One of my favorite movies is “It’s a Wonderful Life” and every year I look forward to Christmas to renew my love for the story of George Bailey. George is the guy you can always count on to do the right thing and he always makes the personal sacrifice for the greater good. He has big dreams.  He wants to be rich, admired and travel the world, but unexpected events conspire to keep George from his personal goals. George begins to doubt and question his choices, but he is then given the gift to see the value of his efforts. The message that every life has value, and is special and unique, is a message that often gets lost in the frantic pace of everyday life. We need to remember and remind each other that we can make our lives and communities special and rich with our ability to bring love and holiness to our every action. And finally, in the dramatic ending to “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George realizes what he knew all along, that money has little to do with determining who is the richest man in town.

While I have no religious faith in the Christmas story or the story of Jesus, I do enjoy the spirit of the holiday and it is always nice to see one of our boys getting some good press.

So as I was traveling on Christmas Eve, and reading the Wall Street Journal, I was pleased to read an article by Rabbi Michael Gottlieb in the Houses of Worship Commentary that is found in the Opinion Section each week. It seems that Rabbi Gottlieb is also a fan of Christmas.

In his own words, “Christmas fascinates me. I’m drawn to its history, its color, its atmosphere, its music. And, of course, I’m drawn to the fact that Jesus was a Jew. He was born a Jew, lived as a Jew and died a Jew. If for nothing else, I can appreciate Christmas as the celebration of one Jew’s epic birthday. The 20th century philosopher and theologian Martin Buber would often begin lectures to ecumenical gatherings by stating that a key difference separating Jews and Christians is whether Jesus was the messiah. Christians believe he was, and they are awaiting his return. Jews believe that the messiah hasn’t yet come. His suggestion: Let’s all pray for the messiah—Christians and Jews alike. When he arrives, we’ll ask if he’s been here before…The question is if the messiah were to appear, or reappear, what would he say that hasn’t already been said? I assure you that there would be nothing new, no surprises. The messiah would likely declare that we shouldn’t treat fellow human beings like objects and that we shouldn’t steal from one another…Even if his message isn’t fresh, many idealize the messiah as a personal redeemer, a force capable of divine, superhuman power…Given that life is not merely physical, we all have a spiritual dimension that requires attention…Humans naturally search for a superhero—something to apprehend the bad guy, to stop the disease from spreading, to change human nature and the physical order of the universe and save the day. A messianic belief can help fill that yearning. It has for me…Yet the issue isn’t necessarily the messiah. To think so is to take one’s eye off the theological ball. The real issue is God. The messiah can become a veil, it can separate us from the primary source. I’d prefer to blame or praise God directly and not a messianic filter. Within Judaism, rabbinic law has become a potential veil between the individual and God…Like a brightly lighted Christmas tree, Christianity dispels a lot of darkness, theological as well as moral. In its glow, it challenges Christians and non-Christians alike to consider that which is transcendent, eternal and greater than us all. Merry Christmas indeed.”  Click on the link below for the entire article.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/why-this-rabbi-loves-christmas-1482450895

Upon the completion of my travels and my arrival to my holiday destination, I unpacked my bags and reclined upon the couch. I was instructed to find a movie on the television for the family, and like a miracle, there it was, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”