Amazing Sukkot!

Matthew McDermott's Flickr

Earlier this week, there was an incredible display of artist-designed sukkot (plural of "sukkah") in Union Square in New York City.  The exhibition/competition was organized by Reboot, a very cutting-edge organization dedicated to revitalizing Jewish cultural life and ritual.

My favorite part of "Sukkah City" is that the entries had to conform to the construction requirements for a sukkah established in Jewish law.  This is something the ancient rabbis talked about a lot.  The contest describes some of the more offbeat requirements here.

FOR DISCUSSION:  Browse the Sukkah City entries.  Leave a comment on this post, saying which one is your favorite and why.

I will start us off.  I am very attracted to the simplicity and geometry of this sukkah. I admit, it does not look the most comfortable for sleeping.

Chag sameach!

Chag Sameach — Happy Sukkot

Jerusalem Municipal Sukkah, 2008 (RahelSharon's Flickr)

Thanks to all of you for your good wishes on my wedding.  Now that I am settled back at Temple and we have made it through the High Holidays, I look forward to returning to my regular blogging schedule.

Tonight we begin the festival of Sukkot.  Coming only five days after Yom Kippur, I think there is definitely a sense every year that Sukkot sneaks up on us.  We are exhausted, not ready to observe another major holiday.  But this is really a shame, because as one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals and as a holiday full of meaning and symbolic ritual, Sukkot is one of most significant days (a week, actually) on the Jewish calendar.

During this week of Sukkot, I want to share with you a number of texts and thoughts, so that even if you don't have the opportunity to shake a lulav, eat, and sleep in a sukkah each day, we can experience the course of the festival as a community.  (I see this as one of the great potential benefits of online discussions for congregational life.)

The text I've chosen for today is from Franz Rosenzweig.  Rosenzweig (1886-1929) was a German-Jewish philosopher; he was also a master teacher, the founder of a tremendously influential institution for Jewish adult education in Weimar Germany.  He wrote:

The Feast of Booths [Sukkot] is the feast of both wanderings and rest.  In memory of those long wanderings of the past which finally led to rest, the members of the family do not have their merry meal in the familiar rooms of the house but under a roof which is quickly constructed, a makeshift roof with heaven shining through the gaps.  This serves to remind the people that no matter how solid the house of today may seem, no matter how temptingly it beckons to rest and unimperiled living, it is but a tent which permits only a pause in the long wanderings through the wilderness of centuries.  For rest, the rest of which the builder of the first Temple spoke, does not come until all these wanderings are at an end, and his words are read at this feast: "Blessed be He that has given rest unto His people."

Rosenzweig captures the sense in which Sukkot, like all Jewish holidays, concerns both the past and the future.  Dwelling in the sukkah, we reenact the wanderings of the Israelites in the wilderness.  But we also acknowledge that we too are wanderers—that our lives, our relationships, even our community...are fragile.  The "rest" Rosenzweig speaks of—quoting King Solomon's dedication of the Jerusalem Temple in I Kings 8:56—is the ultimate achievement of peace and tranquility we still seek as a "Messianic Era."  Sukkot is an opportunity to connect to that greater sense of history and meaning.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITY — For those of you who would like to begin Sukkot with some in-person study, there will be a Sukkot Adult Study Session at Temple TONIGHT (Wed., 9/22) at 7:00 p.m. in the Library.  We have some great texts to discuss, and we will visit the sukkah for lulav-shaking and blessings.  Please join us!

For discussion:  Do you build a sukkah at your home?  Tell us about it!  (Click on the "comments" link below this post.)

On Sunday the Rabbi Got Married...

In case you haven't noticed, the flow of blog articles has slowed down in the last week or two. It seems that our blogging rabbi has had some other things on his mind...like getting married. In fact, the nuptials for Rabbi Fabricant and Alexandra (Ali) Harwin occurred on September 5, 2010 in NYC. The official public announcement appeared in the New York Times at: Wedding Announcement

On behalf of the entire congregation and all the WHC blog readers, we wish Ali and Noah a hearty and heartfelt Mazel Tov.

Poem for Rosh Hashanah

Flickr user rbarenblat

As part of my preparation for the High Holy Days, there are certain texts I read and study every year at this time.  One is The Last Trial, Shalom Spiegel's classic essay on the midrash on the Binding of Isaac.  Another is Days of Awe, the inspirational anthology edited by S.Y. Agnon, the only Hebrew writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

One shorter piece I return to every year is the following poem by Enid Shomer, a contemporary American Jewish poet.  The title refers to "Tishri" (usually spelled "Tishrei"), the first month in the Hebrew calendar.  The "first of Tishri" is the Hebrew date of Rosh Hashanah.

Freestyle, on the First of Tishri

The metaphor here is the pool, regular
and deep as the tradition itself. First I float,
still and buoyant in what I don’t
accept. Then I shatter the surface, a scholar
dissecting text not to destroy but to enrich,
a farmer plowing and disking the earth
before planting. On land, I forget breath’s
noisy ball bearings, the flutter kick’s
fringes blazing like tangible will. I imagine
that faith is nothing but a grudging promise
of repetition, like these laps, until this
continual splash in the mind begins—
not with grievance or prayer
but as gasp, a momentary bargain struck with the air.

The progression Shomer describes is familiar to us. Jewish tradition is vast and unfamiliar, and it seems as if we “float” on the surface, unable to truly enter. But eventually we can “dive in.” Through study, prayer, and communal participation, we start to swim; our kicking and splashing is our struggle with tradition, and we make our own unique “waves” in Jewish life.

The true impact of Shomer’s sonnet, though, comes with the closing couplet. Judaism is not “grievance or prayer,” the formal—sometimes impersonal—religious language. Judaism is like the swimmer’s gasp for breath—desperate, intimate, life-giving. Though repeated countless times, it is not routine, but dramatic and purposeful.

As we approach the month of Tishrei, we have many opportunities to refine our strokes, to plumb new depths, to gasp for breath, and even to breathe deeply. We have many holidays and services and plenty of time to reflect in between. Let us do this hard work and build better Jewish lives for ourselves, our families, and our community.

For Discussion:  Are there any books, poems, etc. you return to read again and again?  Share by leaving a comment!

Note: This post is based on a bulletin article I wrote while I was the rabbinic intern at the Rockdale Temple in Cincinnati.  If any of my friends there are reading this, I hope they don't mind.

Rabbi Lustig on NPR

Flickr user coreycam

In case you missed it, Rabbi Lustig was on the The Diane Rehm Show on Monday morning with his partners in the Abrahamic Roundtable, Professor Akbar Ahmed and Bishop John Chane.  They discussed the controversy over the planned Muslim community center in Lower Manhattan—widely described as the "Ground Zero Mosque."  They also spoke more generally about the attitude toward Islam in the United States.

You can listen to the whole show here.  The program begins with Rabbi Lustig, Bishop Chane, and Professor Ahmed.  After a political discussion, they return at the 27:30 mark.

In his remarks Rabbi Lustig mentions several prominent leaders of Reform Judaism who have expressed support for the mosque/community center project.  See this editorial in the Washington Post by Rabbi David Ellenson, president of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and Rabbi Robert Levine, senior rabbi of Congregation Rodeph Sholom in Manhattan.  Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judiasm, and Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center here in Washinton, released a joint statement. Rabbi Lustig also responds to a question about the ADL, which has taken a stand against the project.

For Discussion:  What are your thoughts about this controversy?  What are your reactions to the radio program or the articles?  What do you think are the most important factors we should consider when addressing this issue?

(Reminder:  To post a comment, click the "comments" link below this post.  Let's make this a [respectful] discussion!)

Jewels of Elul

Martin LaBar's Flickr

This week we began the Hebrew month of Elul, the last month of the Hebrew calendar.  Because it leads up to the High Holidays, Elul is a time for reflection, self-examination, and study.  During Elul, it is traditional to blow the shofar every weekday at the end of the morning service, to call us to repentance. (During my year in Jerusalem, I learned this custom the hard way, being awakened—literally, if not spiritually—at 6:00 a.m. every morning by the shofar from the shul nextdoor.)

Jewels of Elul is a project designed to keep us mindful of this time of spiritual preparation.  Every day they post a short teaching or reflection.  You can even sign up to have them e-mailed to you.  Some are by rabbis, but many are not.  Past contributors include President Obama, Desmond Tutu, Eli Wiesel, Deepak Chopra, and lots more. (Today's is by Lady Gaga.)

Elul is also an excellent time to come to Shabbat services, visit cemeteries, or read a good Jewish book.  Any of these things will add depth and meaning to our observance of the High Holidays.

For Discussion:  Do you have anything you do this time each year to prepare for the High Holidays?  I will start us off.  I always make an appointment for my annual physical during Elul.

First Gay Marriage

by Stefano Bolognini

This past Saturday night I officiated at my first gay wedding.  Since same-sex marriage has only been legally available in the District since March, I am guessing this was among the first (if not the first) legally-recognized same-sex marriage conducted under the auspices of Washington Hebrew Congregation. 

With same-sex marriage such a hot topic in the news, I have been asked frequently about Reform Judaism's position.  Answer:  The major institutions of Reform Judaism have long been in favor of full civil rights for gay men and lesbians, including the right to civil marriage.  In the mid-1990's, both the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis passed resolutions supporting the cause of same-sex civil marriage.  (Available here and here.)  The Religious Action Center lobbies on behalf of LGBT rights, including marriage.

The question of whether Reform Judaism supports Jewish marriage (kiddushin) between two men or two women is much trickier.  The official position of the Central Conference of American Rabbis is that "the relationship of a Jewish, same gender couple is worthy of affirmation through appropriate Jewish ritual."  But should that ritual be called "marriage?"  Here, Reform rabbis still disagree.  The CCAR's Responsa Committee (for answering Jewish legal questions) voted 7-2 against granting same-sex relationships the status of marriage.  (The committee's opinions are advisory, not binding.)  Currently, the CCAR affirms each rabbi's individual choice whether and how to officiate at rituals for same-sex couples.  This is similar to the position on officiation at interfaith weddings, which is also left to the decision of individual rabbis.

Personally, I am among the rabbis who believe that kiddushin—the rite of Jewish marriage—is the appropriate ritual for sanctifying and celebrating the relationships of same-sex couples.  I officiate at those ceremonies with the same awe and joy I feel any time I am priveleged to join a couple beneath the chuppah.  And I am grateful to be part of a congregation that respects my choice in what is still, for many, such a fraught and controversial question.

For now, I am just thrilled to be the rabbi of one more happy, married couple.  Mazal tov, Howard and Don!  L'chayim!

Amar'e Stoudemire Jewish?

Keith Allison's Flickr
via Creative Commons

Last week saw reports that Amar'e Stoudemire, the NBA all-star who just signed a $100 million deal to play for the Knicks, was traveling to Israel to explore his "Jewish roots."  This led to some excitement on the Jewish blogs—if true, it would automatically make Stoudemire probably the highest-profile Jewish athlete in the world. 

But not so fast...  While Stoudemire hasn't ruled out the possibility that he has some Jewish lineage on his mother's side, he says his trip is more about connecting to Jewish history and culture.

Still, I think the press on Stoudemire's adventure has been very positive for Israel.  He seems genuine and respectful, and the Twitter account of his trip (with Hebrew!) has been great.

If you're really interested in this story, you might want to check out the interview (posted below) that Stoudemire gave to an Israeli sports network.  I will forgive him for consistently referring to Omri Casspi—the first Israeli player in the NBA—as "Omar."  I will not forgive the reporter for seeming to define Judaism (at the 2:30 mark) as 1) wearing a yarmulke, 2) not eating bread on Passover, and 3) fasting on Yom Kippur.

I guess Jewish basketball fans will have to keep rooting for Casspi or Jordan Farmar.  And if we're lucky, we may even get to see Jon Scheyer someday soon.

Yoffie on Fundamentalists

URJ

Today in the Huffington Post, Rabbi Eric Yoffie writes an interesting editorial on what Reform Jews can learn from the ultra-orthodox.  (Read it here.)

Of course, we abhor many aspects of Jewish fundamentalism (e.g. bigotry, chauvinism, close-mindedness, etc.)  But Yoffie admires the cohesiveness and responsiveness of their community.  When it comes to visiting the sick, consoling the bereaved, or helping those in need, ultra-orthodox Jews take responsibility and participate in ways that—in liberal Jewish communities—are often left to the rabbis or a few select volunteers.

For Discussion:  What can we (at WHC) do to make it easer for our members to feel connected to each other and to participate in the mitzvot of community life?

P.S. — After 14 years as the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, Rabbi Yoffie has announced that he will retire in June, 2012.  In an undoubtedly wise decision, the Union has asked our own president, Peter Winik, to serve on the presidential search committee.  In a much more questionable very generous decision, Peter has accepted. 

Verses in the Dark

via Wikimedia Commons

As I write, the sky outside Temple has just gone black, and we’re hearing our first thunderclaps. Hopefully, this storm will not cause as much damage as last weekend’s—we had no electricity for about two days. What to do? No television, no light for reading—well, there’s always looking up Bible verses on my Blackberry. It went something like this:

     Lo, the storm of the LORD goes forth in fury,
     A whirling storm,
     It shall whirl down upon the heads of the wicked.  
     (Jeremiah 23:19)

Well, I wouldn’t call us wicked, exactly. But I can see why our ancestors would think that. This wind is pretty terrifying.

     Look to the covenant! For the dark places of the land are
     full of the haunts of lawlessness.(Psalms 74:20)

Hey, you! When a traffic light is out, you’re supposed to treat it like a four-way stop. Lawlessness, indeed.

     Darkness is not dark for You;
     night is as light as day;
     darkness and light are the same. (Psalms 139:12)

This verse is about God’s omniscience—even our “dark” secrets are not hidden from God. But at the moment, I am pretty fixated on the literal meaning: It’s nighttime, and I could use some light.

     Who among you reveres the LORD
     And heeds the voice of His servant? —
     Though he walk in darkness
     And have no light,
     Let him trust in the name of the LORD
     And rely upon his God. (Isaiah 50:10)

It’s times like this we realize how much we rely on the utility companies. “Trust in the name of the LORD” is often not our strong suit. But it’s pretty good advice. Note: The “servant” mentioned here is identified in the Christian tradition as Jesus, but Jewish interpreters offer many possibilities (Isaiah himself, King Cyrus of Persia, the Messiah, the People of Israel as a whole, and others).

     You, O LORD, are my lamp;
     The LORD lights up my darkness. (II Samuel 22:29)

Finally, the power is back on! Thank God!

     The people that walked in darkness
     Have seen a brilliant light;
     On those who dwelt in a land of gloom
     Light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:1)

Now we just have to clean out the refrigerator.

We pray that everyone stays safe and cool during this storm and beyond. And if you find yourself stuck with just a phone for entertainment, My Jewish Learning has a great mobile site.

Can We Get Better Pictures?

A few people have asked me why the blog images so far are heavy on old paintings and photos of 19th century Jewish leaders.  The short answer:  I am trying to follow the law.

It would be incredibly easy to search Google Images and find the perfect illustration for any given blog post.  From what I've seen, that's what most non-professional bloggers (even rabbi bloggers) do.  But that approach is neither legal nor ethical.  A large portion of the images on the Internet are protected by copyright. 

So what images am I allowed to use?  I try to find images in the public domain or available via a Creative Commons license.  There are lots of websites devoted to collecting images that can be used legally for free.  Hopefully, I'll get better and better at using these resources, and the WHC blog will always have fun, interesting, and legally-used images to go along with our posts.

In paying attention to copyright, we are also following an important Jewish ethical principle:

Whoever says something in the name of the person who said it [first] brings redemption to the world.   (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Chullin 104b)

Giving attribution is also listed in Pirkei Avot (6:6, found here as "Mishna F") as one of the 48 virtues necessary for an individual to "acquire" the Torah.  Based on this statement and others, intellectual property has become a major concern of Jewish ethics.  Some go so far as to say that unfairly appropriating the words/thoughts/creativity of another person violates the Eighth Commandment, "Thou shalt not steal."

So, I apologize if the blog images aren't always the most exciting ones possible.  We are just trying to do our part to bring redemption to the world. 

Tisha B'Av

Today is Tisha b'Av (The Ninth of Av), a day of fasting and mourning on the traditional Jewish calendar.  Tisha b'Av commemorates the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 C.E., as well as many other national disasters in Jewish history.

In addition to fasting, traditional rituals for Tisha b'Av include refraining from wearing leather, washing, or wearing perfume.  Torah study is also prohibited, since that is a joyful activity.

On Tisha b'Av, the biblical book of Lamentations (Eichah) is chanted.  This devasting set of poems is traditionally ascribed to the Prophet Jeremiah, who took refuge in a cave in the Jerusalem hills to lament the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E. (see picture).  Lamentations is chanted with its own mournful melody, not used for any other book of the Bible. (Except for parts of Esther and one haftarah, but that's another story.)

As I wrote in an earlier post, Reform Jews have a difficult time with the observance of Tisha b'Av, since our ideology demands the deemphasis of the Jerusalem Temple. 

One interesting idea for reclaiming this observance is promoted by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, a leader in the Jewish renewal and environmental movements.  Rabbi Waskow proposes that Jews observe Tisha b'Av as a day of mourning for the earth, with particular regard to the environmental disaster in the Gulf.  He has even created a ceremony with several moving modern lamentations.

I may not agree entirely with his politics, but I am deeply impressed by his creativity.  Reading Waskow's work, Tisha b'Av felt more relevant to me than it has in years.

Image: Rembrandt, Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem (1630)

Welcome, New Readers!

If you are seeing this, you probably read about the blog in the WHC eNewsletter.  Welcome!  For a few weeks now, I have been practicing my blog writing, and a brave group of congregants have started posting comments.  I hope now that we have "gone live" to the whole congregation, this blog will really become a place for online discussion and community.

While you're here, maybe you'll want to catch up by reading my previous posts (below).  If anything interests you, please leave a comment by using the "comments" link at the bottom of each post.

Or, you can comment on this post.  I'll give you a topic:  What topics would you like me to write about in future blog posts?  I am open to all suggestions!

Thanks for stopping by.  Come back often!

Image by Thewmatt

Great Comments

Responding to my post about the 200th anniversary of Reform Judaism, Mark D. writes:

A very interesting subject and article, and I hope it will provoke a lively discussion. As I am sure many of you have experienced, many Conservative and Orthodox friends will inevitably comment that playing an organ in the synagogue is -- in their eyes -- comepletely foreign and essentially something that "belongs in church." To me (and, I assume, to our congregation generally), the organ and the overall musical part of our worship service seem both fundamental and indispensible. Yet the suggestion of a "bell tower" atop the synagogue (even if playing Jewish melodies) seems beyond radical and makes me completely uncomfortable (albeit not for any sound reason that I can articulate). I suppose that this is just a natural reaction to change. Perhaps if we could develop a clever Midrash about why synagogues have bell towers, that might ease the way for their adoption.

Mark correctly observes that depending on one's background, the exact same custom can feel indisensably Jewish or uncomfortably non-Jewish. 

I would add that even within Reform Judaism, the perception of certain customs has changed drastically over time.  The Union Prayer Book referred to the rabbi as "minister" (until the 1922 edition).  For generations, rabbis at Washington Hebrew were referred to as "reverend." (Rabbi Gerstenfeld may have been the last.)  Both designations have fallen into disfavor as not very Jewish.  WHC congregants are used to seeing their rabbis and cantors wear robes, but I doubt they would be as comfortable with the clerical collars and hats favored by some liberal rabbis in the 19th century.

Many many factors affect whether a "borrowed" custom feels authentically Jewish to us today.  But from Confirmation to Sunday school to bridesmaids and groomsmen, Reform Judaism has done some excellent borrowing these past 200 years.

Image: Isaac Bernays (1792-1849), Chief Rabbi in Hamburg

Anat Hoffman Arrested at Western Wall

Every Rosh Chodesh (first day of a Hebrew month), a group called the "Women of the Wall" (WOW) gathers to pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.  You can read a brief history of this groundbreaking group here.  Although they remain limited to the "women's section" of the Wall, these women have been victims of harassment and violence for daring to do things like sing psalms and read from a Torah scroll in public.

Yesterday, Anat Hoffman, a longtime leader in WOW and Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), was arrested during WOW's monthly prayer service and questioned for several hours by the police.  Her arrest was captured on video:

Sad, infuriating...unsurprising.  As you can see, Anat was arrested for carrying a Torah (while being a woman).  The struggle of women to be allowed to pray openly at one of the holiest sites of the Jewish world is intimately connected to the struggle of Liberal and Reform Jews to achieve equal rights in the State of Israel.  Events like this stress the bond between American Jews and Israel and threaten the Jewish future.

We are reminded once again why our support of IRAC and the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism is so important.

Happy Birthday, Reform Judaism (Part I)

On July 17, 2010, many will celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Reform Judaism.  Why not all?  Well, it's difficult to pinpoint an exact day on which our movement started.  But on July 17, 1810, something appeared that had never existed before in the Jewish world.

In the small town of Seesen (about 150 miles west of Berlin), a man named Israel Jacobson (see picture) dedicated an agricultural school.  In this new school, Jewish and Christian boys studied side by side, a testament to Jacobson's belief that Judaism and Christianity were essentially similar—based on similar values and morals, separated only by different forms and rituals.

Even more strikingly, the school included a chapel for a new kind of Jewish worship.  The bimah was moved from the center of the room to the front.  There was an organ.  Prayers, songs, and even sermons were delivered in the vernacular (German).  The changes in the prayer service that have always been the most visible trademark of Reform Judaism had begun. 

I want to write more about this anniversary next week, but I'm posting now because of an editorial I read in The Forward yesterday.  Pretty much everything I know about the history of Reform Judaism I learned from Michael Meyer, the world's leading expert on the subject and a distinguished professor at the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. (He also taught Rabbi Shankman and Rabbi Lustig.)  He wrote this editorial, which reflects on Jacobson's reforms and on the evolution and meaning of Reform Judaism.

Please read the editorial and then COMMENT here on the blog.  What did you think?  Was there anything you had questions about?  Let's have a discussion.

P.S. —  Jacobson's temple in Seesen included a bell tower.  Considered very Christian, that custom was not adopted even by the most radical Reform congregations that followed.  Do you think Washington Hebrew should have a bell tower?  (We could play Jewish songs.)

Great Comments

Thanks to everyone who has commented on the blog so far!  I look forward to even more people participating, and we'll really get some discussions going.

Note: To read comments or to leave a comment, click the link under any post that says "1 comments," "2 comments," etc. 

Normally, I will respond to comments in the comments section.  But occasionally, I want to highlight particularly interesting comments in a separate post (like this one).

Responding to my post about the oil spill and Jewish ethics, Linda C. wrote:

If the ethical teachings are relevant and still resonate with issues of our time, which it appears from your passage that they do, they can form the basis for discussion and thought. If they do not serve as a framework, we are disregarding the traditions upon which our present day observance is founded. We ultimately may disagree with the teachings (as have Rabbis and teachers throughout time), but they offer a starting point for discussion.

Linda addresses the difficult issue of what role traditional Jewish texts—particularly Rabbinic legal texts, whose authority we question—should have in our Jewish lives.  She describes them as a "framework" and as a "basis" and "starting point" for discussion.  I agree with her completely.  I might even go one step further—as Reform Jews, we have an obligation to examine our tradition, to seek out texts that "resonate with issues of our time."  That's one of the reasons lifelong learning is so important.  We will never master all of Jewish text or thought, but constant engagement and Jewish growth are values (and obligations) in and of themselves.

And of course, ongoing learning is one of the primary purposes of this new blog...

A (Very) Minor Holiday

On the Hebrew calendar, today is the 17th of Tammuz, a minor fast day.  Unlike the "major" fast of Yom Kippur, which traditionally lasts 25 hours, on a minor fast day, one only refrains from food from sunrise to sunset.  The period from the 17th of Tammuz to Tisha b'Av (the 9th of Av, or this year, July 20th) is known as the "Three Weeks," during which some Jews observe mourning customs—not holding weddings or parties, avoiding haircuts or shaving, etc.

Why?  According to the Mishnah (Taanit 4:6), five disasters befell the Jews on the 17th of Tammuz:

• Moses smashed the original tablets of the Ten Commandments (because of the Golden Calf).
• When Jerusalem was besieged by the Babylonians, they had to stop offering a sacrifice at the Temple, because the city ran out of goats.
• When Jerusalem was besieged by the Romans, on this day they breached the walls.
• Apostomos (a Roman general?) burned a Torah scroll and...
• ...placed an idol in the Temple.

The Three Weeks of mourning lead up to Tisha b'Av, the major fast commemorating the destruction of the Temple (the "Second Temple" in Jerusalem) by the Romans in 70 C.E.

As part of their attempt to modernize Judaism, the founders of the Reform Movement removed the emphasis on the Jerusalem Temple.  They eliminated prayers that referred to Temple sacrifices and all the traditional prayers for the Temple to be rebuilt.  They deemphasized fast days like the 17th of Tammuz, which focused on Temple-related disasters in the past.

Those early Reforms have mostly persisted—very few Reform Jews will be fasting today.  But being aware of the traditional Jewish calendar helps us stay connected to the larger Jewish world.  And an excuse for some Jewish text and history is never a bad thing.

For discussion:  In recent decades, WHC (like many Reform congregations) has reintroduced customs long absent from Reform Judaism.  Would you like to see us re-engage with more observances from the traditional Jewish calendar?  Should we commemorate the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple? 

Image:  James Jacques Joseph Tissot (French, 1836-1902), The Chaldees Destroy the Brazen Sea

The Oil Spill: Jewish Reflections (Part I)

There are countless Jewish ways to respond to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. These past several weeks, I have thought many times of Genesis 2:15, “Adonai Elohim took Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden, to tend it and to keep it.” How terribly we have failed at fulfilling this first, most basic human responsibility!

But beside our anger and anguish, our fear and sadness for the people of the Gulf region—the oil spill raises complex ethical and legal questions.  How does Judaism address them?  There were no oil spills in the days of the Bible or of the classical Jewish texts.  As with any modern dilemma, we must mine our tradition for useful parallels.

For example, take this passage from the Mishnah, the compilation of Rabbinic law edited in Roman Palestine around 200 C.E.:

One may not set up an oven within a house unless there is a space of four cubits above it [to the ceiling].  If he sets it up in an upper room, the floor beneath it must be three handbreaths thick....  If it causes damage [by setting fire to the house and neighboring houses], he is liable to pay for the damage.  But Rabbi Shimon says:  The reason for all of these measurements is that [if they are observed], one is not liable to pay for any damage.  (Bava Batra 2:2)

A house fire was a major economic and public safety hazard in ancient cities, and so the Rabbis regulate the use of ovens indoors. But what if one follows all the regulations, and a fire still results? Here the Rabbis disagree. The unnamed consensus says the oven owner must pay for the damage. Rabbi Shimon argues that if the oven owner has taken all the precautions required by the Rabbis, he is free of liability, no matter what damage may result from an accidental fire.

Now as then, we rely on government regulation to keep us safe from the unintended consequences of others' actions.  A large part of our anger at the oil spill is based on the sense that adequate regulations were not in place or worse, that they were subverted or ignored. 

This mishnah teaches us that in Jewish law, regulation is legitimate and necessary to protect the public welfare.

As for Rabbi Shimon?  The Talmud and later Jewish law side against him.  Even when one complies with all regulations, one is liable to pay for any damage accidentally caused.  Just as in our day, regulation is no substitute for personal and corporate responsibility.

For discussion:  As you know, most of the law in the ancient Jewish sources has been set aside in Reform Judaism.  Should we still try to learn ethics from those sources? 

Image © BP p.l.c.

New Jewish Magazine: A Must-Read

I just finished reading the inaugural issue of the Jewish Review of Books, and I am in love. How can I describe it? In his welcoming introduction, the editor, Abraham Socher, contrasts his Review with the academic journals, pop-culture magazines, and special-interest newspapers that form the Jewish periodical landscape:

“We aspire to offer something different: a lively magazine of ideas and argument, criticism and commentary, written especially for intelligent men and women who believe, as I do, that Jewish subjects are worthy of attention that is serious, accessible, and occasionally even playful.” (Spring 2010, p. 4)

Amen. Finally, a magazine that offers sophisticated perspectives on important Jewish issues—and isn’t written only for rabbis. Hillel Halkin’s review of a new British prayer book gave me a lot to think about regarding WHC’s own explorations of prayer books and Mishkan T’filah. This essay by Michael Weingrad, “Why There is No Jewish Narnia,” is full of “aha!” moments for those Jews (like me) who grew up on Narnia, Tolkien, Harry Potter, or pretty much any fantasy adventure. And if you're looking for good suggestions of new Jewish books to read, the Review has dozens.

The whole first issue is free online, but I’m not waiting—I’m already a subscriber.

For Discussion: Are there any Jewish periodicals you read regularly? (Washington Jewish Week? Reform Judaism Magazine? The Forward? Commentary?)

Why a Blog?

Washington Hebrew Congregation is a large and diverse community, and we are always looking for new ways to enhance the Jewish life and learning of our members. What will you find here?

• Food for thought: Torah, ethics, philosophy, history…
• Commentary on events in the Jewish world and the local Jewish community
• Links to important(/fun?) Jewish articles, websites, etc.
• Discussion of life at Washington Hebrew Congregation

Are you a college student or out-of-town member? Visit often and stay connected. Too busy for regular adult study? Visit often for Jewish enrichment. Not sure if a blog is a good idea? Visit often and we’ll all find out together.

My commitment to you: This blog will be updated frequently. You’ll be hearing from me a lot. As the blog gains momentum, our other rabbis, cantors, staff, and lay leadership may share their thoughts as well.

One more thing… Perhaps the greatest asset of a blog is the potential for open discussion. Please use the “comments” button below to become part of the conversation. Comments will be moderated, but anything appropriate will be posted quickly. For online safety, I recommend identifying yourself with first name and last initial (e.g., Noah F.) To start, I’ll give you a topic: What issues/topics would you like to see addressed in future blog posts?

As always, any non-public feedback can be sent directly to me at nfabricant "at" whctemple "dot" org. Let the experiment begin.