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James Cameron is Impressed with the Universe

rabbifink — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:16:50 +0000

This week, James Cameron went boldly where no one had gone before, alone. Fifty years ago a pair of scientists plunged to the deepest part of the ocean. They went together. They had each other. But Cameron went alone. That is a completely different experience.

When one is alone, there is no noise, no distractions, just oneness with whatever one is experiencing. Cameron’s experience in the depths is different than the previous mission half a century ago. He did it alone. The voices inside his head spoke to him and there was no one there to distract him.

Alone, Cameron saw and experienced things that almost no one has ever seen. He saw wonders of the universe that have been hidden out of sight virtually forever. The voyage must have been magical.

As expected, Cameron was asked about the journey that took him nearly 7 miles below the surface. His response:

“There had to be a moment where I just stopped and just took it in and said ‘This is where I am, I’m at the bottom of the ocean, the deepest place in the world and what does that mean?

I just sat there looking out the window, looking out at this kind of barren, desolate, lunar plain and appreciate it.”

Appreciation. That is the true and stark emotion that Cameron felt during his expedition. The world is so intricate and complex. Many parts of it are so distant and unreachable. By going where he went, Cameron unlocked a bit of the mystery of our world. Experiencing that alone gave him time and space to digest those awesome moments and truly appreciate them.

Cameron also asks an important question about his time in the abyss: “What does that mean?”

For an atheist it might mean nothing. Or it might mean something. Who knows?

But for us, it means something very important. Our world and its glorious detail is part of a creation that humbles us with its impressiveness. What are we do to do when we are inspired by our universe? What is the universe telling us?

Maimonides writes that the way for one to come to love God is to appreciate our incredible universe. The fingerprints of God are all over nature. The beauty of our world is inspiring. The problem is that most of us are too distracted to notice it. Sometimes it takes a long journey to the most remote place without any distractions to turn our minds on to our world.

James Cameron is an atheist. His experience did not bring him to love God because he doesn’t believe that God exists. But we can all learn from his reaction to what he saw and felt down there. For us believers, the more we turn ourselves on to our world, the greater our appreciation must be for God. Learning about the cosmos or marine life or chemistry or biology or physics are key elements to developing an appreciation for and love for God.

Sometimes we need to be reminded to lose the distractions. When we do, perhaps we will be lucky enough to hear the music of God’s universe singing to us its glorious song.

Link: CBS News

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Since the Eclipse Was Rained Out in Los Angeles

rabbifink — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 19:06:53 +0000

I saw this video of last night’s eclipse and wanted to share it with all of you in Southern California who missed the whole thing because of the torrential rain…

Beautiful, isn’t it?

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse from William Castleman on Vimeo.

Life on the Discovery Channel Preview

rabbifink — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:42:34 +0000

Set your DVRs!

Remember the incredible “Planet Earth” Series from the BBC on the Discovery Channel?

The next chapter begins Sunday 8 PM in the new series called “Life”.

I am so excited for this series. Our family must have seen every episode of Planet Earth at least five times in the gorgeous High Definition it was meant to be watched in.

Supposedly, Life is even better. More cameras, better tracking technology and more mind-blowing footage.

This is what “Reality TV” is supposed to be. We don’t need scripts or actors to be entertained; our world is more breathtaking than anything one’s imagination could invent. “Life” will demonstrate this once again.

If you don’t have Discovery Channel, wait for this to come out on DVD / Blu-Ray. You won’t want to miss it.

Trailer is below…

Beautiful Solar Eclipse Video (and a moron)

rabbifink — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:39:22 +0000

Remember the awesome Solar Eclipse in Southeast Asia last year?

Back then, I wrote a little piece called Solar Eclipse in Judaism that explains the famous Talmudic reasons for eclipse.

Recently I came across this incredible video by the BBC. They capture amazing footage of the actual eclipse, the sights and sounds of Southeast Asians observing the eclipse, put it to some beautiful music and have some annoying dude giving his idiotic commentary (oops did I say that out loud?).

Check out the video. Appreciate the beauty and try to explain what in the world the commentator is saying at the end when he says:

If you ever needed convincing that we are in a solar system… then look at that. That is the Solar System coming down and grabbing you by the throat.

Huh? Are there really people who doubt that there is a solar system? What is he talking about? And why does the BBC leave his moronic commentary on their productions?

Anyway, as much as he tries, he can’t ruin the stunning beauty of the video. Enjoy…

The Whales Are Mounting A Counter Attack!

rabbifink — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:27:51 +0000

I am sure you have already heard the news. If you have not, here goes.

Today, a killer whale named Tilikum at Sea World Orlando killed a trainer. Yes. A whale. An animal that has no instinct to kill a human, killed a human, IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE! That was certainly more than the spectators bargained for…

You can read all about it all over the place, try the NY Times article here.

I’ve been thinking about this horrible incident all day.

Because I am a human being I mourn the untimely loss of one of our own.

Because I am a Rabbi I thought about whether zoos have a place in Jewish law.

Because I am a Law Student, and working at the California Court of Appeals, I thought about the potential liabilities involved.

Because I am not a “fan” of zoos or animal exhibits, I continue to wonder “what’s the point?”. And that is what I am going to write about here.

Animals belong in the wild. You want to go see animals? Go visit them in their home town. Don’t bring them to my home town and cage them up so people can gawk at them. Sure, there is educational value in learning about animals, but is that sufficient cause to lock animals up in a place that somewhat resembles their natural habitat?

I know, I know, we need to learn about animals so that we can understand our planet and how we relate to the ecosystem and we need to protect animals that are losing their natural habitats etc. etc. etc…

We can do that all in other ways. We have the resources to study animals in their environment.

Zoos hearken back to a time when Man thought Himself invincible and the world to be at His mercy. I think we know better know. Man is part of an intricate universe. We can’t overstep our bounds.

Who in their right mind thinks that an orca that is accustomed to swimming miles on end day after day is comfortable in a big fish tank? It is a miracle they haven’t revolted yet! I feel terrible for the trainer. Not just because she was killed by a killer whale, but because she probably thought that the animal was her friend. She probably had developed feelings for the animal. Most trainers do. I have heard from many trainers that they “love” their animals. But the thing is, animals don’t love like people do. Animals don’t reason or use logic. They can be trained to suppress their instincts, but they can always revert to their natural behaviors. I feel bad for the trainer because she probably thought the killer whale would never harm her.

Maybe I just don’t enjoy seeing animals in a zoo enough to see the value, but it seems hard to justify in my eyes. The danger to humans is clear and I believe that animals belong in the wild.

In Jewish law, an animal does not have “rights”. However, a human has responsibilities toward animals. We are not permitted to abuse animals. We are not permitted to cause animals any pain or suffering. We are only permitted to hunt for food (by most authorities) and not for sport. In my view, zoos are sport. Caging animals so that we can have fun seems like an abuse of animals. And we have a responsibility to treat animals with respect and care.

I would much prefer to watch the Planet Earth series (which you should DEFINITELY buy, click here) at home, than see animals caged in a zoo.

Just think, another life would have been saved too.

Why The Earthquake in Haiti Happened

rabbifink — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:01:11 +0000

This post has been crossposted to DovBear. More discussion there.

Since the Earthquake in Haiti many have attempted to figure out “why” the tragedy occurred.

There are 4 prominent versions going around the web right now.

Rabbi Shafran Version 1: God punished the people of Haiti because of evil speech.
Rabbi Shafran Version 2: We don’t know why God punished the people of Haiti but the lesson is that we should learn is not to speak evil speech.
Rabbi Levin: The earthquake and Tsunami and 9/11 happened because of Gays in the military.
Rabbi Feldman: We can’t know why the earthquake happened, but it happened for “a reason”.

What has been missing from this is a more rational approach predicated on the teachings of Rav Yaakov Weinberg Ztz”l Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Yisrael.

Let’s start with a hypothetical question.

Gerald is driving through the desert. He gets lost and runs out of fuel. He gets out of the car to start walking to find a gas station. He wanders for a little while. Eventually he runs out of water. He dehydrates and eventually dies in the desert.

Why did he die?

That is easy. He died because he ran out of water in a desert. The rules of nature that God created and recreates every moment dictate that when a man has no water in a desert he will dehydrate and probably die shortly thereafter. God does not bend or adjust the rules of nature to save him. Nor should God bend the rules of nature. The relationship God has with the world is that of a hidden God. God hides behind the mask of nature and does not show Himself.

There is a fault line the lies beneath Port Au Prince. It was suggested by geologists in late 2008 that there could be a severe earthquake in Haiti as a result of this fault line. In January 2010 the plates along the fault line shifted. A massive earthquake ensued. Thousands of people died and many more were injured.

Why did they die?

That is also easy. They died because there was an earthquake. The rules of nature that God created and recreates at every moment dictate that when tectonic plates shift it can cause a massive earthquake. God does not bend or adjust the rules of nature to stop the earthquake. Nor should God bend the rules of nature. The relationship God has with the world is that of a hidden God. God hides behind the mask of nature and does not show Himself.

What about the stories in Chumash and Tanach (Old Testament) that report miracles to save individuals or groups of people?

Once in a while God does bend the rules of nature. This is rare and only happens in extreme circumstances. We call this a miracle. It is really a misnomer because everything is a miracle. Nature is a miracle just as much as the supernatural. But we only recognize or would recognize the supernatural miraculous. Miracles can happen, but we don’t rely on miracles nor do we expect miracles as part of the usual system and order of the universe. The universe follows the rules of nature that God created and recreates every moment.

What about the words of Chazal (Talmudic Rabbis) that blame natural disasters on sin?

I can’t answer with certainty but there are a few options:

- For lack of scientific information they did not realize that earthquakes or other phenomena were “natural” and supposed they were supernatural events thus requiring a Divine reason.

- They were referring to a place and time where God did intervene on a constant basis.

- They were speaking polemically and urging Klal Yisrael to improve their ways and as a way of admonishing them they used exegesis to connect disaster with sin.

- They were misquoted or quoted out of context.

Then there is the Rambam. In hilchos Taanis, the Rambam states that when harm befalls the tzibur it incumbent upon klal yisrael to do teshuva and attribute the suffering the “way of the world” rather the bad things that happened were because of their evil sins.

This has been misquoted and misapplied in many instances. The Rambam is talking about a tragedy that happens to the tzibur. The tzibur refers to the Jewish community. So a harm among the a specific Jewish community is the time that we must attribute the harm to OUR sins.

What Rabbis Shafran Version 1, Feldman and Levin are doing is trying to use this Rambam in an instance of a tragedy that befell ANOTHER group of people. The earthquake was not a disaster that happened to the Jewish tzibur. It happened to another tzibur. Thus, the Rambam does not apply.

When would the Rambam apply? At most a tragedy that targets the tzibur. Most strictly constructed it would be when a harm is specific to the Jewish people.

So what are we supposed to do when tragedy strikes? When there is a Hurricane like Katrina, a Tsunami like there was in Southeast Asia or Earthquake like in Haiti?

We work on our compassion. We work on our empathy. We help as much as we can. We remember that life is fleeting and it can all end in a moment. We try to reenergize our relationships. We improve in our avodas Hashem. We find a way to use the tragedy to inspire us. It is personal.

For anyone to assume they know why this tragedy happened fails on three counts.

1) It did not happen to us. It happened to someone else. Do we believe in a God who punishes another party for OUR sins?

2) Maybe it did not happen for a reason? If it was natural then how are you going to apply some sin as the cause for nature? Do you blame sin every time a lion eats a gazelle in the African plain? How about when an innocent bystander is killed by a drunk driver? Did the bystander “deserve it”?

3) Even if it did happen for a reason, who are you to tell me why it happened? You think YOU know? Your puny little brain can figure out why God acts in the way He does? You know all the factors that go into “causing a natural disaster”? At best it is presumptuous at worst it is extreme arrogance bordering on apikorsus.

For anyone to guess why this happened fails on another count.

Nevuah (prophecy) ended thousands of years ago. A Navi (prophet) was like a spiritual doctor, one was able to see a Navi and ask why bad things were happening to you and the Navi could tell you why. The Navi was connected to God. That is over. It ended a long time ago. I am suspect of anyone claiming to know what God is “thinking” because they have no way of knowing.

Trying to pretend like we know why the earthquake happened, even if we assume it happened for a reason, is wrong.

But at least Rabbi Shafran Version 2 and Rabbi Feldman are telling US to improve our lives in the wake of the tragedy.

Only one goofball has the gall to tell OTHER people how to act in response to the tragedy. Only Levin has the audacity to tell the Government of the USA that it’s “their fault” this happened. Only Levin completely abrogates himself and places the blame on something that is external to him and his group.

It is akin to telling a grieving mother that her son who was run over by a car was run over because the lady across the street had an affair. Ridiculous. Irresponsible. Self-righteous. Idiotic. Moronic. (Help me out here… I am sure there are more words…)

In summary, there are varying levels of what I believe to be errors in the wake of this tragedy. The least egregious is trying to figure what the precise message of the earthquake is. The most egregious is telling a 3rd party that they caused the tragedy of another.

My view, as I stated just after the earthquake, and the view of my Rebbeim is that the tragedy was a natural disaster. There was no malicious intent or direct message being sent to the people of Haiti or anyone else for that matter. However, it is useful for us to use the incident as inspiration to improve our lives and live each moment we are fortunate to be alive as a way of making the world a better place.

Postscript: A worthwhile read is Rabbi Dov Kramer’s approach which is very similar to what is written here just comes from a different direction.

Solar Eclipse In Judaism

rabbifink — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:18:40 +0000

Last week the world witnessed another wonder of our universe, the Solar Eclipse. This eclipse was visible from Southeast Asia and was the longest eclipse in 18 years and will remain the longest for the next 123 years.

The eclipse has long been associated with mythology and supernatural acts. If you are a fan of the TV show, Heroes, you know what I mean.

In Southeast Asia, many Hindus were gripped by fear. According to Hindu tradition, the eclipse can cause harm to unborn children. Many ancient cultures attached mythological meaning to solar eclipses. Today, we know that the eclipse is part of the solar pattern that is predictable to the second.

What about Judaism? What do we say about the solar eclipse?

The Talmud in Sukkah (29a) gives us a clue.

The Rabbis taught: An account of four things the sun is [eclipsed]: An improperly eulogized head of Jewish court, a betrothed girl who is raped and her cries go unheeded, [...], and two brothers killed on one day.

What in the world does this mean?

Is this more mythology?

The 19th Century German Torah Scholar, Yaakov Etlinger, writes in his Aruch L’Ner, that the Talmudic Rabbis certainly knew eclipses were natural phenomena running their course. (He proves this with inferences from within the text which are too tedious and lost in translation to English). It is similar to what Nachmanadies writes with regard to the Biblical promise after the Great Flood that God would not flood the world again, and he sealed the promise with the rainbow. Of course, the rainbow always existed, it is a natural phenomena. Nachmanadies explains that the rainbow is a sign, a reminder to us and in a different sense to God that He made a promise never to destroy His world again.

Simililarly, when a solar eclipse occurs and the light is temporarily removed from the physical world we are reminded of the moral implications of a dark world. A world in which good leaders are quickly forgotten, women are treated as objects and blood is spilled within one family, is a world of darkness.

When we see the eclipse we are to remember that it is our job as human beings to bring light into our world. The light of morality, mindfulness and sensitivity will protect our society from these terrible social ills mentioned in Sukkah. It is important to recognize what a world we would have if there was no moral light. If our world was thrust into spiritual darkness just as the physical world is thrust into sudden solar darkness during an eclipse our world would be quite different. Seeing this occur in the natural world “enlightens” us to provide that light and prevent the spiritual darkness from overcoming the light.

I think it is absolutely magnificent to live a life where we find meaning and messages from every part of our lives. A life where each moment makes a difference and each of our choices can change the world.

Equally magnificent is the sheer physical beauty of the solar eclipse.

Thanks for reading this post. In appreciation I have provided some of the best footage (seen on NYTimes.com) of last week’s eclipse. Enjoy it – you deserve it.