Reading about the skirmishes and shootings at The Temple Mount is deeply upsetting to me. I remember visiting the Temple Mount twice during my year in Israel (2008-09). The first time, as I was waiting to go up the ramp by the Kotel (Western Wall), a couple secular Israeli soldiers gave me a hard time. One said that going up to the Temple Mount will make me tamei (ritually impure) to which I replied that I am already tamei (as are we all) for having entered a cemetery. Another chided me for going before the coming of Mashiach (The Messiah) but I was stubborn and went anyway. When I reached the top of the Mount, I was astonished to see how beautiful The Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa were from up close. While I could not enter these Muslim holy sites or pray on the Mount, I appreciated seeing the richness of all that was up there.

During my year in Israel I also went to numerous Christian holy sites with a roommate (tomb of the virgin Mary, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Gethsemane, The church of all nations right by the Mount of Olives) a number of which are in East Jerusalem. I enjoyed walking around and listening to Arabic music blasting from speakers. Certainly I took precautions (wearing a baseball cap over my kippah) but I was able to go see some amazing sites.

I worry about being able to see these sites in the future. My father was able to enter the mosques on the Temple Mount. I was able to see the mosques through ascending to the Temple Mount but not to enter them. Will my children be able to ascend to the Temple Mount at all? I hope it will be the case, but it remains to be seen. I pray for an end to this violence so that all people can worship wherever they choose in the Holy Land.

I’ve been meaning to write about the conversion bill in Israel ever since I heard Rabbi Uri Regev speak this past Monday at the Institute for Adult Jewish Studies. Rabbi Regev illustrated that the majority of Israelis do not want conversions to be regulated by the Chief Rabbinate, yet the Chief Rabbis, Rabbi David Lau and Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef will not relinquish control of it. Numerous measures have been tried, one of which was to have more liberal Orthodox city rabbis (including Rabbi Shlomo Riskin of Efrat) sit on batei din (Jewish courts) for conversion, but there has been resistance to each attempt. The problem is that numerous Israelis are not considered Jewish by the Chief Rabbinate, whether because of patrilineal descent or a prior conversion that the Rabbinate does not accept. Such individuals cannot get married in Israel, yet if they get married outside of the land and return their marriage will be accepted. In this post I want to focus on those who have converted to Judaism.

Unfortunately, converts sometimes get hit from two angles: either their conversion was invalid because it was not done by the “right rabbi” (this could be a Reform, Conservative or even Orthodox rabbi who does not have the authority invested by the Chief Rabbinate) or their conversion can be considered valid by an Orthodox rabbi in the diaspora but not by the Interior Ministry of Israel (which interestingly accepts Reform and Conservative conversions in the Diaspora).

This question of “When is a convert considered Jewish?” is often one of the most painful and difficult questions because it depends on according to whom. In reality it should not be so difficult. The Shulchan Arukh, the preeminent code of Jewish law, says that after someone accepts becoming part of the Jewish people, is taught some of the easier commandments and some of the more difficult commandments, goes before a beit din (Jewish court of 3) and immerses in a mikveh (body of natural water). At this point said individual is considered Jewish. There are NO strings attached to this whatsoever! It is time that the Chief Rabbinate and the Interior Ministry both get into agreement on this basic principle so that our converts, who have made great sacrifices to become Jews, do not suffer further pain and humiliation.

For the latest article on the conversion bill from The Jewish Week, please see the below:

http://www.thejewishweek.com/editorial-opinion/gary-rosenblatt/conversions-vote-loosens-grip-chief-rabbinate

I was disturbed this week to read in The Jewish Week about an Orthodox rabbi (Rabbi Purzansky)’s comparison of the Jewish Week to Der Strumer, the Nazi propaganda newspaper of the 1930s. I recognize that this rabbi was bothered by The Jewish Week mentioning that he shared the company of Rabbi Freundel, who was arrested and charged with voyeurism. Nevertheless, the fact that the preeminent Jewish paper in New York was compared to a paper which incited people against Jews was shocking. It took me back to my days at the University of Wisconsin, when I was by Capitol Hill seeing a protest of the Iraq War. One of the signs that I saw had a picture of President George W Bush on one side, an equals sign and then a picture of Adolf Hitler on the other.

Hyperbolic, sensationalist statements like this anger me because they show the short-sightedness of those who communicate them. Making an absurd comparison is a way to engender animosity, destroying relationships and completely misinforming the audience. The better approach is to step back and attempt to engage the other in dialogue, understanding his or her perspective. While people may want to see these statements (after all, they sell papers), they cause so much harm and unnecessary damage. I wonder what would have happened if Rabbi Purzansky had taken a moment of introspection, realizing that The Jewish Week was not trying to link him to Rabbi Freundel. Maybe he would have called the editor and had a lengthy conversation that would have led to the editor publishing that no such connection was intended. The outcome would have been the same without the irreparable damage that it caused.

When I think about marriage, I think about all the changes it brings. Two individuals join together to become one new whole. There is so much newness that results from this situation: a new name, a new home, a new status both socially and on one’s tax returns. So much excitement yet also some uncertainty as to what the future will bring.

An enormous, completely life-changing journey is at the heart of  this week’s Torah portion, as in the first line, God tells Avram and Sarai לך לך מארצך וממולדתך ומבית אביך אל הארץ אשר אראך  “You go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”  Why would this couple choose to make such a journey, leaving the land, people and way of life familiar to them to venture into the unknown?  Why would anybody do this?  The medieval commentator Rashi said that the purpose of Avram going on this journey is ולטובתך להנאתך, “for his betterment and his own good,” as God will make him the father of a great nation in this new land.  In accordance with Rashi, I see Avram’s faith and trust in God’s word as enabling him to have this life-changing, beneficial journey.

Rashi’s view is expanded upon by the Slonimer Hasidic rabbi Shalom Noach Barozovsky in his recent book Netivot Shalom.  Netivot Shalom references Isaac Luria, who stated that each person has a unique destiny to follow.  For Luria, everyone’s life conditions are different because each of us has work specifically set aside for us to do.    Netivot Shalom expands on this by stating that we cannot be another, only ourselves, and we must use our full self to develop spiritually and engage in תקון עולם, repairing the world.  In progressing on our life journeys, we, like Avram and Sarai, are striving to fulfill what we are sent out to accomplish.

What a beautiful concept: that each of us, like Avram and Sarai, has a personal path to follow that will lead us to our destination.   We are challenged like Avram and Sarai to and continue working towards a better future. Avram and Sarai’s dilemma in this parsha is our dilemma today: to have faith and trust in God as we continue to meet life’s challenges.  This is extremely difficult to do because we have no idea where the next step of the journey will lead us, and this requires us to continually make choices.

This concept ties directly into an auf ruf, the celebration of an upcoming marriage. Marriage is such a beautiful thing-two individuals becoming one household and pledging loyalty, commitment and love to each other. At the same time, marriage is an example of lekh lecha, of entering into new territory which one has not previously explored. Especially in a first marriage, neither party of the couple is sure what the future will bring. However, what both members of the couple have is faith in working together towards a strong future, the same faith that Avram and Sarai had when beginning their journey.

I use this teaching in celebration of your coming marriage because I know you will have the same success in setting out on your life journey that Avram and Sarai did. You will be there for one another at all moments in life, bringing goodness and blessing into everything you do. While you do not know where the future will lead you, by being at each other’s side, you will achieve great things. May your marriage next week bring you everything you have ever hoped for and dreamed about as you walk through life together. May you go forth in love and devotion to one another and may all your deeds be blessed. Shabbat Shalom.

On a beautiful fall day, 20 of us drove to Caumsett State Park for a calm, beautiful hike. On the hike we noticed the changing colors of the leaves as Fall begins to set in on Long Island. When we reached the ocean we paused to appreciate the ocean and the beauty of our natural surroundings. We also gathered “mermaid stones” on the seashore and saw some clams which had washed up on shore. We did a short teaching on the power of rain in Judaism before returning back to our cars. Caumsett is known as one of the most beautiful places on Long Island, and we most certainly discovered this to be the case on our hike! All ages were represented, from 7 to 77. We are now taking a break until the spring when we will be back to hike Bear Mountain amongst other sites.

Based off requests I received, I am adding my Israel Sermon from Rosh Hashanah as a post:

Jewish Unity

It is so wonderful to see so many people gathered together today to join us in worship. Parents are united with children, grandparents with grandchildren, uncles and aunts with nephews and nieces. I want to be sure that everyone knows that you always have a place here at the new Jericho Jewish Center. The brochure that we provide is just the tip of the iceberg of what we are offering during this year. Please be frequent visitors and please give me your input as to what you’d like to see at your Jericho Jewish Center.

When I was growing up spending Shabbat with my parents, one of the highlights was always discussing the rabbi’s sermon at lunch. My parents loved getting my thoughts on the sermon and sharing their own. My father especially loved when the sermon was about Israel, referring to it as a “red meat sermon.”

This year I cannot imagine a rabbi not speaking about Israel on the High Holidays. So much has happened in such a short time, much of it tragic and upsetting. I think back to June 12, 11 days after I was married, when the 3 yeshiva boys were captured by Hamas. Those 3 boys were the classmates of family friends in Efrat, who I had had the pleasure of staying with twice. When the boys were captured, I was travelling to San Diego to be with my wife and her parents, and I did not learn about the situation until I attended a Sephardi shul on Shabbat morning. When they said to pray for yeshiva boys who had been captured, I was in shock. I remembered celebrating 3 years prior when Gilad Shalit was released; thinking that the days of captured soldiers was a thing of the past. As we now know, Naftali Frankel, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach were murdered by Hamas, along with Hadar Golin. We also know that Hamas systematically built a network of tunnels into Israel with the desire of kidnapping Israeli civilians and taking them through the tunnels on this very Rosh Hashanah. Thankfully, Israel discovered and destroyed these tunnels before Hamas could carry out its plan.

Israelis had a summer running back and forth between their homes and bomb shelters after hearing sirens about rocket launchings. Thankfully the Iron Dome destroyed most of the rockets before they landed. Israel distributed leaflets warning those in Gaza to evacuate their homes, while Hamas kept them in their homes and set up its facilities in schools and hospitals. Israelis had large public funerals to mourn their dead while Hamas encouraged them to be martyrs.

We also had a summer filled with terrible anti-Semitic actions, including the murder of 4 people outside the Jewish Museum in Brussels, a rabbi who was attacked by 4 youths in Berlin for wearing a kippah and rallies in European cities in which “Death to the Jews” was chanted-just as it was chanted in 1896 at the Alfred Dreyfus trial. We saw the beheading of two American journalists and one British journalist by the Islamic State-one of whom happened to also be an Israeli citizen. We saw war crimes and terrorist atrocities committed by Boko Haram in Nigeria, Al-Shabab in Somalia and by the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq-all of which are sending a simple message: convert to Islam or die. We see Iran ever closer to building a nuclear weapon.

Why am I talking about this today? Many of you have read the newspapers, seen the reports on television and know the details of Operation Protective Edge and the anti-Semitism in Europe far better than I do. My job is not to be a news reporter or to offer a picture of doom-and-gloom for the New Year: rather it is to address the events of the day and find a hopeful message from them. How do we combat anti-Semitism and anti-Israel reports in the media? Two words: JEWISH UNITY. Let’s look at a few examples.

Max Steinberg, a lone soldier from Los Angeles, was killed in battle along with 12 other soldiers in the Gaza Strip. Max had no family or friends living in Israel. There was concern about him having a suitable and proper funeral on Mount Herzl. What happened? 30,000 people showed up to honor Max’s life and his dedication to service in the Israeli Defense Forces. 30,000 people! Saying that Max had no family in Israel is not true: the entire people of Israel was his family! What makes it even more incredible is the 20,000 who came to lone soldier Nissim Carmeli’s funeral two nights before. These were two powerful acts demonstrating Israelis standing together as one people.

Another sign of unity in Israel was Israeli and Americans’ reactions towards Operation Protective Edge. The Knesset, Israel’s governing body, is often divided on every matter, yet the Jewish votes in the Knesset were almost unanimous in their support of Operation Protective Edge. It did not matter whether one was right or left wing: when the reports on the kidnappings and on the tunnels came out, there was support across the board to act. I also saw this in our country. Those who are often dovish on Israel wrote in support of the military efforts: one even wrote “I’m done apologizing for Israel.” People were able to put aside their legitimate disagreements on governmental policies, recognizing that Israel’s well-being was at stake. Unfortunately, it often takes danger to lead to unity, and this situation was no exception to that.

A third way we saw Jewish unity this summer was through participation at Israel rallies throughout the country. There were numerous rallies in Manhattan, one of which had over 10,000 attendees, as well as a rally at the Mid Island Y. This summer, we literally stood for Israel. We made banners, sang together and heard engaging speakers who called us to action: If Not Now When?

How do we begin a new year at a point of uncertainty for Israel and for Jewry? We do so with an optimistic outlook, actively working towards a better future. We do so by “not giving up hope,” in the words of Racheli Frankel, whose son was one of the 3 yeshiva boys killed. If Racheli Frankel can still be hopeful for the future after the tragedy she went through, how much more so do we need to be. These examples of Jewish unity demonstrate to us that by working together, we can send a strong, powerful message that Jews of all stripes stick together.

There are multiple ways that you can help our congregation stand unified with Israel. One is by joining us on Sunday October 26 at our Musical Arts Gala concert. This concert features Israeli artist Rita, dubbed “The Israeli Madonna.” A portion of the proceeds from the concert will benefit the lone soldier organization A Hero in Heaven. Not only will you be supporting Israeli music but you also will be supporting an organization that helps those who choose to make Aliyah and serve in the Israeli Defense Forces.

Another way you can show Jewish unity is through visiting Israel and making your own personal connection to the Land of Milk and Honey. The Jericho Jewish Center is planning a trip to Israel in the Fall or Winter of 2015-16. This trip is open to all, whether you have been to Israel 50 times or have not yet had the pleasure of going, and the itinerary will be determined in part by the participants. Our opening meeting is at the synagogue on Wednesday October 29, and we hope to see you there.

A third way for us to all stand together is to continue to educate ourselves about the situation in Israel. Whether you are a member of AIPAC, JStreet, ZOA or another organization, there are numerous programs and resources devoted towards education about Israel’s political situation. I do not care if you are right-wing, as I am, left-wing or in the center: what I DO care about is that you care about our community and the worldwide Jewish community. As Elie Wiesel said, “The peril facing mankind today is indifference.” There are numerous speakers about Israel at the Mid Island Y and at various congregations in town, as well as a plethora of media sources that you can use to educate yourself about Israel. I am hoping to attend the AIPAC Policy Conference this March to continue my education about the situation in Israel.

A fourth avenue we can take is to support Israel financially. Israel was hit hard economically by the war this summer, especially through a lack of tourism. To do our part to help make up for this, we raised over half a million dollars in Israel Bonds. While our Israel Bonds event was in August, there is no end limit to when one can purchase a bond or make a donation to strengthen the Israeli economy, and I encourage all to do so.

I pray that the coming year will present numerous opportunities for us to come together as one people. I pray that we will fulfill the motto that “Wherever we stand, we stand with Israel,” for we are am yisrael, the people of Israel. Let us not lose sight of the biblical precept that though few in number, we are a strong and mighty nation, prepared to encounter the challenges that face us. May this truly be a year of renewed peoplehood, of being empowered to act together for a better future. AM YISRAEL CHAI! The People of Israel live!

While my sermons can all be found on my Sermons Page, I’m going to start publishing them as posts as well.

Walking with God

In the past few years, the University of Judaism has put out a series of books with teaching related to God. One of them is called Walking with God. What does it mean to walk with God? Good question! We will look at two bible characters, Enoch and Noah, who both walked with God.

The sixth Aliyah in last week’s Torah portion ended “And Enoch (חנוך) walked with God and was no more, for God took him.”  What it mean that Enoch was no more?  Rashi and Ibn Ezra comment that God taking Enoch refers to Enoch’s death. Rashi said that though Enoch was righteous, he was easily misled, which is why God took him before his time. The Baal HaTurim has a different reading: that God took Enoch and put him in the heavens.  He begins with Job 16:19 “Surely now my witness is in heaven, he who can testify for me is on high.”  He next shows that the word for “my witness,” עדי, has the same Gematria as חנוך and how the word for “my testifier,” ושהדי, has the same Gematria as מטטרון, the innermost angel to God.[1]  3 Enoch, a pseudepigraphical book in the hechalot literature which tells of Rabbi Ishmael’s encounter of Metatron in his journey to heaven, is the first place that describes Enoch’s transformation into Metatron.[2]  According to this view, Enoch thus is not merely someone who dies an early death but rather serves God as a heavenly being.

Both of these interpretations are very different than those regarding Noah, the other biblical figure who walked with God. This week’s portion began “Noah was a righteous man, pure in his generation. Noah walked with God.” Rashi here says that Noah walking with God means that he needed God’s support in order to be righteous. He takes this in concert with his comment of Noah being righteous in his generation-that if Noah was in a different generation, say Avraham’s, he would not be considered righteous. Kli Yakar, however, provides an alternative interpretation: that Noah was unwavering in his faith in God, not turning to the idolatrous gods of others. Once again there are two ways to look at walking with God: either someone who needs support to avoid the dangers of the world or someone with unwavering devotion to and faith in God.

Which definition of walking with God do you prefer? I prefer the latter, and this is how I view all biblical characters who are described as walking with God, whether it is Enoch, Noah or Abraham. When one walks on a path in life, his or her goal is generally to take a straightforward, unwavering path, rather than one that veers uncontrollably in multiple directions. Therefore, walking with God would be choosing a path of straightforwardness and righteousness through unwaveringly following God’s commandments, rather than what one feels like at the spur of a moment or what the media tells one to do.

How can we apply this lesson to our lives? For us to walk with God, we need to stand firm in what we believe in: to live an ethical life, follow commandments and bring holiness into the world. This viewpoint is similar to one of the definitions of halacha, Jewish law. The rabbis compare halacha to the word halach, or go, arguing that halacha is the path in life on which one walks. Let us choose the path of walking with God, as our ancestors did, and in doing so, our lives will be enriched and our spirits will be whole. In order to increase our feelings of godliness, let us turn to Page 777 in Siddur Hadash and continue responsively with a reading by Abraham Joshua Heschel.

[1] The second Gematria is a little off, even when one spells Metatron’s name מיטטרון.

[2] Gershom Scholem’s rendition of this section of 3 Enoch is “This Enoch, whose flesh was turned to flame, his veins to fire, his eye-lashes to flashes of lightning, his eye-balls to flaming torches, and whom God placed on a throne next to the throne of glory, received after this heavenly transformation the name Metatron.”

 W

We had a wonderful time at the Jericho Jewish Center’s first blessing of the pets. Blessing animals is something which has roots in Christianity, with St. Francis of Assisi blessing them 800 years ago. Why then have many synagogues chosen to take on this ritual? A few central reasons

1.) Blessing our pets enables us to appreciate their roles in our lives. For so many, their animals have an integral role in the family, and it is important to honor this.

2.) A connection is made to Parshat Noach, which we read this coming Shabbat, when the animals were saved from destruction.

3.) There are many contemporary blessings and rituals that are being created (one of my teachers at the Seminary wrote a blessing for finishing a new book). The rabbis of previous generations created numerous blessings and rituals, leaving room for us to do so as well. Having blessings over our pets is another way for us to connect to a age-old tradition of blessing that which we hold of great value.

Which blessing should we recite over our animals? There is no one right answer. The one that I chose for our ceremony is אוהב את הבריות, literally translated to “who loves all creatures.” Though בריות often translates to people, I am using it in its more literal translation of any creature.

I am already looking forward to next year’s Blessing of the Pets.

Today was the opening day of the Metropolitan Opera’s showing of Death of Klinghoffer, a film humanizing 4 Palestinian terrorists who captured the cruise ship Achille Lauro and murdered 69 year old wheelchair-bound Leon Klinghoffer just because he was an American Jew. There was a protest outside the Met which had 100 wheelchairs and signs saying “Leon Klinghoffer is us.” I was planning to attend, but I have been feeling under the weather, so I did not make it in. However, I watched The Voyage of Terror, the film detailing the hijacking. The film shows how, while the 4 terrorists were captured (thanks to an American plane which chased theirs down), the two higher-ups in the PLO who orchestrated the attack got away due to an agreement Italy had with the PLO.

The opera was produced in 1991, so why the protests now, 23 years later? For a simple reason: the fact that Death of Klinghoffer has permeated an institution of mainstream culture is extremely disturbing. As we know from our history, propaganda and scapegoating often permeates from culture. I would feel the same way if an opera romanticizing Jewish terrorists appeared at the Met. The bottom line is that terrorist actions are being humanized is completely unacceptable and unjustifiable.

For the record, I have not seen the opera in its entirety although I have seen a number of scenes (including the opening act), which were painful to watch and which demonstrated to me the problematic nature of this opera.

I was asked today before my Pirkei Avot class on Saturday afternoon as to whether or not I look forward to the holidays ending. For those who do not know, the Hebrew month of Tishrei (in September and October) features a marathon of holidays-Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot Shmini Atzeret and Simhat Torah. When these holidays conclude, we enter the month of Marheshvan, known as the bitter month because it contains no holidays. Many, however, enjoy this month because of its return to “ordinary time”: regular weeks uninterrupted by preparing meals and holiday prohibitions.

When I was at the Jewish Theological Seminary and the holidays ended, we said to one another “Hol Sameach”-in other words, enjoy “ordinary time,” full weeks without holidays. Like others, I genuinely appreciated this break from holidays (especially in a year like this when the holidays are directly followed by Shabbat). With that being said, I think we are missing something crucial if we celebrate the end of the holiday season. This season is meant for us to be more reflective about how we are living our lives and to celebrate time with friends and family. Now that it is over, and we return to our busy workweeks, the question is have we done that? Have we taken the time to decompress, think about our goals for the coming year, and have the proper mindset to make a difference in the world in which we live? Hopefully we have, so that we will be truly able to have a “Hol Sameach”-joyous and productive weeks of reconnecting with the world.