Biennial: Bringing the Rabbis to Life

There's a teaching in Rabbinical Literature meant to show the importance of cheerfulness and pleasantry between people. In Jewishspeak it is called "sever panim yafot." The story goes that one of our ancient sages would not walk more than a few steps in the market place without greeting somebody with a smile. It always seemed hard to believe. I've been in the shuk and other Middle Eastern market places. There's lots to smile at (the food, colors, culture, hustle & bustle), but it isn't always the nicety of other people.

Here at the URJ Biennial (my first, by the way), I've seen how the rabbis and everyone else here come to life. All of us here in Toronto are energized and engaged. It's an electrified atmosphere. But it is also a place where that Talmudic story comes to life. I can not walk five steps without seeing an old classmate, an old neighbor (and one of my first friends in the world) who made aliyah and now organizes group trips, a colleague, a mentor, a friend, a vendor (i.e. Avi Zuckerman, etched glass artist), etc. It's hard to get to the sessions because you have to run a friendly gauntlet of smiling faces to get to your room. But, as our ancient sages knew from their own market place, some of the best exchanges and most important business happens in the passage ways and not the offices or stalls. So maybe I can't get to every session I expected, sever panim yafot is alive and well and producing lots of good learning in Toronto!

You lost me, J Street

First, there was chatter about creating a more "moderate" alternative to AIPAC; about creating a pro-Israel, DC-based lobbying type organization that would not be so hawkish and right wing. Maybe there could be something like the New Israel Fund vis-a-vis Federation.

Next, there was the announcement of J Street and its staff. Timed closely with the arrival of the Obama presidency, J Street attracted both heightened concern and, of course, "Hope." But always there was Zionism and pro-Israel values at the core.

Then, URJ President, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, broke with J Street over some of its statements during and just after the Cast Lead Gaza War. If even liberals were unsure of J street.... Oy.

Now, J Street has announced that it is dropping the phrase "PRO-ISRAEL" from its slogan (which had been "Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace") for all its college and universities offices and programs. The phrase "Pro-Israel" is "isolating" not "comfortable" and "alienating." In some places, J Street activists say, "PRO-ISRAEL" is just outright bad.

I guess you never could have counted me among the J Street supporters, but you have lost me with that one. Is J Street a Jewish version of the International Solidarity Movement or ANSWER? I didn't make this up, but with friends like this you really do not need enemies.

The circus is coming to town!

Don't bring your kids for this one, but the circus is coming to town. Westboro Baptist Church, infamous for their anti-gay, anti-Jewish and generally hateful protests, is coming to New Jersey with its small but loud circus. The NJ Jewish News ran a story about it recently.

Such carnvials also seem to beg the same questions: Why does God create "freaks" like those who attract yet horrify us in the circus? And, how should we reasonably respond?

I'm less sure about the first question and its theological mysteries. The second question, however, is easier to address. There is a blessing to recite, as ArtScroll's Complete Siddur puts it, "upon seeing exceptionally strange-looking people," like circus freaks and Westboro Baptist Church members. We say, "Blessed are You, LORD our God, who makes the creatures different [mi-shaneh ha-bri-ot]."

Some Jewish communal leaders have taken this to heart and written thank you notes to the "church" and others have invited them to come protest outside their facilities. These leaders have cited the significant increase in member turnout for services and/or events that occur while the circus parades outside their building. As a rabbi who is always trying to find ways to engage my temple's members, I too want to thank Westboro for reminding me of a simple lesson: everyone loves a clown.

Seriously, though, you can find guidelines HERE from the ADL about to respond.

Jubilee! The meaning of fifty

The fiftieth anniversary of our congregation is an opportunity to reflect on the values that have been the foundation of our temple these many decades. One day, many years ago, the leaders of our temple adopted a slogan, “Marbeh Torah, Marbeh Hayim – The more Torah, the more life,” from the second chapter of Pirke Avot. From an aesthetic point of view, this was the perfect slogan. Its letters resemble the letters of our name, especially our commonly used “MRT.” This is also a great slogan in terms of our temple mission, to be a house of study, tikkun olam, worship and community gathering (all good Torah values). Throughout our years, this temple has been dedicated to spreading Torah from a Reform perspective in Monmouth County. The Jubilee is a reminder of that centrality of Torah.

In Leviticus, the original jubilee is described as a special occasion that involved shofar blowing, freedom and release and celebration. Rabbinic commentary has come to understand the jubilee, in part at least, as a recollection of Sinai. The shofars are like the shofars heard at the base of the mountain, the freedom like the freedom we newly tasted from Egypt. A jubilee is about celebrating the anniversary and about gathering with friends and family. But ultimately, Jubilee is about Torah. Here's to fifty more years of more torah and more life!

What the Whale Says: Yom Kippur Evening Sermon

Yom Kippur's evening sermon is available below. Just click the play button on the Podbeam menu bar or click here for my audio site. The recording of my Yom Kippur morning sermon was accidentally cut off in the middle. I will re-record and post it soon.

What the Whale Says:

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