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Great Shavuos Turnout Renders Previous Post Moot

rabbifink — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:38:52 +0000

Last week I blogged about my bond of kinship with a pastor in Ocean City Maryland.

We both are clergy working on beaches with fickle crowds. Sometimes we are packed and sometimes we are not…

The post generated a bit of a response from some of our Community Members as well as some other blog readers. We had one commenter wonder if anyone reads this blog. (Yes, a lot of people do read this blog.)

We had another commenter offer to walk from Youngstown PA. (It takes 33 days by foot according to Google, click if you need directions.)

So, how did our Shavuos go?

It was amazing.

Shavuos began with a very nicely attended Erev Shavuos Mincha. The rule is that we count 49 complete days from the second day of Pesach until Shavuos. Therefore we need to wait until nightfall is certain to commence Shavuos Services.

To pass the time we studied the Book of Ruth. I gave an in depth overview of the story as well as some of the deeper insights into why we study the Book of Ruth on Shavuos.

The overall theme that I wished to convey was that the Jewish line of Kings comes from David, who comes from Ruth, who was a convert. Further, the Jewish Messiah will be from the Davidic line as well. This is a powerful take-home lesson.

We followed evening services with a tasty community meal. Then the action began.

Together, we studied a section of Talmud in depth. The topic was “Expression of Ownership” and the marathon 2 hour session “flew by”. I was peppered by great questions and all 40 attendees participated and enjoyed the learning.

The next morning we reconvened for morning services and were blessed with a robust Minyan. I spoke about the “Chosen People” and mentioned the famous Charles Murray essay in Commentary Magazine about that topic. We were treated to a special dairy kiddush on the back patio. Mmmm cheesecake.

Friday night services were very well attended. We had a few guests in our shul, as is very common at PJC. One couple had been guests at one of our community member’s homes on Pesach for a Seder and they came to PJC for the first time for Friday night services. Of course, they were invited to a family for Friday night dinner and I heard that it went really well.

Another guest was a student of mine from a previous position I held at a different job. It was really cool that he came to our shul for services and we had a chance to catch up. He is now at Tufts in Boston and was part of their Maimonodies Scholars (MEOR) program with Rabbi Loketch, who grew up across the street from my wife in Monsey NY. (Small world.)

We had a guest speaker as well. Community member Erez Talmor spoke about what the Shema means to him. I introduced him by reminding the congregation that Torah study is not just for Rabbis and being a Torah scholar is something we all strive for. Erez is a great example of this and he did a great job.

Shabbos morning services were elongated due to several key additions. The congregation stuck it out and we concluded with a satisfying kiddush on the back patio.

Even Shabbos afternoon services were well attended. This is a trouble spot from time to time, but we had a wonderful minyan. Following services we had a small dinner. We were supposed to talk about the number 50 and why Shavuos has no set date in the Torah. Instead we had yet another discussion about clothes and dress codes. Riveting, as always.

Shavuos was a resounding success in Venice. The classes and services were well attended. We had our usual influx of strolling Jews who wandered into the shul off the boardwalk and the spiritual and physical warmth of our shul provided a wonderful Shavuos for everyone.

I guess I do not have so much in common with the Pastor in Ocean City MD after all.

Mesillas Yesharim 05/24/09

rabbifink — Mon, 25 May 2009 00:15:05 +0000

After a wonderful Rosh Chodesh morning services we began our weekly foray into the depths of Ramchal’s Mesillas Yesharim.

Last week we began to learn about the detriment of scoffing or sarcasm to out spiritual growth. The general principle is that one who is incapable of seriousness about life will not be able grow spiritually. This week I had planned on completing Chapter 5 in its entirety.

However, we got no further in the text of Mesillas Yesharim this week.

Instead we had a truly invigorating discussion ab0ut “seriousness”. It is tough for us to relate to this section Mesilas Yesharim. We are allowed to make jokes, frivoility is not ALWAYS bad, so how can we bring this section down to earth and make is relevant?

One example that I cited for a moment as we began class was the way observant Jews typically dress. Have you ever wondered why observant Jews dress conservatively for the most part or wear “black and white”?

Much of what we talk about was related to this post, as well as these two posts and this post as well.

Click to listen to our discussion. It was very interesting and enlightening.

Enjoy the class (29 minutes)

Clothes and the NBA

rabbifink — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:00:13 +0000

You thought I was done with clothes?

Not at all. The NBA had huge image issue a few years back. The image issue resulted from a few on the court incidents along with the perception that hip-hop culture was a) dangerous b) a major part of the NBA players lives’.

Commissioner David Stern sought to change the culture of the NBA as well as the public’s perception of the NBA. Stern enacted a dress code.

1. General Policy: Business Casual

Players are required to wear Business Casual attire whenever they are engaged in team or league business.

“Business Casual” attire means

•   A long or short-sleeved dress shirt (collared or turtleneck), and/or a sweater.
•   Dress slacks, khaki pants, or dress jeans.
•   Appropriate shoes and socks, including dress shoes, dress boots, or other presentable shoes, but not including sneakers, sandals, flip-flops, or work boots.

2. Exceptions to Business Casual

There are the following exceptions to the general policy of Business Casual attire:

a. Players In Attendance At Games But Not In Uniform

•   Sport Coat
•   Dress shoes or boots, and socks

b. Players Leaving the Arena

Players leaving the arena may wear either Business Casual attire or neat warm-up suits issued by their teams.

c. Special Events or Appearances

Teams can make exceptions to the Business Casual policy for special events or player appearances where other attire is appropriate — e.g., participation in a basketball clinic.

3. Excluded Items

The following is a list of items that players are not allowed to wear at any time while on team or league business:

•   Sleeveless shirts
•   Shorts
•   T-shirts, jerseys, or sports apparel (unless appropriate for the event (e.g., a basketball clinic), team-identified, and approved by the team)
•   Headgear of any kind while a player is sitting on the bench or in the stands at a game, during media interviews, or during a team or league event or appearance (unless appropriate for the event or appearance, team-identified, and approved by the team)
•   Chains, pendants, or medallions worn over the player’s clothes
•   Sunglasses while indoors
•   Headphones (other than on the team bus or plane, or in the team locker room)

This was met with serious opposition. Players claimed the dress code was racist. Others just thought David Stern was “out of touch”.

Well, vindication is sweet. ESPN columnist Ric Bucher writes the that effects of the dress code have carried over into the personal lives of the NBA players. Not only do players look more professional, they also act more professional. This has influenced the cars they drive, the food they eat and the way they dress even not while under the watchful eye of the NBA. I recommend reading all linked articles – especially this one!

Of course we would expect nothing else. When one is dressed professionally they are more likely to act professionally. The clothing influences our attitudes and our feelings. The NBA is another clear example of this phenomenon.

Clothing Round Up, Now with Lawyers

rabbifink — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:42:49 +0000

Over the last couple of weeks I have blogged about wearing shorts while playing basketball and then I blogged about the new dress code in the White House and then on Monday night I spoke about the power of clothes and Tzitzis. It makes me think I should blog exclusively about clothes. I was trying to avoid more clothes posts but for some reason I could not resist.

No, I am not searching the web for articles about how to dress. Yet, they keep on finding me. This time I was reading the Wall Street Journal and I found this article. The article is about a very shmanzty law firm called Bickel & Brewer.

Bickel & Brewer has a tradition of formal dress in the workplace. They believe that clothes do influence our attitudes. They believe that high-powered lawyers (whatever that means) should look like high-powered lawyers. Apparently, in times of economic uncertainty the first to go are the ones who dress casually. Interesting.

The Partners at the firm tutor the young associates on the finer aspects of dressing formally. Shiny shoes, starched dress shirts, dark suits and ties are the uniform of this law firm.

The idea of wearing casual clothes to work abhors the partners. One of the partners, Mr. Gardner says: “It’s actually a little offensive to my sense of style,”. Without a suit, he says, “I would feel like a football player who ran out on the field without his shoulder pads.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that business is good for formal clothiers. The White House won’t need to bail them out, but maybe they should check them out. We don’t want our president on the football field without his shoulder pads…

The Clothes Make (or break) the Man | Connections 2/2/09

rabbifink — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:20:05 +0000

This week at Connections we talk about clothes. Apparently clothes have been on my mind a lot. If you have been reading the blog you may have noticed that the recent posts all had to do with clothes. I commented on the espn.com article about wearing pants while playing basketball and then I commented on the President’s dress code. While I was preparing for the Torah learning portion of Connections this week I was drawn to Tzitzis.

We talked about clothing and the Torah’s associations with clothing. From Adam to Joseph to Saul we find a lot of negativity surrounding their clothing. What do I mean? Well you will have to listen to find out…

We learned about the numbers 6, 7 and 8 in Judaism and eventually we got to Tzitzis. We learned how Tzitzis can help us avoid the danger zone associated with clothing. There was an in depth treatment of how Tzitzis are made and what their construction requirements teach us.

We also talked about the difference between the Nazi form of Anti-Semitism and the Ancient Greek form of Anti-Semitism. The Ancient Greeks wanted us to be like them and forget Torah. The Nazis wanted us destroyed because we not like them.

Click through to listen now.

You can listen to the entire class below (40 minutes)

Download

Our (more) Casual President

rabbifink — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:36:44 +0000

You may have noticed I steer clear of politics. This post is NOT about politics. It is about the last three presidents. It is more about their attitudes than anything else. Again, this is not about politics.

Even before this New York Times article hit the streets I had made the same observation. It seems that Presidents Obama and Bush differ on more than just politics. President Obama’s White House has a decidedly different feel.

The article mentions different dress codes and different schedules. I remember when President Bush took office there was much fanfare about his changes in the White House as well. In fact I was able to find a New York Times article from 2001 written shortly after President Bush took office. The article about President Bush lauds the new regime (at the time) for returning formality to the White House. Meetings ended on schedule, aides were well dressed formal rules of cordiality were expected and the atmosphere was a professional one. This was a stark contrast to the Clinton years where the Government reflected the freewheeling president. Bush sought to put respect back into the Presidency. He followed a president that many found it hard to respect. Bush used the dress code to symbolize that break.

President Obama is breaking off from President Bush’s formality. The dress code is gone and Mr. President himself is often at meetings with his jacket off. His day starts later and he is frequently seen wandering the halls of the White House. Very informal. Obama follows a president who many felt was too stubborn. Obama is trying to make a break from the Bush presidency. He too is using the dress code to symbolize that break.

I also find it fascinating that these 2 New York Times articles are so similar in their tone. They are excited about the change and think the new way is so great while the old way was ineffective. That is the power of the media. They know how to make good news bad news and bad news good news.

All this dress code talk has absolutely nothing to do with the success or failures of being a president. This has nothing to do with foreign policy, economics or size of the government. What we are noting here is the difference in office structure and atmosphere. I am all for casual; I prefer casual. However, I do think that the highest ranking civilian in our country should be more formal. I am little disappointed that the new president has changed the dress code and is now less formal. I remember feeling just the opposite when Bush reversed the Clinton dress code. My opinion is unrelated to any other area of his presidency. I just wish he would have kept the jeans wearing aides out.

The way we dress influences how we act. When you are dressed formally you are more likely to act formally. I want my president formal. Call me old-fashioned but that’s just me…

Shortcuts

rabbifink — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:38:57 +0000

On the home page for ESPN.com I noticed a new article by Paul Lukas of Uni Watch fame. Lukas writes about the nuances and idiosyncrasies of sports uniforms.He notices everything from commemorative patches to new piping along the sides of a jersey. Nothing gets past the ever watchful eye of Uni Watch.

The article that caught my eye was about a religious Pentecostal high school basketball team. Turns out these guys don’t wear shorts. Ever. Including basketball games. Immediately I was reminded of my elementary school days.

I went to a religious Jewish elementary school (in a previous incarnation of the school, my father was the Dean). We had a basketball team and we did wear shorts but one teammate of ours was a little more spiritual than the rest of us and he did not wear shorts. There is an element of modesty involved in not wearing shorts and this fellow was very sensitive to maintaining that level of modesty. Eventually this guy has gone on to be a very big Torah scholar and is now teaching in a Yeshiva. (It’s not because he did not wear shorts, he was on that path regardless.)

Gate City Christian teaches the traditional Bible concept that it is more respectful to dress in a more respectful way and this includes on the basketball court. Morals shouldn’t disappear (or even hide) when we get on the field or court. The Talmud says that a person can be judged by three things. B’kisso (his money), B’kaaso (his temper) and B’koso (his cup – meaning when he / if he drinks). I had a teacher who once added – B’Kaduro (with his ball playing). The message these kids are being taught is the same. The school teaches them to act modestly in their lives and the ball field or court is no different. I think that is a great lesson.

The article then proceeds to discuss other modifications of traditional basketball attire for religious purposes. A religious Jewish girls high school basketball team is featured because they only wear skirts. In fact the team name is the “Skirts”. They are actually pretty good according to the article. Observant Jewish women traditionally wear skirts below the knee and make sure that they are covered from the neck down to the knee. As the article mentions this is to help the person focus on their inner self and help others recognize them for who they are not how they are dressed.

The idea of modesty in Judaism is to help promote focusing on the true person by removing additional distractions from finding that true person. In a materialistic and hedonistic world we are easily distracted by superficial outer beauty so we promote the inner beauty by minimizing those distractions. More profoundly is the idea that the greater something is – the more concealed it is. We discussed this at length in a Connections about beauty. I recommend checking that out!

What is great is that the article presented the concept in a very refreshing way. I think people that read the article will come away with an appreciation for the Torah concept of modesty (listen to the class for an understanding of what that is all about) and I think that is just great!