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?

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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.