Rabbi Landsberg's Blog

Behind the Veil [in memory of Sasha Bella Stein Blumberg]

I don't think I ever fully appreciated the darkness of a movie theater as much as I do now that I have children.  Since my babies were born, everything has the potential to reduce me to tears :  an emotionally naunced scene in a heart-wrenching drama, a momentary expression of human misery in an otherwise heartless action movie, an inexcusable piece of shlock which I would have once mocked mercilessly.   I knew I was in trouble when I started crying during a preview for the film The Poseidon Adventure (it was when the two kids--who I knew with certainty would be among the survivors--were in the water up to their necks, terrified.)  I have been grateful for the ability to hide in the dark, keeping my emotions private in an otherwise public space. 

The Talmudic rabbis used the expression "behind the veil" or "behind the curtain" to describe a different kind of hiddenness, that of understanding reality from God's perspective.  The rabbis could posit an explanation of reality beyond ordinary human ken by imagining how everything looked "behind the veil".   They understood that they were simply imagining what God must be keeping hidden; they could not know, not until God pulled back the veil, or turned the lights on in the movie house.

I think that in today's parlance the Talmudic rabbis would probably rephrase "behind the veil" with "reading God's blog."  For that is where the hidden becomes accessible.   We know how often we hide our emotional state from others--answering "How are you?" with a nonchalant "Fine" no matter how much we may be suffering.  In the blogosphere, however, people open themselves fully--revealing their inner lives and showing to others their reality from behind the veil. 

This is not simply the case for Gen Yers and Gen Nexters and lots of people who aren't us.  In our own congregation, Jonathan Blumberg and Pamela Stein have allowed us a window into their souls.  They created a blog for and about their daughter Sasha Bella, z''l, who died just after turning two.  Their words are devastating; they lay their hearts bare and allow us into their souls.  I mention them for several reasons, but particularly want to share their words that I have begun to carry with me everytime I meet someone and ask the most seemingly mundane of all questions.  They write:

Maria asked 'How are you doing?'. It is such a powerful question. And it amazes me how many people miss the power of these few words, perhaps feel unsure or scared as if feeling around a scab that you dont want to dislodge. Or perhaps they feel the time has passed. I assure you the time has never passed.

Friends who I never informed, neighbours on the street who didn't visit, old aquaintances who acknowledge 'You have had a difficult time' but dont mention Sasha's name. I can understand the reluctance. Connect when you are unsure. Dont say too much, you dont even have to say anything, just listen to the answer. The question and open heart says it all.

I have no more to add, except to say:  you can go to their blog Sasha Bella Stein Blumberg Forever.  And, more than that, next time you ask someone how they are, you can let them know you do want to know the answer. 

Happy Chanukah!

dreidel series, originally uploaded by itucker.

Chanukah speaks to us more than we may want...

This year, Chanukah seemed to sneak up on me unawares.  I just this morning checked my cupboard to make sure I have enough candles and I will most likely engage in some serious latke  making this afternoon [...maybe]. 

More than being stressed, though, I am somewhat pleased at my lack of preparedness.  Chanukah is a minor holiday on our calendar; one shouldn't need weeks to get ready to celebrate it fully.  By ignoring the hoopla that surrounds the festival when observed as the "Jewish un-Christmas", I have been able to focus on the serious issues that Chanukah raises for us today.  Chanukah is, in fact, an early precursor to our modern struggle between Jewish assimilationists and those who wish to have nothing to do with the surrounding gentile culture and those of us who strive for a different balance between the two.  Read this quote from the Book  of Maccabees:

At that time there were some evil-doers in Israel who tried to win popularity for a policy of integration with the surrounding nations. It was because the Jews had kept themselves aloof for so long, they claimed, that so many hardships had befallen them. They acquired a following and applied to Antiochus, who authorized them to introduce the Greek way of life. They built a Greek gymnasium in Jerusalem and even had themselves uncircumcised.

So even in a 168BCE, it was a question about whether to join the gym! 

More seriously, however, the earliest records of the events that led to Chanukah posit a view of Jewish living that belies most of our history.  Unlike those who maintain that Judaism only thrives when it is completely protected from outside influences, I [and mainstream Jews generally] state unabashedly:  Jewish tradition, observance and culture is axiomatically a cosmopolitan tradition, which was influenced positively by the myriad of cultures we have lived amongst.  Acculturation can be reinvigorating for the Jewish people and is not--in and of itself--assimilation.  Clarity about this distinction is crucial for our survival. 

The questions for us today, therefore, are whether the steps of acculturation we make are strengthening our relationship with God [as individuals and as a people], with Jews [of today, yesterday and tomorrow], and with our task of tikkun olam.  We must navigate this path carefully and when we are confident that it meets these conditions, we do absorb the surrounding zeitgeist.  This balancing act is hard to perform, and many folk fall off entirely. Chanukah can challenge us today to reassess the delicate balance we strive to maintain. 

If you would like further information, see this article by Rabbi James Ponet from whom I took the Maccabees quote.  For more background of the development of Chanukah, you can go here.  Chag Chanukah Same'ach!

    

Border Crossings, in C Sharp

Sometimes I stumble across new expressions of Jewish culture and am astounded by the never ending fertility of our encounter with this world.  That is a grandiose way to introduce you to a vibrant new phenomenon in Jewish/Israeli music.  His name is Idan Raichel. 

Ahad Ha'am (bio here) would probably be surprised by my saying this, but I believe that Idan Reichal is an expression par excellence of the renewal of Jewish culture.  He fuses our traditions from around the globe, particularly emphasizing Mizrachi musical tropes.   His music is, at times, simply sublime and already has become a way by which Adam and I introduce our children to the mystery of being Jews and loving Jews.

If you want to hear samples of his music go here (the main site is here).   

Canadian Rabbinic Caucus and the PM

Canadian Rabbinic Caucus and the PM, originally uploaded by Rabbi Landsberg.

I was asked by the Canada Israel Committee [CIC] to come up to Ottawa as a founding member of the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus and to make the case for a manifesto for tolerance appealing to all faith groups. More than reaching out to others, the great strength of the day was our being able to reach out to one another--Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist rabbis alike. I will post what I said at the press conference later. Here you can see Canadian Rabbinic Team and the PM.