Justice Louis Brandeis said in 1915, "Let no American imagine that Zionism is inconsistent with patriotism. Multiple loyalties are objectionable only if they are inconsistent." At the time, Brandeis was the head of the Provisional Executive Committee for General Zionist Affairs. He and Henrietta Szold, the founder of Hadassah, established a Zionist movement suitable for American Jewry. Whereas European Zionism was all about escaping Europe for Palestine, American Jews saw no reason to abandon a comfortable life in the United States. Brandeis and Szold convinced a skeptical American Jewish community that it was possible to have many loyalties (we would say identities, today). Each of these loyalties makes us better American citizens. The movement of "Philanthropic Zionism" was born in this era of the early 20th century. American Jews did not feel the urgency to leave the States, so they reconciled their loyalty to world Jewry with financial support to reconstruct a Jewish state in our … [Read more...]
A Prayer for the 4th of July
Holy One of Bright Colors, the red, the white, and the blue, may we be showered not only in light this 4th of July, but also with enlightenment. May that enlightenment come in the form of seeking a collective betterment of our American society. On this holiday, though it is not a Holy Day, we celebrate the camaraderie of the delegates to the 13 original colonies. We pray that in modern times the power of these delegates to come together be reflected back to us. Divine Creator, you taught us the holiness of words when you breathed the breath of life into the world. Today we long for words to be used for agreement, for the betterment of this world, for a common goal that benefits not only those with strength in step, but that serves the weak as well. God of Song and Praise, we recall the writing of those longing words for America the Beautiful, "till all success be nobleness, and every gain divine." An Alternative Prayer: God of Celebration, may You protect all who engage in the … [Read more...]
Free Speech Denied in the Torah
In the Torah portion for this week, King Balak of the Amonites hires Balaam, a mercenary sorcerer, to curse the Israelites. For reasons we don't learn from the Torah text, Balaam is able to summon God's power, so if left unchecked, Balaam could do some real damage to the Israelites. Reluctently, Balaam agrees to King Balak's request to curse the Israelites, but whenever Balaam summons the power of the curse, God changes the words from a curse to a blessing. In fact, this is the spot in the Torah where we read blessing, "mah tovu ohalecha ya'akov, mishk'notecha yisrael," How lovely are your tents O' Jacob, your dwelling places O' Israel. God won't allow Balaam to use any curse words, and in fact turns Balaam's curses into blessings. God is regulating free speech! The study of Torah can be simply for personal spiritual fulfillment, but I believe a more powerful approach is to study Torah and use it as a lens through which we evaluate our actions and our beliefs. Whenever we have the … [Read more...]
The End of an Era in Torah and Israel
When Tom Brady left the Patriots…the end of an era. When Oprah left television…the end of an era. When the Spice Girls broke up…the end of an era. When MySpace was no longer relevant…the end of an era. The reign of Bibi Netanyahu….the end of an era. The death of Moses, Miriam, and Aaron…the end of an era. In our Torah portion this week, Chukat, we read about the death of Miriam and Aaron, Moses' siblings; and we read about Moses' imminent death…the end of an era. The era of this journey began many years prior, a few months after Moses' birth could no longer be kept secret, his mother sent him in a basket down the Nile River, with Miriam positioning herself to later see him coming down the water's path. All of this, of course, a carefully planned last shot at keeping Moses safe after the pharaoh's decree to kill all of the boys born to the Hebrews. This was the beginning of the Book of Exodus, and the prelude to Moses leading the Hebrews (later … [Read more...]
From Korach to Antisemitism: Lessons in Giving Feedback
This week, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported a two-fold increase in the number of anti-semitic incidents between May 2020 and May 2021. The ADL cites that most of these incidents involved a connection with Israel or occurred at or around anti-Israel protests and rallies around the United States. The messaging and action of some of these rallies walk and sometimes cross the line of legitimate criticism; they have begun with fair critique of the policy of a sovereign nation but ended with outright Antisemitism. While many people can and should speak up against policies with which they disagree, it is clear that fair critique of Israel often turns into anti-semitic attacks. Likewise, in our Torah portion this week, Korach, a relative of Aaron and Moses, attempts a coup d'etat for the position of High Priest and leader of the people. What begins as legitimate feedback becomes a violent attempt to overthrow Moses and Aaron. Any reader of the Torah can recall that the Israelites … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- …
- 79
- Next Page »