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...]
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein, who was a committed Jew, is once reported to have said, "I wish that I was not born a Jew, so that I could have the privilege of choosing Judaism (as a convert)." Yesterday, I had the privilege to sit on a beit din (rabbinic tribunal) with Rabbi Craig Lewis (Mitzpah Congregation, Chattanooga, TN) and Rabbi Alex Shuval-Weiner (Beth Tikvah) for a husband and wife who were converting to Judaism. Their journey to the mikveh began more than a decade ago, and involved years of study, serious soul-searching about what they believed, and what they were looking for out of life. For religion, ultimately, is something that is intensely personal. The biblical model of folks who seek conversion to Judaism is our matriarch, Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite, yet with a sense of faith and loyalty, she followed her Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi, out of famine-struck Moab back to Israel. Unsure about what type of welcome they would receive, and what type of life they could expect, Naomi … [Read more...]
Memory vs. History
Jews don't have history, they have memory. This is the claim made by Avram Infeld, a thought-leader in the Jewish world today. Even the word for history in Hebrew is toldote תולדות-the root of this word is the same as the word for birth, child, son, daughter, and children. When we speak about the "history" of the Jewish people, we are talking about the shared memory of our family. Whereas in Hebrew "American History" is called historia amerikanit, the subject of Jewish history is called "toldote Yisrael." When we learn the stories of our people, we are supposed to relate to it as though it was our own memory. This goes all the way back to the Pesach Seder with the commandment to see ourselves as though we were the ones who left Egypt. Jewish history-or memory-calls for us to see ourselves as the next link in the chain, a part of a grand tradition of storytelling that leads to feelings of mutual love and respect, a connection spanning space and time. Here we are, approaching another … [Read more...]
Piercing The Fog
In his book, God In Search Of Man, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel relays a Hassidic parable: One day, a man was hiking on the cliffs overlooking the deep bay. In the distance, industrial boats came and went. Even though they looked tiny from this distance, the man knew that they were massive. While walking, he came upon a young boy, who was standing at the edge of the cliff, gazing out into the bay, as if looking for something. Concerned for his safety, the man asked the boy, "What are you doing so close to the edge?" The boy smiled, and took out his red handkerchief, and began to wave it up and down. Clearly he was trying to get the attention of one of the busy boats in the distance. "I'm signaling to that big boat out there to sound its horn." "Those boats are too far away to see you," said the man, "and the people working on them are super busy. Now, please, come away from the edge before you hurt yourself." Just then, to the man's astonishment, a piercing fog horn sounded, as … [Read more...]
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