As I mentioned in November, I will be devoting this sermon to the history of the World Zionist Congress and why I believe it is important to vote in the elections, which began on Tuesday and which continue until April 30. What is the World Zionist Congress? It is a convening body that determines the policies of the World Zionist Organization, which was set up to “build an infrastructure to further the cause of Jewish settlement in Palestine,” and today in Israel. The congress dates back to August 1897, when it was first convened by Theodore Herzl at Basel, Switzerland. It currently meets once every 4 years in Israel.

The World Zionist Congress has undergone a number of changes, signified by Programs. The most recent is the Jerusalem Program of 2004 which states:

The foundations of Zionism are:

• The unity of the Jewish people, its bond to its historic homeland Eretz Yisrael, and the centrality of the State of Israel and Jerusalem, its capital, in the life of the nation;
• Aliyahto Israel from all countries and the effective integration of all immigrants into Israeli Society.
• Strengthening Israel as a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state and shaping it as an exemplary society with a unique moral and spiritual character, marked by mutual respect for the multi-faceted Jewish people, rooted in the vision of the prophets, striving for peace and contributing to the betterment of the world.
• Ensuring the future and the distinctiveness of the Jewish people by furthering Jewish, Hebrew and Zionist education, fostering spiritual and cultural values and teaching Hebrew as the national language;
• Nurturing mutual Jewish responsibility, defending the rights of Jews as individuals and as a nation, representing the national Zionist interests of the Jewish people, and struggling against all manifestations of anti-Semitism;
• Settling the country as an expression of practical Zionism.

One of the conditions for voting in the election is acceptance of the Jerusalem Program.

Why should we care about this? We should care because the World Zionist Congress is one of the main ways we can enhance the presence of the Conservative Movement in Israel. At the Congress there are a total of 500 delegates, and the United States has the second highest number of delegates allotted to it (145). The Congress works like the Knesset in having elections in which one votes for a political party. The Conservative Movement has a party, called Mercaz. In previous years, Mercaz has been the second highest vote-getter after Artza, the Reform Movement’s party. Why does it matter? First and foremost the elections will determine how much money Masorti (Conservative) Judaism will receive in Israel. Currently it receives $2.5 million annually, which are used to support the almost 60 Masorti congregations in Israel as well as in Europe and South America. Secondly, more votes for MERCAZ increases the Jewish Agency’s support of the TALI Schools. Unlike in America, schools are divided between those which are secular and those which are religious. In the past this has meant that a school was either secular or Orthodox, but now there is a third option: TALI schools (Tarbut Lemudi Yisraeli), which offer enhanced Jewish studies within a Conservative Jewish framework. Thirdly, the more votes for MERCAZ means the more delegates, enabling those delegates to form a bloc which can be used to influence policy decisions important to us, such as the recognition of Masorti (Conservative) conversions and marriages in Israel. In addition, it could mean more government-funded positions for Masorti rabbis. Until recently, only Orthodox rabbis were funded by the Israeli government, but now 6 Masorti rabbis are in government-funded positions. This enables Masorti congregations, some of which have not hired rabbis because they cannot fund them, will be able to have a rabbi in their community.

I hope this demonstrates the importance of having as many votes for MERCAZ as possible. In past years only 180,000 Americans have voted in the elections, and there is so much room for improvement. While MERCAZ has been the second highest vote-getter in the past, that is not guaranteed to continue, as there are more and more parties participating in the election, including a Jewish National Fund Party and Shas. While I would not tell anyone how to vote, I will say that if you care about the issues important to Conservative Judaism, whether it be Conservative rabbis’ life-cycle events being recognized, an option for egalitarianism in Israel or an option for a “middle way” between secular and Orthodox education, that you consider voting for MERCAZ.

It costs $10 per adult and $5 per full-time student aged 18-30 to vote in the election, a fee which simply covers the administrative costs of running the election. The voting period is from January 15 to April 30. To vote please go to the World Zionist Organization’s website (wzo.co.il) after Shabbat. I have also e-mailed out the link to the site from MERCAZ. May we work together to support the betterment of Israel. Shabbat Shalom.

ויפן כה וכה וירא כי אין איש……

…Va’yifen koh vachoh vayar ki ein ish…

And when Moses had grown he went out to his fellow Hebrews and saw their suffering, and he saw an Egyptian man severely beat[1] one of his fellow Hebrews.  And Moses turned this way and that way and saw that there was no man, and he killed the Egyptian and he hid him in the sand. (Exodus 2:11-12)

This passage has often bothered Biblical commentators because of the phrase “ein ish”.  What does it mean that there was no one around?  One possibility is that the Egyptian taskmaster was literally beating the Hebrew in an isolated area where no one was around except the two of them and Moses.  An alternative interpretation could be that there were people around but no one was watching the taskmaster oppress the Hebrew, since everyone was so engrossed in his or her own work.  A third possibility, and the one I think is most accurate, is that there were people around who were either watching the beating or hearing the cries of the oppressed but did not react to it.  It was a common experience for a slave to be beaten, so they would not be surprised by it.  While the Hebrew slaves might have wanted to defend their brother, they were numbed to the reality of their day and did not take action against the injustice.  Moses, on the other hand, was seeing the oppressiveness of the Egyptian taskmaster with eyes wide open, coming directly from Pharoah’s palace, and he was enraged.  When he saw that no one was doing anything about it, he took action on his own and slew the Egyptian.

Our rabbis teach a lesson based on a similar passage.  Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of the Fathers, contains the statement במקום שאין אנשים השתדל להיות איש, “In a place where there are no people, strive to be a man.”  If this statement is taken on solely a literal basis, it would not make much sense, as it would imply that one’s responsibility in striving to be a person only occurs in isolated places, where there is no one around.  Instead we must take a more figurative approach: that if there is no one stepping up in the face of injustice, we must put forth effort to be the person who steps forward.  If there are no people acting to make change in our communities, we must be the one who acts and who attempts to inspire others to action.

The story of Moses and the Egyptian and the aphorism in Pirkei Avot exemplify the quotation by Elie Wiesel “the opposite of love is not hate but indifference.”  Moses saw there was no one acting to defend his Hebrew brother and thus he decided to act.  He could have easily stood by and let the Egyptian taskmaster’s cruelty go unchecked, but instead he decided to defend the safety and honor of his brother.

The practical lesson that should be taken from this Torah portion is the importance of acting out against the injustices of our day.  It is sadly ironic that we read this portion immediately following the attack of Hyper Cacher supermarket in Paris, in which 4 hostages were killed and 5 others wounded. Hyper Cacher was in my opinion deliberately attacked on a Friday afternoon, when the crowds would have been the greatest as Jews gathered in preparation for Shabbat. I read an account of a woman who hid in a freezer for hours, waiting for the police to arrive and the attackers to be taken out. Our hearts are with the victims and our prayers with those who are critically wounded. We cannot stand idly by while our brethren are attacked solely because they are Jews. We cannot stand by with the atrocities of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, Boko Haram in Nigeria (who yesterday committed their deadliest attack yet) and Al-Shabab in Somalia. We cannot stand by when any human being is attacked, such as those of the newspaper Charlie Hebdo who were brutally murdered on Wednesday.

What are the ways that we can act against this injustice? Some of us act by giving money to relief organizations, others of us act by writing letters to public officials and others of us act by organizing rallies to inform the community about the grievances in the world and the importance of helping out.  We need to recognize all of these as being effective ways of acting out against injustice and applaud people for their efforts. I am challenging each of us to act by giving extra Tzedakah this month. At the end of the month the Tzedakah money will be sent to the Jewish Agency for Israel, helping French Jews who are striving to make Aliyah at this time.

As we reflect on the suffering in the world, both of our brethren and of those at the newspaper Charlie Hebdo, let us remember the quote לא עליך המלאכה לגמור ולא אתה בן חורין להבטל ממנה; “You are not obligated to complete the work but neither are you free to desist from it.”  May we each do our part in working to overturn the suffering experienced by our brethren throughout the world. Let us each be “men,” like Moses, and stand up in the face of injustice for our people and for all humanity.

Growing up in Milwaukee, snow in the winter was a regular occurrence for me. I grew up with snow-pants, snow-boots and making snowmen on cold winter days. Walking in a foot and a half of snow was not unusual, nor was seeing the “salting trucks” on the road. However, there are places less accustomed to having a sizable amount of snow, such as Jerusalem. For the second out of three winters, Jerusalem got hit with a massive snowstorm. Schools and roads were closed, cities were physically cut off from one another and people rushed to the grocery to get enough food to outlast the storm. Tens of thousands were left without power and people were left stranded.

Israel took many precautionary measures, closing the main highways and warning people to stay put. Centers were also established for those who were stranded to stay the night.

In the northern United States, we do not panic upon hearing about a coming snowstorm. We might try not to leave our home (except for work) but for the most part business is conducted as usual. That was not the case in Jerusalem, which the storm hit very hard, and which does not have the same infrastructure for dealing with snow-as a big storm is a rare occurrence.

Here are some pictures of the Jerusalem snow:

This Shabbat we complete the book of Bereshit with the reading of Parashat VaYehi.  Parshat VaYehi contains blessings that Jacob gives to each of his sons and to two of his grandchildren.  The blessing that interests me most is Jacob’s blessing to Judah: גור אריה יהודה מטרף בני עלית כרע רבץ כאריה וכלביא מי יקימנו  “Judah is a lion’s whelp.  From a predator, my son, you have ascended.  He crouches and lies down like a lion, who would dare rouse him?”  The middle of this verse greatly interests me, as what does it mean that Judah has risen from being a predator?

Rashi says that Judah has ascended in moral status.  According to him, when Jacob said “a wild beast has devoured Joseph,” he meant Judah as the beast.  Judah was the leader of the brothers and thus when Jacob saw Joseph’s bloodied coat, he thought that Judah had murdered him.  Jacob therefore is saying that Judah has risen מטרף, from being one who preys on others.  When the brothers reunite with Joseph and Joseph wants to hold Benjamin captive, it is Judah who pleads to be taken prisoner instead, so that Jacob will not lose his other favorite son.

I strongly agree with Rashi’s interpretation of מטרף בני עלית.  At the beginning of the Joseph narrative, Judah is the leader of the brothers who throw Joseph into the pit and sell him into slavery.  He heads the brothers who contemplate murdering Joseph!  By the end of the Joseph narrative, Judah is still the leader, although instead of making sport of a brother’s life he holds it as sacred.  It would have been easy for Judah to let Benjamin go into Egyptian captivity, as he did with Joseph, yet this time Judah protects his brother.

The lesson to be taken from this is that moral character is a process that grows with time.  The Judah we encountered a few weeks ago was a deeply flawed man, one who would get rid of one of his brothers out of jealousy.  He was not a moral leader, but rather one who led the older brothers to gang up on the defenseless youngest one.  The Judah of this week’s parashah, however, is a man who stands up for his weakest brother and takes charge as the head of the family.  He has truly risen from being a predator to being a righteous, deserving leader.

How does this apply to us?  Throughout our lives we encounter individuals whose behavior strikes us as immoral or egregious.  While we are right to shun this behavior, we also have to keep in mind that those whose example we decry today might go through a process of personal growth, like Judah did.  We are not the people of Abraham, Isaac or even of Moses. Rather we are יהודים, the people of Judah. Our protagonist was an unlikely leader-one who would murder his brother or sell him into slavery-yet at he went through a process of moral ascent and self-improvement. That is what leadership is all about: recognizing our mistakes and working each and every day to improve them.

As we begin the secular new year, let us resolve to be like Judah, working each and every day to make ourselves the best we can be. Let us recognize that whatever mistakes we make, there is always the opportunity to make positive changes to benefit ourselves and those who are important to us. That is what it means to be a Jew-one who comes from Judah.

On my interview Shabbat in Jericho last January, I was blessed to meet a great man-Cantor Wolkin. I quickly learned that Cantor Wolkin had led holiday services at Browns in the Catskills for almost 40 years and that he had preformed over 1,000 marriages. This past summer, Cantor Wolkin attended services almost every Shabbat with his daughter Barbara Smiler (who along with her husband Dennis are active members of our synagogue) and his attendant Rex. Barbara was very close to her father and devoted to his needs. Cantor Wolkin also was great friends with congregant Judy Solomon, who was devoted to his well-being and care. He had a face that would light up a room, and a voice that even at 96 years of age would blow people away.

Cantor Wolkin joined us for Shabbat on the Beach in August and for Tashlikh services. Seeing him there in his wheelchair and with a big smile on his face was inspiring. It was not so easy for him to attend, and I thank Barbara Smiler and Judy Solomon for bringing him.

My first time visiting Cantor Wolkin at his house was very memorable. Cantor shared memories of his career, played a recording and gave me a copy of his book Shalom Aleichem! Reading the book helped me learn about his childhood in Brooklyn, his marriage to Louise his career as a Cantor and his 6 children, as well as his concerts and interactions with Yossele Rosenblatt, Jan Pierce and Moshe Koussevitsky. Some of Cantor Wolkin’s recordings are available on YouTube.

Hearing recordings of Cantor Wolkin singing V’chol Maaminim at R’tzeh helped me imagine what it was like to be in the Borsht Belt 50 years ago listening to powerful Hazzanut. You could hear his neshama (soul) through every word.

The most touching moment in my short time of knowing Cantor Wolkin was the last time he made it to Saturday services-Thanksgiving Weekend. After the Musaf Amidah, Cantor Black along with Mark Perlson, Howard Gendel and Bob Hordos went over to Cantor Wolkin and sang “she’yibaneh beit hamikdash,” one of Cantor Wolkin’s favorite songs. It was such a touching moment and symbolized everything that Cantor Wolkin has meant to our congregation.

The last time I saw Cantor Wolkin was on Hanukkah. I was dismayed that he did not respond when I talked to him. When I began singing Hanukkah songs, however, his face lit up and he began to speak. I said “It’s Hanukkah” and he replied “Wonderful!” I was happy to know that I was able to leave him with a smile.

Zichrono L’vracha-Cantor Wolkin’s memory is for blessing.

What are the top qualities of a leader? In Developing the Leader within You, Reverand John Maxwell writes that one of the chief characteristics of a leader is self-restraint. Self-restraint?! Aren’t leaders people of action, decision makers? Maxwell says yes, but that in addition to leaders knowing when to act, they also need to know when to restrain themselves. Knowing the difference between when to restrain oneself and when to speak or act is a hallmark of true leadership.

The Hebrew word for self-restraint is להתאפק. The word appears twice in the Humash, both times referring to Joseph. One is in this week’s portion, when Joseph first sees Benjamin, and the other is in this week’s portion, after Judah’s plea to Joseph to let Benjamin stay with the other brothers. In the former, Joseph is overcome with emotion, having not seen Benjamin since childhood. He blesses Benjamin and then quickly leaves the room to cry, wash his face and return in control of his emotions. This ensured that Joseph could to hide his identity from his brothers and hide his emotions from his Egyptian underlings. As second-in-command, Joseph has to uphold his image as the grand vizier, and an emotional outburst might have shown weakness to the Egyptians.

In next week’s portion, however, Joseph is no longer able to restrain himself. Judah has an impassioned plea on behalf of the brothers to save Benjamin’s life as well as Jacob’s; for if Benjamin does not return, Jacob will die. Joseph is so moved by the plea for Benjamin’s life that he cries out “Have everyone withdraw from me!” at which point he reveals his identity to his brothers. He makes an attempt to hide his emotions from the Egyptian attendants while simultaneously removing his mask as the Egyptian grand vizier. Joseph as the stern, distrusting Egyptian taskmaster disappears and is replaced by an emotional, benevolent brother.

What lesson does this portion teach us? A true leader needs to know the circumstances when to restrain himself/herself from speaking or acting out yet also when words and action are required. At times a leader must be an actor,  yet at other times s/he must directly respond to the situation at hand. This is of course easier said than done, which is why I believe Reverend Maxwell holds self-restraint as one of his pillars of leadership. Self-restraint is something each of us can do: after all, even the villainous Haman restrained himself from going after Mordecai in Chapter 6 of the Book of Esther! May each of us do what we can to emulate Joseph in having the wisdom to know the difference between when to respond and when to be restrained.

What is Hanukkah about? Not sure? Well neither were the rabbis. In Babylonian Talmud Tractate Shabbat 21b, the rabbis say “What is Hanukkah?” The answer they give is that a jar was found with only enough oil to last one day, yet it lasted for eight days. However, the Book of Maccabees gives a different account-that Hanukkah is about the Maccabees’ improbable victory over the Syrian Greek army, a victory of our ancestors against their foes who wanted them to assimilate into Greek society.

I prefer a third interpretation, connected to Hanukkah’s Hebrew meaning-dedication. Hanukkah was about the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem from being a Greek pagan shrine to a place of Jewish worship. The Temple was the holiest Jewish site so its dedication (and the lighting of the Temple Menorah) was of paramount importance.

Since the holiday of Sukkot (the greatest holiday during rabbinic times) had recently passed by, Hanukkah was a delayed celebration of that festival. Now of course Hanukkah and Sukkot serve different purposes: one focuses on the culmination of the fall harvest; the other on standing up for what we believe in and finding light during the darkest moments of the year.

As Hanukkah approaches, I would like us to ask what we want to dedicate ourselves to doing over the course of the coming year. I hope that our dedication to our beliefs and for our causes is as strong as the Maccabees’ dedication to their faith. I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Joyous Hanukkah.

I read about the attack in Crown Heights with a heavy heart. Another Jew attacked in a place of worship while communicating with God? The attacker said “I will kill the Jew, I want to kill the Jew!”

Why did such an incident occur? Why attacks religiously motivated against Jews? I dont get it and continue to have more questions than answers.

I felt the same way when I asked for a moment of silence this past Shabbat over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. I strongly believe that a large part of the excessive use of force against these two armed black men had to do with the color of their skin. Yes the men resisted arrest but they were unarmed, so why was there a shooting and a violent headlock? Police brutality is not a new issue but it is certainly one that has risen to the forefront recently, and unfortunately I believe that without indictments it will continue. Why not be a George Zimmerman, taking the law into ones own hands, when you can get away with it? Why not use force to fatally subdue someone and then argue that it was merely an act of self defense?

If I am to express outrage when a Jew is attacked I strongly believe I need to for any attack, regardless of one’s race, religion or creed. I dont know when this vicious cycle of hatred will end, but I pray for an end to the violence and for more diversity training in schools so that we can learn to respect “the other”-for one will not murder someone who s/he respects.

This week’s Torah reading features the origin of the name Israel.  Jacob is encamped on the ford of Jabbok, awaiting an encounter with his brother Esau.  That night a man wrestles with him, and when he sees that Jacob cannot be overcome, he twists Jacob’s hip out of its socket.  The man then says he needs to go because daylight is approaching.  Despite being in great pain, Jacob will not let go of the man until he receives a blessing from him.  The man blesses Jacob by saying that his new name is Israel, “for you have wrestled (sarita) with God and with people and you have prevailed.”

This story raises many questions for me.  Who is this man fighting with Jacob?   How has Jacob wrestled with God?  Why does the man need to leave at the approach of daylight?  Why does Jacob ask for another blessing?

It is interesting that none of the commentators I found believe that this was a man wrestling with Jacob.  Rashi, an 11^th century French commentator, quotes a Midrash from Bereshit Rabbah which says that the man is Esau’s minister, the evil angel Samael, also known as the angel of death.  According to another Midrash, Samael was the one who seduced Eve.  Sforno, a 15^th century Italian commentator, does not necessarily agree that the man is Samael but does believe that it is an angel who is sent to fight Jacob by a command from God.  It is strange to me that a text which clearly says a man wrestled with Jacob is readily interpreted as an angel, just like the text about 3 men visiting Abraham being interpreted as 3 angels.  Perhaps our medieval commentators had a fascination with angels, so much so that they read them in, whereas our modern rationalism tends to read them out.  In any event, reading the wrestler as an angel helps make sense of the 2^nd question, where do we get that Jacob wrestled with God, as angels were considered to be divine beings, so wrestling with an angel is akin to wrestling with God.

The 3^rd question, why does the wrestler have to leave at daylight, is also answerable by viewing the man as an angel.  As Rashi points out from Talmud Hullin 71b, angels sing to God at first daylight while in the heavenly court, and therefore, if this angel is stuck on earth, wrestling with Jacob, he will be unable to fulfill his obligation in singing to God.  The Kli Yakar, a 16^th century Polish commentator, has a different reading, stating that Samael saw he could not succeed in getting Jacob to deny God’s existence.  For the Kli Yakar, the wrestling is not a physical act but a metaphorical one, where the angel is arguing that Jacob needs to deny God.  Thus, Jacob’s prevailing becomes an act of affirming monotheism.

The final question, why does Jacob demand a blessing, is in my opinion the most perplexing.  Two weeks ago, in Parshat Toledot, we saw Jacob take Esau’s blessing from Isaac.  In that Torah portion, we saw Isaac bless him with the dew of heaven, the fat of the earth, abundance of grain and wine, being master over the surrounding nations and over his brother’s descendants, and having those who bless him be blessed and those who curse him be cursed.  What stronger blessing could one receive than that?  Because of this, Rashi states that the blessing Jacob wants is a reaffirmation of the blessing Isaac gave him, as Esau is trying to undermine it.  Rashbam, however, says that Jacob wants a new blessing as compensation for the injury of his hip socket.  A new blessing, this one from a divine source, would ensure that Jacob was successful in his endeavors.  Therefore, the angel gives Jacob the blessing of a new name based off the word struggle or wrestle, indicating that he will be successful in all his struggles/wrestlings.

Has anyone here ever been given a new name?  Was there a special meaning in the new name that you were given?  How did it feel to be called by something new?

I see great meaning in Jacob’s name being changed to Israel.  As the children of Israel, we have had to wrestle with those around us, both in physical fights for our survival and through debates with those of other religions who claim that Judaism is no longer relevant.  Throughout history our people have been persecuted, just as Israel was pursued by his brother, and like Israel we have had to flee for our survival.  Despite having to flee, Israel was able to become a wealthy shepherd, have 13 children and make up with his brother.  Similarly, despite the children of Israel having to flee, we have prospered in America, reestablished control over Israel and can live today in most countries in the world.  I want to take the analogy one step further, applying it to the Jericho Jewish Center, as despite demographic challenges, we have continued holding twice daily minyanim and spirited Shabbat services, fostering cutting-edge programming and creating a nurturing environment for the perpetuation of Judaism.

Where does this leave us?  I see our examining Israel’s struggle with the angel as being connected to our people’s struggle for survival, both as a nation and as a congregation.  While in this country we are thankfully not being persecuted by people who want to destroy us, to the extent of our brethren in Europe, we are fighting assimilation and demographic shifts and are struggling to enhance people’s Jewish identities.  This is an ongoing struggle, like the struggle of Israel, and hopefully also like Israel’s wrestling, we will prevail and be enriched from our struggle.  May we take the struggle of Israel to heart and may it bring us together as we continue to embrace the challenge of strengthening our congregation.

This morning at the Jericho Jewish Center, 10 people gathered in the Sisterhood kitchen to learn how to brew beer. In 3 hours, we made a pale ale, which is currently in the process of fermenting. We also learned about using beer for ritual ceremonies such as kiddush (when no wine is available) as well as about the kashrut of beer. The next step in to bottle the bear in 7-10 days after the yeast has caused the beer to ferment.

Yasher Koach to Dr. Steve Wishner (second last picture), a physician who in college and medical school developed the hobby of brewing his own beer. Dr. Wishner is well-versed in the chemistry and physics of beer-making and was able to explain it in a way that “common folk” (like myself) could understand. He also brought a number of pale ales for us to taste and explained to us the history of their development (and interesting trivia, such as why the Indian Pale Ale is more acidic than a regular pale ale). He also explained how different people add the malt and hops at different stages of the process to get different flavors as well as diverse strains of yeast. In addition, Dr. Wishner taught us how to properly taste a beer to get the full effect of its flavors.

I am interested in doing future programs cenetered on congregants and their hobbies. When I was a rabbinic intern in South Bend, I had a congregant who was a beekeeper, who showed me how he produces honey. In Tucson I had the opportunity to meet a congregant who was a pilot (allowing me to fly the plane in unrestricted air space!) There are so many people with such great wealth of information and fascinating hobbies that we can all learn from.