An Attitude of Gratitude

When each of my sons were in 3rd grade, their classes participated in a 3rd grade school musical just before Thanksgiving.  Recently, while attending a workshop with our congregational leaders,  I found myself humming the melody and words to one of the catchy tunes: “I’ve got a gratitude attitude“, by Teresa Jennings.  I was at the Flourishing Congregations workshop, sponsored by the Indianapolis Center for Congregations. The premise of Flourishing Congregations is based on the concept of Appreciative Inquiry, that by asking the right questions and focusing on possibilities rather than problems, a congregational community will be able to see the larger picture and create energy, innovative ideas and solutions.

By asking, “What’s the possibility we see in this situation?” we find that:
what we ask determines what we find;
what we find determines how we talk;
how we talk determines how we imagine together;
how we imagine together determines what we achieve.  (Sue Hammond, The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry , pages 6-7.)

By beginning with the question of “What gives life when our congregation functions at its best?”, we are able to search for the best in people, our congregation and the community around us.  Our day was a model for what we can do in our congregations by asking the right questions and using the assets that we already have.

We began the day with Appreciative Inquiry interviews, personal conversations with someone we did not know and asked questions like: Tell me about an experience in your congregation when you felt most alive, most fulfilled, or most enthusiastic about the congregation” or “Tell me about a time when you most deeply felt a sense of belonging in the congregation.” These stories helped us to uncover the positive core of our congregation’s lives and lifted up the potentials and possibilities and reminded us that in every congregation something works very well. Our day continued with “World Cafe”, a large group process where we met in successive rounds of small group conversations that created a “culture of dialogue” and allowed us to brainstorm and share ideas about best practices that work in our congregations and network to find ways we can learn from each other and/or work together in the community.   We also spent time in the process of “Asset Mapping”, using post-its and big sheets of paper as we considered what our assets, strengths and resources are and how we can match up unconnected assets to each other to strengthen our congregation and to create new ideas and new possibilities.

Not surprisingly, these resources can work well in congregational life because they focus on hope rather than dwelling on the negative, something that is the essence of what it means to be a community of faith.

Not surprisingly, also, is that in Judaism we have a Hebrew term, hakarat hatov, for this idea of appreciative inquiry, or looking for the positive, or being reminded that something works well.  Hakarat hatov literally translates as “Recognizing the good”. In other words, Hakarat Hatov is about Gratitude.  Gratitude is about recognizing the good that is already part of our lives; it requires us to think about all of the things that we can be grateful for that we already have.  No matter how hard things might seem or what a difficult time we might be going through, there is always something we can find to be grateful for.  Hakarat hatov asks us to recognize the good that we already have, to acknowledge that what we have is a gift and to be thankful for it and to give thanks to the One who gave it to us, whether the source of the gift is another person, or the Source of All, God. As Jews we start each day with the Modeh Ani blessing, thanking God for the most important gift of all, the gift of life. The short morning blessings that follow remind us to be grateful for the most basic capacities – to stand, to get dressed, to use the bathroom; all of which are the most fundamental parts of our existence and without which we would be unable to go on and do all of the mitzvot that we have the potential to do in each day.

As we approach the holiday of Thanksgiving this year, may we find an attitude of gratitude, and may we awaken each day with the middah of Hakarat Hatov, consciously recognizing the good in our lives.

(cross posted at Kol Isha, the blog of the Women's Rabbinic Network)  

ופרש עלינו סכת שלומך Ufros Aleinu Sukkat Shlomecha

Ufros Aleinu Sukkat Shlomecha  

Spread over us the shelter of Your peace

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ייְָ, הַטּוֹב שִׁמְךָ וּלְךָ נָאֶה לְהוֹדוֹת

Baruch atah Adonai, ha-tov shimcha ul’cha na-eh l’hodot. 

Blessed are you Eternal One, Your name is Goodness and You are worthy of thanksgiving.

These words form the chatimah, or seal, at the end of the Hoda’ah prayer, the second closing benediction of the Amidah (Modim Anachnu Lach). It is natural for us to go about our daily lives scarcely noticing the many blessings that we have each and every day. The words of the Hoda’ah remind us that we are surrounded by miracles and blessings – our lives, our health, our families and friends, our work in this world.  The words of this prayer remind us to pause and notice them, to take a moment and lift our eyes up to see the beauty that is in this world, to feel the sun on our face, the wind in our hair, to see the beauty of autumn’s splendid palette of colors as the leaves float down to the ground.

From the sounds of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we have moved into the shelter of the holiday of Sukkot. The Sukkah is a simple structure. It provides a shelter from some of the elements, while letting others, such as wind and rain, come in through the roof.  In the Sukkah we can see the stars. In the Sukkah we can appreciate the wonders of nature, and the fragility of life.

The sixth tractate of the second division of the Mishnah (rabbinic commentary on the Torah, 200CE) is called Sukkah.  The very first verses give a detailed description of how to build a Sukkah:

1. It must be less than 30 feet high.
2. The walls must be strong enough to withstand ordinary wind gusts.
3. The shade offered by the roof of the Sukkah should be able to block most of the sun’s rays while allowing the stars to be visible at night.
4. There must be at least three walls, made of any material.
5. The Sukkah must be a temporary structure.
6. It is a mitzvah to eat one’s meals in the Sukkah.
7. While it is a mitzvah to live in the Sukkah as much as possible, you are not obligated to sleep in eat, especially in colder climates.  And if it is raining hard enough that there is more water than soup in your bowl, you may finish your meal indoors.
8. The Sukkah can be decorated with fruits, vegetables, and art projects.
9. There is no minimum size, but the Sukkah must be large enough for at least one person.

It is a mitzvah to build your own Sukkah and live in it during the week of Sukkot.  It’s also a mitzvah to wave the lulav and etrog, and to invite guests to join you in the Sukkah.

When we spend time in the Sukkah, we get a unique chance to experience the natural world. We feel wind and rain, hot and cold. We see the sun and the moon and stars through the schach, and as we eat our meals we are joined by bugs and bees, and sometimes birds and squirrels. We become closer to nature and are reminded of our interdependence with all that lives and grows.
Living in the Sukkah connects us to our ancestors who left the protection of secure roofs to journey forward in the time of the Exodus towards freedom. They placed themselves under God’s protection, the only true source of protection and security

ופרש עלינו סכת שלומך         

Ufros Aleinu Sukkat Sh’lomecha 

(Spread over us the shelter of Your peace).

When we pray the words of Hoda’ah and give thanks for the miracles that we experience each and every day, we realize that we cannot take them for granted. Life is too precious, and these gifts are too important to notice them only when they are gone.  Our daily recitation of the words of the Hoda’ah can lead us to a practice of being aware and appreciative of the miracles that surround us each day, and to also make it a practice of expressing our gratitude to God and to our loved ones.

At this season of thanksgiving, we are thankful for the daily miracles that surround us each day.  As our awareness of them grows, may we be changed, lifted up, and transformed.

Moadim L’simcha!
(cross posted at Kol Isha, the blog of the Women's Rabbinic Network)  

Spiritual Reflection During Elul

We are now in the month of Elul, the Hebrew month that leads us into the Yamim Noraim, the High Holy Days.  Many Jews use this time period to think back on the year that has passed in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. A few years ago my colleague, Rabbi Debra Orenstein, introduced me to a very meaningful spiritual tool to prepare for the Days of Awe.  The custom is to use the last 12 days of the month of Elul (this year from Sept. 5, 2012 onward) until Rosh Hashanah to review and meditate each day on one month from the last year. On the day of Erev Rosh Hashanah, you review Elul, the month just gone by.

Some people will begin each day in meditation or make a quiet space to reflect on the month they are focusing on each day.  If you are in the habit of praying the morning prayers, Rabbi Orenstein suggests that you might find this to be a particularly good time to reflect.  “The daily prayers in the Amidah, asking for wisdom, forgiveness, healing, justice, a good year, and peace, among other aspirations – create a beautiful vision against which to measure the past year.”  

This reflection can be done with a study partner, a friend or spouse, or written in a journal.   You might look in your calendar – paper or electronic, from the past year to remind yourself of where you were during each of the months of last year.
Spiritual reflection can lead to a deeper self-awareness of self, of community, of the world, because it helps us to do teshuvah – literally to return to who we really are.

We also do this kind of reflection together as a community during these Days of Awe. And when you are in synagogue for all of the services of Selichot, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur, if you pay close attention to the themes that run throughout the liturgy of these days, you can see the threads of self-reflection, communal confession and prayers of selichot, asking for forgiveness. But it is really to our benefit to prepare for these 10 days before they begin and then by continuing to let the questions go through you as you go through the ten days of teshuvah – return. 

My family and I wish each of you a Shanah Tova U’Metukah, a year filled with health, joy and the sweetness of life.  May this new year of 5773 be a year of health, happiness, and growth for you and your family.

Everyday Blessings

Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-olam, Shekachah Lo B’olamo
Praised are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who has such beauty in the world.

As summer has passed by all too quickly, I have delighted in watching my three children enjoying the outdoors and the world around them.
All too often I find myself caught up in the busyness of life and forget to notice and be thankful for the many blessings that surround me.  One of the reasons I am grateful for my family is that they remind me to appreciate the many small gifts that are a part of every day.

Jewish tradition teaches us to utter brachot (blessings) throughout the day, and in so doing to live at a deeper level of awareness of experiences that we might otherwise miss.  In reciting a bracha (blessing), we invite in or recognize God’s presence in our midst. Blessings can be said in any language, and express a kavannah, an intention from one’s heart.

According to the great medieval Jewish philosopher, the RaMBaM – Moses Maimonides, there are three types of blessings:

Birchot HaNehenin – Blessings that we recite before eating, drinking, or smelling nice things.
Birchot HaMitzvot – Blessing that we recite prior to performing a commandment.
Birchot Hodaah – Blessings that express praise of God and give our thanks to God, or ask God for things.

There are traditional blessings for many of these experiences of life; you can find these in the siddur.  It is also appropriate to create your own blessing. Begin with the traditional formula: “Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-olam Praised are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe” and then continue with whatever you want to say – about your life, your health, how you are feeling, something good or bad that has happened, the world, your spouse, your children….

Reciting blessings open us to the potential for holiness in the world, and remind us that everything is interconnected, linking us to the oneness of God.

(cross posted at Kol Isha, the blog of the Women's Rabbinic Network) 

Learn Talmud - The 13th Daf Yomi cycle Begins on August 3rd

On August 1st, Jewish men and women across the globe will be joining in celebration of Siyum HaShas, the completion of the seven year cycle of Talmud reading.  Daf yomi, as it is known, is the practice of learning a daf, or page, of Talmud each day. Studied in this way, the 2,711 pages of Talmud can be completed in seven and a half years. Two days later, on August 3, 2012,  Jews the world over will begin the new Daf Yomi cycle, and begin learning Talmud from the beginning, from Seder Zeraim (Seeds): Tractate Berakhot (Blessings).

This system of learning Talmud, meant to encourage everyone, not just scholars, to learn Talmudic law and teaching, was developed by Rabbi Meir Shapiro in 1923 in Poland. Talmud is made up of two main parts, the Mishnah, or first written compendium of the Oral Law, codified around the year 200 CE, and the Gemara, which is commentary on the Mishnah, codified by 600 CE. The Mishnah is a commentary on the Torah and the Gemara is a commentary on the Mishnah. The Talmud is the basis for all of the codes and commentaries of rabbinic law, and is also know as Shas, an abbreviation of Shisha Sedarim, or six orders of the Mishnah. Originally these laws and teachings were handed down by word of mouth, hence called the Oral Law, but it gradually came to be codified in the six orders of the Talmud.

The first page of Tractate Berakhot

These six orders, or general subjects are subdivided into 60 masekhtot, or tractates, which is further subdivided into perakim (chapters), and this comprises the 2,711 pages of text. Surrounding the Mishnah and Gemara are later commentaries and codes, marginal texts. Just as we often make notes in the margins of a book, later scholars and teachers did the same with the Talmud text and their commentaries and conversations are recorded on the same page. When you sit down with a daf,or page, of Talmud, you are entering a conversation that has taken place over thousands of years with great rabbis and teachers, and you are sitting at the table entering into conversation with them. You can learn more about the Talmud from this interactive Talmud page.

Until recently, the world of the Talmud has been a challenging and somewhat difficult world for most modern liberal Jews to enter.  There is of course a language barrier, since the Talmud was written in Hebrew and Aramaic.  There is also the fact that much of the passages assume a certain level of textual knowledge on the part of the reader. Much of the commentators in the margins serve to assist the reader by providing explanations of words, interpreting seeming contradictions, and providing references to Biblical passages and related passages from elsewhere in the Talmud.

This Daf Yomi cycle will be different than those that have preceded it because of the level of unprecedented access that modern liberal Jews, both men and women, now have to access the text.  Although the first English translation of the Talmud was published over 100 years ago, the text has remained relatively cryptic and difficult for non-Hebrew readers. The latest English translations of the Talmud have attempted to render the text in such a way as to make it much more understandable for the lay reader, including not only an English translation, but also guides to the text, biblical references, and unpacking of the more obscure and difficult material.  The newest English editions of the Talmud are available in both traditional book volumes and iPad editions.

Artscroll Schottenstein Talmud  

Koren Steinsaltz Talmud

The most traditional way to study Talmud is with a partner, in chevruta, or partnered study.  The text is read aloud and debated and discussed.  In that way it comes alive and it is not just you or your chevruta that is part of the discussion, but all those whose words you are reading, and all those who throughout the centuries have debated and discussed and whose lives have been affected by the rulings on the pages.  Many of you may know that I have a chevruta with whom I learn Talmud weekly.  Our study is a much more in depth learning than daf yomi ( a page a day) will allow, we don’t have a goal to get through a page or more each time we learn, but to get through as much text as we can understand and discuss, whether that is a few lines, or a few paragraphs.  Even so, we are both excited about the new daf yomi cycle, and even more so about the newest editions of Talmud that invite access for more Jews to learn the foundations of Jewish law and life.

Will you join the 13th Daf Yomi cycle on August 3rd this year?

An Inspiring Quest

A little more than a month ago I received an email that read: “Hello Rabbi Pollack, Once again I am writing you about my quest of meeting all the female Rabbis that contributed to the Women’s Torah Commentary . So far I have met 36 Rabbis and look forward to meeting you. I am going to be in your area the first week of July 2012 and was hoping that you would be available to meet with me and sign my book…. Bonny Katz.”

As it happened this week I am serving on faculty at our regional URJ camp, GUCI, so when Bonny and her husband Ian drove through, they honored me my stopping here to meet and I signed her book. This is a quest she has been on for quite some time. It’s not easy to meet up with 54 female rabbis who live all across North America. I was really thrilled and honored to be a part of Bonny’s quest. It has been very exciting to be a part of a Torah commentary that has all female rabbinic contributors. And as one of the writers, I hope to be able to inspire women and men, with our teachings on the parashiot.

At camp this session our theme is “Partners with God”.  We’ve been looking at this from many aspects, and one of the shiurim (lessons) this week that particularly resonated with our campers is the concept of what it means to be a leader and a role model.  We examined the idea of being a great leader, but not a great role model, and what it takes to be a role model, from a Jewish perspective, not just in the Torah, but how we can strive to live our own lives as role models.

As rabbis, naturally, we are expected to be role models, in all aspects, not just in Jewish practice, but in everything that we do.  One of the great things about being at camp is that I sit with campers in programs, at meals, in shiur, and get out there and do activities with them in the camp setting, not in an office, or behind a desk.  We’re all sweating together this week in shorts and t-shirts in the 100 degree heat, we’re dancing at song session, and cheering, praying together, eating together, and having conversations that are meaningful and important – about God and Judaism, and what it means to be a Jew today, especially in places where there aren’t many other Jewish kids in their schools.  The other night I led a lights out program for cabin 3.  I brought my guitar and sang some of my favorite songs, and the girls asked me questions – how long have you been a rabbi, what is the scariest thing that ever happened to you, what is your favorite camp song, who are your role models. The kinds of questions that maybe they don’t ask their own rabbi at home, but here at camp, these are the important questions.

The girls of cabin 3 didn’t seem at all surprised to have a female rabbi doing their lights out program, probably because they see both female and male rabbis at camp every year.  It’s something that I still find amazing, because when I was their age, there weren’t many female rabbis at all.  In Tefillah (worship services) this week, I’ve also been reflecting on how much stayed the same and how much has changed.  We are singing many of the same melodies for prayers that we sang at camp, even as newer beautiful melodies have been added.  Back when I was a camper, there was a vigorous debate over whether or not to include the Imahot (matriarchs) in the Avot prayer.  Today, the Avot v’Imahot is a given. The debate today is over whether Leah comes before Rachel in the liturgy.  All of this made Bonny’s quest even more amazing and inspiring for me.

When I was a camper Bonny’s quest wouldn’t even have been possible. There were not enough female rabbis back then to have had 54 writers on the parashiot.  The questions   we are asking and the discussions we are having today may be some of the same questions and discussions, but they are different because women’s voices are added to the mix.  As I hugged her before she left, I told Bonny that I want to hear more about her journey as it continues – I know she will have some wonderful stories to tell.

(cross posted at Kol Isha, the blog of the Women's Rabbinic Network)

40 Years - A Journey of Transformation

For the closing program this Spring  our Temple Israel Sisterhood held a Woman of Valor Tea, honoring five women of distinction and dedication to our congregation.  At the very end of the celebration I was surprised with a commemorative Lucite plaque, honoring me for ten years at Temple Israel.  As congratulations were shared, a leader of our congregation remarked on how much she and our Temple family appreciated having me as the rabbi, as a leader and teacher in the community. Perhaps more surprising to me, she recalled the complex and fraught discussions and debate that had surrounded the decision to hire me these ten years ago, because I would be their first woman rabbi.

This June marks a momentous event in Jewish history.  On June 3, 1972, forty years ago, Rabbi Sally Priesand stood on the bima at Plum Street Temple in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was ordained as the first female rabbi.  On that same date 18 years ago, June 3, 1994, I stood on that same bima at Plum Street Temple and took my place in the line of  611 female Reform rabbis that have since followed in Rabbi Priesand’s path.

Rabbi Sally Priesand, 1972

Forty is a significant number in Jewish tradition.  When Noah built the ark, the rain lasted for 40 days and nights. The Jewish people wandered for 40 years in the wilderness before entering the land of Israel. Moses spent 40 days and nights up on Mt. Sinai to receive Torah. The spies that Moses sent out to explore the land were there for 40 days. One is only considered old and wise enough to study kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, at the age of 40.  A mikveh must be filled with 40 seahs of water. According to Rabbi Judah Loew, the Maharal of Prague(16th century), the number 40 has the ”power to transform one’s spiritual state. ” 40 is also considered a number of completion.  The number of days that it takes an embryo to form in its mother’s womb according to the Talmud is 40 days (Talmud Bavli Yevamot 69b).  While science today would disagree with that idea, we do know that gestation of a human being is 40 weeks. And  in the Mishnah (Shabbat 7:2) there is a list of 39 melachot or categories of labor or creative work that are forbidden on Shabbat, described as “40 less one”. These categories correspond to the 39 modes of constructive labor it took to build the Mishkan in the wilderness. And on Shabbat we rest from those labors, step out of this physical work, and make room for the spiritual fulfillment of Shabbat. Why 40 less one?  The sages teach that 40 is the number of completion, that these 39 categories of physical  labor it took to build the Mishkan were not complete without the spiritual labor to bring Shabbat into the Mishkan. These 39 categories of work parallel the work that went into the creation, with the one exception of the spiritual dimension of creation, and that is what completes the work, hence the 40th is the completion, the spiritual dimension.

While I would hesitate to say that we have arrived at a place of completion for women’s status in Jewish life, certainly, 40 years of women’s rabbinic leadership have powerfully transformed the Jewish world’s spiritual state.

As I write this message, Rabbi Miri Gold has just been recognized as the first non-orthodox rabbi of a congregation in Israel. This decision paves the way for other Reform and Conservative rabbis in Israel, both men and women, to receive government recognition and a salary, in the same way that over 4000 orthodox rabbis are recognized. Just a few weeks ago, Rabbi Alona Lisitsa became the first Israeli Reform Rabbi to sit on a municipal religious council nominated by the Minister of Courts (after an injuction by the Supreme Court). Two years ago, Rabba Sara Hurwitz became the first Orthodox female rabbi.

Forty years ago, who could have imagined orthodox women learning and teaching Talmud, or leading tefillah (prayer) in orthodox egalitarian minyanim.
But we still have along way to go before we get to the promised land where we can all stand at Sinai together. 40 years of work and journeying in the wilderness have led us as a Jewish family to a new place and a new spiritual state but we are still on a journey. As Judith Plaskow writes “We must expand the notion of Torah to encompass not just the five books of Moses and traditional Jewish learning, but women’s words, teachings, and actions hitherto unseen. To expand Torah, we must reconstruct Jewish history to include the history of women, and in doing so alter the shape of Jewish memory.” (Judith Plaskow,  Standing Again at Sinai, p. 28)

Rabbi Sally Priesand

Judaism has changed and continues to change because of the work and leadership of women rabbis. As we look forward to the next steps on the journey, we wish Rabbi Sally Priesand Mazal Tov and Todah Rabbah!  Yeshar Kochech!

(cross posted on  Kol Isha, the blog of the Women's Rabbinic Network)

Happy Shavuot

For more than a century, the Reform movement has marked the anniversary of the giving of Torah at Mt. Sinai with the ceremony of Confirmation. Each year we look forward to celebrating with our young people as they mark their Confirmation of Judaism as young adults. We celebrate their learning as we usher in the holiday of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks and the receiving of Torah at Mt. Sinai. 

I am convinced that the festival of Shavuot is the least remembered or observed of holidays among the big three (that is the three festivals that in the time of the Temple Jews went up to Jerusalem to observe – Sukkot and Pesach being the other two).  Since religious school is usually over by the time the holiday rolls around, few of us had terribly strong memories of Shavuot ritual.  For many, Confirmation is the only ritual surrounding Shavuot that sticks in our minds.  Yet, the holiday includes wonderful potential -- after all it does celebrate this most mysterious and momentous event: the giving of Torah at Sinai

But Shavuot is not only for young people; all of us stood at Sinai.  Shavuot is a celebration of Revelation, of the Giving of the Torah to the Jewish people on Mt. Sinai. In recognition of this Revelation, we read the portion of the Torah that the Torah itself says took place on Sinai  the story of the giving of the Ten Words, otherwise known as the Ten Commandments.

These Ten Commandments are not the only commandments of Judaism. Our tradition tells us that there are 613 mitzvot (the word means "commandments," not "good deeds"), all of which are important. But somehow, the Ten Commandments remain for us among the most basic of all laws. They are laws which form the foundation of the life of society: laws against idolatry, about family, about resting, and about basic morality. And these Ten Commandments remain important in our lives today.

Shavuot is also one of the special festivals in the year that has one of the five "scrolls" or megillot assigned to it.  On Shavuot, the scroll that we read is the Book of Ruth.  There are three reasons that the Book of Ruth is read on Shavuot. First, the story of Ruth takes place during the summer harvest.  Second, the story of Ruth reminds us that the Torah, which we received at Sinai, is so precious and valuable.  Ruth, a Moabite, chooses Judaism.  She elects to cast her lot with the Jewish people, saying: "Where you go, I will go, where you lodge I will lodge.  Your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God."  Ruth's choosing Judaism makes us more aware and appreciative of the blessings of being Jewish.  Third, some scholars say that we read the Book of Ruth because it reminds us of King David.  King David was Ruth's great-grandson and traditionally Shavuot marks both David's birth and death. 

It is customary to stay up the entire night (leil) of Shavuot studying Torah with the community as we symbolically prepare to enter into a sacred relationship with God.  Many contemporary Jews choose to intensify and personalize the experience of revelation through studying Torah, talmudic, mystical and modern text and adding our own experiences and interpretations.

So, join us for Shavuot and the Confirmation service this year, and take some time to appreciate the gift of Torah in your life today as we stand together at Sinai.

Mazal Tov to our Confirmands and Happy Shavuot to All!

Religious Freedom and Equality in Israel

What does freedom mean?  As Pesach approaches, we retell the story of our ancestors, and offer thanks to God that in this season we went forth from slavery to freedom.  The Haggadah reminds us that each of us must teach our children that “it is because of what God did for me, when I went out of Egypt”, in other words, each of us must view ourselves as having personally gone forth from Egypt. Freedom is defined as the absence of coercion or constraint imposed by another person or by the state.  A person is free to the extent that she can choose her own goals and course of life, can make choices between the alternatives available to her, and is not compelled to act in a manner that she would not choose; or is not prevented from acting as she would like.  In our world there is a practical connection between freedom and power. 

In Israel today there are many challenges posed by an imbalance of power that threatens the core values of Israeli society. Democracy and fairness are under attack because the ultra-Orthodox leadership insist that their Jewish vision is the only way. The power that the ultra-Orthodox religious authority currently holds, undermines the freedom for different religious expressions of Judaism to exist in Israel.  Israeli Reform, Masorti/Conservative, and secular Jews are uniting in support to strengthen pluralism in Israeli society and promote equal rights for different religious expressions of Judaism.

The Israel Religious Action Center is actively involved in challenging the ultra-Orthodox establishment, and is involved in more than 60 court cases each year.  

These cases include:

• Choice in wedding ceremonies – recognition of non-Orthodox rabbis as officiants and civil marriage in Israel as an alternative to religious ceremonies.

• Choice in burial procedures – implementing an already existing alternative burial law allowing for civil burial sections in all public cemeteries

• Recognizing non-Orthodox conversions

• Preventing discriminatory legislation against non-Orthodox practices

• Equal treatment of all streams of Judaism – the employment of non-orthodox Rabbis in municipal settings, providing equitable funding of communal, educational and religious activities

• Eliminating gender separation - on public buses and all public places and facilities

• Core curriculum for all - schools receiving any State funding must teach the Ministry of Education core curriculum which prepares students to participate in the job market and a democratic, civil society

• Reducing the authority of religious courts  – in family and life cycle matters

• The right for women to pray together at the Wall – Women of the Wall seek to pray aloud as a group, wear tallit and read from the Torah 

• Freedom of religion and conscience - as protected by the 1948 Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel.

Over the last several decades, the Reform and Masorti/Conservative movements have made progress. The outreach efforts of our congregations and education initiatives all over the country are bearing fruit. As more and more Reform congregations spring up and become established pillars of their communities, Israelis are starting to see that the Reform movement has a lot to offer them.  Anat Hoffman, head of the Israel Religious Action Center reports that “Many Israelis who oppose gender segregation, racist incitement by rabbis, or the Orthodox monopoly on marriage and divorce see that we are on the front lines pushing back against the ultra-Orthodox hegemony. They look at our work and think, "Here is a group that represents my Jewish values. If that is what it means to be Reform, then I'm Reform."”

As Rabbi Gilad Kariv, Executive Director of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, recently said "it is striking that the political and legal reality in Israel regarding relations between religion and state lags far behind the true position of Israeli society. For sure, both movements still face significant challenges, but it is no longer possible to dismiss their activities in Israel or their impact on Israeli society. We believe that the development of both movements will eventually lead to a change in their political and legal status.”

Within the last month one of the major issues that non-Orthodox Israelis have been concerned with has made progress.  The Tal law, that exempts the ultra-Orthodox from military service has been struck down. According to this recent court decision, now all Israelis, including the ultra-Orthodox, must share the burden of full army or national service. 

In January, Shimon Peres became the first president of Israel to appear publicly with the Masorti (Conservative) movement, after 35 years since the movement’s founding in Israel. Peres attended a performance of Shirat Machar, the Masorti co-ed performance troupe, and opened his remarks by saying, “I came here this evening to hear women singing,” referring to the haredi soldiers who walked out of an IDF event where women soldiers were performing. He also praised the Masorti movement’s “commitment to humanism, peace, human rights and the rights of citizens,” saying that it is time to recognize the religious rights of all Jews in Israel. “Different streams exist in Judaism,” Peres said, “which has room for conservative and liberal viewpoints.” 

Yet there is more work to be done. In response to the work of IRAC, Ultra-Orthodox Member of the Knesset Eichler has publicly referred to IRAC staff and Rabbi Gilad Kariv  as "Reform anti-semites" and "Reform enemies of the state". Certainly change needs to happen at the grassroots level by Israeli voters  who can focus their efforts to ensure that members in the next Knesset will promote legislation to protect the democratic, Jewish and pluralistic nature of the State of Israel.  As American Jews and supporters and lovers of Israel, we can also work for change to ensure that Israel lives up to the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel  which says: "[The State] will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex". What is at stake is nothing less than the morality of Israel’s motives, and the integrity of her actions; the democratic, pluralistic future of the modern state of Israel. Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center reports that the internal issues currently plaguing Israel - religious pluralism, minority rights, and gender equality are as great a threat to Israel's future as the prospect of a nuclear Iran.

What can you do? Get involved.  Become informed - read the Israeli press, follow what is going on through organizations like Hiddush: for religious freedom and equality in Israel. Let Israel know that you care.  Send messages of support to the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, our Israeli counterparts in the Reform movement. Send contributions to support the work of the Israel Religious Action Center and the Women of the Wall. Sign petitions to let the Israeli government know that Israel is a place for all Jews. And go Visit Israel.

Women of the Wall website: www.womenofthewall.org.il.

Be Happy - It's Adar!

“When Adar arrives, our joy increases.” So we are told in the Talmud. So much of our lives is given over to serious matters, that when given the chance to rejoice and celebrate, and most of all to be silly, we really should not miss the opportunity.  That’s the case with the month of Adar, for Adar marks the festival of Purim in the Jewish calendar. 

All too often, we relegate Purim to the children in our community. But it’s not just for kids.  I’ve been to some quite wonderful adult Purim celebrations.  We’re never too old to dress up and enjoy this holiday.  After all, the themes, the characters and the story of Purim have much to add to our lives.  Purim is a joyous affirmation of Jewish survival despite the great odds that confronted Esther and her Uncle Mordecai.  The story of Purim is a story of people taking charge of their own destiny and it reminds us that celebration is essential in our sometimes difficult and complex lives.  We are given the opportunity to transcend, at least temporarily, the seriousness and busyness of everyday existence and are magically transported to a world of drama, revelry, and ancient tales of tribulation and triumph.

So this year, celebrate Purim!  Laugh, dress in costume, make hamantaschen and send sweets to friends and family.  Let yourself be lighthearted and remember the sweetness and joys of life.  After all, you should be happy – It’s Adar!

Tree of Life - Tu B'shevat and Rejewvenation

Tu Bishevat - the fifteenth day of the month of Shevat in the Jewish calendar, falls this year on February 8th.  Tu Bishevat is the New Year of the trees.  We rejoice in the fruit of the tree and the fruit of the vine.  In the Talmud there is a legend about Honi, who came upon an old man planting a carob tree.  When Honi saw the old man, he at once questioned the old man’s actions, saying, “Foolish man, do you think you will still be alive to eat of the fruit of this tree?”   The old man replied, “I found trees in the world when I was born.  My grandparents planted them for me.  Now I am planting for the generations that will come after me.”  The story goes on to tell us that Honi fell into a deep sleep, from which he did not awaken for 70 years.  When he awoke he was surprised to see an old man picking the fruit from a fully grown carob tree.  When he inquired of the old man, “Are you the man who planted this tree?” the old man answered, “My grandfather planted it for me.” (Talmud Bavli, Ta’anit 23a)

The Talmud says that the root is the soul and the branch is the body.  Just so, there is a branch of the tree of life representing each and every Jew.  How marvelous are these branches, for while nourished by the same roots, the fruit of every branch is completely different.  Our rabbis taught that one who sees a multitude of Jews should recite this blessing: “Blessed is the all-wise and mysterious God, for each person’s opinion is different and each person’s appearance is different,” and yet they are all Jews (Talmud Bavli, Berachot 58a).  United by the tree of life, the Torah, we each create our own Jewish life.

All too often these days, however, too many of us feel that our active participation in Jewish life and Jewish community does not matter.  I am saddened when I hear this phrase: “As long as I feel Jewish, what does it matter if I do anything or not.”  I am saddened because it is not enough to “feel” like a branch of the tree of life.  Judaism is about doing, and living Jewishly.  A feeling is intangible.  It cannot be transmitted or passed to another without real, physical contact.  The fruit of Jewish life  means seeing, tasting, touching, smelling, and acting in order to live as a Jew and to have an impact on the world around us.  We are obligated to live Jewishly in order to fulfill the commandments and to sow the seeds of future Jewish living.   

Tu Bishevat calls us to action because it asks us to plant.  We too are like trees, requiring constant nourishment in order to flourish and grow.  While certain aspects of our own trees of life can take nourishment from any ground, there is a second system, a root which reaches hungrily for the teaching of Torah.  Being Jewish requires constant rejewvenation from the soil of Torah.  We are commanded to take action and participate in doing Jewish life in order to flourish and grow.  We have planted and transplanted this tree time and again.  May we keep the soil fertile that our faith in God and our Jewish acts may grow.  May we strengthen our roots with the past, and may our branches reach towards the future to bear sweet fruit.

URJ Biennial 2011, Washington, DC

  

This December 14-18, 2011, I was among more than 5000 Jews who attended the Union for Reform Judaism Biennial in Washington DC. Delegates from over 500 congregations in North America, Israel, and the UK studied, prayed, debated resolutions, and celebrated Shabbat together in an atmosphere of learning, networking, and passion for the future of Reform Judaism.

A major highlight of the biennial was hearing from President Obama, who gave a stirring address to the assembly,  addressing issues of social justice and  Israel, and peppered with humor - referring to his daughter Malia's busy schedule attending friends' bat mitzvahs, and giving a shout out to NFTY, the North American Federation of Temple Youth. He began his remarks by wishing us an early Shabbat Shalom and then continued with a d'var Torah on the portion of the week, resonating with the word “Hineini”,  “Here I am”. It was an exciting and moving start to our Shabbat together. We were also privileged to hear from Ehud Barak, and Natan Sharansky, and had the opportunity to dialogue and discuss the challenges and opportunities for Reform Jews in Israel with representatives from Israeli Reform congregations.

This year's biennial marked a major leadership transition as Rabbi Rick Jacobs became the new President of the Union for Reform Judaism.  Rabbi Eric Yoffie, who is retiring after having led the movement for the last 16 years, was celebrated in prayer, speech, and song on Saturday evening at Havdalah. Rabbi Jacobs shared his passionate vision for the future of Reform Judaism at the closing plenary on Sunday morning.

This year's biennial also had the largest attendance of Jews in their 20s and 30s and inaugurated a new initiative for the URJ, the Campaign for Youth Engagement, or CYE.  This initiative is a strategic plan to develop greater youth involvement and reinvigorate our movement's strategies for retaining youth post b'nei mitzvah and through high school and making our congregations more welcoming and responsive to the needs of Jews in the post- college and young adult years through their 20s and 30s. The convention halls were full of people, ideas, and energy.  There was also a large exhibit hall of vendors for Judaica shopping, Jewish books and music, and programmatic resources.

Prayer Services at URJ Biennial 2011

I attended many different learning sessions from Yoga Shalom to the Changing Landscape of Jewish Life, Judaism and Technology in the Digital Age, What Jews Need to know about Genetic Diseases - (the importance of genetic testing and counseling for young Jews),  and New Trends in Jewish Religious Education,  and much more.  I reconnected with old friends,  colleagues,  and teachers,  and made new friends and connections.

Kumsitz with friends

I danced and sang at biennial Shabbat and daily worship, studied text with wonderful and insightful scholars, and was thrilled to hear many Jewish musicians perform - Josh Nelson, Dan Nichols, Julie Silver, Jeff Klepper,  Beth Schafer, Joe Black, Rick Recht,  Michelle Citrin,  Noah Aronson, Ellen Allard, Shira Kline, Peri Smilow, and many more.  We were all profoundly missing Debbie Friedman at this biennial. The conference included a beautifully moving and heartfelt tribute to Debbie and her music. As Josh Nelson said, “She was there at the beginning and she is still with us now through her songs.” Theodore Bikel received a special award from the URJ and Saturday evening we were privileged to hear the incomparable guitarist and Israeli singer David Broza.  Services were enhanced with beautiful music from a special biennial choir and a choir of the American Conference of Cantors.  After the evening programming and concerts ended there was an informal late night kumsitz with old and new friends. The one thing I did not do much of at the biennial was sleep!

Kol B'seder - Rabbi Dan Freelander and Cantor Jeff Klepper - URJBiennial 2011

David Broza at URJ Biennial 2011

You can view videos from this year's biennial of speakers, teachers, and Shabbat services and music at the URJ Biennial 2011 link and be inspired!  And then plan to attend the URJ Biennial 2013 Dec. 11-15 in San Diego!