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LENSES:
JECEI
In Conclusion
The JECEI lenses speak to a way of seeing, thinking, and acting. Their integration informs and impacts oneís experience as a member of the Jewish community and the world. As much as they have been articulated here as separate entities listed in a particular order, they function more as a web. There are numerous areas in which they intersect with, support, and strengthen one another. Together they provide the transformative building blocks for the culture within which we relate to one another, communicate our curriculum, reflect on Judaismís role in our lives, and understand our place in the world at large.
When we first stood at Mount Sinai and prepared to enter into covenant with God and with each other, we proclaimed, according to Torah, ìna-aseh vínishma!î We will do and we will understand. The passage has sparked much discussion within the tradition. Are we to first do and then reflect on the reasons? Or do we first need to understand, and allow our behavior to follow from the integration of these values or this newly acquired knowledge? The JECEI answer to both questions is ìyes.î We strive to simultaneously learn and do. To allow one lens to inform our knowledge of others; to be moved to act in a particular way even as we continue to delve more deeply into the reasons for doing so; and to allow our vision to inform our reflection and vice versa.
It is difficult to define strict boundaries between one lens and another. The parts have meaning within the whole, and the whole becomes much more than the sum of its parts. The realization of divine potential within others is bound to affect our relationships, as well as our sense of responsibility to the larger world. Our natural curiosity will lead to a sense of wonder and gratitude. Our reflection on space, time and community as sacred aspects of our lives will bring us back to covenantal relationship. Together with other basic Jewish ideas, the lenses contextualize, and allow us to co-create meaning in our world. Torah acts as the documentation of our relationships to our community, our world and to God; Mitzvot provide the chance to ritualize and call attention to the positive intrusion of the sacred into our everyday lives; and Halacha (literally ìthe wayî - our evolving body of Jewish law) records the reflection on and evolution of the ways in which Judaism becomes part of the fabric of our existence. This integrated view is worthy of transmission. Not only from generation to generation, but from our personal to our professional lives, from our families to our friends and associates.
The lenses give us a shared language and perspective for enhancing our communities, piquing our curiosity, enhancing our relationships, and improving our world. They are visionary even as they are rooted in our tradition. They provide the context and shape the culture in which we raise and educate ourselves and our children. Articulation of these lenses is in itself an ongoing conversation, which welcomes all voices and invites all levels of engagement.
Lenses (cont'd): 1 l2 l3 l4 l5 l6 l7 l8 l 9
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