Standing at Sinai: Sermons and Writings

Say Hineni Rosh Hashanah Morning 5746 September 16, 1985 Not long ago I saw a bumper sticker that said “Say Hineni to God.” As bumper stickers go, it was a bit esoteric, containing the Hebrew word hineni, meaning “here I am.” It’s a fascinating, simple word that most Hebrew students learn early. I remember answering hineni in Hebrew School, an elegant way of saying “present” when the teacher took attendance. Hineni means literally “here I am,” but it is an expression indicating readiness: In English we might say “at your service.” Saying it makes the speaker conspicuous. It is a word of acceptance, an acknowledgment of readiness and willingness to accept responsibility whether in Hebrew class or when uttered by Abraham in response to God’s call. Rosh Hashanah summons us to say hineni, to affirm the importance of Judaism in our lives, to accept our responsibilities. It’s a hard word for us to say today: hineni. We live in what Robert Bellah calls “a culture of separation,” apart from one another in mind and body; we look out for ourselves. Yet is a time when it is more important than ever to say hineni. Not once but three times does Abraham say hineni in the Akedah story. First to God, at the beginning of the story; next to Isaac, as they ascend the mountain; and a third time to the angel, who has just halted the attempted sacrifice. So do we need to respond three times: to God, to families, and to those who serve. God doesn’t call to us with tests as God did to Abraham, as a disembodied voice commanding us to take strange journeys. But here we are today because God calls to us in a different way. God calls to us through the message of this day, through the call of the shofar, through the words of the prayers we read. God calls to each of us on Rosh Hashanah to examine our ways in turn, to plumb the depths of our Jewish lives, to seek strength and comfort in the rhythm of Jewish life, to know who we are and before Whom we stand. And God does not just call to us on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but throughout the year and throughout our lives. And while it is easy for us to ignore God’s call, to ignore the prayers and avoid the rituals in all the busyness of our lives, still God calls out to us and like Abraham we must answer with humility and trust: hineni. The second hineni comes in the middle of the story, as Abraham and Isaac are going up the mountain together. Isaac notices that there is no animal for the sacrifice and says, “Father.” Abraham answers hineni. How often do the members of our family call out to us and we fail to respond, “Hineni, here I am”? Be it our parents or children, spouses, brothers, sisters – we need to be ready to reassure, to put first those people who are most important to us and whom we so often take for granted. Most of our lives lack the drama of Abraham’s journey to Mount Moriah. The demands that are made upon us are real but less pressing than those we read about on Rosh Hashanah. Yet the issues and struggles are the same, and when our families and friends cry out to us, we need to listen and respond hineni. Rosh Hashanah comes to give us a fresh start, to turn us to those who are closest to us as we turn to God and to say “Hineni, I am ready.” The third hineni is Abraham’s response to the angel. When Abraham picks up the knife to slay Isaac, the angel calls to him with urgency and concern: “Abraham, Abraham.” Unlike Abraham, we are not alone with an angel. Today we are gathered as a congregation. If we need to hear ourselves say hineni, so we need to hear one another say it too. (You realize, of course, that God may call once, but our congregation calls twice, even three times and more. For we recognize that synagogues and congregations need to ask and ask and need a great deal of attention.) We need to say and hear hineni more from ourselves and from one another. We need to strengthen our own commitment and thus strengthen one another. Instead of saying “I don’t have time,” we should say “I’ll make the time.” Instead of saying “I can’t accept such a responsibility,” we should say “This will be quite a challenge.” Instead of saying “I’ve done my part for years,” we should say “I know how much this needs to be done.” Instead of saying “I don’t feel like I belong here,” we need to say “This is my place and I want to help.” We need to say “Hineni. Here I am. Ask me.”