention.

There are many examples of his serious commitment to Torah and halacha and his ability to both engage in public service at the highest of levels while being uncompromising with regard to his Jewish life and observance. His religious life was not only something he fulfilled out of duty, but which he celebrated and valued.

I did not know the Senator well since he had left Washington by the time I came, but of course we would see him and his wife Hadassah periodically in Shul when they were in Washington. To watch him was to see his love for everyone and his deep connections to fellow Kesherites. Who can forget him with his arm around a fellow congregant swaying back and forth during Adon Olam, or greeting so warmly the line of young professionals who wanted to meet him? I remember a few years ago, one young person in Shul asked me for the Senator’s email so he could ask him a political question or such. The next Shabbat I asked the young man if the Senator had responded, assuming he would not have, but the young man said that he did!  The senator was like Moshe, our greatest leader in his understanding that humility is the sine qua non of Jewish leadership, since through this characteristic, great leaders focus not on themselves, but upon the greater good.

Senator Lieberman is an example of the way in which Kesher Israel is more than just a Shul. It is not an exaggeration to say that Kesher is a community populated by leaders and future leaders who seriously live their observant Judaism while working hard on behalf of the American people and the world to ensure the flourishing of our democracy and the future of humanity. This synergy of faith and power, when interwoven with good character, makes for an enormous Kiddush HaShem, a sanctification of God’s name. When people look to our many congregants with respect, and sometimes awe, at the roles they play in the world and the differences they make, and see their commitment to Torah, to good character and to observant Jewish life, it prompts them to exclaim, as the Talmud (Yoma 86a) puts it, “Happy are those who taught this person Torah, woe is to those who do not study Torah, for this one who studies Torah – how pleasant is their path, and how refined are their deeds.”

May we continue as a community to expand and deepen the Torah, the values and Jewish commitments of each of our members, and to instill within Kesher’s next generation of thought leaders and public servants the importance of integrating the Torah’s character and values with the work we do in the larger world.