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The Shabbaton Choir is Amazing

rabbifink — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:48:17 +0000

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending a historic event. The new building of a synagogue in Los Angeles, to be more precise, North Beverly Hills, opened its doors for the first time. Young Israel of North Beverly Hills dedicated their new shul at an inspiring ceremony.

Founding President of Pacific Jewish Center, Michael Medved was the Master of Ceremonies for a speaking lineup that included members of congress and local government. The keynote address was magnificently delivered by Chief Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks.

It was a beautiful event and a ceremony befitting such an auspicious day.

The highlight for me was the live performance by the Shabbaton Choir. They sang several stirring songs and had the crowd buzzing. They were phenomenal. Their style is a mix of cantorial and chamber music that is not often associated with Jewish music. Most people think of Klezmer music as the Jewish music standard. Others, from Sephardic backgrounds think of middle-eastern music as Jewish music. Orthodox Jews in the 21st century think of the pseudo-pop-rock Jewish music as Jewish music.

The Shabbaton Choir has a different take. It is a beautiful take too.

Here is one song they sang yesterday that I really loved.

As you can see and hear, this is not typical Jewish music by any commonly held definition of Jewish music.

I think there is a unique quality to this kind of music that is lacking in the other forms of Jewish music, at least to my ears. This certainly applies to the pseudo-pop-rock version of music that is most prevalent in orthodox circles. The other Jewish music is mostly marketed as an alternative to non-Jewish music. It’s entertainment. The music is designed to distract, keep one busy, lighten a mood, or inspire. The music does not feel like an end to itself, rather it is a means to some other purpose. That’s fine. I have no problem with it and I even enjoy it from time to time (-usually the older stuff).

But Shabbaton is doing something different, at least that’s how it feels to me. They are using the music as worship. The music is not being used to inspire. It is the act of singing that is fulfilling a need to serve God. In other words, the singing is for its own sake. To sing. The music is uplifting, but I don’t think that is their purpose. I think they are singing as an act of praise to serve and love God. That’s very different.

It reminded me of something I wrote about here: Book Review | Sacred Trash

Throughout the centuries, Jews have developed various social ways of expressing themselves as they worship God. [Please read what I wrote in Book Review | Sacred Trash in the last couple of paragraphs for a fuller explanation of this idea.] The Shabbaton Choir is using their song in this manner. Their singing is like the Talmud study of the yeshiva student or the meditations of the chasid. I love the idea of singing as worship and I love the perfect execution of this idea by the Shabbaton choir.

It is a joy to experience first hand. I encourage you to experience it for yourself as well. Their music is available on iTunes and they have some videos on YouTube.

(This is an unsolicited blog post. Just my pure thoughts.)

Links: Shabbaton Choir Website, YouTube, iTunes

Beautiful Photos of Hoshana Rabbah at Pacific Jewish Center | The Shul on the Beach

rabbifink — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:31:21 +0000

The day before Hoshana Rabbah I received a phone call from an ambitious, young photographer named Jason Jackson who is working on a documentary about orthodox Jews. He asked if he could take pictures of us at The Shul on the Beach.

Normally, there is not much to photograph on weekdays and we would not be comfortable with someone taking pictures. Last time we had photographers in our shul it was Purim. It was an interesting time to take pictures but hardly a “typical day” in the life of an orthodox Jew. But it does make for a spectacular presentation. If you have not already seen it – please check that out over here: Pacific Jewish Center Featured on MSNBC.com

I told the caller that the only chance I thought he had of photographing something worthwhile would be Hoshana Rabbah, the next day, at 7 AM. I told him about the Four Species and the circuits around the Bima. He said he would be there. We had a date.

Below you will see a slideshow of some of the photos he took at The Shul on the Beach that morning. The photography is outstanding and really captures the services. I hope Jason’s documentary is a success and appreciate the time and effort he put into these photos. We also really appreciate his sharing them with us.

Thank you Jason!

Enjoy.

In Memory of Betty Matoff

rabbifink — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:41:01 +0000

I attended a funeral today.

Betty Matoff was returned to her Maker after more than 106 years on Earth. It was an honor to have known her and an honor to have had a role at her funeral. I led a chapter of Psalms and spoke very briefly to tribute Betty’s memory.

It is not often that one meets a person that is larger than life. Betty was that. Her energy was infectious, her smile was legendary, her mind was quick, her wit was entertaining, her love for life and for people was endless, her generosity was limitless.

All of that in a tiny 106 year old body.

In my brief remarks I said that the hours that I spend with Betty will always be memories that I cherish. Some of those moments have been the best moments of my life. I want to thank Betty for including Pacific Jewish Center and me in her life. It was a true privilege to have known her.

Betty left no children, grandchildren or great grandchildren. Betty had no peers to come to her funeral. How many centenarians are living in LA? Yet, the funeral home was full of loved ones who came to pay their respects for our Aunt Betty. Aside from our memories of her, Betty leaves behind a legacy of charity, good deeds and life lessons taught to us all.

We can all strive to emulate the greatness we saw in Betty. I know that none of us will ever be able replace her in this world, but perhaps if we all make an extra effort to live up to the ideals that she exemplified, we can serve as somewhat of a comfort to each other as we mourn the loss of our dear friend and role model, Betty Matoff.

May her memory be for blessing.

————–

Here are some recent photos of me and Betty at her 106th birthday party: Betty’s 106th Birthday Party

Klezmer Concert 2011: A Huge Success!

rabbifink — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 07:01:16 +0000

Once again, the Klezmer concert was a huge success.

A beautiful cross-section of Jews from around the world enjoyed the lovely musical intonations of Ron Grun. Pacific Jewish Center members showed up to the concert in strong numbers. But the non-members who joined us for the event made the concert even more special.

On another typical Venice Beach Sunday, dozens of folks popped their heads into the shul. Some stayed for the entire concert. Others made stayed briefly.

But everyone enjoyed. Once again, we were proud to spread the light of Torah and Judaism to the Venice Boardwalk community.

It was wonderful meeting all the people who stopped in for some of the concert and I hope we see you again soon.

OUR NEXT EVENT will be an art gallery over Labor Day weekend. Admission will be free.

We hope to see you then.

Thank you to the Goldstein family for sponsoring the Klezmer Concert again.

Enjoy some snippets below. (MY good HD video cameras were not available so you’ll have to bear with the iPhone HD quality. It’s pretty good. But not s good as last year’s video.)

A Message for Orthodox Jews in the wake of Joel Alperson’s Op-Ed on Tikkun Olam

rabbifink — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 14:49:03 +0000

In what has become a bit of a famous op-ed in on JTA.org, Joel Alperson, a non-orthodox Jew, has written a powerful call to arms for the non-orthodox communities.

I am orthodox, so his words apparently are not directed at me and my co-religionists. Or perhaps they are…

Alperson writes that Judaism for the non-orthodox has become too much about tikkun olam (social justice) and too little about building Jewish communities. He opines that in order to maintain a Jewish community, the focus of the community cannot be about social / political issues. It must be about religion. Tikkun olam must be an ingredient in modern Jewish life, but it cannot be the focus, lest we lose our direction completely and divest Judaism from all of its religious underpinnings.

He writes that Jewish education is more important than tikkun olam and the non-orthodox are losing their Judaism because of ignorance and complacency. In his view, Judaism, even if not orthodox, can help people become better people, for themselves, not just to help everyone else.

Judaism teaches us how to be better friends, businesspeople, husbands, wives and philanthropists. It tells us how to help the weak and when to fight evil. In short, Judaism done right makes us better human beings. It is the discipline of leading a traditional Jewish life that also reminds us how best to engage in repairing the world.

Of course, orthodox Jews have been saying this forever. We agree. Perhaps, this would give orthodox Jews a feather in the cap. We are winning. They know it. Tee-hee! Ding-dong the witch is dead!

But I think that orthodox Jews also have a role to play in this. In general, there are two ways that orthodox Jews view the non-orthodox: 1) persona non grata 2) kiruv prospect.

This is undertandable for a variety of social and religious reasons. I am not here to say this approach is absolutely wrong.

But I would like to propose a third view that may help us and the non-orthodox. The third view assumes that many non-orthodox would like and do enjoy religious experiences that can be shared with orthodox Jews. Some orthodox shuls (like Pacific Jewish Center) appeal to non-orthodox Jews even though the services and rabbi and majority of community members are orthodox. The non-orthodox can share in the experience, attend shul, enjoy the kiddush, join for a Shabbos meal but with no kiruv subtext. It is purely for the sake of sharing a common religious experience.

If, as Alperson writes, non-orthodox Jews should be participating in more religious activities and they do. It would great if this could help foster a greater mutual respect and understanding between orthodox and non-orthodox Jews. There does not need to be a “my way or the highway” approach, nor does there need to any proselytizing. Simply Jews with different backgrounds, beliefs and opinions sharing a religious experience.

It works well for us at PJC. I hope and pray, more orthodox institutions and communities can follow our lead.

Link: JTA

Pacific Jewish Center Purim Celebration Recap 2011

rabbifink — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:26:40 +0000

Despite unccoperative weather, Purim at the Shul on the Beach was enjoyed by all. As a community we performed all the mitzvos of the day.

Beginning with the packing of Mishloach Manos on the Fast of Esther we spent time together celebrating one of the joyous periods of the Jewish calendar. The packing event was a success. Firstly because the Mishloach Manos got packed. But more importantly, those who attended connected to each other through a mitzva and that is a special connection. I need to thank my wife Tova for designing, ordering and creating the entire custom Mishloach Manos as well as organizing and compiling the PJC Yam Yam Salad Cookbook that was printed and included in every Mishloach Manos package.

After Shabbos we collected Matanos L’evyonim and heard the megilla read beautifully by Hillel Philip while many were dressed in their Purim costumes. He did an excellent job and we celebrated with Hamentashen after the reading. During Purim day, the Mishloach Manos were delivered by PJC volunteers spearheaded by Alan Danziger with the assistance of Leslie Friedman. It wasn’t easy to do in the rain, but all the packages were delivered. In the afternoon we had a party for the community which was deliciously catered by Mr. Pickles and organized by Jeff Liss with some assistance by Frederic Eger. It was a lot of fun to celebrate the joy of Purim together. If not for the inclement weather I am sure many more neighobrs and passers-by on the boardwalk would have joined us. But it was pouring rain and the boardwalk was deserted.

They missed and we enjoyed a great show by Alula. We danced, sang, ate and reveled through the afternoon. Purim at the Shul on the Beach was a wonderful kiddush Hashem and we hope next year we will be blessed with better weather and some more guests from outside the community.

Enjoy the photos of the packing and party below:

Jon Stewart’s Hilarious Eruv Video (and some commentary)

rabbifink — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:53:54 +0000

Yesterday, Wyatt Cenac of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart did a really funny and slightly sad video on the status of the Westhampton Eruv on Long Island. Apparently, there is some opposition that is non-sensical, bigoted and pathetically transparent.

It’s sad to see that the primary opposition to the eruv is from a yiddish speaking Jew. It’s also sad to see him so thoroughly embarrassed in the clip. I actually feel bad for the guy as much of a jerk he seems in the clip…

At the Pacific Jewish Center, we have faced similar opposition to our proposed eruv. And by similar I mean, coming from Jews and equally self contradictory. It is our hope that we will pick up the eruv project for Santa Monica, Venice and Marina del Rey in the near future.

I hope Westhampton gets their eruv and I hope we get ours soon as well. Some commentary below the clip.

The Daily Show – The Thin Jew Line
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

First of all, an eruv is technically not a loophole. I explained in brief here: The Good Wife: Unorthodox, From a Rabbi / Law Student Perspective that an eruv is not a loophole. Here is what it is (and this is good for people who actually don’t know and people who need to explain to people who don’t know):

The prohibition against carrying on Shabbos is from a private domain to a public domain or a second private domain. One IS permitted to carry within their own home. One is permitted to carry within their own enclosed property (eg: a yard surrounded by a fence). One is permitted to carry from inside their home to their enclosed outdoor property as well. The function of the eruv (which unlike the not so funny joke during the clip does not mean loophole, it means mixture) is to mix / connect many domains into one LARGE private domain. All that is required is a SYMBOLIC enclosure that is halachically considered a wall. A wire running from two poles is sufficient to create a symbolic halachic wall.

Thus, when a wire surrounds a large area that has been designated as a single private domain, joining all the private domains therein into ONE domain, obviously carrying is permitted within that one domain. There are some requirements that need to be met for the large domain to include the private domains. If those requirements are met and there is a unification of many domains via a symbolic, halachic wall, one may carry within that domain exactly as they can carry from room to room within one’s own home.

Second of all, like I said, it is sad to see Jews pitted against each other. Though, I can’t assign all blame to the fellow who is against having Orthodox Jewish neighbors. Sometimes Orthodox Jews don’t make the best neighbors. I don’t mean this is in an entirely negative way. It’s normal for Orthodox Jews not to be completely neighborly with their less religious neighbors. They have different standards and different priorities. It can get messy. All I mean to say is that we should be conscious of the opinions of our neighbors and be even more scrupulous to be the best neighbors possible. If we would do that, I am sure we would be less resistance from others to moving to their neighborhoods.

Third of all, we see most clearly how ugly bigotry looks when it affects us personally. It is important to try to avoid these kinds of bigoted remarks and behavior in relation to others. Especially after we see how it feels to be a victim of that bigotry. Please keep that in mind next time you say / hear a blanket, statement that could be construed as racist, bigoted, small minded or hateful.

Frankel Torah Dedication at the Shul on the Beach

rabbifink — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:00:40 +0000

Yesterday was a very special day at The Shul on the Beach | Pacific Jewish Center.

There are a few seminal events that are rare, exhilarating and emotional in the life of a Rabbi. One of those events is the dedication of a new Torah scroll. And yesterday I was fortunate to be a part of a wonderful Torah Dedication ceremony and celebration.

Randy and Deeana Frankel are celebrating the Bnei Mitzvah of their son Zev and their daughter Ariella. They chose to commemorate this milestone by restoring a Torah scroll rescued from the Holocaust. During a small, intimate ceremony, that Torah scroll has been placed in the Ark at the Shul on the Beach and we could not be more proud.

The ceremony was the typical Torah dedication with one small exception. The standard procession took place on the Venice Boardwalk. Hundreds of people stopped to watch, photograph, record video and enjoy the celebration. It was clearly inspirational for many of the observers to see such excitement and honor given to the Torah. It was a real kiddush Hashem.

We danced on the boardwalk with the Torah for a little while then proceeded into the Shul where we placed the Torah in its new home in the Ark. Following the ceremony we enjoyed a lovely catered lunch. During the lunch Randy spoke for a few minutes. I also addressed the guests for a few minutes and you can hear both speeches by clicking the play button below.

This morning, we used the Torah for the first time as we read from the Torah as part of morning services. It was very powerful to call Randy to the Torah to make the blessing on the Torah using his very own Torah.

The event was very inspirational for me and something I will never forget. Not all rabbis are lucky enough to participate in a Torah dedication ceremony and I thank the Frankels for making me a lucky rabbi!

I had a few photos taken of the procession. The Frankels had a professional photographer who can certainly put these photos to shame but the celebration was so special and so unique that I wanted to share these photos with everyone.

(If you took photos and would like them to be included in the slideshow, email me.)

UPDATE: Watch a video here —> VIDEO: Frankel Torah Dedication Ceremony on the Venice Boardwalk

You’re Not Crazy Blogger Visits The Shul on the Beach

rabbifink — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:40:56 +0000

At the Shul on the Beach we take pride in our small town hospitality.

Many guests have been treated to a special Venice Shabbos thanks to our wonderful community.

This past week we were honored to meet fellow Law Student / Blogger / Jew(ess): Skylar / Chavi of You’re Not Crazy fame. And what a wonderful guest she was. Our Shabbos was definitely better thanks to her and we appreciate her visit.

It seems Chavi had some things to say about her Shabbos experience in Venice. See Crashing Venice, CA, for Shabbat!

My only regret was not spending more time with Skylar. Hopefully next time!

(Special thanks to Liz Danziger for making all the arrangements for Skylar.)

PJC Chanukah Party 2010 Wrap Up and Photos

rabbifink — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 21:43:17 +0000

Once again, the PJC Chanukah Party at the Shul on the Beach was a smashing success.

As the ambassadors of Judaism on the Venice Beach boardwalk, we are charged with the resonsibility and opportunity to provide a Jewish experience to the myriad of Jews and non-Jews who pass our shul on a daily basis.

To that end, we provided an open house Chanukah party. Many passers-by came inside to partake in the spiritual and physical warmth of our shul and its members. Our community made a kiddush Hashem and I am proud of our Chanukah party.

Special kudos are in order for Jeff Liss who organized the entire shebang and to Rabbi Mintz for manning the doors of the Shul and inviting anyone who was interested into the shul. Thank you!

Josh Blum snatched my camera as soon as I walked into the shul. The pictures that tell the story of our Chanukah party are his and we appreciate his talents (as well as being an integral member of the community) thanks Josh!

I also want to thank everyone who came to the party and participated in the festivities. Your presence was noted and appreciated.

Don’t forget that we are also lighting the Menorah on 3rd Street Promenade Tomorrow night. See you there!

Click through on the slideshow to download and share specific photos.

Listen to my speech here: PJC Chanukah Party 2010 | Rabbi’s Speech

See last year’s party here: PJC Chanukah Party 2009 Wrap Up and Photos

YU Basketball Coach in the Wall Street Journal (with a cameo by a PJC family member)

rabbifink — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 18:17:11 +0000

As if the YU Maccabeats weren’t giving YU enough press (This Year’s Hottest Chanukah Song: Candlelight by The Maccabeats | Jewish Holiday Music), the YU Maccabees (basketball team) got some nice press last week as well.

The Wall Street Journal has a nice piece on Dr. Jonathan Halpert. He is the YU basketball coach of 39 years. That is a long time to be doing any job. Certainly in a field dominated by the coaching carousel, it is a worthy achievement.

The article is nice. It tells of the challenges of managing a team of Orthodox Jewish basketball players. Shabbos and Holidays are off limits to games and practices. The daily grind of a YU student includes religious studies until mid afternoon and then secular classes that can go until 8 PM.

Halpert gives the reader insight into his coaching and life philosophy and as a reader I found him to be inspiring.

In the article, there is one anecdote about making an impact on a player’s life.

There was the player who was cut but served as team manager for a year, made the squad the following season and hit a game-winning three-point shot at the buzzer. Dr. Halpert made five DVDs of the game for the player to show to his children. “That’s good to keep you going another five years,” he said.

A nice story. But even nicer because I happen to know that player.

That player is Aryeh Magilnick. Son of PJC members Judd and Denise Magilnick.

And I happen to know what shot Halpert was referring to. And now you do too.

Click the video to watch Aryeh Magilnick hit a classic buzzer beater. (Assume there is a buzzer and that the shot was released just before the buzzer sounded.)

Link: WSJ

(Another young adult who grew up at PJC and was featured on my blog: A Member of the Pacific Jewish Center Family Making Us Proud in Thailand)

A Member of the Pacific Jewish Center Family Making Us Proud in Thailand

rabbifink — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:48:30 +0000

Working as a rabbi in a shul as diverse as the Pacific Jewish Center | The Shul on the Beach (www.pjcenter.com) gives me a unique opportunity to meet and interact with so many different types of people and Jews. We are proud of our diversity and it strengthens our community to be inclusive and foster relationships with a variety of people. Within our shul there are Jews of every flavor. There are those who identify as Ashkenaz, Sefard, Lubavitch, Reform, Conservative, Modern Orthodox, Centrist Orthodox, Yeshivish as well as some converts. It really is unique.

Many of the young men and women who grew up in the community before I became the rabbi have gone on to achieve great things in their lives. Some are professionals, some are studying Torah day and night, some are academics and some have become big “baalei chessed” (pracitioners of unabated love and kindness). The baalei chessed are probably the unsung heroes of the group. They are humble and do their good works quietly, without fanfare and without seeking recognition.

One of those young women, is Jesse Risch, daugher of (Board Member) Alan and Rachel Risch. Jesse Risch is working in Thailand with the American Jewish World Service (www.awjs.org). The AWJS is similar to the Peace Corps. I asked Jesse why she was going to Thailand and what she is going to be doing there. She has been in Thailand for a few weeks now and this was her response to me before she left.

In her own words (with a little editing):

I’m participating in the volunteer service corps which places volunteers from all over the world with organizations (NGOs) in developing countries for a period of three months to a year. They have other programs as well to spur development in growing nations, namely a year-long service corps and a few alternative spring break trips for college students/young professionals.

I’m going to Southeast Asia to work with a youth organization that focuses on empowering and educating Burmese refugee youth, status-less, displaced persons in Thailand that are restricted from accessing public education and health services. Refugee populations tend to be at high risk for [sex] trafficking as well as HIV/Aids and unwanted pregnancies. I am particularly interested in this aspect of the work- helping educate and empower youth to give them hope and the ability to prosper, rather than fall victim to the aforementioned.

I will specifically be working with the organization’s staff to help them build up capacity- reviewing their programs and curriculum, conducting development/fundraising efforts, and teaching them English.

The American Jewish World Service is driven by the Jewish concept of tikkun olam- and that it is our collective responsibility to help heal the world. This is my own guiding motto as well, and I whole heartedly believe that as Jews we have this obligation to help others, even those outside of our own community, and outside of our comfort zone. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to take part in this type of work.

I can speak for myself and the entire community when I say that Jesse is doing great work and I salute her. Life is long enough that we can take the time to contribute some of our time to those less fortunate than us. Even if we don’t go all the way to Thailand, there are people in our lives that could use a little help now and then. We can all find to time to help others and follow in the footsteps of Jesse who is blazing the trail of chessed for all of us.

On a side note, I think this is a wonderful way for young men and women to spend a few months. Most orthodox Jewish high school graduates spend at least one year in Israel. Wouldn’t it be great if more of them participated in a program like this as well? I think so.

I hope to post a report from Jesse in the next few months. In the meantime, Jesse, keep up the great work!

Here is a video of the AWJS doing work in India:

Founder of Kabalah Yoga Visits Pacific Jewish Center

rabbifink — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:39:13 +0000

Being Rabbi at the Shul on the Beach gives me the opportunity to meet many people from all over the world with different backgrounds and a variety of interests. One of the more interesting people I have met in my Shul is Audi Gozlan.

Audi is an orthodox Jewish Yogi (also a lawyer) from Montreal Canada. He visits Venice on a regular basis to try and satisfy the local thirst for innovative and exciting Yoga programs. Audi teaches a discipline of Yoga that he personally developed called Kabalah Yoga.

Kabalah Yoga has become quite popular and Audi session’s are packed with instructors who want to teach Kabalah Yoga. Some sessions have upwards of 200 people in attendance. The attendees are usually quite surprised when they see Audi. He looks very religious and they start to think they are in the wr0ng place. But when Audi starts his session, they are shocked to see this man in a kipa and silver beard contort his body like a skilled Yogi.

The poses of Kabalah Yoga are in the shape of the letters of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet. The letters of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet have been interpreted in many ways. There is an entire corpus of study that uses the letters, their shapes, their sounds and their numerical values as tools for unlocking Torah secrets.

Audi is using them to unlock secrets of the human body.

I confess to never having participated in one of Audi’s sessions. But from what I hear, they are incredible. In Canada, a prime time Cable television show is being produced starring Audi and Kabalah Yoga. We may get it in the United States before long as well.

If you have any interest in Yoga in general I am sure you will find Audi’s website and videos fascinating.

If you want more information, check out Kabalah Yoga at http://www.kabalahyoga.com/ and on Facebook on their page.

Here is a very cool (well produced) sample video.

You’ve Got To Leave It All Behind | Drasha Lech Lecha 2009

rabbifink — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 06:43:41 +0000

Special thanks to community member Elizabeth Danziger, founder of Worktalk Communications Consulting, for assisting in transforming this sermon from 2009 into an essay for this year.

Avram’s Journey

Lech Lecha 2009

The Torah begins the story of our forefather Avraham in this week’s parsha. Thus begins the story of the Jewish people. The first Jew begins his journey in Lech Lecha and that journey defines us for all time. We still feel the effects of that journey. The better we can understand and appreciate that journey, the better we can understand and appreciate ourselves and our personal journey.

God commands Avram (not yet named Avraham) to go. “Lech Lecha” means to go. If we analyze the Torah’s words there is more than meets the eye. The Torah says that GD commands Avram: “Go from your land, from your birthplace and from your father’s home.” If all the Torah wanted us to know was that Hashem had commanded Avram to leave or to go, it would have been sufficient to say “lech” or “tzei” – go. Further, the entire section that mentions leaving his land, birthplace and home is superfluous. And it is in the wrong order! First one leaves one’s home, then one’s birthplace or city, and only then does one leave his land or country.

R’ Hirsch says that the word lech comes from the word halach. And that word is related to Chelek, divided and chalak which means smooth, a surface to which nothing adheres. So halach means to go but it connotes separation as well. Sometimes one can separate for the purpose of going to another place, but in this case, the separating was lecha – for Avram’s self.

Avram is separating from three things: Eretz / country, moledes / hometown, and bayis / home. R’ Hirsch says that these three things form the foundation for one’s personality and true essence. Eretz, the country or nationality with all its moral implications. Eretz is like eres – married. Eres also means cradle. In comparison to shamayim (heaven) which is sham (over there), the land, our country gives us our cradle in which we learn our morality. Our land gives us national characteristics and the tremendous power of participation in a nation.

Moledes, birthplace, gives us civic position and independence Even narrower is the bayis, the home where we find our individuality and we grow as unique people.

These Hebrew words make it clear that the Torah values the worth of one’s home and homeland. The Torah is not belittling these concepts by asking Avram to isolate from them. Rather, the Torah is telling us the value of these realms and the greatness of the isolation GD demanded from Avram.

In fact, these demands place Avram in direct conflict with the strongest ideals of his era. Centralism was the prevalent tendency of his age. The feared monarch Nimrod, from whom Avram was running, led the Tower of Babel campaign. That campaign was marked by the slogan of “naaseh lanu shem” – we can make ourselves a name. The tower was to represent the community in general for the glory of mankind. This tendency begot an erroneous conception of a majority which has sway in every direction and every case. And eventually, what is honored by the majority ipso facto becomes the thing that is honored by everybody.

It is certainly true that the majority opinion should be well represented in the community and it should represent that which is highest and holiest by everybody. And in Judaism we would expect the same. Still at the very start of the Jewish journey we are taught: Lech Lecha, go for yourself. Stand on your own, separated from the crowd. No one should limit him or herself to the majority. You cannot be only as honest as everybody else, or as moral as everybody else. We must rise above the majority.

Each person is responsible to GD for himself and if necessary to be alone with GD if he can find no partners with whom to worship. This is what GD demanded from Avram at the start of his journey and the start of our collective journey. The beautiful insights into Hebrew language show us how important eretz, molad and bayis are to us and lech lecha tells us that they are only trumped by the bond that attaches us to GD.

There are always those who say that Judaism should be current and up to date with modern ideals. There are some modern ideals that are consistent with Torah; perhaps social conventions caused them to be ignored until they became prevalent in a modern world. We should and must celebrate those ideals. But, Avram’s first stand was not in accordance with the ancient cultures with whom he lived. While the whole world sought every effort to establish themselves; as civilizations became more complex, Avram was giving up his citizenship and his homeland. He protested the idol worship of the other nations. He separated from it all.

Avram was appointed the first Jew, but he had to prove himself first. He had to prove that he could rise up above the fray and be separate. Avram showed us by example.

Our country, our city, our homes all represent inertia. When we revert to the comfort of habits, customs, and thoughts that we are accustomed to, we are relying too heavily on our cradle that we were raised in. We often fail to move forward because of fear or doubt. Hashem tells Avram, Lech Lecha, do what is right. Do what you know you must do to ensure that you will be separate, that you will be elevated and above the customs and traditions into which you were born.

The lesson of lech lecha is that we must act with conviction and that we must act with a trust and hope for future. Avram could have been reluctant to leave all that he left behind. After all one’s country, hometown and home cane be good values, our core values in fact. But sometimes we need to rise above our complacency and elevate ourselves to heights that can only come when we act with the conviction of lech lecha and we make a substantial break from our inertia and instead act in a way that will bond even more strongly with our families, our neighborhoods, our homelands and above all with GD

In our lives we are called upon to make that same choice so many times. What are my priorities? What is the deciding factor in my decisions?

Avram was also faced with tough choices. How did he respond? What was GD’s call to him? Choose GD, above all. Choose spirituality and Torah above all.

Lech Lecha tells us that our homeland, our city and our homes are all important. They all have tremendous value, but ultimately the choice that is right is the choice that will bind us closest to GD. The choice that brings us the greatest spiritual growth and opportunity to sanctify the name of GD is the right choice. That is the call of Lech Lecha.

Outreach on the Beach | Apples and Honey 8/29/10

rabbifink — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:54:42 +0000

At Pacific Jewish Center we endeavor to share the light Judaism with the entire Beach Community. As we approach the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, the least we could do was wish the Venice Boardwalk a collective Shana Tova (A Good Year) to all the passersby.

So I set up shop outside the Shul on the Beach on a Sunday afternoon. Literally thousands of people pass the Shul on a beautiful summer Sunday like yesterday. I started all alone, but was eventually joined by Shul Co-President Alan Danziger and veteran of the Venice Boardwalk outreach scene, Rabbi Mintz and as the Klezmer Concert approached (Klezmer on the Beach Concert Was a Great Success) many, many friends, neighbors and my family. Over the course of the few hours we were there plenty of folks from the local area and as far as Australia, London, Israel (of course) and South Africa stopped by.

Everyone was offered some apples and honey to symbolize our wish for a sweet new year and many obliged. We also gave tours of our shul and some even took advantage of the photo opportunity to take one with a rabbi (me). No doubt to show their parents back home “See I am hanging out with a rabbi in a shul!”. Of course we also invited them all to come again on the High Holidays if they needed a place to go and even to stop by on a Shabbos for a few moments any time they please.

Hopefully, we will be there again this coming Sunday of Labor Day weekend to meet more people and dip even more apples into honey.

We look forward to more events open to the public and much more Outreach on the Beach.

If you are in a position to help us continue these efforts, Pacific Jewish Center needs your help. You can help us with even the smallest token donation by clicking the donate button:

If you were there yesterday and are seeing yourself in the photos below, say hi and please come back soon!

Klezmer on the Beach Concert Was a Great Success

rabbifink — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:29:20 +0000

From time to time, the Shul on the Beach hosts events on Sunday afternoons and evenings that are open to the public. Yesterday we hosted a Klezmer concert on the Beach and it was a smashing success!

Dr. Ellie Goldstein’s close friend has been playing for Dr. Goldstein and his friends at Dr. Goldstein’s home for many years. Ron Grun (along with Ken Husbands) are very talented klezmer musicians and close friends of Dr. Goldstein.

Over the last year, PJC has been privileged to have Dr. Goldstein and his friends join our shul. One of the many perks of their involvement was the concert taking place in the shul.

About 60-70 people attended the concert and many others stopped by for a quick listen and carried on their way along the boardwalk. We are so appreciative that Dr. Goldstein shared the concert with us and the entire beach community.

The concert was great. I confess to not being a Konnoisseur of Klezmer and I was very impressed. The music was great wonderful and the explanations that our performers provided were very interesting. I am so glad that so many folks were able to join us and stop by to get a taste of our shul and the friendliness of our community.

We look forward to more events like this in the future.

If case you missed it, here is a sample of the concert. (And next time be there!)

And a slideshow: (if you are at work and can’t turn up the volume…)

Become a Fan of Pacific Jewish Center on Facebook

rabbifink — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:20:22 +0000

As you can see I have added a widget to the sidebar that will allow you to “Like” Pacific Jewish Center on Facebook.

If you read this blog you are part of the PJC community and you should definitely “Like” us. So please be a pal, and “Like” us today! Certainly, if you have come to the Shul on the Beach at any point in time or join us on a regular basis you should “Like” us.

You can “like” PJC on the right hand side of this blog. Just click the “Like” next to the “thumbs up”.

If you can think of anything that should be added to the Facebook Page please let me know and I will try and make it happen!

To visit the Pacific Jewish Center Facebook Page click here: PJC on Facebook

Pacific Jewish Center on Gizmodo.com (well, not really)

rabbifink — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:33:51 +0000

Last night I saw an interested post on Gizmodo.com, a favorite technology blog of mine.

Google Maps has sattelite pictures of nearly the entire world. When you take pictures of everything, you’re going to catch some funny things.

Google has satelite pictures and “Street View” pictures which are (the ultimate stalking tool and) depict the view from the street. Most of the wacky Google Maps pictures are Street View pictures.

For a change, Gizmodo found a really cool satellite picture.

A crazy looking plane just above a residential street was spotted.

The street was Rose Avenue. The cross street was Lincoln Avenue. That is exactly where the Pacific Jewish Center Annex is located. Sure enough, the satellite photo of our annex has a crazy looking plane in the picture.

Original post and photo on Gizmodo: Google Maps Catches Airplane Cruising Down a California Street

(Click the photo to enlarge)

Pacific Jewish Center Featured on MSNBC.com

rabbifink — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:38:48 +0000

Six weeks ago, two well-known journalists, David Horsey and Nancy LeVine popped into the Shul on the Beach. It was Purim and they wanted to take pictures, talk with me and some of our Shul members and join in our Purim Celebration.

Never ones to turn down inviting strangers into the Shul, we welcomed them.

As I wrote at the time, our Purim Celebration was really special as we welcomed anyone and everyone off the boardwalk into our Shul. Read more here: Pacific Jewish Center Purim Celebration Recap February 28, 2010

Nancy took beautiful candid photos and David kind of blended in with the rest of us talking to us and learning about the Pacific Jewish Center and the festival of Purim.

Purim is a funny time to be introduced to new people. Things are a little different on Purim. But David managed to get to know us in a way that I never thought an outsider could.

Nancy and David produced a wonderful photo-film of their visit. It is part of their Escape Into America Series. The series is incredible. They have managed to find a lot of soul throughout their travels and it really comes through in their work.

In the photo-film about us, they did a really super job cutting through it all and finding the soul of our shul.

There are a couple things in the photo-film that are not perfectly precise, but that’s okay. (2 minor corrections: 1- I did mention to David that Purim costumes were likely borrowed for the Venice Carnival in the 15th Century and yet costumes fit in well with the themes of the day, 2- I am not sure I actually said that the Shul was in danger of disappearing – it wasn’t, rather, it could have been on that path).

Other than a couple minor mistakes the photo-film really captures the essence of Purim in our Shul as well as much of the essence of who we are at Pacific Jewish Center.

The video stars everyone, but Yosef Beithalachmi (aka Mr. Pickles) and Ashi Bersin are featured in the voice-over. Great job!

Tune in to the video below:

Visit Escape into America on MSNBC.com to see the other films and support this wonderful venture: The Story of Ester

Visit Nancy LeVine’s website to see a higher resolution video and other videos and photos from her portfolio: Browneyesgallery.com

Visit DovBear.blogspot.com to see more comments from viewers: Look who’s famous now!

Thank you David and Nancy for visiting with us and sharing our experience with the world.

Also thank you to the entire Pacific Jewish Center community for welcoming David and Nancy and cooperating with them.

Finally, thank you to Leslie Friedman for organizing their visit.

Outreach on the Beach | Pesach 2010 4/4/10

rabbifink — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:32:26 +0000

Having the most incredible location in the world for our shul comes with some responsibilities. We are the custodians of the Shul on the Beach and any chance we have to share the Shul with the public we should!

This year we have had public events on Chanukah, Pre-Purim and Purim. We also had several Sundays where we just hang out at the shul welcoming visitors.

Because Sunday was also an Erev Yom Tov (and people are making preparations for the holiday) we did not have a public event for Pesach (stay tuned ’til Sukkos). But I felt it would be wrong not to open the shul doors for at least a little while so I went to the Shul for a couple hours on Sunday.

My sister in law came over with Rami and Ozzie and kept and I on them while I gave out Matza and talked to anyone interested in hanging out for a few minutes. I met some very interesting people and took just a few photos which you can enjoy below.

It was a great compliment to a holiday that featured a lot of outreach as some community members hosted Seders for friends and neighbors. One seder had 58! guests and another had well over 30, while others hosted a smaller more intimate groups! I was very impressed with the commitment of those community members to sharing our wonderful traditions with those who may not be so familiar with Pesach and the seder. All I can say is Thank You and Great Job!

It was in this spirit that I took some time to meet and greet people at the Shul on the Beach. We look forward to more events open to the public and more Outreach on the Beach.

If you are in a position to help us continue these efforts, Pacific Jewish Center needs your help. You can help us with even the smallest token donation by clicking the donate button:

Enjoy the photos:

Outreach on the Beach | Pesach 2010 4/4/10

rabbifink — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:32:26 +0000

This year we have had public events on Chanukah, Pre-Purim and Purim. We also had several Sundays where we just hang out at the shul welcoming visitors.

It was in this spirit that I took some time to meet and greet people at the Shul on the Beach. We look forward to more events open to the public and more Outreach on the Beach.

If you are in a position to help us continue these efforts, Pacific Jewish Center needs your help. You can help us with even the smallest token donation by clicking the donate button:

Enjoy the photos:

Pacific Jewish Center Purim Celebration Recap February 28, 2010

rabbifink — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:00:05 +0000

The Shul on the Beach Purim 2010

This Purim, The Shul On The Beach opened its doors to the entire Venice / Santa Monica community to join in a Purim Celebration. An excellent turnout from our members, friends and neighbors set the stage for a truly memorable afternoon.

Mr. and Mrs. Beithalachmi prepared a wonderful Purim feast that was partially sponsored by Yossi and Joannie Ziff on the occasion of their second anniversary. As always, Jeff Liss planned an excellent party, including first class entertainment (see the previous post), refreshments and a costume contest. Most importantly, our community really stepped up to the plate in terms of hospitality, friendliness and warmth. Led, once again, by Rabbi Mintz, many, many guests were ushered into the Shul.

I had the pleasure of meeting neighbors who had simply never dropped by the Shul, Israelis on vacation, random folks on Venice Boardwalk who wanted to stop in, children, elderly people, Jews, non-Jews, religious and otherwise. We tried to take photos with as many people as possible and you can check out the slideshow of photos below. [If you have any photos to add, PLEASE email them to me and I will add them!]

Guests enjoyed hamentaschen, the lively music and touring our Shul. As always, we enjoyed meeting so many people from so many different backgrounds and situations and sharing the joy of Purim with them.

There was a small contingency from the press (MSNBC.com) that joined us throughout Purim. They were at the reading of the Scroll of Esther on Purim evening and returned for the today’s celebration. It was so much fun getting to know them and sharing our Purim with them. We look forward to seeing the fruits of their labor sometime in April. Stay tuned…

The gathering was lively and inspiring. I spoke briefly about the meaning of our commandment to remember Amalek. Amalek attacked the Jewish people just after the Exodus from Egypt. They focused their attack on the stragglers. I expressed my hope that as a community we would not allow any stragglers. We must be inclusive and help everyone to feel that they are in the center of the group. There can be no fringe group if we are to “defeat” Amalek. Today’s event was a strong step in that direction.

Once again, thank you to all of you who helped and joined and made the event the festive celebration it was.

We are planning more events of this nature in the future.

Alula Performs At Pacific Jewish Center Purim Party in Venice

rabbifink — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:53:44 +0000

Today, Pacific Jewish Center hosted a memorable Purim Celebration at the Shul on the Beach.

Well over 200 people attended, ranging from ultra-religious Jews, to unaffiliated Jews, Christians and non-Jews. It was really a great success. Fuller recap with photos here.

In the meantime, here is a taste of a our incredible performer, Alula.

You can learn more about Alula by clicking here and help support his music.

Alula is an Ethiopian Jew who loves to sing Jewish songs. And he did so, wonderfully.

Please check out this clip of his performance in our Shul this Purim.

Frum Satire Show at Pacific Jewish Center Was Incredible

rabbifink — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:59:11 +0000

Wow.

Heshy Fried aka Frum Satire performed in front of a very diverse crowd of ~60 at the Pacific Jewish Center at the Shul on the Beach on Sunday February 14 2010 and it was incredible.

Heshy ranted for over an hour and the audience was captivated. He could have gone on for another hour and had everyone laughing all the way through.

I introduced Heshy and the show with an important message. Judaism, in many ways has become more about idiosyncrasies and self-defining labels than substance, lately. Sometimes we need a keen satirist to remind us that most of that stuff is just silliness. We need to remember what the important things are and when Heshy cuts through “all the other stuff” with his wit and comedic genius, what remains is what is real.

So, I concluded, that is why I read Frum Satire and that is why I am honored to introduce all of you to the stylings of Frum Satire.

Heshy touched on so many great topics. Crazy shidduch resumes, messing with BTs, not looking yeshivish, kiddush techniques and many more hilarious anecdotes and observations were satired. The crowd loved it all. Laughing for an hour can hurt your face. I found that out after the show.

Heshy’s humor is clean and still manages to be very funny. Kudos!

Those who came to the show were so happy they did. Those who missed the show missed out on some great fun. We also met a bunch of new people to our shul who had never been inside before. It was a pleasure to meet you all!

I want to thank Heshy for making the Shul on the Beach his first West Coast show. We had a great time over Shabbos and the Sunday evening show. Come back and visit soon!

I edited a 7 minute portion of the show (just a few minutes from the beginning of the show) for your viewing pleasure. (I had no tripod and the camera was my Canon PowerShot SD 780 IS so please excuse the shakes.) Enjoy.

Mishloach Manos Packing on the Beach 2/14/10

rabbifink — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:11:39 +0000

The Shul on the Beach

Yesterday was a great day for Pacific Jewish Center and our community.

A little while back, we decided that it would a lot of fun for the community to get together and pack mishloach manos together at the Shul on the Beach.

The event had a triple purpose. The goals were all met and exceeded. The first goal was to make a more creative mishloach manos that effectively reflected the spirit of the Shul on the Beach as opposed to using “canned” mimshloach manos from a vendor. The second goal was to have fun together as a community and use our creative talents in a productive way. The third was to invite the entire beach community to see our shul and invite them inside to see the shul and inform them about future events, like our upcoming Purim Celebration, as well as weekly services. This would be part of our Outreach on the Beach initiative.

Well, the mishloach manos are all packed. So we accomplished that goal.

A lot of community came to help and hang out and they all had a lot of fun. So we accomplished that goal.

And plenty of beach goers, dog walkers, tourists, neighbors and interesting people came to visit our shul and promised to return for a future event or services! Once again, we accomplished our goal. Some visitors even helped with the mishloach manos packing! Thanks!

It would be nice to mention everyone who came by name, but I know I would leave people out. So if you were there, maybe you’ll see a photo of yourself in the slideshow below. Leave a comment and tell us if you helped out!

The only person I will mention by name is my wife Tova. Tova organized the entire project and spent hours and hours choosing the items for the mishloach manos, finding the best vendors to purchase from, reordering when things got lost in transit or were out of stock 3 days before the event and of course designing the innovative looking mishloach manos packages. Thank you Tova!

Here is the slideshow. Enjoy!

Mishloach Manos Packing on the Beach 2/14/10

rabbifink — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:11:39 +0000

The Shul on the Beach

Yesterday was a great day for Pacific Jewish Center and our community.

A little while back, we decided that it would a lot of fun for the community to get together and pack mishloach manos together at the Shul on the Beach.

Well, the mishloach manos are all packed. So we accomplished that goal.

A lot of community came to help and hang out and they all had a lot of fun. So we accomplished that goal.

Here is the slideshow. Enjoy!

Words Are Cheap (Without a Track Record) | Drasha Vaera 2009

rabbifink — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:53:06 +0000

Special thanks to community member Elizabeth Danziger, founder of Worktalk Communications Consulting, for assisting in transforming this sermon from 2009 into an essay for this year.

Words Are Cheap

Vaera 2009

This week’s Parsha is Vaera. The Parsha begins with a command from GD to Moshe. (Exodus 6:2) And God spoke unto Moses, and said unto him: ‘I am the LORD. And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name YHWH I made Me not known to them. And I have also upheld My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings, wherein they sojourned

GD has a number of names by which we call him. What does it mean for GD to have various names? The way we understand this is that there are so many ways that Hashem relates to us. The way he relates to us at a particular time determines the name that we identify Him by. So if He is merciful we call Him Adon-y, if He is judging us He is know as Elokim and the Name. The verse is telling us that to the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) knew Hashem by His name of Sha-dai – and “my name of Hashem they did not know me by.”

Traditionally, this verse means that the Patriarchs did not know the merciful name of Hashem. However, the Jewish people’s salvation from Egypt required the mercy of GD. Thus, GD now informed Moshe that He would be adjusting His relationship with the Jewish people in order to bring them out of Egypt and into the land of Israel.

Rabbi Shimon Schwab attempts to explain our verse more simply. He is bothered by the word “V’Hakimosi” – “that I have upheld my commitment.” GD has not yet upheld any commitment other than delivering the Jewis into slavery! How can He say V’Hakimosi?

Rabbi Schwab says that this story is the same as another story. There was a very poor man who met a very benevolent fellow who wished to make his life easier. The rich fellow decided to give the poor fellow a million dollars. So what does he do? Does he give him 10,000 $100 bills? No he transfers the money to the poor fellow’s bank account. Now at this point we would say that the poor fellow is pretty wealthy now. But in truth has the money reached his hands? Has he actually touched or used his new money yet? No. But still we call him wealthy. Similarly when Hashem promised our forefathers that they would inherit the land of Canaan (eventually becomes the land of Israel) they considered it done! It was money in the bank. And even though they never saw the settling of the land themselves the promise was enough.

This is the idea of Sha-dai. For them it was dai, which means “enough.” It was enough to have the promise and they did not need to actions for them to feel as if it was done. Therefore to the Patriarchs–V’Hakimosi is truth! To them it had already happened. To them the words were enough – Sha-dai.

The statement alone was enough for the Patriarchs to be able to live a transcendent existence and be one with GD. But the Jewish people were a massive nation now, far from the lofty levels of the Patriarchs. They needed a more tangible relationship to GD. They needed to see the results. They needed to see the promises of Hashem come to fruition. And thus, in this Torah portion the process of the exodus began. The process of extricating the Jewish people from Egypt was now underway and the relationship with GD was more tangible to the Jewish people.

The Gemara in Avoda Zara (9a) says that the world is divided into three 2000-year periods. First there were 2000 years of darkness. This was until Abraham showed the world that there was a creator and taught the world about morality. The next 2000 years were the years of Torah. This was when we went to Egypt, were redeemed from Egypt and received the Torah. This was also the period of time that we lived the Torah to its fullest as the inhabitants of the land of Israel. The final 2000 years is the period of Mashiach. How can this be? The 2000 years is nearly complete and yet here we are with no Mashiach! That is not a very good result for a 2000 year period of Mashiach!

Rabbi Schwab uses the same principle as above to answer this as well. Out current exile mirrors the Egyptian exile. In Egypt the original relationship was a Sha-dai relationship with no action and just trust. That is how we are to relate to our situation as well. In our current exile we need to feel that trust. Eventually the redemption will come as a merciful act by GD and we will relate to that as the act of Hashem using his name of compassion. So these years of exile, of pain and suffering are still called the 2000 years of redemption. Since it was promised to us by Hashem, it is as good as done. We have a track record with GD. He has delivered us from salvation in Egypt and we trust that He will save us again. Because GD’s words carry weight, they come with a track record.

For many of us, talk is cheap. We are skeptical and cynical. Today there is much talk of “change” and “hope” and while these are welcome sentiments we tend to be skeptical. This is true for us as humans but we cannot get confused between the cheap talk of humans and the meaningful gifts and love that GD promises to us.

How can we as humans make our promises and ideas more meaningful? By attaching actions to our words we can make our words carry more weight. By doing more and saying less. Just as we expect GD to follow up his promises with action, we should follow up our own words with specific actions.

Hanukkah in Santa Monica

rabbifink — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 02:42:25 +0000

I have had the privilege of spending this and last Chanukah as the Rabbi of Pacific Jewish Center. We are located right on the edge of Venice near the Santa Monica border. Many of our Shul members live in Santa Monica.

So, it is fair to say I have spent these last two Chanukahs in Santa Monica. Sure it’s different from Northeast. We never will have a “white Chanukah”. We had our Chanukah party on the beach with a moon-bounce outside. People are wearing shorts. It was 73 degrees today. It feels a little different, but we’re not complaining.

Turns out, Tom Lehrer agrees with me. Chanukah is way better in Santa Monica.

He’ll tell you about it himself, just watch this…

HT: Elizabeth Danizger: Worktalk Communications Consulting

PJC Chanukah Party 2009 Wrap Up and Photos

rabbifink — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:05:26 +0000

The 2009 PJC Chanukah Party was a tremendous success.

As the Shul on the Beach, a community institution, we are charged with the responsibility and opportunity to bring Judaism to the boardwalk. Our Chanukah party, the first in a series of events and programs designed to reach that end was incredible.

Thank yous are in order to Jeff Liss for organizing, planning and executing the whole thing. Thank you so much. Many others contributed as well and for that we express our appreciation to you as well.

I have no way of knowing how many people came through our doors today,but it was a very large number. Rabbi Mintz was particularly effective at luring passers by into the shul. Thank you so much! The shul was packed with community members as well as many passers-by ranging from observant friends to completely unaffiliated Jews as well as many curious non-Jews.

I had the fortune of meeting some wonderful people. Like the father of an adorable daughter whose expectant wife was home. He thought a Chanukah Party would be the perfect way for this non-Jewish father to celebrate with his Jewish daughter. He noted, that as soon as possible, he will be bringing his wife and, God-willing, twin daughters, when mom and babies are up and about. He cited the generosity and friendliness of the community members as impressive.

I met people from all over Los Angeles. Locals, from Santa Monica and Venice. From all over Los Angeles from as far as the Valley to Marina del Rey. I met visitors from Chicago, New Jersey, Miami, Israel and the UK. It was truly a universal Chanukah celebration.

Once inside everyone was treated to warm hospitality, friendliness and traditional Chanukah foods. (Of course there was food.) Towards the end of the party I spoke to the remaining crowd and the audio has been posted here.

Our very talented Office Manager, Leslie Friedman took a lot of great photos. You can see them in a slideshow below. If you spot yourself leave us a comment and say hi!

PJC Chanukah Party 2009 Address

rabbifink — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:36:10 +0000

As part of the festivities of our Chanukah Party on the beach, I addressed the attended with a speech on Chanukah and this week’s parsha, Miketz.

It was an addendum to my Shabbos drasha, which I hope to publish shortly.

Enjoy the class. Audio is below.

All audio classes are available by clicking podcasts on the top of this page. Or just click here.

You can also subscribe to all classes in iTunes by clicking here.

Invitation: Chanukah Party on the Beach 12/13/09

rabbifink — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:39:45 +0000

The only time of the year that there is an obligation to publicize a Jewish Holiday is Chanukah. It is in this spirit that we invite the entire Venice / Santa Monica Community to our Chanukah Party at our historic location at the Shul on the Beach. (Map Link)

Stop by on Sunday afternoon and join us in celebrated the Festival of Lights.

I look forward to greeting you there!

It's A Small World After All

rabbifink — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:35:39 +0000

Every once in a while I head to our Shul on the Beach on a Sunday afternoon to drum up some business. I hang out on the Venice Boardwalk hoping to meet anyone interested in our shul or Judaism. I show interested passers-by the shul, sometimes we take a picture, (I tell them about the blog), I invite them to ‘something’, we shmooze and then they are on their way.

This Sunday was the last Sunday before our upcoming Chanukah party so it was a prime opportunity to publicize the party which is open to the public.

Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative. It was cold by Los Angeles standards and the boardwalk was much quieter than usual. Very few people stopped in to say hi on this day.

But one encounter was just so remarkable that I wished to share it with you.

A pair of women were walking and as they passed the shul one of them veered in our direction and asked if she could come inside. She said the magical words that we hear all too ofter “I pass by the shul all the time, but it was never open”. “We’re working on that”, I respond with a smile.

One of the women is Jewish, mostly reform, but has been affiliated with Orthodox as well.

After a few pleasantries, I reveal that I am the Rabbi. I introduce myself as Eliyahu Fink. She asks if I am related to any other Rabbi Finks. I reply in the affirmative. My father is Rabbi Fink. My grandfather was Rabbi Fink as well.

“Is your father Rabbi Aaron Fink?”, she asks.

“Yes he is! Do you know him? And how?”

She tells me that she used to live in Buffalo NY where my father was Headmaster of the Jewish Day School for 4 years. She remembered me as a 6 year old boy and remembers my parents well. In fact she recently saw them at a wedding of a Buffalonian a couple years ago.

What a small world!

Hopefully, we will see her again at the Chanukah Party.

In the meantime, here is the picture I took with Linda in our Shul.

Mesillas Yesharim 12/06/09

rabbifink — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:16:30 +0000

We ventured further into Chapter 9 today.

The Ramchal’s insights into laziness, anxiety and rational fear continue to amaze me.

Today contrasted rational fear for one’s safety with imagined fear used to excuse laziness.

Worth a listen, as always…

Audio is below.

All audio classes are available by clicking podcasts on the top of this page. Or just click here.

You can also subscribe to all classes in iTunes by clicking here.

The Jewish Home – In Memory of The Holzbergs Formerly of Mumbai | Drasha Vayetze 2008

rabbifink — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:17:13 +0000

Special thanks to community member Elizabeth Danziger, founder of Worktalk Communications Consulting, for assisting in transforming this sermon from last year into an essay for this year.

The Jewish Home

Vayetze 5769

This week marks the first anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Chabad House in Mumbai, India. I dedicate this learning to the memory of the Holzberg, who were brutally murdered at that time.

This week’s Torah portion begins with the flight of Yaakov. He is a fugitive, having just snatched the primary blessings of Yitzchak from under his brother Eisav’s nose. Yaakov begins his exodus en route to the home of Lavan his mother’s brother to find his soul mate and marry her.

Does this storyline sound familiar? Did any other biblical characters leave their parent’s home recently? Of course we know that Avraham had just recently departed from Ur Kasdim and began his life in Eretz Yisrael. This week Yaakov begins his spirit walk from Eretz Yisrael to Charan.

There is one major difference however in the types of journeys that Avraham and Yaakov make. Avraham leaves with his entire family and entourage in tow. Avraham was a made man who just needed to make his life in a holier place. His life and family as a Jew were established – they just needed to move. Yaakov was running and he was running penniless, lonely and scared. This is a stark contrast to the Abrahamic journey. Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch points out this contrast to note that this is central to us as Jews.

Yaakov is also known as Yisrael and the only names for the Jewish people found in the Torah are the Bnei Yisrael and Beis Yaakov. We are named for Yaakov. The Jewish people are the children of Yisrael and the House of Yaakov. Today we read about the emergence of the House of Yaakov. Avraham traveled with his family and his home. Yaakov leaves with nothing and he travels to create and family and a home. He established the first Jewish home to bring the Shechina into that home through its existence. The home of Yaakov is a home where Hashem can rest His presence. And the journey to create that home begins in our Parsha. That journey has continued throughout the millennia as we ourselves embark on that same journey to build a home and bring the Shechina into that home.

On the night of Yaakov’s first stop he sleeps on the Temple Mount. Before resting his head he builds a rock formation to protect himself;’ this is the first home of Yaakov. During his slumber Yaakov experiences tremendous Divine revelations with eternal meaning. He witnesses angels ascending and descending a ladder. They are traveling from the Home of GD in the Heavens into the first home of Yaakov. Every Shabbos we greet angels into our home as well.

When Yaakov awakes he exclaims that this place is Home of God, a Beis Elokim. It is a place where God rests His Shechina. The Jewish home is a place where God rests His presence, and thus, is a place where we can find God.

Conversely, other cultures and religions preach going outside the home to “find”God. They look at nature, beauty, philosophy and they search for God. We always hear and know about people searching for God. We don’t hear too much about observant Jews “searching” for God. The observant Jew has no need to search. The message to the Jew is that God is out there but he is in fact much closer as well – he is right here in the home. God resides in the spiritual home and we create that environment for Him. This gives us tremendous power and an important opportunity that not to be missed!

Truthfully, our enemies knew this to be true as well. Later on in the Torah the gentile (pseudo) prophet Bilaam attempts to curse the Jewish people but is unable to do so. Despite his best efforts, he is only able to speak words of blessing. One of the most poetic and moving sections of the entire Torah is where Bilaam exclaims “Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov Mishkenosecha Yisrael,” “how excellent are your homes,” and he mentions Yaakov. Yaakov is the home and when we allow Hashem to enter we continue the journey that Yaakov began in our Parsha.

The most important asset to Jewish continuity is the Jewish home, which was established outside the land of Israel for the first time by Yaakov. Each one of us is maintaining that home every day. There are some people who raise the ante and are superstars in Jewish home building. Not only do those people establish a home for spirituality, they also share that home with everyone that comes their way.

This week is the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Chabad House in Mumbai, India. The Holzbergs, previously of Mumbai, took home building to its most positive extreme. They were completely in a spiritual wilderness and managed to bring the Shechina to a spiritually dark corner of the earth. The Holzbergs were tremendous performers of Chesed. Rabbi Holzberg personally shechted chickens each week for all the Jews of Mumbai and for all its guests. Mrs. Holzberg baked 600 rolls per week to give the Jewish people of Mumbai and its visitors. That amount of chesed is a very strong prescription to bring the Shechina into one’s home. Working that diligently to bring Hashem into their home brought a light to their home and to India and to the world that is missed.

One observation I have is that this is the first time I know of that the Jewish home has been under attack. We have gone through attacks on buses, yeshivas, malls, airplanes etc. all in public places. This was the first time we were attacked in the Jewish home. To me this is something to think about. It could be the message here is that our homes are supposed to be immune to attack – but that is only when the spirituality of our collective homes is strong. Our homes have been under siege spiritually for some time now. The pitfalls of Western culture relationships and notions of love and child rearing enter our insulated homes and perhaps it has weakened us to the point where we are now vulnerable to physical attack. As long as our homes are fortresses of spirituality, we are protected but it could be that our homes have suffered from the unyielding onslaught of impurity that permeated our world, leaving us susceptible to attack.

In light of this view our response to terror is not – we must prevent this and raise awareness etc. or maybe if we had more political clout this would not happen or we need to fortify our homes with guns. Our response is purely to replace the missing spirituality from the world that results from their demise. We, as observers, are now charged with the task of replacing the lost chesed and the lost shechina through our own efforts. Incredibly, this is not that hard a task. What it requires from us is a commitment to the Jewish home. To reinforce those barriers that protect us from the spiritual holocaust that is our world. The commitment to continue Yaakov’s journey of building the Jewish home on our own by integrating Torah principles into our home gives the shechina its resting place in our world. The lesson of our Parsha and the lesson of lives lost is the eternal message that we don’t need to find GD – we just need to invite Him into our homes and He will find us.

Mesillas Yesharim 11/22/09

rabbifink — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:08:03 +0000

Today’s class was another really informative and relevent topic.

We learned about fear, worry and anxiety.

With anxiety affecting tons of us it was interesting to find sources bemoaning the difficulty of dealing with anxiety as well as its debilitating nature.

Very enjoyable class, as always.

Audio is below.

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