Links 8/3/08
August 3, 2008
Links 7/11/08
July 11, 2008
The Reform Movement’s weekly Torah Study page.
Honest Reporting deals with fairness in the international media’s treatment of news stories and issues regarding Israel and her neighbors.
Cause and Effect
May 22, 2008
During the past several years as the new (and soon to arrive!) prayerbook for the Reform Movement was being created, discussions took place regarding a great many aspects of the content to be included. After all, since the earliest expressions of American Reform liturgy began to be published in the early and mid-19th century, considerations of theology, of our beliefs and our faith, shaped the way in which our contemporary patterns of worship have evolved. Certain passages from the traditional siddur, many of which are still included in Conservative and Orthodox worship today, were deemed theologically untenable in the modern age. Such passages included supplications for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, the re-establishment of the Priestly sacrificial rites, the return of the Davidic monarchy, and the ultimate hope for the coming of God’s anointed Messiah. Over time, some passages which were long absent from Reform prayerbooks were once again included (such as the Kol Nidre for Yom Kippur, and the ceremony for Havdalah), while other traditional readings remain absent.
Among the significant questions for the new prayerbook was whether or not to include a section of Torah that appears as a second paragraph of the Shema in Conservative and Orthodox practice (immediately following the V’ahavta (“And you shall love…). The passage, which was again left missing from our newest prayerbook, is a statement of Biblical belief that the prosperity and well-being of our people is directly correlated with our faithful observance of the mitzvot of Jewish life. It is taken from The 11th Chapter of Deuteronomy, and asserts:
“If you obey the commandments that I enjoin upon you this day… I will grant the rain for your land in season, the early rain and the late…I will also provide grass in the fields for your cattle — and thus you shall eat your fill. Take care not to be lured away to serve other gods and bow to them. For the LORD’s anger will flare up against you, and He will shut up the skies so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its produce…”
Although I would not personally lobby for the re-introduction of that passage in our liturgy, I am not so quick to dismiss the notion it presents. True, I do not believe that the laws of physics that animate nature are either suspended or manipulated by Almighty whim or favor. Earthquakes and disease, hurricanes or drought can strike regardless of the moral standing of their victims. And I find particularly abhorrent certain statements of belief such as posit that the destruction visited upon New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for the sins of her citizens; or that AIDS is God’s judgment upon homosexuals.
However, history has taught us, even as the Torah declares, that there is, most definitely, a cause and effect relationship between upright conduct and the overall well-being of a community or nation. And we’ve seen that truth operating, sadly, in these very days, as calamity unfolds in Southeast Asia.
It is true that Cyclone Nagis, which struck Myanmar a week ago (at the time of writing), would certainly have caused great loss of life and property. Yet by far, the greatest cause of the suffering now being inflicted upon the people of that nation, and by far, the most significant reason for the tragic loss of what may in the end total more than 100,000 lives, and which is unfolding into a public health nightmare for well over a million, is the corruption, greed, brutality and callousness of the reigning, military junta. The generals’ deep mistrust and their desire to maintain power and control over the populace has led to the confiscation of sorely needed supplies, the denial of entry visas to relief workers, the refusal to receive assistance from Western nations (including the United States), and a continuing campaign of propaganda designed to show the leaders in a falsely-positive light.
Hopefully, as the days and weeks unfold, aid and assistance coming from around the world will finally reach the affected survivors. But even then, it will be too late to undo the calamity that, for the most part, was the result of human evil rather than catastrophe either natural or Divine. Once again, it’s a matter of understanding the cause and effect.
(Donations for disaster relief can be made by credit card online at www.jdc.org. Checks can be sent to JDC: Myanmar Cyclone Relief, P.O. Box 530, 132 East 43rd Street, New York, NY, 10017)
Another Milestone Birthday
April 18, 2008
Last month, I reflected with you on the personal significance of reaching my fiftieth birthday milestone, and once again this month, I would like to note with special joy another significant birthday, as we prepare to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the establishment of the modern State of Israel. As Reform Jews living in North America, the centrality of our relationship to Israel goes back even further than her modern independence. Although 19th-Century Reformers did not embrace the possibility of the re-establishment of Israel as a homeland for our people, by the early 20th-Century, we had become the first of the contemporary streams of Judaism to declare our support for the modern, Zionist aspirations.
In 1937, a little more than a decade before Israeli independence, and on the eve of the unthinkable destruction of the Holocaust, Reform rabbis meeting in Columbus adopted a Platform which included this declaration:
“In the rehabilitation of Palestine, the land hallowed by memories and hopes, we behold the promise of renewed life for many of our brethren. We affirm the obligation of all Jewry to aid in its upbuilding as a Jewish homeland by endeavoring to make it not only a haven of refuge for the oppressed but also a center of Jewish culture and spiritual life.”
Since that time, two successive statements of the principles of Reform Judaism have been articulated. In recognition of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, a new platform (of sorts) was promulgated, making a yet stronger and more explicit avowal:
“We are privileged to live in an extraordinary time, one in which a third Jewish commonwealth has been established in our people’s ancient homeland. We are bound to that land and to the newly reborn State of Israel by innumerable religious and ethnic ties. We have been enriched by its culture and ennobled by its indomitable spirit. We see it providing unique opportunities for Jewish self-expression. We have both a stake and a responsibility in building the State of Israel, assuring its security, and defining its Jewish character. We encourage aliyah for those who wish to find maximum personal fulfillment in the cause of Zion…”
More recently, the subject of Reform Jewish Zionism was addressed specifically in the document that has come to be known as “The Miami Platform.” Adopted in 1997, the Resolution coincided with the one-hundredth anniversary of the First World Zionist Congress (August 29, 1897). The Platform was dedicated exclusively to the relationship between Reform Judaism and Zionism, and it includes the statement:
“The restoration of Am Yisrael to its ancestral homeland after nearly two thousand years of statelessness and powerlessness represents an historic triumph of the Jewish people, providing a physical refuge, the possibility of religious and cultural renewal on its own soil, and the realization of God’s promise to Abraham: ‘to your offspring I assign this land’. From that distant moment until today, the intense love between Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael has not subsided.”
(The complete text is available on-line at www.ccarnet.org/documentsandpositions/platforms)
Finally, once again in 1999, as the Conference looked forward to the 21st-Century, the commitment to and celebration of Israel came to the fore in the last Platform to be adopted by our movement:
“We are committed to Medinat Yisrael, the State of Israel, and rejoice in its accomplishments. We affirm the unique qualities of living in Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel, and encourage aliyah, immigration to Israel…
“We are committed to a vision of the State of Israel that promotes full civil, human and religious rights for all its inhabitants and that strives for a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors.
“We are committed to promoting and strengthening Progressive Judaism in Israel, which will enrich the spiritual life of the Jewish state and its people.
“We…urge Jews who reside outside Israel to learn Hebrew as a living language and to make periodic visits to Israel in order to study and to deepen their relationship to the Land and its people…”
Thus, we see that just as our people have, since the days of our Biblical ancestors, always experienced a sacred connection with our historic homeland, so, too, as contemporary Reform Jews, we recognize the centrality of that bond. We unite with Jews both in Israel and abroad in celebrating this joyful milestone, 60th birthday, and see the fulfillment of the two-thousand year hope and dream, as expressed in “Hatikva”, Israel’s national anthem: “To be a free people in our land, in the land of Zion and Jerusalem.”
(Note: Yom Ha-atz-ma-ut – Independence Day – is observed this year on May 8th. Our community celebration here on the North Shore will take place on the afternoon of May 4th.)
Reflections on Fifty
March 17, 2008
“Judah ben Temah taught: At five a boy is ready to study Torah, at ten he is ready to study Mishnah, at thirteen he is ready to be responsible for the mitzvot, at fifteen he is ready to study Talmud, at eighteen he is ready to get married, at twenty he is ready to pursue a living, at thirty he reaches full strength, at forty he reaches understanding, at fifty he is able to give counsel, at sixty he reaches maturity, at eighty one reaches strong old age…” (Pirke Avot)
Twenty years ago this month, I was serving as Assistant Rabbi at my former pulpit in San Francisco, and I was in the midst of celebrating my 30th birthday. As coincidence would have it, my Senior Rabbi also was having a milestone birthday - his 50th. It was also a highlight occasion for our Cantor, who was turning 60. The Temple President one evening noticed that if we added up the ages of the three Temple clergy, the sum of 140 represented the precise anniversary of the founding of the Temple itself. Needless to say, a special celebration was planned to mark the occasion, and the “Thirty - Fifty - Sixty” event has gone down in the annals of both the temple and the three of us “birthday boys.”
I remember gently teasing my elder colleagues when it was my turn to take the podium that night: “I don’t want to accuse Rabbi Weiner of getting old,” I said, “but still, you have to wonder why his last three sermons were on the empty-nest syndrome, social security, and Polygrip!”
How is it possible then, that in the blink of an eye, I am now the Senior Rabbi preparing to turn 50? And although my sermon on Polygrip has yet to be delivered, the needling has long since begun! “What goes around, comes around”, so I guess it is payback time in some respects.
Milestone birthdays give us - or should I say, force us - to look backward and ahead as we take stock of the years of our lives. The text from Pirke Avot cited above is a powerful reminder of the steady progress of that journey. It also comes to teach me that, although I am nearer to the end of my rabbinic career than to its beginning, I am only now gaining the fullness of experience and hopefully the accompanying wisdom to offer as guidance for others in their own life’s journey. I hope the years bring with them the gift of insight and discernment, for certainly, every day continues to bring its own unique challenges and opportunities, even as was the case when I was a younger rabbi.
In our Jewish tradition, a birthday is considered to be something of a mini “Rosh Hashanah”; an occasion to gather with family and friends, to learn a bit of Torah, to give thanks to God, and to make some gifts of tzedakah. I am planning all of the above, and I am also looking forward celebrating with all our Temple “family” during our annual Jazz concert later this month. Thank-you to our Temple Brotherhood for honoring me in such a special way.
Now, about that Polygrip…
Links 2/11/08
February 11, 2008
Red Hair, Green Eyes, & Jewish from Reform Judaism Magazine.
Being Honest With Ourselves from Reform Judaism Magazine.
And it’s Good for Our Kids Too…
January 24, 2008
Every two years, at the Biennial gathering of Reform Jewish leaders – men and women, children and adults, clergy, Temple staff and laity alike – the President of the URJ delivers a Shabbat morning sermon during which he outlines areas of particular concern, and specific initiatives upon which to focus during the years ahead. Last month, URJ President, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, continued this tradition, and among other concerns (specifically, healthcare reform and Jewish/Muslim dialogue), called upon our movement to make special efforts to reclaim and intensify the observance of Shabbat in our homes and in our lives. His appeal could hardly be called controversial, for as the central feature of Jewish, religious observance, the perpetuation of Shabbat over the millennia may be the single-most significant factor in the survival of Judaism and the Jewish people.
“Reform Jews are considering Shabbat because they need Shabbat,” Yoffie said. “In our 24/7 culture, the boundary between work time and leisure time has been swept away, and the results are devastating. Do we really want to live in a world where we make love in half the time and cook every meal in the microwave?” “When work expands to fill all our evenings and weekends, everything suffers, including our health,” he said. “For our stressed-out, sleep-deprived families, the Torah’s mandate to rest looks relevant and sensible.” “We are asked to put aside those Blackberries and stop gathering information, just as the ancient Israelites stopped gathering wood. We are asked to stop running around long enough to see what God is doing.”
As it turns out, not long before Yoffie’s exhortation, social scientists publicly began calling for the return of regular family meals, such as Sabbath-observant Jewish families enjoy every Friday evening, as one of the most effective strategies for raising healthy children. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, children who come from homes having regular family dinners are 32% less likely never to smoke cigarettes, 45% likelier never to abuse alcohol, and have a 50% less risk of substance abuse. A recent study from the University of Michigan has demonstrated that having regular meals with their families was a more powerful predictor of success and happiness than time spent in school, studying, church or synagogue, playing sports or arts activities!
Now of course, these benefits are not limited to Jewish families, nor would they disappear if family dinners are held on Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Sundays. But as Jews, we have the perfect model, which also happens to be our most important holiday and observance – Shabbat. In addition, regular Shabbat dinners teach our children the value of commitment, and demonstrate that as parents, that we are serious about our spiritual values.
Shabbat also teaches the importance of rituals, for no matter how lovely a Sunday evening meal might be, the inclusion of lighting the candles, making Kiddush over the wine, breaking the challah, blessing the children, and even singing Shabbat songs, provide a spiritual framework that elevates the practice beyond weekday fare.
I would add that part of what makes the Shabbat dinner unique is the manner in which it comes as the highlight for the entire week. We anticipate the meal throughout the week (and usually have to plan in advance in order to get everyone and everything in place), and then we “dress up” the meal with our nicer settings, cloths, and flowers. The pace of our lives having slowed, the Sabbath meal allows time for conversation, for catching up with one another, and for turning off the noise and distractions. (Maybe that’s why God invented TiVO…)
A century ago, the Jewish essayist, Achad Ha-am, famously perceived “More than the Jews have preserved the Sabbath, has the Sabbath preserved the Jews.” Turns out it’s good for our kids, too. [For more information on Rabbi Yoffie’s Shabbat initiative and related materials for home and synagogue, take a look at http://urj.org/shabbat/]
Drilling a Hole Beneath Our Own Seat
December 20, 2007
A recent article in The New York Times (November 28, 2007) noted the recent growth of independent, lay-led services and gatherings, particularly by young Jews in their 20’s and 30’s, which are taking the place of synagogue life for many of the participants. The article, titled, “Challenging Tradition: Young Jews Worship on Their Own Terms”, described the phenomenon that is appearing across the country:
“In places like Atlanta; Brookline, Mass.; Chico, Calif.; and Manhattan [New York], the minyanim have shrugged off what many participants see as the passive, rabbi-led worship of their parents’ generation to join services led by their peers, with music sung by all, and where the full Hebrew liturgy and full inclusion of men and women, gay or straight, seem to be equal priorities. Members of the minyanim are looking for ‘redemptive, transformative experiences that give rhythm to their days and weeks and give meaning to their lives…’”
Perhaps many would be surprised to learn that my response to the article and to the trend it describes has been mixed, and certainly far from enthusiastically positive. Unquestionably, I applaud the fact that so many Jewish men and women today are seeking new, creative avenues for expressing a vibrant, religious practice. And of course, much of what these young people are seeking is very much in line with the direction of our own congregation, particularly when it comes to inclusive, participatory, and accessible worship and music.
But I am troubled by the “privatization” of such religious gatherings. For while they may certainly fill the needs of the individual participants, they do little to build community, and offer nothing to Jews who may be on the “outside” of these assemblies.
Far too often, I hear members, non-members, and former Temple members alike speak of their synagogue dues contribution in many of the same terms as more properly apply to a yacht or country club, or even a JCC – measuring the value of their donation by their hours of “usage.” They forget that supporting the institution of the synagogue may begin with one’s own, religious needs, but that can never be the end, or even the primary motivation.
Do you believe that all Jews, regardless of financial wherewithal, should have the opportunity to participate in Jewish study and worship? Do you value interfaith cooperation between leaders and laity of different communities of faith? Do you want to feel assured that Jewish men, women, and children have a foundation of support in time of crisis, comfort in time of sorrow, and the provisions to celebrate the joyous occasions in their lives? Only through the institution of the synagogue can these ideals be brought into practice. That’s what you “get” from your synagogue membership — nothing less than realization of these core values – even if your own attendance and participation are marginal.
The problem of abandoning one’s communal obligations and focusing simply on one’s own situation and needs is addressed and illustrated in an ancient Midrash. According to the text, a number of people were floating in a small boat out at sea. All of a sudden, one of the men began to drill a hole under his seat. When the people complain, he answers, “What complaint do you have? After all, I’m drilling the hole under my own seat!” One of the companions answers him, “We are all in the same boat. The hole may be under your seat, but the water that comes in will make the boat sink with all of us in it.” (Leviticus Rabbah 4:6)
So, then, let us continue to seek innovative and inspirational forms of worship and study that will engage our generation and the next, but let us build and create for the entire community, not only for ourselves.
