Jewish Relationships Initiative

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  • A Hanukkah of Darkness

     

    We enter Hanukkah from a place of deep darkness. I write this as the remains of the city of Aleppo are reduced to rubble. The people are trapped inside, with death raining down on them from above. The similarity to the gas chambers of the Shoah is unmistakable.

    We have watched as this modern mass murder unfolds. I reluctantly refrain from the word Genocide, as it would ignite a conversation about the word rather than cold look at the harsh reality of the death and destruction that is occurring, where innocent civilians are being systematically destroyed. But the word resonates for me nonetheless. What are the lessons of the Shoah?

    We must ask ourselves what is our role in the world. This question is for us as Americans and for us as Jews. It is too late for the remnant of Syria however. The United States provided some support to the political opposition of the Regime and we have provided limited aid to those who have escaped. But we have failed to protect the innocents, permitting the most brutal weapons of mass murder to exterminate. Hundreds of thousands have been killed; the savage death machine indiscriminate, women, children, and aid workers are victims as well as political opponents. The United States’ opportunities to assert itself as a provider of sanctuary either here or there have been squandered. A modern holocaust has occurred as we watched.

    What did we learn from the Shoah? Was it merely a particular tragedy to befall the Jewish people? Wasn’t the Shoah also supposed to be a lesson to the world that “Never Again” was a cry to universal humanity? Sadly in the face of the Syrian crisis, we turned away, as the world turned away from the Jewish people in our time of greatest despair. I am overcome by the realization of all that we did not do, of all that I did not do.

    Hanukkah is supposed to celebrate the light of freedom and God’s miracles. But they came in that order. The Jews wondrously won the improbable victory, and then the lights of the Menorah miraculously lasted for eight days. The miracle of the oil could only have happened after the people fought to overcome the injustice of the world where they lived. Sadly I think we did not merit God’s miracle this time. Let us use this coming year to commit ourselves to that most basic Jewish value; that we will no longer stand idly by while our neighbor’s blood is being shed.

    Amen.

     

  • Shabbat Shalom

     

    Ana Becoach, or Ana Becoaj, is a Kabbalistic prayer invoking the power of the Divine Name.  The prayer is seven lines of six words each, the first letter of each word spelling the 42 letter name of the Almighty.  Written in the  second century by the Kabbalist Rabbi Nehonia.  It is traditionally sung before Lecha Dodi during Kabbalat Shabbat.

    The phrase “untie the knot” may refer to exile in both its physical and spiritual sense.  As we enter Shabbat we hope to begin experiencing its expansiveness.  The plea reflects the mystical view that the forces of judgment, constriction, and negativity should not have power or authority on Shabbat. ( Siddur Lev Shalem, p. 22)

    Shabbat Shalom

  • Celebrate vs. Participate

    Christmas raises the perennial questions in the American Jewish community: Can we be part of holidays that are not our own? Natalie Portman demonstrated a way for our interfaith families to do it as she explained to Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show, November 29, 2016 (the 28th or 29th of Cheshvan, depending).

    We Jews invite others into our tent all the time. The Jewish sense of hospitality is to welcome the stranger, without regard to their particular beliefs. We welcome everyone into our Sukkah; the Shabbat dinner table is open as well. So what happens when the tables are turned? How do we accept the mitzvah of their hospitality, even when particular beliefs do not coincide with our own? When the Jewish world meets other faiths or traditions, there are borders and boundaries that need to be navigated.

    How might we participate if we are not able to fully celebrate?

    American Christmas begs this question. The basis for the holiday is, of course, the Christian belief in the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a powerful and beautiful message of God’s love and hopes for the world. But it is not our theology. However, the commercial interests in our country have continued to secularize the holiday and as traditional boundaries between religions have become more porous, Christmas has permeated the American landscape. All in all, a holiday dedicated to “peace on earth” and “goodwill toward men” is not a bad thing to embrace and arguably the real problem with these sentiments is that they do not endure throughout the entire year. Furthermore, although many Jews have spouses that convert to Judaism, Jews are intermarrying. Both of these realities create a space in which non-Jewish family traditions and beliefs come up against Jewish traditions and beliefs. And in an increasingly open culture, many Jews would like to enjoy the spirit of the holiday.

    Christmas has become an American holiday for many, including many American Jews. The theology has been all but completely stripped away for many, and for the others, the theology is greeted as something non-threatening. The question for us is whether we engage. And if we engage, how do we do so while keeping our own sense of authenticity. For couples that come from different faith traditions, such as Natalie Portman’s, she shows us how to honor our birth families and celebrate together. Although Ms. Portman’s husband, Benjamin Millepied, converted, his family has not. The two of them have respectfully brought the two families together without sacrificing their chosen identity. For some Jews, this is not a conversation in which they care to engage. But for those of us who live in this space, and those numbers are steadily increasing, it is incumbent upon us to find ways to connect, build bridges, and find common ground. If we do, the possibilities are extraordinary.

    Happy Holidays!

  • Shabbat Shalom

     

    We start Kabbalat Shabbat with the song Yedid Nefesh, a piyut (poem) dating to the 16th Century, attributed to Eleazar Azkiri as a love song to God.   “You who loves my soul”.  I share the first and Fifth verses of the translation by Reb Zalman Schacter Shlomi z”l  (Shared by the Open Siddur Project):

    You who love my soul
    Compassion’s gentle source,
    Take my disposition and shape it to Your will.
    Like a darting deer, I will flee to You.
    Before Your glorious Presence Humbly, I do bow.
    Let Your sweet love
    Delight me with its thrill
    Because no other dainty
    Will my hunger still.

    Help, my Lover, spread
    Your canopy of peace.
    Enfold all human beings
    Give all pain surcease.
    Your presence on this earth plane
    Do make known to us
    And we shall respond then
    With song and with dance.
    Rush, my love, be quick,
    The time for love is now,
    Let Your gentle favor
    Grace us as of old…

    Shabbat Shalom

  • A Young Man teaches something important on the Basketball Court

    ariYesterday I went to the Wells Fargo Center to watch some kids play a pick-up game of Basketball. It was not your typical basketball game, however, but not because they were playing on the home court of the Philadelphia 76ers. This was a game involving students from Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El in Wynnewood and the Al Aqsa Islamic Academy of North Philadelphia, the Bar Mitzvah project of  a young man named  Ari.

    Kids got together to play ball. The kids played on blended teams. So this was not a competition between schools or even religions. It was a pickup game of basketball.

    I met Ari and his mom, Meirav, and chatted about how amazing this was. I then spoke with my friend Rabbi  Cooper, Senior Rabbi at Beth Hillel about this extraordinary achievement who was spending far more time teaching court-side than coaching.

    It was an extraordinary achievement indeed. No, they did not create world peace nor did they resolve the Mid-East conflicts (any of them). They played basketball together and met each other on the court to play and then perhaps to talk and begin the process of getting to know one another. This is one of the most amazing things that we can do: play together, talk together, see an opportunity for a relationship with someone we had not considered before.

    It is ironic that the kids played on the court without problems, but persistent condensation issues afterward forced the professionals to cancel their game for that evening. What might the message be in this?

    I can only hope this game has legs; that the conversations that began on the court yesterday continue. Meirav, Ari’s mom, told me that her daughter’s Bat Mitzvah project in two years would be another such game. We can only pray that the message of coming together continues both on and off the court and we do everything we can to support it.

    Mazal Tov Ari, on your Bar Mitzvah and this wonderful event!

    For those who did not see the press report, here is a link:

    http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20161130_For_this_bar_mitzvah_boy__Jewish-Muslim_friendship_is_no_long_shot.html

     

  • Giving Tuesday- The day-after Challenge

    Giving Tuesday- The day-after Challenge

    givetuesday_700xOn Giving Tuesday, almost everyone in the philanthropic world asked for your financial support. Giving money is extremely important, but enduring change requires great effort we cannot relegate only to others. Permanent change requires each of us to roll up our sleeves and get involved.

    I remember when I decided to get back into shape; buying the treadmill was not enough, working out on the treadmill created the change I sought. Learning the piano required time at the keyboard learning and practicing, not merely buying the instrument. Dieting required a fundamental change in how I approach food, not simply a weeklong restriction on the intake. Philanthropy is likewise.

    To create real change in the world, we need to give money to the causes we believe in but also help to implement the changes we hope to see. For too long we have sloughed off the real work of change to the professionals. By providing the financial support we thought we had fulfilled our responsibility. However, there is more to do. Success comes when change becomes the new normal. This is an organic process, from the bottom up. Change is rarely sustainable when it is imposed from the outside. The new normal only happens when we all embrace it as our own.

    So I hope you gave generously on Giving Tuesday because your financial support makes the work possible. Now commit to giving of yourself as well to that cause you believe in so the work becomes a reality. We are the change we want to see. It cannot happen without each of us.

     

  • Shabbat Shalom on a special Shabbat

     Shabbat gefilte

    This Shabbat is a specially designated Shabbat. On the Jewish calendar it is Shabbat Mevorach, the Shabbat preceding Rosh Chodesh. For American Jews this is also Shabbat Gefilte (stuffed), the Shabbat after Thanksgiving.

    Last night Naomi and I had the great joy of being with my sister’s family and friends. The company was wonderful; I do not get to see her or her great family nearly enough and her friends were lovely. We gathered around a festive table and feasted on all kinds of delicious food. Great conversation great food. It was a Thanksgiving filled with blessings.

    Today I am hitting the exercise room hard. And tonight I will welcome Shabbat. I hope that each of you were able to have a meaningful Thanksgiving.  Wishing everyone Shabbat Shalom.

  • Happy Thanksgiving

    Happy Thanksgiving

    thanksgiv-dayA simple Thanksgiving message

    I invite us all to take a moment to express gratitude this Thanksgiving Day for the blessings we share.

    Eat a lot, watch the parades, watch football, and be with family and friends.

    Our country remains among the greatest on earth. We still have much work to do to bring the full blessings of America to all Americans. Now is the time for each of us to figure out what we need to do to make this a reality, to roll up our sleeves and rededicate ourselves to the values that make America great. Perhaps, Black Friday is the day for us to do that. But on Thursday, take the time to enjoy and share with others.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

  • Rabbi Lord Sacks on Leonard Cohen and Parsha Vayera

    Leonard Cohen left us extraordinary gifts of music, poetry, and Midrash.  Rabbi Sacks explicates the brilliance of Leonard Cohen and his insight through his final bequest to us, “You Want it Darker”.

    Shabbat Shalom

  • Constancy in the face of Change

    safetypinThe election has many of us anxious, unsure of what will happen to us next, fearful that strides we have made will be stripped away.

    The ground did shift underneath us all last week. But the tremble did not cause us to fall. I am no different from who I was last week in the matters that count. Last week I stood tall, aspiring to create a nation of dignity, equality, opportunity, safety and security for all our citizens. This week I stand perhaps taller and more firmly in those ideals and values. There is a greater sense of urgency in my posture today, but this is a good thing. Our movement forward has never been easy. The fight for human rights and inclusion, a nation freer from prejudice, hatred and fear have been an ongoing struggle. But our commitment remains, our resolve undiminished even if the challenge might be greater.

    Today I wear a safety-pin on my lapel to let people who are fearful know that they are not alone. As an American, a Jew, and a Rabbi, I stand with them and I will continue to do my part as an advocate, and that we continue to stand side by side. We march forward dedicated to bringing America’s blessings to all.

    Joining hands we move forward together toward a brighter future. We are the change we envision.