Rabbi Landsberg's Blog

Parshat Hashavua....

It is not always so easy in our hectic schedules to keep abreast of the Parshat Hashavua. I keep my pocket sized Torah by my bed for those moments of nocturnal lucidity brought on by parenting. Here is another way -  Lech Lecha (Genesis 12:1 - 17:27) brought to you by G-DCAST. It's quite entrancing.

copyright 2008, g-dcast llc

You can subscribe to the G-DCAST site and receive the Parsha everyweek here.

Marguarita Mondays, Talmud Tuesdays...

For many "Jews in the pews," hard labour in a quarry seems more viable than wresting meaning from the Mishnah, the rabbinic legal work codified in 200CE.  Yes, Mishnah study can be daunting, but it offers something of immeasurable value: it is a way of eavesdropping on the Jewish conversation of which we are, in fact, a vital part.

Every Tuesday, for some weeks now, the Union for Reform Judaism's "10 Minutes of Torah" has been dedicated to a particular Mishnah - read a recent post here.  For those who would like to subscribe to this series in future here is the RSS feed - http://feeds.urj.net/urjtmt or you can subscribe by email here.

Jerusalem and the Jews...

There is little to add to the pain, sorrow and horror in the face of the deaths at the Mercaz Harav in Jerusalem. This Shabbat at Temple Emanu-El we added the list of the victims to our kaddish list:

Yohai Livshitz, 18, from Jerusalem; Yonatan Yitzhak Eldar, 16, from Shilo; Yonadav Haim Hirschfeld, 19, from Kohav Hashahar; and Neria Cohen, 15, also from the capital, Segev Peniel Avihail, 15, from Neve Daniel, Avraham David Moses, 16, from Efrat, Roee Roth, 18, from Elkana and Doron Meherete, 26, from Ashdod.

Zichronam Livracha

Now more than ever it behooves us to enter a debate that has started in the Diaspora over whether Jews in the Diaspora have a "voice" in the fate of Jerusalem ("One Jerusalem", as the slogan goes, or two?).  As someone acutely conscious of the fact that my children are safely in bed as I type, I say quite clearly: no - for those of us who have chosen to live chutz la'aretz, we forfeit the right to determine the borders of the State of Israel, whatever our fears, hopes and politics.

Please read this article Slate and--for sense of where the leadership of the North American Reform movement is--read this article from December 2007.

"Love is lowering the threshold of disgust..."

I came back a week and a half ago from a very short sojourn at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.   While I want to strongly encourage members from Emanu-El to consider their lay leadership study program in the summer, everyone is able to get a taste of what they do without buying a plane ticket.  The institute has launched a fabulous new website where you can sample the outstanding teaching that occurs in this renowned institution (both in article form and as digital lectures).  It is worth all of the time you spend with them.

Also, SHI is about to publish a new journal which we here at Emanu-El will be helping them to evaluate.  Details to be announced.  Please do let me know if you are interested in being part of this review process.

Lastly, the blog post title is part of an aside made by Moshe Halbertal during a lecture about genocide and the Book of Exodus.  Ask me.

Shabbat shalom!

Reform and Tradition, Part One

Is Reform becoming too traditional?  That seems to be the question of the times, yet it is one so emotionally charged, conversation becomes "interesting."   So, to clarify thinking on the matter [especially as Emanu-El is engaging in its siddur decision-making process], a few helpful links:

The Union for Reform Judaism's Eilu v'eilu series presents dialogues addressing issues of the day.  [Eilu v'eilu--literally, "these and these"--is a Talmudic quote identifying the differing halakhic decisions of the school of Hillel and the school of Shammai as the words of the living God...despite their contradictions with one another].  Here are the links to the first dialogue on the subject of traditionalism.  Enjoy!  Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four. 

BTW, one of the interlocutors is the grandson of Dr. Stanley Dreyfus, my most esteemed teacher at HUC-JIR.  I spent most Friday mornings together with two friends studying in Dr. Dreyfus' home (all of us lived in Park Slope); the mornings consisted of text, argument and scotch.  In my tenure at HUC, I saw Dr. Dreyfus shudder with distaste more than a few times: each time a student either mispronounced a word from text or if they, wrapped in tallit and tefillin, shuckled a little too fervently for Dr. Dreyfus' Classical Reform taste.  May he live to 120.

Technological Mitzvot: [Don't] Read This on Shabbat!

With the leader of the Reform movement calling for individuals and congregations alike to reconsider the manner in which they observe Shabbat, this article in Haaretz caught my eye.  The incredible technological inventiveness that allows traditionally observant Jews to keep Shabbat while still engaging in some of the luxuries of modern life [such as a freshly brewed cup of cappuccino] is awesome.

Yet for many liberal Jews, this seems oxymoronic--not the modernity per se, but the focus on strict observance of Shabbat restrictions without apparent restrictions (or perhaps a sense of being restricted).  I have never found it troubling personally:  if HaShem made His will clear, then all that matters is doing what HaShem specified.  All of the rest is--at best--narishkeit or--at worst--a sin akin to that of Nadav and Avihu.  Of course, this is dependent upon belief that HaShem made "His" will clear and that the traditional halakhic interpretative system is the only way to understand what God wants from the Jews.

As Reform Jews collectively engage anew in Shabbat observance, it is thus timely to  focus on one's own theological and halakhic stance.   Only by acknowledging our divergent ideologies/philosophies/theologies can we understand the radical divergence in our practices.  Nonetheless, just as cappuccino-making haredi Jews celebrate Shabbat as best they can, so too should we all:  as best as we can.   A sweet Shabbat to you. 

Shabbat Happens...(but should the bar mitzvah?)

About a decade ago in Atlanta, I saw--on the back of a Honda--a bumper sticker which challenged any tailgater with the simple declaration:  Shabbat Happens.  Not a choice, not negotiated by when the family can gather for candlelighting and dinner or whether one is on vacation, simply:  Shabbat Happens. 

Rabbi Eric Yoffie's sermon at the URJ biennial was (as noted by Robin Leszner in her much appreciated comment) primarily addressed Shabbat observance amongst Reform Jews.  He spoke baldly about two aspects that are deeply troubling:  1. for too many Reform Jews, Shabbat ends at the end of Friday night dinner, and 2. b'nei mitzvah have become private ceremonies occuring in what is supposed to be a public place (the sanctuary) at a time of communal prayer (Shabbat mornings). 

What to say?  1. yes and 2. not as badly here as in many shuls south of the border, I think.  More than just bemoaning an unfortunate reality, however, Rabbi Yoffie presented programs and resources and synagogue processes to assist congregations and families in deepening their Shabbat experience (and reassessing the bar/bat mitzvah service).  We will begin exploring some of these here at Emanu-El, but you can start for yourself:  Shabbat.  It happens.

[Bi]Annual Review: How're We Doing On the Job?

Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, spoke some difficult truths in his Shabbat sermon this morning.  For those of us not present at the biennial, it is decidedly worth reading and reflecting upon. 

He speaks about several key issues that challenge us today and culminates with words about Israel.  He speaks starkly:

But this Shabbat I am concerned with something else: the studies that show North American Jews to be less and less attached to the State of Israel. This increasing alienation is not our problem alone, but it is more prevalent in our ranks than among our more traditional brothers and sisters—and it speaks to our failure to teach some very important lessons to the members of our synagogues...

If we fail to create a significant presence in Israel, this failure casts doubt on our authenticity as a religious movement. In other words, if we do not become a force in Israel in the next generation, we will have consigned ourselves to the margins of Jewish history.

The possibility he raises is not a scare tactic; it is quite real. It is hard sometimes to think beyond the community or locale that we live in, yet we must remember that the very meaning of the word Jew will be decided in Eretz Yisrael, for good or for ill. 

Rabbi Yoffie will deliver his next State of Reform Judaism address two years from now, here in Toronto.  I look forward to Emanu-Elniks having the distinct pleasure of encountering him personally.  Shavua tov.

Indigestion (and not a latka in the house)

Feh.  Chanukah is an odd mix of seasonal celebration envy and the most intense examination of the issues of our times. It pits radical Jewish faith against the wisdom of the Rabbis who were less than enamored with its disconcerting history.  [If I am speaking opaquely, apologies: here is my post from last year.]

This year, Chanukah is in the news thanks to the ever challenging Christopher Hitchens. Take an antacid and read his thoughts here.  Daniel Radosh attempts a rebuttal here in The Huffington Post. [His point is that Chanukah is whatever we make of it. Yes, you are correct in thinking that this is a view I do not share.]

The most satisfying piece on Chanukah I have encountered this year is from a writer called Danya Ruttenberg, who I will certainly be following more closely.  Read it here.  She concludes:

We have to be honest about the history that's happened, to take responsibility for what has been done by Jewish hands and to use what's past to spark discussion and action about how to behave in our world...

Chag same'ach.

Like Ordering Filet Mignon After Ridding the Planet of Cattle...?

The question at hand is about the viability of Jewish culture without Jewish belief. 

First, check out this post in Jewcy (here) relating a debate between Rabbi Shmuley Boteach (host of tv show "Shalom in the Home" and--according to Newsweek magazine--the most famous rabbi in America) and Michael Steinhardt, the founder of Birthright Israel and an avowed atheist.  The writer of the post, Abe Greenwald, asserts that Jewish culture is a byproduct of Judaism without independent life. Or, in his well chosen turn of phrase,  "It would be like ordering filet mignon after ridding the planet of cattle...."

Then listen to Amos Oz who maintains that Jewish culture can encompass and explain the shul (here, click on the video link).  I do agree with Oz that there is a rich Jewish culture independent of the authority granted to it by belief.  However, culture's home is in the "republic of letters."  For Jews, the letters are Hebrew (and to an extent Yiddish, Ladino and all the other rich langauges of the diaspora).  Further, living in the "republic" requires fluency and an immersion that is not available, outside of Israel, except for the few.   

For the rest of us, I maintain now as I have for quite a while:  in diaspora, no shul...no Jews (believers, agnostics, atheists or otherwise).