http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1084574.html - May 11
Study: Quality of Israeli sperm down 40% in past decade
By Ofri Ilani May 11, 2009
The quality of Israeli sperm has declined alarmingly in the last decade, according to recent research conducted at Jerusalem's Hadassah University Hospital, Mount Scopus.
The cause for the decline is not known, but it's believed by some researchers to be connected to the exposure of children and pregnant women to hormones and other contaminants in food and water.
Conducted by Dr. Ronit Haimov-Kokhman, the study showed a 40-percent decline in the concentration of sperm cells among the country's sperm donors from 2004 to 2008, compared to those of donors from 1995 to 1999. Hadassah's sperm bank is now turning away two-thirds of potential donors because of low-quality sperm, as opposed to one-third in the past.
Haimov-Kokhman's research is to be presented today at a conference of the Israeli Society of Fertility Investigation in Tel Aviv.
Kokhman said the study was carried out to test the theory of the director of Hadassah Hospital's sperm bank, Ruth Har-Nir, that sperm quality was in decline.
The research confirmed that in 10 years, the average concentration of sperm among donors declined from 106 million cells per cubic centimeter to 67 million per cubic centimeter. The rate of sperm motility has also declined: from 79 to 67 percent, although the profile of donors did not change over that period; they are still young, healthy and do not smoke.
According to Haimov-Kokhman, the quality of sperm has declined in most Western countries, but in Israel it has been particularly rapid.
"If we keep going at this rate, a decline of 3 million cubic centimeters of sperm cells per year, we'll reach an average of 20 million in 2030. The World Heath Organization defines this as fertility impairment."
Studies showing a decline in sperm quality began to be published worldwide more than a decade ago, along with research indicating a rise in the rate of defects in the male reproductive system.
In Israel, too, a study was published about a year ago, showing an increase of about 30 percent in defects in the male reproductive system. In addition, in the past decade, the number of cases of testicular cancer has doubled.
A number of chemicals in the ground and in drinking water have been identified as impacting hormone levels and secondary sexual characteristics. These chemicals include plasticizers called phthalates, used in food wrappings, cosmetics and a various insecticides. Studies published in Britain have highlighted a clear connection between continual decline in sperm counts and chemicals in the environment.
"I would suggest that a concentration of estrogen in the water is a cause of change, Haimov-Kokhman says, noting that hormones in the ground come from both human and animal waste that reach the aquifer via sewage. "The ground is full of estrogen that produces estrogen-saturated fruits, vegetables and plants."
A study published in Israel two years ago revealed that the high level of female hormones in a stream near Beit She'an, apparently originating from women swimmers who were taking birth-control pills, caused fish to develop female characteristics. However, the researchers say that the level of hormones in the country's main waterways is negligible, and cannot be the source of impairment of the male reproductive system.
"While it's true that the evidence is only circumstantial, even the connection between smoking and lung cancer took a generation to prove," Haimov-Kokhman notes.
Monday, May 18, 2009
What Bibi is Discussing at the White House Today
"Seven Existential Threats to Israel" - Commentary Magazine, by Michael Oren, Israel's new ambasssador to America.
See also:
"For the Sake of Clarity - A Thought Experiment," by Daniel Gordis, Jerusalem Pose, May 15
He was in his 20s, the young man with the question after my lecture. He couldn't have asked it more kindly or gently. Without a hint of cynicism or anger, he expressed what was clearly on the minds of many of the people his age in the crowd: "Can you justify a Jewish state," he wanted to know, "when having a Jewish state means giving up on so many of Judaism's values?"
Here's what he didn't say: Israel is the root of evil in the Middle East. It's the cause of checkpoints, of roadblocks, of a big ugly wall that runs along a border no one has agreed to. The Palestinians are desperate, and in the massive imbalance of power, they have no chance and no hope. Israel is the nuclear bully in a region that, were it not for Israel's existence, would no longer be on the front page. To achieve peace in the Middle East, Israel just needs to be subdued. Break Israel's intransigence, and we'll finally see progress.
That was his unspoken claim, and now it's also the position of the Obama administration. At AIPAC's recent Policy Conference, Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. John Kerry made it clear that for the US to support Israel on Iran, Israel must settle the Palestinian problem once and for all. It has been widely reported that Rahm Emanuel, in an off-the-record session, said precisely the same thing. After decades of tacit agreement that the US would remain silent about Israel's nuclear capability, a State Department official publicly suggested that Israel sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as if, on the eve of Iran's going nuclear and with Pakistani weapons in danger of falling into the hands of the Taliban, Israel's nuclear arsenal is the world's most serious concern.
A new message is afloat - Israel is the problem, and the US has had enough.Even the pope couldn't help himself. His comments about the victims of the Holocaust were so tepid as to be outrageous, but he had no problem calling urgently for an immediate Palestinian state, as if Israelis haven't tried to create one for decades.
The young American Jews in my audience, clearly struggling with the morality of a Jewish state, now have the Obama administration and the pope echoing all their misgivings.
I have no illusions that all this can be changed overnight, but with the upcoming Binyamin Netanyahu-Barack Obama meetings putting Israel into the spotlight once again, I'd like to propose the following thought experiment - at least to these young American Jews, and possibly to Obama himself.
IMAGINE THAT ISRAELIS decide that by Jerusalem Day, this coming week, they want a deal. So we take down the security fence. We remove the checkpoints. We open all the roads, and Gaza's sea and air routes. We agree publicly to return to something closely approximating the pre-1967 borders, and we accede to the demands that parts of Jerusalem be internationally governed, or even put under Palestinian control.
Does this end the conflict? Of course it doesn't. The Hamas Charter calls not only for the destruction of Israel, but for Islamic war on Jews everywhere. (Why do we consistently refuse to believe that Hamas means what it says?) What would change? The noose would tighten. The rockets would be fired from a shorter distance and the demand for the return of refugees (thus ending the Jewishness of the state) would persist. As was the case when Israel left Lebanon in May 2000 or Gaza in the summer of 2005, Israel's enemies would smell a weakened, bloodied state and would prepare for the next stage of their war.
But peace would not have come. Much as we all want this conflict to end, does anyone really doubt that? There is, as honest brokers must admit, nothing that Israel can do to end this conflict.
NOW, HOWEVER, TRY the opposite side of the thought experiment. Imagine that the Palestinians decide that they have tired of the conflict, or their electorate begins its long-overdue rebellion and insists on a settlement. So the Palestinians, Hamas and Fatah, demand everything Israel's agreed to above - an end to roadblocks and the wall, an opening of Gaza, a bridge or a tunnel between Gaza and the West Bank and a return to the 1967 borders. Let's say that they even insist on Palestinian control of east Jerusalem.
But they also recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. They agree to an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities and violence (this is a thought experiment, after all) and insist that any other outstanding issues be negotiated and resolved with the US and the Quartet as intermediaries. And they require Israelis to vote within a month, no longer, on whether to accept the deal.
Will there be Israelis who object? Will there be residents of the West Bank who will resist leaving their homes? Yes, there will be. But would an Israeli plebiscite overwhelmingly approve the offer? Without question. In a matter of weeks, three quarters of a century of bloodshed and suffering would come to an end.
This, of course, is not going to happen, because all the new rhetoric notwithstanding, and all the confusion of today's young American Jews aside, there's always been one party that's sought peace, and another that's rejected it. It was true in 1948, and it was true in Khartoum. It's no less true today.
It's never been up to us, and it's always been up to them.
But this simplistic thought experiment is worth considering not because it can be implemented, but because it brings one unfortunate truth into stark focus. Young American Jews ought to take note: Israel cannot end this conflict. It can weaken itself, but the only way it can bring peace to the region is to go out of business.
If that is what the peacemakers really seek, we'll see that soon enough, with frightening clarity.
See also:
"For the Sake of Clarity - A Thought Experiment," by Daniel Gordis, Jerusalem Pose, May 15
He was in his 20s, the young man with the question after my lecture. He couldn't have asked it more kindly or gently. Without a hint of cynicism or anger, he expressed what was clearly on the minds of many of the people his age in the crowd: "Can you justify a Jewish state," he wanted to know, "when having a Jewish state means giving up on so many of Judaism's values?"
Here's what he didn't say: Israel is the root of evil in the Middle East. It's the cause of checkpoints, of roadblocks, of a big ugly wall that runs along a border no one has agreed to. The Palestinians are desperate, and in the massive imbalance of power, they have no chance and no hope. Israel is the nuclear bully in a region that, were it not for Israel's existence, would no longer be on the front page. To achieve peace in the Middle East, Israel just needs to be subdued. Break Israel's intransigence, and we'll finally see progress.
That was his unspoken claim, and now it's also the position of the Obama administration. At AIPAC's recent Policy Conference, Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. John Kerry made it clear that for the US to support Israel on Iran, Israel must settle the Palestinian problem once and for all. It has been widely reported that Rahm Emanuel, in an off-the-record session, said precisely the same thing. After decades of tacit agreement that the US would remain silent about Israel's nuclear capability, a State Department official publicly suggested that Israel sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as if, on the eve of Iran's going nuclear and with Pakistani weapons in danger of falling into the hands of the Taliban, Israel's nuclear arsenal is the world's most serious concern.
A new message is afloat - Israel is the problem, and the US has had enough.Even the pope couldn't help himself. His comments about the victims of the Holocaust were so tepid as to be outrageous, but he had no problem calling urgently for an immediate Palestinian state, as if Israelis haven't tried to create one for decades.
The young American Jews in my audience, clearly struggling with the morality of a Jewish state, now have the Obama administration and the pope echoing all their misgivings.
I have no illusions that all this can be changed overnight, but with the upcoming Binyamin Netanyahu-Barack Obama meetings putting Israel into the spotlight once again, I'd like to propose the following thought experiment - at least to these young American Jews, and possibly to Obama himself.
IMAGINE THAT ISRAELIS decide that by Jerusalem Day, this coming week, they want a deal. So we take down the security fence. We remove the checkpoints. We open all the roads, and Gaza's sea and air routes. We agree publicly to return to something closely approximating the pre-1967 borders, and we accede to the demands that parts of Jerusalem be internationally governed, or even put under Palestinian control.
Does this end the conflict? Of course it doesn't. The Hamas Charter calls not only for the destruction of Israel, but for Islamic war on Jews everywhere. (Why do we consistently refuse to believe that Hamas means what it says?) What would change? The noose would tighten. The rockets would be fired from a shorter distance and the demand for the return of refugees (thus ending the Jewishness of the state) would persist. As was the case when Israel left Lebanon in May 2000 or Gaza in the summer of 2005, Israel's enemies would smell a weakened, bloodied state and would prepare for the next stage of their war.
But peace would not have come. Much as we all want this conflict to end, does anyone really doubt that? There is, as honest brokers must admit, nothing that Israel can do to end this conflict.
NOW, HOWEVER, TRY the opposite side of the thought experiment. Imagine that the Palestinians decide that they have tired of the conflict, or their electorate begins its long-overdue rebellion and insists on a settlement. So the Palestinians, Hamas and Fatah, demand everything Israel's agreed to above - an end to roadblocks and the wall, an opening of Gaza, a bridge or a tunnel between Gaza and the West Bank and a return to the 1967 borders. Let's say that they even insist on Palestinian control of east Jerusalem.
But they also recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. They agree to an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities and violence (this is a thought experiment, after all) and insist that any other outstanding issues be negotiated and resolved with the US and the Quartet as intermediaries. And they require Israelis to vote within a month, no longer, on whether to accept the deal.
Will there be Israelis who object? Will there be residents of the West Bank who will resist leaving their homes? Yes, there will be. But would an Israeli plebiscite overwhelmingly approve the offer? Without question. In a matter of weeks, three quarters of a century of bloodshed and suffering would come to an end.
This, of course, is not going to happen, because all the new rhetoric notwithstanding, and all the confusion of today's young American Jews aside, there's always been one party that's sought peace, and another that's rejected it. It was true in 1948, and it was true in Khartoum. It's no less true today.
It's never been up to us, and it's always been up to them.
But this simplistic thought experiment is worth considering not because it can be implemented, but because it brings one unfortunate truth into stark focus. Young American Jews ought to take note: Israel cannot end this conflict. It can weaken itself, but the only way it can bring peace to the region is to go out of business.
If that is what the peacemakers really seek, we'll see that soon enough, with frightening clarity.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Craig Taubman Returns to TBE
In the winter of 2000, two things of note occurred: the Pope visited Israel and Craig Taubman came to Stamford. Both visits were historic. The Pope's changed the way Jews and Catholics talk to one another and Craig's "Friday Night Live" changed the way we talk to God. My reactions at the time were strongly stated and somewhat controversial in the cantorial world (see the article here), but I felt that this style of service was the new wave that would soon become normative in the Jewish world. I'm not right about everything (for sure!) but I was right about that.
I was speaking to Craig Taubman about that very topic a few weeks ago, in anticipation of his return here, which occurred last night. I guess Craig comes to Stamford every time a Pope visits Israel. Indeed, the style of communal worship pioneered by people like himself and Debbie Friedman, with many newer variations and spin offs, has now become the standard. Successful congregations everywhere have looked to these new forms as ways of reviving their own staid, stale sanctuaries.
So what could Craig bring us this time around? He already made history the last time. What kind of encore could possibly come after that? After all, the Pope's visit this week was at best anti-climactic, given the historic nature of the prior one. Would Craig's second appearance here also be less memorable?
Well, on one level, things never will be as they were on that cold night in January, 2000. That was our first opportunity to sing unto God this new song. But what we got last night was no less inspiring, perhaps because some of it was so familiar. The walls were shaking at times, not with his voice but with our own voices. We danced - which Taubman told me almost never happens at his concerts - though often on Friday nights. And in fact, for while last night I thought WAS Friday night. Shabbat came one night earlier this week. Craig Taubman gave us an even greater gift than last time: an extra day of Shabbat - one more night to loosen our ties and lose our worries, to smile and enjoy simply being together, to look at the hundreds of people around us and feel like a family, to send off one of our families, the Goldblums, to Israel, with our blessings and love (and quite a bit of cash for tzedakkah), to kvell over our kids in the junior choir and to sing, simply to sing.
He interspersed some new and some old favorites. His most recent creation, a version of Yedid Nefesh, was lovely. We all swayed to the duet of "Hashkivenu" done with the cantor, loved the "Shehechianu" performed with our choir and then he ended with two of my all time personal Taubman favorites, "Shiru L'Adonai, Shir Hadash" and "Master of All Things."
Craig Taubman gave us the chance to bring Shabbat into our lives on a Thursday night. What greater gift could we hope for?
I was speaking to Craig Taubman about that very topic a few weeks ago, in anticipation of his return here, which occurred last night. I guess Craig comes to Stamford every time a Pope visits Israel. Indeed, the style of communal worship pioneered by people like himself and Debbie Friedman, with many newer variations and spin offs, has now become the standard. Successful congregations everywhere have looked to these new forms as ways of reviving their own staid, stale sanctuaries.
So what could Craig bring us this time around? He already made history the last time. What kind of encore could possibly come after that? After all, the Pope's visit this week was at best anti-climactic, given the historic nature of the prior one. Would Craig's second appearance here also be less memorable?
Well, on one level, things never will be as they were on that cold night in January, 2000. That was our first opportunity to sing unto God this new song. But what we got last night was no less inspiring, perhaps because some of it was so familiar. The walls were shaking at times, not with his voice but with our own voices. We danced - which Taubman told me almost never happens at his concerts - though often on Friday nights. And in fact, for while last night I thought WAS Friday night. Shabbat came one night earlier this week. Craig Taubman gave us an even greater gift than last time: an extra day of Shabbat - one more night to loosen our ties and lose our worries, to smile and enjoy simply being together, to look at the hundreds of people around us and feel like a family, to send off one of our families, the Goldblums, to Israel, with our blessings and love (and quite a bit of cash for tzedakkah), to kvell over our kids in the junior choir and to sing, simply to sing.
He interspersed some new and some old favorites. His most recent creation, a version of Yedid Nefesh, was lovely. We all swayed to the duet of "Hashkivenu" done with the cantor, loved the "Shehechianu" performed with our choir and then he ended with two of my all time personal Taubman favorites, "Shiru L'Adonai, Shir Hadash" and "Master of All Things."
Craig Taubman gave us the chance to bring Shabbat into our lives on a Thursday night. What greater gift could we hope for?
Sustainable Torah from Josiah Boyer
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!
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!
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
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