In This Moment: The Rabbi Who Spoke Before King; Creatures, Great and Small; Driving on Shabbat, Revisited, But With a Twist

 

In This Moment "Up on the Roof: As Peaceful as Can Be" When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you do not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone should fall from it. From this week's portion of Ki Tetze, Deut. 22:7 Right smack dab in the middle of town, I've found a paradise that's trouble proof... On the roof, it's peaceful as can be; and there the world below can't bother me Carole King, Gerry Goffin  Click to enlarge these photos and see my "Jerusalem Rooftops" album Shabbat Shalom! It looks like the weather will be bringing us indoors this Shabbat (after some gorgeous days during the week), but lots to to look forward to, including Friday night's barbecue and special musical service, plus an ufruf on Shabbat morning for Harrison Shapiro and Elena Reiss. Mazal tov to them and their families. 60 Years Ago... The Rabbi Who Spoke Out at the March on Washington Sixty years ago this weekend, Rabbi Joachim Prinz, a Holocaust survivor, drew the speaking slot just before Martin Luther King in the March on Washington. Hear his story in the feature above and watch his unedited speech below. Click here for a site commemorating his career. Click here for the March on Washington website. And here for the ADL's dedicated site. The Speech I speak to you as an American Jew. As Americans we share the profound concern of millions of people about the shame and disgrace of inequality and injustice which make a mockery of the great American idea. As Jews we bring to this great demonstration, in which thousands of us proudly participate, a two-fold experience -- one of the spirit and one of our history. In the realm of the spirit, our fathers taught us thousands of years ago that when God created man, he created him as everybody's neighbor. Neighbor is not a geographic term. It is a moral concept. It means our collective responsibility for the preservation of man's dignity and integrity. From our Jewish historic experience of three and a half thousand years we say: Our ancient history began with slavery and the yearning for freedom. During the Middle Ages my people lived for a thousand years in the ghettos of Europe . Our modern history begins with a proclamation of emancipation. It is for these reasons that it is not merely sympathy and compassion for the black people of America that motivates us. It is above all and beyond all such sympathies and emotions a sense of complete identification and solidarity born of our own painful historic experience. When I was the rabbi of the Jewish community in Berlin under the Hitler regime, I learned many things. The most important thing that I learned under those tragic circumstances was that bigotry and hatred are not the most urgent problem. The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and the most tragic problem is silence. A great people which had created a great civilization had become a nation of silent onlookers. They remained silent in the face of hate, in the face of brutality and in the face of mass murder. America must not become a nation of onlookers. America must not remain silent. Not merely black America , but all of America . It must speak up and act,. from the President down to the humblest of us, and not for the sake of the Negro, not for the sake of the black community but for the sake of the image, the idea and the aspiration of America itself. Our children, yours and mine in every school across the land, each morning pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States and to the republic for which it stands. They, the children, speak fervently and innocently of this land as the land of "liberty and justice for all." The time, I believe, has come to work together — for it is not enough to hope together, and it is not enough to pray together — to work together that this children's oath, pronounced every morning from Maine to California, from North to South, may become. a glorious, unshakeable reality in a morally renewed and united America. Conservative Judaism revisits driving on Shabbat Spoiler: It's still OK...or not But what if the car has no driver????? Last Shabbat we had an interesting discussion about the Conservative movement's two new responsa on the question of whether it is halachically feasible to drive to a synagogue on Shabbat using an electric car. As has become a hallmark of our movement, the two rulings supported either side of the argument, resulting in a Tevye-like "You're right, you're right and you're also right." Aside from the EV car issue, the major (and practically speaking, only) difference between this and the prior rulings in this issue back in the 1950s was that there was a concerted effort to empathize with the the other side, making it easier to support both of these diametrically opposing positions. As is stated in one of the op-eds included in the discussion packet (below on the left), the decision can be seen as being out of touch with the current, shrunken movement, where there are many questions that are far more relevant to congregants than this one. As we were discussing these rulings last Shabbat, it did not escape me that all but one or two of those in the room had driven to get here. Now that the Jewish people have established a firm beachhead in Doral Farms, more congregants may be walking here on Shabbat, but it's doubtful that anyone will confuse Roxbury Rd. for Borough Park very soon. Still, these rulings highlight the need to take Jewish practice seriously, especially regarding Shabbat - and also that we should be respectful of those who both more observant and less observant than we might be. That point was emphasized especially by the authors of the teshuvah who concluded that driving an electric car is still not allowed, though it's halachically less problematic than driving an old fashioned combustion-propelled vehicle. You can see some of this outreach to the other side in the summary on pages 3 and 4 of the packet below on the left. The approach is both sympathetic and a little condescending. I do agree that there are more important items on our plate and one of them is whether the Conservative Movement is still relevant at all. It was created a century ago in order to help Jews become more American and it succeeded beyond its founders' wildest dreams. But now the key question is just the opposite: how do we assist acculturated Americans to become more Jewish. Synagogues remain the center of Jewish community life and it makes sense to keep as many as possible in that orbit, even if they have to drive to get there. "Stay home next Shabbat!" should not be our motto. Should Conservative shuls build high-rise Shabbat apartments in their parking lots? Should Shabbos Goys be hired to turn on every electric car in the congregation? Elvis Presley was once a Shabbos Goy; he turned on lights at a local synagogue. Imagine him revving your electric car, which would undoubtedly be "all shook up" by the time you get into it. Those who ruled against using EV cars on Shabbat are, predictably, urban dwellers and not pulpit rabbis. And perhaps there could be different practices in places like NYC, where synagogues are within walking distance of just about anywhere. But out here in the burbs the question seems like an exercise in Torah for its own sake, and laughably out of touch with issues that really matter, at a time when Hawaii is burning up, California is under water and burning up simultaneously (and "all-shook-up" by an earthquake), and women's bodies are being violated by the most repugnant laws imaginable. People need to hop into their EVs to get guidance on these matters - and they need to hop here, to their synagogues on Shabbat. Or, in some places like San Francisco, they can hop into a driverless car (yes, it's permitted on Shabbat) Click here for a fascinating overview on self driving cars and Shabbat. Are self driving cars kosher? San Francisco rabbis weigh in - Can they be compared to a Shabbat elevator, only sideways? And finally, while the fact that there are multiple "right" answers highlights the pluralistic nature of Conservative Judaism, there are limits to pluralism. Many of us can recall how divisive it was to have two legitimate options on opposite sides of the issue of LGBTQ marriage in the mid 2000's. Our cantor, a lesbian, was denied the opportunity to lead services on the pulpit of a neighboring Conservative congregation, one that adopted the negative ruling on that issue, which led to much consternation and confusion. It's unlikely that that will happen with these two decisions, but it will test the movement's live-and-let-live approach when it comes to the wide disparity of observance levels. Of course, this is just a dress rehearsal for the next big hurdle - interfaith marriage, coming soon to a Conservative pulpit near you. Stay tuned. Click for discussion materials ------ Click for the two responsa Creatures, Great and Small As we look back at some of my favorite moments over the past 37 years, this commentary on this week's portion of Ki Tetze from 2018 is one of my all-timers. Not only did I write about a topic near and dear to me - kindness to animals, but I got to share some of the photos of animals that I had recently taken while visiting Israel and Asia. That orangutan above is from Borneo. Click here for the full "Creatures Great and Small" album from those travels in 2018. James Herriot wrote in All Creatures Great and Small:   If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans. Judaism has a rich tradition emphasizing kindness to animals, a mitzvah known in Hebrew as "Tza'ar ba'alay chayim," literally "feeling the pain of living things." We should feel their pain - and we can be inspired by them too.                       Among the highlights of my recent excursion to Israel and Southeast Asia were the opportunities to interact with God's creatures, great and small, living in their habitat. We got up-close to elephants and tigers in Thailand, ibex and hyrax in Israel and monkeys and orangutan in Indonesia. Below is a sampling of the photos I took.  We read in this week's portion of Ki Tetze: If, along the road, you chance upon a bird's nest, in any tree or on the ground, with fledglings or eggs and the mother sitting over the fledglings or on the eggs, do not take the mother together with her young. Let the mother go, and take only the young, in order that you may fare well and have a long life. In Midrash Tanhuma, we read that Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai taught: The Holy One has revealed the reward for heeding two precepts in the Torah: one of these precepts is the least onerous, and the other is the most onerous. The least onerous concerns letting the mother go when chancing on a bird's nest - with regard to it, the Torah promises, "that you may have a long life." The most onerous concerns honoring one's father and mother - with regard to it, also, the Torah promises, "that your days may be long." This midrash is teaching us that all the mitzvot are equal, from sending away the mother bird - which is spontaneous and easy, involving no expense or preparation - to honoring one's parents - which may require extraordinary effort and significant financial and emotional investment. It also calls attention to two texts, and when you compare them, there's a fascinating discrepancy. In the Ten Commandments, the Torah says, "Honor your father and your mother in order that your days - yamekha - may be prolonged." However, in this week's portion of Ki Tetze, the text says, "let the mother bird go . . . in order that you may fare well and have a long life [literally, prolonged days] - yamim." While the plain meaning of the second text is that by fulfilling this mitzvah you will prolong your life, that's not what the words actually say. It says, "so that you will prolong (all) life." Perhaps the commandment to send away the mother bird is not about preserving the life of the person who finds the nest, but about preventing the destruction of species, great and small. Ramban (Nachmanides), the 13th century Spanish commentator, hints at this. He writes, "The Torah will not permit a destructive act that would uproot a species even though it does permit the ritual slaughter of members of that species." In other words, if people routinely took mother birds along with their nests, in time there would be no more nests and no more birds. If this concerned Ramban in the 13th century, how much more should we be concerned today, when we know of thousands of extinct or endangered species. Take a look at this list of recently extinct creatures. See another take on the mitzvah to shoo away the mother bird, and an incident that happened to me involving lion cubs in Africa. Why should we worry about the possible extinction of plant and animal species when so many human beings around the world are in desperate need? Some would argue that it's a matter of enlightened self-interest - perhaps we'll destroy a plant that might be used to cure cancer or an animal whose DNA might one day protect us against Alzheimer's disease. But the Torah teaches us that there is more to life than self-interest. At the very beginning of the Genesis, we read: "And God said, let us make the human being in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth." After God does so, the Torah says, "The Lord God took the human being and placed them in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it." As the Psalmist proclaims, "The world and everything in it belongs to God." We human beings didn't create it - and we have no right to destroy what we did not make. God gave human beings the specific task of tending, guarding, and preserving the world. So we can take the nest, but chase the mother bird away to ensure that the world will always be full of birds. When the Torah exhorts us "u'v'harta b'hayyim," choose life, there are no limits placed on the forms of life we celebrate. You can read more about Animals and Judaism in this article. See below my photo essay of some of the remarkable creatures I encountered - and click here to see more of them. Elephant Siblings - Thailand Elephant, Thailand Tiger, Thailand Ibex, En Gedi, Israel Hyrax, En Gedi Warthog, Indonesia Monkey on Borneo, Indonesia Recommended Reading  Today's Israeli Front Pages Yediot Achronot Ha'aretz (English) Jerusalem Post See this provocative piece from Ha'aretz. I don't necessarily agree - i would think this precisely when Israel could use a significant influx or rational people who believe in democracy - but it is important for us to hear the desperation in the voices of Israelis right now. And we need to get beyond our old, stereotypical views of the relationship between the diaspora and Israel. We are no longer on the sidelines, looking on. We are right at the center of the action. The ten best introduction to Judaism books (MJL) Temple Beth El 350 Roxbury Road Stamford, Connecticut 06902 203-322-6901 | www.tbe.org    A Conservative, Inclusive, Spiritual Community

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In this Moment: Herzog's Gambit; The Heavens are Aligned for Spring; The Shabbat 39

 

In This Moment Zodiac mosaic from the 6th century Bet Alfa Synagogue in the Jezreel Valley Shabbat Shalom! A late winter snow can jar our internal clocks, but spring is on the doorstep, commencing this coming week. It's not exactly the Age of Aquarius, but the sun, moon and earth will be perfectly aligned on Monday and Tuesday. Our ancestors were keenly attuned to the cycles of nature and the movement of heavenly bodies, as evidenced by the many astrological symbols found in ancient synagogues, like the one shown above in the Galilee. This year, the vernal equinox, that moment when the sun and earth align perfectly so that day and night are of equal length, is precisely aligned with the new moon that heralds the start of the Jewish month of spring. That month later called Nisan, in the Torah is dubbed “Hodesh ha’Aviv” literally, “the Month of Spring.” This Shabbat is Shabbat-ha’Hodesh, which always immediately precedes the beginning of Nisan, reminding us that, Passover,also called the Spring Festival, is just a couple of moon phases away.   This Shabbat we also read the double portion Va’yakhel / Pekuday, which concludes Exodus and also concludes the lengthy description of the construction of the tabernacle in the Wilderness.  It was from this sacred work that the rabbis later defined the 39 categories of labor prohibited on Shabbat (see below for more on that). So let's get springy for a moment... “A March morning is only as drab as he who walks in it without a glance skyward.” ― Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There As I was driving down Westover Rd this week, what appeared to be a very large cardinal came flying across the street. I didn't have the opportunity to pull over, but it was one of those "My God, spring is coming!" moments that emerge from deep within the soul as an uttered blessing. Birds are great conduits for that - even those flocks of geese that gather in our cemetery and leave thousands of souvenirs. Let's just say that a funeral procession this week followed a circuitous, giant slalom route to the grave. Aldo Leopold had good things to say about geese, too. Here's the full quote that was excerpted above: “One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of a March thaw, is the spring. A cardinal, whistling spring to a thaw but later finding himself mistaken, can retrieve his error by resuming his winter silence. A chipmunk, emerging for a sunbath but finding a blizzard, has only to go back to bed. But a migrating goose, staking two hundred miles of black night on the chance of finding a hole in the lake, has no easy chance for retreat. His arrival carries the conviction of a prophet who has burned his bridges. A March morning is only as drab as he who walks in it without a glance skyward, ear cocked for geese.” Click for today's (Thursday's) front pages: Ha'aretz (English) (Hebrew) Jerusalem Post Yediot Ahronot Today's Yediot headline: "Herzog's Compromise" Herzog's Gambit The protests continue to grow, the pressure increases and the tension builds. See (above) the headline from Ha'aretz last Sunday, following yet another mass demonstration. Note the "Handmaid's Tale" attire on the women in the middle. See a pdf of that photo and the whole front page here. On Wednesday night, President Herzog addressed the nation and laid out the elements of his proposed compromise. Here they are, according to Axios: Herzog's proposal appeared to seek to appeal to the ruling coalition by including reforms that would have limited the ability of the Supreme Court to strike down certain laws. The proposal also would have limited the court's ability to cancel administrative decisions by the government on the basis of "unreasonability," including the appointment of ministers and policy decisions. Herzog’s proposal would have changed the balance of power on the committee that appoints judges and cancel the veto power the judges on the committee have over the appointments. But appearing to appeal to critics of the government's plan, Herzog's proposal didn't give the coalition an automatic majority on the committee. It also didn't include an override clause that enables the Knesset to cancel Supreme Court rulings. The override clause is one of the main tenets of the government's current overhaul plan. Herzog’s compromise plan also proposed drafting a bill of rights for the first time since Israel was founded, which would have included passing a basic law to protect minority rights, not allow discrimination, and establish the principle of equality, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. Behind the scenes: Herzog’s plan was a result of consultations he conducted in recent weeks with experts, think tanks and liberal and conservative politicians, his aides said. According to press reports, Netanyahu was briefed about the proposal earlier on Wednesday and wanted to accept it, but backed off after Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who is leading the judicial overhaul, threatened to resign. Levin hasn't denied the reports. If something can come of this that will lead Israel toward a constitution, at long last, one that protects human rights and enshrines the principles laid out in Israel's Declaration of Independence and the Jewish values embraced therein, this will have turned out to be a very positive exercise. Imagine, Israel with a Bill of Rights! It's been discussed for decades (and here are some of the complicated issues involved). But that can only happen if the government is forced into accepting that compromise, which, considering Bibi already dismissed it out of hand, is hard to imagine still. Some of the prime fence sitters among American Jewish leaders and Likud Knesset members will have to show some kishkes and stand up for Israel's future - one wonders if they will ever see the light. The alternative, as Herzog sees it, could well be civil war. See David Horowitz's coliumn today: A last, desperate, long-shot plea: Prime Minister Netanyahu, stop this madness (TOI) - Dear Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this is a plea — a last, long-shot, desperate appeal to your patriotism, to your Zionism, to your concern for your place in history, to your conscience: Stop this madness. We are now two weeks away from the deadline your government has set itself for the enactment of revolutionary legislation that you put in motion, that you appointed a justice minister and a committee chair to advance, that you built a coalition to vote into law and that you defend almost daily and absurdly as strengthening our democracy — legislation that will, in fact, shatter Israel’s foundational principles, proudly asserted in the Declaration of Independence, as a tolerant Jewish and democratic state committed to equality and personal freedoms. If you don’t heed President Isaac Herzog’s call to scrap a package of laws that neuters the High Court, the only body capable of defending all and any basic rights from being trampled by your duly elected coalition, we will mark this year’s Passover festival of freedom as a nation with its fundamental freedoms no longer protected from the tyranny of your majority. -------- White Supremacist Hate in Stamford Meanwhile, we here in Stamford have been troubled by a sudden surge in hate-activity by white supremacy groups, including flyers distributed in the Pepper Ridge area last weekend. I'm encouraged at the proactive response of our elected officials and police. One question often asked at a time like this is whether giving more publicity to the act is playing into the hands of the hate group. Sometimes discretion might be prudent, but in a case like this, where entire neighborhoods are being terrorized, a strong, united community response is the most potent repellent. This is not a time for silence. The 39 Shabbat Prohibitions Based on this week's portion, which details the construction of the tabernacle in the wilderness, the rabbis determined 39 forms of labor prohibited on Shabbat. From those 39 come myriads of derivatives. See the key passage below. Then click on the passage to see a packet of information exploring each of the 39 "Avot Melacha," as they are called, the forms of prohibited Shabbat work. The forms of labor (melacha) for various projects in the building of the tabernacle (click and scroll to see pdf) Introduction to Judaism, Session 2 The Bible and Ancient Israel This second session discusses what is the Hebrew Bible, when was it written and who wrote it. Sources and charts for this and the prior session can be accessed here. Recommended Reading Responsum on the Israeli Constitutional Crisis by Rabbi David Golinkin What is a pogrom? Israeli mob attack has put a century-old word in the spotlight )R.N.S) See also: Videos From Hawara Rampage Indicate Depth of Israeli Authorities’ Failure (Ha'aretz - premium) Finally available: Everything you always wanted to know about Judicial Reform but were afraid to ask (Daniel Gordis, Substack) Professor Netta Barak-Corren — rumored to be closely advising President Herzog — wrote a very balanced, much-discussed analysis of Israel's crisis that is finally available in English. Yes, it’s long. It’s 42 pages in English, more than 30 in Hebrew. But this is complicated stuff. What is unique about Professor Barak-Corren’s approach is that she is clear about what is “broken” in the current system and needs to be fixed, and at the same time, no less clear about why she considers the currently proposed changes very problematic and dangerous. If you really want to understand the essentials of what’s going on here (legally and legislatively), this is the paper to read. It just takes time and focus. Why more American Jews aren’t protesting about Israel right now (Forward) - It’s not like American Jews don’t know how to demonstrate in large numbers. Hundreds of thousands marched and rallied for Soviet Jews during the 1970s and 1980s, and massive crowds have turned out in defense of Israel. In 2002, around 100,000 Jews descended on Washington for the National Rally in Solidarity with Israel. Though they have spoken out against the judicial reform and Smotrich’s incendiary comments about wiping out a Palestinian village, major establishment organizations like the American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League and Jewish Federations of North America, aren’t lending their stamp of approval to any protests. At the same time, the people who normally protest Israel — largely Palestinian organizations and their allies — don’t care much about preserving Israel’s democratic institutions, which they tend to view as hopelessly corrupted by decades of Israeli occupation in the West Bank. Anti-Jewish incidents jumped nearly 20% in 2021, FBI finds (JTA) This Changes Everything (NYT Ezra Klein) - 2018, Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Google — and not one of the tech executives known for overstatement — said, “A.I. is probably the most important thing humanity has ever worked on. I think of it as something more profound than electricity or fire.” Try to live, for a few minutes, in the possibility that he’s right. There is no more profound human bias than the expectation that tomorrow will be like today. It is a powerful heuristic tool because it is almost always correct. Tomorrow probably will be like today. Next year probably will be like this year. But cast your gaze 10 or 20 years out. Typically, that has been possible in human history. I don’t think it is now. How a little-known editor made God a bestseller by helping Americans let go of religion (RNS) One of the big questions of our time is: Why is religion in such trouble in contemporary America? And why is spirituality doing so well? Why are there so many spiritual but not religious people? I think Exman provides a genealogy of what I call the religion of experience, which is the most popular form of religion in the United States today. People see religion as a personal matter. They think it’s about feeling and experience more than it is about dogma or doctrine or ritual. They don’t think it takes place inside institutions. They think it takes place in the human heart. Wanted: More Rabbis (Tablet Magazine) - Non-Orthodox rabbinical schools across America are experiencing a significant decline in enrollment, affecting both these institutions and the American Jewish community at large as the demand for rabbis exceeds supply, particularly as baby boomers retire and others leave because of burnout. ...Across America, the religious landscape is changing. “People are engaging with religion in a much broader way than they used to, congregational attendance has declined, and affiliation is decreasing,” said Wendy Cadge, founder of the Chaplain Innovation Lab. “Rather than going to congregations, people are engaging in online groups, listening to podcasts, and spiritual entrepreneurs are making their resources available in different ways.” But rabbis are still in demand—a demand that outstrips supply, even as congregations shrink. This year, like last year, the Conservative movement—50% of whose rabbis in North America serve congregations—anticipates a shortage of rabbis to fill available positions, Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, CEO of the Rabbinical Assembly and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, told Tablet: “There is greater demand, along with smaller numbers of rabbis being ordained. Also, congregations want more rabbis to do education and engagement work. So congregations that used to think about one rabbi for 500 households now understand that in a time when it’s about relationships, they need more rabbis to serve their communities.” What's more important? Being Jewish or doing Jewish? (TOI) - Conversion is a wonderful, personal, existential choice, not likely influenced by an intermarried rabbi’s spouse not converting. Moreover, while encouraging conversion can result in more people being Jewish, the message that conversion is preferred discourages interfaith couples and partners from different faith backgrounds from engaging in Jewish life in the first place. The net result of prioritizing conversion is fewer people doing Jewish.   Disrupting Technology: Creating a Local Sanctuary in Place – Parashat Vayekhel-Pekudei (Schechter) - Rabbi Avi Novis-Deutsch argues that we need to disrupt technology on the Sabbath to create a true and local sanctuary in place for ourselves and for our local community. Why Does the Torah Devote So Much Text to the Tabernacle? (The Torah.com) The Mishkan passages transform the Torah story into the intimate relationship between God, creation, and humanity. The light of the night sky and the beating of my own heart are the revelation of God—just like the fire, the cloud, and the many details in the Mishkan account. What It Means to Keep Kosher for Passover Sephardic Passover Guide from Jersey Shore (skip all the ads to get to the good stuff) For those who eat legumes and rice, this guide presents a very different perspective. More on the ancient roots of the word Aviv, from the BDB biblical dictionary and the medieval commentary of Ibn Ezra. Imagine those first stalks of barley growing, fully two months before the wheat, as a reminder to our ancestors that spring's revival was fast approaching. It is no coincidence that the reborn Jewish nation's first all-Jewish city, Tel Aviv, incorporated that word into its name. For more about the biblical and post biblical names for this month, see also Why Do We Eat Matzah in the Spring? Nissan: Nissanu – from the Akkadian word for “first-produce.” The Mediterranean spring starts with the birth of newborn kids in the flock and the cutting of the first crops. 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