Here's a homework assignment to do before tomorrow's service. Take a peek at the website created by this week's bar mitzvah, Josiah Boyer, as part of his mitzvah project.
You can find it at http://web.me.com/landsrest/josiahs_site/Introduction.html.
Josiah picks up on the notion of the Sabbatical year as described in his portion, and then gives us a complete primer on the topic of sustainable agriculture, something near and dear to him and his family.
The site contains resources for the understanding of Jewish environmentalism (or as some call it, eco-kashrut) and this portion of Behar, along with donation suggestions, related links and a detailed description of Josiah's science project on "whether seeds planted in soil with more nitrogen grow faster and are healthier than seeds planted in soil with less nitrogen, or no nitrogen at all (if possible)."
Is this a science project or a dissertation? Amazing!
Check it out!
Friday, May 15, 2009
TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Lauren Tuckman on Emor
Shabbat Shalom!
In my portion, as you can see, the priests had a very set script. There were lots of rules that they had to follow and very little room for self expression. They were like the actors and actresses of their day, and the presentations they put on were very powerful… but no one ever really thought of them as leaders. Moses was the leader… the priests weren’t.
As many of you know, and the rest of you might be able to guess - I love acting. I go to acting camp and I’ve been in a number of shows, both there and back home, including “Music Man” twice!
I’ve always loved Broadway shows. I went to my first one when I was around the age of three. I’ve been to lots and lots of shows; in fact, just in the past few weeks I’ve seen Shrek and Hair. My all time favorites are Hairspray and 13.
The great thing about both shows, especially Hairspray, is that they talk about the tough choices teens have to make. It’s so important that teen feel free to be able to express who they really are.
The funny thing is, that the actors who are doing this are actually reading SOMEONE ELSE’S WORDS! They are not being themselves at all, but are going according to a script and a director’s instructions.
I also love to dance, and can tell you that the same is true for dancers. We’re dancing to someone else’s music and someone else’s choreography.
The key is to be able to take those words and that choreography and fly with it – to make them your own.
That’s what I try to do when I dance and when I act.
And that’s what a bat mitzvah does too. This morning, I’ve been chanting words written twenty five HUNDRED years ago - and the key is to make them my own. That’s what I’ve tried to do here today.
One way to make those words come alive is through speeches like this. Another way, is through performing mitzvot. For my mitzvah project, I’ve been selling hand-made bracelets to raise money. I designed them and made them myself, with some help from my friends. You can find more about this project in my booklet; I’ll be taking orders all day today.
In my portion, as you can see, the priests had a very set script. There were lots of rules that they had to follow and very little room for self expression. They were like the actors and actresses of their day, and the presentations they put on were very powerful… but no one ever really thought of them as leaders. Moses was the leader… the priests weren’t.
As many of you know, and the rest of you might be able to guess - I love acting. I go to acting camp and I’ve been in a number of shows, both there and back home, including “Music Man” twice!
I’ve always loved Broadway shows. I went to my first one when I was around the age of three. I’ve been to lots and lots of shows; in fact, just in the past few weeks I’ve seen Shrek and Hair. My all time favorites are Hairspray and 13.
The great thing about both shows, especially Hairspray, is that they talk about the tough choices teens have to make. It’s so important that teen feel free to be able to express who they really are.
The funny thing is, that the actors who are doing this are actually reading SOMEONE ELSE’S WORDS! They are not being themselves at all, but are going according to a script and a director’s instructions.
I also love to dance, and can tell you that the same is true for dancers. We’re dancing to someone else’s music and someone else’s choreography.
The key is to be able to take those words and that choreography and fly with it – to make them your own.
That’s what I try to do when I dance and when I act.
And that’s what a bat mitzvah does too. This morning, I’ve been chanting words written twenty five HUNDRED years ago - and the key is to make them my own. That’s what I’ve tried to do here today.
One way to make those words come alive is through speeches like this. Another way, is through performing mitzvot. For my mitzvah project, I’ve been selling hand-made bracelets to raise money. I designed them and made them myself, with some help from my friends. You can find more about this project in my booklet; I’ll be taking orders all day today.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Myths and Facts: The Pope's Visit
While I continue to feel that the Pope's visit can best be judged as another positive milestone within the larger context of improved Catholic-Jewish relations, "Myths and Facts" presents, as usual, a compelling case. I see the points made here and by so many disappointed Israelis this week, but when it comes to the Vatican, it's always best to take the long view. This Pope is clearly not the giant that preceded him, but rather he is the Isaac to Abraham, the one whose job is simply to keep things going, to consolidate the major changes made by his predecessor. I don't see any backsliding here, back to the pre John Paul II days.
Read some interesting reactions on the New York Times Blog, including this from Rabbi Danny Gordis:
The pope’s mistake was that he assumed the role of diplomat rather than religious leader. There was nothing technically wrong with what he said at Yad Vashem. But in choosing such carefully measured, tepid language, he said nothing that an ordinary diplomat could not have uttered. We heard none of the passion, the fury or the shattered heart that is the hallmark of genuine religious courage and leadership.
Read some interesting reactions on the New York Times Blog, including this from Rabbi Danny Gordis:
The pope’s mistake was that he assumed the role of diplomat rather than religious leader. There was nothing technically wrong with what he said at Yad Vashem. But in choosing such carefully measured, tepid language, he said nothing that an ordinary diplomat could not have uttered. We heard none of the passion, the fury or the shattered heart that is the hallmark of genuine religious courage and leadership.
Missed opportunity, no doubt. But was it really a mistake? For a people called upon to judge someone by actions more than words, we're doing an awful lot of analysis of the words. The fact is, he was there, in the Jewish state, speaking of reconciliation between Christians, Moslems and Jews. What can be bad about that?
For another opinion, here is what "Myths and Facts" states:
MYTH
“The pope’s trip to Israel shows that issues between Israel and the Vatican have been resolved.”
FACT
The Catholic Church has had a difficult relationship with the Zionist idea since the early 20th century when Theodor Herzl sought the support of Pope Pius X for a Jewish homeland and was told by the pontiff that “the Jews did not acknowledge our Lord and thus we cannot recognize the Jewish people. Hence, if you go to Palestine, and if the Jewish people settle there, our churches and our priests will be ready to baptize you all.”269
In 1947, the Vatican voted in favor of UN General Assembly Resolution 181 to partition Palestine; however, it did not officially recognize Israel until 1993. Since then, the Catholic Church has taken strides to improve its relationship with the Jewish state, including signing a diplomatic treaty and exchanging ambassadors with Israel.270
In 2000, Pope John Paul II visited the Holy Land and Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to Israel was meant to follow a similar path to foster interfaith dialogue and improve Vatican-Israel relations. Unfortunately, a series of missteps by the pope have shown that past wounds are far from healed.
Pope Benedict XVI was born in Germany and has said he reluctantly became a member of the Hitler Youth during World War II (a Vatican spokesman denied this during the tour and had to issue a retraction after it was pointed out that Benedict admitted it in his autobiography). This personal background made his May 11, 2009, visit to Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial especially poignant. Though his address condemned Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism, many Israelis expected him to go further. Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, the Chairman of Yad Vashem, expressed his disappointment following the speech, “Something was missing. There was no mention of the Germans or the Nazis who participated in the butchery, nor a word of regret.” Though the pope referred to the millions of innocent victims, he did not specifically mention the 6 million Jewish victims.271
The role of the Catholic Church during the Holocaust has long been a contentious issue for Israel and the Vatican. At Yad Vashem, there is a plaque criticizing Pius XII, who was pope from 1939 to 1958, for not doing more to save the Jews of Europe during the Holocaust. The Vatican continues to limit access to archives that might shed further light on the actions of Pius. Furthermore, in 2008, Pope Benedict announced his intention to beatify Pius XII, a high religious honor of the Church that is the last step before sainthood.272 This decision angered some Jews as did his announcement in January 2009, that he was lifting the excommunication of Bishop Richard Williamson, a Holocaust denier who believes that Jews are bent on world domination.273
Israelis hoped that the pope’s visit to Israeli sites and meetings with Israeli officials would be accompanied by positive statements about Israel’s quest for peace and some recognition of the ongoing dangers it faces. Benedict, however, reserved his more political remarks for his tour of Palestinian areas. Speaking to a crowd in Bethlehem, for example, Pope Benedict XVI reasserted the policy of the Vatican on Palestinian statehood. While declaring their rights to a sovereign homeland, the pope lamented Palestinian losses suffered in Gaza. He told a crowd in Manger Square, “Please be assured of my solidarity with you in the immense work of rebuilding which now lies ahead and my prayers that the embargo will soon be lifted.” Though he urged Palestinian youth to resist the temptation to resort to terrorism, he did not condemn Hamas for its acts of terror against Israel that made the embargo on the Gaza Strip essential to halting weapons smugglers and provoked Operation Cast Lead.274
The Palestinians also took full advantage of the propaganda value of the pope’s appearances in the West Bank. Mahmoud Abbas, for example, used the pope’s speech in Bethlehem as an opportunity to criticize Israel’s security fence, labeling it an “apartheid wall”.275 Later, on a visit to a Palestinian refugee camp, the pontiff was photographed in front of one of the few sections of the fence that is actually a wall and lamented that it symbolized the “stalemate” in relations between Israel and the Palestinians. He expressed his wish that the wall would come down soon so that “the people of Palestine… will at last be able to enjoy the peace, freedom and stability that have eluded [them] for so long.”276
In addition to ignoring the Palestinian violence that killed more than 800 Israelis and prompted the building of the security barrier, the pope was also silent with regard to the ongoing persecution of Christians throughout the Middle East and especially within the Palestinian Authority. This was another missed opportunity for the pope to show concern for the plight of his followers.
The decision of Pope Benedict XVI to make a pilgrimage to Israel was a welcome one and did show the distance the Vatican has traveled in the century that has passed since Herzl’s visit to Rome. The acts of commission and omission during the pope’s trip indicated, however, that there is still some distance to go before Israel will have the respect it deserves from the Holy See.
The REAL Israel
I've long been a big fan of Israel 21c, a fabulous site that collects stories about the real Israel, the amazing people, the cultural trends, the scientific achievements.... Like all non profits, Israel 21c is facing severe challenges at the moment. With Prime Minister Netanyahu about to come to America, with all the tensions that are coming to the surface in US - Israel relations, it's important for us all to remind ourselves of the bedrock values and aspirations that the two nations share, and of the unlimited potential of Israeli ingenuity.
Take a look at their website and see why I think it's one of the best.
You can find there fascinating articles like "Unlocking the Secrets of Ancient Wheat" (perfect for this week's eco-oriented parasha), "Music that's safe to drive to" and see new archaeological evidence of "a woman king in ancient Canaan." There's "Making the desert bloom with solar flower power," "From the Galilee to Berlin via opera" and "Israeli scientists spice up chronic pain management " Plus,a new model for helpong those with special needs: "An organic utopia for the mentally challenged in Israel."
Then sample some highlights from their YouTube page. I've included some of my favorites below.
Take a look at their website and see why I think it's one of the best.
You can find there fascinating articles like "Unlocking the Secrets of Ancient Wheat" (perfect for this week's eco-oriented parasha), "Music that's safe to drive to" and see new archaeological evidence of "a woman king in ancient Canaan." There's "Making the desert bloom with solar flower power," "From the Galilee to Berlin via opera" and "Israeli scientists spice up chronic pain management " Plus,a new model for helpong those with special needs: "An organic utopia for the mentally challenged in Israel."
Then sample some highlights from their YouTube page. I've included some of my favorites below.
G-dcast for Behar and Bechokotai
Parshat Behar from G-dcast.com
More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com
Parshat Bechukotai from G-dcast.com
More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com
RE:VERB THIRTY / B'HAR B'CHUKOTAI / REMEMBER
The Holy Father has disappointed many here - Jews, Arabs who were hoping for a spiritual message, but instead encountered a timid diplomacy.
...Silence is sometimes noble and golden, but in this case, the Pope's choice to prefer silence was ominous. The man whose past is murky in regard to this dark chapter in world history - the Pope whose handling of Holocaust Denial among senior clergy has come under international attack - that same man, Pope or not, should not have remained silent inside that tent. Not a word of empathy, responsibility or accountability came out of his thin lips. He stood in silence, choosing to forget or ignore - but everybody else who was there remembered and noted.
See Amichai Lau-Levi's moving and pointed eyewitness account of the Pope's visit to Yad Vashem on the Storahtelling blog.
...Silence is sometimes noble and golden, but in this case, the Pope's choice to prefer silence was ominous. The man whose past is murky in regard to this dark chapter in world history - the Pope whose handling of Holocaust Denial among senior clergy has come under international attack - that same man, Pope or not, should not have remained silent inside that tent. Not a word of empathy, responsibility or accountability came out of his thin lips. He stood in silence, choosing to forget or ignore - but everybody else who was there remembered and noted.
See Amichai Lau-Levi's moving and pointed eyewitness account of the Pope's visit to Yad Vashem on the Storahtelling blog.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Live Lag B'Omer Coverage from Mt. Meron
Lag B'Omer is the Jewish May Day, and a lot more, but nowhere more than on Mt. Meron, near Safed. Some have described it as "Mea Shearim meets Woodstock." Read about Lag B'Omer in this web journey. And while your doing that, take in this LIVE videocast from Arutz Sheva, direct from Mount Meron.
If the embedded video link doesn't work, try clicking here.
Happy Lag B'Omer!
If the embedded video link doesn't work, try clicking here.
Happy Lag B'Omer!
The Pope in Israel: Big News?
Would you believe that the Pope's visit to Israel was not automatic front page news this morning in Israel?
Ha'aretz was the only Hebrew paper today to lead with the Pope's visit. Other major stories over there include the fact that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused a request from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for a meeting (Ma'ariv), US intelligence warnings that Syria has renewed work at the nuclear facility that was bombed by Israel (Yidiot Achronot) and all three papers covered what was the truly biggest story of the day: Sunday night's concert in Ramat Gan of British rock band Depeche Mode, attended by some 50,000 fans.
But the Pope is indeed there this evening, and it is indeed big news. His visit was marked by a full page letter of greeting, published in this morning's Ha'aretz. It was signed by a lengthy list of rabbis and other Jewish leaders, marking the historical nature of the visit in the context of warming Catholic - Jewish relations. I'm glad to have had the chance to sign that letter, which you can see by clicking here.
Everything was going well on this first day of the visit.... until the Pope actually attended things.
He attended a conference supposedly on interfaith dialogue, but was treated to an anti-Israel diatribe instead (see Pope walks out after Muslim cleric accuses Israel of 'slaughter' ). He went to Yad Vashem, where is predecessor distinguished himself with his humility and his willingness to apologize for the Shoah in a handwritten note at the Western Wall. This Pope's public pronouncements have thus far suffered in comparison. But really, how could it possibly live up to emotion of that monumental prior visit?
(See Pope: Holocaust victims' cry still echoes in our hearts) Pope Benedict said "As we stand here in silence, their cry still echoes in our hearts. It is a cry raised against every act of injustice and violence. It is a perpetual reproach against the spilling of innocent blood."
"May the names of the victims never perish and may their suffering never be denied, belittled or forgotten," the pope added, in condemnation of Holocaust denial, a phenomenon that has recently raised tensions between the Church and the Jews when the pope reinstated a bishop who denied Nazis killed six million Jews.
According to Ha'aretz, the pope stressed the importance of preventing such atrocities as the Holocaust, saying "may all the people of goodwill remain vigilant in rooting out from the heart of man anything that could lead to tragedies such as this." "The Catholic Church feels deep compassion for the victims remembered here," the pope continued. "Similarly, she draws close to all those who today are subjected to persecution on account of race, color, condition of life or religion - their sufferings are hers and hers is their hope for justice."
The article adds that the Chairman of Yad Vashem council, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, expressed disappointment at the pope's speech, saying that "there certainly was no apology expressed here."
You can decide for yourself , by hearing the complete speech, just posted on the Yad Vashem site, Yad Vashem site. And here is the complete text, as released by the Vatican. The note he inscribed in the guestbook was a quote from the book of Lamentations (3:22), "His mercies are not spent..." See a photo here. That message may have lacked the oomph of John Paul's, but we haven't seen yet what Benedict will do at the Kotel. Of note is the fact that at Yad Vashem, Pope Benedict did not visit the main part of the museum, where a photo caption indicates that Pope Pius XII did not protest the Nazi genocide of Jews and maintained a largely "neutral position," as reported by the A.P.
Ha'aretz was the only Hebrew paper today to lead with the Pope's visit. Other major stories over there include the fact that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas refused a request from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for a meeting (Ma'ariv), US intelligence warnings that Syria has renewed work at the nuclear facility that was bombed by Israel (Yidiot Achronot) and all three papers covered what was the truly biggest story of the day: Sunday night's concert in Ramat Gan of British rock band Depeche Mode, attended by some 50,000 fans.
But the Pope is indeed there this evening, and it is indeed big news. His visit was marked by a full page letter of greeting, published in this morning's Ha'aretz. It was signed by a lengthy list of rabbis and other Jewish leaders, marking the historical nature of the visit in the context of warming Catholic - Jewish relations. I'm glad to have had the chance to sign that letter, which you can see by clicking here.
Everything was going well on this first day of the visit.... until the Pope actually attended things.
He attended a conference supposedly on interfaith dialogue, but was treated to an anti-Israel diatribe instead (see Pope walks out after Muslim cleric accuses Israel of 'slaughter' ). He went to Yad Vashem, where is predecessor distinguished himself with his humility and his willingness to apologize for the Shoah in a handwritten note at the Western Wall. This Pope's public pronouncements have thus far suffered in comparison. But really, how could it possibly live up to emotion of that monumental prior visit?
(See Pope: Holocaust victims' cry still echoes in our hearts) Pope Benedict said "As we stand here in silence, their cry still echoes in our hearts. It is a cry raised against every act of injustice and violence. It is a perpetual reproach against the spilling of innocent blood."
"May the names of the victims never perish and may their suffering never be denied, belittled or forgotten," the pope added, in condemnation of Holocaust denial, a phenomenon that has recently raised tensions between the Church and the Jews when the pope reinstated a bishop who denied Nazis killed six million Jews.
According to Ha'aretz, the pope stressed the importance of preventing such atrocities as the Holocaust, saying "may all the people of goodwill remain vigilant in rooting out from the heart of man anything that could lead to tragedies such as this." "The Catholic Church feels deep compassion for the victims remembered here," the pope continued. "Similarly, she draws close to all those who today are subjected to persecution on account of race, color, condition of life or religion - their sufferings are hers and hers is their hope for justice."
The article adds that the Chairman of Yad Vashem council, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, expressed disappointment at the pope's speech, saying that "there certainly was no apology expressed here."
You can decide for yourself , by hearing the complete speech, just posted on the Yad Vashem site, Yad Vashem site. And here is the complete text, as released by the Vatican. The note he inscribed in the guestbook was a quote from the book of Lamentations (3:22), "His mercies are not spent..." See a photo here. That message may have lacked the oomph of John Paul's, but we haven't seen yet what Benedict will do at the Kotel. Of note is the fact that at Yad Vashem, Pope Benedict did not visit the main part of the museum, where a photo caption indicates that Pope Pius XII did not protest the Nazi genocide of Jews and maintained a largely "neutral position," as reported by the A.P.
On the plus side, the Pope has already done the impossible, in uniting uniting Israel's far right and Gay communities. Strange bedfellows, indeed.
With all these tempests, we need to look at the bigger picture. The Vatican recognizes the Jewish State, Israel. The Pope pays homage to our martyrs. The path of dialogue is wide open to all who desire it. He desires it.
I'd say, it's been a good day.
Welcome to Israel, Pope Benedict!
Friday, May 8, 2009
Shabbat Will Come Out, Tomorrow (D'var Torah for Emor)
This d'var Torah of mine first appeared in Torah Aura's "Learn Torah With" series, and it's repeated here in honor of the portion, and also in honor of all those who will be participating in the BCDS production of "Annie" this coming week!
It was a "Payoff Moment," one that every parent dreams of having, an instant when all the sweat pays off. For a Jewish parent who takes the Jewish part seriously, that moment often comes when a child does or says something to indicate that s/he is now looking at the world through Sinai-colored glasses. It could happen when the child goes up to read from the Torah for the first time, opens the door for Elijah at the Seder or volunteers to help out at a homeless shelter; but these enacted Mitzvot, however worthy, often lack the spontaneity of the most memorable Payoff Moments.
I've been fortunate to have many such moments, but none greater than the first. My eldest son Ethan was three at the time, and we were looking at a photo taken at his Brit Milah. In that photo, I was standing with my arm around my wife, who was cradling our tightly-swaddled, tiny bundle of joy in her arms. I asked Ethan who was in the picture.
It was a "Payoff Moment," one that every parent dreams of having, an instant when all the sweat pays off. For a Jewish parent who takes the Jewish part seriously, that moment often comes when a child does or says something to indicate that s/he is now looking at the world through Sinai-colored glasses. It could happen when the child goes up to read from the Torah for the first time, opens the door for Elijah at the Seder or volunteers to help out at a homeless shelter; but these enacted Mitzvot, however worthy, often lack the spontaneity of the most memorable Payoff Moments.
I've been fortunate to have many such moments, but none greater than the first. My eldest son Ethan was three at the time, and we were looking at a photo taken at his Brit Milah. In that photo, I was standing with my arm around my wife, who was cradling our tightly-swaddled, tiny bundle of joy in her arms. I asked Ethan who was in the picture.
"That's Daddy…and Mommy," he said, then hesitated a moment while scrutinizing that other thing, and then added proudly, "…and a Hallah!"
Bingo.
Not only was my kid looking at the world through Jewish eyes, he was living on Jewish time. His reality was glazed with the sweet flavor of Hallah and the savory week-long anticipation of Shabbat. His love for the taste of Hallah made the response almost Pavlovian.
We need to be Pavlovian Jews, salivating for salvation day by day, living each moment on the brink of Shabbat, each season on the brink of its redemptive festival. For a Jew, tomorrow is never merely the day after today. Tomorrow is the better day that we are forging, one day closer to redemption, one day closer to an eternal Shabbat. And if redemption does not arrive tomorrow -- to paraphrase that well-known song from the Israeli musical pantheon, "Machar" -- then perhaps it will the day after tomorrow.
Little Orphan Annie is not the first to have extolled the virtues of tomorrow. It's done in our portion. In Leviticus 23:15, we read about the Sefira, that seven week period of counting that takes us seven weeks from Passover to Shavuot. The only problem is, when does the counting begin? The Torah says, "Mi'macharat ha-Shabbat," literally "on the morrow of the Sabbath (Fox)." O.K., so we begin counting the day after Shabbat. Not so fast.
Problem #1: Which Shabbat? The one during Pesach? The one after Pesach? Rashi and others conclude that because no specific Shabbat is mentioned, the word Shabbat is not referring to Shabbat at all.
Come again?
This matter later became a major point of dispute between the rabbinic sages and a heretical sect called the Boethusians, who interpreted the term literally, claiming that the Omer had to be brought on a Sunday, the day after Shabbat, and the counting begin then. Logic might tell us to climb on the Boethusian bandwagon here, but the rabbis faced another dilemma:
Problem #2: When does Shavuot fall? If we're to begin the count always on a Sunday, Shavuot will fall on a different Hebrew date every year. Now we're used to that here in America. Many of our holidays are set not by specific dates but by days of the week (Thanksgiving, Presidents Day, etc.). But Shavuot, as the rabbis understood it, is most analogous to the Fourth of July, which always falls on, well, the Fourth of July, and for good reason. The day marks the birth of America as a covenantal entity. The Declaration of Independence established a dramatic, new relationship between government and governed. It was the birthday of an idea. Shavuot, at least since rabbinic times (though not in the biblical period) marks a similar birth, the ratification of the covenant of Sinai, and it needed a fixed date. The only way to do that was to interpret "the morrow of Shabbat" to mean not Shabbat itself, but rather some fixed date related to Passover.
So, when is Shabbat not Shabbat? Well, some have suggested (e.g. Michael Fishbane, as quoted in Everett Fox' notes) that Shabbat originally meant "full moon," which coincides with the first day of Pesach. Therefore, we begin the counting on the second day of Pesach, on the "morrow after the full moon." But the most widely accepted rabbinic view is to see Shabbat as a verb rather than a noun, as an indication of the act of resting rather than THE day of rest; thus rendering the verse, "on the morrow of the day of resting." The term could refer to any day when we don't work. The day of resting being alluded to here would not be Shabbat at all, then, but rather the first day of Passover, when work also is prohibited.
Lovely. So the rabbis fixed this original hitch in the Jewish calendar by reprogramming the Torah at Shabbat's expense. They solved the world's first Y-Jew-K glitch by manipulating our cerebral software so that the word Shabbat would not be understood as the day called Shabbat. "Just erase that day from your memory banks, members of the Jewry,” the sages are telling us.
Is it just me, or does this form of rabbinic doublespeak bother anyone else out there?
Before we all join the Boethusian foreign legion, let me offer up a compromise solution. Here's a way to have our hallah and eat it too, with some matzah and blintzes on the side.
To quote the entire verse, using the JPS translation, "And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering -- the day after the sabbath -- you shall count off seven weeks." But wait a minute, it doesn't say seven weeks; it says, "Sheva Shabbatot," seven Sabbaths." Not just seven Sabbaths, but seven Sabbaths that are complete (t'mimot). So here's what we've got: elevation, tomorrow, Sabbath, completeness. We hunger for the elevation that Shabbat brings, and the counting, day to day, week to week, tomorrow to tomorrow, makes us all the more complete.
So while we may acknowledge that the counting begins on the second day of Passover, it is a counting that must be suffused with the spirit of Shabbat. All of Jewish time is suffused with that spirit, as we count not in terms of hours, days and weeks, but by the hours, days and weeks that fulfill us only through the experience of Shabbat. And not merely through the experience of this Shabbat, but all the more through the experience of anticipating next Shabbat. To see the world with Jewish eyes is to live by the rhythm of Macharat ha-Shabbat.
My favorite day of the week, bar none, is Friday. Not Shabbat, although I love Shabbat. But Friday is better, because of that anticipation. You can smell it on Friday, especially in Israel, but even here in Galut. My Friday schedule is built around this anticipation. I finish up my weekend preparations as early as I can, visit people in the hospital or local nursing home, buy the Israeli newspapers, and of course, pick up a hallah, and then enjoy some of the afternoon hours with my kids. When I'm really lucky, I have time to take a late-afternoon bath (a Mikvah with bubbles).
Living on Jewish time means always itching for redemption. On a daily basis, that is measured by the intensity of our anticipation for Shabbat. There is nothing better than Shabbat, except for Macharat ha-Shabbat, the anticipation of next Shabbat, something that begins from the moment we make Havdalah on Saturday night and comes to a climax on Friday afternoon. Macharat ha-Shabbat is the courtship, the counting of the days. Shabbat itself is the marriage. Similarly, Passover and Sefira are the time of spring's romance between God and Israel, while Shavuot is when the two get hitched for eternity.
So if you are concerned about how alive Judaism is for your child, grandchild or yourself, hold up a photo of a swaddled infant, cradled in a parent's arms. If you don't begin to salivate, you need to build up that insatiable hunger -- for the promise of tomorrow's Shabbat.
Thank You, Manny!
Manny Ramirez has done me a great favor. No, I don't condone his use of prohibited substances, which resulted in his recent suspension for 50 games. But now, thanks to Manny, I have a better understanding of this week's portion, Emor.
One of the more controversial aspects of this portion has to do with the qualifications of the priesthood. According to Leviticus 21, in order to be able to lead the communal ritual, the priest has to be blemish-free: "...no one with a small defect shall draw near, no one who is blind or lame or has a limb too short or long."
Many a bar/bat mitzvah student has thrown down the gauntlet to me on this subject, questioning why disabilities should disqualify someone from the priesthood. Priests had to be perfect human specimens, representing the best of who we can be. They had to be morally perfect too. I've had interesting discussions over the years as to whether our Presidents would be disqualified from running if they had disabilities - and few believe that FDR could run for office now, in a wheelchair, in this age of TV, and win.
It is important to note that other types of Jewish leaders, ancient and modern, could remain leaders despite impairment. Elsewhere (including last week's portion), the Torah expresses great sensitivity to those with disabilities, imploring us not to place a stumbling block before the blind, for instance, or to insult the deaf.
So what's the Torah up to here?
In a strange way, it seems to be telling us that, since only priests can be "perfect," the rest of us can be forgiven our flaws, both physical and moral. Priests are seen more as divine instruments than human beings (although they are human), following the ritual perfectly but not demonstrating or even needing any other leadership skills.
The closest thing we have today to a priest would not be a politician but an athlete. Athletes represent the best in us - the Olympic ideal of faster, stronger, higher. They look better than us. They earn astronomical salaries. They live lives of glamour, always on the road. They are surrounded by trophies - some of whom they marry. And they are the gladiators who perform our sacred rituals: the killing of the bull in Spain, the first pitch of the Spring and the last touchdown of winter.
If athletes are the priests of our collective rituals, we want them to be perfect too. When they aren't, when they abuse that trust, we can sometimes forgive them, because we are a forgiving species.
But the game is forever tainted. There is nothing that can remove that.
So now a generation who grew up worshipping the likes of the Rocket, Barry, A-Rod and Manny - people so iconic that they don't even need last names - has lost faith and become cynical. If the best of our best, our purest specimens, are tainted, it diminishes the rest of us even more.
Priests could not have a blemish - in Hebrew a "MOOM" derived from a word meaning "black," or "stained." When we look at it from the purely moral perspective, such stains are especially hard to remove. Before Manny and A-Rod can reenter the pantheon, they've got to head to the cleaners. Hall of fame voters are becoming as intolerant as the author of Leviticus.
In light of what these players have done, I now understand the unyielding nature of the priestly image. If someone is going to be held up as a paragon of perfection, that person had at least better be responsible for what substances he ingests.
Instead, Manny was just being Manny.
For which I thank him.
One of the more controversial aspects of this portion has to do with the qualifications of the priesthood. According to Leviticus 21, in order to be able to lead the communal ritual, the priest has to be blemish-free: "...no one with a small defect shall draw near, no one who is blind or lame or has a limb too short or long."
Many a bar/bat mitzvah student has thrown down the gauntlet to me on this subject, questioning why disabilities should disqualify someone from the priesthood. Priests had to be perfect human specimens, representing the best of who we can be. They had to be morally perfect too. I've had interesting discussions over the years as to whether our Presidents would be disqualified from running if they had disabilities - and few believe that FDR could run for office now, in a wheelchair, in this age of TV, and win.
It is important to note that other types of Jewish leaders, ancient and modern, could remain leaders despite impairment. Elsewhere (including last week's portion), the Torah expresses great sensitivity to those with disabilities, imploring us not to place a stumbling block before the blind, for instance, or to insult the deaf.
So what's the Torah up to here?
In a strange way, it seems to be telling us that, since only priests can be "perfect," the rest of us can be forgiven our flaws, both physical and moral. Priests are seen more as divine instruments than human beings (although they are human), following the ritual perfectly but not demonstrating or even needing any other leadership skills.
The closest thing we have today to a priest would not be a politician but an athlete. Athletes represent the best in us - the Olympic ideal of faster, stronger, higher. They look better than us. They earn astronomical salaries. They live lives of glamour, always on the road. They are surrounded by trophies - some of whom they marry. And they are the gladiators who perform our sacred rituals: the killing of the bull in Spain, the first pitch of the Spring and the last touchdown of winter.
If athletes are the priests of our collective rituals, we want them to be perfect too. When they aren't, when they abuse that trust, we can sometimes forgive them, because we are a forgiving species.
But the game is forever tainted. There is nothing that can remove that.
So now a generation who grew up worshipping the likes of the Rocket, Barry, A-Rod and Manny - people so iconic that they don't even need last names - has lost faith and become cynical. If the best of our best, our purest specimens, are tainted, it diminishes the rest of us even more.
Priests could not have a blemish - in Hebrew a "MOOM" derived from a word meaning "black," or "stained." When we look at it from the purely moral perspective, such stains are especially hard to remove. Before Manny and A-Rod can reenter the pantheon, they've got to head to the cleaners. Hall of fame voters are becoming as intolerant as the author of Leviticus.
In light of what these players have done, I now understand the unyielding nature of the priestly image. If someone is going to be held up as a paragon of perfection, that person had at least better be responsible for what substances he ingests.
Instead, Manny was just being Manny.
For which I thank him.
Why do Jews Celebrate Lag B'Omer?
Also see What is Lag B'Omer" (Spiritual Web Journey) from this blog.
Source: MyJewishLearning.com and Jewish Days: A Book of Jewish Life and Culture by Francine Klagsbrun
The explanations begin with the Omer period itself, those forty-nine days that are counted off one by one between the two festivals. This is a time of semi-mourning, when weddings and other celebrations are forbidden, and as a sign of grief, observant Jews do not cut their hair.
Anthropologists say that many peoples have similar periods of restraint in the early spring to symbolize their concerns about the growth of their crops. But the most often cited explanation for the Jewish practice comes from the Talmud, which tells us that during this season a plague killed thousands of Rabbi Akiva's students because they did not treat one another respectfully. The mourning behavior is presumably in memory of those students and their severe punishment.
According to a medieval tradition, the plague ceased on Lag Ba'Omer, the thirty-third day of the Omer. (The Hebrew letters lamed and gimel which make up the acronym "Lag" have the combined numerical value of 33.) As a result, Lag Ba'Omer became a happy day, interrupting the sadness of the Omer period for twenty-four hours.
The talmudic explanation makes most sense when put into historical context. The outstanding sage Rabbi Akiva became an ardent supporter of Simeon bar Koseva, known as Bar Kokhba, who in 132 C.E. led a ferocious but unsuccessful revolt against Roman rule in Judea. Akiva not only pinned his hopes on a political victory over Rome but believed Bar Kokhba to be the long-awaited Messiah. Many of his students joined him in backing the revolt and were killed along with thousands of Judeans when it failed. The talmudic rabbis, still suffering under Roman rule and cautious about referring openly to past rebellions, may have been hinting at those deaths when they spoke of a plague among Akiva's students. Possibly, also, Lag Ba'Omer marked a respite from battle, or a momentary victory.
A completely different reason for the holiday concerns one of Rabbi Akiva's few disciples who survived the Bar Kokhba revolt, Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai. He is said to have died on Lag Ba'Omer.
Rabbi Simeon continued to defy the Roman rulers even after Bar Kokhba's defeat, and was forced to flee for his life and spend years in solitary hiding. Legend places him and his son Eleazar in a cave for twelve years, where a miraculous well and carob tree sustained them while they spent their days studying and praying. When they finally emerged, Simeon denigrated all practical occupations, insisting that people engage only in the study of Torah. For this God confined the two to their cave for another year, accusing Simeon of destroying the world with his rigid asceticism.
But Rabbi Simeon's otherworldliness resonated with mystics in his own time and later, so much so that tradition ascribes to him the Zohar, the key work of the Kabbalah (although critical scholars attribute it to the thirteenth-century Spanish kabbalist Moses de Leon). And in Israel, on Lag Ba'Omer, people flock to the site of his tomb in the village of Meron in the Galilee, near Safed, where they light bonfires and sing kabbalistic hymns. Hasidic Jews follow the custom of bringing their three-year-old sons to Meron to have their hair cut for the first time. (The custom of not cutting the child's hair until his third birthday is probably an extension of the law that forbids picking the fruits of a newly planted tree during its first three years.)
Unrelated to Rabbi Simeon, the kabbalists also give a mystical interpretation to the Omer period as a time of spiritual cleansing and preparation for receiving the Torah on Shavuot. The days and weeks of counting, they say, represent various combinations of the sefirot, the divine emanations, whose contemplation ultimately leads to purity of mind and soul. The somberness of this period reflects the seriousness of its spiritual pursuits. More
See also What is Lag B'Omer? - from Wikipedia…
…and from the classic Jewish Encyclopedia
Source: MyJewishLearning.com and Jewish Days: A Book of Jewish Life and Culture by Francine Klagsbrun
The explanations begin with the Omer period itself, those forty-nine days that are counted off one by one between the two festivals. This is a time of semi-mourning, when weddings and other celebrations are forbidden, and as a sign of grief, observant Jews do not cut their hair.
Anthropologists say that many peoples have similar periods of restraint in the early spring to symbolize their concerns about the growth of their crops. But the most often cited explanation for the Jewish practice comes from the Talmud, which tells us that during this season a plague killed thousands of Rabbi Akiva's students because they did not treat one another respectfully. The mourning behavior is presumably in memory of those students and their severe punishment.
According to a medieval tradition, the plague ceased on Lag Ba'Omer, the thirty-third day of the Omer. (The Hebrew letters lamed and gimel which make up the acronym "Lag" have the combined numerical value of 33.) As a result, Lag Ba'Omer became a happy day, interrupting the sadness of the Omer period for twenty-four hours.
The talmudic explanation makes most sense when put into historical context. The outstanding sage Rabbi Akiva became an ardent supporter of Simeon bar Koseva, known as Bar Kokhba, who in 132 C.E. led a ferocious but unsuccessful revolt against Roman rule in Judea. Akiva not only pinned his hopes on a political victory over Rome but believed Bar Kokhba to be the long-awaited Messiah. Many of his students joined him in backing the revolt and were killed along with thousands of Judeans when it failed. The talmudic rabbis, still suffering under Roman rule and cautious about referring openly to past rebellions, may have been hinting at those deaths when they spoke of a plague among Akiva's students. Possibly, also, Lag Ba'Omer marked a respite from battle, or a momentary victory.
A completely different reason for the holiday concerns one of Rabbi Akiva's few disciples who survived the Bar Kokhba revolt, Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai. He is said to have died on Lag Ba'Omer.
Rabbi Simeon continued to defy the Roman rulers even after Bar Kokhba's defeat, and was forced to flee for his life and spend years in solitary hiding. Legend places him and his son Eleazar in a cave for twelve years, where a miraculous well and carob tree sustained them while they spent their days studying and praying. When they finally emerged, Simeon denigrated all practical occupations, insisting that people engage only in the study of Torah. For this God confined the two to their cave for another year, accusing Simeon of destroying the world with his rigid asceticism.
But Rabbi Simeon's otherworldliness resonated with mystics in his own time and later, so much so that tradition ascribes to him the Zohar, the key work of the Kabbalah (although critical scholars attribute it to the thirteenth-century Spanish kabbalist Moses de Leon). And in Israel, on Lag Ba'Omer, people flock to the site of his tomb in the village of Meron in the Galilee, near Safed, where they light bonfires and sing kabbalistic hymns. Hasidic Jews follow the custom of bringing their three-year-old sons to Meron to have their hair cut for the first time. (The custom of not cutting the child's hair until his third birthday is probably an extension of the law that forbids picking the fruits of a newly planted tree during its first three years.)
Unrelated to Rabbi Simeon, the kabbalists also give a mystical interpretation to the Omer period as a time of spiritual cleansing and preparation for receiving the Torah on Shavuot. The days and weeks of counting, they say, represent various combinations of the sefirot, the divine emanations, whose contemplation ultimately leads to purity of mind and soul. The somberness of this period reflects the seriousness of its spiritual pursuits. More
See also What is Lag B'Omer? - from Wikipedia…
…and from the classic Jewish Encyclopedia
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Michael Oren Chosen as Israeli Ambassador
Michael Oren, who was our 2007 Hoffman Lecturer and who also spoke to our 2005 Israel Adventure group during the Gaza evacuation, has been chosen as Israel's new ambassador to the US. It is a brilliant choice, as Oren is a superb communicator, who understands America and American Jews.
Here is an abstact of a recent article written by Oren for Commentary:
Existential Threats from Iran - Michael B. Oren
Rarely in modern history have nations faced genuine existential threats. Wars are waged to change regimes, alter borders, acquire resources, and impose ideologies, but almost never to eliminate another state and its people. Yet the State of Israel copes with numerous existential threats on a daily basis. The most manifest existential threat from a nuclear-armed Iran emanates from its routinely declared desire to "wipe Israel off the map," and from the fact that cold war calculi of nuclear deterrence through mutually assured destruction may not apply to Islamist radicals eager for martyrdom.
Beyond the perils of an Iranian first-strike attack against Israel, the possibility exists that Iran will transfer its nuclear capabilities to terrorist groups, which will then unleas h them on Israel via the country's porous ports and border crossings. A nuclear Iran will also deny Israel the ability to respond to terrorist attacks: in response to an Israeli retaliation against Hizbullah, for example, Iran would go on nuclear alert. Finally, and most menacing, many Middle Eastern states have declared their intention to develop nuclear capabilities of their own once Iran acquires the bomb.
Israel cannot allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. Israel should work in close tandem with the U.S., supporting the current administration's diplomatic efforts to dissuade the Iranians from going nuclear. But Israel must not allow its hands to be tied - it must remain free to initiate other, covert measures to impede Iran's nuclear program, while continuing to develop the plans and intelligence necessary for a military operation.
The writer is the new Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. (Commentary)
Here's a news release from the Rabbinical Assembly hailing that selection:
New York, NY (May 7, 2009) -- The leaders of the Rabbinical Assembly, which represents Conservative rabbis worldwide, greet the appointment of Michael Oren to the position of Israeli Ambassador to the United States with enthusiasm and a measure of personal pride.
The product of a Conservative Jewish upbringing in New Jersey, Dr. Oren has spoken before the RA at their national convention, most recently in the winter of 2004, right after the publication of his book, Six Days of War. With this award-winning book catapulting him onto the international scene, his incisive articles on Israel became the fodder for sermons, debates and discussions among much of the Conservative rabbinate over the past half decade.
Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, the incoming executive vice president of the RA terms Michael Oren an “iconic figure whose intellect and communication abilities are without peer in contemporary political life. No one today can argue the case for Israel in quite the way that he can,” she reiterated. “Whether in his IDF uniform in front of CNN’s cameras or on the pages of the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times, Michael Oren has been acting as a de facto ambassador for Israel for quite some time.”
At this week’s AIPAC conference in Washington where Dr. Oren spoke, the overwhelming majority of rabbis who were in attendance are Conservative.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” said Rabbi Schonfeld. “On matters of Israel, as well as the other pressing issues of the day, Conservative rabbis predominate in public life. We look forward to working together with Ambassador Oren.”
The official naming of Dr. Oren as Israeli Ambassador to the United States coincided with the announcement of the creation of a first-ever Office of Public Policy for the Rabbinical Assembly in Washington, DC. Rabbi Jack Moline of Agudas Achim Congregation in Arlington, VA, is the director of this office.
The new Public Policy initiative of the RA is built on a five-point agenda which will include Social Justice Partnerships; The Washington Public Policy Office; Israeli Advocacy; Interfaith Work; and Hekhsher Tzedek, a star project of the Conservative movement which is focused on creating an ethical certification process for kosher foods.
It is expected that the head of the Israel Advocacy agenda will be named next week.
The establishment of the RA’s Public Policy office builds on the tradition of the timely and relevant resolutions which are passed yearly by the voting members of the Assembly, typically in the course of their annual conventions. Many of these resolutions have to do with Israel. The resolutions of the RA can be viewed at http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/living/social_action.html.
The Washington-based Rabbi Jeffrey Wohlberg, president of the RA and rabbi emeritus of Adas Israel praised the choice of the Netanyahu government, stating, “Michael Oren is in a league of his own. He is well connected in all the right places, he is a respected scholar of the Middle East and he is part of the Obama generation. And he sprang from our movement. As Conservative rabbis, naturally we share a bit of naches over his appointment.”
Here is an abstact of a recent article written by Oren for Commentary:
Existential Threats from Iran - Michael B. Oren
Rarely in modern history have nations faced genuine existential threats. Wars are waged to change regimes, alter borders, acquire resources, and impose ideologies, but almost never to eliminate another state and its people. Yet the State of Israel copes with numerous existential threats on a daily basis. The most manifest existential threat from a nuclear-armed Iran emanates from its routinely declared desire to "wipe Israel off the map," and from the fact that cold war calculi of nuclear deterrence through mutually assured destruction may not apply to Islamist radicals eager for martyrdom.
Beyond the perils of an Iranian first-strike attack against Israel, the possibility exists that Iran will transfer its nuclear capabilities to terrorist groups, which will then unleas h them on Israel via the country's porous ports and border crossings. A nuclear Iran will also deny Israel the ability to respond to terrorist attacks: in response to an Israeli retaliation against Hizbullah, for example, Iran would go on nuclear alert. Finally, and most menacing, many Middle Eastern states have declared their intention to develop nuclear capabilities of their own once Iran acquires the bomb.
Israel cannot allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. Israel should work in close tandem with the U.S., supporting the current administration's diplomatic efforts to dissuade the Iranians from going nuclear. But Israel must not allow its hands to be tied - it must remain free to initiate other, covert measures to impede Iran's nuclear program, while continuing to develop the plans and intelligence necessary for a military operation.
The writer is the new Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. (Commentary)
Here's a news release from the Rabbinical Assembly hailing that selection:
New York, NY (May 7, 2009) -- The leaders of the Rabbinical Assembly, which represents Conservative rabbis worldwide, greet the appointment of Michael Oren to the position of Israeli Ambassador to the United States with enthusiasm and a measure of personal pride.
The product of a Conservative Jewish upbringing in New Jersey, Dr. Oren has spoken before the RA at their national convention, most recently in the winter of 2004, right after the publication of his book, Six Days of War. With this award-winning book catapulting him onto the international scene, his incisive articles on Israel became the fodder for sermons, debates and discussions among much of the Conservative rabbinate over the past half decade.
Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, the incoming executive vice president of the RA terms Michael Oren an “iconic figure whose intellect and communication abilities are without peer in contemporary political life. No one today can argue the case for Israel in quite the way that he can,” she reiterated. “Whether in his IDF uniform in front of CNN’s cameras or on the pages of the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times, Michael Oren has been acting as a de facto ambassador for Israel for quite some time.”
At this week’s AIPAC conference in Washington where Dr. Oren spoke, the overwhelming majority of rabbis who were in attendance are Conservative.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” said Rabbi Schonfeld. “On matters of Israel, as well as the other pressing issues of the day, Conservative rabbis predominate in public life. We look forward to working together with Ambassador Oren.”
The official naming of Dr. Oren as Israeli Ambassador to the United States coincided with the announcement of the creation of a first-ever Office of Public Policy for the Rabbinical Assembly in Washington, DC. Rabbi Jack Moline of Agudas Achim Congregation in Arlington, VA, is the director of this office.
The new Public Policy initiative of the RA is built on a five-point agenda which will include Social Justice Partnerships; The Washington Public Policy Office; Israeli Advocacy; Interfaith Work; and Hekhsher Tzedek, a star project of the Conservative movement which is focused on creating an ethical certification process for kosher foods.
It is expected that the head of the Israel Advocacy agenda will be named next week.
The establishment of the RA’s Public Policy office builds on the tradition of the timely and relevant resolutions which are passed yearly by the voting members of the Assembly, typically in the course of their annual conventions. Many of these resolutions have to do with Israel. The resolutions of the RA can be viewed at http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/living/social_action.html.
The Washington-based Rabbi Jeffrey Wohlberg, president of the RA and rabbi emeritus of Adas Israel praised the choice of the Netanyahu government, stating, “Michael Oren is in a league of his own. He is well connected in all the right places, he is a respected scholar of the Middle East and he is part of the Obama generation. And he sprang from our movement. As Conservative rabbis, naturally we share a bit of naches over his appointment.”
TBE Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary: Alex Weinberg on Kedoshim
Shabbat Shalom!
My double portion of Acharay Mot – Kedoshim contains some of the most important laws found in the entire Torah, but one of them seems a little out of place. In chapter 19, verse 11, it says, “Lo Tignohvu v’lo te-hach-shoo v’lo tir-shak-eru eesh ba-amito." “You shall not steal, you shall not deal deceitfully or falsely with another.” Commentators note that the instruction not to steal is already found in the Ten Commandments, so why repeat it here?
Ibn Ezra suggests that “stealing” here refers to the prior verse. Where we are told to leave the corners of our field for the poor. If we don’t do that, then we are, in effect, stealing from them. The things that grow in those corners are not really ours to keep, even if they are growing on our property.
The 11th century commentator Joseph Kara states that we are commanded to help the poor find enough to eat so that they will be not be driven to steal. Rambam went one step further, saying that the highest level of tzedakkah is to find someone a job, so they won’t need to receive charity any more, much less to have to steal.
Tzedakkah has been a topic that has really interested me lately, since I became part of the community’s Teen Tzedakkah Foundation Council program at the JCC. In Teen Tzedakkah Foundation Council, the kids research different charities and then decide as a group, which ones to support, using money that we raise through our own donations and matching gifts.
The whole process is a lot of fun, especially when we get to choose.
So I thought I might give all of you here today a little taste of what it’s like with a brand new reality show:
Welcome to today’s edition of “Choose Your Tzedakkah!”
Today we’ll get to decide among the top three candidates. I’ll describe them all and then you get to text your vote to 1-800-Mitzvah! No, just kidding, we won’t be doing any texting.
So here they are, the three finalists:
· The Koby Mandell Foundation
· Friends of Yemin Orde
· Chai Lifeline
Now, I’ll tell you a little about each of them. Keep in mind that I’ll be donating part of my bar mitzvah money to the winning charity! It’s all up to you.
Each of these three causes is very worthy, which is what makes Teen Tzedakkah so challenging as well as fun. It’s like when the UJF or United Way have to make some tough choices about how much money to give to different places. It’s even harder this year, when so many people are out of work or don’t have as much to give.
The Koby Mandell foundation helps families in Israel who are harmed by terrorism. It is named in memory of a child who was killed by terrorists in 2001, when he was just 13 years old. Some of these kids attend Camp Koby, which helps them to receive the special care that they need while also enabling them to have a fun camp experience. The experience doesn’t stop there retreats help grieving families become stronger despite obstacles.
Yemin Orde is a youth village in northern Israel which is home to more than 500 immigrants, disadvantaged and at-risk children and youth from 20 countries around the world. many of them survivors of trauma and displacement. Many of the programs at Yemin Orde are designed to rebuild the self-esteem and self-confidence of the children as many of them are survivors of trauma and displacement. Yemin Orde is particularly known for its work with the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel.
Since 1987, Chai Lifeline’s programs address the emotional, social, and financial needs of seriously ill children, their families, and communities, here in America. One project of theirs is Camp Simcha in Gen Spey New York, which offers children and teens a chance to forget about illness for a while and enjoy all the fun that camp has to offer.
So what will it be? Koby Mandell, Yemin Orde or Chai Lifeline? We can only pick one!
In the bar mitzvah booklet, you’ll find three little pieces of colored paper. You can see that the basket is going around the room. If your choice is Koby, put the Green piece of paper in the basket. If your choice is Yemin Orde, put the Yellow paper in the basket. And if you prefer Chai Lifeline, put the WHITE paper in the basket.
We’ll see which one wins, and that will be the tzedakkah that I will choose!
THE FINAL RESULTS (TABULATED AFTER SERVICES):
Koby Mandell Foundation -54 votes
Chai Lifeline -33
Yemin Orde - 27
There are many other charities that we could have chosen, of course. But I hope this gave you a taste of what it’s like. Now that I am a bar mitzvah, I realize that it’s not a matter of choice for me at all whether or not to give tzedakkah. It’s part of my responsibilities as a Jew.
My double portion of Acharay Mot – Kedoshim contains some of the most important laws found in the entire Torah, but one of them seems a little out of place. In chapter 19, verse 11, it says, “Lo Tignohvu v’lo te-hach-shoo v’lo tir-shak-eru eesh ba-amito." “You shall not steal, you shall not deal deceitfully or falsely with another.” Commentators note that the instruction not to steal is already found in the Ten Commandments, so why repeat it here?
Ibn Ezra suggests that “stealing” here refers to the prior verse. Where we are told to leave the corners of our field for the poor. If we don’t do that, then we are, in effect, stealing from them. The things that grow in those corners are not really ours to keep, even if they are growing on our property.
The 11th century commentator Joseph Kara states that we are commanded to help the poor find enough to eat so that they will be not be driven to steal. Rambam went one step further, saying that the highest level of tzedakkah is to find someone a job, so they won’t need to receive charity any more, much less to have to steal.
Tzedakkah has been a topic that has really interested me lately, since I became part of the community’s Teen Tzedakkah Foundation Council program at the JCC. In Teen Tzedakkah Foundation Council, the kids research different charities and then decide as a group, which ones to support, using money that we raise through our own donations and matching gifts.
The whole process is a lot of fun, especially when we get to choose.
So I thought I might give all of you here today a little taste of what it’s like with a brand new reality show:
Welcome to today’s edition of “Choose Your Tzedakkah!”
Today we’ll get to decide among the top three candidates. I’ll describe them all and then you get to text your vote to 1-800-Mitzvah! No, just kidding, we won’t be doing any texting.
So here they are, the three finalists:
· The Koby Mandell Foundation
· Friends of Yemin Orde
· Chai Lifeline
Now, I’ll tell you a little about each of them. Keep in mind that I’ll be donating part of my bar mitzvah money to the winning charity! It’s all up to you.
Each of these three causes is very worthy, which is what makes Teen Tzedakkah so challenging as well as fun. It’s like when the UJF or United Way have to make some tough choices about how much money to give to different places. It’s even harder this year, when so many people are out of work or don’t have as much to give.
The Koby Mandell foundation helps families in Israel who are harmed by terrorism. It is named in memory of a child who was killed by terrorists in 2001, when he was just 13 years old. Some of these kids attend Camp Koby, which helps them to receive the special care that they need while also enabling them to have a fun camp experience. The experience doesn’t stop there retreats help grieving families become stronger despite obstacles.
Yemin Orde is a youth village in northern Israel which is home to more than 500 immigrants, disadvantaged and at-risk children and youth from 20 countries around the world. many of them survivors of trauma and displacement. Many of the programs at Yemin Orde are designed to rebuild the self-esteem and self-confidence of the children as many of them are survivors of trauma and displacement. Yemin Orde is particularly known for its work with the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel.
Since 1987, Chai Lifeline’s programs address the emotional, social, and financial needs of seriously ill children, their families, and communities, here in America. One project of theirs is Camp Simcha in Gen Spey New York, which offers children and teens a chance to forget about illness for a while and enjoy all the fun that camp has to offer.
So what will it be? Koby Mandell, Yemin Orde or Chai Lifeline? We can only pick one!
In the bar mitzvah booklet, you’ll find three little pieces of colored paper. You can see that the basket is going around the room. If your choice is Koby, put the Green piece of paper in the basket. If your choice is Yemin Orde, put the Yellow paper in the basket. And if you prefer Chai Lifeline, put the WHITE paper in the basket.
We’ll see which one wins, and that will be the tzedakkah that I will choose!
THE FINAL RESULTS (TABULATED AFTER SERVICES):
Koby Mandell Foundation -54 votes
Chai Lifeline -33
Yemin Orde - 27
There are many other charities that we could have chosen, of course. But I hope this gave you a taste of what it’s like. Now that I am a bar mitzvah, I realize that it’s not a matter of choice for me at all whether or not to give tzedakkah. It’s part of my responsibilities as a Jew.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Three Initiatives and 10,000 Doors
It was Albert Einstein who said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."
This philosophy has guided Jews through many turbulent times. The Talmud records one rabbi laughing jovially while walking on the embers of the destroyed Second Temple because, within the destruction, he could envision the seeds of a future restoration. Jewish history is replete with examples of how, in the words of Psalm 118, the stone cast aside by the builders later becomes the cornerstone of something bigger and better.
So it is that during these very trying times, our leadership has not stood still. Acting wisely, deliberately and with fiscal conscientiousness, the Board of Trustees has initiated three projects that will have a long-term positive impact on Beth El and the entire community. Any of these three would alone merit headlines, but taken together, they represent a visionary outlook that will set us up well to take advantage of the many challenges that will remain long after the recession has receded.
The three initiatives are:
1) The renovation of our social hall
2) The creation of a new senior position of Programming Director (and we’ve hired a superb candidate to fill that position in Ariela Pelaia).
3) The decision to open a nursery school in the fall of 2010.
All three initiatives were studied carefully at the committee level and were approved overwhelmingly by the board. There are many people who deserve our gratitude for their hard work and due diligence in enabling these dreams to become reality; a special thank you to Gary Gladstein and Judi Schnelwar Gladstein z’l, who have been the driving force behind the social hall project.
I’ll leave it to others to go into greater detail about the three projects; in this space I’d simply like to share some reflections on what, cumulatively, these initiatives will help us accomplish:
1) We’ll be able to be a full-service synagogue as never before, touching the lives of our congregants “from womb to tomb” with quality programs. The portfolio of our Programming Director will include singles, young couples, teens and interfaith families, helping us to build on the successes we’ve had this year in attracting these groups to programs like the acclaimed “Kosher Sex” series, Shabbat @ Home and, beginning this May, our much anticipated Shabbat potluck dinners. We’ll also be able to build on the fantastic outreach programs we’ve provided for those seeking employment, and the major successes we’ve had at drawing empty nesters and retirees to lectures and Synaplex events. Never before has our synagogue been so relevant to so many in need.
2) Young families will have a greater opportunity to affiliate affordably with a synagogue while enrolling their children in a Jewish nursery school of the highest quality. National surveys show that only half of Jewish families send their kids to a Jewish preschool. There are excellent ones already in our community, but these statistics and anecdotal evidence tell us that there are large numbers of Jewish families out there to draw in, many of whom will be attracted to the particular blend of tradition, openness and inclusiveness that Conservative Judaism offers. There are many Jews moving from other places where nursery schools and synagogues are synonymous, who want their children to have the experience of seeing the rabbi and cantor visit their child's classroom regularly and take them into a sanctuary, where they can be amazed at the glittering Torahs and majestic ark. We'll be the first synagogue in Stamford to provide them with that opportunity. And I can't wait!
3) With the best facility for Kosher celebrations in this area (and one of the few of this size in the entire tri-state region), combined with our priceless sanctuary and the marketing expertise of Steve Lander, the new social hall will generate the outside income necessary to sustain our growth without adding costs.
4) These initiatives will solidify our reputation for cutting-edge innovation, making Judaism come alive on every level. Ironically, in welcoming Craig Taubman back this month for the Cantor’s Concert (I hope to see everyone there!), we are celebrating that very fact. For it was Taubman’s last visit, his first-ever NY area “Friday Night Live” in January 2000, that changed us forever. On that night we experienced the chance to “Sing unto Adonai a New Song,” and we encountered ancient prayers as if for the first time. Taubman’s visit made us a more vibrant congregation (see the seminal article I wrote immediately following his visit). That’s good for Stamford, for the Conservative movement, Israel and ultimately for everyone. The world needs a vibrant Jewish people.
5) The ripple effect of these initiatives will buoy membership, Hebrew School enrollment and fundraising; but this is less about numbers than it is about mission, less about the sustainability of a single institution than long-term viability of the Jewish people. It’s as simple as this: the more we thrive, the more Jews will move here. The more we reach out to untapped sources of the unaffiliated, as only we can, the stronger our little corner of the Jewish universe will be. The more we demonstrate to the world the warmth of our pluralistic vision, the purity of our ethical values, the authenticity of our strivings, the better our entire community will be. For ours to be truly a model Jewish community, we need an excellent JCC, and superb federation and JFS, scintillating schooling alternatives - and the best possible Orthodox, Reform and Conservative congregations. We’ve come a long way toward that goal in recent years. Just look around you! Now we need to do our part, to make TBE as great as it can possibly be.
I’m pleased that we have partnered with so many local Jewish organizations this year on so many vital causes; we are committed to continuing to do so. I look forward to building on our partnering successes as we move ahead in this rapidly changing landscape, forging together a Jewish community with multiple gateways of entry, replete with a warmth derived from a sense of interdependence and common vision.
You might have seen a magnificent new marketing campaign by the United Methodist Church called "10,000 Doors" "What if a church wasn't a building," the campaign asks, "but thousands of doors?" The same can be said for a synagogue, and for a Jewish community. The more gateways, the better. The more people saying "Welcome! Please come in!" the better. For too long, synagogues have been waiting for families to find their way in. Now we are committing ourselves to seeking out those families, some of whom may be seeking us without even knowing it.
Our new programming director, renovated social hall and the Temple Beth El Nursery School will go far to making that vision of 10,000 doors come to fruition, not just for Temple Beth El, but for our entire community.
I'm so proud of our leadership and our membership for having the strength of spirit and unified vision that have been forged by President Gary Lessen.
Yes, In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
This philosophy has guided Jews through many turbulent times. The Talmud records one rabbi laughing jovially while walking on the embers of the destroyed Second Temple because, within the destruction, he could envision the seeds of a future restoration. Jewish history is replete with examples of how, in the words of Psalm 118, the stone cast aside by the builders later becomes the cornerstone of something bigger and better.
So it is that during these very trying times, our leadership has not stood still. Acting wisely, deliberately and with fiscal conscientiousness, the Board of Trustees has initiated three projects that will have a long-term positive impact on Beth El and the entire community. Any of these three would alone merit headlines, but taken together, they represent a visionary outlook that will set us up well to take advantage of the many challenges that will remain long after the recession has receded.
The three initiatives are:
1) The renovation of our social hall
2) The creation of a new senior position of Programming Director (and we’ve hired a superb candidate to fill that position in Ariela Pelaia).
3) The decision to open a nursery school in the fall of 2010.
All three initiatives were studied carefully at the committee level and were approved overwhelmingly by the board. There are many people who deserve our gratitude for their hard work and due diligence in enabling these dreams to become reality; a special thank you to Gary Gladstein and Judi Schnelwar Gladstein z’l, who have been the driving force behind the social hall project.
I’ll leave it to others to go into greater detail about the three projects; in this space I’d simply like to share some reflections on what, cumulatively, these initiatives will help us accomplish:
1) We’ll be able to be a full-service synagogue as never before, touching the lives of our congregants “from womb to tomb” with quality programs. The portfolio of our Programming Director will include singles, young couples, teens and interfaith families, helping us to build on the successes we’ve had this year in attracting these groups to programs like the acclaimed “Kosher Sex” series, Shabbat @ Home and, beginning this May, our much anticipated Shabbat potluck dinners. We’ll also be able to build on the fantastic outreach programs we’ve provided for those seeking employment, and the major successes we’ve had at drawing empty nesters and retirees to lectures and Synaplex events. Never before has our synagogue been so relevant to so many in need.
2) Young families will have a greater opportunity to affiliate affordably with a synagogue while enrolling their children in a Jewish nursery school of the highest quality. National surveys show that only half of Jewish families send their kids to a Jewish preschool. There are excellent ones already in our community, but these statistics and anecdotal evidence tell us that there are large numbers of Jewish families out there to draw in, many of whom will be attracted to the particular blend of tradition, openness and inclusiveness that Conservative Judaism offers. There are many Jews moving from other places where nursery schools and synagogues are synonymous, who want their children to have the experience of seeing the rabbi and cantor visit their child's classroom regularly and take them into a sanctuary, where they can be amazed at the glittering Torahs and majestic ark. We'll be the first synagogue in Stamford to provide them with that opportunity. And I can't wait!
3) With the best facility for Kosher celebrations in this area (and one of the few of this size in the entire tri-state region), combined with our priceless sanctuary and the marketing expertise of Steve Lander, the new social hall will generate the outside income necessary to sustain our growth without adding costs.
4) These initiatives will solidify our reputation for cutting-edge innovation, making Judaism come alive on every level. Ironically, in welcoming Craig Taubman back this month for the Cantor’s Concert (I hope to see everyone there!), we are celebrating that very fact. For it was Taubman’s last visit, his first-ever NY area “Friday Night Live” in January 2000, that changed us forever. On that night we experienced the chance to “Sing unto Adonai a New Song,” and we encountered ancient prayers as if for the first time. Taubman’s visit made us a more vibrant congregation (see the seminal article I wrote immediately following his visit). That’s good for Stamford, for the Conservative movement, Israel and ultimately for everyone. The world needs a vibrant Jewish people.
5) The ripple effect of these initiatives will buoy membership, Hebrew School enrollment and fundraising; but this is less about numbers than it is about mission, less about the sustainability of a single institution than long-term viability of the Jewish people. It’s as simple as this: the more we thrive, the more Jews will move here. The more we reach out to untapped sources of the unaffiliated, as only we can, the stronger our little corner of the Jewish universe will be. The more we demonstrate to the world the warmth of our pluralistic vision, the purity of our ethical values, the authenticity of our strivings, the better our entire community will be. For ours to be truly a model Jewish community, we need an excellent JCC, and superb federation and JFS, scintillating schooling alternatives - and the best possible Orthodox, Reform and Conservative congregations. We’ve come a long way toward that goal in recent years. Just look around you! Now we need to do our part, to make TBE as great as it can possibly be.
I’m pleased that we have partnered with so many local Jewish organizations this year on so many vital causes; we are committed to continuing to do so. I look forward to building on our partnering successes as we move ahead in this rapidly changing landscape, forging together a Jewish community with multiple gateways of entry, replete with a warmth derived from a sense of interdependence and common vision.
You might have seen a magnificent new marketing campaign by the United Methodist Church called "10,000 Doors" "What if a church wasn't a building," the campaign asks, "but thousands of doors?" The same can be said for a synagogue, and for a Jewish community. The more gateways, the better. The more people saying "Welcome! Please come in!" the better. For too long, synagogues have been waiting for families to find their way in. Now we are committing ourselves to seeking out those families, some of whom may be seeking us without even knowing it.
Our new programming director, renovated social hall and the Temple Beth El Nursery School will go far to making that vision of 10,000 doors come to fruition, not just for Temple Beth El, but for our entire community.
I'm so proud of our leadership and our membership for having the strength of spirit and unified vision that have been forged by President Gary Lessen.
Yes, In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
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