Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi

WWJD?

rabbifink — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:07:21 +0000

Politicians from the Right often cite God or Jesus as a basis for political positions. Some even make the claim that they are running for office upon the advise of God Himself.

Now, it is impossible for God to have told more than one particular person that they are destined to be the next president. So either all but one are lying or they are all lying. You decide.

Either way, the whole concept of appealing to God’s authority in politics is very silly. The reason it is silly is because none of these people have had any specific revelation. Rather, they apply their interpretations of ancient texts, or worse, their personal feelings or emotional stirrings and claim that these are Divine messages. What makes matters even fuzzier is that politicians are usually businessmen or lawyers. They are not theologians or members of the clergy. Their understanding of their own religions is as basic as the average American’s understanding of their religions. Their understanding of other religions is even poorer.

Case in point: President Obama invoked the teachings of Jesus as a basis for taxes. The response has been vicious. Most of the criticism has been because of the seeming transparent pandering to the religious voters. This is a valid criticism. But only to a point. Politicians are professional panderers. We just don’t like it when we can tell.

The more important point, that is being overlooked, is how religious beliefs are able to conform to political positions. It’s too easy to make an argument for almost any predetermined position using religious faith or texts. The stories are obscure, the analogies are tenuous and the bias is overwhelming. It’s to the point that I can’t take any appeal to religion seriously. Further, not everyone wants to follow the teachings of Jesus. Those same teachings were used as a tool for death and destruction for hundreds of years.

Are taxes some form of charity, as Obama suggests? Maybe. But religion is not going to provide the answer to that question.

Political policy should be based on reasoning that is free from religious influence. It should not be guided by love for God or religion nor should it be guided by disbelief in God or hatred for religion.

But I don’t blame politicians. I blame the religious fervor of American citizens that demands that their politicians double as religious leaders. It’s foolish to assume that politicians know enough about religion to have intelligent opinions on theological matters. We should stop demanding it. Along the same lines, we should not turn to one specific version of a religion to solve our problems or as a basis for setting policy. At best, it is silly and at worse it is offensive.

I think the other speaker at the event at which the president spoke had good advice. Eric Metaxas suggested we remove phony religiosity from public discourse. Since it is all phony, I say we remove it all.

Link: NY Times

Book Review | Must a Jew Believe Anything?

rabbifink — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:21:20 +0000

Menachem Kellner is a scholar par excellence. I enjoy his books, and other writings very much. One book that I particularly enjoyed was the provocatively titled: Must a Jew Believe Anything?

The book is not really about what the title implies. Instead, the book is an analysis of required beliefs in Judaism. It is an excellent book and a joy to read. I heartily recommend the book to anyone interested in the evolution of fundamental beliefs in Judaism.

One important issue that is thoroughly discussed is the importance the Sages of the Mishna and Talmud placed on actions while placing less importance on faith or beliefs. This is true. But the significance of this fact is debatable. That is because faith or belief in a deity was a basic assumption of life in the era in which the Sages lived. One had to be insane to be an atheist 2000 years ago. How would one even begin to explain the world in which they lived. However, today one can certainly be sane and deny the existence of God. In fact, some might argue that the tables have turned and belief in God is the less sane position. After all, there is no scientific proof of an all-knowing, all-powerful Creator. So, while I enjoyed the discussion in the book about actions having more meaning than beliefs in the eyes of the Sages, how well that transfers to modern times is another discussion entirely.

Another core point of the book is that in adopted the 13 Fundamental Beliefs of Maimonides there is an odd irony. On the one hand, Maimonides the Rationalist lost. By this I mean that Judaism today is mostly not the Judaism of Maimonides. Today’s Judaism is dominated by metaphysics, mysticism, and Zohar-centric Kabbalah. The Judaism of Maimonides functioned without these elements. (For a thorough analysis and discussion of this point see Kellner’s book: Maimonides’ Confrontation with Mysticism.) So Maimonides lost. He tried to establish a Judaism free from these non-essential elements but he failed. The public rejected his approach.

On the other hand, the public embraced the revolutionary suggestion of Maimonides that there are 13 fundamental beliefs and what those beliefs actually entail. There were other fundamental belief systems proposed by others and Judaism may have got along just fine without a formal expression of fundamental beliefs.

Yet, here we are today. The public has rejected rationalism and embraced fundamental beliefs. Isn’t it ironic?

The final part of Must a Jew Believe Anything? is a polemic. Kellner argues that it should be okay to relegate the 13 Fundamental Beliefs for the sake of Jewish Unity. His proposal is based on the assumption that Orthodox Jewish rabbis and non-rabbis avoid working with non-orthodox rabbis and non-rabbis. There is no conversation or joint agenda in which orthodox and non-orthodox Jews participate. Further, Kellner assumes that this plain fact is because of the halachic prohibition that proscribes a believer from engaging with a heretic. The logic follows that since by the lights of the 13 Fundamental Principles there is a presumption that non-orthodox Jews are technically heretics. Hence, it is forbidden to engage them. This, according to Kellner is the reason there is no communication between orthodox and non-orthodox Jews. Kellner then argues that for the sake of unity, continuity, and peace we should discard with a highly literal usage of Maimonides fundamental beliefs and open the lines of communication with non-orthodox Jews.

One might suspect that I would agree with Kellner on this matter. In principle I do. I wrote about it here: There is No Tent. I think we should increase communication and interaction with all Jews. But I don’t agree with Kellner’s logic here. Not at all.

The reason there is little interaction between orthodox and non-orthodox Jews has very little to do with halacha. It has a lot to do with social concerns. The orthodox establishment is more concerned with their children and keeping their children orthodox than the nitty-gritty of whether or not it is permissible to engage with the non-orthodox. In other words, the real reason there is little interaction between the groups is because the orthodox are concerned about the influence that non-orthodox will have over their children or even themselves. It is a matter of insulation and isolation, not a matter of halacha.

And so, it makes little difference to the orthodox Jew that fundamentals of faith are a novel introduction by Maimonides or that there are other codes of faith that could be acceptable. What does matter is that access to a world of Judaism that does not follow the chain of halacha that is followed by orthodox Jews could “corrupt” orthodox Jews and they may jump ship. It is merely circling the wagons. It is not a halachic decision.

Therefore, Kellner’s ambitious and admirable suggestion is a non-starter. Unless the orthodox Jewish community can foster a confidence in its principles and ideals to the point that interaction is not considered a spiritual danger, I don’t foresee a change in approach. As a pure academic exercise, the recommendation of Must a Jew Believe Anything? is bold and exciting to me. But in a practical sense, it is lacking.

The only way intra-Jewish relations will change significantly is if our leadership suggests that it has value and that value trumps overzealous concerns over assimilation. I hope it does change.

I strongly suggest reading Must a Jew Believe Anything? and thinking about its many fascinating points for discussion. If you have read it let me know what you think in the comments.

Buy the book on Amazon: Must a Jew Believe Anything?

A Friend Remembers Rebbetzin Chana Weinberg | A Guest Post

rabbifink — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:06:35 +0000

What follows is a guest post written by my illustrious grandmother. Readers of this blog will remember her from here: This Blog Post is in Honor of (one of) My Incredibly Accomplished Grandmother(s). As I mentioned in my post about Rebbetzin Weinberg (Rebbetzin Chana Weinberg, Of Blessed Memory), my grandmother was a close friend of the rebbetzin. As a favor to me, and now all of you, she has shared some first hand insight on this incredible woman.

Today marked the end of Shiva for Rebbetzin Chana Weinberg. The Shiva house resounded to the stories told by the many people whose lives had been touched by Rebbetzin Chana Weinberg. She was larger than life and as people shared their anecdotes and memories it became obvious that none of us knew the full extent of her many faceted life. She was brilliant, mesmerizing and her stock in trade was she would not take no for an answer. She was a gifted teacher, activities coordinator for a nursing home and a leader whenever she found herself. Probably the most resounding thread in the stories was how one woman changed so many things.

She championed women who suffered lives of abuse. From her indignant exclamation to me about one Rav who asked an abused woman what she had done to provoke her husband to her comments after meeting with a group of rabbonim who refused to acknowledge any spousal abuse in the frum community –“I have to make them see what is in front of them.” She would return to Baltimore after one of her out of town meetings and say I am making headway with them (not telling you that the “them” was a group of prominent rabbonim) Nothing would keep her from her mission—ailments or injuries were a nuisance not an impediment. She told me once she had asked her father (Rav Ruderman Ztz”l), what they did in Slabodka when women were abused. His response was “they closed the shutters”. She would shake her head and say that is not acceptable.

Due to her efforts there is a safe house for women in Baltimore and an awareness of the extent of the issue around the country. She traveled spoke, and cajoled, and remonstrated everywhere. As I said she would not take no for an answer. If someone said “no you cannot do that” she would say “Why not” When she realized that the Ladies Auxiliary of Ner Israel, an organization started by her mother which had been a support to the Yeshiva for years, had an aging membership and was not attractive to the young women she rejected the suggestion to intensify the membership drive to attract younger women and instead began the Ner Israel Service League, an organization led by young Kollel wives to promote the Yeshiva. As she said, the young women needed their own organization.

Along with her leadership skills and dedication to the Klal she was also a woman who appreciated beauty and order. Her table was beautiful, her food was delicious, her grooming impeccable. She appreciated art and attractive household items. She was a voracious reader and her choice of reading material was eclectic. She told me how important she felt it was for frum women to always leave their home neat, clean and presentable (and with their lipstick refreshed)!

At the Shiva House several individuals told of how she had mentored them when they came to Ner Israel as young wives and how she had inspired them One common theme was that of someone who told the rebbetzin they were going home for Pesach. Where are you going she would ask —“Home” they would say. No, she would insist. You are going to visit your parents — home is here with your husband. She delighted in each new baby and welcomed each new couple, always impressing upon them that they were home. She taught Shalom Bayis by modeling it — her kovod for the Rosh Yeshiva her husband, and the Rosh Yeshiva, her father, her attention to their needs, and always making her family the centerpiece of her life. She did not like to be dependent, so she chose to work outside the home. She brought her special brand of compassion and leadership to all her positions and made a true Kiddush Hashem wherever she was. She would say, I have to find a visitor for Mrs. — because no one comes to see her, or I have to call — family, the best medicine for their mother would be a rotation of visitors so she is not exhausted on Sunday and lonely the rest of the week. Baltimore and the entire Jewish community are greater because she said “why not?”.

She was the wonderful woman with a pithy sense of humor, the woman who always had good advice. the woman with an occasional irreverent chuckle about current events, the woman who loved Chinese food. the woman who would always go the extra mile for a friend. The woman who called me when Rami Fink (ed: my eldest son) was born to say “Welcome to the club” and I said “what club” and she said “The great-grandparents club what a special zchus to get there — and to even have him in town! (Ed: We lived in Baltimore for about a year and half after Rami was born before moving to LA.) Give him a hug and kiss for me”. Women like her are a rarity. She did more in a week than many people did in a month and more in a year than many do in a lifetime. Sitting and talking in her home, going out to dinner, sharing insights about a book, reminiscing about days gone by or just sharing anecdotes about the children and grandchildren. Just a few short weeks ago I brought dinner to her house which we ate and laughed and joked with her daughter Aviva — the oxygen machine was annoying, but it would be better, the beautiful smile and bright eyes still dominated. Such special times — they will remain in my memory.

There will be biographies and articles about this special rebbetzin – but they will never capture the full scope of this remarkable woman – the world will miss the rebbetzin – but I miss my special friend. Chana.

Give This Dad a Medal

rabbifink — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:52:24 +0000

Last Sunday, two NFL teams advanced to the Super Bowl. Two other teams lost and were sent home for the winter.

One of the notable things about both games was the lack of heroes for the winning teams. Instead of the winning teams making a great play to win the game, both of the losing teams made mistakes that gave the game away. Instead of heroes we had goats.

In the first game, the Ravens made three consecutive heartbreakingly poor plays. First a dropped touchdown, then a bad pass when the quarterback could have run for a few yards and then a missed field goal from close range. The players who made the biggest mistakes, the receive who dropped the pass and the kicker who missed the kick lost the game for their team. Or at least it appears that way to the observer. Obviously mistakes in the beginning of the game are just as costly as mistakes at the end of the game. Yet, we somehow place greater emphasis on the glaring mistakes at the end of the game.

In our house we are fans of the Ravens. It was shocking and disappointing to see them lose in this fashion. Especially so, for my eight year old son. He was upset as I am sure millions of other Ravens fans across the country.

The second game featured an even worse anti-hero. Kyle Williams fumbled the ball twice in crucial kick return situations. He gave the ball back to the Giants and cost his tea the game. It was heartbreaking for him and for 49ers fans everywhere. It was his fault that the Giants won and people were really mad at him.

Some people sent him death threats.. Others just said horrible things about him. One seven year old boy was also upset after seeing Williams give away the game.

He was crying “but… why… did… he have to fumble?!”

His father replied, “if you are so upset, how do you think he feels?”

To which the boy responded by asking if he could write a letter to Kyle Williams to “make him feel better.”

Here is what the kid wrote:

Dear Mr. Williams:

We just watched the Playoff game. I feel really bad for you but I wanted to tell you that you had a great season. you sould be very proud, so I wanted to say thank you.

I am your #1 FAN!

Owen Shure
Los Angeles, CA

p.s. your awsome

You gotta love this kid. But even more than the kid, I think you gotta love the father!

I’m sure he was upset too. Most people who invest time into sports are somewhat affected by wins and losses. All the more so a heart wrenching loss like the one suffered by the Niners on Sunday. This father used it as a great teaching moment for himself and his son. Athletes are people too. They make mistakes and it hurts them when they make mistakes.

The anger towards athletes when they don’t live up to our lofty expectations can cause people to do stupid things. They write death threats and forget that their sports heroes have feelings too.

No one feels worse than the goats of these big games. Hatred and anger towards them is immature and misguided.

Meanwhile, the rest of country has to deal with another championship that will be decided between teams from New York and Boston. That’s something to get upset about! (Just kidding.)

Click the link to see the letter!

Link: Yahoo

A Good Time | A Guest Post

rabbifink — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:41:48 +0000

A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov on Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series.

Parshas Bo
A Good Time

Parshas Bo heralds the birth of Klal Yisrael as the Am Segulah. So profound are the events contained therein that they define our destiny as banim la’Makom till today. Most importantly, one detail in the Parsha is so fundamental that it singularly defines the spiritual mission of every Jew. Surprisingly; our tachlis Hachayim is not defined by the climactic conclusion of the eser makkos, the korban Pesach or even our physical exodus from Mitzrayim. Rather the essence of Klal Yisrael is wrapped in the ribbon of the very first Mitzvah gifted to us by Hashem Yisborach; the mitzvah of Kiddush Hachodesh.

The Torah teaches us, Hachodesh hazeh lachem. This posuk Rashi points out, in the very first verse of sefer Breishis, is where the Torah should begin, shehi mitzvah rishona shenitztavu Yisrael. Essentially, the Torah commences right here with Kiddush Hachodesh, a gift which is lachem, exclusively Klal Yisrael’s Why? And how does it define us l’olmei olamim.

Kiddush Hachodesh, our first national mitzvah is much more than the complex formulae to be used in calculating the lunar cycle. It is about time and our unique relationship to it. It is about Kiddushas Hazman and the ability of the basor v’dam to define it in this world and the next. Empowered by the Ribbono Shel Olam, as we are, to control time, even the malachei hashareis must consult with B’nei Yisrael to know when the Yomim Tovim are scheduled!, We are charged to create moadim. Indeed, Lakol zman va’eis, we can create an eis la’ssos for every opportunity. It is an amazing task that only a Yid can do. This is the Torah paradigm for zman – so lovingly placed in our hands as our first mitzvah. It is for us to give meaning and reality to each and every tick of the clock.

Mikadeish Yisrael v’hazmanim, Kiddush Hachodesh is the very first national mitzvah and kedushas hazman is our national tachlis. Even before the actual geulas Mitzrayim, Hashem Yisborach is teaching us that it is up to us make each moment count. The gift of freedom is not for every individual to do what he wants when he wants. That is anarchy. Instead, time is life. And cheirus is the opportunity to use time well, to find in it a purpose and fill life with meaning.

Given the power of time and our responsibility to use it wisely it is no wonder that our national destiny begins with this very mitzvah. Its message is more critical today than ever. What do we do with our time? How much do we learn? Do we make time for our families? Are we giving time back to the klal? How do we leisure? Do we invest time, find it, waste it or r”l try and kill it. It is, after all, our most precious resource and our most unique gift.

For Klal Yisrael, the ongoing epoch which began with Yitzias Mitzrayim and Matan Toarah and continues with our kiyum hamitzvos and limud Hatorah still today, is all about time. Let us be devoted to using it well.

Walking the Tightrope of Tough Love

rabbifink — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:26:08 +0000

The Jewish Week has an exposé on the controversial Rosh Yeshiva of a certain yeshiva in Israel. For purposes of this blog post, it is irrelevant who this person is and what yeshiva he presides over. I have not met this rabbi nor have I ever been in his yeshiva. I have no personal experience to draw from. The issue I would like to address is a general issue brought to light in discussions about this rabbi (and others).

Examples of behavior by this rabbi include, emotional manipulation, intense yelling, embarrassment in public, forcing boys to wait for him for hours on end after he called them in for a meeting, insulting students, gathering information from student’s therapists, among other anti-social behaviors all designed to elicit change in the recipient of the abuse. I call it abuse because without justification it certainly is abusive. The question is whether or not there is justification.

The claim has been made that the rabbi is a genius or savant who understands human nature so well that there is a method to the madness. It usually works. Sometimes it does not. The victims of cases where it does not work are the ones who speak out. The others are appreciative that it did work and claim that the rabbi is amazing.

Similar claims have been made about other rabbis. Sometimes the rabbis are too touchy-feely. They hug or kiss their students in a non-sexual way and for many this is a welcome sign of affection. For others it is abuse. Other rabbis have been said to have hit students. Sometimes the hitting was playful or with camaraderie, like when an athlete congratulates another athlete with more force than the average person can bear. Other times the hitting is unequivocally abusive.

I find these sorts of claims, whether emotional or physical or sexual to be under one broad category. I think they show poor judgment on the part of the rabbi. I don’t think they show absolute abuse. However, in the absence of proper judgment some of the acts or even many of the acts may have been abusive. In other words, I don’t think rabbis with wacky methodologies are intrinsically evil. Nor do I think that their successes justify their sometimes erroneous behavior.

We all make mistakes. I am sure these rabbis would admit to having made mistakes in their dealings with people. We all do. Rabbis are human. They should be held to the standard of human beings. That is, the standard of people who err and regret things they have done. People are complex. They are not all good, nor are they all bad. Trying to put this rabbi in either of those categories is folly.

What bothers me most are the absolutists.

On the one hand you have people saying the man should be fired, removed, lynched, exposed, no matter what. On the other hand you have people explaining away all the wrong things that occur because “he’s a genius” or because he knows exactly what he is doing. Neither of these positions is reasonable.

If the rabbi has done something illegal, morally repugnant or harmful to a student we would not be having this conversation. He has not. Rather, he has tread a fine line of questionable behavior. If that line is crossed there are ways to handle it. But that does not mean that in the meantime the acts should be hidden. Nor does it mean that he should be given a free pass.

As always, balance is the key. Some people work best in non-conventional ways. Students know what they are in for when they sign up to learn in the rabbi’s yeshiva. That does not give the rabbi license to do as he pleases with no regard for human life. It means if you don’t want to be in that kind of environment, don’t go. But if this rabbi even puts one toe over the line, he begins a walk down a treacherous path. It is difficult to live that kind of life. It’s his life, he can choose to try to pull it off. To this point, there is no evidence he has crossed the line. But Lord help him, if he does.

In the meantime, I think it would wise for the rabbi to tone it down. I don’t know if he can, or if he wants to. But that would be my advice. If he is such a genius of human nature, I am sure he will figure out how to help his students while avoiding questionable behavior.

Link: Google it yourself

Rebbetzin Chana Weinberg, Of Blessed Memory

rabbifink — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:19:15 +0000

Photo: Lloyd Wolf

Yesterday, Rebbeztin Chana Weinberg passed away. She was a heroic woman and an important figure in the lives of many people including my father and grandmother. Her public claim to fame may have been her pedigree as a daughter of Rabbi Ruderman and the wife of Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg. But to those who knew her or knew of her, Rebbetzin Weinberg was a person worthy of individual accolades and recognition separate from her illustrious father and husband.

Personally, I did not have a relationship with the Rebbetzin. I do have many fond memories of meeting her, being in her home and hearing of her greatness. As a young child I remember visiting the Rosh Yeshiva with my father and I remember him making a point of telling me that part of the visit was to see the Rebbetzin as well. We were not just visiting the Rosh Yeshiva and she happened to be there too. We were visiting her as well.

It’s interesting to me that one of the things I remember most about Rabbi Weinberg was his vibrant smile. I have the same kind of memory of the Rebbetzin. Her warmth exuded from her smile. Oftentimes, young children find elderly people scary. I only remember pleasant and loving vibrations from my early visits with the Rebbetzin.

When I was in high school at the yeshiva, I scored a rare (for a high school boy) invitation to a Yom Tov meal at the home of the Weinbergs. Part of this was my friendship with their grandson and another part of it was my father’s relationship with the Rebbetzin. The meal was exhilarating on every level. I will always remember and cherish that experience.

My grandmother also had a special relationship with the Rebbetzin. They talked often. Sometimes it was personal. But other times it was professional. My grandmother is a psychologist and the Rebbetzin spent her free time offering counseling, advice and advocacy for battered and abused women in the orthodox Jewish community. From what I understand, they helped each other help others. The Rebbetzin made this one of her passions and did a tremendous amount of good for women who needed the strength they could only find in themselves with the Rebbetzin’s love and care.

I will always remember her eloquence and elegance. All my encounters with the Rebbetzin were inspiring.

I know that her passing will be hard for those who came to depend on her and their relationship with her. On a personal note, I feel a sense of loss for my father and grandmother for whom this loss is like losing a close relative and friend.

As Rabbi Ahron Feldman said in his eulogy, the Rebbetzin was a gadol in her own right. A true leader of the Jewish people.

The Rebbetzin leaves behind a legacy of love and devotion to her family, her father’s students, the entire Jewish people and the world. She led a life that was dedicated to others in a unique way. She will be missed by all.

Forced Assimilation in Israel

rabbifink — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:17:04 +0000

Ethiopian Jews Arriving in Israel During Operation Solomon

One of my favorite things about visiting Israel is the diversity of Jewish people, practices and customs. In particular, the Kotel is a special place for so many Jewish people and even non-Jewish people. I always marvel at the beauty of the stones and all the people there to soak in their glory.

The only shul that I know of that rivals the Kotel in diversity is the Shul on the Beach where I am the rabbi. It really is remarkable. It is not quite the diversity of the Kotel, but Pacific Jewish Center is probably a slightly distant second.

Unfortunately, there are some people who do not value diversity. Some people desire uniformity in action, thought and dress. The latest victim of this attitude was chronicled in a recent AP article.

The Israeli rabbinate has proclaimed that the Ethiopian Jewish community religious leaders, called kessoch, no longer be recognized by the State of Israel. The control over who is recognized as a legitimate spiritual leader in Israel is in the hands of the Rabbinate.

At this point, most, if not all of the kessoch have abandoned their traditional dress and now conform to the standard of Ashkenazik rabbis who wear dark suits, white shirts and black hats. Traditionally, the kessoch worse turbans and clothing that is appropriate for a community with roots in North Africa.

Some of their customs were already abandoned when they emigrated to Israel. These were customs that varied greatly from the practiced version of orthodox Judaism in Israel. But now, they are being forced to completely assimilate into the dominant version of Judaism in Israel.

This is not a matter of whether or not the Ethiopian Jews are legitimate. The working assumption is that they have converted if necessary and are now full-fledged Jews. The issue is that once they are Jews, they are not being permitted to have official rabbis who hail from their communities. These communities were self regulated and ruled for hundreds and hundreds of years. Now, they are being forced to give that up.

I find it sad and ironic the Jews are forcing assimilation on other Jews.

Link: ABC News

Light Unto the Nations | A Guest Post

rabbifink — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:06:25 +0000

A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov on Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series.

Parshas Vaera
Light Unto the Nations

The devastation of Mitzrayim during the 10 plagues left the Egyptian landscape changed forever. Clearly the purpose of the makkoswas not merely the exodus of Klal Yisrael from the tyrannical rule of Pharoah. After all, Hashem could have just escorted all the Jews out of Egypt in one fell swoop. What then was the objective of the 10 -step staged destruction of Egypt, its culture and people?

The Kli Yakar explains that the makkos were to provide a tikkun for the lack of emuna which was pervasive in the Mitzri culture. Pharoah denied Hashem’s existence and omnipotence. Pharoah tells Moshe, “I know not of Hashem, nor will I listen to Him.” Yet, as each plague descends upon Egypt, Pharaoh and the Mitzriyim are systematically and progressively shown that Hashem Hu HaElokim, bashamayim u’varetz! They have no choice but to recognize His hashgacha over all. As the Yad Hashem becomes ever clear with each and every plague the ultimate goal of the ten makkos is realized until it climaxes with the declaration l’maan sapehr Sh’mi.

Ultimately, Pharaoh and his people are taught that it is not merely enough to acknowledge the Ribbono Shel Olam’s presence in this world. We must do our best ”l’maan sapehr Sh’mi”- to proclaim His reality to all. Eventually the Egyptians got the point. Klal Yisrael is ejected from the throes of their servitude. Geula is at hand.

However, this lesson was not meant for the Mitzrim alone. It is really intended for us. With the revelation of Sinai close at hand, Hakadosh Baruch Hu was paving the way for the true purpose of geula; to become an “ohr la’amim,” a light to all nations. The soon to be experienced Matan Torah, would gift us with the tools for Kiddush Shem Shamayim, enabling us to be His ambassadors for kedusha in this world. Our awareness of l’maan sapehr Sh’mi and our commitment to implementing that attitude in each aspect of our lives, 24/7, is the final step in the preparatory process for redemption. It is an opportunity and responsibility for every ben and bas Yisrael which can bring the geula closer each day.

Some Ammunition for Moderates in the Battle Over Modesty

rabbifink — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:15:42 +0000

So much excellent writing has come forth due to the controversy over Beit Shemesh and Meah Shearim. This week two additions to the genre found themselves at the top of the heap.

Both authors are rabbis. Neither are rabbis that are appreciated or recognized by anyone (or almost no-one) in the right wing orthodox Jewish community. That’s a shame because their message is valuable for the RWOJ community and they will not read or pay heed to these articles because they come from outside.

There is room to quibble over details within these articles but I think we can all agree that the sentiments are important and at the very least deserve a response if not agreement.

The first article was written by Rabbi Marc Angel. In his article, Rabbi Angel proposes modern tznius guidelines that do not change halacha but do change social expectations. In his words:

The goal should be to create frameworks for normal interactions between men and women, where men and women conduct themselves properly without reducing each other to mere objects of sexual attraction.

Two things. First of all, I don’t think this is a fair characterization. I don’t think the complete social separation of men and women automatically reduces people to sex object. I do think this is one possible result of many.

Second of all, this is never going to happen. Unfortunately.

I once made a relevant comment to a friend of mine as we observed a kiddush celebrating the birth of a child / grandchild in a home where there were separate entrances for men and women and once inside, the men were in one room and the women were in a completely separate room. We were discussing the difference between this kind of celebration and one outside the RWOJ community. Absolute separation of married men and women is seen as necessary in the RWOJ. The rationale is usually something like “if men and women fraternize together, it will lead to sin”. But the truth is that men and women socialize together all the time and they don’t sin. Yet, this perception persists in the RWOJ community.

Rabbi Angel hits it on the head. RWOJ do not envision a framework for men and women to engage in normal interactions. If this changes then perhaps other things will change too. I just don’t see it happening.

The second article is much more prominent as it appeared in the NY Times. This article was written by Rabbi Dov Linzer, the Rosh Yeshiva of Chovevei Torah which makes his words less meaningful than a republican senator in the eyes of a RWOJ. But he also makes some good points that are worth exploring.

In making his main point, Rabbi Linzer raises the conundrum of sexual purity in the religious context: Who is responsible for licentious thoughts about immodest women?

…the Talmud, the basis for Jewish law, offers a perhaps surprising answer: It places the responsibility for controlling men’s licentious thoughts about women squarely on the men.

This is true and as Rabbi Linzer develops this point he places the focus on men who over-sexualize women as opposed to women who may not dress in accordance with tradition.

Although, I would add that halacha in general speaks to men. There is no section in the Talmud or Code of Jewish Law that tells women how they should dress and behave in the public sphere. It is only in from the perspective of the men that we are given clues to what is expected of women. So, it is hard to draw definitive conclusions from omissions in the sources on this matter.

But all in all, I do agree with Rabbi Linzer. However, it is unfortunate that this is in the NY Times. At least it has not made their list of Most E-Mailed Articles.

I realize that these article will read like Chinese to RWOJs who measure skirt length with a tznius ruler and examine the denier of stockings. But maybe, just maybe, if an opposite perspective presented eloquently and forcefully the attitudes will slowly change.

Please read and share these articles. At the very least they will engender (hehe) discussion about these issues in a meaningful way. If you go to RWOJ shul, see what happens if you print these articles and give them to some friends in shul. That might be interesting…

Links: Rabbi Angel, Rabbi Linzer

I Kind Of Feel Bad For Rabbi Shmuley

rabbifink — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:48:50 +0000

I’ll be honest. There is very little that I like about Rabbi Shmuley. I rarely agree with his perspectives on life, Jews and Judaism. But recently I find myself defending him in my mind against the latest round of accusations against him.

Rabbi Shmuley has written a book called Kosher Jesus. The book is a retelling of Jesus based on some (fringe) historical research. The book portrays the true Jesus as a man who was mostly a Torah abiding Jew but sought to establish a niche within Judaism for his personal views and style. He was later, much later, hijacked as a deity by followers of his teachings in an effort to rebel against Judaism and start a new religion.

At least that is what I was able to gather from the descriptions of the book on various websites. That’s because, despite what you may think, THE BOOK HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED.

I know this might come as a shock seeing as how Rabbi Shmuley has already been branded as a heretic for writing a book that almost no one has read. In article after article, I have seen calls for Rabbi Shmuley to be ousted from Judaism or worse because of what he has ostensibly written. And this is why I come to his defense.

Screeds against a man who has written a book that has not been read by the ones raving against him. I have seen this movie already. It doesn’t end well for anyone.

Criticism and discussion are important parts of any functioning society. Just open the Talmud and you’ll see many opinions and reasoning that explains those opinions that we do not follow today. It’s a discussion. There is argument. But what you won’t find is rabbis calling for someone’s head because of a book title or brief dust jacket description. Further, if there is a point to be made, make the point! Yelling very loudly that Rabbi Shmuley is X and Y and therefore A, B and C must happen to him sounds like the ravings of a lunatic.

How about this?

Read the book. Write a critique of the book based on actual research and facts. Then we can have a mature discussion about the issues.

My two cents:

I reserve judgment until I have read the book. (If I read the book at all.) But I am curious why this is the book Rabbi Shmuley chose to write. I know what he says in interviews or in his articles but it still doesn’t add up. I am concerned that the book may have just been written to be provacative, to gain publicity and generate controversy. I could be wrong. But that’s just how it smells to me.

One more cent:

In order for Jesus to become kosher, everything that Christians teach must be wrong. Is that really a road we want to go down?

Someone else’s two cents:

Read Rabbi Gil’s excellent post on the issue of a kosher Jesus here: Hirhurim

Spend more than two cents:

And buy the book here: Kosher Jesus

Links: Attack, Response, Attack Two, More

Rabbi J.H. Hertz’s Epic Introduction to the Talmud (with a little controversy mixed in)

rabbifink — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:53:51 +0000

I am indebted to Alan Brill of the Kavvanah blog for sharing this gem.

One of my favorite topics and themes in Judaism is understanding the structure and methodology of the Talmud. I am constantly looking for more sources and studying, adapting and adjusting my understanding of the issues. Until I read the post on Kavvanah I did not know about the introduction to the Talmud written by Rabbi J.H. Hertz. I read it and I loved it.

I strongly suggest you read the entire introduction. It is written beautifully and with such an inspiring view of the Talmud that it becomes required reading.

Some highlights:

Like nearly every one of the rabbis, he earned his bread by manual labour.

Speaking about the rabbis of the Talmud, R’ Hertz reminds us that the rabbis of the Talmud worked for a living. They studied when they were able. He wrote this before the standardization of kollel. But it is almost prophetically inspired.

Concerning the exact time at which the Mishnah was committed to writing, diversity of opinion has prevailed among eminent Jewish authorities during the last nine centuries.

I never knew this. But apparently, R’ Sherira Gaon and Rashi, among others held that the Mishna was not actually written down until the 8th or 9th century. I would love to see a citation for this. Either way, this is astounding to me. I was always taught that R’ Yehuda HaNassi codified AND wrote down the mishna. It seems that these authorities held that the Mishna was codified by R’ Yehuda HaNassi and was transmitted orally for a few hundred years before it was published in written form. Clearly, Rambam disagrees. Fascinating.

Here is the best part:

Halachah, as we have seen, means ‘the trodden path’, rule of life, religious guidance. To it belong all laws and regulations that bear upon Jewish conduct. These include the ritual, the civil, criminal, and ethical laws.

Everything else is embraced under the term Haggadah; literally, ‘talk’, ‘that which is narrated’, ‘delivered in a discourse’. This again can he subdivided into various groups. We have dogmatical Haggadah, treating of God’s attributes and providence, creation, revelation, Messianic times, and the Hereafter. The historical Haggadah brings traditions and legends concerning the heroes and events in national or universal history, from Adam to Alexander of Macedon, Titus and Hadrian. It is legend pure and simple. Its aim is not so much to give the facts concerning the righteous and unrighteous makers of history. as the moral that may be pointed from the tales that adorn their honour or dishonour.

That some of the folklore element in the Haggadah, some of the customs depicted or obiter dicta reported. are repugnant to Western taste need not be denied. ‘The greatest fault to be found with those who wrote down such passages. says Schechter, ‘is that they did not observe the wise rule of Dr Johnson who said to Boswell on a certain occasion, “Let us get serious, for there comes a fool”. And the fools unfortunately did come, in the shape of certain Jewish commentators and Christian controversialists, who took as serious things which were only the expression of a momentary impulse. or represented the opinion of sonic isolated individual, or were meant simply as a piece of humorous by-play, calculated to enliven the interest of a languid audience.’

In spite of the fact that the Haggadah contains parables of infinite beauty and enshrines sayings of eternal worth, it must be remembered that the Haggadah consists of mere individual utterances that possess no general and binding authority.

This is a loaded paragraph and one that today is considered highly controversial. R’ Hertz has the broad shoulders necessary to make such a statement and I admire him greatly for making it. What he is saying is that the Talmud has statements that are binding and many that are not. The difference between the two is whether or not they are halachic. Further, it should not be a surprise to anyone if the rabbis of the Talmud were inaccurate in their non-halachic statements. Some were mistakes, others were made for purposes other than for their truth. R’ Hertz charges those who take these non-serious statements with greater seriousness than they were intended as fools. I wouldn’t be so harsh. But I agree with the sentiment.

I wonder what would happen if a prominent rabbi wrote this today.

And finally another excellent line in conclusion:

My purpose is merely to give a brief presentation of the Talmud as a book. I shall therefore conclude with the words of I. Abrahams. ‘The Talmud,’ he says, ‘is one of the great books of the world. Rabbinism was a sequel to the Bible; and if, like all sequels, it was unequal to its original, it nevertheless shares its greatness. The works of all Jews up to the modern period were the sequel to this sequel. Through them all may be detected the unifying principle that literature in its truest sense includes life itself; that intellect is the handmaid to conscience; and that the best books are those which best teach men how to live. The maxim, Righteousness delivers from death, applies to books as well as to men. A literature whose consistent theme is Righteousness, is immortal.’

Through it all, the Talmud is one of the greatest books ever written. It’s true, the sequel is at least as good as the original. We follow the Talmud in our lives and the Talmud interprets the Torah. It’s world certainly seems different to the naked eye than the world of the Bible. Says, R’ Hertz, this is a good thing.

Above all, the Talmud is an attempt at righteousness and aids us all in our attempts towards the same.

Now go study!

Link: Halakhah.com

Also, buy R’ Hertz’s Chumash. It’s my personal favorite: Amazon.com

Something About Those Weak Bladdered Marines

rabbifink — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:37:54 +0000

Clearly, there is no denying that urinating on dead bodies is a despicible act. Whether or not the Marines who performed the stunt intended for it to be a hateful act or were just horsing around is not the issue. Either way, it was wrong.

It also sheds light on how these Marines perceive their enemies.

One does not act in this manner towards an enemy with whom one has a mutual respect. Nor is there any room for mercy or compassion in the eyes of these Marines. If there were, it would be impossible to urinate on enemy soldiers.

It reminded me of a story one my congregants told me about his experience in the Six Day War in 1967. (Side note: How awesome would it be if we could have had a six day war in Afghanistan or Iraq instead of these endless campaigns…)

Anyway, my congregant who we shall call Joe and his partner shot down an Egyptian fighter jet and captured the pilot. The partner was about to kill the enemy soldier when Joe interjected. Joe said to his partner that it would be wrong to kill the enemy. At this point he was incapacitated and posed no threat to them. Further, there is no reason to feel vengeance against him, he is just fighting for his country in the same way that we are fighting for ours. Joe prevailed and they let the enemy pilot live. The pilot so appreciated Joe’s gesture that they became friendly and even exchanged personal information. The war ended and the pilot was released and he went home.

Some time later, Joe was in Egypt and he wanted to pay a visit to this pilot. He tracked him down and the pilot was ecstatic that Joe had come to visit. He told anyone who would listen that Joe was the man that saved his life. Joe, says that this was one of the most rewarding moments of his life.

War is evil. Sometimes it is a necessary evil. But even within war there is a way to maintain perspective of the human element of the enemy. The demonification of the enemy may boost morale or even recruitment numbers. But I think it comes at a cost of humanity that is so valuable, especially through the challenges of war.

These Marines could learn a thing or two from Joe.

No related posts.

Judy Clark is on the Cover of the NY Times Magazine

rabbifink — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:46:17 +0000

Photos - Right: Nan Goldin for The New York Times. Left: Associated Press.

You may recall that I a little while ago I met and befriended an incarcerated woman named Judith Clark. See: My Visit With Judith Clark at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.

Judy is a Jewish woman who is serving a 75 year prison sentence for her role as a getaway driver in a famous Brinks truck robbery in my hometown of Monsey NY that left several men dead, some 30 years ago. The robbery was for the benefit of a far-left extremist group. Her sentence was severe and it was mostly because she treated the trial as an opportunity to make anti-government statements. She viewed herself as a martyr for her cause and did not cooperate during the proceedings.

Supporters of Judy were hoping for clemency last December. When that did not come, many of us were very disappointed. It seemed that her best chance at freedom had passed her by.

You may ask, why I would support clemency for a woman who played a role in several deaths. The short answer is that I don’t. The woman I met, the woman I support, is absolutely a different woman that the woman who participated in those heinous acts three decades prior. The Judy Clark from 1981 has been transformed into a new and improved Judy Clark. A woman, who by all accounts, gives every indication that she has been rehabilitated. Even the most cynical view is that she “only reformed herself to get out of prison”. But there is no doubt she has reformed.

It’s a rare case, where a person actually changes for the better while prison. It’s at least as rare as people who change their lives while not in prison. And we all know how hard and rare it is to change one’s life. Supporting Judy Clark is supporting the human spirit and its ability to improve. It is supporting a woman with an infectious smile and important message despite her shortcomings. I support a woman who admits her mistakes, regrets them very much and tries tirelessly to make a positive difference in others.

The article in the NY Times magazine is an in-depth look at Judy, her circumstances and her supporters. Two of those supporters mentioned in the article have become friends of mine through Judy. If you want a full picture of what happened in 1981, what happened in the 30 years since and the reactions from across the spectrum of supporters and opponents of Judy I strongly suggest reading the article.

Most of all, I urge you to consider what our justice system should do when someone in prison genuinely changes their life. When someone does teshuva and repents for what they have done, how long must they suffer for their previous errors?

Please read: NY Times Magazine

Listen to letters written on Judy’s behalf as read by some well known actors: Judithclark.org

Apropos of Nothing (well… maybe something): Rabbi Julie Schonfeld Edition

rabbifink — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:47:48 +0000

Rabbi Julie Schonfeld makes an outrageous claim and Ha’aretz runs with it.

The claim? A version of a siddur published in the 15th century contains the blessing she’asani isha v’lo ish. The blessing thanks God for making the one reciting the benediction a woman and not a man. Rabbi Schonfeld contends that:

“This Siddur proves that the degrading attitudes towards women, which we are seeing in certain extreme religious communities in Israel today, are a modern distortion of Judaism. Ironically, treatment of women in certain extreme sectors of the community is far more denigrating to women today than even the attitudes of the late Middle Ages.”

While I sympathize with Rabbi Schonfeld’s efforts in this regard, this siddur “proves” absolutely nothing of the sort. The siddur, which has been floating around the Internet for quite a few years now despite the attempt to portray this as an amazing new discovery, only proves that one woman had this siddur written on her behalf. It does not prove anything about the attitudes toward women in Medieval times.

Although, I would argue that the treatment of women in some Jewish communities in today’s day and age is not rooted in halacha as much as it is rooted in traditional, old-fashioned values that may or may not be compatible with halacha, Judaism or Torah. They are two separate things. But the siddur does not prove that. Nor does it prove that women were treated any better or worse in Medieval Europe.

The siddur, however does prove something very important in my eyes. It proves that the blessing of shelo asani isha is not as nefarious as it seems. See, if a woman is willing to say she’asani isha v’lo ish she must not feel that it is a degrading blessing. It would be extremely hypocritical for an oppressed group to turn around and use the same degrading terminology against the group that is oppressing them. It would be like civil rights activists in 1965 organizing a bus with black people in the front and white people in the back. Reversing the roles in degrading situations is hardly a fair or open-minded approach to the problem.

It seems, that neither the one who makes the blessing she’asani isha v’lo ish nor the one who makes the blessing shelo asani isha is meant to be degrading. Rather, both are blessings expressing appreciation for one’s place in life. Both blessing are ways of practicing the concept of being happy with one’s lot. Just like one can be happy as a man and not a woman, one can be happy as a woman and not a man. Even if one has more commandments than the other.

In my opinion, this single instance of a woman having her own blessing validates the blessing of shelo asani isha. It shows that the true meaning of blessing is that one blesses whatever their situation happens to be. It is not an expression of superiority, nor is it an expression of oppression. It is just a blessing.

I understand that this will not change the perception of the public. I do believe that the blessing of shelo asani isha appears offensive to outsiders (and even most to insiders who need to wrestle with apologetics to make it less offensive). I think the most effective way of preserving this ancient blessing is to understand what a blessing really is all about. Seeing a woman’s prayerbook with she’asani isha v’lo ish affirms to me that the blessing is not meant as a tziduk ha’din or an expression of having more mitzvos. Rather, it is an opportunity to thank God for one’s place in this world.

It is my hope that the public can accept that this blessing is not derogatory in intention or application. Rabbi Schonfeld’s new favorite siddur helps make that point.

Link: Ha’aretz

Also see: The Shelo Asani Isha “Discussion” (or does changing the liturgy remove one from orthodox Judaism?)

Pacific Jewish Center and Pella Were on the Local News

rabbifink — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:49:41 +0000

The world famous Pella Singers performed at our Chanukah lighting on Santa Monica Promenade a c0uple of weeks ago. It was a great event. People from all over the world joined in for a few minutes of our Chanukah celebration.

The news cameras were there. I was interviewed by KABC-TV for a segment that never aired. But KTLA did broadcast a small piece of the gathering. We’ll take it!

Watch the video here:

Find out more about Pella: http://www.pellasingers.com/

1001 Inventions Exhibit at the California Science Center

rabbifink — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:11:07 +0000

We did a family trip to the California Science Center at Exposition Park in Los Angeles yesterday. The museum is nice, albeit a bit outdated. Such is the fate of any museum that has exhibits of the latest and greatest in technology. Cell phones were a new obscure invention according to the exhibit on technology. Even better was the section describing how phone lines are not fast enough for video conferencing. Hehe.

Anyway, the highlights of the museum are the Hubble 3D IMAX movie and the temporary exhibit called 1001 Inventions. The IMAX was incredible. It told the story of the Hubble telescope and some of its most incredible discoveries. It was really powerful to see the beauty and seeming infinite scope of outer space. The 3D images of galaxies and galaxy clusters trillions of light years away is awe-inspiring. The 3D glasses, 9 story screen and excellent sound system make you feel like you are traveling through space. Simply remarkable.

1001 Inventions is an international project that demonstrates some of the technological marvels and advances contributed by the Arab world in the Middle Ages. In a time that is stereotyped as the Dark Ages in Europe, much “light” was found in Arab countries. Hundreds of ideas and inventions are part of the exhibit. It is modern and compelling and I really enjoyed it.

Socially, the exhibit attracted many Muslims and I found pleasure and inspiration exploring the exhibit side by side with devout Muslims.

Politically, I can anticipate that there are those who will object to the exhibit simply because it portrays Islam in a favorable light. It has become en vogue for social conservatives and progressives to battle over the imagery of Islam in America. Some people find it harmful that Islam be portrayed as peaceful or beneficial to society. Others bend over backwards to ignore Islamic extremism and oppression in Arab countries. I don’t think either of those approaches are wise or prudent, but that is neither here nor there.

When examining the exhibit through those lenses I think the exhibit was fair. It only spoke to technology and medicine and the scholarship within the Arab word during the Middle Ages. I think this is an message for Arabs and non-Arabs in 2012. It is important for non-Arabs because it reminds them (or informs them) that there is a rich history of wisdom and forward thinking in the Arab world. We need to be thankful for their contributions to society. It is important for Arabs because in its current iteration, it seems as thought the Arab community is mired in backwards thinking. Technology and progress are not priorities. Thinking and scholarship are not priorities either. Advances are not coming from the Arab world at the same rate as they come from Asia, Europe or America. It would be great if this exhibit inspired a return to scholarship and innovation that contributes to the good of the world community. With such a rich history, I would imagine reinvigorating efforts for progress would be natural.

The second take-away from the exhibit that I had was that it tried to show that relations between members of different religions were not always contentious. The best proof of this was the only non-Muslim or Arab with a prominent place in the exhibit. That would be the Maimonides display:

I found the description of Maimonides fair and positive. It might be a bit understated though. I think Maimonides was even more of an iconoclast than he is given credit for in the panel. A video accompanied this panel and went a bit more in depth than the panel. In general, I was very pleased that Maimonides was included in the exhibit.

I am sure that some will find nefarious intentions in his inclusions. Something along the lines of the “Muslims are stealing Maimonides” or something like that. But I think that is misguided and wrong. The text clearly says that he was a Jewish doctor. Most importantly, the text notes that he helped people of all faiths. Indeed, this is one of the legacies of Maimonides.

The exhibit is worth seeing if you are in LA or one of the other locations. If you have seen it, I am interested in your impressions of the exhibit.

Link: 1001 Inventions

Smile | A Guest Post

rabbifink — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:09:35 +0000

A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov on Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series.

Parshas Vayechi
Smile!

As Yaakov Avinu blesses his children he describes each of their traits and challenges. On the one hand he encourages them and prods them to correct their errors, and on the other he identifies some of their unique kochos as he urges them to aspire to maximize their own individual potential. Interestingly, he doesn’t demand that they all be the same. The shivtei kah were each different, each with their own unique relationship with Hakadosh Baruch Hu and personal approach of avodas Hashem. In the totality of Klal Yisrael it is the sum total of our differences which maximize the avoda of the klal in our collective avodas Hashem. That is what is of supreme importance. Perish the thought of us all being the same and narrowing the venues for hisgalus kvod shamayim to a limited mehalach hachayim which embraces only a singular path. Klal Yisrael is stronger and mightier than that.

Studying the brachos given by Yaakov Avinu to his twelve sons teaches us much about the breadth and diversity of our people. There is so much to learn from each shevet (and each other). One can even attempt to see where he or she fits in to the scheme of the fabric of Am Yisrael as defined by the birchas Yaakov. Indeed, we can find ourselves, our potential and our ability to give meaning to the chol hayam by understanding what we can be as kochvei hashamayim.

One especially poignant message is found in the bracha given to Yehuda. It provides us a paradigm for healthy leadership and for being the example to others each of us is expected to be.

As he completes defining the attributes of Yehuda’s leadership of Malchus Bais Dovid, Yaakov bentches Yehuda with the phrase, chachleelee einayim miyayin uliven shinayim meichalav, translated, Yaakov wished Yehuda that his eyes be red with wine and his teeth be white from milk. Mifarshim wonder what does it mean to have teeth whitened with milk. On a simplistic level, Yehuda’s being blessed that he will have large flocks of sheep and cattle which will give testimony to the promise of our living in a land flowing with milk and honey.

However, other mifarshim provide an amazing context. They say, one can see if someone’s eyes are red with wine by looking at them. But, how does one know if someone’s teeth are milk white? They answer, one only sees another’s teeth when that person smiles. This they say is the ultimate symbol of strength and royalty, to be a smiling king. A warm smile, is the attribute of great leaders as well. Effective leaders know that, amazingly, a smile is a language that even a baby understands. And a smile confuses an approaching frown – it is the curve that sets everything straight. After all, when one smiles at someone, that someone wants to smile back.

It is true that leaders must be strong like a lion and ready to be unyielding in the face of adversity. However, having those attributes without the noble, joyful smile of simcha and respect limits ones leadership and it’s potential to make a difference. A king, a leader must be confident in who he is and project the happiness and joy that only a smile can bring.

What a powerful lesson for us all. Whether we are acting as king of our castle or leading others (willingly or unwittingly) through our example, our effect is dependant on our affect. There is so much joy a smile can bring. And we can kaviyachol bring a smile to His lips by being that model of malchus to each other and the world at large that Yaakov intended.

Playing With Gender Roles

rabbifink — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:18:08 +0000

It’s hard to revert to more traditional blogging after focusing on various angles of the situation in Israel. So to ease our way back into topics of lesser importance we begin with a post about gender roles albeit, in a much more innocuous context.

LEGO was one of my favorite toys as a child. As an adult, it is still one of my favorite toys to buy for my children (and give them a hand when they need it). Clearly, LEGO skews to the male side of the spectrum. My sisters did not really play with LEGO as children. The data backs up their experience. More boys play with LEGO than girls.

A new marketing campaign and product strategy is trying to make LEGO more girly. The new sets are specifically geared toward girls with brighter colors and less weapons. The new product line is based on science. Boys and girls play differently. They need different LEGO sets.

This has prompted a discussion as to whether it is wise to play into gender stereotypes. No. It’s not what you are thinking. The reason not to perpetuate gender stereotypes is not because gender should be neutral until the child decides on a gender. The reason not to play into gender stereotypes is because boys who play with girly toys and girls who play with boy toys expand their horizons. They relate better with members of the opposite gender and they develop skills that help them become more well-rounded.

I can’t say this is a bad thing.

So creating LEGO that appeals to girls we are helping them play in a way that boys normally play. But by making it appealing for girls, girls are discouraged from playing with boys and they are discouraged from playing other boyish games. By playing into the stereotype we might actually be preventing girls from reaching their potential. Not to mention, how many boys are playing with girl toys? Or with girls? If it really is healthy, and the science seems to support this, perhaps we should encourage our boys to try games and toys that are normally for girls as well.

Orthodox Jewish communities have different approaches to how boys and girls interact with one another. The data suggests that not having interactions between boys and girls during the tender preadolescent years can have a negative affect on future interactions between boys and girls as they move through their teenage and adult years.

With the slow movement of the Orthodox Jewish community from schools with mixed classes until the older grades to complete separation between boys and girls after the age of 5 it could be that we have created a monster. A monster that manifests on these shores as a “shidduch crisis” and in the Holyland as segregated buses. Our anecdotal experience seems supported by data.

Links: NY Times 1 and 2.

Rabbi Yair Hoffman Responds to Yossi Sarid, Unconvincingly

rabbifink — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:32:03 +0000

Yesterday, I wrote about Yossi Sarid’s disgraceful article of vile hatred for halachic Judaism. I expressed my discomfort in writing a point by point response because when first started to write a point by point rebuttal, it came off as sounded apologetic and disingenuous. I was not able to articulate how and why Sarid was wrong in every one of his examples. I tried. But I was unsuccessful.

Rabbi Yair Hoffman also tried. His article is a lot like the one I was writing. It explains a few of the statements that Sarid misquoted or misinterpreted. More importantly it provides quite a few important sources that indicate reverence, respect and admiration for women in the Talmud. Clearly, Sarid ignores as many, if not more, sources than he barbarically wields in his unscrupulous attack on halacha.

This is great work by Rabbi Hoffman. But in the end all he has done is presented another side to the story. He has shown that the Talmud has statements that are praiseworthy or women and there are also statements that portray women negatively. This is because he does not refute the majority of Sarid’s sources.

I decided to analyze the debate systematically.

Saird mentions 16 negative sources in his article. Rabbi Hoffman addresses FOUR of them. Of the TWELVE he ignores, some of them are the most difficult to explain.

Rabbi Hoffman uses a variety of methods to refute the four sources he actually addresses.

Sarid says: “She is unfit for any public position with authority. “Thou shalt appoint a king over thee” – a king and not a queen.”

Rabbi Hoffman employs the “it is literal but it’s not so bad” argument. Meaning, yes it is true, but many other cultures and countries have had similar laws. Okay. Fair enough.

Sarid says: ” words of Torah should be burned rather than being given to women.”

Rabbi Hoffman correctly declares that this is out of context. It is true that the Talmud says this in the name of one rabbi, but since the Talmud actually addresses the question the woman asked that prompted the statement, clearly the rabbis felt that the question was a good question and this is really praise of a woman. While all of this is true, the statement remains in the text unchallenged. This is still offensive. Advantage Sarid.

Sarid mentions the prohibition against one who ” looks even at a woman’s little finger”.

Rabbi Hoffman explains that this is actually a preferred approach to women. In effect in ‘deobjectifies’ women because it ensures that women will not be looked at as pure objects of desire. In fact it ensures that women will not be looked at, at all. Not a great job by Rabbi Hoffman, he could have added that the translation of Sarid is not perfect. It would be more accurate to state that the prohibition is against “gazing” at a women with lust.

One of Sarid’s last complaints is the statement in the Talmud that “calls women”, and I quote, “a sack full of excrement”.

Rabbi Hoffman is absolutely correct here. Sarid willfully distorts this source. The Talmud is saying that EVEN if a woman was a “a sack full of excrement” a man would desire her physically. This is a statement about the strength of physical attraction. It is not a referendum on women. Sarid loses this one badly.

So in the four points of attack, Rabbi Hoffman argues valiantly. In some places he is better than others. But he does a good job.

The problem is that there are TWELVE more sources that go unaddressed. Among them, the most difficult to reconcile. Rabbi Hoffman does not address the law that prohibits women from testifying in court or becoming a judge, nor does he address the statement criticizing those who teach their daughters Torah. He ignores the obligation to save a drowning man before a drowning woman, he ignores the Talmud’s statement that allows men to divorce without his wife’s consent and the requirement that women be at her husband’s disposal when he desires her.

Some of these statements can be explained. Others really cannot. In some ways Sarid is right. The world does not look upon many of these laws and statements favorably.

In none of his explanations does Rabbi Hoffman invoke the argument that things may have changed since the time of the Talmud. In no place does he say that the statements in the Talmud are reflective of an ancient society and that we have evolved from that society into a more contemporary version of Rabbinic Judaism. Rabbi Hoffman is not willing to say, in any case, that these any of sources are actually offensive and have fallen into disuse or reinterpreted because they are offensive.

In my opinion, that might be the only way to answer some of the questions raised by Sarid. But for some, saying this amounts to kefira or at least knocks one out of orthodox Judaism. But isn’t it true? Have we not adapted and evolved since the times of the Talmud? I think we have. I think it is also futile to deny it. I would really love to see a bona fide, contemporary Torah authority legitimize this approach. I can dream, can’t I?

This approach will not answer all the questions either. It will not fix some of the built-in disadvantages that women encounter in halachic Judaism. But I think it is more honest and gives us a chance to continue to adapt and evolve if necessary and if our rabbinic leadership allows it. But freezing us in time as Rabbi Hoffman has done will not win every argument. In this case it only won four out of sixteen.

Link: VIN

If you want to see my handy dandy chart of the debate click here: Chart

Yossi Sarid Show Us the Ugly Side of Secular Extremism

rabbifink — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 08:05:17 +0000

I have a confession to make.

I read the recent op-ed written by Yossi Sarid and published in Haaretz. I found the article highly offensive, despicable and ugly. I thought I would “fisk” the article and counter each and every one of Sarid’s twisted, angry points. I got through about half of Sarid’s ugly diatribe and I was forced to quit. I could not win. I was unable to refute every one of his points without twisting myself, Chazal and halacha into a stale pretzel.

So I gave up.

Instead, I offer two independant points in this blog post inspired by Sarid’s disgraceful article.

Sarid’s main point is that the extremists in Israel are only applying the lessons that are taught in our holy tradition. He proceeds to quote several sources that demonstrate his view of the way Judaism treats women. A few of his sources are misquoted. A few others are opinions of one rabbi and not every rabbi. But by and large, one can build a solid case against orthodox Judaism’s approach to women using Sarid’s sources.

By pointing to these sources, Sarid proposes that the extremists are just following the logical conclusions of halacha and traditional Judaism. Therefore the problem is not the extremists, the problem is all Jews who adhere to halacha. All forms of Judaism that believe in the veracity of Torah are to blamed. This is akin to one of Hitchens’ more well-known arguments against religion. If extremists can follow the text of a religion and be bad people there is a flaw in the religion. Sarid lumps all Jews who follow halacha together. The extremists are extremists but only because they follow the same texts as I do, they just do it better.

Sarid is wrong. Dead Wrong. He is wrong because the extremists may be following the texts that he cites. But halachic Judaism does not follow those texts today. Yes. Believe it or not, even the most charedi of Jews do not have the same beliefs about women that some of our great rabbi had throughout our history. He claims that halacha prohibits teaching women Torah. This is obviously very easy to refute. Every orthodox Jewish woman studies Torah. This is an evolution of Judaism to conform to modernity. Some things are up for negotiation. Some things are not. But to represent orthodox Judaism as a whole by quoting a few obscure (and few less obscure) texts is ugly.

It is ugly because in practice, 99% of orthodox Jews don’t agree with the texts he quoted. The 1% who do are the extremists. Thus, is it disingenuous and provocative to lump all orthodox Jews together with regard to the way women are treated in orthodox Judaism. For this I am fuming with anger at Yossi Sarid. How dare he take a few quotes and a few crazies and paint the entire spectrum of orthodox Judaism with that brush? It is inexcusable. I hope he can find his way and retract his article. An apology would be appropriate as well.

The second point is that these texts do exist. They do need to be dealt with in a mature way. I am not qualified to dismiss these texts and I would not dare make a unilateral statement about these texts. But it would be wise for our rabbinic leadership (and by our rabbinic leadership, I mean the orthodox Jewish leadership from across the spectrum) to formulate responses and interpretations or dismissals of these texts. We need to have an approach that codifies the modern approaches that we have taken towards women over the last few centuries. The offensive texts cannot remain the only authoratative views on women.

It is clear and without a doubt that attitudes have changed towards women over the last 2500 years. This is not a Jewish phenomenon. Women have only had the right to vote and own land for a relatively short amount of time in the secular world. Jewish law has adapted as well. Women work outside the home. Women learn Torah. Women are expected to be treated with as much respect as one would like to be treated by others.

The problem is that the most authoratative sources that remain are those that are no longer followed by the majority of orthodox Jews. We need to educate ourselves and hateful people like Yossi Sarid that neither those texts, nor the extremists represent mainstream halachic Judaism.

I suggest you read Sarid’s diatribe. If only so that you should know what kind of perception one can have if one cherry picks from the traditional sources and to try to figure a way to explain these texts without becoming overly apologetic and without rejecting the sanctity of our tradition.

As much as I hate what the religious extremists are doing to pervert Torah Judaism, I hate what Yossi Sarid has written even more.

Link: Haaretz

Peace Offerings | A Guest Post

rabbifink — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 07:59:18 +0000

A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov on Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series.

Parshas Vayigash
Yaakov’s Shlomim

Following the dramatic news of Yosef Hatzaddik’s survival in the flesh pots of Mitzrayim, Yaakov Avinu readies himself to visit his long lost son. With vigor and alacrity he packs his bags. Taking his entire family and all of his possessions in tow he head towards Be’er Sheva. Why Be’er Sheva? Chazal explain, it was years earlier that, “vayeitzei Yaakov miBe’er Sheva,” that Yaakov’s life travail from Lavan to Yosef commenced upon his departure from Beer Sheva. Now that his life had come full circle he went back to Be’er Sheva, to offer thanks to Hashem Yisborach in a makom Tefilah of his fathers, the place where it all began.

Energized with a renewed sense of simchas hachyim, Yaakov Avinu arrives in Be’er Sheva and immediately brings a korban of thanks to the Ribbono Shel Olam. However, unlike all korbanos offered heretofore, from the time of Noach and Avraham until this climactic moment, Yaakov does not bring a korban Olah, which is kulo laHashem. Rather, he offers zevachim, shlomim sacrifices. Offerings which are shared with and enjoyed by all. Interestingly, the Torah records that he offers them to the Elokei Aviv Yitzchok.

Mifarshei hamikrah wonder; firstly, why Shlomim? Secondly, why not also mention Elokei Avraham as Yaakov had in the past? And finally, why wouldn’t one korban suffice, he obviously offered many animals (zevachim). One explanation provides us an extraordinary insight to golus in general and Yaakov Avinu’s persuit of shlaimus in particular. Perhaps it is a remez to the recipe for Geula as well.

The Ramban reminds us that Yitzchok Avinu represents middas hadin. He quotes the Midrash which teaches that Yaakov Avinu realized that with his impending descent to Mitzrayim the dreaded golus was about to begin. He feared for himself and his children. The total tragedy and devastation of the terror of golus could only be realized with the middas hadin (represented by Yitzchok Avinu) in full force. As such, Yaakov Avinu offered shlomim to the Elokei Aviv Yitzchok, to somehow sweeten the middas hadin through his offerings and thereby ensure Klal Yisrael’s ultimate survival through the darkness of golus that loomed ahead. Indeed, by being matil shalom b’olam with his shlomim offerings, the middas harachamim would be aroused. With Hakadosh Baurch Hu’s rachamim ignited he could descend to Mitzrayim confident in Klal Yisrael’s future.

This was especially important to Yaakov Avinu who recognized that the descent of the shivtei kah to Mitzrayim started with the kinah of the brothers towards Yosef, an attitude that started with their perception of Yaakov’s playing favorite with his “ben zekunim.” Yaakov in his quest for shlaimus wanted a tikkun for this mistake. Thus the tikkun of his shlomim was personal and communal and he needed to offer at least two animals; one for himself and one for the tzibbur. Indeed, having come full circle, Yaakov wanted to be a shaleim thus shalom was priority number one.

This should not be lost upon us. The darkness of golus still engulfs us. We feel its pain in many ways. Yaakov Avinu taught us that he way to be mamtik the bitter days of exile is through multiple shlomim, creating a greater sense of harmony between each Yid and as a result between Klal Yisrael and Avihem Shebashamayim. The more we feel the din the more we need the shlomim. If one senses that klal Yisrael is feeling the pinch of middas hadin today, then Yaakov Avinu’s model should be our inspiration. We should be ambitious in being marbeh shlomim as ohavei and rodfei shalom! Perhaps this is one more reason why Parshas Vayigash is read immediately following the chag of Chanukah. With the chag urim just behind us we should not forget the Rambam’s concluding message of hilchos Chanukah where he states “godol Hashalom shekol haTorah nitna la’asos shalom ba’olam” It is Yaakov Avinu’s message to us as well. The only way to survive the dark days of golus is through being marbeh shalom. Let us do more. We can start today. In that zechus may we merit that the oseh shalom bimromav will be yaaseh shalom aleinu of kol Yisrael bimhara biyameinu, amen.

How to Issue a Condemnation of Violence

rabbifink — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:57:46 +0000

Thugs and hoodlums from extremist religious groups in Israel have been terrorizing fellow Jews for some time now. They have done so without fear of condemnation or retribution from the religiously adjacent charedi community. This recent wave of violence is not new nor is it shocking or surprising.

Spitting on young girls, calling women whores, forcing segregation at bus stops and on buses are all acts cut from the same cloth as the violence at Manny’s Bookshop and a political beating in Meah Shearim. We’ve known about this for a while. Nobody has said a word.

However, this time the media found out about it. So now it’s national and international news.

This has prompted responses and condemnations from rabbis, rabbinic authorities and lay people. That’s great. Finally. The problem is that these condemnations are so weak, hedged and long-winded that they, in my opinion, are a failure.

There is only one way to condemn violence and abuse towards women. That would be something like this:

We strongly condemn any and all violence towards women under any and all circumstances. Those who commit such acts of violence will feel the full effect and power of the religious and secular court system. They will be excommunicated from all religious circles and are heretofore to be considered persona non grata. If you know of any individuals who have abused anyone, whether verbally or physically notify the police and rabbinic leadership immediately.

What we don’t need is an explanation of how these people are not “real charedim”. We don’t need poetry on the majesty of tznius. We don’t need snide remarks about the secular media. Just speak out against violence, promise retribution and to take action.

Enough with the apologetics and handwringing.

Feel free to copy and paste my version of an appropriate condemnation on all the blogs and news sites that have published the watered down condemnations to this point. If you can, please credit this blog. Thanks.

Links: NY Times, Cross-Currents, YWN

Chanukah Party 2011 Photos and Wrap-up

rabbifink — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 08:05:11 +0000

Pacific Jewish Center enjoyed another excellent Chanukah party planned and executed by Jeff Liss and his wonderful helpers. The party featured delicious Chanukah foods and treats, dreidel contests, a moon bounce for the kids, entertainment for everyone courtesy of Derek the Mime a speech from the rabbi and most of all, lovely company.

As usual, the party was open to the Pacific Jewish Center community and to the public as part of our Outreach on the Beach programming. The community was well represented with an excellent showing at the party. With our doors wide open at on Venice Boardwalk we also met and made many old and new friends. People who had been in the shul before returned this afternoon. One woman had been in the shul in the 50′s and had not been back since. Others were old friends who were part of our community for many years before moving on. It was so nice to see them all. We also met many new people. Some were local Jewish residents who had just never had a chance to come to shul and others were travelers and tourists, some Jewish and some not at all.

It was a beautiful afternoon. We thank everyone who came and who contributed to the festive and celebratory atmosphere.

If you missed the party, you can listen to my speech here: What Doomed the Hasmoneans?

And you can feel like you were there by watching the slide show below. Hopefully, next time you will be there in person.

PJC Chanukah Party 2009 Wrap Up and Photos

Chanukah 2011 Address: What Doomed the Hasmoneans?

rabbifink — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 03:18:13 +0000

Hasmonean Coin

In case you are wondering what I said at the Chanukah party, wonder no more. You can listen to my 20+ minute address right here on the blog. Just click the play button at the bottom of this post.

I spoke about the fatal flaw that doomed the Hasmonean dynasty. I think the approach is novel. I have never seen or heard anything that provides this particular perspective and I hope you find the idea I propose thought provoking.

Agree or disagree, I always enjoy hearing your thoughts.

It was a great party, stay tuned for photos in a later post.

No related posts.

Chanukah and Separation of Church and State

rabbifink — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:12:49 +0000

Separation of Church and State is widely regarded as a modern concept. For most of the world this is an accurate assessment. In some places in the world there remains no separation. What I mean by a separation between church and state is that quite simply there are two different and exclusive bodies that legislate religion and politics. Political leadership is vested in one person or group and religious considerations are seen to by a different person or group.

In the United States, I believe separation of church and state is a misnomer. It’s not that there is a separation as much as the state has no opinion on religion. I think that a truer version of a separation between church and state originated with ancient Judaism.

The law was that the political leadership of the Jewish people flowed through the Davidic family of the tribe of Judah. The religious leaders in ancient Israel were the priests and the Levites who were are members of the tribe of Levi. These two groups were separate. This separation of powers was to ensure that no group had absolute power. It created a balance between political and domestic interests and religious interests. It was a good system and I believe the model for today’s separation.

The story of Chanukah tells the tale of the Hasmonean family rebelling against the oppressive Seleucid-Greeks. This family was a priestly family. They sough to restore honor and holiness to the Temple. They also sought political autonomy from the Seleucid-Greeks.

They won both.

At that moment that they won they should have appointed a Davidic heir to the throne. But they failed to do so. A Hasmonean was anointed king and this began a slow fall from grace for the Hasmoneans. Not one Hasmonean remained after several generations of intetmarriage and intra-violence. The Rabbis of the Talmudic era cite their error in taking the throne as the reason for their ultimate collossal failure.

Indeed, the Hasmoneans did not separate church and state. They were the kings and the priests at the same time and carried absolute power. As time has proven time and time again, absolute power corrupts absolutely. The Hasmoneans ended up in the scrap heap of history because of their failure in this regard.

There are two kinds of candles on our Chanukah menorah. There are the candles that we light each light. On the first night we light one and the second night we light two and we continue adding candles for eight night. By lighting these candles we fulfill a religious obligation to light these candles as instituted by the great rabbis of the Mishnah. We light candles and create holiness.

However there is another candle. The shamash is the candle we use to light the nightly candles. It does not factor into the religious nightly lighting. It is a functional candle, not a holy candle. It is a candle whose name, shamash can mean “caretaker”. The shamash is the lighter. But it is not the candle of the mitzvah.

Perhaps, the requirement that we use a shamash was a wink from the rabbis of the Mishnah reminding us why the Hasmoneans were such a disaster. They did not separate the political from the religious. The functional and holy were too closely intertwined. The political leaders were from the same family as the religious leaders.

Chanukah remembers their initial success but the lighting of the Chanukah candles reminds us of their ultimate failure. They did not separate church and state. On our Chanukah menorah we do separate church and state. We light holy candles to do a mitzvah. We light those candles with a separate, purely functional candle.

I’m not quite sure how to relate this idea to contemporary Chanukah celebrations and the current state of Jewish affairs. But I am pretty sure there is a message in there that reminds us that sometimes we and our leaders need to hear alternative voices. That a kinas sofrim among Jews is a good thing and helps us fine tune our personal observance. There cannot be just one way, with one leadership, with one set of ideas. There must be multiple voices. There can’t be absolute power because is absolutely corrupts. Just ask as the shamash.

No related posts.

Book Review | Between Worlds: Dybbuks, Exorcists, and Early Modern Judaism

rabbifink — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 04:48:50 +0000

I don’t remember where or how I came across this book, but when I saw Between Worlds: Dybbuks, Exorcists, and Early Modern Judaism referenced somewhere, I knew I had to snatch it up. I saw it just after I wrote about the modern day exorcist here: Demons, Dybbuks, Devils and Exorcism. Buying this book was a smart decision. I read the book a little while back and neglected to do a review but I’ve wanted to tell you all about this book since I read it.

The author, J.H Chajes, is a professor at University of Haifa. He is a distant relative of the great Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Chajes. Between Worlds is very scholarly and well researched. Yet, it reads like a novel, well almost like a novel, and it kept me engrossed in its content from start to finish.

Between Worlds chronicles the rise of recorded incidents of dybbuks and exorcism in the era of mystical writings of the Arizal’s students. Most of the book takes place in the 16th and 17th centuries. The book traces the relationship between Christian, Muslim and Jewish exorcism legends and practice as well. An appendix has full accounts of exorcisms found in rabbinic literature from that era.

As a skeptic, I found the restraint of Chajes astounding. It is almost as if he is winking the entire time that he is writing about demonic / disembodied soul possession. You just know that he can’t believe what he is writing as fact is even possible. But he writes as an objective 3rd party about rabbis and others performing exorcisms with a straight face.

There are a few points that I took away from the book that are worth sharing. First of all, the book mentions some disputes between rabbis. They were vicious disagreements. Accusations of philandering, abject immorality and horrible insults are hurled the way of one particular rabbi. I can only imagine what our rabbinic disputes will look like to historians some time in the future. Fascinating to read and fascinating to think about.

Second, the book supports the theory that “the more knowledge becomes accessible, the more some religious leaders will try to ‘esotericize’ their religion to maintain a level of separation between the masses and the public”. I know, that theory is a mouthful. With regard to exorcism it works as follows. The masses were becoming more literate throughout the world. Exorcism was an art reserved for spiritual leaders and scholars. It was not available to the masses no matter how learned they became. Thus, the existence of demons and dybbuks reinforced the need for leadership. It is similar to today’s maximalist position of Daas Torah. In a time that more orthodox Jews can study the sources and responsa on a given subject, the religious leaders have reserved a segment of inaccessible knowledge under the maximalist position of Daas Torah. I’m not saying this is wrong or intentional, rather it is a pattern and it happens.

My third point for this review is the nature of the relationship between Jewish scholars and their Christian and Muslim counterparts. It seems that there was much interaction between them and they worked together, at least for the sake of exorcism. It was nice to see cooperation instead of the stereotypical debates and polemics against one another. If they could do, so could we.

If you have ANY interest in dybbuks or demons or exorcism or 16th century mysticism, buy Between Worlds.

♫ The Driver on the Bus Says “Move on Back” ♫

rabbifink — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:19:15 +0000

In the United States of America the Supreme Court has held that “separate but equal” is inherently discriminatory. ~~Back in the dark ages,~~ I mean 60 years ago, white and black people in many states and cities were required to dine, shop, use the restroom and ride the bus separately. Riding in the back of the bus has become identified with discrimination.

Is it any wonder that when Hillary! Clinton, feminist extraordinaire, expressed her dismay when she heard that a democratic country like Israel had bus routes that were segregated by gender. On several bus routes in Israel men are in the front and women ride in back.

Hillary!’s comments drew the ire of many religious Jews. To them, this was such a minor issue in the grand scheme of things, and so unrelated to foreign affairs that Hillary! could only have been commenting on the bus situation because she is a jerk / anti-Semite / hates Israel / liberal / feminist / whatever. Now, I concede that Hillary! probably should not have created a big deal out of the segregated buses. However, I agree with her dismay.

There are three very big problems with these segregated buses.

1) They are illegal. I am indebted to Noah Roth for summarizing the Supreme Court of Israel’s ruling that public transportation may not be segregated. The reasoning for the holding is similar to the separate is not equal argument that was made in Brown v. Board of Education in the Supreme Court of the United States. The bus drivers are not supposed to let the bus riders enforce a “voluntary” segregation and there is litigation in the lower Israeli courts right now attempting to force the drivers to enforce the law.

2) They are halachically unnecessary. Halachically speaking, there is no requirement for segregation between men and women. Some will argue that men and women are not allowed to touch each other and incidental touching is very likely to occur in a crowded bus. This has already been deemed a non-issue by R’ Moshe Feinstein (Even HaEver 5:14). In his responsa, R’ Moshe says that incidental touching on a bus is not a problem because it is not “derech chiba” which means that it is not intimate touching. (Again, HT Noah Roth for the cite.)

3) Segregated buses are a big deal with minimal benefit. Let’s assume that “kedushas einayim” is a super-vital element of worshiping God. (I believe it is overblown, but lets pretend that it’s not overblown for a moment). Does that mean that it is more valuable than many other Torah values? Does that mean that it is more important to have one’s eyes averted by default than it is to demean women?

If you are an apologist, you are saying to yourself that the women volunteer to move to the back, so what is the big deal? The big deal is the message it sends. It sends a message to the public that we appear to discriminate against women. Even if you don’t believe that seperate buses are discriminatory, and I concede that in some situations they might not be, they send a message to the less informed public that we do discriminate. This is an awful message. Not only does it affect our interactions with our non-Jewish friends and neighbors but I believe that the message of segregated buses to the public reflects back upon us and affirms to us that we are in fact discriminating. In other words, what others think of us can affect how we feel about our own actions.

But I think the more important message is the message we give ourselves when we institute (or tolerate) separate buses. The message is that people are so highly sexualized that a casual encounter with any woman is enough to wreak havoc on a man’s soul. This is not a new trend, but no less disturbing. Charedi periodicals don’t show pictures of women. Even modestly dressed women. Even saintly women. None. (Let’s not forget that Hillary! was photoshopped out of a historic photo by a Charedi publication.) Little girls are not portrayed either. In fact, I’ve seen periodicals that had the faces of female INFANTS blurred out. That is sick.

This is a real problem. First of all, it legitimizes thinking sexually about every female in the world. It’s as if there is no choice. Women are purely sexual and we are helpless to our base desires. It says that it is impossible for men and women to interact normally.

It also tells our community that women are required to be out of the public eye no matter what. They are the unseen and unheard part of our community. I believe we lose a strong voice in our community if women are marginalized or at the least, made to think that that they suffer an incurable disease of attractiveness. We should focus our attention and efforts into learning how to function as normal, healthy, well-adjusted people in a society of men and women. Fighting this hard for separate buses indicates a horrible state of missed priorities.

Hopefully, the buses will reintegrate and holy Jews will learn how to be holy in the real world.

The Future of Women in Orthodox Judaism

Suggestion: Read “Judaism as a First Language” (right now)

rabbifink — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:07:20 +0000

On Cross-Currents, Rabbi Adlerstein recommends a recent article written by Dr. Moshe Koppel. Seeing as Rabbi Adlerstein rarely makes recommendations, I decided to see what the fuss was about.

The article is a 36 page masterpiece. Honestly, I think it is the best article I have ever read and I read a lot of articles, especially on Judaism.

Dr. Koppel proposes an elegant theory of how Judaism changes, Jewish law evolves and how that relates to many of our social issues today. He touches on insularity, the one-upmanship of piling stringencies upon stringencies, the necessity of belief and many other topics in this far ranging article.

I found myself agreeing with most of Dr. Koppel’s arguments and assertions. He builds a grand edifice from which the article could have made many different points. I found the final point that Dr. Koppel actually made in the article less compelling than the edifice from which the point was made. But I think there are several issues that I do find compelling that can be analyzed effectively using the tools provided in the article.

Here are three very poignant items from the article that I think demonstrate the breadth and beauty of the article.

On the various versions of core beliefs that have developed over time for different segments of orthodox Judaism:

While for some, it may be enough to believe that Judaism has evolved helter-skelter from some special origins in the murky past, others might need to feel certain that every detail of Judaism such as it is today can be traced directly to an original revelation in a specific place at a specific time. While for some, it may be enough that the process is limping forward in some vaguely understood, positive direction, others might need the ultimate destination of the process to be specified in terms of concrete political events and/or miraculous interventions, and signs of the imminence and inevitability of such events to be already discernible. While for some the satisfaction of leading a life bound to Torah is its own reward, others might need to be assured that the righteous reap rewards and the wicked suffer punishments in the most prosaic of ways, preferably instantly and in plain sight.

On acts that demonstrate that a person is associating with orthodox Judaism:

The effectiveness of signals can, however, vary with time and circumstance. In the world of American Orthodox Judaism, the refusal to eat non-kosher meat or Hostess Twinkies was once regarded as sufficiently onerous, due to the dearth of alternatives, that it could serve as an effective signal. But then the easy availability of kosher meat and snacks rendered such signals ineffective, because they were insufficiently costly. As a result, the old signals were replaced by new ones that were onerous enough to serve as signals. Kosher was replaced by glatt kosher, which was replaced by hasidishe shechita, yashon, hydroponic vegetables, and so on up the ladder of costliness and strictness. The easier each of these becomes to obtain, the less useful it is.

On the increased emphasis on the infallibility of the sages and demonization of the non-observant:

The need for the faithful to signal loyalty to ever-narrower splinter groups has led to increas- ing emphasis on precisely those aspects of tradition that are obscure and unnatural, while the lack of opportunity for constructive sacrifice has given rise to socially costly signaling. Like- wise, the need for the faithful to affirm an articulated narrative has become much greater, just as the specificity of the narrative has become more pronounced. Affirming the belief in the genius of the sages, the powers of the righteous, and the inevitable downfall of the wicked has become a litmus test of loyalty. Increasing monasticism and obscurantism have led to in- creasing defection. Each of these reactions has been triggered and exacerbated by the others and together they have constituted a vicious cycle, driving the community further and fur- ther away from a good equilibrium.

These examples are a mere taste of the amazing insight prevalent in the article.

I selected these sections as they support many of the ideas that I have written about on this blog. Much of our current “system” – if we can even call it that, is a result of social choices, consequences and needs. They are not specicically spiritual or halachic in nature. They evolved parallel to halacha but from a human perspective.

This does not mean that they are insignificant or that they are wrong. But it does mean that they need to be treated differently than halacha.

I think Dr. Koppel’s theory can be applied wonderfully to women rabbis and other contemporary issues facing orthodox Judaism today. In fact, I thought that is where he was going with the first 30 pages. Then he took a turn into an issue that I am as concerned with. But as I said above, the edifice is a platform for explaining and understanding many issues.

I hope you will take the time to read the article in its entirety and consider its message. It is long, but absolutely worthwhile.

Find it on Azure’s website here: Judaism as a First Language

Link: Cross-Currents

Chanukah Posts of Note So Far

rabbifink — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:29:01 +0000

Chanukah Words

Yosef and the Light of (Economic) Wisdom and Kindness – Drasha Miketz

A New Chanukah Message

My Chanukah Message To You: Light Knows No Friend or Foe

PJC Chanukah Party 2009 Address

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The Evil Inclination and the Antidote | A Guest Post

rabbifink — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:44:30 +0000

A guest post by Rabbi Aaron Fink (my father), Dean of Ateres Bais Yaakov on Monsey NY. Part of a weekly Dvar Torah (Torah “Thought”) series.

Parshas Vayeshev
Barasy Yetzer Hara, Barasy Torah Tavlin

One of the many interesting story lines of Yosef Hatzadik’s experience of Parshas Vayeshev deals with his life as the chief of staff of Potifar. Yosef is appointed to be in charge of all of Potifar’s affairs and then we are told that Yosef was yifei toar v’fei mareh. The very next pasuk (39:7) tells us that all of the sudden the wife of Potifar set her sight to prey upon Yosef and place before him the ultimate test of his morality. Rashi presents the words of Chazal that teaches us that since Yosef was left in charge of Potifar’s estate he let it get to his head. He began to eat and drink and became preoccupied with his appearance. Thus, Hashem sent eishes Potifar to test him and remind him not to be haughty. Indeed soon there after, Yosef ended up back in prison.

The Netziv adds a vital insight to this lesson. The Natziv explains that typically a ben Torah can expect that the Torah will provide them some level of spiritual protection from the elements around them. The Torah, in telling us that Yosef was yefei toar and yfei mareh is letting us know that the reason the Torah did not protect Yosef was because he wasn’t studying it enough. He wasn’t learning and as such there was no strength of Torah to protect him from nisayon. This lesson is critical.

Society at large can place many nisyonos from issues of morality, financial integrity, arrogance and pride. The Torah will only serve as a shield and protect us if we study it with intensity, consistency, passion and fervor. Baruch Hashem Yosef was able to pass the test, and as we learn later he went back to his learning. Those who don’t have Yosef’s strength of character should be reminded should be reminded to not get distracted in the priority of talmid Torah kineged kulam, whether at work and even in the bais medresh. Not only is the Torah the tavlin but it is the force field of protection which helps keep us safe from harm.

‘Tis the Season to Be Sparring

rabbifink — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:24:46 +0000

It’s that time of year again. That time of year when everyone is supposed to be preparing for their respective holidays full of good cheer and spirits. What ends up happening is people tripping over themselves to be insulted or to make statements about their beliefs.

First, a bit of history. It might be that a lot of the grumbling comes from not understanding what this time of year really means for various people of various religions and faiths.

People have been celebrating holidays around the winter solstice for eons.

The Talmud makes the claim that Adam initiated the first winter solstice celebration. Having been created in the fall (Tishrei) and having sinned almost immediately upon his creation, Adam believed that he was being punished with less and less daylight. The day after the solstice he realized that such was the way of the world and the daylight period would be getting longer and longer. The next year he celebrated the 8 days preceding the solstice and the 8 days following the solstice as holidays. (BT Avodah Zara 8a). The Mishna which is being discussed in that Talmudic statement notes that there were several pagan holidays that were celebrated around the winter solstice during the Mishnaic era (circa 70-200 CE).

Clearly, there are very old sources that all orthodox Jews deem reliable indicating that this time of year was marked by celebrations. These celebrations predate Christmas and in the instance of Adam, predate Chanukah as well. Further, if the pagan celebrations noted in the Mishna were a few centuries old at the time, those holidays predate Chanukah as well. This is all according traditional, ancient Jewish sources.

Although Christmas celebrates the birth of the Christian religion, it was not celebrated widely for the first 1000 years of Christianity. Slowly, through the middle ages the holiday gained prominence. About 300 years ago the holiday was already very popular with many Christians but some of the factions breaking off from mainstream Christianity at the time deemed it a pagan holiday and banned its celebration. The Puritans, famous for their establishing of colonies on American soil fined anyone who dared celebrate this holiday. The holiday is not found in scripture so it was presumed by them to have been borrowed from pagans and was impure.

Sometime in the 19th century Christmas became a universally accepted Christian holiday. The Christmas Tree was incorporated into the celebration as well. Later, in the 20th century, the imagery of Santa Claus, his elves, toy soldiers, gingerbread cookies and other familiar Christmas symbols made their way into the lore.

The holiday surged in popularity and then in the 21st century, non-Christians began to feel barraged by the overt religious overtones of the celebrations taking place on “neutral ground”. The ACLU, atheist groups and others began asking, sometimes demanding, that Christmas not be celebrated in public places.

Many Christmas celebrators took offense to this. Plenty of arguments have been invoked trying to establish a reason that Christmas celebrations should be allowed in public schools, municipal parks, government facilities, retail stores and pretty much anywhere and everywhere else. Jon Stewart and Bill O’Reilly have been going on about this for years and Rick Perry spurned an Internet meme with his opinion.

Rabbi Adlerstein on Patheos and the LA Times have reported on the Santa Monica war over Christmas. For years, an elaborate Nativity scene decked the halls of a Santa Monica park. There are 21 spots for holiday displays. A number of groups entered a lottery to determine who would get the spots. Atheist groups won 14 of the spots, Jewish groups got three and the rest went to the Nativity.

The atheists are being pretty mean spirited about the whole thing. They are using this as a platform to poke fun and mock religious people. That’s not very nice. But I wonder how they would have responded if the displays had not been religious, i.e. The Nativity, and instead were the cultural symbols of Santa, peppermint candy and reindeer. Many of the Christmas displays are not signs of religion per se, rather a new-age version of a Christian holiday with winter symbolism that is not inherently religious.

Although, I don’t agree with Rabbi Adlerstein and many other religious Jews as well as Christians who want more Christmas displays. Last week I was at Disneyland with my family. The daily parade was holiday themed. Our younger son really, really wanted to see many of his favorite Disney characters who were not out and about during the day. We figured we would see them during the parade so even though we were not interested in the Christmasness of the parade we stayed to watch. He was thrilled and in that respect it was the right choice.

I watched the parade carefully. There was not one ounce of religion in the parade. Nothing that was particularly Christian or related to Jesus. There were reindeer, there were red hats, Santa and the Mrs. paraded on by, scenes from the Nutcracker, and other holiday stories were represented and there was a tree. But literally nothing in the parade was religious. Yet, we were all very uncomfortable. The symbols of Christmas have become part and parcel of the religious holiday despite not really being intrinsically related to the religious holiday. In other words, even though the parade was not religious, it offended our Jewish sensitivities. This was not our holiday. We were guests. It was uncomfortable.

Disney can do as it sees fit. But as a consumer I was disappointed. What is usually a highlight of the day was uncomfortable for everyone over the age of 3 because they chose to integrate a Christian holiday into a celebration of fun, magic and fantasy. It is unfortunate. And I can completely relate to the atheists who are offended by similar displays of holiday spirit and cheer even when stripped of their specifically religious elements.

That doesn’t justify their over the top protest. Not at all. But I do believe that public religious and symbolic displays that are Christmas and Christian-centric are not inclusive and do not need to be tolerated anywhere and everywhere by the non-Christian public.

Links: Patheos, LA Times

iTalmud – iPad Edition | App Review

rabbifink — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:15:26 +0000

Way back in 2009, I did a review of iTalmud English for the iPhone. See: iTalmud English Edition: Review

A few months ago we got an iPad and I could not wait to try iTalmud – iPad Edition. Torah learning is much easier on a bigger screen and the navigation through an iPad app is less crowded than on an iPhone. I’ve been testing the iTalmud – iPad Edition and it with recent updates and the bigger screen the iPad app is one of the best apps I have used on the iPad. Period.

I figured to give you all a real taste of what using iTalmud – iPad Edition is like I would give you a walkthrough with photos.

Before we begin, I will just say that if you have an iPad and have any interest in studying Talmud, this is the absolutely best way to do it. The Torah is timeless and when technology can be leveraged to make the experience more accessible, exciting and convenient, it speaks to the eternal nature of the Torah and its people. When you think about it, it can be quite inspiring.

Here we go:

I always begin studying a page of the Talmud with the traditional page view. iTalmud provides clear PDFs of every folio of the Talmud. It is a straight PDF with no iOS magic. Functional and perhaps enough to justify spending $40. Imagine having the entire Talmud accessible on an iPad!

To change pages, one taps the book icon on the top of the page and using the iOS selection wheel can turn to any Tractate and any page in that Tractate in an instant. It takes about 2 seconds to download each PDF over wifi. It does not feel like you are “waiting” when you switch pages. Here I have switched from Shabbos to Brachos in an instant. In real life that would mean going to a bookshelf and replacing one overly large tome with another. Amazing.

If you want to be able to read folio pages when offline you can download PDFs of every Daf View page and save them for later in the Download Manager. There is no charge to keep these on your iPad. Additionally, the app provides excellent audio classes for each page. These can also be downloaded and saved for later.

Let’s move on. Daf View is nice, but the other stuff is where we experience the real magic of iTalmud. I use landscape view for viewing the PDFs. It just seems more natural. But for the other modes I mostly use portrait view. (We will stick with landscape for now.) Switching modes is simple. Just tap the page icon on he bottom left. A menu pops up and you can select how you would like iTalmud to display text. Until now we have been using Daf View.

Now I’ve selected “Hebrew Text” and “Rashi”. As you can see, this view is just text without the traditional Daf format. But I have also selected Rashi and the commentary is displayed split-screen style on the left. The two columns are independent and can be scrolled on their own. So if Rashi is lower down on the page you can scroll the left side down but leave the right side where it is. This is great.

We also can select Tosfos and Tosfos will be displayed instead of Rashi. Everything else remains the same.

Another option is to have the English translation displayed. This translation is the Soncino translation with the Footnotes. If you tap a footnote and popup displays the text of the footnote.

I’ve switched the view to portrait. In this view, the secondary text, in this case Rashi, gets moved to the bottom of the screen. I have also tapped on the Daf Yomi shiurim menu. Here, we can see a list of local Daf Yomi classes and their locations. Languages are included so that you can find the class that best meets your needs. You can also enter an address and find class near that address. Unfortunately, this feature did not work for me. The keyboard kept disappearing. I hope this is fixed in a future update.

Sometimes you want to go directly to a specific page. You can easily navigate to any page using the browse and search menu. The English Keyword search is also great. As I have beards on my mind (The Shave Heard ‘Round the World) I typed “beard” into the search and the results displayed everywhere the word beard occurs in the Talmud. This is a really super tool. Tapping a result sends you to that page. This is great, but could be better. The place on the page that the word occurs is not highlighted anywhere. This would not be so bad if there were a “search this page” option but iTalmud does not have that feature yet.

One of the coolest things in the iTalmud app is a $5 add-on. I bought it because it was useful to me and I think it is a great feature. To bring up the extras pop-up just tap on the Extras menu icon.

With Biblical References” add-on you can tap any verse from Scripture that is quoted in the Talmud and explore that verse. So just click buy and then it is automatically built into the app.

For example, I tapped a verse on Brachos 2a. Tapping the verse brings up a menu where you can choose which commentary should be displayed with the text of the verse from the Torah. I chose English. The verse is automatically highlighted and the commentary is inline.

I tried to select Rashi, but it was not working. That’s another kink that needs to be worked out. But the others work. Here is the Ramban on that verse.

And here is Ibn Ezra. It could not be simpler.

I also want to show you a full-screen view that removes the menus and just shows the text on the screen. This is the ideal method for studying. No distractions and it uses the maximum of the real estate. It would even better if iTalmud could do Airplay and be displayed on an external display. Maybe next version…

So there you have it. That’s how I use iTalmud English for iPad. I am sure many of you would use it differently. That’s part of the beauty of the app. It can be used your way.

I have one more suggestion for a future release (my father actually suggested it to me). It would be great if illustrations and models could be provided as well. The Talmud can be so well illuminated by diagrams and graphics. Some sections require illustrations. I hope a future release could provide pop-up graphics for these sections of the Talmud.

Other than that, search on the page and a couple of bugs iTalmud is one of the most complete iPad apps I have had the pleasure of using. I highly recommend the app and even more than the app, I recommend studying Talmud.

Purchase the app here: iTalmud – iPad Edition. Check out Crowded Road’s other apps and services on their website.

Disclaimer: Promotional consideration was provided by Crowded Road for the review of their iTalmud English for iPad app. I was given the app free of charge.

The Shave Heard ‘Round the World

rabbifink — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:50:34 +0000

This morning, Matisyahu shaved his beard.

Matisyahu, the self-proclaimed chasidic reggae pop-star, has always identified as an orthodox, chasidic Jew since his rise to stardom almost a decade ago. His signature look was that of a chasidic man. He had an untrimmed beard, long side locks and wore the chasidic garb. All of this while singing songs that made it on the pop charts.

Matisyahu explained his sudden departure from religiously inspired hirsute facial hair maintenance:

No more Chassidic reggae superstar.

Sorry folks, all you get is me…no alias. When I started becoming religious 10 years ago it was a very natural and organic process. It was my choice. My journey to discover my roots and explore Jewish spirituality–not through books but through real life. At a certain point I felt the need to submit to a higher level of religiosity…to move away from my intuition and to accept an ultimate truth. I felt that in order to become a good person I needed rules–lots of them–or else I would somehow fall apart. I am reclaiming myself. Trusting my goodness and my divine mission.

Get ready for an amazing year filled with music of rebirth. And for those concerned with my naked face, don’t worry…you haven’t seen the last of my facial hair. – Matisyahu

Many people interpreted this as a departure from orthodox Judaism. They felt that this meant that Matisyahu was reverting to his pre-orthodox Jewish lifestyle and would no longer identify as an orthodox Jew. Heeb Magazine made this point in the most cynical way possible.

After an Internet firestorm, Matisyahu clarified his newfound religious freedom with a more careful statement:

For all of those who are being awesome, you are awesome. For all those who are confused: today I went to the Mikva and Shul just like yesterday.

So, it seems that all the bellyaching and nervous twitching over losing the one and only orthodox Jewish pop star and the first since my friend Evan from Evan and Jaron paved the way for Matisyahu, was premature and overly judgmental.

This leads me to two less than obvious thoughts. (I’ll save the obvious thoughts for the obvobloggers. You know who you are.)

First, Matisyahu must think that non-chasidic orthodox Judaism (NCOJ) has less rules than chasidic orthodox Judaism (COJ). This is not necessarily the truth. What is true is that COJ has more rules about appearance and external practices than NCOJ. Further, NCOJ is adopting more and more of the COJ appearances and rules on appearance.

By and large, I think this is a fair distinction. COJ glamorizes a certain mode of dress and appearance as holy. NCOJ also glamorizes a certain mode of dress and appearance as holy but it is less distinctive and less sharply enforced. So I hope Matisyahu is not too disappointed with NCOJ when it comes to appearances. That is, unless he will be self-identifying as Modern Orthodox or a Yekke. Those two groups are the least concerned with external appearances within the orthodox Jewish spectrum.

Second, the beard. To some, especially those in the COJ community, the beard is holy. It has religious significance. It is not to be touched by human hand, scissor, shaver, razor or garden shears. This idea is based on mystical teachings and kabbalah. This religiously inspired love for man-hair contributed to the shocking, but brief image of a religiously shattered Matisyahu. One blogger announced that he was “off the derech” because he had shaved.

When Matisyahu announced he had shaved, I was actually proud of him. To me, it meant that he was thinking critically about his Judaism and felt a beard was not necessary or integral to his love and service of God. I agree.

Beards in orthodox Judaism are a funny thing. They mean a lot to some people. But really they mean nothing at all. A beard does not make someone holy. A holy person does not need a beard to be complete. Let’s not forget that a beard is simply just that, a beard. The Torah prohibits destroying one’s facial hair. This law is similar to the law prohibiting cutting one’s self or getting a tattoo. Using a scissor or similar mechanism to trim or shave one’s beard is not a violation of law or the spirit of the law.

The emphasis placed on things of lesser importance is common in all forms of orthodox Judaism. It can be a harmful force if it causes us to lose sight of what truly is important. If Matisyahu can show non-Jews that being an orthodox Jew is a beautiful life let us hope he can also show orthodox Jews that even a beardless man can live a beautiful life as well.

Links: Matisyahu’s Blog, Heeb

On Invented People

rabbifink — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 01:50:05 +0000

GOP Candidate and Presidential hopeful, Newt Gingrich has made headlines with his recent claim that the Palestinians are an Invented People. The responses from across the idealogical and political spectrum have been as wild and varied as to be expected.

On one extreme, representatives of the Palestinians fired back at Gingrich. In a statement, they called Gingrich racist and said that his was the worst kind of insult that would only help the cycle of violence. On the other extreme are those nodding their heads in agreement at the prospect of a President who agrees with their perspective on the Palestinians.

Incredibly, the fact-checkers have confirmed and debunked Gingrich’s claim. There is evidence that the Palestinians existed as a small subgroup in the land that is currently Israel. However, there is little evidence that they had any sense of national pride or unity as a group before the State of Israel was established.

What strikes me is how silly this whole thing is. Gingrich’s comment could be equally said about a myriad of nations and peoples. It could really be said about anybody! What qualifies a nation as a “non-invented” people? How long do those people need to be where they are to be considered legitimate?

Is the United States of America not invented? Is the United Kingdom not Invented? Is Mexico not invented? Even historically ethnic countries such as Japan or Sweden are practically speaking “invented”. They lived in close proximity for a long time and eventually created a sense of national pride and unity. But they were not magically granted the land in which they live by some objective method of determining land division. Clearly land is not given only to nations who are not invented.

Further, let’s assume for a second that Gingrich is correct. The Palestinians are invented and invented people don’t get land. Now what? What are you going to do about it? Nuke the West Bank? Manufacture a tsunami and drown Gaza? There are millions of these so-called invented people. What now? Point being, invented or not, there is an issue that needs to be dealt with. By simply saying they are invented does nothing to resolve that issue. In fact, it probably has the opposite effect. It entrenches both sides and polarizes the parties.

And what about Gingrich himself? He is a Catholic. Is that an invented religion? If it is not, well that means that all other religions are invented. So are they all not granted the right to exist simply because they are invented? Everything is invented. Mazel tov.

Which brings us full circle. Gingrich said that Palestinians are an invented people simply to anger some people and excite others. It was a political statement that carries less meaning than most political statements. It is the kind of broad brushed, meaningless statement for which politics is famous.

I think the voting public would prefer to hear about solutions to a decades long conflict instead of whimsical platitudes. I wonder if Gingrich has any ideas for the conflict or if he can’t be bothered to deal with invented people.

Links: Forward, Israel Matzav

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‘Tis the Season to Be Sparring

iTalmud – iPad Edition | App Review

The Shave Heard ‘Round the World

On Invented People

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A Good Time

Parshas Vaera
Light Unto the Nations

Parshas Vayechi
Smile!

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Yaakov’s Shlomim

Parshas Vayeshev
Barasy Yetzer Hara, Barasy Torah Tavlin