Character

"Brains are like muscles- you can hire them by the hour. The only thing that's not for sale is character."

----Judge Antonin Scalia, quoted in The New Yorker

The Voice Still Calls

Judaism is a call for greater sensitivity to the world around us. The holiday of Sukkot celebrates this fact. After 10 days of repentance, of reflection and inward thinking, we are commanded to go outside of our homes and, in a way, outside of ourselves. Outside, under the canopy of stars we can sense the Sukkah of Gd's protection.

The Sages wrote in Pirke Avot (6:2) that, "Every day a Heavenly Voice comes from Mt. Sinai (Chorev) proclaiming, "Woe to mankind for contempt of Torah." Every day a voice comes from Mt. Sinai reminding us that all we need to know to be contented and serene in this world was already revealed. What happened at Sinai did not stop there. The Heavenly Voice reverberates to this day. And the Heavenly Voice will continue to resound until its mission is fulfilled, which is to get everyone to listen more closely.

Many popular books now question the existence of Gd. To my mind, by their line of reasoning, they might as well question the existence of love, too. You can't scientifically prove either one. You can't quantify them, hold them in your hand or reproduce them in a lab. But you can sure feel their effects. You can see how faith and love transform lives. You can see how a person who has either in their lives will go to great lengths and costs to honor their commitments. You can see the way that both bring out the best in people. Do people sometimes do stupid things for love? Of course. Do people sometimes do stupid things in the name of Gd? Of course. But people who are sensitive to love, who exude it and are drawn to it know a happiness, peace and serenity that others are missing. Likewise, those who are aware of the fact that Gd is continually calling us, cheering us on, hoping that we will respond with faith - they too know a peace and serenity that makes life meaningful and, quite frankly, more enjoyable.

That's why the most important prayer in Jewish liturgy is known by one simple word: Shema - Listen!

Roz Chast

I recently read a very funny cartoon in the New Yorker. It was by Roz Chast who has a unique ability to sum up life in a brilliant, concise way that shows both a frustration with and deep appreciation for the world in which we live. Her somewhat neurotic take on pop culture has endeared her to New Yorker readers since she was first published in 1978.

You don’t even need to see a picture to get a chuckle out of this one. A cartoon tombstone reads:

ED JONES

Tuned in,
Turned on,
Dropped out,
Dropped in,
Worked out,
Saved up,
Dropped dead.

Funny! But of course Judaism teaches us not just to look at life in the broad swaths of time, but also to look at the fine brush details of every day. And those details, the minute, single stroke moments are truly ours to control. We imbue them with meaning, we make them count. We realize that unlike the cartoon above, life is not just about us but about the lives of those we influence and touch.

Learning Tzedakah from the Poor

Who gives more to tzedakah, the poor, the middle-class or the wealthy? The answer is the poor. Taken as a percentage of their overall income, the poor give the most. Interesting, no? People who don’t have money still don’t have a hard time giving away some of what they do have. Perhaps it is because they have the greatest empathy for those in need. Maybe it’s because they are less likely to have credit cards. Many people I know tell me that between the credit card bills, the tuition, the taxes, the mortgage and the car payments, they don’t have anything left to give. Judaism, of course, believes that we should give our tzedakah “off the top” not from that which is left. Perhaps we can learn something from the charitable poor.

Among the poor, statistics show that certain types of poor Americans are more likely to give. A person who lives below the poverty line, but is not on government assistance, belongs to a House of Worship and is married is in fact seven more times as likely to give to tzedakah as a person who is on government assistance for food and housing, does not belong to a shul or church, and is a single parent – even if they have the exact same income per year!

It seems to me that these stats indicate that these people who give tzedakah see it as part of their social responsibility. People who stand proudly on their own two feet and who join in community (both spiritually and in terms of family) have a greater sense of connectedness with the world around them. Their tzedakah is a proud statement of who they are and what they stand for, not a “luxury tax” donated because they feel that they have been blessed. They do not give because they have “a little extra”. They give because they feel a sense of responsibility. We all have a lot to learn from those who seem to have the least. At the end of the day they have a lot more than most people think.

Rolling Up Our Sleeves

In honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday I decided to do some community service. My family went to an event organized by Main Line Reform Temple where the kids read for a Books on Tape program and packed care packages for children in the Methodist Home in Philadelphia. 1000 (!) kids without parents live there.

Me? I started the day by donating blood. I’m AB Positive and I know my type is rather rare. (OK, stop the jokes right now!) I’ve always felt that giving blood is a mitzvah (commandment) just like giving tzedakah. Actually, I’ve been doing some research and I’ve found out that statistics show that people who give tzedakah are twice as likely to also donate blood. There is a direct correlation between giving money and blood. Blood donors are also far more likely to volunteer their time. And they are also far more likely to be part of a church or synagogue.

Americans are, by and large (and especially compared to Europeans) generous when it comes to charitable giving. The average amount given by families is 3.5% of household income, or about $1,800. Actually, private American giving could more than finance the entire annual gross domestic product (GDP) of Sweden, Norway, or Denmark.

Still, 75 million Americans never give to any causes, charities or religious institutions. Moreover, 130 million Americans never volunteer any time at all.
On a day devoted to remembering a great servant of the community we should all reassess what we are willing to give to make the world a better place.

Remembering Martin Luther King

It was nearly two generations ago that Martin Luther King, the most important black leader of our time, was involved not only in the civil rights struggle, but also participated in the efforts to free Soviet Jewry, make Israel a secure and independent state, and combat anti-Semitism. That is why Jews worldwide should enthusiastically join celebrations of Martin Luther King Day on Monday, Jan. 15. The details of the connection between Dr. King and Jewish people seem to be fading with time. We should never let that happen.

We should remember that from virtually the very beginning of the movement to free Soviet Jews in the 1960s, Dr. King was a major advocate on their behalf. Nearly 40 years ago, he publicly sought support for the re-establishment of the "religious and cultural freedom" of Soviet Jews. He also urged the Soviet government to "end all discriminatory measures against the Jewish community."

Dr. King's commitment to a secure and independent Israel was also clear. A few months after the Six-Day War, he wrote to Jewish community leaders that "Israel's right to exist as a state in security is incontestable." In addressing a convention of rabbis just 10 days before his tragic death in 1968, the Nobel Prize laureate referred to Israel as "one of the great outposts of democracy in the world." He went on to say that "we must stand with all our might to protect [Israel's] right to exist, its territorial integrity."

Dr. King also frequently denounced anti-Semitism. According to him, "the segregationists and racists make no fine distinction between the Negro and the Jew." In a letter to Jewish leaders, he attacked anti-Semitism "within the Negro community, because it was wrong. I will continue to oppose it, because it is immoral and self-destructive."
In retrospect, King's adoption of these causes is not surprising, given his belief that the freedom of blacks was inextricably tied to the universal right of all groups to live in peace, free from discrimination and oppression.

It is perhaps less than coincidental that in synagogue across the country we begin the Book of Exodus this weekend, the very weekend we celebrate his birthday. The Exodus story, the story of the Jewish People leaving Egypt, was adopted by Dr. King and the civil rights movement in America as their paradigm, too. Dr. King saw the relationship between blacks and Jews as a natural alliance. We should pray for a time when that can again ring true, and in whatever small way possible, help to make it come to pass. That would be the best way to remember Martin Luther King’s birthday.

Government with Religion

Last week, thirty Jewish members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 13 Jewish U.S. senators were sworn in. The 43 Jewish lawmakers assuming office Thursday in the 110th Congress include 29 Democrats and one Republican in the House and nine Democrats, two Republicans and two independents who caucus with the Democrats in the Senate. The number of Jewish senators sets a record although there were more than 30 Jewish House members between 1990 and 1994.

Two Buddhist also came to Congress, a first for our country. Rep. Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, became a Buddhist decades ago, though his family does not share that faith. Rep. Mazie Hirono, a Hawaii Democrat, is also a Buddhist. In addition, Rep. Keith Ellison from Minnesota was also sworn in. Ellison is the first Muslim elected to Congress and he used a Koran owned by Thomas Jefferson. An array of Jewish groups joined Arab-American and Muslim-American groups in condemning some right-wing assaults on Ellison’s decision to use the Koran. I support both them and him.

Both the strong level of Jewish leadership and the widening array of religious traditions represented in the Senate and House make me proud to be an American. The highest “House” makes me think of my “house” and reminds me of the words of Mahatma Gandhi who once said, “I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible, but I refuse to be blown off my feet by any of them”.

Singular Years - Long Term Memories

Tomorrow we finish the Book of Genesis. It focuses on Jacob’s final days. The Torah portion (Va-Yechi) begins, “And Jacob lived in the Land of Egypt 17 year (singular shannah is used in Hebrew), and the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 17 years (plural, shannim is used in Hebrew) and 40 and 100 year (singular shannah used again).

Since nothing appears in the Torah by accident, we have to wonder about this usage (which is not unique to his section). Perhaps we can explain it by seeing it as a reflection of human nature. The plural is used for the smaller numbers because those memories present themselves as individual reflections. We can call to mind recent events and see how one effected the other. Each of the memories is distinct, we see it from many angles. But when it comes to large chunks of time, decades or more, we use the singular because we remember them as a whole. “Those were the good years”, “those were some tough times” etc.

Torah comes to teach that we need to look at our lives both in micro and macrocosm. Sometimes we get so caught up in the details, the wear and tear of every day life that we forget to see the forest for the trees. We need to take a step back and visualize today as part of a much larger picture for when we do we’ll be less likely to obsess on the individual, often trivial decisions that seem so very important at the time. Spirituality is a gift that allows us to see the big picture of our lives. Sure, little decisions matter, but it is the overall quality of our lives that ultimately matters most.

Teddy - End of an Era

Teddy Kollek, the longtime mayor of Jerusalem died Tuesday at the age of 95. Teddy – he was always known by just his first name - is being remembered as the most prolific builder of the city since King Herod two thousand years ago. He is the man who in 28 years transformed the Israeli capital from a dusty backwater to an international city of parks, theaters and museums, making it into an international destination from more than just religious pilgrims.

Teddy grew up in Vienna and came to what was then British Mandate Palestine in 1935. His death is really the end of an era. He is considered one of the last of the generation of Israel's founding fathers. He was known for navigating the divide between Jerusalem's diverse populations - Jewish and Arab, religious and secular. Teddy became mayor in 1965 and served as the mayor when the Old City was reclaimed in 1967. He famously said at that time, "Jerusalem's people of differing faiths, cultures and aspirations must find peaceful ways to live together other than by drawing a line in the sand."

I lived in Jerusalem when Teddy was mayor and there is no comparison between the feel of the city then and now. When Teddy was mayor there were all sorts of Jews living in the Old City, for instance. There were secular Jews and of course Orthodox Jews of every sect, but there was also a comfortable place for Conservative Jews. In fact, my first pulpit was in the Old City of Jerusalem serving a couple dozen Conservative families who lived there. To the best of my knowledge every one of them has moved out and the diversity of the Old City is greatly diminished. Teddy also argued strongly on behalf of the Arabs who lived in the eastern part of Jerusalem who, prior to Israel’s reclamation, had few utilities like electricity, sewers and even running water. In part because of his support of diversity, he lost reelection in 1993 – to Ehud Olmert who was less willing to negotiate on the religious and political issues of diversity that made Teddy Teddy. It is strangely odd these days to see Olmert adopting a more open policy; more willing to negotiate. Too bad he does not have Teddy’s charisma and charm. If he did, Israel would have a beloved Prime Minister and not one who is merely tolerated.

Herzl's Kids

An interesting piece of T’shuvah, repentance/forgiveness recently caught my attention. Two of Theodor Herzl’s children were reinterred in Jerusalem after decades of debate.

Hans and Pauline Herzl, who died in 1930 and were buried in France, were laid to final rest alongside the founder of modern Zionism in the cemetery that carries his name in Israel’s capital, Har Herzl. Herzl, who died in 1904, had said that he wanted to be buried next to his children. But Israeli authorities, after reinterring Herzl himself in 1949, were reluctant to do the same for Hans and Pauline given the controversy surrounding their deaths. Pauline died of a drug overdose in what might have been a suicide, prompting her brother to shoot himself. Hans´ conversion to Christianity shortly before his death further stoked religious opposition to his burial in Israel. But rabbis recently ruled that Hans had disavowed Christianity before dying, and that Pauline’s demise was a result of mental disturbance.

At the cemetery, next to the grave that is visited by nearly every tourist who comes to Jerusalem (including everyone who has ever taken a trip with me) Ehud Olmert said: “Having brought in the remains of Pauline and Hans, we are completing the mission and achieving historical closure.”

Even in death there is room for T’shuvah, which literally means “return”. Returning Herzl’s heirs to their father’s side, in the land of his dreams, reflects Israel’s true intent: Which is to create a Jewish homeland for all, even those who have strayed from the pathways of tradition. Israel is truly the site for the ingathering of the exiles.

Groundbreaking Dedication

This past Sunday, with over 500 in attendance, we formally broke ground on our new synagogue building. It was a lovely day. The children sang, dignitaries spoke, and I was honored to give the invocation.

The following is the text of what I said:

Eighty five years ago, our spiritual forebearers, bold men and women of vision, stood together to dedicate the first congregation Beth El, then in Camden New Jersey. Many of them were recent immigrants, or the children of European parents. Fate had brought them to South Jersey, but a sense of destiny had led them to put down roots. Then, 39 years ago, in response to the growth that had stemmed from those roots, construction began on a new Beth El, one that would build on the vision of those who had come before. And now, two generations later, we are the branches that grow from the Etz Chayim, the Tree of Life, that is Beth El. The buds and flowers that will emerge from the branches will be the next generation of Jewish leaders, those who will someday thank us for the effort we are about to undertake. On September 13, 1998 we dedicated our new school building with an enrollment of about 200. today we have over 600 children under our tutelage and care – and we are just getting started.

It is with great humility that I, as Spiritual Leader of this great and mighty congregation, offer the following prayer of invocation and consecration:

Almighty Gd, and Gd of our Ancestors:
We have come here today to hallow Your name by breaking ground on this site for a Bet Kinneset dedicated to You. In this most significant hour, we invoke Your blessings upon the work of our hands.

Thirty centuries ago, You commanded our ancestors, ”V’Asoo Lee mikdash….”
“Make for Me a sanctuary that I may dwell in their midst.” From that day to this, their descendants have established houses of worship wherever they dwelled. We recall today those who built the First and Second Temples. We remember those who built the simple shuls of Europe as well as the many lavish congregations destroyed by enemies of our People in ancient times and not so very long ago. Our success will be their victory – the triumph over death that only spiritual life can bring.

This morning we of this community, young and old, have gathered to take the first step in the physical construction of a magnificent new building, with the hope of consecrating it to You, our Torah, and Your Holy People. Fully do we realize the magnitude of this undertaking; well do we comprehend the tremendous responsibilities we have assumed by beginning this work. Grant us Your assistance to complete this work, for the glory of your name and the sake of Israel.

We consecrate this site as Admat Kodesh, sacred ground, whereupon we shall endeavor to perpetuate and vitalize the faith we have inherited – for ourselves, for our children, and for future generations of Jews. We are thankful, dear Gd, for the spirited men and women who have given their support thus far in our labors; for the many of our community who have responded enthusiastically to our call and made possible the genesis of this holy work.

Bless all those whose shared vision has helped to make this moment possible. May this momentous occasion inspire all of us to continue our efforts with love and devotion until we have completed that which we have begun today. May we work together to create a home in which You, and we are truly blessed. AMEN.

European T'shuvah

We are now in the heart of T’shuvah season. This is the time of repentance, T’shuvah. But really, T’shuvah means “return”. With Gd’s help, and our own decisive will, we return to what’s right. Gd had a plan for the world, one that He tries to maintain. But we fallible humans stray from the plan, diverge from the path. This time of years we Jews seek to realign our lives to the natural path of growth and productivity that our Creator has in store for us.

History was made yesterday as the Jewish community of Germany returned to the path of Jewish productivity it was supposed to have before the Nazis came to power. Prior to the War, there were 500,000 Jews in Germany. Just before German unification, there were only 30,000. Prior to the War, hundreds of Rabbis were trained and ordained in Germany for service to their Jewish community. Since the War – ZERO. Until yesterday. In a Dresden synagogue built in 2001, poignantly placed adjacent to the site of a shul destroyed on Kristallnacht, three Reform Rabbis were ordained. Two of them will stay and minister to Germany’s Jews. The third will return to his native South Africa. As the Jewish population of Germany grows (it’s now over 100,000), more Rabbis will be trained to serve the unique needs of their community.

To me, there was something strangely beautiful about this ceremony yesterday. I believe it represents the power of T’shuvah on a national scale. I know there are plenty of cynics out there, but I for one appreciate the great lengths that the German people have gone to in T’shuvah for the Holocaust. The fact that their hate crime laws are far tougher than ours; the fact that more than 50 years after the fact, they are just now beginning to show some national pride (remember the World Cup), and the fact that this ordination was big news in Germany, all point to the power of Return, of T’shuvah to what is right, just and moral. I think that Germany can serve as a model for other European countries, especially France – because that country is yet to do the T’shuvah that will make it a safer place for Jews, minorities, and, indeed all its citizens.

The Commandment to Get Involved

I grew up near the Olney neighborhood of Philadelphia. My elementary school, Thomas K. Finletter was only a mile or so from the Fern Rock movie theatre. It was near that theatre that a horrible double murder took place last night. It breaks my heart to think that the neighborhood where I rode my bike as a kid is not even safe for people to walk through.

This crime was particularly heinous. A man raped a woman in an alley, a couple came to her aid, and both of the people trying to help were killed. One of the many tragedies related to this incident is the fact that good people may now be less likely to get involved in helping others in need.

This week’s Torah portion, Ki Tay-tzay, can be read like Aesops’s Fables. Why? Because the Torah gives examples of how we human beings are supposed to treat animals. For instance, we are told we cannot yolk an ox and a donkey together. We are also taught that we cannot take both the mother and the young bird from a nest, but must shoo the mother away. And, we are commanded that when we see someone’s animal fall, we must help him to get the animal back on its feet.

What makes it like Aesop’s Fables? The moral lesson each verse teaches. Tradition says that we learn how to treat others by first trying to treat animals fairly. If we need to be kind to them, how much more so does Gd expect us to be kind to our fellow human beings. A donkey and an ox should not have to do the same job. (We should be careful when we have expectations of others that are “one size fits all”. It’s not always fair.) The bird needs to be sent away. (We should learn to appreciate the unique love of parents for their children, especially if we are in a position of instructing the child or sharing with a parent information he/she does not really want to hear.) And finally, we are supposed to help animals that have fallen. (How much more so are we expected to reach out to people in need.)

I look at what has become of my old neighborhood and I cringe. So much crime! But then I think about the couple that did get involved. It was their neighborhood, too. That neighborhood is full of good, caring people. We need to work together to make sure that they can feel safe; safe and secure enough to know that getting involved is really the right thing to do. And it starts by understanding what Gd really expects of each us. For yea, though we walk through the shadow of death, Gd is with us. I hope our city makes it safe enough for Gd to walk the streets.

Studying Together

I got an e-mail last night from Sammy Kahn. His uncle, Rabbi Phillip Harris Singer passed away yesterday. The funeral was the same day and the burial will take place in Israel.

Rabbi Singer was a great Talmudist with a wonderful sense of humor. He was married to Rabbi Kahn’s sister, Tziril. They live in Brooklyn. For years I knew him as “Pinny”, long before I ever met the man. Whenever Rabbi Kahn and I had a question of Jewish law he would pick up the phone and dial Pinny. Pinny always had the answer. He would immediately say which page of Talmud to look at and even where on the page the source could be found.

Pinny spoke at Rabbi Kahn’s funeral as well as the unveiling. But my most meaningful memory of Rabbi Singer and Rabbi Kahn together was a conversation they shared one late night a couple of years ago. After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Rabbi Kahn was told that he had “6 months to live”. On the last day of that 6th month, at midnight, Rabbi Kahn called his brother in law on the phone and the two of them studied Talmud together as the clock struck 12 midnight. The next day, Rabbi Kahn explained to me that if the Malach Ha-Mavet (The Angel of Death) was going to come for him, at least he would find him studying Torah. And who knows, maybe that would send The Angel away.

It must have worked, because Rabbi Kahn lived another 6 months or more after that. They were both men of great faith, and now, in Olam Ha-Bah they are studying together once again.
Beth El mourns the loss of Rabbi Singer and we offer our condolences to his family. Yehi Zichro Baruch – May his memory be a blessing.