Category: Judaism

A Statement of Jewish Beliefs

Reform Rabbis and Cantors are signing this statement of Jewish Beliefs.  I am proud to be among them.

In this time of swirling events and governmental chaos, it is important to remind ourselves of our core beliefs as American Jews.  These are some of the values we hold dear and which guide our lives and our actions.

  1. We believe that all people are the children of God, endowed with holiness, all equal in value. (Gen. 1:27)
  2. We believe in welcoming the stranger, the alien in our midst, the one who lives with us. (Lev. 19:33) We are commanded to love the stranger as ourselves.  We are a people of repeated migrations, descended from strangers in Egypt.
  3. We believe in honesty, commanded not to bear false witness (Ex. 20:13, Lev. 19:11)
  4. We believe in listening respectfully, valuing the ideas of those who disagree, and seeking peace. (Avot 1:12, 1:18)
  5. We believe in fairness in business and all transactions: not engaging in fraud, paying workers promptly, honestly representing what is offered. (Lev.19:13; 19:35-6)
  6. We believe in respect for others, especially for the strangers among us, for elders and those less fortunate, and all who struggle. We are commanded not to take advantage of the weakness of others, not to place a stumbling block before the blind. (Lev. 19:32; 19:14)  We feel it is important to engage in acts of kindness and believe that we are in relationship with all people and should behave with compassion and empathy. (Avot 1:2)
  7. We call what we give to others tzedakah, giving based on justice. We believe in the importance of compassion, but what we give to others in need is based on seeking justice in society.
  8. We believe in knowledge and the exchange of ideas, including minority viewpoints. We value learning and the advancement of knowledge, in science, in literature, sacred and secular. (Avot 1:16)
  9. We believe in respecting and caring for our world, for tending the land and acting as dedicated stewards. (Gen 1:29-30 and Lev. 19:23 ff.)
  • We cherish the religious freedom in the United States and celebrate the diversity of beliefs and practices in our country. We deeply value the American Constitutional guarantees separating religion and state that have made possible the flourishing of all religions in our country.

 

How do you deal with an enemy that won’t capitulate?

The end of World War 2 came at a significant human cost.  Eisenhower continued to bomb cities in Germany so that the Germans knew with certainty they had lost.  Not one, but two atomic bombs were dropped on Japanese cities, unleashing their death and destruction.  And yet many did not put down their arms.  5,000 Japanese soldiers refused to surrender at the war’s conclusion, remaining loyal to their oath to the Emperor, the deeply ingrained values of Bushido, emphasis on honor, and self-sacrifice at their core.

Shouichi Yokoi courtesy of Wikipedia

The most famous among them was Shoichi Yokoi, who returned to Japan from Guam in 1972, 27 years after the war’s end.  He is quoted as saying, “It is with much embarrassment that I return.” (Smithsonian Magazine; https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-japanese-wwii-soldier-who-refused-to-surrender-for-27-years-180979431/)

There may be invaluable lessons from the Japanese fighters who held out even after the war ended when dealing with Hamas.

To understand the fighters loyal to Hamas, we must understand the profound philosophical, existential commitment to the idea of fighting to regain the land perceived as stolen.  Leaders with bona fides that these Hamas fighters will respect must arise and offer a different path forward.  This can initiate a process where, eventually, those committed to Israel’s obliteration will be overcome by those committed to a peace wherein both sides live in safety and security, side by side.

The sheer brutality of the current war in Gaza would, under normal circumstances, make any leader want to stop the suffering of the people and compromise in the name of peace.  However, Hamas is not normal circumstances.  The human suffering they use in the service of their ideology is perfectly acceptable to them and is, in point of fact, one of the weapons they have employed in dealing with the Palestinians and the hostages.

Similarly, the hatred on the Israeli side of the equation is equally brutal.  The invasion of October 7 was viscerally felt as an existential moment.  Hatred and the desire for revenge only build with the cynical bargaining chip that is the hostages.  As those lives hang in the balance, Israelis must also find courageous leaders to lead their people to peace.

One of the few things made clear is the current situation is a meat grinder consuming human victims with impunity.  This is morally and ethically reprehensible.  Moderating voices must arise to quell this war machine and find a better path forward.

There will be those who see victory only as the destruction and capitulation of the enemy. It is an unrealistic goal.  The price is astronomically high in lives lost and is ultimately unachievable.  These ideologues and zealots must be marginalized.  It may take generations for this view of the world to fade away, and only with perseverance and strength can we support those seeking a way forward that can permit a peaceful coexistence to form.

 

Shabbat Shalom -Jerusalem of Gold

Naomi Shemer penned this anthem, expressing our longing for the sacredness of Jerusalem.  Rabbi Angela Buchdal and Cantor Dan Mutlu share their extraordinary voices to sing Yerushalim Shel Zahav.

May the sacredness and promise of Jerusalem live, peace come to the region, and our hostages are returned home.

Shabbat Shalom

Shabbat Shalom

Playing for Change brings musicians from around the world together to perform songs of unity, peace, and love. Amazing Grace is not usually on the Kabbalat Shabbat Playlist for most of us, but if you watch and listen, the singers in Jerusalem and the lyrics convey hope and faith, which is what we need as we enter Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom

Throwing the Baby Out with the Bathwater

A colleague shared ideas in a forum, ending with the words “unrepentantly Zionist and Politically Incorrect.”

He proudly resisted, and while I value his essential work and support as a rabbi, I wonder if he, like many of us, is “throwing the baby out with the bathwater.” Now is the time for nuance, to stand up for our core values, and to eliminate much of the noise that makes those values challenging to embrace. Backlash often lacks focus; now, focus on our values is needed more than ever.

I am a Zionist.  But my Zionism is a belief in identity and rights to a safe and secure place to call one’s own.  It is precisely my Zionism that compels me to understand this same need for the Palestinian people.  Both are true; I must accept the other to validate the one.  Before railing against this, let me reiterate that this modern Zionism is premised on both people having the right to safety and security.  That requires people to be committed to peaceful coexistence, which requires serious and difficult compromises from each side.

Another colleague, friend, and teacher commented on the so-called Black Lives Matter movement. He is appalled by their alliance with radical pro-Palestinian groups that are also anti-Israel. I agree that they have betrayed their righteous cause of equality under the law. This is another instance where a core idea is co-opted, diluted, and ultimately betrayed by those with different political agendas. However, we cannot allow these individuals to deter us from our core belief in equality for everyone and our commitment to working with others to realize the promise of our nation’s founding principles.

Navigating through the fog is a significant challenge, but it is what we are trained to do. Our tradition of Makhloket l’Shem Shamayim, argument for the sake of Heaven,  revolves around how our values are understood when tested under various circumstances. This is precisely the challenge we face today. Whether we agree with our government’s current policies and procedures is an essential but separate conversation; how these impact our cherished beliefs should be our focus.  Our fundamental values of caring, including feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, and caring for the widow and orphan, are constantly threatened, now evermore so.  Therefore, the need to champion our beliefs has never been more crucial.

 

 

Tu Bishvat-Happy Birthday, Trees

Well, Punxsutawney Phil can have his shadow, but we celebrate the 15th day of Shevat. This holiday has a fascinating history. With roots in the Bible, Tu BiShvat evolved from a biblical prohibition against eating fruit before its bearing tree is three years old into a celebration of trees, the early signs of spring, and awareness of the world we live in.

To learn more, check out this article on MyJewishLearning.com https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/tu-bishvat-ideas-beliefs/

And here are the Shvesters sharing a Yiddish song about a tree, a boy who loved it, and his Jewish Mother.

Shabbat Shalom

“Tamid Ohev Oti”- Always Loves Me is a very popular song, covered by groups here like  Six13 to major performers in Israel.  Yair Elitzur’s original version is here.

Its an uplifting song of hope, love, and faith. I’ve share the translation below, but enjoy the music as we welcome Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom

Chorus
God always loves me
I’ll only be given blessings
And things will be better
Better and better. (5x)
And it will only get better.

A Prayer for Shabbat

May those in harm’s way be protected from the storms.  Whether it is the fire of nature or war, may you find a haven, and may the horrors afflicting you end quickly and peace come to you. 

May we have the courage to reach out with love and support to those in need and offer solace to those in despair. May these acts of loving kindness spur us to understand the power of humanity and the need for us to care for each other. 

~Amen

And He Lived- Thoughts on Parsha Vayechi

And He lived…

Vayechi is a misnomer.  The chapter that opens with And He Lived is actually the final moments of Jacob’s life.  Jacob is on his deathbed, surrounded by his sons.  He offers frank assessments of them and blessings of a kind as he prepares to die. Indeed, our tradition looks to this chapter as the essence of the Jewish Ethical Will.  It is a centerpiece for me when teaching the Ethical Legacy Will.  What we bequeath as our legacy is genuinely profound; what we offer as our final thoughts, spoken and unspoken, will resonate in the hearts and minds of those we leave behind, framing their understandings of their place in the world and how they forge relationships of their own.  One of the most striking examples lies outside the text. Nowhere is Jacob’s daughter Dinah to be found.

We can surmise that Dinah’s relationship with her father, Jacob, was not close. In the story of her rape, she is identified as the daughter of Leah.               We never hear her voice telling the story, and Jacob’s concern for his sons’ vengeance focuses on how it will complicate things with other clans.  He seems unconcerned about whether she was harmed.  It is disappointing that Dinah is not at her father’s bed to say goodbye. Every son was there, and even sons not held in particular esteem were present to at least hear their father’s final words.

What is said and what is unspoken, who is in the room, and who is excluded.  We learn so much by being aware of these things.  We hold an extraordinary power as parents.  We are exemplars of behavior and also models of misconduct.  Both have a profound impact.  We need to exercise caution.  For what we say and to whom will last far beyond our mortality.

Did Dinah grieve for Jacob?  Did she feel excluded from the intimate space, witness to his passing? Did she harbor resentment about being treated so differently from her brothers?  These are only some of the questions the text begs but leaves unanswered.  Some may chalk this up to Jacob’s milieu and the age in which he lived. It is unfair to judge a character from the past by current acceptability standards, particularly one with such eminence in our grounding myths.

I am disappointed, however.  Jacob’s life trajectory has been extraordinary. At the start, he is a stealthy, guileful, and conniving person who grows and evolves to become rightfully someone worthy of the title Patriarch.  His encounters with the Angel at Beth El and his brother Esau exhibit his remarkable growth.  His reunion with his son Joseph and his treatment of Manasseh and Ephriam show that he is loving and caring.  So, the time here at his bed seems a bit off.  I would have thought his compassion and empathy could have extended to all his family.  I expected that his harsh words for Reuven, Shimon, and Levi would have been tempered by the knowledge they already knew the consequences of their actions, and leaving them instead with something positive to remember him would serve these sons better.  And, of course, there is Dinah, or more precisely, there is not.

This was a final moment to offer some reconciliation.  To offer her heartfelt words that might heal wounds that likely could not do so.  Some Midrashim suggested that perhaps she was not even around, but she remained in Shechem.  The rabbis struggled with her story, offering several alternative ideas about what became of her.  There is so much we do not know, and it makes the heart ache to wonder about the pain of being excluded or without a voice.

What we leave behind endures—both the good and the bad. Our legacy is taught in our lives and the examples we set. The Ethical Will offers a chance to leave final words behind, maybe to explain poorly understood behavior, and indeed to provide enduring words of connection.  What we say and to whom will be lasting.  We need to exercise care for our own sake and on behalf of the hearts of others.

And he lived…

 

Rabbi Info:

Rabbi David Levin is dedicated to creating a meaningful life journey with Jewish wisdom. He teaches on these subjects, including the Ethical Legacy Will, and can be found at RabbiDavidLevin.com and EthicalLegacyWill.com.