Category: Judaism

What Does God Look Like?

The manger scene of the Baby Jesus swaddled in a Keffiyeh has created much commotion and attention.  Even though the Vatican has removed the display, the consciousness-raising alone means that the image has had the intended effect.

We are talking front and center through religion about the plight of the Palestinian people.

This is not the first time someone has reinterpreted something for their own purpose.  I have seen many iterations of Jesus: white, very white, swarthy, black.  Many religions that have Jesus at the center of their theology have him displayed realistically on the cross, his body cradled in his mother’s arms, lovingly gazing down upon us in a portrait or looking upwards in an icon. As a babe in mother’s arms, as a man spreading the Word, at a bountiful supper, and as a martyr.  And now swaddled in a keffiyeh.  We use religious symbols to motivate the audience toward a vision or narrative.  This is frequently for good and exemplary purposes and too often for malicious purposes.

The charge that this current manger display is Antisemitic is a particular, not universally shared Jewish perspective.  Some deliberately embrace that evil message.   I am sure that was not the intent of the Pope or the Church.  And if the manger is allowed to be a message of hatred, it will have failed miserably in its mission.

Raising awareness of the plight of the Palestinians is important.  Christmas is an essential Christian symbol of God’s love and our hope.  Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards men is the universal message of the extraordinary celebration.

Can this awareness-raising symbol be channeled into constructive forces to promote the welfare of the Palestinian people, who have been victimized for too long? It is time for the people of goodwill to lay down their arms and reach out across the divide to each other.  May love supplant the hatred that has kept both sides at war for too long.  May the promise of Christmas resound in that troubled place of Jesus’ birth so that two people learn to live together in peace and security.

Merry Christmas!

Stop the Genocide-Sue for Peace!

Although there is not a Genocide happening in Gaza, there is devastating suffering and death.

It can be stopped immediately.  Declare peace.  Accept the existence of Israel and Return the hostages.  You can immediately focus on building a State of Palestine, and most of the world’s nations, including Israel, will support the enterprise.   Outside forces of hegemony and oppression (Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah) that have imposed themselves are back on their heels, allowing Palestinians an opportunity for self-determination that has not been seen since 2000 at Camp David.

This is a pragmatic solution.  Israel exists.  Whether you question Israel’s legitimacy will not make the nation go away.  Remaining belligerent only continues the harm to both Israelis and Palestinians.  Negotiations are fraught.  Negotiating requires leaving some things behind in exchange for other things we determine are more critical.  Peace and a Sovereign State would be two extraordinary wins for the Palestinians. Peace is the only way for our children to know something beyond hatred and death.

It is time.

Shabbat Shalom

Prayer is universal. It transcends language, culture, and creed, uniting us in our deepest hopes and aspirations. This rendition of The Prayer blends its original message with the Hebrew translation by Rabbi Moshe Pomerantz z”l (1935-2024).

This Shabbat I share the beauty of The Prayer from Park Avenue Synagogue and Cantor Azi Schwartz.

Wishing you Shabbat Shalom.

May the hostages come home!

Shabbat Shalom

Greeting Shabbat as the evening comes, we sing a series of Psalms as part of Kabbalat Shabbat.  Mikolot Mayim Rabim is a verse from Psalm written by the extraordinary Hazzan Jessi Roemer and performed by the also extraordinary Hazzan Harold Messinger.

Be swept up in the beauty of the sound and the images as we wish Shabbat Shalom to all.

Klal Yisrael

 

The Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by Francesco Hayez

We spend a lot of time talking about Clal Yisrael or Am Israel, the unity of the Jewish people, the fantastic idea that we are all one. However, it’s never seemed to be the case that everyone who claims Jewish identity considers themselves part of this group. We seem to be very easily swayed into looking at denominations and other forms of Jewish practice as false or authentic and often just plain old wrong.

We don’t have a creed; we have something called Halacha. We practice and interpret the law very differently. This is, historically, a source of strength, allowing our tradition to evolve and be organic, but it’s also been the source of a lot of fighting. It creates a very fractious “people.” Indeed, I wonder if Clal Yisrael is a misnomer. However, from the outside, it is a different story.

When others on the outside look, they see Jews. They do not make distinctions between religious Jews, secular Jews, Zionist Jews, orthodox Jews, and the like; to them, it’s just Jews. We’ve seen that mainly through the world’s antisemitism, the Jew-hatred that unites us from the outside.

This brings me to the idea of Sinat Chinam, the concept of “baseless hatred” that we often use as the reason for the internal friction leading to the downfalls of the first and the second temple. It sounds lofty, radical, and extreme.  It’s easy for most of us to talk about it as a foreign object and disclaim any connection to it.  We believe we are not so strident while at the same time criticizing those who do not practice Judaism as we do. But that is precisely what our sages were talking about when discussing the concept. It’s not some deeply ingrained hatred of another denomination but our inability to accept that your Judaism is as authentic and valid as my Judaism. Your practice is a true expression of your understanding of our faith tradition. As is mine.

So it’s about the annoyance. It’s about the intolerance. It’s about the inflexibility. It’s about the idea that because I am right, you must be wrong. This concept was developed by a teacher and friend, Rabbi Brad Hirshfield, in his book “You Don’t Have to Be Wrong for Me to Be Right.” It’s the idea that we can look at each other with understanding and appreciation, even if it’s not how we practice Judaism.

We must find a way to move past our judgment of each other and our intolerance of what we see when it doesn’t comport with what we believe is our tradition’s “proper” practice. The Jewish tent is broad enough to encompass us all.

 

Shabbat Shalom

This Shabbat is different.  The feelings of vulnerability evoked by Sukkot underscore October Rain.  Shulem Lemmer shares his rendition here.

In these times, when we’re focused on not drowning in the hurricane of hatred and antisemitism, our personal feelings often take a backseat. Since that dreadful day in October, our hearts and minds have been solely focused on our land and people. From the moment I heard this song, I felt compelled to cover it, as it conveyed so much of what we’ve struggled to express in recent months. (continued below).

Shabbat Shalom

The original “October Rain” was deemed “too political” for the world stage, leading to the release of a more neutral version, “Hurricane.” I am sharing “October Rain” in its raw, authentic form to voice our nation’s true sentiments. May the floods dry up with the warm sunshine of Moshiach’s arrival!

Lyrics: Writers of the history Stand with me Look into my eyes and see People go away but never say goodbye Someone stole the moon tonight Took my light Everything is black and white Who’s the fool who told you boys don’t cry? Hours and hours and flowers Life is no game for the cowards Why does the time go wild Every day I’m losing my mind Holding on in this mysterious ride Dancing in the storm We got nothing to hide Take me home And leave the world behind And I promise you that never again I’m still wet from this October rain October rain Living in a fantasy Ecstasy Everything is meant to be We shall pass but love will never die Hours and hours and flowers Life is no game for the cowards Why does the time go wild Every day I’m losing my mind Holding on in this mysterious ride Dancing in the storm We got nothing to hide Take me home And leave the world behind And I promise you that never again I’m still wet from this October rain October rain October rain

לא צריך מילים גדולות רק תפילות אפילו כשקשה לראות תמיד אתה משאיר לי אור אחד קטן

 

 

Sukkot 5785

 

We are about to begin the holiday of Sukkot.  From My Jewish Learning, this is an overview of the holiday:

Beginning five days after Yom Kippur, Sukkot is named after the booths or huts (sukkot in Hebrew) in which Jews are supposed to dwell during this week-long celebration. According to rabbinic tradition, these flimsy sukkot represent the huts where the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of wandering in the desert after escaping from slavery in Egypt. The festival of Sukkot is one of the three great pilgrimage festivals (chaggim or regalim) of the Jewish year.

Here is the link to the full article: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/sukkot-101/

By using the Sukkah, we glimpse the experience of our vulnerability.

And this moment of vulnerability requires us to think of those held captive.  We pray for and demand the release of the hostages.

We are told to eat at least one meal in the Sukkah.  On a lovely fall evening, you can see the stars through the Skach, covering the top.  But on cold or rainy evenings, it is another entirely different experience, and we certainly get the message of being vulnerable!  (By the way, our great sage, Maimonides, suggests strongly that when it’s rainy, go inside!)

One of the interesting aspects of “dwelling in the Sukkah” is the ritual of inviting the Ushpizin.  These are our revered forebears with whom we’d love to talk and glean some of their wisdom.  It started with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and King David.  It is extended to include the great matriarchs Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah, and Esther. And it is a chance to broaden the guest list even further.  I have invited loved ones, particularly my great-grandfather.  Who is on your guest list?