The Meaning of Hanukkah

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.

When Will the Hatred End?

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.

The Birth of Israel

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 11th 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 15th 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 2nd 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 3rd 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 16th 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.

Hops and Halacha

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.

Latkes and Vodka

On Saturday December 6, 70 people attended Jericho Jewish Center’s first ever Latkes and Vodka. We ate latkes of many flavors (potato leak, sweet potato and cranberry apple, among others), drank an assortment of flavored and regular vodkas (including raspberry, vanilla and citrus), socialized  and listened to the music of jazz pianist Greg Shleich. It was a wonderful way to build community and celebrate the upcoming Festival of Lights that is Hanukkah.

Latkes and Vodka was an event that I first discovered in the 20s and 30s group in Milwaukee and then at Congregation Anshei Israel in Tucson. It has great appeal-people socializing over food and drink in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. It was also a great prelude for our January 24 Saturday evening concert featuring Mostly Moptop, a Beatles cover band. What a great way to join together with community!

I cant wait for our Hops and Halacha tomorrow, where we will make beer and learn about its kashrut. See you then!

Elections in Israel

Reading about Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s dismissal of two of his government ministers left me very frustrated. When I was growing up there were quite a number of government dissolution (or times when the majority party was unable to form a coalition). However, I do not remember it happening at the prime minister’s behest. I understand that the Prime Minister is frustrated because Knesset officials Tzipi Livni and Yair Lapid have criticized a number of his policies, most recently his legislation to define Israel as strictly a Jewish country. However, to accuse them of trying a coup d’etat makes no sense to me. Israel is always a country where Knesset members vocally disagree with one another, even those who are members of the governing coalition. To dismiss those who disagree with you and call new elections 2 years early is in my opinion causing a disservice to Israelis and increasing the feelings of instability at a time when Israel is vulnerable. Perhaps the Prime Minister thinks that new elections will lead to more votes among right wing parties, but I am not so certain that will be the case.

It is also interesting that Netanyahu’s calling for new elections comes at the same time that Labor MK Merav Michaeli presented a bill limiting the Prime Minister to 2 consecutive terms. Bibi is in his third term as Prime Minister so if the bill were to pass he would be out of office. It will be interesting to see what happens with her bill, amidst the call for new elections.

I also want to note that the new elections in Israel come about at a time of gridlock in the United States Congress and an impending government shutdown next week (the second in two years) if issues do not get resolved. I would hope that our politicians would have the common sense to know before whom they are standing (the voters who elected them) and do whatever they can to avoid a shutdown.

VaYetze-Clinging to One’s Spouse

My sermon for this past Shabbat’s auf ruf

This week’s Torah portion features one of the best love scenes in the entire Torah. Jacob, after fleeing from the wrath of his brother and having the dream of the ladder with ascending and descending angels, arrives in Haran, seeking out his uncle Laban. Upon arriving there, he sees his cousin Rachel coming to water her sheep. Rachel could not water the sheep until all the shepherds roll the stone off the well. All the shepherds are needed to roll the stone, indicating its immense size. However, in a moment of passion Jacob rolls off the stone all by himself! He then waters all of the sheep, kisses Rachel and cries.

What a romantic scene! The knight in shining armor comes to chivalrously help the maiden in need and has a moment of superhuman strength to accomplish the necessary task. He then gets the girl, brings her home and decides to marry her. However, the task is not so easy. Uncle Laban makes Jacob work in the family business for 7 years, promising that he will give Jacob his beloved Rachel after that point. Jacob agrees and has so much passion for Rachel that the years pass by as if they were days. However, Laban tricks Jacob, giving him a veiled Leah instead! Jacob marries the wrong girl and is forced to work an additional 7 years for his beloved Rachel.

This story illustrates what I believe is a crucial life lesson: marriage takes hard work (literally)! What begins as a moment of passion, an infatuation or crush over another in a fairy-tale serenity will eventually be beset with the work involved in maintaining a marriage. That does not mean that the initial passion is forgotten or that the love goes away: the text indicates that Jacob stayed in love with Rachel for his entire life. However, that initial love blossoms into something even more beautiful: the creation of a new household. Two become one.

This line of thinking is consistent with the first line of the commentary: “And Jacob went out from Beer Sheva and he went to Haran.” Commentators ask why both parts of the verse are necessary?  Surely it would have been enough to just say “Jacob went to Haran.”  This is further troubling to commentators because the Bible never specified when Avraham and Isaac went out, so why does it do it for Jacob?

An answer to this is provided by Ephraim of Luntshitz, a 16th century commentator whose commentary is entitled Kli Yakar.  Ephraim said that unlike Abraham and Isaac, Jacob removed his thoughts from the place where his parents lived.  He quotes the Yalkut Shimoni, a 13th century Midrash, which says that Jacob’s sole focus became his new home in Haran with Rachel and Leah.  The midrash sees this as the central idea to be taken from the verse “A man should leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife.”  Therefore, Jacob’s going out, as indicated in the verse, was not merely a physical journey but a transformed mindset, focusing on his present life conditions rather than his past.

I would emend the biblical verse to indicate that while one might physically leave his/her parents upon getting married, s/he does not leave the teachings and values that his/her parents have taught. These go forward to setting up the new marriage and the present-day family dynamics. We take what we learned from growing up with our parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and siblings as well as what we have learned from the world experience over the years and we add them to our household.

I think there is a lesson here for all of us: the importance of living in accordance with where we are now as opposed to where we were in the past.  To be like Jacob and Rachel, like Robert and Bari, and go out into a new present reality, is a challenge, yet it is one that I think we should all embrace.  This does not mean to completely disregard the past, nor does it mean to disregard the opinions from family members who know us, love us and care about us.  What it means is to not let our past perceptions of ourselves get in the way of where we are now.  Let us strive to be like Jacob and Rachel, continually basing our mindset on our present day reality.  In so doing, we will always be prepared to embrace today as it truly is and to make meaningful decisions about our present day lives.

Counting Our Blessings

As Thanskgiving approaches, it is time to count the blessings that we have in life. When I celebrated Thanksgiving in Milwaukee, my grandmother always used to say, “What are you thankful for?” Gratitude is a practice that I have adopted every time I lead a family service. When we read the Birchot HaShachar (morning blessings) I have us read in English (“Praised are you Adonai, source of blessing” and then have someone say what they are grateful for. Generally it is one of the basic staples of life: family, friends, food, clothing or shelter. I want to add a few things to this list for which I am grateful

1.) I am grateful to have a loving, supportive community in Jericho. It is not easy to move cross-country and begin a new job, and thanks to the support of congregants and friends, my wife and I have not only had a successful transition but a thriving one.

2.) I am grateful for the changing seasons: the leaves turning colors, the temperature fluctuations (as frustrating as they might be at times) and the raindrops and (not yet but soon to be) snowflakes.

3.) I am grateful to live in a country that judges its cases through juries and trials. While at times I disagree with the decisions (as in the grand jury’s recent acquittal in Ferguson) I appreciate having the opportunity to cases to be judged with due process of law.

4.) I am grateful to live in a country that encourages freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and free speech. While at times I disagree with opinions that I hear, I am grateful to have the opportunity to dialogue and hear diverse points of view.

5.) I am grateful for the Torah and the wisdom it imparts in how I live my life each and every day. Not only the written wisdom but also the spiritual wisdom that I find in reflection, in nature and in my community.

6.) I am grateful for friends who, though some live across the world or across the country, are never too far to call, text, ask advice from or learn from.

7.) I am grateful for my family always being there for me. My parents who raised me into the person I am today, my siblings who have encouraged me throughout my life journey, my grandmother who I often call and ask advice from, my uncles and aunts for always being there for me and last (but not least) my wife for being my life partner in every aspect, for always listening and working with me through life’s challenges and for loving me for who I am.

8.) I am grateful each morning I wake up to the sunrise that I have another day to try to make the world a better place.

May each of you have a happy, healthy and blessed Thanksgiving.

Fostering Harmony in a Multireligious Household

For those who did not see my response to this question in the Newsday article on Saturday November 8, here it is. The entire article can be accessed off of my News Articles page on this website.

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The key is open and frequent communication. The adults in the household need to let each other know their personal faith story — what parts of their faith they are passionate about and would like to incorporate into the household and what parts they are not comfortable with and would like to dissociate from their household. This could range from whether to put up a Christmas tree or Hanukkah menorah to what religion to raise children in — and everything in between.

In sharing one’s story, I would encourage empathetic listening between the partners and actively working together. This is holy work and, although messy at times, it is crucial to do.

If there are children, I feel the focus needs to be on what is in their best interests. Raising children in both faiths might be an approach a family takes but it is not a simple endeavor. More open communication between the partners will lead to well-thought-out decisions being made and a healthy household environment.

 At the Jericho Jewish Center, we are welcoming to households of different faiths, and my approach begins by actively listening to people’s stories and their aspirations for their families.

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Sermon After Synagogue Attack

Please remain standing for the Memorial Prayer.

“Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt-how, undeterred by fear of God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear.” Why am I quoting this, a section from Ki Tetzei also read on Shabbat Zachor, today, when we read Toledot? I had prepared a different sermon comparing Jacob and Esau to people with different learning needs, which I will plan to give next year. However, I feel the need to address today the atrocious murder that occurred on Tuesday in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Nof.

As we unfortunately learned, two Palestinian cousins walked into a synagogue with a gun and meat cleavers, killing 4 rabbis: Rabbi Moshe Twersky (Isadore Twersky’s son and Joseph Soloveitchik’s grandson) z”l, Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Goldberg z”l, Rabbi Aryeh Kupinsky z”l, Rabbi Calman Levine z”l and Druze policeman Zidan Sayif z”l, all of blessed memory. The rabbis were davening their morning prayers, just as we have gathered today to pray to God. They were attacked at a moment of deep communication with the Almighty, a moment of vulnerability, just as Israel was attacked on Yom Kippur War over 40 years ago. Tallitot and Siddurim were bloodied; there were bullet holes in the synagogue wall and the loss of life, including that of the Head of the Yeshiva.

How many of you came to services today with the fear of a terrorist attack? How many of you have ever been afraid of going to a synagogue or Jewish event? While there are terror attacks against Jews in our country, we are fortunate that we can worship and live as we please without the daily fear of an attack.

When Steve Mann told be about the attack at Tuesday minyan, I immediately had two thoughts. First, the fact that I have been able to pray to God every morning at services without fear of an attack. I cannot imagine being in the middle of a prayer to God, in a state of great fervor and vulnerability, and all of a sudden being attacked by a terrorist. Secondly, I thought about a program I had attended called Heritage Retreats, of which the unstated goal was to make you baal teshuva and attend Yeshivat Machon Shlomo in Har Nof for one year. Machon Shlomo is down the street from Torat Moshe, the yeshiva where the shooting occurred. What would have been my reaction to hearing the sound of a gun or people being butchered to death?

I began my remarks with a reference to Amalek. Why? I certainly do not believe (as some claim) that all Arabs or all Muslims are Amalek. I have had enough experiences with moderate Islam not to believe this. What I do believe is that terrorists, who prey on innocent civilians, are exactly like Amalek. I learned from Rabbi Art Vernon of Congregation Shaaray Shalom in West Hempstead, who has a haredi (ultra-orthodox) daughter in Har Nof, that this site was deliberately planned by the terrorists. One of the two terrorists, Uday and Rassan Abu Jamal from East Jerusalem, worked next to the synagogue on Agassi Street. He knew that nearby there was another, modern Orthodox synagogue. However, the members of that synagogue, who have served in the Israeli army, all have guns, so the Abu Jamal cousins would have been shot dead upon entering. Therefore, the ultra-Orthodox synagogue was targeted, as its members do not serve in the Israeli army and do not have guns. This act, in my opinion, makes the brothers like Amalek: they went after innocent, defenseless Israelis with (in my opinion) the goal of killing as many as possible. As with Amalek, Israel cannot forget this action and must respond in kind until all terrorists, all traces of Amalek, are eliminated from the land.

You may have noticed 5 chairs on the Bimah, each of which has a picture of one of the deceased and an image from the murder. 4 of the chairs have a tallit (prayer shawl) and a siddur (prayerbook). This represents the 4 rabbis who were killed holding their siddurim in fervent prayers to God and wearing their bloody tallitot unto the moment of death. The 5th chair has an Israeli flag and represents the Druze police officer who was killed. Zidan Sayif gave his life to devotedly serving his homeland. He was a traffic cop called to the scene of a massacre, and we are grateful for what he did (and for what all the Israeli Druze do) to serve Israel.

I asked everyone to bring their favorite Siddur and wear their favorite Tallit and Kippah. My favorite Siddur is VaAni Tefilati, the Conservative movement’s Siddur in Israel. At one point it was the second best-selling book in all of Israel, indicating Israelis’ desire for a more liberal prayerbook by which to connect to God. The tallit that I am wearing contains images of Jerusalem to show solidarity with Israel today. The Kippah I am wearing, also with images of Jerusalem, was designed by Israeli artist Yair Emmanuel. All three of my ritual items come from or have connection to the Land of Israel. I would like to hear during Kiddush about your connections to your ritual items.

In the email I sent you I wrote about 4 things that each of us can do to show solidarity with Israel, one of which is being here today, another is joining me at the AIPAC Policy Conference to meet with our representatives and urge them about the importance of a strong US-Israel relationship, and a third is joining us on our congregational Israel trip next November. What I did not mention, which I want to touch on now is that everyone here 18 and older can vote in the elections for the upcoming World Zionist Congress. I will devote a sermon in January (when the elections open) to what is the World Zionist Congress, why it is important to vote and why I hope that everyone here will consider voting for MERCAZ, the Conservative movement’s party in the elections. However, I wanted to give a taste of it now because we often feel so powerless to do anything of influence in Israel yet in reality we do have power. We can vote in the elections to ensure that the World Zionist Congress has delegates who care about our issues regarding Israel.

The lessons I want to leave us with are the following. The terrorists are interested in targeting Jews-not just Zionists, not just Israelis but Jews. They will target the most vulnerable and defenseless members of our people. As in the case of Amalek, we cannot let them win. As Warren Kozak said at the Institute of Adult Jewish Studies this past Monday night, Israel needs to give a strong response to any terrorist action-and I believe Israel will. At the same time, we must stand strong and in solidarity with our brethren. The principle of kol yisrael arevin zeh bah zeh, all of Israel is responsible for one another, is no more true than it is today. Even if we do not relate to the haredi world, which tends to be insular and not Zionist, it is imperative that we stand with our ultra-Orthodox brethren-for the attack could have just as easily been on us. For the terrorists a Jew is a Jew is a Jew-so for us all Jews must stand strong and together. Finally, please join us for morning and evening minyan, committing to at least one morning or one night per week. I thank those who have made their commitments and ask others to do so for us to stand strong as a community, celebrating our constitutional principles of freedom of assembly and freedom of worship and helping those in our congregation who need a minyan to say Kaddish.

Cantor Black will now sing HaTikvah so we can show our solidarity with Israel. Please rise and face the Israeli flag.