tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56344603208492329592024-03-13T23:59:15.733-07:00Rabbi Arian's RuminationsRabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-30632636378376268022023-09-26T11:48:00.002-07:002023-09-27T06:42:07.531-07:00Yom Kippur Morning Sermon 5784<p> <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">YK Sermon 5784 -- Jewish Future -- YK Morning</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-fe01d3e1-7fff-3cfc-9783-2c06538152fe"><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Four years ago I began one of my Yom Kippur sermons with a thought experiment. Imagine that a visionary philanthropist offered our kehilah an endowment of 20 million dollars on condition that we no longer charge membership dues. An endowment of that size with a conservative investment portfolio would produce more than enough income to keep our shul going without ever touching the principle. Unless, of course, so many people found out that there was a shul in Montgomery Village that didn’t charge dues and in fact was forbidden by the terms of an endowment gift to charge them. If our no dues policy resulted in a massive membership growth, we might have to hire more staff and expand the building to accommodate our greater numbers. We might find that the income from our endowment no longer covered our expenses. Would we simply continue to accept everyone who signs up as a member? Or would we try to define some non-monetary requirements for membership?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">For the typical American synagogue, membership is defined financially. You fill out an application, you pay your dues -- or if you can’t afford full dues you make some kind of arrangement and pay a lesser amount -- and that’s pretty much it. If a congregation could no longer define membership by virtue of paying dues, what would be the criterion?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A few months ago Rabbi Danny Schiff, a friend from rabbinical school who is now the Federation Scholar for the Pittsburgh Jewish Federation, published a book called </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Judaism For A Digital Age. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We were fortunate to arrange for him to speak over Zoom to my class on Contemporary Jewish Controversies this past spring. One of the questions Rabbi Schiff explores is why both Reform and Conservative Judaism are facing a crisis of numbers. To give you an example of what that crisis looks like, the 2019 Washington Jewish Population survey revealed that between 2003 and 2017 the Jewish population of Greater Washington grew by 37% but the absolute number of synagogue members shrank slightly from 26,500 households to 25,600 households; and that 58% of Jewish children received no formal Jewish education of any sort at any point.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">For several decades following the end of the Second World War, the suburban synagogue was in the Hebrew school and Bar/Bat Mitzvah business. Jews were moving to the suburbs, which were ethnically and religiously mixed, from their urban, predominantly Jewish neighborhoods. The Jews in this exodus were mostly American born children of immigrants. When growing up they might have spoken English with their parents but they probably spoke Yiddish or Yinglish with their grandparents. The neighborhoods where they lived were overwhelmingly Jewish. The newly-suburban Jews might not have been religiously observant but they were steeped in Jewish culture.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now they found themselves living in neighborhoods which might be ten or twenty percent Jewish rather than eighty or ninety. Their children were going to public schools with mostly non-Jewish classmates and very often the grandparents stayed behind in the “old neighborhood.” New synagogues were created at a dizzying pace and were sometimes unkindly labeled “Bar Mitzvah factories.” The typical membership trajectory saw a family join when their oldest child started Hebrew school and give up their membership shortly after the youngest kid’s Bar Mitzvah or maybe Confirmation in tenth grade. The fact that a significant percentage, perhaps even a majority, of families were only members for a few years didn’t threaten the stability of the model because there were always more families in the pipeline to replace them. Jewish parents would always want to make sure their kids had Bar or Bat Mitzvahs, the only way to do that was to join a shul and send your kids to Hebrew school, so people would join, pay the assigned dues, and send their kids to Hebrew school for the specified number of years. Postwar America placed a lot of importance on religion, and for American Jews, part of fitting in with their neighbors was to create and support synagogues, which were often located on the main thoroughfares of the new suburban neighborhoods as a sign of full Jewish belonging.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But this model started to crumble in the 1990s or so. More families had one Jewish and one non-Jewish parent, and even families with two Jewish parents didn’t always consider Jewish education a priority or feel the need to provide their children with Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies. And if the family did decide that a Bar or Bat Mitzvah was important, there were other ways of doing it; independent Hebrew schools, tutors, free-lance clergy who operate on a fee-for-service model. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What have we done wrong that got us in this situation? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rabbi Schiff says that Reform and Conservative Judaism continue to do an excellent job at what they were invented to do. They are both answers to the challenge of modernity -- how do we participate in a democratic, pluralistic society and still maintain our Jewish identity? The problem, says Rabbi Schiff, is that Reform and Conservative Judaism are excellent answers to questions that no one is asking anymore. When a US president whose daughter converted to Orthodox Judaism is followed by a president whose three children all married Jews; when the Vice President and her Jewish husband attended Rosh Hashanah services at the largest Conservative shul in the District of Columbia and have a mezuzah on their official residence’s front door; when the Jewish White House Chief of Staff resigns and is replaced by another Jewish White House Chief of Staff who is also part owner of a Jewish, albeit not kosher, deli named “Call Your Mother”; the question of how exactly we maintain our Jewishness while participating in general society is not exactly high on anyone’s list anymore. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A few days before Rosh Hashanah I asked members of our community to answer the question “what is the purpose of Kehilat Shalom”? I set up a Google Form so that it could be done anonymously because I wanted people to feel that they could answer the question honestly without fear of offending me or being judged by me. Sixteen people answered the question; it’s impossible to know to what extent this is a representative sample but for a community of our size it is a pretty good rate of return. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The answers to the question were quite varied. A number of them mentioned that Kehilat Shalom is or should be primarily a place of prayer. One congregant wrote that the purpose of Kehilat Shalom is to focus on providing spiritual experiences in the company of other congregants and that all other activities are secondary. “Without the spiritual, Kehilat Shalom is a social club, and the rituals are pointless and might as well be scrapped.” But other congregants wrote that they are not particularly religious, but they view Kehilat Shalom as a source of friendship, of comfort, of connecting to their people, providing intellectual stimulation and doing good deeds. A couple of congregants wrote about the importance of religious school education and Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies, which does not fit our current demographic situation at all. Some of the writers spoke about their attachment to our current building, and that no other synagogue sanctuary had ever given them the feeling that they get in this room. Others said their connection is to the community and not to the building, and that given financial realities we should consider some real changes.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">COVID-19 simply accelerated changes and questions in American Judaism and American religious institutions generallly which were already on the horizon. There are more and more single person households, and the advent of online services and the convenience of praying at home in your sweats has served to further attenuate the nature of community. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rabbi Danny Schiff says: “People are asking themselves, ‘If I can do everything I want to do with life without having to compromise with somebody else, then why would I?’ Is that in line with classical Jewish thinking? If not, then is it something we should now take on as being a positive or take a stand against? I’m not asking these questions with a particular agenda. I’m simply pointing out that this is a dramatic shift in the way that people live. Judaism needs to think that through and to have a thoughtful response.”</span></p><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In my introduction to the Unetaneh Tokef prayer on Rosh Hashanah, I quoted Rabbi Lawrence Kushner’s observation that when we repent we acknowledge that we have done wrong and are not perfect; when we pray we reach out and acknowledge that we cannot fix what we have done wrong without external help; and when we give charity we give up a part of what we believe belongs to us. All involve a diminution of the ego and a sense of belonging to something bigger and beyond oneself. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Because American synagogues have generally not asked for anything from their members other than money, synagogue membership has been for many a business transaction. While it is true that we use the term “member”, so does Costco. I am a “member” of Costco which asks nothing of me other than payment of my $60 annual dues. But if Keleigh and I ever reach the point where we shop at Costco so infrequently that it no longer seems worth the $60, we will not have any moral qualms or lose any sleep over our decision not to renew our membership. In being a member of Costco, I do not get a feeling of being part of something bigger than myself, something which transcends boundaries of place and time or connects me with my people’s past and future. I just get an opportunity to purchase multi-packs of organic salsa or 96-packs of K-Cups. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There are new questions which postmodernity poses: in an era of artificial intelligence, what does it mean to be really human? Rabbi Schiff writes: “</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">over the course of three decades, our technology, culture, society, financial system, media, marriages, families, sexuality, privacy standards, and even our mental functioning have changed. . . . The way we live, the way we work, the way we interact, the way we communicate, the way we think, and the way we curate and perceive our reality have all been refashioned. . . . This digital age is thoroughly discontinuous with what preceded it.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #292929; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The questions we are asking may be different in some ways than before, but in other ways they are not so different. What continues is the human quest for meaning and for ways to be less lonely. Our tradition has a lot to say about these questions. Synagogues in the next decades may look different in some ways than what has come before, but Rabbi Schiff says, and I agree with him, that they will still be the key institutions of Jewish life and Jewish community.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Synagogue membership is not a “fee for service” proposition where you are purchasing certain services. It is a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">brit kodesh</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, a holy covenant. It is a two-way commitment and a two-way responsibility. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Days of Awe are all about teshuvah, which while we translate it as “repentance” is really closer to “return.” There are certain values which we know we ought to live by. We know that we need community, that we need each other. We know that our society can be better, that taking care of our neighbor is more important than saving a couple of bucks, that caring about others and being cared about are basic human needs. Yom Kippur comes to remind us, to call us back to a better way of life. May we have the courage to live our lives in community and with concern for each other. </span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-45878207160589376172023-09-26T11:47:00.002-07:002023-09-27T06:42:25.045-07:00Kol Nidre Sermon 5784<p> <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">YK Sermon 5784 -- Forgiveness -- Kol Nidre</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-06bb443a-7fff-4388-edef-6faf67b1e768"><br /><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“The most influential person in your life is the person you refuse to forgive.” A couple of months ago, someone I know shared a picture of this sign from the Madison Avenue Baptist Church in Manhattan on Instagram. There is a lot of wisdom in that sign.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 17pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I mentioned in my remarks at our joint Selichot service that my late father’s last remaining cousin passed away recently in New York. My brother went to a shiva minyan at the home of her daughter, our second cousin, and told me that our other cousin wasn’t there because he and his sister have not spoken to each other in five years. Neither my brother nor I know what is at the root of this family dysfunction and alienation but it’s hard for me to imagine that whatever one sibling did or said to the other, it justifies that kind of alienation and refusing to go to your sibling’s home even for shiva.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 17pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Many of us are familiar with the Talmudic teaching that while Yom Kippur atones for offenses we have committed against God, it does not atone for offenses we have committed against another person until we have apologized to that person and tried to fix whatever harm we have caused. But Moses Maimonides in his commentary on this teaching, says that we don’t only have an obligation to seek forgiveness from someone we have wronged. We also have the obligation to forgive those who have wronged us once they have taken responsibility for the wrong they have committed and asked forgiveness. In fact, Maimonides says, once a person has asked our forgiveness three times, they are automatically forgiven even if we refuse to forgive them. On top of that, the guilt for what that person originally did is now transferred to the one who refuses to forgive.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 17pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Because today is Yom Kippur, many of us may be more inclined to believe that there is an actual divine accounting of guilt and forgiveness than we would the other 364 days of the year. But Maimonides was not primarily concerned with divine accounting; he was concerned with what being unwilling to forgive and carrying a grudge does to our own souls. Carrying the burden of unforgiveness is like carrying a heavy chain that shackles our souls. When we hold onto grudges, anger, and resentment, it consumes our thoughts, poisons our hearts, and creates a divide between us and others. Unforgiveness can lead to bitterness, hatred, and a cycle of hurt that perpetuates pain across generations.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 17pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, in her recent book “On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unrepentant World '' points out that there are two different words for “forgiveness " in Hebrew: mechila and slicha. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mechila</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> might be better translated as “pardon.” It has the connotation of relinquishing a claim against an offender; it’s transactional. It’s not a warm, fuzzy embrace but rather the victim’s acknowledgment that the perpetrator no longer owes them, that they have done the repair work necessary to settle the situation. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">You stole from me? OK, you acknowledged that you did so in a self-aware way, you’re in therapy to work on why you stole, you paid me back, and you apologized in a way that I felt reflected an understanding of the impact your actions had on me — it seems that you’re not going to do this to anyone else. Fine. It doesn’t mean that we pretend that the theft never happened, and it doesn’t (necessarily) mean that our relationship will return to how it was before or even that we return to any kind of ongoing relationship. With mechila, whatever else I may feel or not feel about you, I can consider this chapter closed. Those pages are still written upon, but we’re done here.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.92; margin-bottom: 20pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Slicha</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, on the other hand, may be better translated as “forgiveness”; it includes more emotion. It looks with a compassionate eye at the penitent perpetrator and sees their humanity and vulnerability, recognizes that, even if they have caused great harm, they are worthy of empathy and mercy. Like </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">mechila</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, it does not denote a restored relationship between the perpetrator and the victim (neither does the English word, actually; “reconciliation” carries that meaning), nor does </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">slicha</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> include a requirement that the victim act like nothing happened. But it has more of the softness, that letting-go quality associated with “forgiveness” in English.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f7f7f8; line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 15pt; margin-top: 15pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Forgiveness is a serious challenge. Forgiving someone who has wronged us deeply can feel like an insurmountable task. We may ask ourselves, "How can I forgive when the pain is so real?" It is essential to recognize that forgiveness is not the same as condoning the wrongdoing. Instead, it is an act of releasing the hold that hurt has on our hearts.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It is a process that brings healing and restoration. When we forgive, we free ourselves from the chains of bitterness, allowing us to move forward with grace and peace. Forgiveness does not erase the past, but it enables us to create a brighter future. As the great Rabbi Harold Kushner once said, "Forgiveness is an act of letting go of a hurt."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One of the most profound meditations I have read on forgiveness was published recently in the Jewish feminist magazine </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Lilith. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was written by my former Hillel colleague Mindy Sue Shapiro. Fifty years ago her father, a Baltimore businessman and politician, was murdered by two former employees he had fired, shortly before Mindy’s Bat Mitzvah.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mindy and I are the same age, and she reports that like most fathers of his era -- and like my father -- he spent little time with his family. Since he was murdered shortly before her Bat Mitzvah, she did not really get to know him very well. But because he was a public figure, the trial of the two people who murdered him became a public spectacle -- during which she learned, at the same time everyone else did, that her father had an affair with his secretary.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As her father’s fiftieth yahrzeit approached, Ms. Shapiro asked herself some questions. “</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d0303; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Where did the years go? Why am I still traumatized? Why am I not at peace? Why do some people find it easy to forgive when inside I still feel twelve? In my research, I have discovered there might be good reasons.” She began reading and studying about forgiveness and listening to a podcast called the Forgiveness Project. She writes that she learned a few things:</span></p><ol style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #1d0303; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.92; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Shame is defined as when wrongdoing is found out–there is public disgrace</span></p></li></ol><ol start="2" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #1d0303; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.92; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Shame associated with trauma prevents trauma from washing away</span></p></li></ol><ol start="3" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #1d0303; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.92; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Forgiveness allows one to detach from trauma </span></p></li></ol><ol start="4" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #1d0303; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.92; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Forgiveness—letting go of bitterness and anger—gives one freedom of mind and heart</span></p></li></ol><ol start="5" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #1d0303; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.92; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">What does one hold onto when they do not forgive? A story– is it true? Is it a feeling?</span></p></li></ol><ol start="6" style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #1d0303; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.92; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Hurt people, hurt people. As I learned in my </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;">Mussar</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-wrap: wrap; vertical-align: baseline;"> studies, we all have a burden and when we are hurt it is helpful to recognize that the person who hurt us is operating from their own burden. </span></p></li></ol><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d0303; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She also sought out friends of her father so she could see him in a different light. She writes that “All of the discussions and learning made me think deeply about my father from different perspectives. I realized that all of this time I expected him to be a perfect father and I have been disappointed for 50 years that he was not. But of course he was not perfect. No one is perfect, and while that might sound like not a big insight, for me it was everything.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rabbi Ruttenberg writes that “Maimonides’ concern about the victim being unforgiving was likely at least in par</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">t</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> a concern for their own emotional and spiritual development. I suspect that he thought holding on to grudges was bad for the victim and their wholeness. That is, even if we’re hurt, we must work on our own natural tendencies toward vengefulness, toward turning our woundedness into a power play that we can lord over the penitent, or toward wanting to stay forever in the narrative of our own hurt, for whatever reason. And perhaps he believed that the granting of </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">mechila</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> can be profoundly liberating in ways we don’t always recognize before it happens.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.92; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 20pt 0pt;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[…]</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.92; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 20pt 0pt;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If you are still so resolutely attached to the narrative that you were forever wronged, you are harming yourself and putting a kind of harm into the world. Try to respond to those who approach you sincerely — and who are sincerely doing the work — with a whole heart, not with cruelty.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Forgiving others is an act of compassion and empathy. It requires us to see the humanity in those who have wronged us, recognizing that they too are flawed beings. Just as we seek forgiveness from God, we must extend the same gift to our fellow human beings. By forgiving others, we break the cycle of hurt and sow the seeds of reconciliation.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Equally important is the act of forgiving ourselves. We are all imperfect beings who make mistakes. Yom Kippur reminds us that we have the capacity for change and growth. By forgiving ourselves, we embrace the opportunity for self-improvement and a renewed connection with God.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">May this Yom Kippur be a day of forgiveness, a day of transformation, and a day of profound connection with the Divine. G'mar Chatimah Tovah—may you be sealed for a good year, marked by forgiveness, love, and peace.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-47416192002650434522023-09-26T11:46:00.001-07:002023-09-26T11:46:25.939-07:00Rosh Hashanah Sermon 5784<p> <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rosh Hashanah Sermon 5784</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-024c2633-7fff-cdd8-7bfa-6bf1724528c9"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rabbi Charles L. Arian</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kehilat Shalom</span></p><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“I’m worried about your drinking, Charles”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Lihyot Am Chofshi B’Artzenu -- To Be A Free People In Our Land”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What’s the Connection?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Autumn of 2021 was a very difficult period in my life, both professionally and personally.. After not having services in our sanctuary for over a year,we had to make plans for conducting hybrid High Holiday services.. As you may remember, our Hazzan was unable to participate in our services because of her health problems. A beloved member of our community died by suicide days before Rosh Hashanah. Personally, my father was slowly dying in New York, causing me to choose between two bad alternatives. Either I could wear myself out by frequent travel back and forth, or I could not make the trip quite as often and feel guilty that I wasn’t seeing him as often as I should.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I was having trouble sleeping, and feeling anxious, so I started therapy and met with a psychiatrist . She prescribed an antidepressant and other medication for anxiety and to help with my sleep. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">For many years I had been a casual drinker and was known as a bourbon hobbyist. I conducted bourbon tastings for various nonprofit organizations and had even been quoted in the New York Times in a story about Jews and the whiskey business. But in the fall of 2021 I began to drink both more frequently and more heavily. The night before my father’s funeral, alone and depressed, I got extremely intoxicated and behaved in a stupid and harmful way, having repercussions that I continue to deal with nearly two years later. Looking back, it’s a miracle I was able to conduct my Dad’s funeral the next day considering the condition I was in.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Not long after that, my wife Keleigh said to me that she was worried about my drinking. I will always be grateful to her for phrasing it exactly that way. She didn’t yell at me, she didn’t say I was an alcoholic, she didn’t demand that I stop drinking. She just told me that she was worried, and by phrasing it that way I felt comfortable enough to be honest with both her and with myself and acknowledge that I was worried too.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">After discussing my concerns with my psychiatrist, she gave me a prescription for a medicine called Naltrexone. Naltrexone is a medication that blocks the effects of alcohol in the brain. It works by binding to the same receptors that alcohol would normally attach to, thereby reducing the pleasurable or reinforcing effects. This helps in reducing cravings and dependence. I was fortunate to find that after a couple of months of Naltrexone treatment I had no desire for alcohol at all and have been alcohol free for over a year.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Why am I sharing this with you? Not primarily to share my issues with alcohol. Rather, it is to share the blessing I received when Keleigh shared her concerns with me in a way that I was open to hearing.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“To Be A Free People In Our Land”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In Leviticus 19:17 we are taught “you shall surely rebuke your fellow and not bear sin because of him.” This verse is a little confusing; the two parts of the verse seem to have little to do with one another. Rashi explains that the verse means we must rebuke another person who is doing wrong gently and discreetly , in a way that does not embarrass him or her. Only in this way can rebuke be effective, whereas embarrassing another person in public is, itself, a sin.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Maimonides says that we should not say “I will not sin, and if someone else is sinning that is between them and God.” We have to do our best to prevent another person from doing wrong. Between Maimonides and Rashi, we find ourselves in a complicated situation where we have to make a judgment call. If we can stop someone from sinning and don’t even try to stop them, Maimonides says we too have sinned. But if we rebuke someone too harshly or too publicly, in a way that humiliates them, we have also sinned, at least according to Rashi. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Late last month, three prominent Israeli writers with roots in North America -- Matti Friedman, Daniel Gordis, and Yossi Klein Halevi, the cousin of our own David Markowitz -- wrote an impassioned essay in the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Times of Israel </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">called “Diaspora Jews: Time to Take A Stand.” They write: “when someone you love is in danger, you draw closer.” When Keleigh knew that my alcohol consumption was causing serious harm, she spoke up. It would have been irresponsible for her not to do so. But she had to do so in a way that made it likely that I would hear what she was saying, that I would understand she was speaking up because she loved me, and because of that do what I needed to do to fix the problem.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As you probably know, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is a coalition between his own Likud party and far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties. Although they control a majority in the Knesset, they actually received only 48.4 percent of the popular vote in the last election. Although “judicial reform” was not part of their platform, since taking office they have proposed a series of laws that would undermine the independence of the Israeli Judiciary. They already passed a law that limits the Supreme Court’s ability to invalidate government actions. A 13 hour hearing was held at the Court earlier this week on whether this law itself will stand, but both the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Knesset have publicly stated that they will not abide by a Supreme Court ruling striking down the law . They have also proposed a change in the way judges are appointed that will give the Knesset majority more control over that process. And perhaps most worryingly, they have proposed a law that any decision of the Supreme Court can be overridden by a bare majority of the Knesset. Can you imagine how different US history would have been if the Congress could override unpopular decisions of the Supreme Court? Would we still have racial segregation in schools and public accommodations? Would same sex marriage still be illegal? Possibly; both decisions were highly unpopular when they were issued.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Classic Western democracy does not mean simply “majority rule.” The majority cannot do whatever it wants -- and it certainly cannot change the fundamental rules of the game without a broad consensus.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If you are involved in the American Jewish community and particularly the pro-Israel community, the names of Gordis, Klein-Halevi and Friedman will be quite familiar to you. Gordis and Klein-Halevi until quite recently were both regulars on the AIPAC and Jewish Federation lecture circuit. Friedman is somewhat younger than the other two but he has written two outstanding books in recent years which I have read -- one on the Aleppo Codex and one on Leonard Cohen’s series of concerts in the Sinai Desert during the Yom Kippur War. For them to not only take a stand against the current Israeli government but to actually urge Diaspora Jews to participate in demonstrations, sign petitions, and write letters against that government’s policies would have been inconceivable a few months ago. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gordis, Klein-Halevi and Friedman write: “</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This political crisis is not just one more Israeli debate over policy, but a struggle over the fundamental identity of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. . . Vital institutions that require social solidarity, and most importantly the military, are splintering, as Israel’s most committed and productive citizens revolt against a leadership that is beyond the moral pale. The tech economy that buoyed the “start-up nation” is beginning to sink. State power is shifting from judges to extreme clerics. The voice of fundamentalist religion is emboldened. A year ago, Israel was a regional powerhouse. Within a year, we could be on the road to becoming another failed Middle Eastern state. This unprecedented threat requires unprecedented changes in the Diaspora’s relationship with Israel.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 20pt 0pt;"><span style="color: #121212; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Diaspora support for Israel has traditionally taken the form of support for its government. But now the greatest threat facing Israel </span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">is</span><span style="color: #121212; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> its government. Jews in the Diaspora can no longer support Israel without asking which Israel they are supporting.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 20pt 0pt;"><span style="color: #121212; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">To treat Israel’s present leadership as a normative government is to be complicit in the self-destruction of the Jewish state. Diaspora organizations and leaders who continue to meet politely with government ministers and pose for photographs with the prime minister are failing the Israel that Diaspora communities helped create. At this fraught moment, Jewish organizations conducting business as usual are placing themselves on the wrong side of history.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 20pt 0pt;"><span style="color: #121212; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We urge you to get involved in supporting the democracy movement. Attend the pro-Israel democracy demonstrations that happen weekly in Diaspora communities around the world. Invite representatives of the democracy movement to your community. Insist that your community’s missions to Israel include a meeting with movement leaders. Organize study groups to familiarize yourselves with the issues. Challenge your national Jewish organizations to respond to the state of emergency with the gravity it deserves.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While I agree with Gordis, Friedman, and Klein-Halevi -- and have participated in three demonstrations for Israeli democracy in the last few months, the most recent this past Sunday -- I also think it is important to participate only in actions that are phrased as </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">for </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Israeli democracy and not as </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">against </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Israel. Every Saturday night for 36 weeks now, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have demonstrated to preserve their democracy under the slogan of “Lihyot Am Chofshi Be’Artzenu -- To Be A Free People In Our Land.”. By no means are all the demonstrators leftists or secular Jews -- surveys indicate that a good chunk of Likud supporters and Orthodox Jews oppose the government’s plans to curtail judicial independence. Both in Israel and throughout the world, demonstrators carry Israeli flags and end the demonstration by singing </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hatikvah</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, Israel’s national anthem. Frankly, progressives in this country could learn a thing or two from the protesters in Israel. The democracy protesters in Israel are asking for our support, and those of us who agree with them should provide that support.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While I agree with Gordis, Klein-Halevi and Friedman, I don’t assume that everyone hearing me today does so. And that’s fine. If you know me, you know that I believe in reading and hearing a diversity of views and thinking for oneself. But if you think they are wrong, take the time to read up on what is going on in Israel today. Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s longest serving Prime Minister and has historically been very cautious. The Israeli “Start Up Nation” boom is to a large extent due to policies he put in place. But the Netanyahu of a few years ago is not the Netanyahu of today, (people can change for better OR worse) if only because his coalition is much more Orthodox and right wing than previous coalitions. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If you love Israel, if you are concerned about Israel, if you worry about Israel -- now is the time to find out what is going on, speak up, and take action. We cannot just sit and watch when a country we love is engaged in a situation which may, God forbid, lead to its destruction. But we have to speak up out of love, and try to do so in a way which will be heard and lead to positive change. Whether Netanyahu himself is willing to listen to the voice of the Diaspora is open to question -- but the Israeli public needs to know where we stand and the pro-democracy forces need our support. And we must never lose the hope -- HaTikvah -- that Israel can be the homeland that our grandparents dreamed of -- to be a free people in our land.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Shana Tova --may we all be blessed with a good year.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-42872922265021778562020-09-29T07:06:00.002-07:002020-09-29T07:06:54.416-07:00Yom Kippur Day Sermon<p> YK Sermon II 2020</p><p>Rabbi Charles L. Arian</p><p>Kehilat Shalom</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>On Sept. 23, 2001, a most unusual event took place in Yankee Stadium in New York City. There was a five hour long memorial service with Oprah Winfrey and James Earl Jones serving as co-hosts, with the participation of rabbis, ministers, the Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop, the Imam of the Malcolm Shabazz Mosque in Harlem, as well as Buddhist and Hindu religious leaders. New York’s then-mayor, Rudy Giuliani, spoke, as did the then-Governor George Pataki. Placido Domingo, Bette Midler, and Lee Greenwood sang. The service was broadcast in its entirety on what were then considered the “four major TV networks”: CBS, NBC, ABC, and CNN. It was originally planned to be held in Central Park but so soon after 9/11, the security implications of an event that might be attended by a million or more people quickly led to the service being moved to the more-controlled environs of Yankee Stadium, and tickets were given primarily to the families of those who were killed or missing. Contemporaneous news coverage of the service refers to the 6,000 people presumed dead or missing, which was what was believed to be the number at the time; it was not until much later that we learned that the true number of those killed was actually just under 3,000, including those who died at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, PA.</p><p><br /></p><p>Today we are in the midst of a pandemic that has killed over 200,000 people in the United States so far with no end in sight. To put this in terms of the 9/11 death toll, this is 67 9/11s and we add another 9/11 every four days. When the death toll reached 100,000 many newspapers ran feature sections with the stories of some of those who had died, but the 200,000 milestone which was reached this week received much less attention. There are many reasons for this, of course; the presidential election, the passing of Justice Ginsburg, tropical storms, and other stories competed for attention. There is also a large element of fatigue -- we are all tired of the virus, but unfortunately the virus is not tired of us. </p><p><br /></p><p>When I went back to read the coverage of the interfaith memorial service at Yankee Stadium, it was jarring to read the estimates of 6,000 dead in the 9/11 attacks. Some of those who were assumed dead were later found elsewhere; others had not come to work that day, were waiting for elevators in the lobbies of the Twin Towers when the first plane struck, or were otherwise not present and didn’t even realize that they were among those assumed to be killed. Why was there a rush to hold a memorial service before the number of dead was even known and while rescue and recovery work continued at Ground Zero?</p><p><br /></p><p>But the need to ritualize mourning is, I think, if not quite universal then almost so. When my mother died three years ago, she wanted no funeral or memorial service of any kind. But neither my brother, who is an active Unitarian, nor I, found ourselves able to fully comply with her wishes. I said Kaddish for 11 months and held a shiva minyan at the synagogue. My brother arranged for a memorial service at his Unitarian congregation after scattering her ashes at the New Jersey shore. I am sure that in specifying that there be no services, my mother was trying to relieve us from the burden of arranging them. But she unwittingly left us with a different type of burden; a circle of grief that was not fully closed.</p><p><br /></p><p>We are of course all aware of the terrible toll of this pandemic. Not only 200,000 plus lives lost but millions of jobs, trillions of dollars in economic activity, businesses closed, lifecycle events cancelled, and years of education lost. And many of the millions who have been sickened by the virus but did not die from it have had and will continue to have all kinds of medical issues known and unknown.</p><p><br /></p><p>We can calculate losses in numbers of deaths and in dollars but there are other losses, less tangible but no less real. For many of us, the fear of dying alone is one of the greatest fears we have. And yet, because of coronavirus restrictions which are quite necessary and proper, thousands of people have died alone, without their loved ones nearby to hold their hand and just be with them as they face the unknown.</p><p><br /></p><p>Because of the pandemic, travel is restricted -- sometimes by law, other times by the precautions that people quite naturally take in the face of a highly contagious and deadly disease. In our mobile society, many of us have relatives all over the country if not the globe. When a parent dies and is going to be buried several hundred miles away, should their adult child risk their own health and that of the rest of their family to fly there for the funeral? Do they stay home and participate at a distance on Zoom? Will there even be a Zoom? I officiated at a Zoom funeral towards the beginning of the pandemic, and the spotty data coverage at the cemetery combined with the high winds that created background noise, made the Zoom feed almost useless for the friends and family who were not permitted to be at the cemetery.</p><p><br /></p><p>One of the virtues of traditional Jewish mourning rituals is that they give us a roadmap and a schedule. From the time the death occurs until the funeral you are exempt from all ritual requirements and don’t even count for a minyan -- which means you don’t yet say Kaddish, for example. From the time of the funeral for seven days you don’t leave your house, you don’t go to work, the minyan comes to you. But what do you do if the funeral is delayed for several days, a week, or even longer -- as was quite common at the beginning of the pandemic? What significance does it have to stay in your house for seven days when you haven’t left your house for months? What does it mean for the minyan to come to you when it’s been coming to you over Zoom since mid-March?</p><p>Our individual mourning has become so complicated because much of what we would normally do either cannot be done, or ironically enough, is precisely what we are doing already as part of our day-to-day lives in this time period. Our national mourning is even more complicated.</p><p><br /></p><p>While I was struck by the fact that we had what was to all intents and purposes a national memorial service for 9/11 even before all the victims were found and the number of dead known, 9/11 was a discrete event. It happened, it was over, and we knew who was responsible. We had a president who understood that one of their most important roles is to serve as “consoler in chief,” to bring our country together and unify us in times of trouble. We do not have unity today. Everything about this pandemic has become politicized and partisan-- whether to wear a mask or not, whether to observe physical distancing or not, whether children get the disease and spread it to others, whether we can trust that the vaccine which does not yet exist will be safe and effective once it is distributed. </p><p><br /></p><p>The same Jewish tradition that provides us a roadmap for mourning also recognizes that sometimes that roadmap needs to be adjusted due to circumstances we can’t control. If a funeral has to be delayed, we begin shiva when the body is given over to the custody of those who will perform the burial. If we did not learn of a death until 30 days or more has passed, we sit shiva for only one hour. While at times I have given congregants advice based on these specific rulings, the point is, the tradition recognizes that we do what we can and that is sufficient in the eyes of God and in the eyes of those we have lost. </p><p><br /></p><p>God asks us on Yom Kippur what we are going to do now. How will we move forward? We are left mourning national losses to COVID, and left mourning the life we had before COVID. Mourning a life of social interaction, travel, and interpersonal supports. Yom Kippur gives us the opportunity to acknowledge those losses, as well as associated personal regrets, by refraining from such activities as bathing, eating or drinking. Just like with the restrictions we face during COVID, our body is uncomfortable during Yom Kippur; by feeling pain one can feel how others feel when they are in pain. And we can seek comfort in the fact that God has faith in us that we can indeed move forward through tragedies such as 9/11 and the Pandemic.</p><p><br /></p><p>May the memory of those we have lost inspire us to live always by our highest ideals.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-3855177165540844092020-09-29T07:05:00.001-07:002020-09-29T07:05:21.491-07:00Yom Kippur Evening Sermon<p> YK Sermon I 2020</p><p>Rabbi Charles L. Arian</p><p>Kehilat Shalom</p><p><br /></p><p>Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away Erev Rosh Hashanah, once said “so often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be a great good fortune.” She was talking about the fact that when she was fresh out of law school, no major law firm would give a job as a permanent associate to a woman. If she had been hired by one of the firms where she applied, she said in an interview, she probably would have followed the typical career trajectory and ascended up the ladder of corporate law. Instead she turned to academics and legal advocacy, and we all know the rest of the story.</p><p><br /></p><p>On Rosh Hashanah I briefly discussed what may be one of the most difficult prayers of the High Holiday liturgy, Unetaneh Tokef, which says that on Rosh Hashanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed, who shall live and who shall die, who by fire and who by water and who by plague . . . but teshuvah, prayer, and acts of charity and justice can transform the harshness of our destiny.</p><p><br /></p><p>It seems almost contradictory; if it is written and sealed, how can we do anything about it?</p><p><br /></p><p>But I believe that this seeming contradiction contains the seeds of a powerful lesson. Accepting that we are not always in control can help us to judge others more favorably. It can also help us to judge ourselves more favorably; and one of the great sources of suffering that I have seen in 34 years as a rabbi, is people being extremely and unfairly critical of themselves as well as of others.</p><p><br /></p><p>But accepting that certain things are beyond our control could also lead us to passivity. While we need to accept that not everything is within our control, that doesn’t mean that it’s the case that nothing is in our control. While we often don’t control what happens to us, we do have the ability to choose how we respond. </p><p>On the second day of Rosh Hashanah, instead of a sermon, I taught a text from Avot D’rabbi Natan about a conversation between Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai and Rabbi Joshua as they were gazing on the ruins of the Temple. The Temple was destroyed in 70 CE and Rabban Yohanan died twenty years later so while we don’t know exactly when this conversation took place, it was no further away from the destruction of the Temple than 9/11 is for us today. A very recent memory, a wound that was still open.</p><p>Rabbi Joshua lamented the destruction of the Temple because, in keeping with explicit Torahitic teaching, he believed that only through the Temple rituals of animal sacrifice could Jews gain atonement. But Rabban Yohanan told him not to grieve, that we have another means of atonement which is just as efficacious -- gemilut hasadim, acts of lovingkindness. How does Rabban Yohanan know that this is so? Because it says in Hosea 6:6 -- “I desire hesed and not sacrifices.”</p><p>The text doesn’t tell us how Rabbi Joshua responded but he would have been biblically correct to disagree. What gave Rabban Yohanan the right to change the rules? And what gave him the right to bring a quote from Hosea -- in the Bible, sure, but not part of the Torah and thus not legally authoritative -- in order to do so?</p><p>In establishing that acts of lovingkindness were spiritually and legally the equivalent of Temple sacrifices, Rabban Yohanan is responsible for the fact that Judaism still exists today. He knew that there was no possibility of rebuilding the Temple; it was he who had been smuggled out of the besieged Jerusalem shortly before the Romans destroyed the Temple and cut a deal with them to establish a yeshiva in Yavne, on the coast. </p><p>Leonard Cohen wrote: </p><p>Ring the bells that still can ring </p><p>Forget your perfect offering </p><p>There is a crack, a crack in everything </p><p>That's how the light gets in. </p><p><br /></p><p>Under the leadership of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, our ancestors forgot their perfect offerings sacrificed in the Temple and let the lights in through the cracks to create the Judaism we practice today; rabbis instead of priests, prayer instead of sacrifices, and Torah study and acts of lovingkindness as our holiest actions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Last year on Yom Kippur in one of my sermons I said the following:</p><p>The Hebrew term for a synagogue is “Bet Knesset” which means “House of Assembly.” But when we pray in Hebrew for the welfare of the congregation and its members, we do not use the term “Bet Knesset” but rather “Kehila” or “Kehila Kedosha” -- congregation or holy congregation -- the same word as in the name of our congregation. We are Kehilat Shalom; we are not Beit Knesset Shalom. Our beautiful building is the place we study, the place we pray, the place we gather with each other for friendship and fellowship. But the building is not the congregation; the people are the wonderful congregation we have today.</p><p><br /></p><p>I did not know then that for six months and more, our building would not even be the place where we study, pray, and gather for friendship and fellowship. Zoom has been that place, as have to a lesser extent the telephone, emails, and text messages. And yet we have not skipped a beat. We have had a minyan and more for every Friday night and Saturday morning service and for all but one or two weekday evening minyans. We had a beautiful Bat Mitzvah which was written up in Bethesda Magazine. We added a weekly Havdalah service and virtual social events. We have had an educational musical performance, cooking lessons, classes and lectures. We had a meeting with the CEO of the Jewish Federation and next month will have a meeting with our Member of Congress. We’ve had a drive-thru kosher barbecue and a pick-up Break Fast and a drive-in Shofar Service. And I participated over Zoom in the Bet Din for a conversion candidate in Iowa City, sponsored by the rabbi there who usually has to bring candidates to Chicago to meet with a Bet Din.</p><p><br /></p><p>Just like with our pandemic, when the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, some Jews believed that it would be rebuilt soon and the old ways of worship would be restored. Rabban Yohanan understood that this was not to be and laid the groundwork for a type of Judaism that no longer depended on a particular building or a particular piece of ground; the Bible became, in the words of the poet Heinrich Heine, our “portable homeland.” While we certainly mourn the loss of lives during the Jewish Revolt against Rome and the loss of independence, few of us, I think, really mourn the fact that we no longer have a Temple where Levitical priests offer animal sacrifices to the Lord.</p><p><br /></p><p>Jewish sovereignty was not reestablished until 1948 and the Temple has not been rebuilt. We can be pretty confident that we will not have to wait nearly 2000 years until we can once again hold services in the synagogue building without taking unacceptable risks. But social distancing and COVID precautions do not come with an on/off switch. Even under the more relaxed Montgomery County regulations which were announced literally as I was writing this sermon, we would have been able to legally accommodate only about a third of our typical High Holiday attendance today.</p><p><br /></p><p>In having our services online we discovered that there are a lot of people in our community who have not participated in some of our in-person activities because of various pre pandemic health concerns or because it didn’t make sense to drive half an hour in each direction for a fifteen minute minyan service. We have congregants who suffer from both visible and invisible disabilities and health conditions that make it unlikely that they will feel comfortable at indoor in-person activities until there is a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine. We have had participants join us for services and classes from a number of different states, from the UK and Taiwan and Canada and the Bahamas.</p><p>If we treat the six or eight or however many months of COVID precautions as a blip and simply go back to doing everything precisely as we did before, we will leave out many members of our community no matter how we define community. Is it ethical to have services which exclude some congregants? Should we continue to do Zoom services only? A hybrid model with some people at the synagogue and others online? What would that look like?</p><p><br /></p><p>There are no easy answers to these questions. As we consider all the alternatives and discuss them, it is clear that we will not be able to go back to what we had done before, and our new reality will be deeply uncomfortable for a lot of people -- including, at times, me. But precisely 1950 years ago our ancestors faced a similar crisis as the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and the main form of worship that they had was now impossible. They responded creatively with Torah study, acts of lovingkindness, and prayer replacing the Temple service. We too will figure this out and emerge stronger than before.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ring the bells that still can ring </p><p>Forget your perfect offering </p><p>There is a crack, a crack in everything </p><p>That's how the light gets in. </p>Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-62529812872855540042020-09-21T02:27:00.002-07:002020-09-21T02:27:54.334-07:00The Power of God in the Human Heart -- Rosh Hashanah Sermon 5781<p style="text-align: center;"> High Holiday Sermon I 2020</p><p style="text-align: center;">Kehilat Shalom</p><p style="text-align: center;">Rabbi Charles L. Arian</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Since mid-March my colleagues and I have faced a lot of situations that are so unprecedented that they fall under the general rubric of “they didn’t teach this stuff in rabbinical school.” Although I was in fact the first student in my rabbinical school to own a personal computer, it had no hard drive and no modem, two 5.25 inch floppy disk drives and a 64k memory, and it cost $2500 in 1983, equivalent to $6500 today. The Internet had not yet been invented, let alone webcams or Zoom.</p><p><br /></p><p>The unprecedented use of technology is only matched by the unprecedented times we are living in. I’ve been asked more than once over the last several months, where is God in the midst of all this suffering? While our ancestors saw God’s power directly at the Red Sea and at Sinai, today God works through the power of love in the human heart. We know what we need to do to get through this.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you have not watched the series “Regular Heroes” on Amazon Prime you really ought to do so. The series tells the stories of ordinary Americans who have done extraordinary things, sometimes by just living their lives, during the pandemic. Doctors and nurses but also a hospital supply clerk and an ambulance driver. A young girl who puts together art kits to distribute to classes in poor neighborhoods. A woman in our area who raises money to obtain and distribute sanitary supplies to homeless women. A father and his young daughter who match health care workers who need to remain isolated from their families with unused RVs. </p><p><br /></p><p>Burnell Cotlon is 53 years old and a veteran of the US Army. He lives in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city and the one which was most devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Five years ago, ten years after Katrina, there was still no grocery store in the Lower Ninth Ward and in order to buy fresh fruits and vegetables or anything that wasn’t junk food, residents had to take three buses to the nearest Walmart. Or they could subsist on snacks and junk food from the local gas station.</p><p><br /></p><p>So Burnell took his life savings from jobs working at fast food restaurants and dollar stores to buy a dilapidated building on an empty block to open the first grocery store in the Lower Ninth Ward since Katrina.</p><p><br /></p><p>When the pandemic hit New Orleans the role of Burnell’s grocery store changed. He began letting his customers run tabs and even gave away groceries for free. In April he told the Washington Post: “Last week, I caught a lady in the back of the store stuffing things into her purse. We don’t really have shoplifters here. This whole store is two aisles. I can see everything from my seat up front. So I walked over to her real calm and put my hand on her shoulder. I took her purse and opened it up. Inside she had a carton of eggs, a six-pack of wieners, and two or three candy bars. She started crying. She said she had three kids, and her man had lost his job, and they had nothing to eat and no place to go. Maybe it was a lie. I don’t know. But who’s making up stories for seven or eight dollars of groceries? She was telling me, “Please, please, I’m begging you,” and I stood there and thought about it, and what am I supposed to do?</p><p><br /></p><p>I said: “That’s okay. You’re all right.” I let her take it. I like to help. I always want to say yes. But I’m starting to get more desperate myself, so it’s getting harder.</p><p><br /></p><p>“This guy, he was hurting. He needed something to eat. He picked up four cans of tuna, a Sno-Ball, and laundry detergent. He told me he was good for it as soon he gets his unemployment check, and I trust him. I rang it up for eleven dollars. I took out a notebook that I usually keep near the register and started a little tab.</p><p><br /></p><p>That notebook kept coming back out. Next it was Ms. Richmond. She did housekeeping at a hotel and lost that. Her tab was $48. Then it was a lady who shucks oysters downtown. She’s got a big family to take care of, so she’s at $155. Then there’s another guy who I deliver to, since he’s bedridden, and I showed up with two bags and he had nothing to give me. So he’s at $54.80.</p><p><br /></p><p>This has gone from a grocery store to a food pantry. That’s how I’m feeling.”</p><p>Because “Regular Heroes” is a feel-good television reality show, the producers of the show have a celebrity place a call at the end of the segment to thank them and tell them what gifts the producers are giving them. In this case, it was Alicia Keys who called and presented Burnell with all kinds of equipment to make his store function more efficiently as well as a bunch of staple foodstuffs so he could continue to give food away to the most needy people in the community. And so Burnell’s Market remains in business and Mr. Cotlon continues to serve his community.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Regular Heroes” presents the kind of country we would like to see ourselves as. I watched it every Friday afternoon for eight weeks as new episodes came out and I cried and cried through each episode. It renewed my faith in humanity -- that most people are good, that most people care, that most people will go above and beyond and place their wealth and their health at risk for the good of the community.</p><p><br /></p><p>And we are that country but we are sadly not only that country. There is a reason that the United States has 4 percent of the world’s population but 22 percent of the world’s coronavirus deaths.</p><p><br /></p><p>Burnell Cotlon loves his community and his community reciprocates that love, and they take care of each other. And here at Kehilat Shalom, we also do a pretty good job of caring for each other.</p><p>Did anyone imagine back in March when we first started holding our services over Zoom that in September we would still be doing so? That kids would still be doing distance learning and many people would still be working from home or worse yet, not working at all? That close to 200,000 people in this country would die of COVID-19?</p><p>This country is filled with people like Burnell Cotlon, like Roman Grandinetti who kept his Manhattan deli open to feed first responders, like Athena Hayley who was once homeless and now feeds and clothes homeless people in Los Angeles. Sadly it is also filled with people who assault store employees who are fulfilling their job responsibilities by trying to make sure that anyone who enters wears a mask, and people who insist on holding large events without masks and without social distancing despite the dangers that these events cause.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rabbi Akiva said that “you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself” is the general principle on which all of the Torah stands.As we recall the miracles of the Red Sea and Sinai, we can and we will overcome this pandemic. We can and we will meet again in our sanctuary. We can and we will rebuild our economy and see our kids back in their school buildings, safely. In order to do so, we need to love our neighbors. Not only the neighbor who looks like me and votes like me and prays like me and speaks my language. Like it or not, we are all in this together. As we begin the New Year, may our country be blessed with the power of love so that together we can build a better future.</p><p><br /></p>Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-59380975309499636392020-04-06T12:45:00.000-07:002020-04-06T12:45:14.463-07:00Hoarding and ShortagesI heard this story at a Holocaust Remembrance Day program some years ago and I cannot swear that every detail is accurate, but the story itself is true. The person who told it is a friend who is the son of Holocaust survivors<br />
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His father was around 16 years old and the family was locked up in the Warsaw Ghetto with thousands of other Jews and no food. They were on the verge of starvation when the 16 year old decided he had nothing to lose by trying to sneak out of the Ghetto and find some food. If he succeeded, they would have something to eat. If he got killed trying, then they were still no worse off because they were soon going to die of starvation anyway.<br />
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My friend's father was gone several hours and came back with exactly one potato -- not much for their family of four, but something.<br />
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He triumphantly handed it to his father who proceeded to take a knife, cut the potato in half, and head for the door of the family's apartment.<br />
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"Dad, what are you doing?"<br />
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"The people downstairs are hungry too."<br />
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<br />Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-66181842388227159432020-03-26T08:16:00.001-07:002020-03-26T08:16:44.157-07:00Passover in an Age of COVID-19<div id="E165" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E165" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span id="E166" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E166" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Passover in an age of COVID-19</span></div>
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<span id="E168" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E168" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rabbi Charles L. Arian</span></div>
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<span id="E170" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E170" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kehilat Shalom, Gaithersburg, MD</span></div>
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<span id="E176" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E176" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Observing Passover (Pesach) always presents challenges but this year is more challenging than usual. In this article I want to address two different issues: </span></div>
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<span id="E178" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E178" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Observing the Seder when health guidelines tell us not to gather with people outside our immediate household.</span></div>
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<span id="E180" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E180" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keeping kosher for Passover when going shopping presents a health hazard and supply chains are interrupted.</span></div>
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<span id="E184" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E184" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I do not intend to address the overall question of keeping kosher for Passover as I have covered that in previous years. That guidance can be found </span><a contenteditable="false" href="http://rabbiarian.blogspot.com/2019/04/kosher-for-passover-made-intelligible.html" id="E185" is="qowt-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E185" target="_blank"><span id="E186" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E186" style="color: #1155cc; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span id="E187" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E187" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> but should be used bearing in mind the particular leniencies which are applicable this year.</span></div>
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<span id="E191" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E191" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Seder:</span></div>
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<span id="E193" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E193" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It should be absolutely clear that under no circumstances is it permitted to gather for Seder with people other than your immediate household. There is a principle in halacha (Jewish law) known as </span><span id="E194" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E194" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">dina d’malchuta dina</span><span id="E195" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E195" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (the law of the land is the law) and </span><span id="E196" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E196" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">it is a Jewish religious obligation to obey civil laws. </span><span id="E197" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E197" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since the State of Maryland has issued rulings restricting gatherings to no more than 10 people, and has further advised people to remain at home except for truly essential activities, and public health guidelines call for us to maintain a distance of at least six feet from people who are not part of our household, we consider it a sin to violate these guidelines. If you are still planning to gather for Seder with a group of less than 10, maintaining the six foot separation, you may only do so if your physician tells you that this is permitted.</span></div>
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<span id="E199" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E199" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kehilat Shalom has already been streaming daily and Shabbat services via Zoom since March 19. The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS) of the Conservative movement has issued guidelines that permit the use of video streaming for services (and by analogy the Pesach Seder) and allow for the recitation of Kaddish provided that there are at least ten participants and they can all see and hear each other. (This provision is why we use Zoom rather than Facebook Live or Youtube which are one way rather than interactive connections.)</span></div>
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<span id="E201" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E201" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The original CJLS guidance specified that streaming needed to be done in such a way that the equipment was not operated on Shabbat, neither by the person moderating or hosting the streaming session, nor by the other participants. Unfortunately, following this guidance requires all kinds of IT infrastructure that costs many thousands of dollars which we do not possess. Therefore I reluctantly concluded that we would violate the CJLS guidelines and offer Zoom services on Shabbat regardless. My reasoning is that the prohibitions which are violated by operating Zoom on Shabbat are </span><span id="E202" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E202" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">d’rabbanan </span><span id="E203" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E203" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(rabbinic) rather than </span><span id="E204" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E204" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">d’oraita</span><span id="E205" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E205" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (biblical) and that the rabbis have the authority to suspend </span><span id="E206" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E206" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">d’rabbanan </span><span id="E207" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E207" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">prohibitions when it is in the public interest to do so.</span></div>
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<span id="E209" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E209" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On March 25 the CJLS issued guidance which says that “ideally” the above practices should be followed but if they cannot be, it is permissible in current circumstances to connect to or initiate a stream from a computer which is already operating if it can be done by instructing a virtual assistant like Siri or Alexa to do so or by clicking on a link rather than typing in a web address. The stream itself should also be set up so that it does not record. In my opinion this guidance is much more realistic and we should strive to follow it, but I still maintain that typing into a computer on Shabbat or causing video recording is at worst a rabbinic rather than biblical prohibition and can be overridden if necessary under current circumstances. Therefore it is permitted to conduct a Seder over Zoom or similar technology and include friends and family who cannot safely join you in person. Ideally there should be a seder plate at each location but at a minimum each location should have three matzahs, wine or grape juice, carpas (any green vegetable), maror (any bitter vegetable), and salt water.</span></div>
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<span id="E213" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E213" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keeping Kosher for Pesach:</span></div>
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<span id="E217" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E217" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The main concern as we shop for Pesach this year is disruption of the supply chain combined with the risk of going shopping, and all the more so the possibility of having to go from store to store since availability of products is so inconsistent. One way to minimize this problem locally is to do your Pesach shopping online through </span><a contenteditable="false" href="https://shop.motismarket.com/" id="E218" is="qowt-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E218" target="_blank"><span id="E219" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E219" style="color: #1155cc; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://shop.motismarket.com/</span></a><span id="E220" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E220" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Most of the products in their system are Kosher for Passover, and those which are not are clearly marked. They will deliver your order to our area but like everyone else they are limited by availability of product and have limited delivery time slots available.</span></div>
<div class="qowt-li-1_0 qowt-list" id="E221" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E221" qowt-entry="1" qowt-list-type="n" qowt-lvl="0" qowt-template="1" style="background-color: white; counter-increment: lc-1-0 1; counter-reset: lc-1-1 0 lc-1-2 0 lc-1-3 0 lc-1-4 0 lc-1-5 0 lc-1-6 0 lc-1-7 0 lc-1-8 0; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.38; list-style-type: none; margin-left: 36pt; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
<span id="E222" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E222" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bear in mind that while it is prohibited to eat </span><span id="E223" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E223" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">chametz </span><span id="E224" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E224" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(“leavened products” which combine liquid and any of the five grains wheat, barley, oats, spelt, or rye) it is required to eat matzah only for the Seder. If you are having difficulty obtaining matzah this is helpful to remember. Those who have a sufficient supply of matzah should be willing to help make sure that their fellow Jews have at least three matzahs for the Seder and find a way to get them to each other in a contactless manner.</span></div>
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<span id="E226" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E226" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Karpas can be any vegetable (in Israel it is commonly a boiled potato). Maror can be any vegetable which brings a tear to the eye if consumed raw. In Israel it is usually romaine lettuce but it could be hot peppers, fresh ginger, mustard greens or raw lemon if horseradish is unavailable.</span></div>
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<span id="E228" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E228" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I referenced in my general </span><a contenteditable="false" href="http://rabbiarian.blogspot.com/2019/04/kosher-for-passover-made-intelligible.html" id="E229" is="qowt-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E229" target="_blank"><span id="E230" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E230" style="color: #1155cc; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Passover guide</span></a><span id="E231" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E231" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the CJLS in 2015 permitted all Jews, not just Sephardim, to consume </span><span id="E232" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E232" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">kitniyot </span><span id="E233" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E233" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(“legumes”, things such as beans, rice, and corn) on Passover. For this year the CJLS is urging everyone to permit the consumption of kitniyot and general guidance can be found in my above article.</span></div>
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<span id="E235" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E235" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have previously written and discussed the halachic concept of </span><span id="E236" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E236" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">bitul b’shishim</span><span id="E237" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E237" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> which means that an amount of non-kosher food or drink which is less than 1/60th of the total volume is nullified and the product remains kosher. While this doesn’t apply to </span><span id="E238" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E238" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">chametz </span><span id="E239" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E239" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">during Pesach, it does apply before Pesach and we formally nullify any </span><span id="E240" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E240" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">chametz </span><span id="E241" is="qowt-word-run" named-flow="FLOW-6" qowt-eid="E241" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in our possession the night before and the morning of the first Seder. In practical terms it </span></div>
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<span is="qowt-word-run" named-flow="FLOW-6" qowt-eid="E241" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">means that if one didn’t sort through the beans or rice they bought before Pesach and they happen to find a grain of </span><span id="E242" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E242" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">chametz </span><span id="E243" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E243" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in it before cooking, they can simply discard the </span><span id="E244" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E244" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">chametz </span><span id="E245" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E245" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and the food remains permissible. </span></div>
<div class="qowt-li-1_0 qowt-list" id="E246" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E246" qowt-entry="1" qowt-list-type="n" qowt-lvl="0" qowt-template="1" style="background-color: white; counter-increment: lc-1-0 1; counter-reset: lc-1-1 0 lc-1-2 0 lc-1-3 0 lc-1-4 0 lc-1-5 0 lc-1-6 0 lc-1-7 0 lc-1-8 0; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.38; list-style-type: none; margin-left: 36pt; padding: 0px; position: relative; white-space: normal;">
<span id="E247" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E247" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The concept of </span><span id="E248" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E248" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">bitul b’shishim </span><span id="E249" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E249" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">also means that while we normally strive to buy products which are certified for Passover, in a crisis situation such as this year we can rely on </span><span id="E250" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E250" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">bitul </span><span id="E251" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E251" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to purchase products which we know do not contain any chametz but might have been produced on a production line which is also used for </span><span id="E252" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E252" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">chametz. </span><span id="E253" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E253" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The CJLS has published a more in depth guide to Pesach shopping for this year which can be accessed </span><a contenteditable="false" href="https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/story/kashrut-subcommittee-recommendations-passover-5780-light-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR2EXsAjXyy-ANP3JQCwN6HMZE9TgN1sTqvQl2ZvzsnwIvnxNdT32hA3Q6g" id="E254" is="qowt-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E254" target="_blank"><span id="E255" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E255" style="color: #1155cc; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here.</span></a><span id="E256" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E256" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span id="E260" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E260" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Monday March 30 at 10 am I will be offering a seminar on these issues as well as a Q&A at the following link: </span><a contenteditable="false" href="https://zoom.us/j/6450339344" id="E261" is="qowt-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E261" target="_blank"><span id="E262" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E262" style="color: #1155cc; display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://zoom.us/j/6450339344</span></a><span id="E263" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E263" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span id="E267" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E267" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While I am happy to answer any questions and provide guidance, unless you are doing your Pesach shopping prior to this coming Monday I would ask you to hold your questions until the seminar since your question may be of broader interest.</span></div>
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<span id="E271" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E271" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My fervent prayer for all of us is that we merit to observe this coming Pesach as safely as we can and that in future years we once again join together in person to proclaim “next year in Jerusalem.”</span><span id="E272" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E272" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-82838196438143978142020-01-16T08:29:00.002-08:002020-01-16T08:29:37.572-08:00MLK Address from 2010<br />
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<i>In January of 2010, ten years ago, I was invited by the Norwich, CT NAACP Branch to give the keynote address at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service.</i></div>
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I want to thank Rev. Barbara White and Evans Memorial
for hosting this event, and I want to thank you for honoring me with this
invitation to speak here today as we celebrate the legacy of the Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. When Rev. Greg Perry called me several weeks ago and
asked me to do this, there was no doubt in my mind that I would accept, but I
was a little surprised and a little bewildered. But then I remembered a
conversation that I had about a year ago with Brother Joseph Hemphill, who some
of you certainly know. What you may not know is that some of my conversations
with Brother Joseph work their way into the sermons I give at Beth Jacob. And
it was just about a year ago, because we Jews read the entire Five Books of
Moses every year through, and it is just about this time of year that we begin
reading the book of Exodus. So freedom and liberation are on our minds, and it
is always appropriate that we're reading the Book of Exodus at the time that we
are also remembering Dr. King. And it was in that context that Brother Joseph
said something that really stuck with me. He said, "you know, what Dr.
King did, he didn't just do for the Black people."<o:p></o:p></div>
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And that's correct, and that's why it's OK for a white,
Jewish person to give this talk today. What Dr. King did, he did for all of us.
As Abraham Lincoln said so long ago, "as I would not be a slave, I would
not be a slave master." It is not just that Black people needed to be
liberated from the shackles of racism and oppression. White people needed to be
liberated from their own oppression as well, because oppression is a product of
fear. It is not just African Americans who are better off today because of Dr.
King. All of us are better off, because we are working together for a society
where we will be judged not by the color of our skin but by the content of our
character. Dr. King's dream was not a Black dream or a white dream, it was an
American dream, and a human dream. And it was a dream influenced by the
Abrahamic covenants of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I want to begin this afternoon with a story from the
Talmud. The Talmud is a collection of Jewish legal and ethical materials, laws
and stories, that was codified around 1500 years ago, but much of the material
is quite a bit older than that. When I as a Jew and a rabbi read or hear
stories of Jesus, they are familiar to me, because Jesus, too, was a rabbi, and
he was not the only rabbi of his time to teach by means of stories and
parables. So maybe those of you who are Christians will find something familiar
in this type of story as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One day Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi encountered Elijah the
Prophet. As you know, in our traditions Elijah is considered to be the
harbinger of the Messiah. And so Rabbi Yehoshua asked him “when will the
Messiah come?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Ask him yourself”, came the reply. “He sits at the gate
of Rome with all the other beggars, but there is one way you can single him
out. All of the beggars un-bandage all their wounds at once and then re-bandage
them all at once. But the Messiah un-bandages one and then immediately
re-bandages it, un-bandages another and then re-bandages it, thinking that
perhaps he will be needed and have to go in a hurry.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rabbi Yehoshua traveled to Rome and found the Messiah as
Elijah had said. “Shalom to you my Master and Teacher.” “Shalom to you, ben
Levi.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“When will Master come.” “Today!” the Messiah replied.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When Rabbi Yehoshua returned to Elijah he was
crestfallen. “Surely he lied to me, because he said he would come today and yet
there is no sign of him.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“You misunderstood what he was saying,” replied Elijah.
“He was quoting to you from Scripture, Psalm 95. ‘Today – if you would but
hearken to God’s voice.’”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Imagine a world where no child goes to bed hungry. Where
no child lives in fear of the adults who control his life. Where the poor are
not merely given what they need to survive but treated with respect, and given
the tools with which to lift themselves out of poverty. Where workers are
always treated fairly. Where disputes between individuals and between nations
are settled on the basis of justice and reason, not on the basis of who has the
greater might. Where animals are protected from human cruelty; where natural
resources are treasured as God’s gift to humanity and used wisely, with concern
for future generations and their needs. Where the elderly are not considered a
burden but treasured for their wisdom and experience. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Such a world is not a fantasy. That world is possible.
You and I, with God's help, can bring that world into being. 3500 years ago at
Mt. Sinai, God gave the Jewish people a plan to bring that world into fruition.
And then Christianity and Islam came onto the scene to spread that plan, but we
still -- all of us -- continue to fall short.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Jewish people really <u>became</u> a people in
Egypt. When Jacob and his family went down to Egypt, the entire nation
consisted of one patriarch, his twelve sons and one daughter, the wives and
children of the twelve sons and their household employees – a band of seventy
souls in all, perhaps. After four hundred years that number had grown somewhat.
Six hundred thousand adult males left Egypt -- together with wives and children
probably 2.5 to 3 million.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Jewish people, then, was forged in the crucible of
slavery. Thirty seven times the Torah commands us to remember that we were
strangers in the land of Egypt. Not so we should seek revenge. In fact,
we are specifically commanded not to hate the Egyptians, because they provided
us food when we faced starvation. No, the Torah reminds us of our origin as
strangers in order to remind us that because we were strangers, we in turn have
a special responsibility not to oppress the stranger but to love him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At the time of Jesus, there were two other great rabbis
of the age, Hillel and Shammai. Once there was a pagan who, for whatever
reason, enjoyed making fun of rabbis. He went to Shammai, and said to
him: “I am willing to convert to Judaism if you can teach me the whole Torah
while I stand on one foot.” Shammai like Jesus was a carpenter by profession and
apparently brooked no nonsense. He took the yardstick that was in his hand and
whacked the pagan over the head.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So the pagan went to Hillel. And Hillel took him up on the challenge. He said
to him “what is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the entire
Torah, all the rest is commentary. Now go and learn."<o:p></o:p></div>
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For us Jews, there are two
sources of values. One is the Bible, and the other is Jewish history. I believe
that it is no accident that Jews have been in the forefront of every struggle
for human freedom.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dr. King and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel were close
friends. The picture of them marching arm in arm during the March from Selma to
Montgomery in 1965 is one of the great iconic images of the Civil Rights era.
Dr. King and Rabbi Heschel first met in 1963 at a "Conference on Religion
and Race" in Chicago. This is what Dr. Heschel said then:<o:p></o:p></div>
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"At the first conference on religion and race, the
main participants were Pharaoh and Moses.... The outcome of that summit meeting
has not come to an end. Pharaoh is not ready to capitulate. The exodus began,
but is far from having been completed. In fact, it was easier for the children
of Israel to cross the Red Sea than for a Negro to cross certain university
campuses."<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thus it is no accident that the two white
volunteers killed by the Klan during Mississippi Freedom Summer in the United
States almost fifty years ago alongside James Chaney were Jews named Schwerner
and Goodman. It is no accident that in apartheid South Africa, for years and
years the only anti-apartheid member of the all-white legislature was Helen
Suzman, the Jewish representative of a predominantly Jewish district in
Johannesburg. It is no accident that the two demographic groups in the United
States whose voting patterns are most alike are African Americans and Jewish
Americans. It is no accident; it is a direct result of the Torah’s repeated
admonition to “not oppress the stranger, but remember that you were a stranger
in the Land of Egypt.” What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. This
is the whole Torah. All the rest is commentary.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All the
rest is commentary. But in our day Hillel’s teaching is not enough. It is not
enough because it is merely passive. And as both Blacks and Jews learned so
painfully within the memory of many sitting here today, it is not enough to
merely personally refrain from doing evil. Rabbi Heschel said "The
opposite of good is not evil, the opposite of good is indifference," while
Dr. King said "To accept passively an unjust system is to cooperate with
that system." Not to act communicates "to the oppressor that his
(sic) actions are morally right." And so I would add a corollary to
Hillel’s maxim: “what has been done to you, do not let be done to another.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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In February 1993 I was part of a group of rabbis and
rabbinical students who spent a week in Haiti examining the human rights
situation there and the U.S. government’s policy at the time of returning
Haitian refugees who were intercepted trying to make their way by boat to our
country. And interestingly enough, all ten of us cited exactly the same motivation
for going on this trip: the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">St. Louis</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In 1939 a boat with 900 Jewish refugees steamed away
from the shores of Germany. They were bound for Cuba, which had given them
visas. But for one reason or another, the Cubans changed their minds and sent
the refugees away. So the boat, the St. Louis, headed for New York harbor. And
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sent them back to Germany, where most of
them disappeared in the crematoria of the Holocaust.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So for a Jew, who knows Jewish history, seeing a boatload
of refugees returned home to face likely death hit too close to home. When I am
asked one day what I did when we sent the Haitians away to be killed, I won’t
have to say “I was a good German. I did nothing.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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We are a people that learn from history. Because we were
slaves and strangers in Egypt, we have tried to free the slave and honor the
rights of the stranger. Because the world watched and did nothing while we were
slaughtered, we were determined not to watch and do nothing as Bosnians and
Rwandans were slaughtered. And because we are all of us people who learn from
history -- whether as Jewish people, as Black people, or simply as American
people -- we cannot sit idly by and watch and do nothing while people continue
to die in Haiti.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Brother
Joseph was right when he reminded me that what Dr. King did, he did for all of
us. Dr. King's genius was that his vision was rooted in the biblical texts that
almost all Americans hold to be sacred. His dream was, as he himself said,
"deeply rooted in the American dream." He called us, all of us, to be
the kind of people that we know in our hearts that we ought to be. He called us
to live lives of justice and of peace. He called us, finally, to join hands and
build the kind of world that God wants us to have. He called us to hearken to
God's voice. <o:p></o:p></div>
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When will redemption come? Today, if we would hearken to God’s voice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When will redemption come? When we bring it. Let’s not wait to begin the task.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-56851572481337311112019-10-10T06:53:00.002-07:002019-10-10T06:53:58.753-07:00The Importance of a Home<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><b>Sermon Delivered Yom Kippur Morning 5780</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><b>October 9, 2019</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">A classmate of mine from
rabbinical school once said to me that to avoid angering congregants on the
High Holidays, a rabbi should avoid talking about three subjects: 1.) politics;
2.) religion; and 3.) anything else.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">For a long time Israel was the
exception in the American Jewish community to my friend’s cynical advice.
American Jews might be divided about lots of things but we were all united in
support of Israel. I remember going to my mostly working-class-Catholic public
high school every day wearing a button that said “We Are One” for months after
the October 1973 Yom Kippur War. A couple of years later I wore a button that
said “We Are All Zionists” after the United Nations General Assembly passed its
infamous -- now repealed -- resolution asserting that Zionism was a form of
racism. These buttons represented shared sentiments among Jews then. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">But those days of commonplace
support for Israel are long gone. While we often hear that like much of
American society, American Jews are polarized about Israel, that isn’t even the
right word. Polarization properly understood implies that we are split into two
warring camps, but it’s much more complicated than that. We are splintered into
groups which don’t understand each other, don’t talk with each other, and at
times even demonize each other.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">“We Are One” was never quite true
but in today’s Jewish community we are many. There are those who are
enthusiastic supporters of Benjamin Netanyahu, approve of his actions and
his policies, and will be disappointed if, as appears likely, he does not
continue to serve as Israel’s Prime Minister. There are those who might have
had some doubts about Netanyahu but felt that it was our duty as American Jews
to support the elected government of Israel, period. There are those who
consider themselves to be pro-Israel but do not support Netanyahu, are
concerned that some of his polices were actually harming Israel, and are
hopeful that there will be a new prime minister soon. Then there are those who
no longer know what to think and just throw up their hands in frustration. And
finally, there are those, mostly young, who are quite vocal about not
supporting Israel because they feel that support of Israel conflicts with the
progressive and humanistic values they were taught as Jews.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">These young progressives might be
surprised to learn that there was a time when supporting Israel was considered
a progressive cause. For example, in 1950 the folk quartet “The Weavers”
, which included Pete Seeger and Ronnie Gilbert, recorded the Israeli folk song
“Tzena, Tzena.'' This song was also recorded by Mitch Miller, Chet Atkins, and
the Smothers Brothers. Harry Belafonte and Miriam Makeba together recorded the
Israeli folk song “Erev Shel Shoshanim” while Belafonte alone also recorded
“Hava Nagila” and “Hinei Mah Tov u’Mah Naim.” Now it is seen by many as an
oxymoron if you state that you are liberal and pro-Israel.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Israel was a progressive cause for
many reasons. Progressives tend to support the underdog and in the struggle to
establish a Jewish state, Israel was seen as an underdog. Zionism fought
against both the British empire and the Arab nations, all of which were
theocratic monarchies. Most of Israel’s founding fathers and mothers -- David
Ben Gurion, Moshe Dayan, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, Moshe Sharett, Yigal Allon
-- were socialists and many of them had spent time living on kibbutzim, the
purest form of socialism ever put into practice. The Histradrut labor
union advocated democratic socialism, and it was one of the most important institutions
in the country along with the Labor Party, which governed Israel
uninterruptedly from 1948 until 1977. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Israel is in many ways still an
extremely progressive country. Israel has developed a healthcare system that
simultaneously guarantees health insurance to everyone and preserves choice and
competition, as Israelis can choose between four nationwide HMOs. Men and women
are guaranteed equal pay and equal employment access. Transgender soldiers
serve in the Israeli military; Palestinian gays and lesbians seek refuge in Tel
Aviv and Jerusalem from the homophobic attitudes of Palestinian society.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">How then did Israel lose the
support of so many progressives? We all know the history; the 1967 Six Day War
left Israel in control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem which it conquered
from Jordan, the Golan Heights which it conquered from Syria, and the Sinai
Peninsula and the Gaza Strip which it conquered from Egypt. East Jerusalem and
the Golan have since been formally annexed to Israel and their residents have
the option to seek Israeli citizenship. Sinai was returned to Egypt under the
terms of a peace treaty and Israel withdrew unilaterally from Gaza in 2005, but
fifty two years after the Six Day war the status of the West Bank is still
unresolved. This is an extraordinarily complicated issue and I could speak for
several hours and still not cover it adequately. Israel’s public relations has
suffered hugely with the unresolved status of the territories. Trite slogans
that do not recognize the complexities are helpful to no one. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">The issue of the West Bank has
divided Jews’ opinions on Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
is a growing group of young American Jews known as “If Not Now” that
essentially has a one-plank platform: “end the American Jewish community’s support
for the Occupation.” They are officially neutral on support for a two-state
solution or a one-state solution and whether Israel should exist at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">On the other hand one hears from
some American Jews that these disputed territories are the heartland of Biblical
Israel -- which is true; that Israel won them in a war that the Arabs started
-- which is also true -- and that no country has ever withdrawn from
territories conquered that way -- which is not true.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">The complexities about the
occupation continue. The Oslo Process under Yitzhak Rabin was an attempt to
“end the Occupation.” Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians were
supposed to lead to the creation of a Palestinian state in most of the West
Bank and Gaza, with appropriate security guarantees that it would indeed be a
Palestinian state <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">next to </i>the State
of Israel and not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">instead of </i>the
State of Israel. Even after Rabin was murdered negotiations continued under his
successors. In January 2001 the two sides met in Taba, Egypt, for a last-ditch effort.
Israel offered to return 97 percent of the West Bank to the Palestinians. There
were still significant gaps between the two parties but they were closer to an
agreement than they had ever been. But the then-president of the Palestinian
Authority, Yasser Arafat, didn’t propose continuing the negotiations and
building on the progress which had been made. Instead, with the international
community widely holding the Palestinians responsible for the failure of the
talks, he gave the green light for a massive campaign of suicide bombings and
terror attacks, hoping that the Israeli response would once again allow him to
portray the Palestinians as victims. This was, to all intents and purposes, the
end of serious Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">The continued ambiguous status of
the West Bank territories complicates any sort of peace in the region as well
as complicating American Jews’ ideas about Israel. For the last 52 years the
West Bank has been in a sort of limbo where it is under Israeli control but not
considered, even by Israel, as part of the State of Israel. It is a disputed
territory about which there have been off and on negotiations. A few days
before the recent elections, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that if he won
the elections he would formally annex much of Area C, which makes up around 60
percent of the land area of the West Bank, although a much smaller percentage
of its Arab population.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would have
meant the end of any possibility of an eventual peace treaty between Israel and
the Palestinians.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Why would this be a problem?
Because Israel was founded to be and continues to define itself as a Jewish and
democratic state.. Annexation of the West Bank effectively means that Israel
can be either a Jewish state or a democratic one but not both. If Israel were
to annex the West Bank it would add 2.8 million Palestinians who would now
officially be residents of the State of Israel. If Israel extends citizenship
to them it will be a state with a bare majority of Jews over Arabs, and given
the Arab birth rate Israel will have an Arab majority in a couple of decades.
If Israel does not extend citizenship to them, it will have given up all claim
to be a democratic state.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">The September 17 election results
have taken the question of annexation off the table for now. The majority of
Israeli voters are open to the idea of two states for two peoples. But this is
something that Israel cannot accomplish on its own, unilaterally. Israel
can refrain from taking steps which make a two-state solution impossible, and
it can implement small steps to make day-to-day Palestinian life easier and
build trust. But until there is a Palestinian partner across the table that is
willing to acknowledge that Israel is here to stay and gives up on the illusory
goal of millions of Palestinians returning to the very same houses they left in
1948, there will be no agreement, no Palestinian state and no end to the
Occupation. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A peaceful resolution is possible if the
moderate majorities in both Israel and the Palestinian territories give up
their maximalist dreams, rein in their extremists, and recognize that their
choices come down to either permanent warfare or a treaty where everyone gets
some of what they want and no one gets <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all
</i>of what they want. The specific outlines will have to be worked out between
the parties, but it is something that is in everyone’s best interest.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">So why is Israel so
important?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is a home for Jews so
important? The great American poet Robert Frost wrote that ‘Home is the place
where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.’ Every person and
every nation wants and deserves a home. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Between 1939 and 1945, six million
Jews died precisely because the Jewish people had no home. In May 1939 a
ship named the St. Louis left Hamburg, Germany, with about 900 German Jews
bound for Cuba. The voyage of the St. Louis was in part a propaganda effort by
the Nazis. They were saying to the West, you criticize our treatment of the
Jews but you are hypocrites because you don’t want them either. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">The Jews on the St. Louis had
visas for Cuba but the Cuban government cancelled them before the ship even
arrived. The St. Louis headed to the United States but our country, too, turned
them away and the ship returned to Europe. About 300 of the Jews were taken in
by Great Britain and the others by the Netherlands, Belgium and France. For
many of them their new countries proved only a temporary refuge and many of the
St. Louis passengers ultimately died in the Holocaust.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">They were turned away by Cuba and
they were turned away by the United States. If the State of Israel had existed
in 1939 the German Jews could have gone there and thus been saved. But in 1939
what was then Mandatory Palestine was controlled by the British who, bowing to
Arab pressure, issued a White Paper shortly before the St. Louis sailed which
limited Jewish immigration to 75,000 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">total
</i>over five years, with subsequent immigration to be subject to an Arab veto.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">The increase in antisemitism
throughout the world reminds us that the need for one piece of land under
Jewish control, where Jews don’t need someone else’s permission to relocate,
continues today. It is legitimate and even healthy for us to disagree with each
other about Israeli policies, but there should be no disagreement about
Israel’s importance to all of us. Keep yourself informed about Israeli news,
visit Israel if you can, purchase Israeli products, watch Israeli films and
movies -- there are so many to choose from on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO,
and most importantly, support organizations in Israel working to make Israel
the type of society you would like it to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Rabbi Daniel Gordis is one of the
most popular authors and speakers about Israel. Danny grew up in
Baltimore, and we worked together and shared an office suite at the University
of Judaism in Los Angeles. During the 1998 - 99 academic year he took a
sabbatical in Jerusalem. It was meant to be for one year but he and his family
decided to stay permanently.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">As you probably know, there is a
custom that during the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yizkor</i> memorial
service on Yom Kippur, those who have not lost a parent, child, spouse or
sibling -- someone for whom one is obligated to say the Mourner’s Kaddish -- go
out of the synagogue. Danny's grandfather Rabbi Robert Gordis, a prominent
Conservative rabbi, considered this a superstitious custom and used to denounce
it from the pulpit. In deference to his father, Danny's father would stay</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="color: #222222;">in the synagogue during <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yizkor</i> and raised Danny the same way; but when Danny moved to
Israel, he decided to revert to the older "superstitious" custom.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Some years ago Danny was
"confronted" by one of the founding members of his Jerusalem
synagogue about his going out for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yizkor</i>.
Danny thought to himself, "Oh no, another lecture about following a
superstition." But quite the opposite happened. The older man said to him:
"When we founded this synagogue, we were all Holocaust survivors and there
was not a single person who could go out for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yizkor</i>. Then there were all the wars, and again, there was no one
who could go out for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yizkor</i>. But now,
look. Most of the congregation goes out for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yizkor</i>.
[Now in a synagogue in Jerusalem, none of these people have lost a parent,
child, spouse or sibling.] <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ha-medina
ha-zot nes</i>. This State is a miracle."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">May the people of Israel and their
leaders be blessed with the courage and wisdom to preserve this miracle.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-90503651967866450602019-10-10T06:50:00.000-07:002019-10-10T06:50:02.762-07:00Defining Community, Defining Ourselves<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><b>Sermon Delivered Yom Kippur Evening 5780</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><b>October 8, 2019</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"> The members and board of
Congregation Shomrei Shatnez were faced with a dilemma. It was a dilemma that
in some ways was nice to have, but it was a dilemma nonetheless. A
philanthropic fund with an interest in innovative approaches to Jewish life had
approached the congregation with an unusual but very tempting offer. The fund
would make a huge gift to the congregation -- something in the order of $20
million -- but the congregation had to agree to one stipulation in
return. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Shomrei
Shatnez was a smallish suburban synagogue with an annual budget of less than a
million dollars, so a $20 million endowment with an average rate-of-return
would provide more than enough income to cover its budget. But here was the
stipulation: Shomrei Shatnez would no longer be allowed to charge dues or to
raise money. Because people often make donations to their synagogue in honor or
in memory of some person or event, the shul could accept donations, but they
could only be used outside of the congregation, to help meet needs in the
general community or support overseas Jewry. The only funds available for the
congregation itself would be the proceeds of the endowment.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So what was
the dilemma that Shomrei Shatnez now faced? For the typical American synagogue,
membership is defined financially. You fill out an application, you pay your
dues -- or if you can’t afford full dues you make some kind of arrangement and
pay a lesser amount -- and that’s pretty much it. If a congregation could no
longer define membership by virtue of paying dues, what would be the criterion?</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
suggestion was simply to continue as before but without dues. If you want to
join, you fill out the application and voila, you’re a member. But some of the
leaders of the congregation realized that t</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">his <span style="color: black;">might
</span>inadvertently lead to<span style="color: black;"> problems down the road.
The $20 million gift was more than enough to sustain the congregation’s needs
at its current level of budget and activity. But what if, discovering that
there was now a congregation that didn’t charge anything to belong and didn’t
even ask for donations, unaffiliated Jews and members of other congregation</span>s
decided to join <span style="color: black;">Shomrei Shatnez? Would the
congregation need to hire additional staff, perhaps an assistant rabbi? Would
the religious school grow larger than the faculty and facility could
accommodate? Would they even outgrow their building? They realized that if they
could no longer determine membership simply by paying dues, they would have to
come up with some other way of defining it.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What
I have said so far has really just been a thought experiment. There is no
congregation called “Shomrei Shatnez” and no one has set up a huge endowment
conditional on a synagogue not charging dues. But if we were in a position so
that we no longer needed to charge dues -- indeed, if we were actually
forbidden to charge dues -- how <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">would </i>we
define membership? And how would we define ourselves?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">When people join a synagogue, what
exactly are they joining? What does membership mean? </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #3c4043; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">To give you an example of entities trying
to define themselves, i</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">n the 1960s in the United States,
two very large companies completely controlled the market for manufacturing
glass bottles which soda, milk, and other beverages came in. In 1970, the
plastic soda bottle was introduced and both companies realized that they were
facing a major challenge to their business. One of the companies increased its
budget for R & D, hoping to make its manufacturing process cheaper and its
glass bottles higher quality, because after all it was in the business of
making glass bottles. It raised its advertising budget, hoping to convince
consumers and beverage companies that glass bottles were superior to plastic
and that they should stick with what was tried and true.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
other company decided “we’re not in the business of making glass bottles. We’re
in the business of making containers for beverages.” It transitioned its
manufacturing facilities from glass to plastic. Today only one of those
companies is still in business. Which one do you think it is?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">So
what business are we in? And by “we” I do not necessarily mean Kehilat Shalom
but rather the American suburban synagogue, especially but not exclusively in
its Conservative iteration.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
several decades following the end of the Second World War, the suburban
synagogue was in the Hebrew school and Bar/Bat Mitzvah business. Jews were
moving to the suburbs, which were ethnically and religiously mixed, from
their urban, predominantly Jewish neighborhoods. The Jews leading this exodus
were mostly American born children of immigrants. When growing up they might
have spoken English with their parents but they probably spoke Yiddish or
Yinglish with their grandparents. The neighborhoods where they lived were
overwhelmingly Jewish. The newly-suburban Jews might not have been religiously
observant but they were steeped in Jewish culture.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now they
found themselves living in neighborhoods which might be ten or twenty percent
Jewish rather than eighty or ninety. Their children were going to public
schools with mostly non-Jewish classmates and very often the grandparents
stayed behind in the “old neighborhood.” New synagogues were created at a
dizzying pace and were sometimes unkindly labelled “Bar Mitzvah factories.” The
typical membership trajectory saw a family join when their oldest child started
Hebrew school and give up their membership shortly after the youngest kid’s Bar
Mitzvah or maybe Confirmation in tenth grade. The fact that a significant
percentage, perhaps even a majority, of families were only members for a few
years didn’t threaten the stability of the model because there were always more
families in the pipeline to replace them. Jewish parents would always want to
make sure their kids had Bar or Bat Mitzvahs, the only way to do that was to
join a shul and send your kids to Hebrew school, so people would join, pay the
assigned dues, and send their kids to Hebrew school for the </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">specified<span style="color: black;"> number of years.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
this model started to crumble </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">in the 1990s or so<span style="color: black;">.
More families had a Jewish and a non-Jewish parent, and even families with two
Jewish parents didn’t always consider Jewish education a priority or feel the
need to provide their children with Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies. As Harvard
Professor Robert Putnam documented in his book “Bowling Alone,” the post-Boomer
generations tended not to join clubs and organizations as much as their
predecessors did. And if the family did decide that a Bar or Bat Mitzvah was
important, there were other ways of doing it; independent Hebrew schools,
tutors, free-lance clergy who operate on a fee-for-service model. The recent
Washington Jewish Population survey revealed that between 2003 and 2017 the total number of synagogue members in the Greater Washington area shrank slightly even though the total Jewish population had grown by 37%; </span><span style="color: black;"> and that 58% of
Jewish children received no formal Jewish education of any sort at any point.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On the
walls of one of the dining rooms at Goucher College in Baltimore there are
painted a number of different quotes about higher education. The one that has
stuck with me ever since I volunteered with Goucher Hillel almost twenty years
ago was this: “I cannot show you the college. It is on vacation. But I can show
you the buildings.” I understand this quote to mean that the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">college </i>is not the buildings but the
people who study, teach, and research in those buildings.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Hebrew terms for a synagogue is “Bet Knesset” which means “House of Assembly.”
But when we pray in Hebrew for the welfare of the congregation and its members,
we do not use the term “Bet Knesset” but rather “Kehila” or “Kehila Kedosha” --
congregation or holy congregation -- the same word as in the name of our
congregation. We are Kehilat Shalom; we are not </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Beit<span style="color: black;">
Knesset Shalom. Our beautiful building is the place we study, the place we
pray, the place we gather with each other for friendship and fellowship. But
the building is not the congregation; the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">people</b>
are the wonderful congregation</span> we have today.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Because
American synagogues have generally not asked for anything from their members
other than money, synagogue membership has been for many a business
transaction. While it is true that we use the term “member”, so does Costco. I
am a “member” of Costco which asks nothing of me other than payment of my $60
annual dues. But if Keleigh and I ever reach the point where we shop at Costco
so infrequently that it no longer seems worth the $60, we will not have any
moral qualms or lose any sleep over our decision not to renew our membership.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Rabbi
Yohanna Kinberg of Washington State recently wrote a piece which captures the
problematic nature of the commodification of Judaism: “</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">we
are a cooperative. Not a business. We are a community, not a product. We exist
only to bring vibrant and meaningful Jewish life into this world, something we
have been doing together for more than 2000 years. If we view the congregation
as a product, as a thing, as something that either serves all our needs
personally in the exact ways we need to be served—we are no longer traveling
the path of sacred Jewish community. We are shopping. . . .I often hear people
say that they do not want to support the community because they do not “use
it.” When I hear those words I am hit in the face by how much Judaism has been
turned into just another product that people either “use” or do not.
Commodifying Judaism strips it of its inherent beauty and strength.”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
few minutes ago I mentioned Robert Putnam’s book “Bowling Alone” which
documents the decline of “social capital” in the United States. Social capital
means the benefits we as a society get from all kinds of voluntary involvement
-- churches and synagogues, volunteer fire and ambulance squads, service clubs
like Rotary or Lions, and so on. If you have been involved in any of these
types of groups you know that it is harder and harder to get members and to
convince members to step up and become leaders. But the decrease in joining is
not limited to volunteer organizations; Putnam notes that more Americans are
bowling than ever, but fewer of us belong to bowling leagues -- we are “bowling
alone.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">A
few years ago, a Protestant minister named Lillian Daniel wrote a “Daily
Devotional” for an internet e-mail list that went viral and eventually prompted
her to write a whole book based on it. I shared it then. with my previous
congregation, and I share it now</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="color: black;">because I think it
speaks to American Jews as well, since we are at least as American as we are
Jewish and we are not exempt from general societal trends.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">Here
is what she wrote:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">“On
airplanes, I dread the conversation with the person who finds out I am a
minister and wants to use the flight time to explain to me that he is
"spiritual but not religious." Such a person will always share this
as if it is some kind of daring insight, unique to him, bold in its rebellion
against the religious status quo. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">Next
thing you know, he's telling me that he finds God in the sunsets. These people
always find God in the sunsets. And in walks on the beach. Sometimes I think
these people never leave the beach or the mountains, what with all the
communing with God they do on hilltops, hiking trails and . . . did I mention
the beach at sunset yet? </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">Being privately
spiritual but not religious just doesn't interest me. There is nothing
challenging about having deep thoughts all by oneself. What is interesting is
doing this work in community, where other people might call you on stuff, or
heaven forbid, disagree with you. Where life with God gets rich and provocative
is when you dig deeply into a tradition that you did not invent all for
yourself. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">Thank
you for sharing, spiritual but not religious sunset person. You are now
comfortably in the norm for self-centered American culture, right smack in the
bland majority of people who find ancient religions dull but find themselves
uniquely fascinating. Can I switch seats now and sit next to someone who has
been shaped by a mighty cloud of witnesses instead? Can I spend my time talking
to someone brave enough to encounter God in a real human community?
Because when this flight gets choppy, that's who I want by my side, holding my
hand, saying a prayer and simply putting up with me, just like we try to do in
church. “<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">If you look at the liturgy of the High
Holidays, almost all of it is written in the plural. We refer to God on the
High Holidays as “Avinu Malkenu” -- <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our </i>Parent,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our </i>Sovereign -- in the plural. We
ask God for forgiveness “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">al chet
shechatanu lifanecha</i>” -- for the sin which <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">we </i>have sinned against You. We say <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“ashamnu, bagadnu, gazalnu” </i> “we have trespassed, we have
dealt treacherously, we have robbed.” We, we, we; us, us, us. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">How do we understand the fact that our
liturgy is in the plural? Why am I expected to confess to a whole series of
sins which I have not personally committed? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">As our teacher Abraham Joshua Heschel
taught us: “in a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible.” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">This
sense of mutual responsibility is expressed, I think, in the requirement of a
minyan for certain prayers. There is an old Yiddish saying that nine rabbis
don’t make a minyan but ten horse thieves do.</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;"> <span style="color: black;">It is an important lesson: in order to
“count” in Judaism you do not have to be a rabbi or a saint. You just have to
show up.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">You have to show up because we need you
and because you need us -- we need each other. We need each other because
together we can do what is impossible for each of us as an individual. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">The increasingly individualistic nature
of American religion and Judaism’s emphasis on community come into tension
particularly around the requirement </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">for<span style="color: black;"> a minyan in order to say Mourner’s Kaddish. This tension
was highlighted some years ago in an episode of the TV series “Northern
Exposure” where the inhabitants of Cicely, Alaska, went to great lengths but
were ultimately unsuccessful in putting together a minyan of ten Jews so that
the lead character, Dr. Joel Fleishman, could say Kaddish for an uncle who had
died. Here in Upper Montgomery County it is generally not difficult to
arrange for a minyan when one is needed but it can take a little pre-planning
and maybe a few phone calls to friends and neighbors.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">Some will choose to say Kaddish even
without a minyan and while I do not endorse such a practice I would never
attempt to prevent anyone from doing so. But I think the practice of saying
Kaddish with a minyan is important and is worth some inconvenience to maintain.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">The requirement for a minyan serves, I
think, to force the mourner out of his or her isolation. It requires the
mourner to be in contact with other people and requires the community to assist
the mourner as well. Relaxing the requirement </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">for<span style="color: black;"> a minyan, encouraging people to simply say
Kaddish at home or wherever they are, may seem compassionate, but it undermines
a core pillar of Jewish life and accelerates the disintegration of our sense of
community, our sense that we are responsible to one another.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">I started this talk with a thought
experiment about a congregation that had the ability, in fact the requirement,
of decoupling membership and finances. Unfortunately we don’t have that luxury.
But Doug mentioned during his talk on Rosh Hashanah -- and it’s not the first
time he’s said this -- that he considers everyone who </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">p<span style="color: black;">articipates in one of our
activities as part of our congregation.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">Some of you here today are former members
of Kehilat Shalom; others have never been members but have given annually in
order to attend High Holiday services. With respect and affection, I want to
tell you that we need and want you to become members of our congregation. Your
participation matters to us; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you </i>matter
to us. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">Synagogue membership is not a “fee for
service” proposition where you are purchasing certain services from the
congregation. It is a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">brit kodesh</i>, a
holy covenant. It is a two-way commitment and a two-way responsibility. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-highlight: white;">The Days of Awe are all about teshuvah,
which while we translate it as “repentance” is really closer to “return.” There
are certain values which we know we ought to live by. We know that we need
community, that we need each other. We know that our society can be better,
that taking care of our neighbor is more important than saving a couple of
bucks, that caring about others and being cared about are basic human needs.
Yom Kippur comes to remind us, to call us back to a better way of life. May we
have the courage to live our lives in community and with concern for each
other. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-2900022316413833042019-10-01T18:00:00.000-07:002019-10-01T18:04:35.310-07:00Jan Karski and the Inhabitants of Sodom<div id="E57" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E57" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 2.4; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px;">
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<span id="E60" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E60" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Sermon delivered the first morning of Rosh Hashanah 5780</b></span></div>
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<span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E60" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>September 30, 2019</b></span></div>
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<span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E60" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The old man got on the Metrobus on a rainy afternoon.</span><span id="E61" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E61" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="E62" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E62" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">He was having difficulty putting away his umbrella while trying, in flustered English, to secure his senior citizen bus discount. The bus passengers were upset at the delay and, hearing his accent, cast their anger frontward at him: someone shouted “go back to where you came from."</span></div>
<div id="E63" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E63" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 2.4; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px;">
<span id="E64" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E64" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /></div>
<div id="E65" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E65" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 2.4; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px;">
<span id="E67" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E67" qowt-runtype="qowt-tab" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="E68" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E68" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the old man couldn’t go back to where he came from and hadn’t been in his native country for over 40 years. The man was Jan Karski, a professor in Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Jan Karski was the greatest man I ever knew personally. He was one of the most popular professors </span><span id="E69" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E69" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">in the</span><span id="E70" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E70" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Foreign Service School and everyone in the program had to take his course in “Modern Foreign Governments”, so there were usually 200 or more people in the class. I took his class during the fall semester of 1978 and one day in September he made an announcement before he began his lecture. He said that his classes on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur would be taped and copies left in the dean’s office so that anyone who observed those holidays could get copies.</span></div>
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<span id="E72" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E72" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other professors made accommodations for Jewish students who had to miss classes if they were asked, but Karski was the only professor outside of the Theology Department who proactively did so. At the time, I was a little surprised that this Polish Catholic professor with the thick accent and courtly manner did this, but I didn’t know his story then. </span></div>
<div id="E73" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E73" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 2.4; list-style-type: none; margin-left: 0pt; padding: 0px; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span id="E74" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E74" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jan Karski was not his real name. He was born Jan Kozielewski to an aristocratic family and served briefly in the Polish diplomatic corps before the Nazis conquered Poland. After the Nazi conquest he joined the Polish underground. In 1940, because of his knowledge of several languages, he became a courier between the underground and the Polish Government in Exile, which was in London. This is when he adopted the pseudonym Jan Karski. During one of his missions, in July 1940, he was arrested by the Gestapo in Slovakia and severely tortured. He managed to escape.</span></div>
<div id="E75" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E75" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 2.4; list-style-type: none; padding: 12pt 0px; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span id="E76" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E76" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 1942 Karski was twice smuggled by Jewish underground leaders into the Warsaw Ghetto for the purpose of directly observing what was happening to Polish Jews. Also, disguised as an Estonian camp guard, he visited a sorting and transit point for the Bełżec death camp. Karski then went to London where he met with Polish politicians in exile and the British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, giving a detailed statement on what he had seen in Warsaw and Bełżec. In 1943 he traveled to the United States, meeting with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Oval Office, telling him about the situation in Poland and becoming the first eyewitness to tell him about the Jewish Holocaust. He also described what he had seen to Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter. </span></div>
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<span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E72" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<div id="E77" is="qowt-word-para" named-flow="FLOW-5" qowt-eid="E77" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 2.4; list-style-type: none; padding: 12pt 0px; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span id="E78" is="qowt-word-run" named-flow="FLOW-6" qowt-eid="E78" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 1944, at the request of the Polish Government in Exile, Karski wrote a book about his mission which sold 400,000 copies. When Karski first came to Washington in 1943 he intended to return to Poland once the Allies defeated the Nazis. But as a devout Catholic and fervent anticommunist, he decided to remain rather than go back to the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">newly-Communist Poland. He got his Ph.D. at Georgetown, joined its faculty, and never spoke about his experiences again until some 40 years later. He had agreed to be profiled by the Washington Post and this lead to him being interviewed by Claude Lanzmann for his magisterial documentary “Shoah.” Karski’s story became known; he was honored by many synagogues and Jewish organizations. Yad Vashem formally named him a “Righteous Gentile” and the State of Israel gave him honorary citizenship. When Communism fell, the Polish government also honored him. He died in the year 2000 and in 2012 he was posthumously awarded the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom.</span></div>
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<span is="qowt-word-run" named-flow="FLOW-6" qowt-eid="E78" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span id="E80" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E80" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although he was honored throughout the world as a hero, Karski always rejected that label. Indeed, he considered himself to have been a failure. Although he understood that the likelihood of success was small, he had hoped to motivate the Allied powers to take action to save at least some of the Jews who were doomed to be murdered. He failed at this, and it haunted him to the very end. In 1965 Karski married Pola Nierenska, a Polish Jewish woman, whose entire family had been killed in the Holocaust; she died of suicide in 1992 when she jumped from their Bethesda balcony.</span></div>
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<span id="E82" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E82" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 1981 Karski gave one of his first public speeches, to a gathering of American liberators of concentration camps. Reminding them that he had failed in his mission, he said; </span><span id="E83" is="qowt-word-run" named-flow="FLOW-49" qowt-eid="E83" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“And thus I myself became a Jew. And just as my wife’s entire family was wiped out in the ghettos of Poland, in its concentration camps and crematoria – so have all the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jews who were slaughtered become my family. But I am a Christian Jew… I am a practicing Catholic… My faith tells me the second original sin has been committed by humanity. This sin will haunt humanity until the end of time. And I want it to be so.”</span></div>
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<span id="E85" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E85" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although Jan Karski eventually married a Polish Jewish Holocaust survivor, this was more than twenty years after he repeatedly risked his life to make sure the world knew what was happening. Why did he do it?</span></div>
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<span id="E87" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E87" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are some people for whom Karski’s actions would not make sense if their thinking was followed to its logical conclusion. The first time that I ever received hate mail (back when it took some effort to send hate mail because it involved paper and a pen and an envelope and a postage stamp) was in January 1993 when I was the Hillel Director at American University. I had just returned from visiting Haiti with nine other rabbis and there was a story about my trip on the front page of the Washington Jewish Week. I received a couple of angry and obscene letters from people who felt that unless a problem was specifically affecting Jews, we should not get involved.</span></div>
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<span id="E89" is="qowt-word-run" named-flow="FLOW-51" qowt-eid="E89" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This attitude persists today. On September 13 this year the Jewish Community Relations Council cosponsored a rally in downtown Rockville in support of immigrants’ rights. JCRC Facebook posts often garner lots of comments and discussions but most JCRC posts deal with support for Israel and opposition to antisemitism and garner negative comments from antisemites, racists, and haters of Israel. But the JCRC posts about the immigrant rights rally received lots of negative comments from people who </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">appear to be Jewish, saying the JCRC should stick to defending Jews and Israel and not worry about other people.</span></div>
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<span id="E92" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E92" qowt-runtype="qowt-tab" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="E93" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E93" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Pirkei Avot Chapter 5 Mishna 10, we come across a somewhat curious teaching: </span><span id="E94" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E94" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are four types of people: One who says, "What is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine" is an ignoramus. One who says "What is mine is mine, and what is yours is yours" -- this is an intermediate characteristic; others say that this is the character of Sodom. One who says, "What is mine is yours, and what is yours is yours" is a chassid [pious person]. And one who says "What is mine is mine, and what is yours is mine" is wicked.</span></div>
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<span id="E97" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E97" qowt-runtype="qowt-tab" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="E98" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E98" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most of this Mishna makes intuitive sense. If what’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine, we have disorder and confusion. If I say what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine, I’m a sociopath. If I was the kind of person who said </span><span id="E99" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E99" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">mi casa es su casa</span><span id="E100" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E100" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and really meant it, I’d be some kind of saint. But “what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours” seems to be quite reasonable; while it’s true that the Mishnah says that this is characteristic of an average person, it goes on that “some say” that this is the characteristic of the people of Sodom -- who, you will remember, were destroyed by God for their sins.</span></div>
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<span id="E102" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E102" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because we live in a society that is predominantly Christian, many American Jews know only the Christian teaching that the sin of Sodom was homosexuality. But that isn’t the way the Jewish tradition reads it. The Prophet Ezekiel said : </span><span id="E103" is="qowt-word-run" named-flow="FLOW-53" qowt-eid="E103" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“‘Now this was the sin of </span><span is="qowt-word-run" named-flow="FLOW-53" qowt-eid="E103" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” And the Midrash </span><span id="E104" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E104" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; text-indent: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer</span><span id="E105" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E105" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> states: “It was declared in Sodom: ‘Whoever shares his bread with the stranger, orphan, and the poor shall be burned at the stake.’”</span></div>
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<span id="E107" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E107" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Orthodox rabbi Benjamin Hecht of Toronto explains the rabbinic understanding of the social order in Sodom. “</span><span id="E108" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E108" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Sodomite would not steal from another but, on principle, he/she also would not extend a helping hand. ... The fact is that in Sodom, it was considered wrong for someone to receive something for nothing or to give something to another for nothing. To them, this was an important societal ‘value’, necessary for the proper functioning of a community. From a Jewish perspective, the adherence to such a negative moral viewpoint, though, was deemed to be the key nature of the evil within the population of Sodom. The driving force of the Sodomites in the story was their opinion that a wrong was committed, that it was ‘immoral’ [to give something for nothing] no matter what the circumstances. This drove the Sodomites to act. They had a ‘principle’ that what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours and nothing should be given for nothing.” “From a Jewish perspective, the story of Sodom is . . .one of ‘committed’ citizens motivated by an evil principle, which they believed to be correct, that was being violated.”</span></div>
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<span id="E110" is="qowt-word-run" named-flow="FLOW-55" qowt-eid="E110" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jan Karski was the polar opposite of the citizens of Sodom. He was tortured and risked his life in an effort to convince the Western powers to save Jews. He did this even </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">though he was not Jewish. He failed in his mission because the Western powers could not be convinced that saving Jewish lives was worth the investment in munitions and manpower to do so. </span></div>
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<span id="E112" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E112" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Jan Karski Educational Foundation was established not only to honor his memory but to urge humanity to follow in his footsteps. The Foundation created the “Spirit of Jan Karski Award” to recognize </span><span id="E113" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E113" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“individuals who through their actions have demonstrated the values represented by Jan Karski and have distinguished themselves by defending human rights, speaking out against aggression and on behalf of the integrity of ethnic and religious groups and sovereign nations.” Award recipients include NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, for calling public attention to humanitarian crises throughout the world; Ambassador Samantha Power, for advancing the cause of genocide prevention; and the late Senator John McCain, “</span><span id="E114" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E114" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for his courageous leadership and willingness to speak truth to power about international acts of aggression.”</span></div>
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<span id="E116" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E116" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">As long as there is a Jewish community we will argue with each other about how much time, energy, and money we should devote to specifically Jewish interests and how much to the general welfare. If we do not take care of our own needs, we will not exist. But if we </span><span id="E117" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E117" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">only </span><span id="E118" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E118" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">take care of our own needs we have no reason to exist; nor would we have a right to complain when others don’t help us when we are in need. Or as Hillel put it over 2000 years ago: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”</span></div>
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<span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E72" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="E120" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E120" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we reach out to serve others -- a Christmas brunch at the Men’s Emergency Shelter, collecting school supplies for children in need, sending clothing and toys and hygiene supplies to asylum seekers in Nogales, Mexico -- we do not do it because the people we are helping are Jewish. We do it because </span><span id="E121" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E121" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">we </span><span id="E122" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E122" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">are Jewish. When Israeli search-and-rescue and rebuilding teams go to the Bahamas, when Israeli doctors help refugees </span><span id="E123" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E123" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">in Syria </span><span id="E124" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E124" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">-- they do not do it because those being helped are Jewish. They do it because </span><span id="E125" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E125" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">they </span><span id="E126" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E126" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">are Jewish and understand that we are called to be a light unto the nations.</span></span></div>
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<span id="E128" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E128" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the end of this day, the world will either be a more or less kind, compassionate, and loving place because of your presence. As we ask God to inscribe us for blessing in the book of life, it is these qualities which will define us.</span></div>
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Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-28971186315926054952019-08-23T10:03:00.000-07:002019-08-23T10:03:19.622-07:00Disloyal Jews<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; padding: 0px;">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> The great Israeli novelist Amos Oz, who died this past December, was born and grew up in Jerusalem but his parents had fled from Germany to what was then Palestine. As Oz showed in his memoir “A Tale of Love and Darkness” (made into a Hebrew-language movie by Natalie Portman), his parents never really adjusted to life in Palestine and continued to feel nostalgic for the life they left behind in Germany.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> Recalling what his father had told him about life in Germany before the Shoah, Oz wrote: “<span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Out there, in the world, all the walls were covered with graffiti: 'Yids, go back to Palestine,' so we came back to Palestine, and now the world at large shouts at us: 'Yids, get out of Palestine.’”</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> I had actually heard Oz tell this story in speeches even before he published his memoir, but this week it resonated with me more deeply than ever before. In pre-war Europe, Jews were condemned for not living in “Palestine” and today we are condemned for doing so. Here in the United States, we have a Member of Congress, Ilhan Omar, who said in a speech in March: “I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK to push for allegiance to a foreign country [Israel].” And then of course earlier this week the President said that Jews who vote for Democrats are either “disloyal” or “ignorant”.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> This type of language, whether from a first-term Representative or from the President, needs to concern us. The point is not whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, whether you generally support the President or oppose him. Everyone in the United States has a right to support the party and candidate of their choice without being called "disloyal" or conversely being accused of dual loyalty. This kind of statement is antithetical to American values.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> In the wake of these comments, as well as last week’s controversy where the President successfully pressured Israel to deny entry to Representative Omar and Representative Rashida Tlaib, Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin phoned Speaker Nancy Pelosi. After their conversation he tweeted: "I spoke today with</span><span lang="EN"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://cts.vresp.com/c/?KehilatShalom/e1ddbb0f11/b850886121/8cfba631e0&source=gmail&ust=1566662272946000&usg=AFQjCNH2PiP_T3U6pyQ_AbKKZH0nGy5d3g" href="http://cts.vresp.com/c/?KehilatShalom/e1ddbb0f11/b850886121/8cfba631e0" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">@SpeakerPelosi</span></a><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> about the importance of strong US-Israel relations and I thanked her for her commitment," Rivlin tweeted Wednesday. "The link between us is between peoples, based on historical ties, deep, strong friendships and shared values, not dependent on the links with either party."</span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> President Rivlin is absolutely correct. A number of years ago in a previous congregation I served, I organized a discussion between two congregants who explained why they were members of the particular political party they supported. The Republican presenter, one of my closest friends in the congregation, said that one of the reasons he was a Republican is that he recognized that the majority of Jews were Democrats and that it was important that there be Jews in both parties. If not, this would be detrimental to Jewish interests because Republicans could ignore Jewish concerns on the theory that Jews won’t vote for them anyway, whereas Democrats could ignore Jewish concerns on the theory that Jews will vote for them anyway. With Jews in both parties, neither party could ignore our concerns or take our vote for granted. I found, and still find, his point to be very convincing.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; padding: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, or an independent, if you consider yourself pro-Israel you should not want Israel to be just another partisan issue. The political pendulum in the United States swings back and forth, and at some point there will once again be a Democratic President guiding foreign policy and a Democratic Congress determining the amount of military assistance Israel receives from the United States. Support of Israel is widespread today among both parties, even if there may be disagreements with specific policies of the Israeli government. Last week 41 Democratic representatives and 31 Republican representatives traveled to Israel with AIPAC. It is not in Israel’s best interests to become too closely identified with one side of the American political divide.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; padding: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> The injection of the “loyalty” of American Jews into public discussion is simply toxic and should be out of bounds, whether it comes from the left side of the spectrum or the right. Many Americans have roots in other countries, celebrate those roots, and support policies favorable to their ancestral homes, and American Jews are no different in this regard. We love and support Israel but our loyalty, which is a legal and political concept, is to the United States.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: ivory; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; padding: 0px;">
<span lang="EN" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> By all means advocate for the policies you consider to be in the best interests of the United States and in the best interests of Israel. But let’s do so with love and respect and a recognition that despite whatever differences we have, we are one community and one nation.</span></span></div>
Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-22580903982659076762019-08-16T08:21:00.000-07:002019-08-16T08:21:02.861-07:00A Couple of Current TV Shows Worth Watching<br />
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<span lang="EN"> Every now and then I recommend television
which I think is worth watching, and I’m going to do so again today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
first program is the movie “Red Sea Diving Resort” on Netflix. It tells the
true story of how a small group of Israeli undercover agents worked to bring
approximately 8000 Ethiopian Jews through Sudan to Israel. Recall that Sudan is
an Arab country, but it borders Ethiopia and is on the Red Sea and thus
accessible to the Israeli port of Eilat via ship. In order to cloak their
efforts, the Israelis actually rented an unused dive resort from the Sudanese
government and used it to stage their efforts and house the refugees who had
walked hundreds of miles from Ethiopia to Sudan. When the effort was threatened
with discovery, the United States stepped in and President Reagan authorized
several military airlifts to get the remaining refugees from Sudan to Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
movie has received some criticism for focusing on the Israeli rescuers and not
the Ethiopian Jews themselves, but for whatever reason this is the story the
filmmakers (led by Israeli director Gideon Raff, creator of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homeland</i>), chose to tell. But the film
reminds us why Israel exists and how American administrations of both parties
have worked closely with Israel to ensure its security and its status as a
haven for those who need it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
second is a much less happy story and that is the ten part series “Our Boys” on
HBO. First of all, in watching this I was reminded how accustomed I have become
to watching streaming on-demand television and being able to binge watch all or
most of a series. But “Our Boys” is being shown by HBO one episode at a time,
with a new episode each week, and so I have only been able to see the first two
episodes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Our
Boys” is based on the events of the summer of 2014 in and around Jerusalem. As
you recall, three Israeli teenagers, Gilad Shaar, Eyal Yifrach, and Naftali Frankel,
were kidnapped and murdered by Hamas. Shortly after their bodies were
discovered, some extremist Israeli settlers kidnapped a Palestinian teen,
Mohammed Abu Khdeir, and killed him by setting him on fire while he was still
alive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
first two episodes focused mostly on the family of the Palestinian teen, their
anguish while he was missing, and the Israeli Security Services’ attempt to
find him. At the point where the second episode stops, the body of Mohammed Abu
Khdeir has been found but his parents have not been notified. The police say
that it’s unthinkable to them that any Jew would have done such a thing, but
the Shin Bet officer assigned to the case knows differently (as, of course, do
we).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Some
of this is painful to watch. The treatment of the Abu Khdeir family by the
police was not always courteous or respectful. The series shows documentary
footage of angry Israeli mobs rampaging through Jerusalem shouting “Death To
Arabs.” I was not in Israel when these particular events happened. (I did go,
as you may remember, a few weeks later when the war to which the events of
earlier that summer led broke out.) But I was in Israel after a major terror
attack in 1994 and witnessed at that time the same type of mobs and the same
chants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
we also know that Israel did find, prosecute, and convict the three men who
murdered Mohammed Abu Khdeir. Beyond that, as I was watching the show, which
was written and produced by both Jewish and Arab Israelis and is in Hebrew and
Arabic with subtitles, I was reminded of the fact that for all its flaws,
Israel is a democracy with freedom of expression and a thriving creative
community which by and large leans to the left politically.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s
hard for me to imagine that any Arab country would have permitted the creation
of a television series that humanizes Israeli Jews the way that “Our Boys”
humanizes Palestinian Arabs. Israeli movies and television are great in part
because they tend to show the full truth of Israel, warts and all; the good
parts and the not-so-good parts, the parts which fill us with pride (a la “Red
Sea Diving Resort”) and the parts which are troubling. A true democracy has
nothing to hide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-58612891859004970362019-05-17T08:34:00.000-07:002019-05-17T08:34:23.632-07:00Judaism and the Abortion Debate<br />
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<span lang="EN"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"> With so many states having recently
passed or considering legislation which purports to eliminate or severely
restrict abortion, I want to take a look at what Judaism says about this issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before
I do that, I want to talk about “framing”, in other words, how an issue is
presented and perceived in the public square. To a large extent, the debate
over abortion is framed as religious people who are “pro-life” vs. secular people
who are “pro-choice.” In point of fact, as a Conservative rabbi I am pro-choice
precisely because of our religious teachings, and this is why the Rabbinical
Assembly of Conservative Judaism issued this <a href="https://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/story/statement-reproductive-freedom"><span style="color: #1155cc;">statement </span></a>this week after the Alabama
legislature passed a law which, if allowed to go into effect, would ban
virtually all abortions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
most recent spate of legislation is rooted in the Catholic and Evangelical
Christian belief that we become full human beings with full human rights at the
moment of conception. Catholics and Evangelicals have every right to believe
this but it is a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">belief</i>, it is not a
scientifically provable <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fact</i>. The
normative Jewish teaching codified in the Talmud and Codes is that a fetus
becomes a full human being at the moment of birth -- when its head or in the
case of a breach birth the majority of its body has emerged from the womb. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
halachic position that a fetus is not a full human being is rooted in Exodus
21:22-23. These verses describe a situation where two men are fighting with
each other and as a result of their fight, a pregnant woman is injured. If the
woman herself dies as a result, the death penalty is incurred. If the fetus
dies but not the mother, the perpetrator is fined. The inescapable conclusion
from these verses is that a fetus is not a full human being and causing its
death is not murder, because in the Pentateuch there is no such thing as a fine
for murder. There is only the death penalty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
fact that we do not consider a fetus a full human being does not mean that a
fetus has no value. The Talmud says in a number of places that “a fetus is a
limb of its mother” rather than an independent being itself, but just as we
would need a compelling reason to amputate a limb, we need a compelling reason
to “amputate,” so to speak, a fetus. But regardless of whether the halacha
would or wouldn’t countenance any particular abortion, the assertion that
abortion is “murder” is contrary to Jewish teachings, full stop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Halacha
going back as far as the Mishnah (codified in 200 CE) actually <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">requires </i>abortion if carrying the
pregnancy to term endangers the life of the mother. This is based on the law of
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rodef</i>, the “pursuer.” In a case
where the fetus endangers its mother’s life, it is considered a “pursuer” and
we are obligated to put the welfare of the mother first -- up until the point
where the head or the majority of the body has emerged, at which point we don’t
kill one human being to protect another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
point of this admittedly cursory survey of halacha regarding abortion is simply
to help you understand what Jewish religious teaching on the subject is and why
Jews do not share the belief of many Catholics and Evangelicals that abortion
is murder and that all abortions should be banned. While in point of fact
Judaism might disapprove of some of the reasons some women choose to have
abortions, Judaism disapproves of lots of things which people do which
nevertheless are and should remain perfectly legal. I’m not aware, for example,
of any move anywhere in the United States to ban the sale of pork or of
clothing made from a mixture of linen and wool (Lev. 19:19, Deut. 22:11).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Having
counseled women who were unsure about having an abortion, and even having
accompanied women to the abortion clinic, I know that this is a serious
decision that is not made lightly. I deeply respect those who have a
religious-based opposition to abortion but there is no reason for any state or
the Federal government to decide that the Catholic/Evangelical belief is
correct and the Jewish and liberal Protestant belief is wrong. I hope and pray
that these clearly unconstitutional laws will not survive the judicial scrutiny
they will surely receive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-66528188474403287442019-04-04T08:27:00.002-07:002019-04-04T08:32:29.005-07:00Kosher for Passover Made Intelligible -- 5779/2019<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">“Kosher for Passover” Made Intelligible <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">The
following is intended as general guidance for observing Passover according to
normative Conservative guidelines. Different families have different traditions
and if you have a family tradition that may be more stringent on a particular
question, it is always permissible to be strict. It is not a violation of
Jewish law to avoid taking leniencies even if they are legally permitted.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">--CLA<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">Observing the dietary restrictions of Passover
is not always easy, but it is made even more complicated by misunderstandings
and misinformation, both of which are rampant. To help you in your observance,
I have prepared this Pesach Guide, trying to be as straightforward as possible.
In doing so, I have consulted the Rabbinical Assembly Pesach Guide, but I alone
am responsible for the rulings and conclusions contained herein. This guide was
revised in the spring of 2016 to reflect the recent decision of the Committee
on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS) of the Conservative Movement to permit the
consumption of kitniyot. It was further revised for clarity and style in 2018
and again in 2019<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The full
CJLS Passover Guide can ge found online at </span><a href="http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/pesah-guide"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">www.rabbinicalassembly.org/pesah-guide</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">I. What is
Chametz? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">Chametz
(“leaven”) is the product of five specific grains: wheat, barley, oats, spelt
and rye. Once these grains come into contact with water for eighteen minutes
they are considered chametz. These are the same five grains which can be made
either into bread which requires the hamotzi blessing or into matzah. We are
forbidden not only to consume these products during Pesach, but even to own
them or derive benefit from them in any way. Obvious examples of chametz
include bread, cakes, cereals, pasta, and most alcoholic beverages other than
wine. Only products made from these five grains can become actual chametz.
However, once these grains have been made into matzah they are no longer
subject to becoming chametz, and thus we can use matzah meal or crumbled matzah
for all kinds of different Pesach products. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">Note that the
issue of chametz, despite popular misconceptions, has nothing to do with the
presence or absence of yeast. Crackers, pasta, pita, and flour tortillas
contain no yeast, yet they are still chametz and forbidden for Passover use. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">II. What are
Kitniyot?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">Another category
of products which Ashkenazi Jews historically did not use for Pesach is
kitniyot (“legumes.”) This category in essence consists of things which can be
ground into flour. The most common forms of kitniyot are corn, rice, and beans.
Ashkenazi authorities, fearing that people might accidentally use wheat flour
while thinking it was corn or rice flour, banned the use of these products on
Pesach as well. Sephardic communities never accepted this prohibition and thus
Sephardic Jews have always been free to eat these products on Pesach to their
heart’s content. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">In December 2015
the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS) of the Conservative movement
passed two responsa permitting the consumption of kitniyot by all Jews. Of
course, just because consumption of kitniyot is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">permissible </i>does not mean it is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">obligatory
</i>and if changing your family custom makes you uncomfortable you are free to
continue to observe it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">A couple of things are worth noting here: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">a.) There was
never a prohibition for Ashkenazi Jews of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">owning</i>
kitniyot on Pesach or having them in your home. While actual chametz needs to
be disposed of or sold through the agency of the rabbi and locked away, this is
not necessary with kitniyot for those who continue to refrain from them during
Pesach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">b.) Different
communities in Europe followed different practices with regard to what was or
was not considered kitniyot. Some products which have different status in
different communities are garlic, mustard, and string beans. If you maintain
the practice of avoiding kitniyot during Pesach, you should follow your
family’s tradition as to whether or not a particular food is to be avoided.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">III. What
Products Require Kosher for Passover Certification? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">Another area of confusion is what products
require certification, and why some products may be purchased without
certification <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before but not during</i>
Pesach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">During the year, an accidental admixture of
forbidden foods which is less than 1/60th of the total is considered nullified.
This would also apply to any accidental addition of chametz in an otherwise
Kosher-for-Passover product. That is the reason why we formally nullify any
overlooked chametz both the evening and the morning before Pesach. But during Pesach,
even the tiniest amount of chametz cannot be nullified. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">An
example of this type of product is orange juice. Orange juice is a product
which in the normal course of things is chametz-free. But suppose it is
produced in a factory which also produces chametz-containing products. There is
a remote possibility that some small amount of chametz might accidentally wind
up in our orange juice, but if we bought the juice before Pesach, this would be
nullified. If we buy it during Pesach, the miniscule amount of chametz is not
nullified, and thus juice bought <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">during</i>
Pesach needs certification. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .6pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">The following foods do not require Kosher for
Passover certification if purchased <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before
or during </i>Pesach, i.e. they are always acceptable without special Passover
certification: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">Fresh
fruits and vegetables, eggs, fresh kosher meat, fish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .6pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">The following foods do not require Kosher for
Passover certification if bought <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before</i>
Pesach but require certification if bought <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">during
</i>Pesach: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">Unflavored
caffeinated coffee (flavored, instant and decaffeinated coffees require
certification), sugar, pure tea (not herbal or decaf), salt, pepper, natural
spices, pure fruit juices, frozen uncooked vegetables, milk, Grade A butter,
hard cheeses, frozen uncooked fruit (with fruit as the only ingredient), and
baking soda. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .6pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">The following foods<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>require Kosher for Passover certification<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> whether purchased before or during </i>Pesach:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">All
baked products (matzah, matzah meal, cakes, cookies, etc.), processed foods,
wine, vinegar, liquor, oils, dried fruits, candy, flavored milk, ice cream,
yogurt, soda, decaffeinated coffee or tea, herbal or flavored tea, and canned
tuna fish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .6pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">Kitniyot:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .6pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">Rice
and dried beans should either have Passover certification <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“for those who eat kitniyot” </i>or else they must be sifted through
before Pesach to find and dispose of any possible grains of chametz which might
have become mixed in. Processed kitniyot (such as canned beans) require
Passover certification as does any other processed food because of the
complexity of the manufacturing process. It is never a good idea to simply rely
on the ingredients listing to determine if a product is kosher for Pesach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .6pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">IV. Pets and
Pesach: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; margin-left: 4.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">The
problem with pets and Pesach is not a question of animals eating chametz or
non-Kosher food. Animals are not subject to the mitzvot and there is no problem
with them eating anything. The issue is that Jews are forbidden to<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> own or benefit from chametz during Pesach.</i>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-left: 4.5pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">The problem can be dealt with in one of three
ways: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">1. Feed your pets Kosher for Passover table
scraps during Pesach if that is possible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">2. Scrutinize pet food labels to make sure they
contain no chametz (kitniyot and non-kosher meats such as pork or shrimp are
not a problem). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">3. Include your pet and its food in the sale of
chametz authorization. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">V.
Conservative Jews and Kitniyot<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">The 2015 decision of the Conservative Movement’s
CJLS to permit the consumption of kitniyot by all Jews during Passover has had
a mixed reception. Some follow it, some reject it, and some follow a middle
ground approach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">Because we
want everyone to be comfortable eating at our synagogue at all times, I have
decided not to permit consumption of kitniyot or kitniyot-containing products
at Kehilat Shalom during Passover.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">For those of you who may wonder about my
personal practice: as noted above, rice and beans to be consumed during Pesach
need to be sifted through before Pesach to make sure that no grains of actual
chametz have become mixed in (unless the rice or beans have reliable Kosher for
Passover certification). Because I view it as unlikely that people will really
do this, I do not recommend consumption of actual beans or rice during Pesach
and I do not consume them myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">However, on occasion one finds products with
reliable certifications “for those who eat kitniyot” coming from Israel,
France, Mexico, or other countries. I recommend these products if you are
comfortable eating kitniyot, but I reiterate that you are perfectly free to
continue avoiding kitniyot if that is what makes sense to you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">VI. Kosher
for Passover Certification:</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">When looking for products which require Kosher
for Passover certification, it is important to make sure that the certification
is actually printed on the label or bottle cap and not just a sticker which is
handled at the retail level. There is no guarantee that the sticker was applied
to the proper product. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">Similarly, do not assume that just because a
store stocks something in the Passover section that it is actually kosher for
Passover. Neither the supermarket clerks nor their managers are experts in
Jewish religious practices, and it is not uncommon for “Jewish” foods which are
not kosher-for-Passover to be placed in or near the Passover section. It is
your responsibility to check for appropriate Passover certification. Earlier
this week in the Goshen Plaza Giant, I found Kosher-for-Passover chicken stock
right next to chicken stock which is kosher but not for Passover, and both were
stocked in the store’s Passover section along with hamantashen left over from
Purim. I am sure that the stores are acting in good faith but you must exercise
reasonable vigilance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">It is not uncommon to find matzah which is not
Kosher for Passover -- it will state “Not For Passover Use” on the label but
you must look for it. Some people eat matzah year-round and these products are
not produced using the special Passover stringencies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">VII. Some
Final Thoughts: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 4.0pt; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: .65pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 108%;">We are fortunate to live in an age when many
kosher products, both for Pesach and year-round, are available even to Jews who
live in areas with relatively small Jewish communities. Gone are the days when
kosher-observant Jews subsisted on matzah, potatoes, cheese and eggs during
Pesach. I hope that this guide makes your Passover observance more meaningful
and less stressful. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<br />Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-58644500481754150822018-09-20T11:27:00.000-07:002018-09-20T11:27:33.979-07:00Saint Peter's Prayer<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Rabbi Shimon Kefach was worried. A new Jewish movement had arisen,
headed by a charismatic rabbi who many of his followers believed to be the
Messiah. This movement had some pluses and some minuses in his eyes. On the one
hand, it appealed to many who might otherwise have moved away from Judaism
altogether. They were rural, poor, uneducated, not particularly observant of
many of the rules of rabbinic Judaism; but this new preacher excited at least
some of them, so that was probably a good thing. On the other hand, this
preacher had some eccentric ideas and was drawing the attention of the
government, and not in a good way. The Jews of his time were ruled by a
ruthless occupying power and anyone who was viewed as remotely threatening had
to be eliminated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So Rabbi Shimon was sent by the other rabbis to infiltrate the
movement. When, as feared, the rabbi of this new movement was put to death, to
everyone’s surprise the movement did not die out. In fact, it continued to grow
and soon was attracting not only Jews but also Gentiles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">After their rabbi’s death, a very bitter dispute broke out among the
remaining leaders of the movement. They wondered: since this was a Jewish
movement and its leader was their rabbi, could a Gentile simply join the
movement? Or did he have to become Jewish to do so? Or maybe he shouldn’t have
to become Jewish but would nonetheless have to observe at least some of the
rules and rituals of Judaism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As the new movement became predominantly Gentile, Rabbi Shimon was
torn. He was glad that non-Jews were joining the movement, giving up idolatry
and relating to the same God that the Jews worshipped. But at the same time, he
saw that the brother of the executed rabbi, who thought that Gentiles had to
become Jews before joining the group, had been pushed out of the leadership;
and that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jews </i>who were joining the
movement were now <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">also </i>being told
that they no longer needed to observe the mitzvot. Rabbi Shimon wanted the
movement to succeed, because of the good elements in it; but he didn’t want
Jews to join it and thus give up their Jewish observance and become
indistinguishable from non-Jews.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So Rabbi Shimon started a new branch and it became the biggest in the
movement. Rabbi Shimon thought that if the movement he headed looked less like
Judaism, it would attract fewer Jews. He moved Shabbat from Saturday to Sunday
and instituted different holidays than those observed by Jews. He also wrote a
prayer which we said earlier this morning, which we say every Shabbat and
Holiday: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nishmat Kol Chai Tivarech et
Shimcha </i>-- the soul of every living thing will praise your name, O God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It might have taken you awhile to realize that Rabbi Shimon Kefach is
known to most of the world as St. Peter. What may surprise you is that the
story I told about St. Peter writing Nishmat, being sent by the rabbis to
infiltrate the Church, and purposely changing it to look less like Judaism and
thus be less attractive to Jews, is not something that I made up. While we will
never know if this is how things really happened, several ancient Jewish
authorities including Rabbenu Tam, the grandson of Rashi, believed this to be
the case.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So, with this complex history, how have Jews viewed Christians? It
might be surprising to find such a positive view of Christianity in a rabbinic
source from almost 1000 years ago. I have spent a good deal of time speaking to
Christian audiences and interacting with Christians, and I often remind them
that what for Christians is the “Good News” -- which is the literal meaning of
the word “Gospel” -- has been bad news for the Jews.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If
you know anything about Jewish history you know the stories. How the early
Christians, now thoroughly separated from Judaism and seeking to curry favor
with the Roman authorities, blamed the Jews rather than the Romans for Jesus’
death. How the Church believed it was the “new Israel”; that anyone who didn’t
accept Jesus as the Messiah was doomed to go to hell. When I was younger, I was
even taught that the Kol Nidre we recited last night was introduced during the
Inquisition for the benefit of the Conversos, Jews who had been forced to
convert to Christianity but still practiced Judaism in secret, and wanted to
nullify their Christian vows to God. It wasn’t, because Kol Nidre goes back to
the 6th century, hundreds of years earlier; but the formula recited before Kol
Nidre, declaring it lawful to pray with transgressors, is from the 15th century
and might well have been introduced because of the Conversos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As we know all too well it was not just anti-Jewish<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> teaching</i>. What French Jewish scholar Jules Isaac came to label the
“Teaching of Contempt” led almost inevitably to violence -- expulsions,
Crusades, pogroms, and finally the Holocaust. While Nazism was not a Christian
movement or an inevitable outgrowth of Christian anti-Judaism, the “Teaching of
Contempt” meant that Nazi antisemitism had fertile ground in which to grow.
While there were some Christians who risked and even lost their lives to save
Jews, many others enthusiastically assisted the Nazis. Most did neither,
sitting passively by as millions were slaughtered. But they were prepared to
sit by and do nothing precisely because they and their ancestors had long been
taught that Jews were less than human. So it’s no surprise that Jews have often
been suspicious of Christians and viewed their religion negatively<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Jews’ opinion of Christians has been a complex one, though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jewish sources have not always spoken with
one voice on our relationship with Christians. Maimonides, who generally had a
negative view of Christianity, wrote in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Laws
of Kings</i> that “Ultimately, all the deeds of Jesus of Nazareth and that
Ishmaelite who arose after him will only serve to prepare the way for
Mashiach's coming and the improvement of the entire world, motivating the
nations to serve God together. . . How will this come about? The entire world
has already become filled with the mention of Mashiach, Torah, and mitzvot.” So
for Maimonides Christianity, for all its problems, nevertheless paves the way
for the era when all would worship God as one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Jews historically have been mindful of our shared beliefs with
Christians. An authority who lived about 800 years ago, Menachem Meiri, ruled
that both Christians and Muslims are “nations bound by the ways of religion,”
meaning that they subscribe to the same moral principles as do Jews, and that
therefore in matters of societal and business interactions, we are to treat
them precisely the same as Jews. While there are many laws in both the Torah
and later rabbinic writings that allow Jews to treat idolaters differently from
Jews in business and other matters, both Meiri and his rough contemporaries
Tosafot ruled that neither Christians nor Muslims are idolaters and these laws
do not apply.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What is truly remarkable is that these teachings which view
Christianity as a positive thing for Gentiles are from 800 to a thousand years
ago, when persecution of Jews in many places throughout the Christian world was
quite common. These sages understood that it was not Christianity per se which
lead to persecution so much as it was perverse human nature and xenophobia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Judaism has made room for the validity of other religions. The reverse
has not always been historically so. For most of its history until very
recently, Christianity has taught that unless you are a Christian you cannot
gain salvation. Judaism has never taught that. From its very beginning, it was
the particular path of a particular people, although it was open to those who
felt called to join it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">On the second day of Rosh Hashanah, we read the story of Abraham’s
aborted sacrifice of Isaac. After the angel tells Abraham not to go ahead with
the sacrifice, he says that because of Abraham’s faith his descendants will be
blessed and furthermore, that all the nations of the earth will be blessed by
Abraham’s seed. The blessing and call of Abraham was not to make people into
Jews, but rather to teach them to abandon idolatry and to know God as a God of
justice. Can Christianity, as Rabbi Shimon Kefach hoped, be a vehicle for doing
that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As long as Christians sought to convert Jews, at best, and kill us, at
worst, there is no way that most of us could see Christianity in a positive
light. If the Church as it existed up until the early 1960s had been successful
in its quest, we would not be here today as Jews if at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">More recently, however, there have been major positive overtures to
Jews from Christians. Beginning in the 1960s, in the wake of the Holocaust, a
true Christian teshuvah began. In 1960 the French Jewish historian and
Holocaust survivor Jules Isaac met with Pope John XXIII and showed him the evidence
he had collected demonstrating how the “Teaching of Contempt” had paved the way
for the Holocaust. <span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">At the
end of the audience, Isaac asked the Pope whether he could “carry away a bit of
hope.” The Pope replied, "You have a right to more than hope!"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly thereafter, the Pope set in motion
the Second Vatican Council which reminded Christians of Paul’s statement that
“the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” and that it was the Roman
authorities, not the Jews, who crucified Jesus. But even before that, Pope John
XXIII engaged in a couple of dramatic gestures. One Saturday morning the papal
motorcade was passing by the Great Synagogue of Rome just as services were
letting out; the Pope had his car stop and got out to greet and mingle with the
worshippers. And on one Good Friday afternoon while officiating at Mass, in the
middle of the service he took out a pencil and visibly crossed out a sentence
in the liturgy which mentioned “the perfidious Jews.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-highlight: white;">It is more than 50 years since
Vatican II and much has happened since then -- more than can be discussed in
one sermon. While Vatican II took place within the Catholic Church, in is wake
many Protestant denominations also took steps to revise what they believed and
taught about Jews and Judaism. Even within the Evangelical community there have
been positive steps, as I learned this past June when I was one of 20 Jewish
leaders chosen to participate in the annual Jewish - Evangelical Dialogue. Of
course we know that the Evangelical community is pro-Israel; but Evangelicals
are also showing new interest in the Jewish roots of their faith and trying to
figure out how to stay true to their own beliefs while respecting the integrity
of Jews and Judaism. As Rev. Jose Roberto Escobar, the pastor of the
Evangelical church which rents space from us said to me, they consider it an
honor to pray in a Jewish space and are anxious not to do anything which would
offend our beliefs in any way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-highlight: white;">One of the
highlights of the Rosh Hashana service is the “Great Aleinu” during the
malchuyot section of the Amidah. We end every service with the Aleinu but it
was originally written for the High Holy Days and only later, because it was so
beloved, was it added to every service. It contains probably the earliest
reference in the liturgy to “Tikkun Olam,” our religious commitment to mend the
world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-highlight: white;">But in the Aleinu we
do not merely mention “Tikkun Olam” but we say “l’taken olam b’malchut
shaddai,” to mend the world under the sovereignty of God. And we end this
prayer by singing “ba-yom ha-hu, yihyeh Adonai echad u’shmo echad” -- on that
day the Eternal shall be one and God’s name shall be one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-highlight: white;">While there are still fundamental
differences between Jews and Christians, we are also very much like a
family--related with common origins, interwoven beliefs, and histories. And
like with all families, our relationships are complex, and require constant
vigilance to remind ourselves of what we have in common in order to work
together for tikkun olam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-47597212521005684202018-09-20T07:57:00.003-07:002018-09-20T07:57:49.521-07:00Schlepping the Dogma: Yom Kippur Eve 5779/2018<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Since my wife Keleigh
recently had a total knee replacement, and our Westie, Zeke, is disabled,
several times a day I have had to carry him up and down the stairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Last week I was writing a message on
my smartphone, which uses predictive text to suggest how to complete the word
you are typing. I went to write “schlepping the dog” but the predictive text
completed the phrase as “schlepping the dogma.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At first I was offended. I consider
myself to be pretty open-minded and not at all dogmatic. Why would my phone
make such a suggestion? What dogma would I be schlepping? Many books have been
written on the question of whether or not there even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are </i>dogmas in Judaism and one of my rabbinical school professors,
Jakob Petuchowski, famously said that the only dogma in Judaism is that there
are no dogmas in Judaism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A dogma is defined as “a principle
or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true” and is
mostly associated with Catholic beliefs such as papal infallibility or the
Virgin birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Depending on who you ask,
Moses bringing the Torah down from Mt. Sinai in the precise form we have it
today <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">might </i>be a dogma in Orthodox
Judaism. But in Conservative Judaism, we don’t exclude someone from the
community because they don’t believe a particular teaching. We definitely do
not have dogmas. So what was this predictive text really telling me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Schlepping the dog was made easier
by knowing that in doing so I was performing a religious act. In Jewish
teaching there is a mitzvah known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">t</i>za’<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ar ba’ale hayyim</i>, usually translated as
“avoiding animal cruelty” but more accurately, “the obligation to avoid causing
animals pain.” And Judaism going back to the Bible recognizes that animals can
feel not only physical pain but emotional pain. If I wanted to avoid schlepping
Zeke up and down the stairs, we could have kept him on the lower level of the
house or even penned him up in the kitchen which has a tile floor rather than
the wood that’s in the rest of the house. But this would have caused him
distress as he is very attached to us but particularly Keleigh, and if she is
in the house but he can’t be with her it bothers him a great deal -- and he
lets us know it. By carrying him up and down the stairs so that he can be with
Keleigh, I am helping to avoid inflicting emotional pain on an animal and thus
fulfilling a mitzvah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So schlepping the dog is not dogma
but it is a religious act. And the autocorrect reminded me that Judaism gives
us a framework to make meaning out of the little things. Judaism gives us a
broader context to consider the things which we do every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the play “Fiddler on the Roof”,
Tevya says that the Jews of Anatevka have traditions for everything -- “how to
eat, how to sleep, even how to wear clothes.” Tevya of course was pious but not
particularly well-educated Jewishly -- although learning Torah was his highest
desire -- and he might not have recognized what was tradition, minhag, as opposed
to halacha, law. But his overall point is nevertheless pretty valid. Judaism
provides guidance, wisdom, and meaning in every area of life. True, I didn’t
particularly enjoy carrying a 22 lb. dog up and down the stairs several times a
day, and I didn’t enjoy having to occasionally go back home -- even though it’s
only a 2 minute drive -- to take the dog downstairs and let him out. But
reframing what I was doing from a “chore” to a fulfillment of the mitzvah of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tza’ar ba’alei hayyim</i> made a difference.
Not merely the fact that by doing what I did I was acting in accordance with
Jewish tradition or even Jewish law. But it wasn’t just that, it was something
deeper. It’s not just that we are supposed to do it because it’s a mitzvah; we
are supposed to do it because animals feel pain, even psychological pain. As
the ones who are responsible for the wellbeing of animals entrusted to us, we
are obligated to do everything within reason to avoid causing them pain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There is a statement in Midrash
Rabba 44:1 that “the Torah was only given in order to refine human beings.” I
once saw a publication from the Hillel Foundations in the 1950s that said one
of the purposes of Hillel was to help Jewish college students become
“spiritually finer” people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Certainly Jews are not the only people looking to be “spiritually
finer” people. Henry David Thoreau wrote in Walden that “the mass of men lead
lives of quiet desperation.” Thoreau decided to see if he could get out of his
“quiet desperation” by moving to a cabin in the woods by Walden Pond in
Concord, Massachusetts. He advocated <span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">solitude, self-reliance, contemplation, proximity to nature, and
renouncing luxuries as means of overcoming human emotional and cultural
difficulties.</span> But Thoreau didn’t maintain his experiment -- he returned
to Concord after two years. His Walden experience enriched his life and through
his writings has enriched millions of others, but most of us will not find
meaning in our lives by moving to a cabin in the woods.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I too sought solitude in my quest to find meaning. From October 1996 to
July 1997 I spent ten months living in a Trappist monastery in Northern
California -- as many of you know. I had spent a year as an administrator at a
rabbinical seminary and the less said about that, the better. I needed some
time to regroup and figure out what I wanted to do next. Thomas Merton, the
writer and Trappist monk, had been an important influence on my own spiritual
development and the Trappists were willing to let me come, so I went.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The first question asked in the Torah is also the shortest, when God
asks Adam, “ayeka,” where are you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is not a question about geography. God <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">knows
</i>where Adam is, God wants Adam to look inside himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A monk or a cloistered nun -- the female
equivalent of a monk -- spends so much time in solitude, and even when working
with others is silent. He or she is constantly asking himself or herself
“ayeka,” where are you? The routine of the monastery is designed to give the
monk the maximum potential to develop his soul and his relationship with God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I went to the monastery a Jew and a rabbi and I left the monastery a
Jew and a rabbi. Indeed, while living at the monastery I spent every other
weekend serving as the interim rabbi of the Conservative synagogue in Reno,
Nevada, where I lodged at a casino owned by a congregant -- another place where
there is constant, fervent, prayer. But my year at the monastery was
beneficial. Before my monastery period I was known for having a short fuse and
being sarcastic. Those character traits still percolate up on occasion, but
much less frequently than they used to. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Thoreau could not spend his life at Walden. Only a very small
percentage of men who enter monasteries as postulants stay through until final
vows. Withdrawing to the woods or joining a monastery can provide a meaningful
life for some people but they’re not choices that most people will make. And
frankly, if most people did make them, that would be the end of human
existence. Thoreau never married and monks and nuns, of course, are celibate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We all seek meaning in different ways but the search is important.
Rabbi Harold Kushner is known for writing the book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When Bad Things Happen to Good People</i>. But he has written many
other books, including <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When All You’ve
Ever Wanted Isn’t Enough. </i>In that book, Rabbi Kushner writes: “<span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Our souls are not hungry for fame,
comfort, wealth or power. Our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that
we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN" style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-highlight: white;">So what type of meaning do people
seek out? The author and columnist David Brooks is an active Conservative Jew
who belongs to Adas Israel congregation in DC. A little over three years ago he
wrote a book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Road to Character, </i>where
he distinguished between what he calls “Resume Virtues” and “Eulogy Virtues.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He’s
certainly not the first person or even the first active Conservative Jew to
make this type of distinction; Rabbi Kushner said many years ago that “no one
ever said to me on his deathbed, gee, Rabbi, I really wish I had spent more
time at the office.” But Brooks captures the distinction nicely. “<span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">The résumé virtues are the skills
you bring to the marketplace. The eulogy virtues are the ones that are talked
about at your funeral — whether you were kind, brave, honest or faithful. Were
you capable of deep love?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-highlight: white;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At its
best, Judaism provides us with guideposts to developing our eulogy virtues.
This is one of the reasons why our religious school curriculum is now organized
around Jewish values rather than distinct subjects like history, Bible, life
cycle events and so on. Virtually any Jewish ritual we observe has a
moral-ethical component but sometimes we have to dig a little deeper to find
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-highlight: white;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
example, most of us know that when we are observing a Shabbat or holiday meal
where we say Kiddush over wine and ha-motzi over challah, we say the Kiddush
first while the challah remains covered. The conventional explanation as to why
the challah remains covered is that if the challah knew we were saying the
blessing over wine first, its feelings would be hurt. I’ve been a rabbi or
rabbinical student for 36 years, and this is the way I have always explained
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-highlight: white;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A couple
of years ago one of the children in our congregation raised an objection. Bread
is an inanimate object. It doesn’t have feelings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-highlight: white;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I was
momentarily taken aback. She was right. Then it hit me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-highlight: white;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“True,” I
said. “Bread does not have feelings. But people do. If Judaism teaches us to
take into consideration the feelings of a loaf of bread, which is an inanimate
object, how much more should we take into consideration the feelings of our
fellow human being?” While we sometimes think of our practices as mere rituals,
the act of covering the bread before saying the blessing for wine can carry a
deep ethical message, but sometimes it takes the innocent question of a child
to help us understand what that message is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-highlight: white;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Almost
the entire book of Deuteronomy is Moses’ farewell speech to the people of
Israel as they prepare to enter the Land of Israel and begin their new life as
a nation without Moses to guide them. In Chapter 13, Moses says to them “</span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">אַחֲרֵ֨י יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֛ם
תֵּלֵ֖כו</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">ּ”, “you shall walk after
the Lord your God, ” but a more literal translation would be “you shall walk <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">behind </i>the Lord your God.” Hundreds of
years later, the Talmud in Tractate Sotah raised an objection. “How is it
possible to walk behind God? After all elsewhere in Deuteronomy (4:24) it says
that God is a consuming fire!” If we walk <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">behind
</i>God and God is a consuming fire, we’ll get burned up!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Talmud goes on to say that while
we can’t physically walk behind God, that isn’t what Moses meant. We are to
imitate the attributes of God and act in Godly ways -- clothe the naked, visit
the sick, feed the hungry, comfort those in mourning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Judaism teaches us that we find God,
not just in a cabin in the woods or smoke, fire, and thunder at Mt. Sinai. We
encounter God through learning and then applying our practices and sacred
texts. Through feeding the hungry, through worrying about hurting the feelings
of a loaf of bread, and through schlepping the dogma -- I mean, schlepping the
dog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-20635127314000807812018-09-12T03:25:00.000-07:002018-09-12T03:35:24.346-07:00Land of the Covenant: Rosh Hashanah 5779<br />
<div id="E57" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E57" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px;">
<span id="E60" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E60" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Friday evening of October 3, 1980, towards the end of Simchat Torah, Palestinian terrorists set off explosive-filled saddlebags left on a motorcycle parked outside a Paris synagogue. Although the synagogue itself was damaged, all of the people killed were on the sidewalk outside. Two of the four killed were non-Jews who simply happened to be passing by the synagogue when the bombing occurred. That night, French Prime Minister Raymond Barre said that the terrorists “meant to attack Jews going to the synagogue but they hit innocent French people crossing the street.”</span></div>
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<span id="E65" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E65" qowt-runtype="qowt-tab" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="E66" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E66" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">His words seemed to imply either that the Jews who were targeted were either not innocent or, more likely, were not truly French. While Prime Minister Barre soon apologized, he spent the rest of his political career and indeed his life dealing with charges of antisemitism. </span><span id="E67" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E67" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why was this statement not so unusual for France? Because Barre’s antisemitic rhetoric was not contrary to basic tenets of France, which is a tradition-based, ethnic society, not a covenant-based one like the United States. </span></div>
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<div id="E70" is="qowt-word-para" qowt-eid="E70" qowt-entry="undefined" qowt-lvl="undefined" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.2; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px;">
<span id="E72" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E72" qowt-runtype="qowt-tab" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="E73" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E73" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In October 1980 I was a senior in college and while I heard about the bombing, it wasn’t until many years later in graduate school that I learned about Barre’s comments. But hearing about them didn’t surprise me. I had relatives in Israel who emigrated from France in the early 1960s. They were originally from Lithuania, survived the concentration camps, and moved to France shortly after the end of World War II. Their children, roughly my contemporaries, were born and educated in France and spoke French like the natives they were. But as Jews, they never felt completely comfortable in France and were never fully accepted. Mainstream French society considers French people to be truly French not just if they have citizenship, but if they have the same ancestry, blood, lineage -- and even religion, because to be fully French is to be Catholic even though most French people are not particularly religious. As much as French Jews try to be French, they will always be a little bit different. And while the problematics of Muslim integration in France are extremely complicated, the sense that Muslims like Jews can never be fully French surely contributes to the problem as well . </span></div>
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<span id="E78" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E78" qowt-runtype="qowt-tab" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="E79" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E79" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The ethnic nature of belonging is not unique to France, of course. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, LORD Jonathan Sacks, is the Chief Rabbi Emeritus of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth and an important public intellectual in the UK. In a commentary on the weekly parasha Ki Tavo which I quoted when we read that parasha last week, Rabbi Sacks remarks on the difference between American and British monuments. He notes that in the United States, monuments like the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials contain passages from the writings of those who are memorialized therein. By contrast, British memorials simply have the name, the dates, and the positions the person occupied or what they were famous for.</span></div>
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<span id="E85" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E85" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sacks says that this is because England is a tradition-based society whereas the US is a covenant-based society. </span><span id="E86" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E86" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“In a tradition-based society like England things are as they are because that is how they were. England, writes the philosopher Sir Roger Scruton, “was not a nation or a creed or a language or a state but a home. Things at home don’t need an explanation. They are there because they are there.”</span></div>
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<span id="E90" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E90" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Covenant societies are different,” says Rabbi Sacks. “They don’t worship tradition for tradition’s sake. They do not value the past because it’s old. They remember the past because it was events in the past that led to the collective determination that moved people to create the society in the first place. The Pilgrim Fathers of America were fleeing religious persecution in search of religious freedom. Their society was born in an act of moral commitment, handed on to successive generations. Covenant societies exist, not because they have been there a long time, nor because of some act of conquest, nor for the sake of some economic or military advantage. They exist to honour a pledge, a moral bond, an ethical undertaking. That is why </span><span id="E91" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E91" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">telling the story</span><span id="E92" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E92" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is essential to a covenant society. It reminds all citizens of why they are there.”</span></div>
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<span id="E96" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E96" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">France, the United Kingdom, and many other European countries are having difficulties figuring out their identities because their societies are changing. Whereas not so long ago the UK was almost entirely white and ethnically English, Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish, today those four ethnicities make up only about 80 percent of the population. </span></div>
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<span id="E100" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E100" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am not making a value judgment by saying that changes in population makeup are difficult to adjust to in societies like France or the UK which have been fairly homogeneous. By contrast the United States has historically, despite the very serious blind spots we have had around issues of race, been a nation defined not by identity but by ideals.</span></div>
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<span id="E104" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E104" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">President Lyndon B. Johnson said in his inaugural address: </span><span id="E105" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E105" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“They came here—the exile and the stranger— . . .They made a covenant with this land. Conceived in justice, written in liberty, bound in union, it was meant one day to inspire the hopes of all mankind; and it binds us still. If we keep its terms, we shall flourish.”</span></div>
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<span id="E109" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E109" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">President George W. Bush said, in his first Inaugural address: “America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens.”</span></div>
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<span id="E113" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E113" style="background-color: white; display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">And last week President Bush and President Obama shared similar thoughts in their eulogies for Sen. John McCain. President Bush said that Sen. McCain “loved freedom, with the passion of a man who knew its absence. He respected the dignity inherent in every life, a dignity that does not stop at borders and cannot be erased by dictators.” And President Obama said “John understood, as J.F.K. understood, as Ronald Reagan understood, that part of what makes our country great is that our membership is based not on our bloodline; not on what we look like, what our last names are.”</span></div>
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<span id="E117" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E117" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Presidents of both the Republican and Democratic parties have emphasized that what makes us Americans is not a common ancestry but our fidelity to a common creed. But perhaps no one has said it better than Rob Tibbetts, whose daughter Mollie disappeared in Iowa in July and was found, having been murdered, about a month later. The man charged in Mollie’s murder is Mexican and seems to have been in the United States illegally. As a result, the murder of Mollie Tibbetts has been used as a </span><span id="E118" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E118" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">cause celebre </span><span id="E119" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E119" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">by those arguing for a more restrictive immigration policy, construction of a wall on the Mexican border, and greater efforts to deport undocumented immigrants.</span></div>
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<span id="E123" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E123" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rob Tibbetts wrote earlier this month in the </span><span id="E124" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E124" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">Des Moines Register: </span><span id="E125" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E125" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I am Hispanic. I am African. I am Asian. I am European. My blood runs from every corner of the Earth because I am American. As an American, I have one tenet: to respect every citizen of the world and actively engage in the ongoing pursuit to form a more perfect union.”</span></div>
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<span id="E129" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E129" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you go to the Lincoln Memorial you will see an example of what Rabbi Sacks noted about American monuments. There is of course the majestic, brooding, statue of Lincoln by Daniel Chester French but there are also long quotes from Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address and the Gettysburg Address. For me it is a haunting place and every time I go there I cry. It is sacred ground for us as Americans. But here is the interesting thing -- last Shabbat I asked anyone present in the congregation who had at least one ancestor living in the United States when Lincoln was president to raise their hand. Not a single person did so. Are we less moved by the Lincoln Memorial because our ancestors were not here during the Civil War? Is Lincoln’s story less our story? Are we somehow less American because during the Civil War our ancestors lived in Russia or Germany or the Ottoman Empire?</span></div>
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<span id="E133" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E133" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">While there are those in this country who would deny us our proper place in American society, like those who marched through the historic Grounds of the University of Virginia with tiki torches last August, chanting “Jews Will Not Replace Us,” we are not the only targets of racism and white nationalism in the United States. </span></div>
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<span id="E135" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E135" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /></div>
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<span id="E137" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E137" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s be clear -- many of these phenomena are not precisely new, but there has been an uptick over the last two years or so. It seems like every day there is another story in the news about police being called because black people have the audacity to be reading in the lounge of the dorm in which they reside or selling lemonade outside the house in which they live or swimming in the pool owned by their HOA or changing the tire on their own car. On our southern border, Hispanic children were taken away from their parents with less tracking and accountability than is used when a prisoner has his belt and shoelaces confiscated. </span></div>
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<span id="E143" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E143" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /></div>
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<span is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E113" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span id="E145" is="qowt-word-run" named-flow="FLOW-8" qowt-eid="E145" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The covenant of the United States is uniquely enmeshed with the covenants of Judaism. The Pilgrims consciously modeled their society on ancient Israel. Benjamin Franklin suggested that the United States get rid of English and adopt Hebrew as its official language. Both Franklin and Thomas Jefferson suggested that the Great Seal of </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">the United States should depict the Exodus and Moses. Here is Franklin’s description of the design he wanted:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> “</span><span style="font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><br />
<a contenteditable="false" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses" id="E146" is="qowt-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E146" style="font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" target="_blank"><span id="E147" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E147" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moses</span></a><span id="E148" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E148" style="display: inline; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> standing on the Shore, and extending his Hand over the Sea, thereby causing the same to overwhelm </span><a contenteditable="false" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharaoh" id="E149" is="qowt-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E149" style="font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" target="_blank"><span id="E150" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E150" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pharaoh</span></a><span id="E151" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E151" style="display: inline; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> who is sitting in an open Chariot, a Crown on his Head and a Sword in his Hand. Rays from a </span><a contenteditable="false" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillar_of_Fire_(theophany)" id="E152" is="qowt-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E152" style="font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;" target="_blank"><span id="E153" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E153" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pillar of Fire</span></a><span id="E154" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E154" style="display: inline; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in the Clouds reaching to Moses, to express that he acts by Command of the Deity. Motto, "Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God." Interestingly, the Hebrew term for the United States is </span><span id="E155" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E155" style="display: inline; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">Artzot Ha-Brit</span><span id="E156" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E156" style="display: inline; font-family: Arial, "Arial Unicode MS", Arimo, "Microsoft Sans serif", sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the Lands of the Covenant -- a coinage which dates back at least to 1857.</span></div>
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<span id="E160" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E160" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rabbi Sacks writes: </span><span id="E161" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E161" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“c</span><span id="E162" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E162" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">ovenant societies are not </span><span id="E163" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E163" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">ethnic</span><span id="E164" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E164" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> nations bound by common racial origin. They make room for outsiders – immigrants, asylum seekers, resident aliens – who become part of the society by taking its story and making it their own, as Ruth did in the biblical book that bears her name (“Your people will be my people and your God my God”) or as successive waves of immigrants did when they came to the United States. Indeed </span><span id="E165" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E165" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">conversion</span><span id="E166" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E166" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in Judaism is best understood not on the model of conversion to another religion such as Christianity or Islam, but as </span><span id="E167" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E167" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">the acquisition of citizenship</span><span id="E168" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E168" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in a nation like the USA.”</span></div>
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<span id="E174" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E174" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> As both Jews and as Americans, we are uniquely positioned to remind our country of its own values. As we remind ourselves of our covenant through each prayer, each act of tikkun olam, and each mitzvah that we perform, we are enacting ourselves as true Americans. Our ideals are those of our founding fathers, memorialized in covenants that we act on. And we are called upon to remind others of what America stands for. </span></div>
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<span id="E179" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E179" qowt-runtype="qowt-tab" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="E180" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E180" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When the Constitutional Convention was held in 1787, its deliberations were secret. When the Convention ended, anxious citizens gathered at Independence Hall to learn what had been produced behind closed doors. A certain Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin: </span><span id="E181" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E181" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.” </span></div>
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<span id="E186" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E186" qowt-runtype="qowt-tab" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="E187" is="qowt-word-run" qowt-eid="E187" style="display: inline; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Jews and Americans, may we prove equal to the task.</span></div>
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Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-86790920290722636912018-06-29T09:22:00.002-07:002019-06-20T06:53:25.467-07:00Is It Just Like the Holocaust?<br />
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<span lang="EN">You may have seen an article in the current
issue of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Washington Jewish Week </i>asking
“Is It Just Like the Holocaust?” While the entire organized Jewish community
has condemned the policy of separating children and parents at the border, a
debate has now broken out over whether comparisons to the Holocaust are
accurate or not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
I say the “entire organized Jewish community”, it’s worth bearing in mind how
unprecedented this is. Obviously individual Jews may have different opinions,
but 350 national and local organizations issued a <a href="http://www.jewishpublicaffairs.org/hundreds-of-jewish-organizations-join-together-to-urge-the-administration-to-end-zero-tolerance-family-separation-policy/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">statement</span></a> saying that “our <span style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">own people’s history as
“strangers” reminds us of the many struggles faced by immigrants today and compels
our commitment to an immigration system in this country that is compassionate
and just.” Our local JCRC and the Washington Board of Rabbis issued a similar </span><a href="http://www.jcouncil.org/site/DocServer/jcrc_and_wbr_statement_on_family_separation.pdf?docID=12326"><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc;">statement</span></a>
and even the ultra-Orthodox Agudath Israel <a href="https://agudathisrael.org/agudath-israel-on-immigration-family-separation-policy-us-has-moral-obligation-to-exhibit-humanity-and-compassion/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">called</span></a> for the policy to be rescinded and for
families to be immediately reunited. For a broader view of the organized
community’s perspective on immigration, take a look at the JCRC’s comprehensive<a href="http://jcrc.convio.net/site/DocServer/JCRC_immigration_policy_resolution_FINAL_BOARD_APPROVED_.pdf?docID=11986"><span style="color: #1155cc;"> policy </span></a>adopted last year. (Full disclosure: I
am a member of the JCRC board representing the Conservative congregations and
rabbinate of the greater Washington area.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On
a certain level my main issue with Holocaust comparisons to the current
situation is that they are unhelpful if they divert our attention. While the
policy of deliberately separating families has at least on paper been reversed,
there are still hundreds if not thousands of children who have been separated
from their parents and many families may never be reunited. As Federal Judge
Dana Sabraw wrote in his ruling earlier this week ordering the Federal
government to reunite children and parents as quickly as possible, <span style="color: #262626;">"The practice of separating these families was
implemented without any effective system or procedure for (1) tracking the
children after they were separated from their parents, (2) enabling
communication between the parents and their children after separation, and (3)
reuniting the parents and children after the parents are returned to
immigration custody following completion of their criminal sentence. This is a
startling reality," the judge wrote. "The government readily keeps
track of personal property of detainees in criminal and immigration
proceedings. Money, important documents, and automobiles, to name a few, are
routinely catalogued, stored, tracked and produced upon a detainees' release,
at all levels—state and federal, citizen and alien. Yet, the government has no
system in place to keep track of, provide effective communication with, and
promptly produce alien children. The unfortunate reality is that under the
present system migrant children are not accounted for with the same efficiency
and accuracy as property. Certainly, that cannot satisfy the requirements of
due process."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #262626;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>No, it is not “just like” the Holocaust in the sense
that there are no death camps or gas chambers. But many Holocaust survivors who
were hidden as children or survived the Kindertransport, and their children and
grandchildren, do see parallels in the trauma that separation of children from
parents can cause, as well as the dehumanizing language (“infest, animals”) and
scapegoating being used.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #262626;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In January 1993 I was part of a group of ten rabbis who
spent a week in Haiti. We went there because while he was running for
President, Bill Clinton criticized the first Bush Administration’s policy of
returning Haitian “boat people” to Haiti, but then announced after winning the
election that he would keep it in place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #262626;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span lang="EN">There were ten of us in that group
and most of us didn’t know each other before we met at JFK airport. Our first
night in Haiti we met at our hotel with some of the Catholic clergy who were
our hosts, and they asked us to go<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>around
the room, introduce ourselves and tell why we had come. All ten of us cited
precisely the same reason: the story of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">MS
St. Louis</i>, a German ocean liner which crossed the Atlantic in 1939 with 908
Jewish refugees. The ship docked first in Cuba, where the Jews were denied
entry; they then came to New York, were denied entry once again, then sailed to
Canada, which also refused to allow them in. The St. Louis went back to Germany
and most of its passengers died in the concentration camps. Seeing refugees fleeing
persecution and being sent back by the United States to possible death was not
something we as Jews could sit by and watch. So we came to Haiti to see what
could be done. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN">“Never Again” is the
rallying cry of our generation. We remember the suffering and murder of our
people and we vow “Never Again.” But what exactly does “Never Again” mean? Is
our mandate as Jews simply to make sure that what happened to us once will
never happen to us again? Or is it to make sure that what happened to us, never
happens to anyone ever again?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN">Jews are a people of
memory. We are commanded to remember Shabbat; we are commanded to remember what
Amalek did to us when we left Egypt, attacking the weak and the stragglers; and<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> 36 times in the Torah</b>, we are
commanded not to mistreat the stranger, because we are to remember that we were
strangers in Egypt. The Torah is quite clear. The purpose of memory is not
simply to enable us to better look out for ourselves. It is to give us guidance
in how we are to treat others as well. Otherwise, the commandment not to
mistreat a stranger is meaningless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN">Something need not be
“just like the Holocaust” for me to know that it is unjust. As long as children
remain separated from their parents, the Jewish community will continue to
raise its voice. As Hillel said: “what is hateful to you, do not do to your
neighbor. This is the entire Torah, all the rest is commentary.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-7065000259693192782018-06-17T08:34:00.000-07:002018-06-17T08:43:48.910-07:00Facts and Fictions about Immigration<br />
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<span lang="EN">The late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan is
famously quoted as saying that while everyone is entitled to their own
opinions, they are not entitled to their own facts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN">There is a lot of misinformation floating
around discussions of the Trump administration’s policy of removing children
from their parents and about immigration generally. Disclaimer: I am not a
lawyer, let alone an immigration lawyer. But I did study basic international
law (at Georgetown) and the history of immigration (in graduate school) and
while a rabbi in York, Pa. from 1997 - 2001 I spent a lot of time visiting
people being detained by the then-INS and working with and sometimes
translating for immigration lawyers. I believe that I have a pretty decent
handle on the facts and legalities but will be happy to correct anything I
write which is demonstrated to be incorrect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">On the matter of children being held
separately from their parents, I have seen people say or write things along the
lines of “that’s what happens when you break the law, and crossing into the US
illegally is breaking the law.” However, the family separation is not only
happening to people apprehended in the act of or shortly after crossing
illegally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also happening to those
who present themselves for asylum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">It is an established right under US and
international law to show up at a legal port of entry and apply for asylum.
Once you do that, you are legally entitled to remain in the country and be
given an asylum hearing before an immigration judge. Since some asylum claims
are false or unfounded, the government is within its rights to detain you in
order to make sure you show up for your hearing and don’t just blend into the
population and disappear. But this detention is not supposed to be a
punishment; it’s merely meant to make sure you show up for your hearing and
then leave if your claim of asylum is denied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">Attorney General Sessions and other
administration officials don’t like this law and are seeking to deter people
from coming here and seeking asylum, and they see the policy of separating
children from their parents as a deterrent. He has acknowledged this. The
president has also acknowledged that he is using these children as a bargaining
chip to force congressional authorization to build his wall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">Asylum seekers have done nothing wrong. They
are complying with the law. Our government is taking away their children to
prevent them from doing something it doesn’t like but which is completely
legal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">While the intent of this policy is to deter
people from seeking asylum, the result may be the opposite of that intended. If
an asylum seeker comes here and presents herself for asylum, she will have her
kids taken away and only have them returned if she agrees to be deported. (By
the way, the wait for an asylum hearing is over a year.) On the other hand, if
she simply tries to sneak over the border, she might get caught, in which case
she will either have her kids taken away or be deported -- same result as if
she followed the law. But if she is successful, as some are, she will have her
kids with her and try to blend into the population along with 11 million or so
other undocumented immigrants. We may already be seeing this as illegal border
crossings are once again on the rise after years of decline, despite the new
“zero tolerance” policy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">I often see people ask in all innocence, “why
don’t they just come here legally?” In the case of those seeking asylum who are
having their kids taken away, the fact of the matter is that they have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">But obviously there are lots of people who <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do </i>come here illegally and I often see
people say things along the lines of “my family came here legally, they should
too.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">Since the plurality of my friends and
acquaintances are American Jews whose ancestors came here during the great wave
of immigration from Eastern Europe between 1880 and 1924, yes, your family
probably came here legally. But with some caveats. First of all, there were
basically no immigration laws at that time. No visas, no quotas. At least if
you were White, you showed up at Ellis Island and if you were basically healthy
you were admitted to this country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">Beyond that, there’s a good chance that
someone in your family broke some laws in the process of immigrating here. The
last of my immigrant relatives died in 1999 before video cameras and so on were
common and I deeply regret the fact that I didn’t get some of the discussion
that I had with them on video. But I distinctly remember my immigrant relatives
telling stories of bribing guards to let them cross borders, of falsifying
papers and changing names to keep families together. Our family legend is that
“Arian” was not the original surname at all and was chosen to help an ancestor
evade conscription by the Tsar’s army. Most of us have similar stories and we
don’t try to hide them, indeed we are proud of them because it was a moral
imperative to escape persecution and get here in any way possible. True then,
true now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">Finally, I see people writing that illegal
immigrants are stealing our jobs and/or living off welfare. Let’s examine these
claims a bit. First of all, undocumented people are not eligible for most
social welfare programs. They almost certainly aren’t living off welfare. Yes,
their kids are in school and so on but remember that if you are born here, you
are an American regardless of whether or not your parents are here legally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">Second, are they really “stealing jobs”? Whose
jobs, what jobs? The unemployment rate is 3.8% and employers are having a hard
time filling the jobs they have available. On the Eastern Shore of Maryland,
owners of crab canning factories are up in arms because the administration has
cut the visas they use for their workforce by 40 percent and they can’t get the
employees they need. I’ll repeat something I’ve been saying for years: if you
are morally opposed to benefiting in any way from undocumented workers, get
ready to cut your own lawn, do your own home repairs and remodeling, and don’t
eat in restaurants or stay in hotels. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN">Immigration is a complicated and contentious
issue and to my mind, some politicians of both parties perceive a benefit in
continuing to exploit the issue for political gain. There have been some
genuinely bipartisan attempts to fix the system and I hope those continue, but
for now, I think that it’s important that when we debate and discuss we at
least have the same basic facts in front of us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-34901113228139925662018-03-21T11:21:00.000-07:002018-03-21T11:21:12.615-07:00The Rabbi, The Monk, and The Chametz<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In the spring of 1997 I was several months into a nearly year-long stay at the Trappist Abbey of New Clairvaux in Vina, California. The monastery provided me with a cabin, library access, and vegetarian meals, in return for which I gave occasional lectures on aspects of Jewish life to the community of monks, and taught occasional classes to those monks who were interested in studying with me. I spent every other weekend in Reno, Nevada -- about three hours away -- where I was the part-time rabbi of the Conservative synagogue, which was between full-time rabbis. As part of my rabbinic duties it was my responsibility to arrange the sale of chametz, leavened products which Jews may not own during Passover. Because it is often difficult and costly to throw away all of your chametz (since for example virtually everything in your liquor cabinet is chametz), congregants sign a document appointing their rabbi as their agent to sell the chametz to a non-Jew for the duration of the holiday. While the rabbi then generally buys the chametz back after Passover, all of the forms state quite clearly that this is in fact a sale and not just a ritual exercise, and that until and unless the chametz is repurchased, it is fully the property of the Gentile buyer.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Since I lived among thirty or so Christian monks, I didn't think it would be too hard to find a Gentile to buy the chametz. As it turned out, it was more complicated than I thought it would be. Although I saw all of the monks frequently, I didn't get to converse with them very often. Contrary to popular belief, Trappist monks do not take a "Vow of Silence", but they do have a practice of silence throughout most of the day. They spend many hours in prayer and meditation and much of the rest of their waking hours working in agriculture or crafts. And they don't have cell phones.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">One of the monks, Father Mark, had a graduate degree in Bible from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and knew Hebrew quite well. But he had never studied post-biblical Jewish literature and asked me to teach him Mishnah. We met frequently and during the course of the year studied all of Tractate Berachot (the laws of prayer) and most of Pirkei Avot ("Chapters of the Fathers," rabbinic ethical maxims). Since I saw him often during our study sessions and he was studying Judaism anyway, Father Mark seemed an appropriate candidate to serve as designated chametz-purchaser. I explained the concept and the procedures to him and he readily agreed.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Since it would have been nearly-impossible to observe the Passover dietary laws in the context of the monastery I arranged to spend all of Passover with friends in Los Angeles,about 500 miles away, and thus had to leave the monastery the day before the day of the first seder. Shortly before I was supposed to leave, I went to find Father Mark so we could sign the chametz sale documents. I found him, but he said to me "I can't do it."</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Why not? Father Mark explained that through his studies of the Mishnah he was trying to learn to "think like a rabbi", and he understood that the sale of chametz was in fact a legally binding sale and not just a legal fiction. But, he said, "as a monk I have a vow of poverty, and that means I am not allowed to own any property. It's not a valid sale."</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">While I am not certain that a Catholic monastic vow has any standing in Jewish law, I appreciated Father Mark's concerns. His own religion precluded him from owning anything, and if the buyer never takes possession, the seller still owns it. In that case, all the Jews of Reno who were depending on me to sell their chametz for them would inadvertently be violating the laws of Passover. I was glad that I had taught Father Mark to "think like a rabbi" but I was also faced with the very real need to complete the chametz sale. We both realized that Father Mark's recent realization had put me in quite a bind.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"You could sell it to the Abbott." Father Mark explained that while individual monks are not permitted to own anything, the monastery itself obviously could, since it owned hundreds of acres, dozens of buildings, thousands of fruit trees and a bunch of tractors and pickup trucks. Maybe the Abbott would buy the chametz on behalf of the monastery, Father Mark mused, but then added that he didn't know exactly where the Abbott was at the moment, and he wasn't totally sure that the Abbott, not having studied Mishnah with us, would agree. "Is there something else you could do?"</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Then I recalled that in Jewish law, an agent has the right to appoint a sub-agent. The Jews of Reno had appointed me as their agent to sell their chametz, but there was nothing to prevent me from delegating that task to someone else. I phoned the nearest Conservative rabbi, who was in Sacramento and did have a cell phone, and he agreed that he would serve as my agent and sell the Reno chametz along with that of Sacramento. I borrowed the monastery's fax machine, faxed Rabbi Taff some paperwork, and all was in order.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Every year as Passover approaches, I am reminded of Father Mark, the kind and gentle Trappist monk, and his concern that the Jews of Reno not fail in their duties to God through his own observance of his duties to God. May we all have such respect for those who serve God differently than we do.</span>Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-61256192537071242832018-03-16T08:49:00.000-07:002018-03-16T08:49:39.263-07:00The African Refugee Crisis in Israel<br />
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<span lang="EN">Yesterday morning I was one of 13 area rabbis
who met with Reuven Azar, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Yaron Gamburg, Minister
of Public Diplomacy, at the Israeli Embassy. The meeting was organized by the
Jewish Community Relations Council to discuss Israel’s recent decision to
deport roughly 38,000 African asylum seekers who have been living in Israel for
a number of years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
was really an unprecedented meeting which was a response to the fact that a
number of mainstream Jewish organizations have called on Israel to reverse this
policy -- organizations like the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the
Anti-Defamation League, HIAS, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and our own local
Jewish Community Relations Council on whose board I serve. While there have been
other meetings between rabbis or other Jewish leaders and the Embassy in the
past, they dealt with “our” issues -- conversion and who is a Jew, religious
pluralism, egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall. This is the first time I can
recall where the mainstream Jewish community has been significantly at odds
with the Israeli government on an issue which doesn’t impact our own narrow
interests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Simultaneously
with our meeting, a couple of other things happened concerning this issue. Five
prominent American Jewish leaders whose pro-Israel credentials are unchallenged
(Alan Dershowitz, Abraham Foxman, and Orthodox rabbis Irving Greenberg, Marvin
Hier, and Avi Weiss) <a href="https://www.jta.org/2018/03/15/news-opinion/united-states/alan-dershowitz-among-5-longtime-israel-advocates-warning-netanyahu-of-dangers-in-expelling-africans#.WqrgZGCSClA.facebook"><span style="color: #1155cc;">issued a statement</span></a> warning that going ahead
with the deportations would cause “incalculable damage” to Israel’s reputation.
At the same time, <a href="https://www.jta.org/2018/03/15/news-opinion/israels-supreme-court-issues-restraining-order-government-plan-deport-african-refugees"><span style="color: #1155cc;">the Supreme Court of Israel put a temporary hold on the
deportations</span></a>, so for the foreseeable future they will not, in fact,
be carried out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-u-s-rabbis-express-objection-to-israel-s-asylum-seeker-deportation-1.5910476"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Coverage of the meeting in the Israeli press</span></a>
described the meeting as “frank and respectful” which is diplomatic language
which means that there were sharp disagreements and possibly some raised
voices, and indeed, that is what happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
don’t want to put words in the mouths of the Israeli diplomats so I won’t try
to quote what was actually said, but we also received a written statement of
the Israeli Government’s position on the issue which I will be happy to share
with you on request. Basically, the statement tries to make the case that
Israel has no legal obligation to permit the African refugees to remain and
that everything Israel is doing is in accordance with international law. I
don’t know whether this is accurate or not as my undergraduate studies in
Foreign Service were a long time ago and it’s not my area of expertise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Whether
or not these deportations are legal, the larger questions for me are “are they
moral?” and “are they necessary?” The Israeli government statement says that
Israel’s most important obligation is to the safety and well-being of its own
citizens, and of course this is correct. But the statement doesn’t even attempt
to make the case as to why letting these refugees remain would be harmful to
Israel or why Israel couldn’t absorb them rather than expel them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Over
the last few years Israel has portrayed itself as the “Startup Nation” which is
achieving all kinds of technological miracles, or as one of the other rabbis at
the meeting put it, “turning air into water.” And of course one of the key
slogans of the Zionist movement coined by its founder Theodor Herzl is “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">im tirtzu, ain zo aggada -- </i>If you will
it, it is not a dream.” I find it difficult to believe that Israel couldn’t
find a way to successfully settle these refugees if the will to do so were
there -- we are talking about 38,000 people in a population of over 8 million
which on a per capita basis is roughly the same percentage of the Israeli
population as DACA-eligible men and women in the US population.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
hope and pray that the Israeli government reverses its position and allows
these refugees to stay. Those of us in leadership positions in the American
Jewish community are constantly alarmed by the erosion of attachment to Israel
and the documented fact that the younger an American Jew is, the less likely he
or she is to feel that Israel is important to them. Refugees are a hot-button
issue in American society right now, and the sight of mass deportations of
Africans from the State of Israel to a third country where their safety cannot
be guaranteed is not going to make Israel’s image better among young Jews or
among Americans generally. For Israel’s own sake, this is not the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-61717670999928145722018-02-21T06:31:00.000-08:002018-02-21T06:31:11.611-08:00Tafasta Merube Lo Tafasta -- Thoughts on Attainable Gun Control<i>Tafasta merube lo tafasta</i> is a phrase in the Talmud (Yoma 80a) which means if you try to do too much, you might wind up not doing anything at all. The phrase comes to mind as I see friends and colleagues, in the wake of yet another horrific massacre, advocating for the repeal of the Second Amendment, bans on private possessions of semi-automatic weapons and similar measures.<br />
<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I happen to own a semi-automatic rifle. I first learned to use one in my mid-20s when I lived on a border kibbutz in Israel. I carried an Uzi for guard duty and when my work responsibilities took me to fields adjacent to the border after dark. With the current climate in the country and the rise of hate crimes, I feel safer being able to protect myself, although I also recognize that this is not for everyone. I store my ammunition in a safe away from my weapon itself, and I probably would not have a gun if we had young children in the house. But it is precisely the fact that I am a gun owner that gives me the ability to speak with some degree of knowledge about guns and what could reasonably be done to reduce the carnage in our country.<br />
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Gun owners often criticize gun control advocates as knowing nothing about guns, and there is often some truth to the claim. In order for us to all be on the same page, I’m going to begin with some definitions and facts.<br />
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A <i>fully automatic weapon</i> is one which will continue firing for as long as the trigger is squeezed, until the ammunition runs out. Private possession of fully automatic weapons was heavily restricted in the United States in 1934 and importation of such weapons has been banned since 1986. It’s extremely difficult to obtain a fully automatic weapon and none of the perpetrators of recent massacres have used them.<br />
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A <i>semi-automatic weapon</i> shoots one cartridge (“bullet”) each time the trigger is squeezed until the ammunition runs out. The AR-15 which is the weapon of choice in most recent events is a semi-automatic weapon.<br />
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A <i>bump stock</i> is a modification to a semi-automatic rifle which allows it to mimic an automatic by using the weapon's own recoil to allow the shooter to pull the trigger over and over much faster than they otherwise would be able to do.<br />
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A<i> magazine</i> (sometimes called a “clip”) is a device which feeds bullets into the weapon without having to reload. Most semi-automatic weapons have detachable magazines. The higher the capacity of the magazine, the more cartridges that can be shot without having to reload. In Maryland, it is illegal to sell magazines which have a capacity of more than ten cartridges, but it’s legal to possess them. One could drive over to Virginia and purchase a high-capacity magazine there and bring it back to Maryland, and that would be perfectly legal.<br />
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>There is no generally accepted definition of the term<i> assault weapon.</i> There was a federal Assault Weapons Ban which passed in 1994 and expired in 2004 which banned the manufacture and sale of new weapons which have detachable magazines and at least two of the following other features: folding stock, pistol grip, bayonet mount, flash suppressor, or grenade launcher. The weapon I own, a Hi-Point Carbine, would not qualify as an assault weapon under this legislation as it has only a detachable magazine and a pistol grip but none of the other features. Hi-Point makes only 10-round magazines and while other manufacturers make larger magazines which fit the Hi-Point, use of them generally voids the warranty on the weapon.<br />
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<i><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Background check:</i> anyone who purchases a gun from a licensed firearms dealer has to present valid identification and fill out a federal background check form. If you have been convicted of a crime for which the penalty can be a year or more in prison, are under indictment for a felony, have been convicted of domestic violence or are under a domestic violence restraining order, have been dishonorably discharged from the military, or been adjudicated as “mentally defective” you will not be allowed to purchase a firearm. Since this system went into effect in 1998, more than 1.3 million sales have been denied. The main problem with this system is that it depends on states and the military to report disqualifying information to the FBI, which runs the database. The Air Force failed to do so in the case of Devin Patrick Kelley, who killed 26 people in a Texas church in November 2017. As a result, Kelley passed the background check even though he should not have due to his 2012 court-martial conviction for domestic violence.<br />
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><i>“Gun-show loophole”</i>: while all gun purchases from a licensed dealer require background checks, transactions between two private individuals do not. While it’s still prohibited to knowingly transfer a gun to someone who is legally prohibited from owning it, the lack of a background check makes it very difficult to prove that the seller knowingly violated the law.<br />
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<i><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Internet Gun Sales</i>: if you Google “AR 15 for sale” you will return 15.9 million hits. However, you can’t simply go online, order a gun, and have it delivered to your home. All Internet sales must be delivered to a licensed dealer who is required to run a background check and will charge you a fee for it. If you can’t pass the background check you will be denied the gun.<br />
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I’ve given all this background because I really think it’s important that if you are advocating certain policies you ought to know what you are talking about. When I see smart people advocating to ban things which are already banned or require things which are already required, it’s frustrating to say the least.<br />
<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now that we’ve discussed terminology and current law, let’s look at some policies which might help reduce the gun carnage in our country.<br />
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Let’s be clear that advocating a repeal of the Second Amendment is a waste of time and effort. In order to amend the constitution, the proposed amendment needs a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress followed by ratification by 38 state legislatures. This is so self-evidently not going to happen that it isn’t even worth discussing.<br />
<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A ban on private gun ownership and confiscation of privately-owned guns is neither politically nor technically feasible. Last year I submitted written testimony in favor of Maryland Bill HB1424, which died in committee. Under current law, anyone convicted of domestic violence or under a restraining order is prohibited from owning a weapon. But there is no actual mechanism to take weapons away from such people. They are supposed to voluntarily appoint someone to turn their weapon in at a police station or licensed gun dealer, but if they don’t -- and most don’t -- nothing happens. This bill would have required the state or local police to go and get the weapons, but it failed because of the expense involved and the fact that the police didn’t want this responsibility. Not surprisingly, they did not want to be tasked with going to a home in which they know is a weapon and someone who has been found guilty of a violent crime. Now multiply this by the estimated 300 million guns already in circulation in over 100 million homes and you will see that this is a Sisyphean task.<br />
<br />
<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Having said all this, it seems to me that there are at least four legislative proposals that in the current climate have a possibility of passing. They will not eliminate all gun-related deaths but they will reduce them, while preserving the right of law-abiding Americans to possess weapons for hunting, target practice and self-defense.<br />
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<b>Ban high-capacity magazines.</b> The need to stop and reload more frequently and to carry more magazines should reduce death tolls as most perpetrators eventually are shot or caught fleeing the scene. Reloading a spent magazine takes time and is not so easy.<br />
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<b>Require background checks for all firearms transfers</b>, not just those conducted by a licensed dealer.<br />
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<b>Ban bump stocks</b>. After the Las Vegas massacre in October, even the NRA was briefly amenable to this legislation. They of course soon changed their position, but now might be an opportune time to try again.<br />
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<b>Institute Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs) on a national scale.</b> David French of the conservative National Review recently advocated GVROs as “a gun control measure conservatives should consider.” A GVRO would allow someone to go to court to prevent a specific person from possessing firearms. As we learned from the recent Parkland massacre as well as the Charleston and Orlando nightclub shootings, relatives and neighbors did “see something” and “say something” but authorities failed to act in time. By allowing someone to go to court, neighbors and family members and local courts would be empowered to act where others have failed. French’s specific proposal is narrower than I would like to see -- I would give neighbors and co-workers standing to petition and not just family members and those who live in the same home -- but it’s certainly the start of a conversation which could lead to meaningful outcomes.<br />
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<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>We may be at a moment where the anger of the populace can overcome the power of the NRA. Let’s not squander it by advocating for things which will never happen and let’s work for meaningful change instead.<br />
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Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5634460320849232959.post-72467645132706690752018-02-01T08:53:00.000-08:002018-02-01T08:53:21.475-08:00Study with me online!<span style="font-size: large;">I offer a class on the weekly Torah portion with Rashi's commentary at my synagogue, Kehilat Shalom, on the first and third Thursday of the calendar month at 8 pm Eastern Time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm now offering this class simultaneously online as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you want to participate in the class please click on the following link or paste it into your browser:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">https://zoom.us/j/6450339344</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Please let me know by email (rabbi at kehilatshalom dot org) beforehand so I can send you the text by email.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's a good idea to test that link before the class so you can make sure it works with your computer settings.</span></span>Rabbi Charles Arianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02936036682918877496noreply@blogger.com0