Pay to Pray

We will soon be celebrating Yom Ha-Atzma-oot, Israel Independence Day. It’s Wednesday, May 3, 2006 – the 5th of Iyar. Any way you look at it, the modern State of Israel (it’s called “State of Israel” to distinguish from “Land of Israel”, as it is referred to in the Bible. The Land of Israel extends further than the borders of the modern State of Israel) is a miracle. It is a true ingathering of the exiles.

That is not to say that the modern State does not have its problems, both external and internal, religious and secular. One issue that you may not be aware of but is important to me since I lead frequent trips to Israel, is davening in the Old City. Truly, there is nothing like davening at the Kotel (The Western Wall). I, and the groups I have led, have had many supremely spiritual experiences there. And yet, many of my greatest prayer experiences have also been with my family. I like it when we can daven together. Of course, at the Western Wall that is not possible because of the division of men and women. I respect that. Still, as a Conservative Jew, I would like to be able to pray up against the retaining Walls of the Second Temple with men and women together.

Back in 2000 a compromise was reached between the Masorti Movement (as Conservative Jewry is known in Israel), and the Rabbinate of Israel. Another section of the Wall, called Robinson’s Arch (because of the remnant of an ancient ramp that was used by the Kohanim to access the Temple Mount) was open for mixed davening. This was back in the time of the Intifada when tourists were staying away from Israel. From 7-8 every morning, the gates to the archeological park that Robinson’s Arch is in were open. Mixed davening could take place out of view of those davening at the Kotel, and yet those at the Arch could still be davening at the same Wall.

Now, thousands more Reform and Conservative Jews are coming to Israel and they (we) want to be able to have services at Robinson’s Arch. The problem is that if one comes after 8 AM those in charge now want to charge an admission charge of 30 shekels, about $7.00 / person. It is hard for groups to get to the Arch area by 7 AM, and there are many groups who want to use the same area. The Masorti Movement is crying “Foul”. We believe that is a “Pay to Pray” situation that denies so many Zionist, Israel supporting Jews access to a very sacred place. As a result, Masorti has filed suit to allow greater access, and for free. For more information on the issue you can read this article - http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3

I hope that a compromise can be reached. More importantly, I hope that everyone who reads this will take the opportunity to go (or get back) to Israel. It is impossible to describe the spiritual exaltation that comes from offering heartfelt prayer (from the siddur or spontaneously) in Jerusalem at the base of our Holy Temple – unless you’ve been there. Let’s not celebrate Yom Ha-Atzma-oot from afar. Let’s make plans to go!

Remembering

This evening’s community-wide Yom Ha-Shoah program was most inspiring in spite of the history it recalled. The program, held at Temple Emanuel, drew a much smaller crowd than I had expected, in part because it came out on a Monday night when none of the area Hebrew High Schools are in session. There were very few kids of any age there. Too bad, because the speaker, Rebbitzin Jungreis was riveting.

Driving home I heard the lead story on KYW, about the trial of 2 men accused of killing a 10-yr. old. The proceedings ground to a halt when the prosecution’s star witness recanted during her testimony. Those present said that the witness’s 35-yr. old father, in a voice that the entire courtroom could hear, prodded his 16-yr. old daughter on the witness stand saying, “Just tell ‘em what I told you – you don’t remember a thing.” Now the father has been charged with witness intimidation, solicitation to commit perjury, hindering prosecution, and obstruction of justice. Any other night, I probably would not have given this story a second thought. But not tonight…

We drove on for a moment in silence until I said to Helene, “I’m not sure that I wouldn’t have done the exact same thing.” In the savage world that this family lives in, witnesses are routinely killed for testifying. I thought about that dad and what likely went through his mind. He probably thought that he would rather go to jail himself than make his daughter a target on the streets. And I know that without people having the courage to testify we can’t get bad guys off the streets. Witness intimidation is a very serious problem. But in the end the two suspects were convicted anyhow. This father probably thought, “Let someone else’s daughter be courageous. I just want her alive.” Now that father can sleep a little more peacefully, even if it is behind bars, knowing that he protected his kid.

We like to think that we live in a safe, law-abiding community where justice prevails. And most of us do. But imagine what it must have felt like back in Germany in the late ‘30’s when, as a Jew, you could trust neither your fellow citizens nor the government whose responsibility it was, ostensibly, to protect you. America is, of course, nothing like Nazi Germany. L’Havdil – they are beyond comparison. But as I thought about this father and daughter, and the world of anarchy and lawlessness in which they live, my heart went out to them. If we have learned anything from our suffering during the Shoah, it is that we must work hard to make a better world – not just for Jews, but for everyone. And part of that responsibility means looking out beyond our comfort zone with a special sensitivity to those who suffer right in our own backyards. That a father should have to choose between jail time for himself or painting a target on his daughter’s back?!! We’ve got a problem! Not them – US. And the first step in addressing any problem is realizing that it exists. Being at our community Holocaust Memorial opened my eyes and my heart – and my bet is that’s just what the organizers were hoping for.

We're in the FORWARD

Over the past six years I have started nearly every Friday morning (following minyan at Chapel Ave.) with our children at our Early Childhood Center in Voorhees. Even when our school numbered but 18 children, I always got the entire school together for Kabbalat Shabbat. Over the years we have added more singing and stories to our repetoire but the one constant has been my addressing the students in Hebrew each week. I ask them about the weather, about their birthdays, sing the alphabet, and play word games with them, all in Hebrew.

A couple of years ago, when our director Roselee Redelheim and I first started working together I asked Roselee to consider putting together a Hebrew Immersion program for our little ones. She found a number of interested parents and a talented teacher and our program is now going strong. So strong, in fact, that a national Jewish newspaper, the FORWARD, featured an article about our program this week.

You can read about our school on line in the FORWARD by clicking here: www.forward.com/articles/7645

We are very proud of our Early Childhood Center, its director and all our talented staff.

The 7th Day

The 7th day of Pesach is the last one in Israel because in the Torah there are only 7 days to the holiday. (We have 8 in the Diaspora because of calendar issues we won’t go into here).

Unlike Sukkot, the last day of Pesach is not a holiday unto itself. (The 8th day of Sukkot is called Shimini Atzeret). Therefore, we do not make a Shehechyanu in Kiddush tonight. Still, the 7th day of Pesach is a special part of the holiday and has all the restrictions of the first days. What makes it so special is the miracle that was done for our people on the 7th day after the exodus. It was on the 7th day that the Egyptians drowned in the Re(e)d Sea. The Torah however, makes no mention of this fact.

Why not? Because we Jews do not make holidays based on the downfall of our enemies. We don’t say, “They had it coming.” We don’t say, “They deserved it for what they did to us.” Instead we imagine Gd feeling sad that some of His creation had to die. We take some of the wine out of our cups to remember, with sadness, the defeat of our enemies. The 7th day of the holiday is a time to pray for peace, for an end to all oppression. It is a time to remember who we are and why Gd took us out of the land of Egypt in the first place.

Beth El Mourns

Those Who Were Murdered

in the Recent Terrorist Attack in Tel Aviv:
By Monday night, five of the victims had been identified:

Victor Erez, 60, of Givatayim;

Benjamin Haputa, 47, of Lod;

Philip Balahsan, 45, of Ashdod;

Rosalia Basanya, 48, of Romania;

Boda Proshka, 50, of Romania

May Gd comfort their families.

For an interesting editorial and a different perspective, see the Times of London - www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,542-2138694,00.html . England had, in its own way, to deal with terrorists at its gate, but the Times wisely points out that the two situations are not analogous.

T'fillin on Chol Ha-Moed

We’re now in the middle of the holiday of Passover, the time called Chol Ha-Moed. The expression is made up of two words: Chol, which means “secular”, and Moed, which means “festival. In other words, we are in the “secular” period of the festival. Work is permitted until Tuesday night, like any other weekday, but the laws of Pesach, like matzah, still apply.

One question that comes up is t’fillin. Do you wear them on Chol Ha-Moed (i.e. the middle days of Pesach and Sukkot) or not? If it is more “Moed”, you would not, since we don’t wear t’fillin on festivals. If it is more “Chol” we should since t’fillin are worn on weekdays. Most Ashkenazim believe that it is in fact more “Moed” and so they do not wear t’fillin. For me, it’s not so simple.

Tradition tells us that you should follow the custom of your father when it comes to t’fillin on Chol Ha-Moed. But the truth is that my father z’l, like so many of ours, did not wear t’fillin at all. And so, I follow the custom of my “spiritual father”, Rabbi Furman. And here is where it gets tricky.

Rabbi Furman gave his life over to Jewish education at Beth El. Throughout his years at the Religious School and Kellman Academy, both schools stayed open for Chol Ha-Moed Sukkot, and both school closed for spring break on Pesach. Therefore, by his standards, the middle days of Sukkot were more “Chol” - regular - than “Moed” -festival- so during the middle days of Sukkot he wears t’fillin. On Pesach, the schools are closed giving it a more “Moed”, holiday feeling. Therefore no t’fillin. And that’s what I do. Middle days of Sukkot – Yes. Middle days of Pesach- No.

Confusing? Somewhat. But years from now, my grandchildren will say to me, “Zayde, why do you have this strange custom for t’fillin on Chol Ha-Moed”? And I will sit them down and tell them about my teacher, Rabbi Furman, and all the years we sat next to each other every morning in prayer. And they will not just understand the origin of my custom, they will come to know the relationship I have with my esteemed teacher.

15

Just a quick observation as we begin Pesach - the 15th day of Nisan.

We don't usually think of 15 as a special number in Jewish tradition. Seven - for sure, but 15...?

But consider:
15 Steps of the Seder
15 Dayyenus
15 Words in the Yom Tov Candle Blessing.
All on the 15th day of the month.

Why is this important? Because 15 in Hebrew letters is Yud-Hay. Yud=10 and Hay=5. A subtle hint that when you are doing Seder right (when you are doing LIFE right), Gd is reflected in all things. Take a deep breath, count your blessings, thank Gd, and enjoy your Sedarim. Chag Kasher V'Samay-ach!

A New Chancellor

Tomorrow you may read in the paper that a new Chancellor has been chosen for the Jewish Theological Seminary. His name is Arnold Eisen, and, once upon a time, he was my thesis advisor for my bachelor's degree at Columbia University. A couple of years after my graduation, he took a professorship at Stanford. Since then, he has written a number of books on the state of modern Jewry in America.

It is interesting that Arnie Eisen is not a rabbi. On one hand it seems strange that a "lay person" should be the head of a religious movement. But, as you know from my previous postings, I don't find this all that curious. After all, in our pluralistic movement, the Chancellor of the Seminary is not the rabbinic decisior for Rabbis in the field. Instead, the Chancellor's primary responsibility is to plot the future of the Movement, to craft its vision, and to help it to achieve its goals. A professor of Modern Jewry might prove to be just the person we have been looking for.

Arnie Eisen is a very active Conservative Jew in his shul in Northern California. He is a Torah reader, a teacher in Adult Ed., and a perpetual student. My college memories are of a very bright, patient and thoughtful person who was quick to smile and at home in most any situation. With Conservative Judaism at (yet another) crossroads it will be interesting to see how a man who never taught at the Seminary and hold no degrees from it will guide that very institution and all who look to it for leadership. The search committee has sent a profound message in choosing a lay person from outside the ivory tower.

A Night of Song

A nervous Eli Kahn stood behind the bimah with me as his Neshoma Orchestra played the opening number. Many years ago, he said, his father hosted a Theodore Bickel concert at Beth El. Even though he was a young teen, Eli remembered it well. Since that time, Eli confided in me, he has dreamed of doing a concert on our bimah. But, he noted, Bickel only needed his own voice and a guitar to carry the night, but he, Eli, needed a whole orchestra.

Well, Eli did not in fact need an entire orchestra, all he need was his own neshoma, his own heart and soul. But having the Neshoma Orchestra certainly helped. The hour and a half concert was attended by nearly 350 people. During the course of the musical evening, Eli told stories, stopping at one point to give a more formal address. It was at that time that Eli spoke of his son, Zev, calling him one of the “Lamed Vav-niks” – the 36 truly righteous individuals who support the whole world. The Lamed Vav-nicks, said Eli, hear Gd tucking them in at night, saying goodnight to the world. And the Lamed Vav-niks start every day hearing Gd wish the world a good morning. That’s what Zev hears, said his father. And, as a result, Zev sings as he goes to bed and sings from the moment he wakes up in the morning. He sings Jewish songs, he sings secular songs, he sings songs known only to him. He sings in bed, he sings in the hospitals, he sings during treatment for his complicated medical conditions. He sings with joy for the miracle of life.

Tonight Beth El helped Zev to sing more comfortably in his own home. All of the proceeds from the concert (there were no overhead expenses) went directly to Zev’s care. It was a beautiful evening of touching words, stirring songs, and loving tribute. This was a night those in attendance will long remember.

Chutzpah on Pesach

I taught the bar mitzvah kids in my Hebrew High class a new word tonight. Chutzpah! They had never heard of it. Still, it is an important word at Pesach time. In my weekly e-mail I wrote about the connection between Shabbat Ha-Gadol, this (Shabbos) and Chutzpah. But there’s more…

If you went outside tonight you saw a very bright moon a bit larger than half. That’s because tonight we began the 9th night of Nisan. When the moon is totally full it will be time to start the first seder. It was an act of Chutzpah on the part of the Jewish People to leave Egypt under a full moon. Most escapes would be planned for a new moon, under cover of darkness. Not ours.

It was also an act of Chutzpah to put the blood on the doorposts. (One kid in my class said she knew about this story from watching it on the “Rugrats” cartoon. That’s better, is suppose, than not knowing it at all!) Why did Gd need to know which houses were Jewish? Gd knows everything!? Answer: Gd needed the Jewish People to show some Chutzpah by declaring, “This is a Jewish home!” When Gd saw that they had enough Chutzpah, and enough faith, He knew it was time for them to move out. All under the light of a glorious full moon.

Broken Matza

At the matza factory yesterday, you could buy only three things: Whole matzas, broken matzas and matza meal made from the special wheat I described.

The broken matzas being sold were cheaper. They are, of course, equally kosher for Passover. But seeing them for sale reminded me about the mitzvah of the broken matza. According to the Talmud, one of the matzot used for making the motzee at the seder needs to be broken. This gave rise to the custom of breaking it before hand and hiding one part for the Afikomen. The reason for breaking the matza is that it is in fact a symbol of the poverty and degradation that we endured while in Egypt when we did not have enough to eat. (Homiletically, it also serves to remind us of the fact that there are still plenty of Jews who do not have enough to eat on a regular basis).

But this also reminds me of why we use three matzot for the seder. Originally we used only two. But, when Seder and Shabbat coincide, you need two full matzot to symbolize the double portion of manna which fell in the desert on Friday. Gd sent the double portion so that we would not have to work gathering the manna on Shabbat. To this day, that is why we use 2 challot at the Shabbat dinner table. And if you don’t have two challot, (or don’t want to have two challot), you can use two rolls. You cannot, however, use a slice of bread instead of a roll since a slice is like a “broken” – i.e. unfinished loaf. A single matza, however, represents “an entire loaf”. And so, on Shabbat, if you’re not big challah eaters, you can use two matzot, provided that they are whole. But for seder we use two full and one broken.

Just a little seder Torah to get you started…

More Than Just Matza

I went shopping for Shmora Matza today. I know, they have Shmora Matza at Shop Rite, but I went to Boro Park in Brooklyn, to the Shatzer Matzah Factory. Why shlepp all the way to Brooklyn for matza you can get here (albeit not as fresh)? Because I was accompanying my friend and teacher Rabbi Furman on his annual matza-buying pilgrimage. Rabbi Furman’s parents lived in Boro Park, and every year his father would go to Shatzer's to buy matza. Now, years after his father’s passing, so does he. It was a great way to spend the day.

What a place! A little whole in the wall. Behind a small, virtually unmarked door, we found a scene that could have taken place 100 or 400 or 800 years ago. A long and noisy room with a 30 foot table. Behind the table are men and women of all ages, from teenagers to their 70s, rolling out little brown balls of dough with thin rolling pins 3 feet long. In a corner of the room, a large mixing bowl where the dough is kneaded. Sitting beside the bowl are pitchers of water and bags of very costly wheat. In another corner, but really just 4 feet away, given the narrowness of the room, is a small man rolling small holes into the dough that has come from the tables. Another man ushers them into the oven , his arms moving rhythmically like a conveyor belt.

The whole process, from the time the wheat hits the water until the dough is baked must be only 18 minutes. That’s the length of time the Rabbis of the Talmud determined it took the dough to begin to rise, or become “Chametz”. I didn’t see any stopwatches around, but my guess is that they had been doing this for so long that they had the timing down pat. Rabbi Furman told me a story about how the famous Rabbi, the Chozeh of Lublin, made a whole store’s Shmora Matza tref because, even though they were made in just minutes, the tears of the workers who were pushed too hard by their employer made the finished product unfit for Pesach consumption. These folks looked like they were having a pretty good time, even thought the Rabbi watched them like a hawk.

It’s called Shmora (“Guarded”) Matza because its entire production is carefully overseen from beginning to end. The wheat is harvested just as it ripens and before rain can fall on it. The sheaved wheat is protected from all rain. The threshing is supervised so that no water comes in contact at any point, and the shipments are sealed in trucks very carefully. No wonder this matza costs $17/lb.!

But for me, of course, the matza will taste delicious not just because I bought it fresh, and not even because Rabbi Furman and I bought it together. (It was his 75th birthday!) Rather, tasting it will remind me of Rabbi Furman’s love for his father and his faithfulness to the traditions imparted to him by his dad. Hopefully, it will inspire me to create and maintain my own meaningful traditions with my own children, and they, in turn with theirs.

Counting Time

I'm the kind of person who watched the odometer in my car very carefully so that I could notice exactly when it turned to 123,456 two months ago. I'm not at all a math person. I could never get my math teacher to understand that I did not mean my answers to be taken literally. Theology was much more my speed. But somehow, the sequence of numbers holds an almost mystical appeal. And so therefore, on a lighter note, I share with you this fact:

The Wednesday, April 5, 2006, at precisely two minutes and three seconds after one o'clock in the morning it will be:

01:02:03 04/05/06.

It will be 100 years before that happens again. Just thought you'd like to know...