Category: Judaism

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.

Chag Urim Sameach! Happy Chanukah

How do you light the Chanukah Menorah?

As you can imagine, this was a discussion among the Rabbis.  The Talmud famously pits the House of Shammai against the House of Hillel, our preeminent first pair of rabbis.

Do you light one candle the first night and increase another candle every night until all are lit on the eighth day?

Or do you light all the candles on the First day and decrease the number until you reach one candle?

Most of us know Hillel won that argument, so we increase the light with every passing day.

Do you use Applesauce or Sour Cream when you eat latkes?  They never decided on this argument, so we do both! (actually, I am pretty sure they never engaged in this discussion- I am making it up)

Do you light one Menorah for the family, or does everyone get to light their own?

 

Did you know the Menorah we use for Chanukah is called a Chanukiah?  (it is an eight-light, plus Shamash, candelabra as distinguished from the seven-armed menorah used in the Temple).

Do you put the menorah in your front window for the community to view?

Why do I always seem to lack the right number of candles?

And when I buy candles on sale after Chanukah, I can’t remember where I put them for the next year.

Last but not least, is it Chanukah, Hannukah, or Channukah, Hanukah, Hanukkah, etc.?

We can get all caught up in both the fun and serious questions as we determine how we want to celebrate our holiday.  But remember it is about celebrating the holiday.

It is a time of celebration and rededication. We remember the story of Jewish victory, which instilled pride in our heritage and gave us strength and confidence as we face seemingly enormous challenges today. We spend time with our family, sharing the light’s glow, the pleasure of the food, and the fun of the games. May your Chanukah be wonderous!

Chag Urim Sameach, Happy Hanukah!