In This Moment: Heschel's Audacity and Hamlin's Injury

In This Moment This coming week is Abraham Joshua Heschel's 50th Yahrzeit, Over the next couple of Shabbats, we'll celebrate the powerful combined legacy Of Rabbi Heschel and Rev. King Heschel's Audacity and Hamlin's Injury Shabbat Shalom. A half century ago, American Jewry lost arguably its leading spiritual light. There are others who deserve a spot on that Mount Sinai/Rushmore, but it's hard to deny Heschel's place on the pantheon. His inspiration parallels that of his contemporary and friend, Martin Luther King, Jr. Heschel challenged us in a manner that American Jews were not used to being challenged. His famous catchphrase, "Moral grandeur and spiritual audacity," came as part of a much more caustic telegram to President Kennedy on June 16, 1963. He wrote, "We forfeit the right to worship God as long as we continue to humiliate Negroes. The hour calls for moral grandeur and spiritual audacity." Heschel pulled no punches, excoriating American Jews for their worship of technical culture and materialism, which he equated with paganism. "Our disease is the loss of character and commitment, and the cure of our plight cannot be derived from charts and diagrams," he wrote. "Our institutions have too many beauty parlors. Our people need a language and we offer them cosmetics. Our people need style, learning, conviction, exaltation, and we are concerned about not being admitted to certain country clubs." He also said, "We may claim to be a success, but in the eyes of Jewish history, we may be regarded as a failure." He cried out like the ancient prophets he so admired - and his cry was heard. His message resonated especially in the intensely secular '60s, and, aside from the awkward lack of inclusivity in his language, his words have aged very well. if anything, they ring more true today. Although his influence has been keenly felt in the areas of social action and spirituality, our communities are still haunted by a pervasive stench of superficiality and hollowness. I hope we've made strides, but it's hard to say whether the advances I see are clouded by outbursts of wishful thinking. Meanwhile, I was struck by a Tweet-thread by an outspoken clergy colleague in Massachusetts, who took on a Heschelian posture following the shocking injury to Buffalo Bills' safety Damar Hamlin last Monday night. Hamlin is showing signs of improvement, thankfully. I don't agree with all that she says, and I admit to being a more than casual fan who would have trouble giving up football, no matter what how lethal it turns out to be. But these comments, made while the incident was playing out before our eyes, gave me pause. It should be noted that the game was not resumed, as we believed it would be at that time, based on confusing signals being sent by the league. The NFL thankfully did not take the macho route and continue the game. Grown men were allowed to cry and the world did not come to an end. What role, exactly, does football play in our society? Why are we so inclined to pile human beings into that meat grinder? is there a racial element to this? Do certain lives not matter as much? Is this no better than the gladiator games of ancient Rome? We know that the NFL minimized the dangers of CTE when they first were known, and that Hamlin's injury was much more freakish. But the dangers of concussions and spinal and other injuries seem to be on the increase, as does our willingness to look the other way. On Monday night, America could no longer look the other way. Rev. Everett reminded us what's at stake. The hour calls for moral grandeur and spiritual audacity, and we must ask the same question that Abraham Joshua Heschel asked the President of the United States: Have we forfeited the right to worship God in how we've brought pain to our fellow human beings? I'm going to reserve most of this Shabbat-O-Gram for Heschel's words today, as I share some of his most challenging pleas, calls that still ring true a half century later. Heschel WikiQuote On Prayer, by Abraham Joshua Heschel Selections from "Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity," essays by A.J. Heschel, "Existence and Celebration," "Prayer" and "Death as Homecoming." Packet of Study Materials Honoring Heschel's Special Yahrzeit Rabbis Joseph B. Soloveitchik and Abraham Joshua Heschel on Jewish-Christian Relations (R.Kimelman) "The Sabbath" (excerpts) Introduction to "The Prophets" See below a photo of Dr. Heschel (extreme right) at a convocation in my home synagogue, with my father, Cantor Michal Hammerman (on the left) leading the procession. UPON ENTERING THE TEMPLE Abraham Joshua Heschel   What does a person expect to attain when entering a Temple? In the pursuit of learning one goes to a library; for esthetic enrichment one goes to the art museum; for pure music, to the concert hall. What then is the purpose of going to the Temple?   Many are the facilities which help us to acquire the important worldly virtues, skills, and techniques. But where should one learn about the insights of the spirit? Many are the opportunities for public speech; where are the occasions for inner silence? It is easy to find people who will teach us how to be eloquent; but who will teach us how to be still? It is surely important to develop a sense of humor; but is it not also important to have a sense of reverence?   Where should one learn the eternal wisdom of compassion? The fear of being cruel? The danger of being callous? Where should one learn that the greatest truth is found in contribution? Important and precious as the development of our intellectual faculties, the cultivation of a sensitive conscience is indispensable. We are all in danger of sinking into the darkness of vanity; we are all involved in worshipping our own egos. Where should we become sensitive to the pitfalls of cleverness, or to the realization that expedience is not the acme of wisdom?   We are constantly in need of experiencing moments in which the spiritual is as relevant and as concrete, for example as the esthetic. Everyone has a sense of beauty; everyone is capable of distinguishing between the beautiful and the ugly. But we must learn to be sensitive to the spirit. It is in the Temple where we must try to acquire such inwardness, such sensitivity.   From "Existence and Celebration" Abraham Joshua Heschel From "The Sabbath" From "Existence and Celebration" From "No Religion is an Island" One of the results of the rapid depersonalization of our age is a crisis of speech, profanation of language. We have trifled with the name of God, we have taken the name and the word of the Holy in vain. Language has been reduced to labels, talk has become double-talk. We are in the process of losing faith in the reality of words. Yet prayer can happen only when words reverberate with power and inner life, when uttered as an earnest, as a promise. On the other hand, there is a high degree of obsolescence in the traditional language of the theology of prayer. Renewal of prayer calls for a renewal of language, of cleansing the words, of revival of meanings. The strength of faith is in silence, and in words that hibernate and wait. Uttered faith must come out as a surplus of silence, as the fruit of lived faith, of enduring intimacy. Theological education must deepen privacy, strive for daily renewal of innerness, cultivate ingredients of religious existence, reverence and responsibility. Recommended Reading... See this week's essay on Substack - and subscribe to my feed! Popular Parsha Packets for Vayechi In the Wake of the Asian Tsunami Disaster - Poems, prayers and reflections on the great natural disaster that killed tens of thousands. How Antisemitism Distorts Our Vision - "I hate what antisemitism does to Jews. I hate the fear that it instills." Patrilineal Possibilities - Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh were products of intermarriage, and patrilineal descent. What gives? Dying Desires: Jacob,, Joseph and the Five Wishes Letting your loved ones know what you would want for yourself and them, as the end draws near. Why Was Joseph Snubbed? - A dialogue on why Joseph is not counted as one of the patriarchs of Genesis. includes my ideas. FEATURED POST: Everyone’s a little bit Jew-ish, except George Santos (my op ed in Times of Israel) - 'Ish' is a useful suffix, because so many of us are blends of many things, including Jewish heritage, but falsely claiming your family fled the Nazis is a new low Robert Kraft’s donation for stricken NFL player has Jewish meaning - The donation was $18,003. The Jewish Spiritual Path to Character Development (MJL) - We humans come factory-equipped with latent godly qualities and the capacity to actualize them through our words and actions.  Rabbis, teachers, survivors: 18 Jews whose deaths diminished our communities in 2022 (JTA) 23 totally accurate and sane Jewish pop culture predictions for 2023 (Forward) Picking a new rabbi? A new novel shows how (Jewish Week). Check out how the kosher sausage is made. Not that anyone is asking, but my all time favorite book on this topic is The New Rabbi - it's not a novel, but it reads like one. And another excellent book of this genre, And They Shall Be My People: An American Rabbi and His Congregation. Israel For this week's Hebrew front page, below, we feature the visit to the Temple Mount by new minister and veteran flame thrower Itamar Ben Gvir. It employs a play on words, saying, Ben Gvir's visit to the Temple Mount: Harsh criticism from the world. The words for "visit" and "criticism" are nearly identical. Which makes sense. To visit (or in some cases, revisit) something is to inquire about it, and an investigation typically leads to passing some sort of judgment. Bikur - the word for visit, can be a mitzvah, as in bikur holim, visiting the sick. in this case it is a simple demonstration of power, and yet another reason why with this particular government, it can't be "business as usual" for those of us who love Israel. incidentally, the sidebar column (lower right) is by Avi Issacharoff, veteran journalist and co-creator of "Fauda." The headline? Before the storm. See also Marc Schulman's Newsweek piece, Israel's Greatest Enemy Is Now Itself And see just below the front page, the Rabbinical Assembly's statement responding to to the judicial reforms that the new government is already trying to enact. Several hundred prominent U.S. rabbis have signed a letter pledging not to allow members of the Religious Zionist bloc to speak in their communities. “When those who tout racism and bigotry claim to speak in the name of Israel, but deny our rights, our heritage, and the rights of the most vulnerable among us, we must take action,” the letter stated. I am among the hundreds who have signed it.  Share This Email   Share This Email   Share This Email Temple Beth El 350 Roxbury Road Stamford, Connecticut 06902 203-322-6901 | www.tbe.org    A Conservative, Inclusive, Spiritual Community

TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Andrew Jaffe-Berkowitz on Vayechi (delivered in Jerusalem)

Merry Christmas!

Woops, wrong speech!

Thank you all for coming.  It means a lot that you all came so far to be here with me.

My portion is Vayechi.  In this portion, as Jacob’s life is coming to an end, he’s getting his affairs in order. 

One way he does that is to organize his family’s matters as well as his own.  In one instance, he crosses his hands in blessing his grandchildren Ephrayim and Menashe, in order to make sure that Ephrayim is seen as the leader.  The funny thing is, he’s the younger one, and in the ancient world, the older sibling always came first.  This signals that the ways of the past would not always be the same as present practice.  We have to think differently.  Creativity is a key to growth and you can never let yourself fall into a rut.

As some of you know, I have been writing computer code for the past three years.  I’ve created dozens of computer games in my spare time.  In a football game that I created, for each play there are around 4,000 possible results – and I’ve built in a code that randomizes the outcomes based on where each player is and the skill of each player.  I update it, so that if someone is having a bad season or is injured, I can take them out of the game or lower their skill level.  Of course I also lift their ratings if they are doing well.  There might be some bias here, in favor of the Giants, although this year   (pause) let’s not even go there.

My point here is that with billions of possible outcomes, one game played will never be exactly the same as the prior one.  The past can’t govern how you act moving forward.  Jacob expressed that perfectly with his crossover move.

Also, with coding, you have to be sure to keep in mind where you started and the goals that you had in mind.  Jacob does that too.  He makes his family promise that when he dies, they will bring his body back to Canaan.  In that way he encourages them to go back to their roots, to go back home, even though he knows that they are going to live in Egypt for many generations.

The lesson here is that we should never forget from where we came – the code that makes us who we are. That’s an important lesson for me, too.  I’ve always stayed close to my Jewish roots, and by becoming bar mitzvah here in Israel it really adds lots of extra meaning to the experience.  But what makes it even more special is that I also have deep personal, family roots.  My great grandfather Eddie, one of the men for whom I’m named,  was a survivor of Auschwitz.  His whole family was killed in the Nazi death camps– which also means that a large part of my family was killed.  But here I am, on what would have been Eddie’s 97^th birthday.   His Hebrew name Yehuda is also my first Hebrew name.  It is also the Hebrew name of Judah Piasecky, a boy from Drohiczyn, Poland who was murdered by the Nazis  at the age of 14.  He is my bar mitzvah twin and tomorrow I will be going to yad vashem for a special ceremony linking our lives.  That name, Yehuda - that Eddie, Judah and I share, is also the word for “Jew,” and therefore, as a Jew, I am a testament to the survival of the Jewish people in our homeland – the same place to which the Biblical Jacob asked his kids to return.

My middle name Daveed, was given to me to honor my uncle David.  I know David always wanted to go to Israel but was never able to because of his condition.  So now, as I bear his name, here I am fulfilling his dream. His dream of returning back to the roots of his heritage.

Also, in David’s honor, for my mitzvah project, I have been  volunteering at the Special Olympics in Connecticut, specifically in scoring the bowling competitions– since I know that David won a lot of trophies in bowling, all of which sit proudly on display in my room.  I’m also collecting sports equipment for the special Olympics athletes to use in their various tournaments.  It’s another way to pay tribute to my heritage.

So I hope this can help you understand why today is so special for me.  And why like Jacob, this journey back to my roots is truly meaningful.  Like my football computer game, there were virtually an infinite number of outcomes of who I would be.  But the code encrypted in my DNA and in my family roots have made me the bar mitzvah that stands before you today.

Once again I want you all to know how much it means to my family and me that you made such an effort to be with us today.  By being here, each of you have written a line of code into the story of my life. 

Shabbat-O-Gram Jan 2

Since my main O Gram  message was  already sent out before the New Year, just a few quick reminders:

- A reminder that services now begin at 7 PM on Friday evenings.  Join us tonight! I’ll be talking about “The Times Square Ball Drop and Other Jewish Rituals.”

- This week's portion is Vayechi, as we conclude the book of Genesis.  Family dynamics, Jewish continuity and assimilation are major themes of the portion.  It also features an often overlooked ritual that has become part of the Shabbat dinner experience: the blessing of children. With that in mind, on Shabbat morning we'll be discussing an advertising campaign that is proving to be very controversial in Israel, and how it relates to the blessing of Jacob’s grandsons.  See the controversial TV ad here and preview the entire Parsha packet here, including articles about the “Israeli Friday Night” ad campaign.

-  There is no Religious School this Sunday morning, but we DO have morning minyan, as usual, at 9 AM.

- We've added some new photos of our volunteers at Inspirica's Family Shelter on Christmas Eve. You can see them, and our entire Hanukkah photo album, here.  And catching up on some recent events, see Sydney Eben’s bat mitzvah speech here and Jessica Olin’s here.

Shabbat Shalom, safe travels, and happy 2015!

Shabbat-O-Gram for December 13

Shabbat-O-Gram Tonight is our annual 7th grade sleepover at my house.  Mara and I are looking forward to it! Mazal tov to Joshua Labkoff and family, as Josh will become Bar Mitzvah here on Shabbat afternoon, snow or shine!  BTW, If you think the forecast is bad here, it's been snowing like crazy in Jerusalem; they are calling it the worst storm in decades.  Check your email on Sat. night or Sun. morning for weather-related announcements.  Even if our Israel Trip meeting is postponed for this Sunday, know that spaces are filling fast. Check out the trip's website and contact me with any questions.   A Workout for the Soul    This Shabbat we will be joined by Beth Styles once again, but this week she will be coming both on Friday night and Shabbat morning.  In light of the Pew Report, congregations have to be prepared, with an even greater sense of urgency, to experiment more with what goes on in our pews. We feel we have hit upon a superb formula for Friday nights, a communal prayer experience that opens up our hearts to loving one another.  As people return again and again and our numbers continue to grow, the experience fills a very personal need for each participant, bringing us to a higher level of purpose and unity.  In simplest terms, it feels good - and the service is becoming as indispensable for many as a daily workout or yoga exercise.  It is a workout for the soul, strengthening the heart muscle, our capacity to care. Beth describes our service as "a beautiful way to bring special meaning to life, reflection of the week we just experienced, our accomplishments, our joys, our challenges and desire to connect with the divine, the universe, and our community." That pretty much sums it up. This week we'll be introducing some of that Kabbalat Shabbat musical style, with guitar and keyboard, to Shabbat morning.     It's a one-week experiment, for now, but one I hope you will try with an open mind and, even more to the point, an open heart.  This week, of all weeks, we need that place where we can find comfort and healing together, Friday night AND Shabbat morning. So join us this Shabbat. And if you are coming tomorrow, try to be here for the beginning, at 9:30, as we will be introducing some new music right from the start. Life after Newtown      Today is a difficult day on several calendars:  Friday the 13th (which is actually a lucky day for Jews) coincides with the Tenth of Tevet, a minor fast day.  This weekend is also the first anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre - an additional reason to fast (which I am doing right now).  We'll be marking the Newtown anniversary at services both this evening and on Shabbat morning, with special songs and prayers. On Shabbat morning we'll be hearing from Dana Horowitz about her family's harrowing history with gun violence.  You can read more about that in today's Stamford Advocate article about the vigil that took place last evening (see photos on this page) and the Stamford Patch article here.  I had the honor of attending a brief portion of the vigil and can only commend those behind the event, including Dana and Marni Amsellem, for their dedication toward addressing the tragedy of gun violence.  How can we best recall the senseless murders that took place a year ago? The Torah leads us in that direction this week, with a portion where both Joseph and Jacob die is named, literally, "he lived." See Godcast's cartoon summary of Vayechi.  Unlike the Egyptians, who glorified a cult of death, Jews respond to death by perpetuating life and by helping the living. For us this week, propelling the post Newtown world toward life takes us in three distinct directions. 1)     Healing - tonight and tomorrow we'll pray and sing together, and through our tears will emerge some sense of healing. We are all affected so profoundly by what happened last year. 2)     Activism - see the 2013 State Scorecard and see how improved gun laws could really make a difference for public safety.  Connecticut is way ahead of most states, for which we can be proud.  But nationally, there is a long way to go.  And so we ask, what can we do to change our culture of violence? 3)     Acts of Kindness - The people of Newtown have asked that we remember the victims through performing 26 acts of kindness and love, one for each of the victims.  See the Newtown Kindness website, and learn more about the victims on the very moving  Sandy Hook family site. All of these options lead us in the direction of life, affirming and choosing life in the face of death, life after Newtown. Picking up a loose end... Last Shabbat we had a fascinating discussion related to the Torah portion about displacement of populations (in the portion, Joseph did just that to Egyptian farmers).  I made mention of the current proposal to displace Bedouins living in southern Israel, called the Prawer plan.  Well, this week, to the credit of the Knesset, the Prawer Bill was scrapped. Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Joshua Hammerman