This week’s parshah, Vayechi, contains the last chapters in Genesis that describe Jacob’s blessings to his sons from his deathbed. Remember, because Joseph had interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and saved Egypt (and his family) from famine, Pharaoh rewarded Joseph by allowing his entire family to immigrate to Egypt and granted them land. As the years went by, life went on, and Joseph married a nice Egyptian girl by the name of Asenath. Together they had two boys, Ephraim & Menasha. From his deathbed, Jacob called for his two grandsons, whom he had never met. When the two boys approached him with their father, Joseph, Jacob exclaimed, ‘mi aleh?’/Who are these two guys? For you see, to old Jacob, his grandsons did not ‘look Jewish’. They did not dress like Jews, but rather like Egyptians. They did not speak ‘Jewish’, but rather Egyptian. Even their mannerisms were foreign to Jacob. This makes sense as the boys were born in Egypt to an Egyptian mother. They had grown up in the … [Read more...]
Spilt Tea and Self Esteem
Last week I officially learned what it means to “spill the tea.” No, I didn’t spill anything in the tea corner of my office, but I did learn that it is “what the kids say” these days when they are referring to gossip. Despite best efforts, gossip still rules the halls of middle schools, high schools, and probably office halls as well. Like I said, this was last week, when some dedicated and kind 7th-graders made sure that Rabbi Max and I stayed “up” on our teenage lingo. The conversation inspired the small teaching I brought to them this week for our Club 7-8 event (a program where 7th and 8th graders gather once a month to hang out with friends and talk about the things that matter in their lives). What was the magical teaching that opened the kind souls of our 7th graders to steer away from spilling the tea and into opening their souls? It was the study of Mussar. As one of my middle schoolers defined it, “Mussar is a spiritual discipline for the soul.” It’s a guide for living … [Read more...]
What was the miracle?
For more than 1,000 years, the dreidels that Jews spun around the globe had the same four letters on them: ‘nun’, ‘gimel’, ‘Heh’, ‘shin’. These were an acronym for the Hebrew words – Nes Gadol Hiya Sham, A great Miracle Happened There. Some say it was the miracle of the oil, others say it was the military miracle of the Macabees success. But then, in 1948, a new dreidle appeared on the scene that did not have a ‘shin’, but rather a ‘peh’. For with the recreation of the modern state of Israel, the new Jews living in the land adapted the motto to Nes Gadol Hiya Po (with the letter Peh). For once again, for the first time in millennia, Jews had sovereign control of the same land for which our ancestors had fought. And with this change of letter, there was a subtle third option of what miracle we were spinning dreidel for: the State of Israel itself. Hundreds of Jewish generations prayed for it, teenagers left the Pale of Settlement to drain swamps for it, and our sons and … [Read more...]
Hanukkah at the Governor’s Mansion
There is a particular mitzvah associated with Hanukkah, and that is placing our lit menorah somewhere that is visible to the street. (T. Bavli Shabbat 21b) The idea behind this mitzvah is that we are confirming that we Jews are here, that we are proud to be part of our local community, and that we aim to bring light into the world. It’s a beautiful message for us to remember, and for the world to hear. As the nights get darkest, amid a sea of Christmas, each year Temple Emanu-El has the honor (and the responsibility) of creating a ‘Hanukkah’ display at the Georgia Governor’s mansion. We show up in numbers, our children’s choir gives a concert (so cute) for the Governor and spouse and, with an inspired Hanukkah message, we present them gifts for kids who need them. Our display changes year to year, always based on the ‘theme’ determined for all the holiday displays by the mansion staff. But always our Temple Emanu-El creation prominently affirms that we Jews are here in … [Read more...]
What a Japanese Artist Taught Me About My Judaism and Thanksgiving
I took a field trip to The High Museum of Art on Tuesday morning to experience the Yoyai Kusama “Infinity Mirror Rooms” exhibit. Written on the wall was the following instruction: look for the recurring motif of peering eyes, awakened to the wonders of time and space: reminders that we are not alone in the universe but, instead, are surrounded by memories, souls, and spirits.” The experience of walking through these seven rooms reminded me of a chassidic lesson taught by Rabbi Simcha Bunam who instructed his students to write out two scrolls and put one in each pocket. On the first, the rabbi instructed them to write, “I am but dust and ashes,” and on the second he instructed his students to write, “The world was created for me.” Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms reflect Rabbi Simcha Bunam’s instruction. On the one hand (or in one pocket), we hold that we are just a speck in the universe. When I walked into Kusama’s rooms I was surrounded and embraced by specks of light or an endless … [Read more...]
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