Shabbat Shalom

Usually, I share a single song performed by a wonderful artist to help bring in Shabbat.

But this Shabbat, Shabbat Bereishit, I am sharing the Kabbalat Shabbat service at the amazing B’nai Jeshurun, from June 1, 2018.  Listen as long as you like, the music is enchanting and moving.  If you’re ever in New York, stop in for an amazing experience with the folks at BJ.

Shabbat Shalom

J’Accuse- Recuse!

Can you ask a Supreme Court judge to recuse him/herself from a case before the Court?

In this hyper-partisan age, the question seems particularly relevant.  During the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings, Judge Kavanaugh defended himself with a zeal that arguably betrayed a mistrust and contempt of people including the Clintons and Democrats, in general, that would seem to bias any considerations of law that would involve them.

Arguably, Associate Justice Ginsberg might find herself in such a position as well given the intemperate comments she publicly made regarding Donald Trump.  Although she has apologized for these admittedly inappropriate remarks, she may have disqualified herself from any issues relating to Donald Trump that may come before the court.

The Supreme Court is a sacrosanct institution.  Sadly, the other two branches of government, the Executive and Legislative, are mired in political calculations.  The Court has been ostensibly above that.  It is political on some levels; the justices are nominated and confirmed by the President and Senate respectively, concepts of judicial activism and interpretation of the Constitution have worked within and often reflected the cultural milieu of the country.  Nominees to the Court are often subjected to litmus tests either during the nominating process or confirmation process, and both President and Senate hear the voices of potential voters as they make their inquiries and decisions.

As politics has become blatantly a part of the Judicial and Constitution review, one wonders what happens to the legitimacy of a Court with members biased not by an interpretation of the Constitution or moral conviction but biased by the harsh tribal political climate in which we currently live.   This question sadly needs to be asked and actually undermines the legitimacy of the Court.   The implications of what happens to our Democracy when this sacred institution falls is a frightening existential threat, not only to the Court but the very Republic it was conceived to serve.

 

 

Sadly, It is all about the Money

ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images

The current uproar over the new Nike ad featuring Colin Kaepernick has served to wonderfully pit right against left in another puerile chapter of the culture wars.  Instead of seriously grappling with issues in our country we’d prefer to scream at each other about whether one side or the other is sufficiently patriotic.  The sad truth is that the ad is really about selling sneakers and generating buzz.

The group that is feeling offended by this ad is not the Nike target demographic.  The people that align with Kaepernick are the demo that Nike wants to sell their product to.  The ad is provocative on many levels.  That is precisely what is intended.  The advertisers did their job and now everyone is talking about it.  The increased sales bear this out.

Colin Kaepernick is portrayed as a champion.  Whether Kaepernick is a villain, hero, or even heroic victim is beside the point.  That is unfortunate.  But there is another agenda.

The NFL is concerned about generating revenue and retaining fans.   Kaepernick found a means to make a living as a spokesperson.  The President is using the opportunity to rally his base.  If any were interested in addressing the issue, this is an extraordinary opportunity to join in the fight for the virtues that those who kneel and those who stand both embraces; namely a country dedicated to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  A nation of laws that stands for equality and justice.  The vast sums of money generated by the corporations (NFL and Nike) could underwrite a campaign to get healing conversations started, patriotic conversations that address the issues of inequality that continue to keep us from fully realizing the American Dream and perhaps even help create positive change.  And the President could use the power of his office and his strength as a marketer to be the convener to make it all happen.  But unfortunately, we prefer to revel in the buzz.

Buzz on!

Shabbat Shalom

As we welcome the first Shabbat after Yom Kippur, I wanted to share this wonderful rendition of Ana B’Choakh by Joey Weisenberg and the Hadar Ensemble.

This prayer is offered during Kabbalat Shabbat.  A favorite of the mystics, it’s power is said to lie beyond the words themselves and in the structure of the prayer where, as an acrostic, the 42 letter name of God is spelled out.

Wishing everyone a year of health and blessings

Shabbat Shalom

 

Shabbat Shalom

During Elul and into the High Holidays we share Psalm 27.  The most well-known phrase of the psalm, Achat Sha’alti, is sung here as a  meditation by Rabbi Andrew Hahn, the Kirtan Rabbi.

One thing I ask of the Eternal One 

Is to dwell in God’s house all the days of my life

To be in God’s presence and behold the Divine’s Holy Temple

Shabbat Shalom

Living a Meaningful Life, we begin Elul with Parsha Re’eh

In the Torah, Moses sets out a choice for us this past week.  Blessings and curses.  It is a deceptively easy binary choice.  Given good stuff or bad stuff as alternatives, it seems like a no-brainer.  I opt for the good stuff!

But it’s really not so simple.  For what does that mean for us to choose the Blessings,  especially to us in the modern world?  That is the fundamental question to consider in the month of Elul, leading up to the Yamim Noraim, these special High Holidays.  Perhaps we, like our ancestors, are metaphorically also on the verge of entering into our own Promised Land. It is more complicated than: Choose Blessings and you go in; Choose Curses and you stay out.  Because it is about more than entering The Land; it is about living fully while there, possessing it and becoming one with it.

During Elul, as we prepare for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we ponder the choices we make in our lives.  As we reflect on the year past, we see successes and failures. And as we look ahead, we use this understanding to chart our course.   Are we on the path we want to be on, the one we should be on, the one we need to be on?  And presuming we have been blown off course by the winds and currents of life, how do we right our ship and get back on our path?

Elul is our time to consider these questions.  Before we can ask for forgiveness we need to know where we went astray and maybe understand why.  Before we can ask to be written in the book of life, we need to know what it means to choose a life of blessings so that this coming year brings us meaning and connection.  Then we are able to approach the Divine to make things right and set a course forward for a year where we deliberately choose blessings, knowing what they are and how we might pursue them.

L’Shanah Tova!