That Will Be the Day

On July 4^th, 1776, 56 representatives of the Continental congress gathered together to declare the independence of 13 American Colonies, separating themselves from the British Empire and thus forming what came to be known as the United States of America.

Our forefathers wrote:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

237 years later, we stand on these same shores, eclectic citizens of an independent strong country. Each individual celebrates this moment differently, some celebrate the moment with fireworks, BBQ’s, a day at the beach, and most notably, the Nathans Hotdog eating contest- Joey Chestnut consumed a whopping 69 record shattering hotdogs. Although for some this may seem to be a quest for blocked arteries, enslavement, and the pursuit of indigestion, for Joey Chestnut and his fellow competitors, this is what America is all about. The ability for the individual to make a choice- however good or bad that choice may be.

America has afforded the individual the opportunity to make choices and the question is: How do we as individuals approach life? What are the choices we make when looking at our own lives?

To answer these questions I look towards the words of Hallel- the psalms of praise that we sing to usher in the new month. Psalm 118:24- Ze hayom asah adonai, nagilah v’nismecha vo- This is the day that God has made let us rejoice and be glad in it.

When looking at this verse through the lens of Hallel, we believe that the rabbi’s were trying to help us understand the joy in celebrating liminal moments- moments when we step from one side of a doorway to the other- there is great joy in bringing in a new month, a Holy day, a day of celebration. This is just the surface. If we dig a little deeper we will find that this verse can teach us to try and look at the cup as half full rather than half empty- this is the day God has made let us rejoice and be glad in it- no matter what is happening in our lives, let us search for the good. In my mind there is no better use of this verse than in the poem the station by the poet and Reverend Robert J Hastings.   He writes-

"Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there our dreams will come true, and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering - waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.

"When we reach the station, that will be it!" we cry.
"when I'm 18"
"when I buy a new 450sl Mercedes-Benz!"
"when I put the last kid through college"
"when I have paid off the mortgage!"
"when I get a promotion."
"when I reach the age of retirement,I shall live happily ever after!"

Sooner or later we realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip…"Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24: "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."…

…So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough."

Life will pass us by if all we are doing is waiting for the Lakers to return to their place of glory, if all we can dream of is the Dodgers next world series victory. As Hastings says so poetically, “life must be lived as we go along.” This is the day- each and every day- that God has made. let us rejoice- let us enjoy it, find meaning in it, let us be glad in it.

If one were to take the verse from psalm 118 out of context, indeed it does mean that we should rejoice in the day. But in context of the verses that precede it, I believe this to mean something completely different.

Verse 22-
Even maasu habonim hayta l’rosh pina- the stone that the builders have rejected has become the corner stone.

When looking at this verse with my students in the day school and the counselors of camp vbs, I asked them- why might a builder reject a stone?

The responses were varied- maybe the stone was too big or to small, or the wrong color, maybe it was the wrong type of stone- it didn’t match the others.

And what does it mean for one of these stones to become the cornerstone?

The students response: these stones, the one that was to big, to small, to misshaped, to ugly- has become the foundation, the stone in the wall that helps keeps all the other stones from falling. The stones that were once rejected are now an integral part of the wall- a societal metaphor. Individuals once rejected by society, are now the cornerstone- essential and valued members of the community.

Now insert verse 24- this is the day God has made let us rejoice in and be glad in it.

It is not, that we should rejoice each day, rather, when our community is able to accept those who have been disenfranchised- THIS is the day God has made let us rejoice and be glad in IT. When those who have been left out, who feel alone in the world, who are marginalized by society, feel connected and are treated as equal members of the community- THAT is the day God has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

It has been 237 years since the declaration of independence, and although we have made strides in the direction of inclusivity and equality, we still have a long road ahead. There is more work to be done. In one hand let us hold on to the notion that life must be lived as we go along, and in the other, let us hold on to the belief that if we all help to create a world where the invisible are seen, where the lonely feel the warmth of a loving embrace, where all people regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, feel respected and accepted, then -we will truly be able to say, “this is the day God has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”