Pacific Jewish Center | Rabbi » Venice

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.)

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…)

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.

Purim Celebration at The Shul on the Beach Invitation 2/28/10

rabbifink — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:59:09 +0000

Join Pacific Jewish Center and the entire Venice / Santa Monica Jewish community for a Purim Celebration at the Shul on the Beach.

There will be entertainment as well as refreshments. You can meet your neighbors and taste a Purim Experience at our historic Shul.

Please join us!

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.

Frum Satire Show At Pacific Jewish Center

rabbifink — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:55:15 +0000

Heshy just posted this on his blog and since we are the hosts, I am reposting for your information and reference.

I know it’s a bit short notice but I (Heshy Fried / Frum Satire) will be performing this coming Sunday February 14th in Los Angeles at the Pacific Jewish Center AKA Shul on the Beach (on the Venice Beach Boardwalk) at 6pm. The rabbi of the shul is fellow blogger/contributor Eliyahu Fink.

Facebook event – please share with your friends.

Frum Satire live in Los Angeles@ The Shul on the Beach 6pm
505 Ocean Front Walk
Los Angeles, CA 90291
Cost of admission is a suggested donation to the shul of $5-10 (non-members)

Heshy will be spending Shabbos in Venice. The community looks forward to hosting Heshy.

So I hope to see you all on Sunday!

-ef

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.

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.

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.

Mesillas Yesharim 11/15/09

rabbifink — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:35:41 +0000

Last week we talked about the Healthcare plan that was ratified by the house the night before.

This week we got back on track and started Chapter 9.

In my opinion, this was one of the best Mesillas Yesharim classes to date. The Ramchal was so insightful and I shared an insight of my own which I think is very poignant. It all goes back to Adam and Eve being ousted from the Garden of Eden.

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.

Enjoy.

KCET Visits PJC and Interviews Me

rabbifink — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:13:40 +0000

KCET (the local PBS affiliate) has been working on a city-wide project. It is called Departures and it focuses on the people and places that make the neighborhoods of Los Angeles. For the last six weeks they have been working on Venice. Today they came to the Pacific Jewish Center Shul on the Beach to learn about us and to be included in their upcoming Venice piece.

It was a true honor and privilege to be a part of this worthwhile project. The production should be finished in February and I look forward to seeing that.

The camera crew shot some footage of our morning services and did two interviews. First, they interview Gary Dalin. Gary has been part of PJC since 1979 and provided great insight into the rich history of Pacific Jewish Center and the greater Venice Jewish community. He was eloquent and impressive in his interview and represented us very well. Great job Gary!

I was interviewed next. I hope I did okay. I myself have interviewed so many Jewish College student on camera and made those interviews into documentaries, so I know how hard it can be. (For two of my videos click here for JAM 2006 and click here for Chase Edler.) Among many topics, we talked about the juxtaposition of the historic quality of the Shul on the Beach to the future of outreach including this blog and my relative youth as a Rabbi. We also talked about the role the Shul plays in the boardwalk community, surrounded by the wild atmosphere of the boardwalk. It wasn’t too long, maybe a 35 minute interview in total, but we covered a lot of topics. Of course, there were some delinquents that felt the need to disturb us, that is just life on Venice Boardwalk…

I hope the final product reflects well on our special community and those who see it are inspired at least to check us out some time. I ended the interview with an open invitation to anyone who would like to see what we are all about and I extend that invitation to all of you reading this right now.

I also, want to thank Justin, Dan and Matt for including us in this project. I wish you much success in this endeavor and anything you do in the future.

Here are a couple pictures that Leslie Friedman took with her BlackBerry during the interview.

Prayer in Judaism | Connections 11/2/09

rabbifink — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:37:45 +0000

Prayer is something so basic to all faiths and religions. Jewish ideas of prayer are decidedly different from other cultures. It is very important to learn about the Jewish approach to prayer.

I began the class by announcing that this was a topic I longed to discuss for a very long time. I finally felt that the time was right.

We asked all the basic questions about prayer. We asked some advanced questions about prayer.

Using ideas from Rabbi Chaim Volozhin and others we pieced together a rational approach to prayer that made sense to us.

It was a very exciting class with outstanding participation and a very alert listening audience.

I really recommend giving this class a listen.

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.

Enjoy.

Mesillas Yesharim 11/1/09

rabbifink — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:23:11 +0000

Today, we learned the methods of acquiring zrizus.

Ramchal hearkens back to the methods of acquiring zehirus that we studied earlier and for the benefit of us all, we reviewed them together.

Along with any review comes new insights and understanding. Today was no different.

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.

Mesillas Yesharim 10/25/09

rabbifink — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:39:19 +0000

We began today’s class by delving deeper into the ground-breaking concept we studied last week.

Basically, the Ramchal teaches us that we can use our physical actions to arouse spiritual and emotional change.

We discussed a number of applications for the concept.

Then we began the next chapter.

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.

Listen live here.

That's What I Call Ambition

rabbifink — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:01:57 +0000

When we are in Venice for Shabbos we stay at wonderful, little, extended stay hotel on the boardwalk called Su Casa. They try and give us an Ocean View Room. It is great to have the ocean view, but not as much for the ocean view as for the “boardwalk” view.

You see, Venice Boardwalk is like Mardi Gras every weekend. (See picture to the left.) Street performers, vendors and drunkards line the boardwalk and thousands and thousands of tourists and natives walk back forth as they hawk their wares.

Rami loves the people watching and I must admit, it can be quite addictive!

Today we saw, by far, the most ambitious sales pitch on the boardwalk. We were sitting down to lunch with the windows ajar and we heard the following declaration from the boardwalk.

“Get your sand here! The very best California sand, just 50 cents! Hand picked sand here! Why walk 5 more feet to the beach when you can get your own handful of sand right here for 50 cents!”

So we went to the window to check it out. It was two teenage boys with a lot of spare time and a great sense of humor. They were just being funny, but they actually kept it up for a few hours. They tried to sell sand to every one who passed them by. Some people gave them a few tips and I think they ended up with a couple dollars.

But it got me thinking. How often are we looking for something and we are willing to make an effort to get it, yet it is right there in front of us. Imagine someone actually bought the sand they were selling. They could just walk 5 feet and get it for free!

I think that sometimes people are looking for things in exotic places and very often what they are looking for is right in front of them. Certainly happiness is this way. People travel to the far corners of the earth in search of happiness. But happiness is right there in front of them. Happiness is a choice.

Love is the same way. People look so hard to find love. But we can always love. Everyone we know can benefit from our love. Our families yearn for our love and to love us back. Again, it is right here in front of us.

Even business opportunities can be the same way. We look and look, but very often, our best opportunities are the ones we already have.

We would never buy sand on the Venice Boardwalk. Let’s always look at what we have before we look for what we think we do not have…

Mesillas Yesharim 10/18/09

rabbifink — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:20:53 +0000

After a Holiday break, the Mesillas Yesharim class returned today. Today’s class was a bit shortened due to the extra long Rosh Chodesh prayers.

What was short on time was long on content. The end of the Seventh Chapter of Mesillas Yesharim contains what I find to be the most profound insight in the entire text.

We all are familiar with the common idea that if “one doesn’t feel ‘it’” we don’t feel comfortable acting that in way. We even call people who act in a way not consonant with their feelings hypocrites. The Ramchal has a completely different perspective and I strongly recommend listening to today’s 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.

Listen live here.

Fast of Gedaliah: Meaning and Lessons | Connections 9/21/09

rabbifink — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:17:53 +0000

It was not easy giving my Monday night class tonight. After fasting all day to remember the tragic death of the great Gedaliah I found myself tripping over my words. So I apologize if the class sounds a bit jumbled.

We talked about the history of Gedaliah and the significance of the fast day.

I concluded by quoting Rabbi Hoffman from VIN regarding using Lashon Hara as a shield from believing negative information that could be very harmful. I recommend reading the original here.

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.

Listen to the class here.

Physical Reward For Spiritual Deeds | Connections 9/14/09

rabbifink — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:54:17 +0000

This week we learned about the actual nature of the judgment of Rosh Hashana.

Using a unique approach from Rav Dessler, we resolved a difficult contradiction in Jewish philosophy and enjoyed great questions and insight from all the attendees.

This was our final class in the Preparing for Rosh Hashana Series.

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.

Listen to the class here.

Mesillas Yesharim 9/13/09

rabbifink — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:59:54 +0000

Chapter 7 continued with more inspirational words to help us do our Mitzvos with more Zrizus.

We completed Zrizus part A, beginning your good deeds with speed and we began Zrizus part B, completing your good deeds quickly.

There was also a short discussion on good review habist for Mesillas Yesharim. Aside from reviewing by listening online it is integral to review the text.

Learn all about it by listening to the class 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.Listen to the class here.

The Shofar: A Time Machine | Connections 9/7/09

rabbifink — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:15:13 +0000

This evening we tackled another oft discussed them of Rosh Hashana, the Shofar.

We used a deep understanding of Shofar to answer a common and troubling calendaring issue regarding Rosh Hashana and Creation.

Overall, the participation was great, the energy was high and it was a great way to continue our preparatoins for Rosh Hashana.

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.

Listen to the class here.

Rosh Hashana: Beginning of all Beginnings | Connections 8/31/09

rabbifink — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:41:42 +0000

As we continue our journey through Elul, marching towards Rosh Hashana, Connections returned the Pacific Jewish Center.

Our approach was that if we are “preparing” for Rosh Hashana, we need to understand just what Rosh Hashana means. What is a succesful Rosh Hashana and how do we get there?

We analyzed one angle of Rosh Hashana that can help us this year on Rosh Hashana and throughout the year.

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.

Listen to the class here.

Mesillas Yesharim 08/16/09

rabbifink — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:08:03 +0000

I returned to Venice after a short Summer break and today we resumed our Mesillas Yesharim class.

Highlights today included a very interesting insight from Maimonides regarding laziness and the “Golden Path”. My father told me that in the Shmona Prakim, Maimonides gives a very surprising opposite to laziness.

Back in Mesillas Yesharim we learned about the inherent danger in laziness of action and thought.

Why FinkOrSwim?

rabbifink — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:00:22 +0000

Finding the perfect blog URL is an adventure. The choices are endless and one’s mood can affect one’s opinion tremendously, leading to potential buyer’s remorse.

As I talked on the phone with my blog consultant, Judd Magilnick, we searched for the perfect concept. Our ideas ranged from the ultra bland, finkblog.com to the ultra creative ifinkican.com. We were having a hard time agreeing and my family was nixing just about every suggestion.

Eventually, finkorswim.com was suggested. Of course, there were some detractors at first, but as we realized the deeper connotations of finkorswim.com its appropriateness became apparent.

A play on words from “Sink or Swim”, finkorswim.com reminds us that if we don’t swim, we will sink. In fact the Talmud teaches us that a father is obligated to teach his child to swim. This is a lesson in parenting. A father must provide his child with the tools necessary to navigate through life. Further, a teacher is compared to a father in Judaism and students are compared to children.

A Rabbi is a teacher. It is my job, as the Rabbi of the Pacific Jewish Center in Venice, to help provide the tools necessary to “swim” in the sea of life. When I speak at Pacific Jewish Center or when I teach a class at PJC I try to provide some of those tools that we can learn from Torah to help our lives. Many of those classes are available here on the blog.

Another way I try to do my job of helping folks swim through the sea of life is by providing perspective on social issues, news items, ethical dilemmas and anything else that floats through my mind. Reading my thoughts on various subjects and reading the thoughts of other readers can also provide tools for swimming through life. Many of those thoughts and ramblings can also be found on this blog.

Another idea that finkorswim.com represents is a direct invitation to all. When you got to the beach you have a choice. You can go a swim or surf, or sunbathe or walk the boardwalk. But other times, you can also “fink” and come into the magical walls of the Pacific Jewish Center and study the ancient wisdom of the Torah. One can learn, socialize and grow tremendously as a person in our quaint Shul. There is a special feeling inside the Shul that I know you will feel once you come inside.

So, next time you are on Venice Beach, don’t forget, you can “fink” or ‘”swim”, or you can do both!

Onymous Blogging

rabbifink — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:51:22 +0000

This post has been cross-posted to DovBear. – more discussion there.

Social Networking has been around for a long time. The term is nearly two centuries old and the concept perhaps 30 times that.

With the internet explosion around the new millennium social networking became all the rage on the world wide web. MySpace and others blazed the trail. Now, blogging, Facebook and Twitter are an integral part of our social landscape.

Naturally, I was drawn to these new age ways of using technology to create social networks. I’ve been on Facebook since its inception five years ago and joined Twitter a while ago and have only recently begun to blog.

Over the last few weeks some incredible things have happened that are direct results of social networking online.

A couple of weeks ago a lovely woman came to our Shul on the Beach for Shabbos morning services. At the Kiddush (where incredibly, we do not have Kugel) she approached me and introduced herself as “Rena, I follow you on Twitter”. Immediately I realized it was @Tinsbar from Baltimore. Rena was in LA for a few days and decided to come check out our Shul. Rena enjoyed her time spent at PJC and we enjoyed her company. In fact one community member even got some footwear recommendations from Rena!

When I related this story to a Shul Board Member, he said this is the new wave of Shuls. We have moved from being just a “Brick and Morter” Shul to a “Click and Mortar” Shul.

About a month ago I posted the story of a penniless Jewish artist on the beach who was homeless. He needed some money and I was not sure if he was a good candidate for Tzedaka and I posted my moral dilemma on DovBear.

As reported last week, an anonymous donor (living miles away from Los Angeles) who read the blog post here on DovBear, literally saved this man from a dire situation.

On Twitter I follow a wonderful couple from Connecticut. She is a blogging convert and is now in the process of a more stringent conversion that would be universally accepted. He is a fellow blogger as well who blogs about his relationship with his Judaism.

He recently discovered the wonderful Jewish town of Waterbury CT. With a Yeshiva, Day School, Shul, Mikva, Kosher restaurant and very affordable housing, Waterbury is quickly picking up young couples looking to settle (slightly) out of town. I read all about that on his “onymous” (it’s a new word that means ‘the opposite of anonymous’) blog.

My sister and brother in law live in Waterbury, I told him to call my brother in law and check out Waterbury. They set a date and spent a wonderful afternoon together.

In short all of this great stuff occurred as a direct result of blogging, Twitter and social-networking 2009 style. These events also occurred in many ways as a result of “onymous” blogging. The charity case required someone be known (in this case, me). There is no way Rena would have found me if I blogged and Twittered anonymously. And if I was an anonymous blogger I never would have connected my sister with two fellow Jews looking for friends and connections.

These are the benefits of “onymous” blogging.

On the other hand (term of art – remember that discussion?), anonymous blogging and Twittering is also great. In particular I point to DovBear’s blog as a bastion of anonymity and great discussion that would admittedly never happen if we all had faces, names and families. The unfortunate realities of the Frum world as they are, almost force us cower in fear when we disagree with authority or tradition and we tend to hide behind familiar rituals, thus avoiding conflict and we are safe behind the veil of secrecy that is anonymous blogging.

Anonymity gives the silent, a voice. It gives us all a chance to be heard.

In truth, we have other things to worry about as well. As Tikkun Olam pointed out, we have Frum leaders blanketing all bloggers as a negative force, when we know that is ridiculous. There are some negative forces and many positive forces in the J-Blogosphere.

Worse is the fear we all feel of expressing our opinions. My opinion on this is transparent as I blog “onymously”. Speak your mind, challenge what you don’t understand but never lose the art of respectful questioning. I am (usually) not afraid to speak my mind and challenge what I don’t understand and thus I don’t need to be anonymous. Plus, I support many of the traditional ideals that “they” espouse. But, the crux of the issue remains the environment which we have created and now support that does not allow for us to challenge.

I say created, and that is self evident. I say support because we “give in” to the cyber bullies that force us to remain anonymous. How much greater impact would have as a group if those whom we challenge knew that we were real people? They should know that we have Yeshiva educations, wonderful families and jobs and we are frustrated with the status quo. But to “them” we are words on a computer screen, not people.

Words are cheap. Words have no soul when they are anonymous. If we want to be heard we need to be people. People have souls and people need to be dealt with. It is easy to ignore anonymous bloggers. People with souls demand attention and can affect change.

Should we strive to create a Frum culture that allows for challenging and questioning?

Are we helping the situation by blogging anonymously?

Do we lose a lot by blogging anonymously?

Do we stand to lose more by “onymous” blogging?

Outreach on the Beach 6/14/09

rabbifink — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:27:00 +0000

Sunday was the launch of a new initiative at Pacific Jewish Center.

First, some matters of introduction.

We are blessed with an incredible location for our Shul.

Our Shul is on the Venice Beach Boardwalk. With thousands of tourists and locals walking along the boardwalk every week, it is a great spot to meet and greet Jewish people from all over the world.

The Shul is on such a perfect spot for meeting new people it would almost be criminal not to be there on Sundays!

This Sunday we began our “Outreach on the Beach” initiative. I was there for most of the afternoon and we had a chance to meet many interesting folks from Los Angeles and around the world.

I met an Iranian Jewish couple. We spoke for a little while and they confirmed what I wrote about last week related to the treatment of Mid-Eastern Jews outside of Israel.

I also met a South African Jew whose son had his Bar Mitzva at our Shul 20 years ago.

Then I met a Hollywood stunt man who wants his son to have his Bar Mitzva and maybe even in our Shul.

Later I met a wonderful woman whose son lives in Venice and is a very well known attorney.

Towards the end of the afternoon I met two friends who were originally from Holland. One now lives in Los Angeles and the other is still living just outside Amsterdam.

This was just a sample of some of the great people we met and I have included some photos that we took at the bottom of this post.

It was a lot of fun and I hope that over the summer we will meet many more Jewish people from around the world.

Click the arrow buttons to navigate the short slide show.

Honor Thy Father & Mother | Connections 6/8/09

rabbifink — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:31:50 +0000

Another beautiful evening in Venice CA was highlighted by a wonderful Connections.

Everyone was all smiles and we had a great time socializing and learning.

Our Torah topic was the philosophy and moral implications of honoring one’s parents.

We discussed various theories and we ended with the Torah approach.

I recommend listening to this class as the questions and discussion were very interesting and thought provoking.

Click through to listen.

You can listen to the entire class below (35 minutes)

Messilas Yesharim 6/6/09

rabbifink — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:08:41 +0000

We began Chapter 5 of Messilas Yesharim.

Ramchal begins to define for us the word “Zrizus”.

The basic idea we learned this week was the parallel from Zehirus to Zrizus.

Zehirus helps us avoid morally harmful activity. Zrizus helps us take action to do morally good activity.

We also discussed Sotah and some of the ideas that were mentioned in my Monday Lunch N Learn.

Click through to listen.

Enjoy the class (26 minutes)

Human Beings Are Social Beings

rabbifink — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:00:03 +0000

I have had my critiques of David Brooks from the NY Times.

But today, I think he got it right. Really right. Like, 100% right.

He was asked about the “Big Three”. No, not GM, Ford, Chrysler. No, not Harvard, Yale, Princeton. Not, Clemenceau, Wilson, George either.

The new Big Three is Guns, Gays and Abortion.

Brooks was asked his opinion of why the trend in the country is towards Gay rights, the trend is to ignore Gun rights and the trend is against Abortion after the first trimester. In the “asker’s” opinion, there seems to be tension pulling these issues from opposite sides. One is trending “left”, one is trending “right”, and one is not trending at all.

What she really wants to know is why isn’t the left or right winning on all these issues? How come they are trending in three different directions.

Brooks answers very profoundly and eloquently. His basic premise is that Americans seek to maintain the social fabric of their existence.

Most Americans have gay friends, co-workers, relatives, neighbors etc. and therefore it preserves the social fabric of the American’s existence to provide rights for their gay acquaintances.

Guns is a rural vs. urban issue so it depends on where you live that you seek to preserve your social environment. Thus, there is little movement on this issue.

Finally, on abortion, he proclaims most Americans are torn by the issue. We are uncomfortable imposing any opinion on our fellow Americans because it is such a sensitive issue. Thus, most people fall in the middle and trend slightly to the left or the right but are not vocal about it. Therefore, change is not likely on the abortion issue.

Wow. Brooks really did a great job explaining how our country works. Really, he has explained how humans work. How our world works. We care about our social environments and we try to preserve them.

Truthfully, humans are social beings. This is what really separates man from beast. We interact in a more complex way than any other being in our world.

We consider any hominid existence prior to the establishment of a social environment such as cities as prehistoric. History begins when we begin to socialize our existence.

We continue socializing in our lives to this very day.

When we meet new people we are socializing.

When we have guests join us for a meal we are socializing.

When we use social networking tools like Twitter, Facebook and blogs we are socializing.

I believe that the synagogue is a social place. Certainly, our Shul on the Beach is a social place. Yes, we worship in shul, but that could technically be done solo.

We are mandated by Halacha to create and foster houses of worship and to attend them as a group to appeal to the social needs of man.

So come join us!