It is here, again; the chance to start over.  Rosh Hashanah-the Jewish new year-is the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel.” In a year filled with disappointment,  doubt, failure, and break-up, it is comforting to know we can look ahead to another beginning.  We can’t erase the past, but we can re-evaluate ourselves and the inner strength we possess.  We can begin, again, to tackle the obstacles of life with renewed hope in the future.  We can do all of this because of a faith in God.

My good friend Rabbi Harold Kushner, whose writings I turn to for inspiration and spiritual direction, asks this question: “What should the first announcement from this Bema be on this night of Rosh Hashanah?”  The answer is revealed in the following story:

“It is told of Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev that he once summoned all of the Jews to assemble in the town square the next day at noon because he had an announcement of the greatest importance to make.  He ordered that the merchants were to close their shops, that all the nursing mothers were to bring their infants, and that everyone, with no exceptions, was to be there to hear the announcement.  The people wondered what the announcement could be.  Was a pogrom imminent or a new tax?  Was the Rabbi going to leave?  Or was he perhaps seriously ill?  Did he know the time when the Messiah would come and was he going to reveal it?  At noon the entire community was present with no exceptions and everyone waited with baited breath to hear what the Rabbi would announce.  Precisely at twelve the Rabbi rose and said: “I, Levi Yitzhak, son of Sarah, have gathered you here today in order to tell you that there is a God in the world!”

“At first the people were perplexed.  Was this the big announcement that they had left their homes and closed their shops to hear?  Had the Rabbi convened them only to tell them something that every school child already knew?  But then, as they thought about it, they began to say to themselves: “Indeed, what could be more important than to know there is a God in the world.”

Rabbi Kushner explains, “If there is a God, then there are things we are tempted to do which we will refrain from doing.  If there is a God, we won’t be afraid to spend our limited amount of love and compassion because we know that God will be there to replenish us when we run out.  If we really believe there is a God in the world, we will treat each other better because we will recognize the image of God in our neighbor, whatever his race, religion, ability, or earning capacity.”

May the coming year of 5771 bring happiness, health, and peace to our families, communities, and all humankind.  “There is a God in the world!”

Rabbi Howard Siegel

Rabbi Bradley Artson of the American Jewish University asks, “Why do people turn to Judaism? Certainly we have lived through enough to know that being religious doesn’t mean that we can avoid the spills and disappointments that festoon the road of life. A Jewish commitment doesn’t automatically liberate a person from fear or anxiety or guilt, nor can it guarantee happiness or success. If Judaism can’t provide those lofty goals, then what good is it? Why bother?”

The Torah portion from Deuteronomy Ki Tavo contains a concise list of blessings and curses one can acquire through their actions.  Among the short list of blessings is “Blessed shall you be in your comings and blessed shall you be in your goings (Deut. 28:6).” What does this mean?  Rabbi Artson suggests, “Blessed shall you be in your comings,” in your first coming into the world, “And blessed shall you be in your goings,” in your departure from this world. In other words, the Torah is here referring to the ultimate entrance and exit: birth and death.”

The Talmud (compendium of Jewish law) reports that the ancient Rabbi Berekiah (4th century c.e.) heard this same interpretation and explained it to mean that all babies enter the world with great blessings, hopes, and expectations.  As we proceed through life, we shed the innocence of youth and begin making our own way.  Our actions and words determine whether we leave this world as pure, innocent, and blessed as we were at birth.  Artson explains, “With each new experience, with every single encounter, our own responses and deeds write a legacy–either one of integrity, self-control, goodness, and holiness, or one of selfishness, laziness, and indifference.”

All humankind begin life as a source of blessing to parents, grandparents, and relatives.  The blessing received at birth is a gift.  As one matures, to maintain the gift we have to pay it forward. We do this by embracing those closest to us regardless of their shortcomings, showing concern for our community, and reaching out to protect the world we live in and those who inhabit it with us.  Religion is not a guarantee of a “blessed” life, but, at its best, a directive in how to achieve it.  As Rabbi Artson concludes, “How we are characterized at birth is fashioned by others.  How we are characterized at death is in our own hands.”

May we all discover blessings in our comings and goings.

Rabbi Howard Siegel

We live in a time when religion is being defined by a fringe fundamentalist element whose power far exceeds their number.  Any good fundamentalist knows a literal understanding of an ancient sacred scripture supercedes reason and rationale.  The New York Times reports a current case brought before a Saudi Arabian judge.  Abdul-Aziz al-Mutairi, 22, was left paralyzed after a fight more than two years ago and subsequently lost a foot. Mr. Mutairi asked a judge in northwestern Tabuk Province to impose an equivalent punishment on his attacker under Islamic law. A Saudi Arabian judge has asked several hospitals in the country whether they could damage a man’s spinal cord as punishment for his attacking another man with a cleaver and paralyzing him.  The family of the victim explains, “We are asking for out legal right under Islamic law.  There is no better word than God’s word, an eye for an eye.”

There is no better way of understanding Judaism today than by examining the way Jewish tradition deals with troublesome passages in the Bible.  In the Torah portion  Ki Tetzei (Deuteronomy, Chap. 21:18-21) it is written, “If a man has a wayward and defiant son, who does not heed his father or mother and does not obey them even after they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his town at the public place of his community.  They shall say to the elders of his town, “This son of our is disloyal and defiant; he does not heed us.  He is a glutton and a drunkard.  Thereupon, the men of his town shall stone him to death.”

No doubt the Torah, in the historical context of its time, meant what it said: A defiant child could be put to death, just as one who put out the eye of another would be required to have his eye taken out. But, we don’t live in those times any longer.  In fact, even two-thousand years ago the ancient rabbis, inheritors of this text, were troubled by it.   They tried to explain it away by limiting its application.  It would only apply in cases where both the mother and father were present, where both shared a a common set of values and both were judged to be exemplary parents.  Other ancient rabbis taught that this was merely a hypothetical example to underscore the importance of heeding one’s parents.  Through the centuries, Jewish commentators and scholars have all reasoned away a literal understanding of this troubling text.

Modern scholars understand these passages as having less to do with the defiant son and more to do with poor parenting.   Rabbi Amy Perlin writes, “Who is responsible for a wayward and defiant child? Deuteronomy 24:16 states, “Parents shall not be put to death for children, nor children be put to death for parents: one shall be put to death only for one’s own crime.” Does this mean that if a child is poorly parented, as many teens are today, that they might never incur guilt or punishment? Or does it mean that having less than desirable parents is not an excuse for bad behavior; that God has given you the power to overcome the failures of bad parenting? For an educator, the toughest parent in the world is the “blind parent” who doesn’t see the child or teen ever doing anything wrong, never imposes appropriate discipline, and is useless in trying to teach the child values and good behavior. And equally difficult are parents who overindulge their children and refuse to set limits, a situation that definitely contributes to a child being sucked into our society’s gluttonous over consumption.

The significance of any ancient sacred scripture is to bring moral and ethical understanding to the realities we face today, not those encountered four thousand years ago.  To understand Judaism and its relationship to the Bible is to understand this point.

Rabbi Howard Siegel

Opposition to the project has been significant.  Everyone form local New Yorkers to the Anti-Defamation League to Sarah Palin and leaders of the Tea Party have mounted efforts to block the building of a mosque near the site of 9/11.  Those opposed to the center argue that 9/11 was  an Islamic fundamentalist attack on America.  To construct a mosque in the presence of Ground Zero is tantamount to constructing a Muslim monument of victory.  Other arguments have shamefully become anti-Islam and racist.

Among the proponents is the mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, who addressed the issue this week when he said: “it is as important a test of separation of church and state as any we may see in our lifetime, and it is critically important that we get it right.”  He went on to say, “ in the freest city in the world, the owners of the building have the right to use their property as a house of worship.  The government has no right whatsoever to deny that right.”  Mayor Bloomberg is absolutely correct.  The Constitutional protections allowing the construction of this Muslim Center are the same protections that have contributed to the growth and influence of Jews and Judaism in America.  We are at times compelled to defend the rights of those we do not agree with.  Still, is it right to build a Mosque at the site of 9/11?

In a democracy, there are times when even though something is right, it is not right.  For me, this is such a moment.  In 1984 Cardinal Macharski, archbishop of Krakow, announced the establishment of a Carmelite convent in Auschwitz in a building on the camp periphery which had originally been a theater but was utilized during World War II to store the poison gas used in the Auschwitz-Birkenau crematoria.  The issue energized the Jewish world and became a stumbling block in Jewish/Catholic relations.  Eventually, even the Vatican spoke out against the idea and the project was halted.  Those who wanted the convent built wished to do so as a tribute to Catholics who suffered in Auschwitz.  This was trumped by the fact that Auschwitz has become an international reminder of what the Nazis (and a good number of Poles) did to Jews during WWII.  There was no reason the convent could not be built, but it rightly was not.

The same is true for the Mosque and Islamic Center.  Ground Zero has become a monument to the destructive potential of religious fanaticism in general, and Islamic fundamentalism in particular.  There is no legal reason they cannot build, except this is not the time.  Even though it is right, it is not right.

Rabbi Howard Siegel

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel writes, “The most important decision a thinker makes is reflected in what he comes to consider the most important problem. . .there is only one serious problem:  And that is martyrdom.  Is there anything worth dying for?  We can only live the truth if we are willing to die for it.”  Rabbi Brad Artson explains this statement to mean, “Our lives derive their ultimate value and sense of purpose not necessarily by what receives most of our time, but what commands our deepest commitment.”

Most parents would probably be willing to sacrifice their lives for those of their children.  We are continually reminded of young soldiers sacrificing their lives for the preservation of freedom.  What, in fact, is the Jews “deepest commitment”?  For many, it is Eretz Yisrael/The Land of Israel.  There are any number of Jews-in and outside of Israel-willing to give their lives to protect, defend, and preserve the Holy Land.

In this Torah portion, the Israelites are told by Moses, “You shall faithfully observe all the commandments that I enjoin upon you today, that you may thrive and increase and be able to possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your fathers (Deut. 8:1).”  What remains ambiguous in the Torah is what is of ultimate importance: Faithfully observing God’s commandments (mitzvot) or possessing the Land of Israel?

Rabbi Artson writes, “The Land is of importance, not as an end in itself, but as the necessary backdrop for the fullest possible encounter with God. . .Yet, the significance of the land is not intrinsic to the land itself.  The land is not the goal, but rather a sacred means to an even more sacred end.  The ultimate goal is to observe all the commandments.”

Today, more so than at any point in the modern State of Israel’s existence, debate rages with regard to the place of Israel in the pantheon of Jewish life.  Does the committed Jew pledge his/her life to protect the existence of the modern state or is the existence of Israel a “means” and not an “end.”  Artson continues his commentary by noting, “To the extent that we engage the promise of the land to become more compassionate, more loving, and more just-to that extent alone do we merit inhabiting the land.  And only to that extent do we fulfill the purpose of being there in the first place.”

The ultimate goal of Judaism is to create godly Jews who-through doing God’s bidding (mitzvot)-can make a positive difference in a troubled world.  The Land of Israel is one of the important elements in achieving this, but it, alone, is not the goal.

Rabbi Howard Siegel

In 1995, Susan Smith, a 25-year old mother in South Carolina, strapped her two small boys into their car seats and then purposely allowed her car to roll into a lake taking the lives of both children.  She was subsequently convicted of murder.  Her minister speculated that she was witness to two presentations that night: “God made her a presentation and Satan made her a beautiful presentation.”  After weighing them in her distraught mind, she opted for Satan’s.  Were it so simple to define good and evil!  Satan or the devil are not part of Judaism’s vocabulary, nor is original sin.  Judaism teaches we have no one to blame but ourselves

The centerpiece of this week’s Torah portion is the single-most important theological statement in Jewish life:  “Hear, O Israel!  The Lord is our God, the Lord alone (Deut. 6:4).” These words are followed by the following sentence: “Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day (Deut. 6:6).”  The first statement, declaring God’s oneness, is not a prayer.  We are not speaking to God, but are asked to listen; listen to these instructions which we are told to take to heart. What are these instructions?  Mitzvot-commandments or obligations-reflecting God’s will and desire for humankind.  The Torah understood that the heart was the internal mediator of humankind’s actions-good and bad.

Rabbi Ismar Schorsch notes, “Our lifelong challenge is to take what feels alien and unnatural to us and make it our own.  The words “take to heart” identify the scene of the battle.  It is within the hidden confines of the human heart that our impulses frustrate our ideals.  The blood-stained pages of history are but a mirror of our conflicted hearts.  To quote the prophet Jeremiah, “Most devious is the heart; it is perverse-who can fathom it?”

Judaism teaches there is no such thing as supernatural forces for evil.  To rid this world of terror and disaster requires an effort to temper our inner turmoil; to open our hearts to the moral and ethical demands of the mitzvot-God’s blueprint for goodness.  This will not result from attending a religious service on occasion or reciting  a formula of blessings.  Training the heart requires learning.  After being told to “Take to heart,” the Torah goes on to state: “Teach your children and speak these words to them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up (Deut.6:7).”  Regular and responsible Jewish education is our best hope for raising a generation that will not abuse its freedom of choice.

The Torah provides a lifetime of learning but nothing more important than understanding the words of this week’s portion.

Rabbi Howard Siegel

July 9, 2010

This is a departure from the usual discussion of the weekly Torah portion.  As one who is interested, entertained, and even informed by the world of sports, I found the “Lebron James” story a compelling opportunity to teach a different type of Torah referred to as Musar, a rabbinic literature devoted to ethics and doing the right thing.

On Thursday evening, July 8, 2010, a significant population tuned into ESPN (the cable sports network) to hear Lebron James (a 25-year old basketball phenom who has spent the past seven years playing professional basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers) announce the team he would be playing for in the coming season.  A few necessary facts for the uninformed:  1) Lebron James, who grew up in Akron, Ohio, signed a 7-year contract out of high school to play with Cleveland, the team he had grown up watching, 2) after completing the 7-year contract, James became a “free agent” able to negotiate with any other NBA team, 3) the best financial offer he received was from his home team in Cleveland, but 4) he decided to leave Cleveland and join the team in Miami where he felt he had a better chance of winning a league championship.  These are the facts.  It is also a fact that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the decision James made.  Professional basketball is a business and Lebron James made a decision he felt was in his best interests.  His chances of playing on a championship team are, in fact, much greater in Miami than had he chosen to remain in Cleveland.  But, these are not all the facts.

Cleveland, like many communities in Ohio, has been hard hit by the recent recession.  The number of people out of work is greater in Ohio than practically anywhere else.  Amidst difficult times, Lebron James single-handedly lifted the spirits of thousands of Ohioans as he elevated the Cleveland Cavaliers from the dustpan of professional basketball to one of the “elite” teams.  Cleveland is probably not the “garden spot” of America, but it is a part of the heartland of this great country.  Sometimes one’s heart beats stronger and spirit rises higher by simply being associated with, in this case a sports team that bears your name.  Somehow one is able to set aside, if just for a few moments, the worries and concerns of everyday life.  Then, on Thursday evening, July 8, Lebron James announced he was leaving Cleveland because he wanted to be in a place where he could win a championship.  It was, as he said, in “his best interests.”

As I noted, he did nothing wrong.  This is America, a country founded on the notion of rugged individualism.  Lebron James has the same right as any other American to pursue his dream.  The question is, at what point does one become responsible not just for personal happiness and fulfillment, but for helping provide for those less fortunate?  Lebron James was more than just a basketball player in Cleveland.  He was the face of a city struggling to re-discover a future for itself and its residents.  Whether one agrees or not, Lebron represented hope.  He was a hometown hero who not only played a good game but made himself an active part of the community.  His message of goodness, kindness, and hope resonated especially among children.  He would be there for them; a hero they could depend on.  Then, in an instant, he decided it was more important to win a championship than to be a champion.

Maybe Lebron James, at 25, is too young to realize that for thousands upon thousands of young and old, every time he took to the basketball court he was a champion.  Every year he touched the lives of his hometown and home state he won a championship.  Some day Lebron James will wear a NBA championship ring in Miami or wherever he may end up but will it be worth it?  Can the presence of a ring on his finger ever equal the lives of so many who looked to him as an example of unselfishness, community-caring, and hope?  Is this the lesson we want our youngsters to learn?

Two-thousand years ago, Hillel spoke these profound words:  “If I am not for myself, who will be?  But, if I am only concerned with myself, what sort of person am I?  And, if not now, when?” At times, something that is right is still wrong.  If we want to teach our children an important lesson in life, let it be Hillel’s words and not Lebron’s example.

Rabbi Howard Siegel

Last week’s Torah portion concluded with the zealous actions of the Israelite priest Pinchas: “Then one of the Israelites came and brought a Midianite woman over to his companions, in the sight of Moses and of the whole Israelite community who were weeping [because of a plague] at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.  When Pinchas, son of Eleazer son of Aaron the priest, saw this, he left the assembly and, taking a spear in his hand, he followed the Israelite into the chamber and stabbed both of them, the Israelite and the woman, through the belly.  Then the plague against the Israelites was checked (Num. 25:6-8).”

Zealotry, in the name of God, has in our time erected an almost impenetrable wall between peace and war, life and death.  It comes as no surprise that Jews and Israel occupy a central role in this tragic drama.  Rabbi Barry Leff, a former congregational rabbi in the United States who now lives in Israel, offers his thoughts on this Torah portion and its relationship to the events of our day.

“Pinchas is the Bible’s great zealot.  Last week we read how in a fit of zealotry, he killed a couple who were engaging in very naughty behavior in public by skewering the two of them with his spear.

There are those who say this is a time for Israelis to be more zealous, to be more like Pinchas, to rise up and defend ourselves in the most vigorous possible fashion.

I wrote a response to someone who said just that — it’s a little bit of a “vent,” but I thought it’s too good a vent not to share…so here you go:

I understand how people living in America – especially rabbis – can feel passionate about Israel and want to comment about what’s going on here.  I certainly publicly shared lots of opinions about Israel while I still lived in the US.

However, now that I’ve made aliyah, I have to say that I’m bothered by people who from afar call for things like “Pinchas zealotry.” I’m the one who has to live with the consequences of Israeli chutzpah and stupidity.

If “Pinchas zealotry” is called for, it’s called for in moderates being as passionate about their position as the extremists.  It’s certainly NOT a time to pick up spears and skewer anyone who offends our sensibilities.  It’s time to be less “righteous” and more “wise.”  It’s time to realize that a dinky country like Israel can’t take on the whole world.  1,941 years ago our ancestors thought they could take on Rome.  They were wrong.

We can be “strong” and find ourselves an international pariah.  We can be “strong” and find that we have no allies left.  We can be “strong” and find ourselves subject to a REAL Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions campaign that could cripple our economy, and put many of us out of work.

Or we can act in a more intelligent fashion, let the world see that Hamas is the problem, not Israel.  The Shalit family should organize marches to Gaza, not marches to the Prime Minister’s residence.  Hamas is the one holding their son prisoner, not Netanyahu.  We can try and make friends with countries like Turkey instead of turning them into enemies.

We’re not going to be able to bully our way to peace.  We’re going to have to negotiate our way to peace.  We’re going to have make territorial compromises for peace.  We’re going to have to act a little more humble and a little less self-righteous if we want peace.

The problem is not the morality of the IDF (Israeli army).  The IDF is, indeed, one of the most moral fighting forces in the world.  The problem is our political leaders need to stop putting our troops into situations where they have to face those difficult decisions, like whether to fire on an apartment building where gun fire is coming from, but where there are also a lot of innocent civilians.  The problem isn’t the IDF, it’s the politicians.

It bugs me when people sitting in comfort in America call on Israelis to “kick ass,” when we’re the ones who will have to live with the consequences of stupid behavior.  It bugs the hell out of me when some guy in Brooklyn calls on us to defend the settlements to the last of drop of MY children’s blood, not his children’s blood.

Sorry for the venting.  Maybe it’s partly because I just came from taking my family on an outing to Castel–a site just outside Jerusalem where many fierce battles were fought during the War of Independence. At Castel I saw a monument listing the names of the men killed in the battle for that small patch of land.  Life is precious.  I want my kids to live in Israel at peace with her neighbors, including a Palestinian state. We need to be more like Aaron — bikash shalom v’rodef shalom — seek peace and pursue peace — not more like Pinchas”.

Thanks Barry for sharing your thoughts.

Rabbi Howard Siegel