Want to get a last minute Tax Deduction for 2009? Make a TAX DEDUCTABLE DONATION to the Pesach Project today!!!!! Thank you to everyone who has donated so far, but I still have a long way to go to reach my goal!
Go to www.pesachproject.com and donate now! Don't forget to put my name in the comments section so I receive credit for your generous donation!
Happy New Year!!!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Retail Therapy and friendly Israelis
Recently a friend and I made a list of what we love about Israel. It started as a way to help us remember what we like about Israel when we are having rough days, and it has become a really fun way to be conscious about experiences living here. I had a wonderful afternoon of shopping for Chanukah presents, and came up with one great thing for the list- friendly Israelis. So in case you are wondering what a very stressed Rabbinical student does to relax (and get things done) here is a recap of my fabulous afternoon!
I got to school at about 7:15 this morning to do a practice Biblical Grammar test (got them all right..yay!), and officially started classes at 8:30. We refer to sundays as a "grammar marathon" because we start the day with Biblical Grammar, and then have a period of Hebrew, and then Bible- lots of Hebrew, and lots of Grammar! We have 15 minutes between each of these classes, and a lunch break at the end. Sundays are my easiest day because I am done at 1:30 and have a break until 4 when I leave for my community service. Today, my brain was very tired so I decided to do some Chanukah shopping that I had been putting off. And this is where my day got very interesting and very fun, and also a great way to practice my Hebrew!
First I went to the bank to cash a check, and of course the bank was not open. For some reason, banks are open only very weird hours here- an hour here an hour there, at random times throughout the day.
I continued on my way and entered a kippah shop where I had a lovely conversation with the attendant all about different colors and styles of kippot that different kinds of people wear. You can often tell someone's political ideology in Israel based on the style of their kippah and the way they wear it.
The next stop was a Judaica store where the attendant is a religious man, who knows Rabbi David (Gingy) Wilfond, the director of admissions for HUC in Jerusalem. Yedidiya (the attendant) and I had a really nice time talking to him. His topic of choice was a shock to me- religious pluralism in Jerusalem! He was very happy and supportive of my decision to become a Rabbi, and he even said that Rabbi Wilfond should be appointed the chief rabbi of Jerusalem- I couldn't agree more!
The next store was my favorite- it's a puzzle store that I absolutely love to go to and play with all the toys. And today the owner's mother and brand new baby niece were visiting from America! while the owner of the store helped me pick out presents and then wrapped them, I got to talk to this adorable baby and her grandmother! There's no better feeling than a really cute baby smiling and laughing! It's also really fun to talk to babies in Hebrew, especially since they dont' care if I make a mistake! It reminded me how much I miss my nieces and nephew back home!
On the way home I stopped by a restaurant on the first floor of my apartment building. The man recognized me and we started talking about his travels in the United States (most Israelis travel extensively in the States after their army service) and it turns out that he lived in Scottsdale for several years! We talked about our favorite restaurants and places to hang out- such a small world!
Anyway, I know this may not seem like such an exciting day to someone in America, but it was such an accomplishment for me to spend an afternoon shopping and conversing in Hebrew with all of these people. Especially to have conversations not just about the objects at the store, but real life conversations in Hebrew! Some days in class it is hard to see that my Hebrew is improving, but it is days like this that I know I am here for a reason and that I am learning a lot.
And 2 weeks from today I will be waking up in America to see my family and friends! I can't wait! But until then...it's study study study for my finals!
I got to school at about 7:15 this morning to do a practice Biblical Grammar test (got them all right..yay!), and officially started classes at 8:30. We refer to sundays as a "grammar marathon" because we start the day with Biblical Grammar, and then have a period of Hebrew, and then Bible- lots of Hebrew, and lots of Grammar! We have 15 minutes between each of these classes, and a lunch break at the end. Sundays are my easiest day because I am done at 1:30 and have a break until 4 when I leave for my community service. Today, my brain was very tired so I decided to do some Chanukah shopping that I had been putting off. And this is where my day got very interesting and very fun, and also a great way to practice my Hebrew!
First I went to the bank to cash a check, and of course the bank was not open. For some reason, banks are open only very weird hours here- an hour here an hour there, at random times throughout the day.
I continued on my way and entered a kippah shop where I had a lovely conversation with the attendant all about different colors and styles of kippot that different kinds of people wear. You can often tell someone's political ideology in Israel based on the style of their kippah and the way they wear it.
The next stop was a Judaica store where the attendant is a religious man, who knows Rabbi David (Gingy) Wilfond, the director of admissions for HUC in Jerusalem. Yedidiya (the attendant) and I had a really nice time talking to him. His topic of choice was a shock to me- religious pluralism in Jerusalem! He was very happy and supportive of my decision to become a Rabbi, and he even said that Rabbi Wilfond should be appointed the chief rabbi of Jerusalem- I couldn't agree more!
The next store was my favorite- it's a puzzle store that I absolutely love to go to and play with all the toys. And today the owner's mother and brand new baby niece were visiting from America! while the owner of the store helped me pick out presents and then wrapped them, I got to talk to this adorable baby and her grandmother! There's no better feeling than a really cute baby smiling and laughing! It's also really fun to talk to babies in Hebrew, especially since they dont' care if I make a mistake! It reminded me how much I miss my nieces and nephew back home!
On the way home I stopped by a restaurant on the first floor of my apartment building. The man recognized me and we started talking about his travels in the United States (most Israelis travel extensively in the States after their army service) and it turns out that he lived in Scottsdale for several years! We talked about our favorite restaurants and places to hang out- such a small world!
Anyway, I know this may not seem like such an exciting day to someone in America, but it was such an accomplishment for me to spend an afternoon shopping and conversing in Hebrew with all of these people. Especially to have conversations not just about the objects at the store, but real life conversations in Hebrew! Some days in class it is hard to see that my Hebrew is improving, but it is days like this that I know I am here for a reason and that I am learning a lot.
And 2 weeks from today I will be waking up in America to see my family and friends! I can't wait! But until then...it's study study study for my finals!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Help Me, Help Jews!
Have you ever wondered how you can help Jews in the Former Soviet Union? Guess What! Now is your chance! As you may have read in a previous blog post, I am going to the Former Soviet Union for Pesach! but...I NEED YOUR HELP! I need to raise $2500 to make the trip and help pay for Seders for these communities.
And I'm not the only one who thinks this trip is important! Watch the video below to see Rabbi David Ellenson, President of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religiou, talk about how important this trip is!
and then go to www.pesachproject.com to donate now! And don't forget to put my name in the comments section!
(credit for the video goes to Molly Plotnik and Bess Wohlner of mollyandbessonmoshehess.com)
And I'm not the only one who thinks this trip is important! Watch the video below to see Rabbi David Ellenson, President of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religiou, talk about how important this trip is!
and then go to www.pesachproject.com to donate now! And don't forget to put my name in the comments section!
(credit for the video goes to Molly Plotnik and Bess Wohlner of mollyandbessonmoshehess.com)
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Chanukah O Chanukah!
Happy Chanukah!
A Chanukiyah on the street!
Chanukiy
ot in the store windows!
I had a realization today that I have not heard a single Christmas song or seen any Christmas decorations yet this year. Instead, it's Chanukah season here in Israel! Don't get me wrong, the High Holy Days in Israel were pretty cool, but I have to admit- Chanukah is awesome here! There are Chanukah decorations everywhere! And Chanukah music on the radios! And Chanukiyot in the stores! And Chanukah decorations, gelt, and candy at the markets! About a week ago, they affixed light up chanukiyot to most of the lamp poles in Jerusalem, and there are huge Chanukiyot on random streets that are lit every night. For the first night of Chanukah I made Latkes (thanks mom!) and we had a lovely night of Latke and dreidel. And another fabulous thing about Chanukah in Israel are the sufganiyot, or donuts filled with delicious goodies. in America it seems to be mostly just Jelly and chocolate. But there is a bakery here that has 11 options, including banana-chocolate (my favorite), dulce de leche, melon, etc. Delicious!
A Chanukiyah on the street!
Chanukiy
ot in the store windows!
Friday, December 4, 2009
D'var Torah!
Phew it has been a busy month! I began November very busy working on my first D'var Torah in Rabbinical School. I have written several Divrei Torah over the past few years, but this was my first chance to work one on one with Rabbis and Torah Scholars, and it was really fun . Aside from that, I have been working hard in all of my classes, getting all of the end of semester assignments finished and then it's time for finals! I'm also still really enjoying my time studying at the Hartman Institute: we have studied topics such as zohar, and mishnah, and we are now moving onto "israel as a Jewish State: theory and practice" with scholars such as Melila Hellner-Eshed, Micah Goodman, and Ariel Picard. Also, we have been having a great time in our Israel Seminar class! A couple weeks ago, Etgar Keret came and spoke with us! If you don't know who Etgar Keret is, I'd strongly recommend looking him up and reading some of his stories, he has also been featured on This American Life.
In other news, my mom came to visit me! We had a really amazing time together, it was wonderful to share my life here with my mom, and especially since it was her first visit to Israel. I have started to become very comfortable here, and it was really cool to see it through her first time experience. I don't have any pictures, but as soon as my mom send me some I will post a few!
Also, I'm posting a copy of my d'var torah below for those who are interested:
Imagine if the opening of the Amidah, a prayer which we all say at least once a week together in Thursday’s shacharit, included this line: ברוך אתה יי אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו אלהי אברהם אלהי יצחק אלהי יעקב ואלהי עשו...
I know that this seems at first to be a rather strange idea but a careful reading of parasha Toldot might very well lead us to conclude that Esau deserves to be included in the category of the patriarchs. However, the Rabbis have painted a very different picture of Esau after Biblical times. Richard Elliott Friedman, a contemporary Torah Scholar who published a new commentary on the Torah in 2001, makes this argument in his commentary by saying, “numerous attempts have been made to denigrate Esau in midrash and even in current biblical interpretation. It is not justified according to the text. The motive is understandable: Jacob’s behavior in the matters of the birthright and the blessing is an embarrassment. Even small children express surprise at what this patriarch does to his brother, and his father. The Torah itself neither denigrates Esau nor justifies Jacob. On the contrary, one of the great qualities of the Tanach is precisely that none of its heroes is perfect.” What are we to learn from the characterization of Jacob and Esau in the Tanach, and from their Rabbinic interpretation?
The rivalry between Esau and Jacob begins while they are still in Rebecca’s womb; in Genesis 25 we read that “the children struggled in her womb, and she said, ‘if so, why do I exist?”( 25:22). When Rebecca’s twins are born, Esau comes first and is described as “red, like a hairy mantle all over” (25.25). The description of Esau’s appearance at birth has been explained in many ways. Most commentators suggest that his red and hairy appearance foreshadows his angry and resentful condition. His hairy appearance plays a crucial role in the later part of the narrative. As we progress through the story, we learn of Esau’s naïveté as a young man, when he exchanges his birthright for bread and lentil stew from his brother Jacob.
Later in the narrative, Rebecca tells Jacob to trick his father into offering him a blessing, by dressing in his brother’s clothing and pretending to be Esau. All the while Esau is doing as his father has requested to prepare himself to receive the blessing. Jacob takes advantage of his father’s blindness and lies to his face: Isaac asks “are you really my son Esau?” and Jacob answers “I am” (27: 24). When Esau returns to his father to receive the blessing we read: וַיֹּאמֶר עֵשָׂו אֶל-אָבִיו, הַבְרָכָה אַחַת הִוא-לְךָ אָבִי--בָּרְכֵנִי גַם-אָנִי, אָבִי; וַיִּשָּׂא עֵשָׂו קֹלוֹ, וַיֵּבְךְּ. Esau bursts into wild and bitter sobbing, and pleads to his father for a blessing saying, do you only have one blessing father? Bless ME too father. And he lifted up his voice, and he wept. This reaction does not sound to me like a wild and ravenous human being, but rather a man who has been hurt and robbed of something meaningful and special to him. His first reaction is not to scorn his brother, but rather to plead to his father. Isaac answers Esau by saying that “your brother came with deceipt and took away your blessing” (27:35).
A faithful reading of the text so far is of a positive image of Esau, portraying him as a victim of Jacob and Rebecca’s deception. Several parashot down the line in vayishlach, Jacob and Esau meet again after many years of separation. Jacob expects Esau to kill him, and instead, in a move of great growth and maturity, Esau embraces Jacob and kisses him. Esau demonstrates nothing but kindness to Jacob, and yet Jacob deceives Esau once again by lying to him about his next point in his journey. According to the story, Esau had every right to hate his brother, yet he has only love for Jacob after their years of separation. Once again this is a very positive image of Esau, one which we can certainly learn from.
Esau’s story is that of a good and moral man, who in his own life rises to become a great nation. However, after years of rabbinic interpretation, Esau is not remembered in this way. What can we learn from Esau’s life and how he is remembered - and how can we apply this example to our own lives? Esau had control over how he behaved during his life, but he did not have control over how others perceived and interpreted his actions. We face the same challenge in our own lives. No matter how good our actions and intentions, they are not always perceived or remembered in the way in which we would like. No matter how good and moral we are, it is important for us to understand that the way we are seen by others is not entirely in our hands. We can learn from Esau that it is important to be merciful and forgiving, as he is deceived by those closest to him, yet still finds it in his heart to love them. We learn an equally important lesson from Jacob our forefather. On the one hand, Jacob can be remembered as a deceiving trickster, on the other hand we can also remember him as a clever and smart man who did what he thought was necessary to ensure the future of his people. In the story of Jacob and Esau, Esau acts valiantly while surrounded by deception and bad influences, while Jacob uses his intelligence and foresight to make sure that his small tribe will thrive-which is something I think we can all be thankful for!. These two stories both hold powerful meaning for us and for the choices we make – but to take Esau without Jacob, or Jacob without Esau, would be to neglect an important aspect of what this parashah is trying to teach us about our relationships. We have the choice every day about how we can treat others, and how we can react to the way they treat us.
I am not necessarily planning on calling on the Reform Movement to amend its next edition of MIshkan Tefilah to include Esau as one of the patriarchs. However, I think that we must be more sensitive to Esau’s good qualities and attributes, rather than to dismiss him because of what the text doesn’t tell us. The Rabbis have a concept that they describe as judging everybody “לפנים משורת הדין”. I think that concept is wonderfully presented to us in the story of Esau, as well as in our everyday lives. This concept is of judging everybody fairly and as generously as possible. We must judge both Esau and Jacob לפנים משורת הדין. That is to say, we must resist the temptation to label’s Esau’s naïveté and trustworthy-ness as stupidity, and not let the surface impressions and the Rabbinic interpretation detract from our understanding of Esau. It is important also to judge Jacob fairly, and not automatically praise him because of the Rabbinic interpretation.
As we move forward in our own Jewish practice and in our careers, may we remember Esau not only as the negative image that is presented by the Rabbis, but rather as the vulnerable, naïve, young boy who cries and pleads to his father for a blessing that has been taken from him by his brother and mother. And may we be inspired by Esau to have the strength and courage to not let superficial impressions tarnish our ability and desire to truly get to know ourselves and one another.
In other news, my mom came to visit me! We had a really amazing time together, it was wonderful to share my life here with my mom, and especially since it was her first visit to Israel. I have started to become very comfortable here, and it was really cool to see it through her first time experience. I don't have any pictures, but as soon as my mom send me some I will post a few!
Also, I'm posting a copy of my d'var torah below for those who are interested:
Imagine if the opening of the Amidah, a prayer which we all say at least once a week together in Thursday’s shacharit, included this line: ברוך אתה יי אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו אלהי אברהם אלהי יצחק אלהי יעקב ואלהי עשו...
I know that this seems at first to be a rather strange idea but a careful reading of parasha Toldot might very well lead us to conclude that Esau deserves to be included in the category of the patriarchs. However, the Rabbis have painted a very different picture of Esau after Biblical times. Richard Elliott Friedman, a contemporary Torah Scholar who published a new commentary on the Torah in 2001, makes this argument in his commentary by saying, “numerous attempts have been made to denigrate Esau in midrash and even in current biblical interpretation. It is not justified according to the text. The motive is understandable: Jacob’s behavior in the matters of the birthright and the blessing is an embarrassment. Even small children express surprise at what this patriarch does to his brother, and his father. The Torah itself neither denigrates Esau nor justifies Jacob. On the contrary, one of the great qualities of the Tanach is precisely that none of its heroes is perfect.” What are we to learn from the characterization of Jacob and Esau in the Tanach, and from their Rabbinic interpretation?
The rivalry between Esau and Jacob begins while they are still in Rebecca’s womb; in Genesis 25 we read that “the children struggled in her womb, and she said, ‘if so, why do I exist?”( 25:22). When Rebecca’s twins are born, Esau comes first and is described as “red, like a hairy mantle all over” (25.25). The description of Esau’s appearance at birth has been explained in many ways. Most commentators suggest that his red and hairy appearance foreshadows his angry and resentful condition. His hairy appearance plays a crucial role in the later part of the narrative. As we progress through the story, we learn of Esau’s naïveté as a young man, when he exchanges his birthright for bread and lentil stew from his brother Jacob.
Later in the narrative, Rebecca tells Jacob to trick his father into offering him a blessing, by dressing in his brother’s clothing and pretending to be Esau. All the while Esau is doing as his father has requested to prepare himself to receive the blessing. Jacob takes advantage of his father’s blindness and lies to his face: Isaac asks “are you really my son Esau?” and Jacob answers “I am” (27: 24). When Esau returns to his father to receive the blessing we read: וַיֹּאמֶר עֵשָׂו אֶל-אָבִיו, הַבְרָכָה אַחַת הִוא-לְךָ אָבִי--בָּרְכֵנִי גַם-אָנִי, אָבִי; וַיִּשָּׂא עֵשָׂו קֹלוֹ, וַיֵּבְךְּ. Esau bursts into wild and bitter sobbing, and pleads to his father for a blessing saying, do you only have one blessing father? Bless ME too father. And he lifted up his voice, and he wept. This reaction does not sound to me like a wild and ravenous human being, but rather a man who has been hurt and robbed of something meaningful and special to him. His first reaction is not to scorn his brother, but rather to plead to his father. Isaac answers Esau by saying that “your brother came with deceipt and took away your blessing” (27:35).
A faithful reading of the text so far is of a positive image of Esau, portraying him as a victim of Jacob and Rebecca’s deception. Several parashot down the line in vayishlach, Jacob and Esau meet again after many years of separation. Jacob expects Esau to kill him, and instead, in a move of great growth and maturity, Esau embraces Jacob and kisses him. Esau demonstrates nothing but kindness to Jacob, and yet Jacob deceives Esau once again by lying to him about his next point in his journey. According to the story, Esau had every right to hate his brother, yet he has only love for Jacob after their years of separation. Once again this is a very positive image of Esau, one which we can certainly learn from.
Esau’s story is that of a good and moral man, who in his own life rises to become a great nation. However, after years of rabbinic interpretation, Esau is not remembered in this way. What can we learn from Esau’s life and how he is remembered - and how can we apply this example to our own lives? Esau had control over how he behaved during his life, but he did not have control over how others perceived and interpreted his actions. We face the same challenge in our own lives. No matter how good our actions and intentions, they are not always perceived or remembered in the way in which we would like. No matter how good and moral we are, it is important for us to understand that the way we are seen by others is not entirely in our hands. We can learn from Esau that it is important to be merciful and forgiving, as he is deceived by those closest to him, yet still finds it in his heart to love them. We learn an equally important lesson from Jacob our forefather. On the one hand, Jacob can be remembered as a deceiving trickster, on the other hand we can also remember him as a clever and smart man who did what he thought was necessary to ensure the future of his people. In the story of Jacob and Esau, Esau acts valiantly while surrounded by deception and bad influences, while Jacob uses his intelligence and foresight to make sure that his small tribe will thrive-which is something I think we can all be thankful for!. These two stories both hold powerful meaning for us and for the choices we make – but to take Esau without Jacob, or Jacob without Esau, would be to neglect an important aspect of what this parashah is trying to teach us about our relationships. We have the choice every day about how we can treat others, and how we can react to the way they treat us.
I am not necessarily planning on calling on the Reform Movement to amend its next edition of MIshkan Tefilah to include Esau as one of the patriarchs. However, I think that we must be more sensitive to Esau’s good qualities and attributes, rather than to dismiss him because of what the text doesn’t tell us. The Rabbis have a concept that they describe as judging everybody “לפנים משורת הדין”. I think that concept is wonderfully presented to us in the story of Esau, as well as in our everyday lives. This concept is of judging everybody fairly and as generously as possible. We must judge both Esau and Jacob לפנים משורת הדין. That is to say, we must resist the temptation to label’s Esau’s naïveté and trustworthy-ness as stupidity, and not let the surface impressions and the Rabbinic interpretation detract from our understanding of Esau. It is important also to judge Jacob fairly, and not automatically praise him because of the Rabbinic interpretation.
As we move forward in our own Jewish practice and in our careers, may we remember Esau not only as the negative image that is presented by the Rabbis, but rather as the vulnerable, naïve, young boy who cries and pleads to his father for a blessing that has been taken from him by his brother and mother. And may we be inspired by Esau to have the strength and courage to not let superficial impressions tarnish our ability and desire to truly get to know ourselves and one another.
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