Monthly Archives: September 2012

My High Holiday Sermons – 5753/2012

30 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by in Ethics, Health and Well-Being, Holidays, Jewish-Christian Relations, Life Cycle

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You can read each of my High Holiday sermons on the Temple Israel of Hollywood Website – www.tioh.org (Go to “About Us” and click “Clergy” then “From the Clergy Study”). Or click http://www.tioh.org/about-us/clergy/aboutus-clergy-clergystudy

“For a Good and Happy New Year” (Erev Rosh Hashanah) –- I contrast the primary life goals of happiness and goodness and discuss why I believe that happiness is a by-product of the pursuit of goodness. It’s my view that our attitude about our life circumstances and the choices we make are the prerequisites to attaining both a good and happy life.

“Intermarriage and the Survival of Judaism and the Jewish People” (Shacharit Rosh Hashanah) –   After more than three decades serving congregations in San Francisco, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles I announced, to the shock and surprise of my congregation, my decision to officiate at some intermarriage ceremonies going forward. I described my struggle that led me to this change, and include at the end a post-delivery reflection on the response this sermon inspired. The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles wrote about my decision in the September 28-October 4, 2012 print edition “Rabbi Reverses Interfaith Marriage Policy” (by Julie Gruenbaum Fax, pages 27, 42) http://www.jewishjournal.com/los_angeles/article/rabbi_reverses_interfaith_marriage_policy

“The Blessing of Being Wrong” (Kol Nidre) – We are wrong far more often than most people admit thus preventing us from making necessary changes and doing t’shuvah (repentance). I discuss why I believe acknowledging wrongness is a sign of inner strength, courage and good character.

“I wish You Enough” (Yizkor) – This is a touching and insightful story about a father saying goodbye to his daughter for the last time, as first told by the motivational speaker Bob Perk.

On Mining the Soul – D’var Torah Haazinu

27 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in Divrei Torah, Inuyim - Prayer reflections and ruminations, Musings about God/Faith/Religious life, Poetry

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So much of Torah is metaphor. Indeed, if we read this classic Jewish text only according to its plane meaning we miss the greater truths and the richer opportunities for understanding and transcendence.

The poetry of Ha-a-zinu (Deuteronomy 32:1-43) is as fine an example of metaphor as there is in Torah. It begins this way:

Ha-a-zinu ha-sha-ma-yim v’a-da-bei-rah / v’tish’ma ha-a-retz im’rei fi: / Ya-a-rof k’ma-tar lik’chi / ti-zal katal im’ra-ti / kis’i-rim alei deshe / v’kir’vi-vim alei esev. (vs 1-2)

“Give ear, O heavens, that I may speak, / hear, O earth, the utterance of my mouth. / Let my teaching drip like rain, / let my words flow like dew, / like droplets on new-growth, / like showers on grass. (Translation by Everett Fox, “The Five Books of Moses,” pps. 1001-1002)

Most sages interpret this verse as “hyperbole for the study of Torah,” that the more Torah we learn the deeper will be our understanding.

“The earth requires heavy rainfall to promote plant growth. Once such plant life exists, relatively small amounts of rain or moisture ensure the ongoing process of vegetation. Matar (“drip like rain”) is the initial precipitation, a downpour. R’vivim (“like showers on grass”) are the minimal amount of moisture required to maintain grass in prime condition. Deshe (“new-growth”) is the initial growth. Esev (“grass”) is the growth when it has matured already.” (Rabbi Moshe ben Chayim Alshich, 1508-1600)

Possibly, the lesson of these verses is that Torah learning is progressive. When we begin to study Torah it appears as if a tremendous input (matar – “drip”) produces relatively little output, (deshe – “new-growth”), that is, we acquire only a coarse primitive knowledge of Torah. But, in the course of time and with the advantage of the infusion of a steady gentle input (r’rivim – “showers”) of learning there will be produced a refined mature output (esev – “grass”) of deeper Torah knowledge.

“The more Torah [we] learn the less burdensome and more rewarding such study appears to the student.” (“Midrash of Rabbi Moshe Alshich,” transl. Eliyahu Munk, vol. 3, page 1132)

Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Przysucha (1765-1827) reflects on the benefits of Torah learning this way:

“The hallowed words of the Torah may be likened to rain. While the rain falls we still cannot see the benefit it brings to the trees, the plants and the soil. It is only later, when the sun shines again, that we can see what the rain has wrought. We find the same to be true with regard to the words of the Law. While they are uttered we still cannot see what they will accomplish on earth, but in the end all will know what they have wrought.” (“Wellsprings of Torah,” Rabbi Alexander Zusia Friedman, p. 432).

People (adults and children alike) often ask what I love so much that I am consistently engaged with learning Torah over many years. I explain that I love the cumulative effect of gaining in Torah knowledge because this kind of learning opens my heart and soul ever-wider thus revealing intuitively to me the wonders of the heavens and the earth on a level that I experience in no other way.

The Hebrew for the revelation of God at Mount Sinai is Matan Torah, the “giving of Torah.”The uniqueness of this “giving” is that it is ongoing. Truths buried within each of our souls are necessarily hidden because of our physical creaturely identity. Only by continuous Torah learning do the deeper truths about who we really are in relationship to God become evident.

One of those truths was inspiringly articulated by the theologian Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955): “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

In other words, our souls are much greater, much older, and much richer than we realize. It is through this kind of learning that I have discovered this truth.

Shabbat shalom and L’shanah tovah u-m’tukah!

 

“Netanyahu – Pull Back” by Rabbi Eric Yoffie

25 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by in American Politics and Life, Israel/Zionism, Jewish History

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Rabbi Eric Yoffie, immediate past President of the Union for Reform Judaism, is one of the most articulate advocates for Israel in America today. He writes regularly for Huffington Post, Haaretz, and the Jerusalem Post, and his most recent piece on Prime Minister Netanyahu and American-Israeli relations has received wide exposure. It is, in my view, a “must-read” not only for American Jews but for Prime Minister Netanyahu himself. I hope he reads it and takes Eric’s counsel seriously.

http://ericyoffie.com/netanyahu-pull-back/.

Tzom kal ug’mar chatimah tovah.
An easy fast and may you be inscribed for goodness.

The Measure of Our Character – Reflections on Shabbat T’shuvah

21 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in Ethics, Health and Well-Being, Holidays, Quote of the Day

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During this intense period of introspection we Jews are called upon to reflect deeply about our values as individuals and as a community, our behavior and ethical standards, and the condition of our souls. Much of the process of t’shuvah (repentance) centers on “character.”

Here are thoughts for this Shabbat T’shuvah and Yom Kippur:

“The true measure of a person is how he treats someone who can do him/her absolutely no good.” (Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784)

The measure of a person’s character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.” (Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1800-1859)

“A person of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that he/she can realize his/her potentialities.” (Charles de Gaulle, 1890-1970)

“What you are thunders so loudly that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882)

“Rabbi Ilai said: By three things may a person’s character be determined: By his/her cup, by his/her purse and by his/her anger (koso, kiso and kaaso – this refers to how one holds one’s liquor, spends one’s money, and expresses/controls one’s anger); and some say: By his/her laughter also.” (Bavli, Eruvin 65b)

“Good character is more important than wealth, good looks, popularity and even education. These things do not guarantee happiness and often they become obstacles to developing good character. Character is ethics in action.” (Michael Josephson, b. 1942-)

“It’s not how you come into the world, it’s how you leave it that is the measure of the man/woman.” (Edward Wahl – my late father in-law – 1916-2004)

Governor Romney’s Failure Of Character And Ours

19 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by in American Politics and Life, Ethics, Health and Well-Being, Holidays, Inuyim - Prayer reflections and ruminations, Israel and Palestine, Israel/Zionism, Quote of the Day, Social Justice

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As Governor Mitt Romney’s campaign for President collapses as a consequence of his flawed character, the following quotations help shed light on what plagues him and far too many in this country. They also offer decent people within both the Republican and Democratic parties insight into what is necessary to understand in order for us to transcend Romney’s callousness, self-centeredness, ignorance, and stupidity. Too much is at stake for this country, for peace between Israel and the Palestinians (both of whom yearn for peace!), for wise American leadership vis a vis the Iranian nuclear threat, and for the international credibility and good standing of the United States for us not to do so.

During these 10 Days of Repentance, Jews are called upon to look within themselves and judge harshly where we are flawed as Mr. Romney seems to be. The tragedy is his case is that he has deep religious faith and has been personally generous to many near him, but his open-heartedness does not extend beyond his narrow religious, social and economic circles, nor does it translate into a political philosophy that can help the most people with the least.

Having said this, we need to be careful as we judge him, for none of us is immune to the failures of character that afflict him. If we are honest with ourselves, our flaws are likely significant as well.

The following statements are apt relative to Mr. Romney and important as we gauge who is most fit for our national political leadership:

“To blame the poor for subsisting on welfare has no justice unless we are also willing to judge every rich member of society by how productive he or she is. Taken individual by individual, it is likely that there’s more idleness and abuse of government favors among the economically privileged than among the ranks of the disadvantaged.” (Norman Mailer, 1923-2007)

“Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.” (James Baldwin, 1924-1987)

“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929-1968)

“A man is called selfish, not for pursuing his own good but for neglecting his neighbor’s.” (British Archbishop Richard Whately, 1787-1863)

“It is difficult to get a person to understand something when his salary [i.e. income] depends upon his not understanding it.” (Upton Sinclair, 1878-1968)

“The way to overcome the angry person is with gentleness, the evil person with goodness, the miser with generosity, and the liar with truth.” (Indian Proverb)

“The three are really one, for when justice is done, truth prevails and peace is established.” (Talmud Yerushalmi, Taanit 4:2, circa 450 C.E.)

My hopes for each of you and your dear ones:

G’mar chatimah tovah v’t’chateivu b’sefer chayim, l’shanah tovah u-m’tukah, b’ri-ut, asiyah, tikun, uv’chol maaglei chayeinu ha-ishi, hamishpachti, hamiktzo-i, v’hatzibori.

May you be sealed for goodness and written in the book of life for a good and sweet New Year, for health, activism, and restoration in all spheres of our lives, the personal, familial, professional, and public.

A Prayer As We Enter the High Holydays

14 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in Health and Well-Being, Holidays, Inuyim - Prayer reflections and ruminations, Musings about God/Faith/Religious life, Quote of the Day

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This prayer was written by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, (aka The Alter Rebbe), author of The Tanya:

“Dear God – You commanded us that we should ‘know today, and put it back into our hearts, that You are God – in Heaven above and Earth below – there is nothing else,’ and I’m asking You to help me, to keep my mind really clear, that I might see Your workings in the universe, to feel that You are the life that is invigorating me in this very moment.”

(Cited in A Hidden Light: Stories and Teachings of Early HaBaD and Bratzlav Hasidism, by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Netanel Miles-Yepez, with a forward by Susannah Heschel, p. 102)

There are No Spiritual Shortcuts – Parashat Nitzavim

13 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in Divrei Torah, Holidays, Inuyim - Prayer reflections and ruminations, Musings about God/Faith/Religious life

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Rabbi Joshua ben Hananiah said, “No one ever got the better of me, except for one woman, one boy and one girl.” (Talmud Bavli, Eruvim 53b)

He met the boy at a crossroads and asked him how to get to a certain town. The boy pointed to two paths and said, “This is the ‘long and short way,’ (derech arukah u-k’tzarah) and this is the ‘short and long way.’”

Wishing to arrive as quickly as possible, Rabbi Joshua chose the “short and long way” but soon discovered that though that path seemed at the outset to be the shorter route, he couldn’t actually reach the city because the path was obstructed by orchards and gardens. And so, he was forced to retrace his steps and take the other path, the “long and short way.”

This path seemed, at the outset, to be a much longer, more winding and difficult path, but ultimately it turned out to be the surer way between the two to reach his destination.

What’s the meaning of this Talmudic tale? Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liada, known as the Alter Rebbe (i.e. the “Old Rebbe”), taught in the opening pages of  The Tanya (see Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s commentary Opening the Tanya, pps. 8-9) that in serving God we have to take the “long and short way” not the “short and long way” because there are no reliable spiritual shortcuts in our effort to come close to God.

Even so, the “long way” doesn’t promise us immediate spiritual elevation either because true spiritual ascent depends on the right preparation and training just as any physical feat requires training.

The Alter Rebbe taught that “the long and short way” can bring great enhancement of our mental and spiritual awareness. But he emphasized that effective spiritual ascent must start from the bottom and move up and does not come as a result of inspiration coming to us from above.

The story of “the long and short way” and the Alter Rebbe’s approach to spiritual growth is based on his understanding of a key verse in the book of Deuteronomy upon which he based The Tanya. We read the verse in this week’s Torah portion Nitzavim. Many Reform congregations read it also on the morning of Yom Kippur.

The key verse: Ki ka-rov elecha ha-davar m’od b’ficha u-vil’vav’cha la-a-soto (“The word is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it.” – Deuteronomy 30:14)

The goal of these High Holidays is to come close to God. Rebbe Yehiel Mikhal of Zlotchov said that our aim is to literally lose ourselves in the divine All like “a drop that has fallen into the great sea and…is one with the waters of the sea and … no longer a separate thing at all.”

It is “the long and short way” that will lead us there because the long way requires us to confront the mind that throws up obstacles such as doubt, excessive intellectualizing and the distractions of the material world (i.e. the orchards and gardens that Rabbi Joshua encountered). The short way is the way of faith that comes only after we successfully work through and around the obstacles in our way.

Only when we become aware of the deep spiritual connection we have naturally to the Creator by virtue of having been fashioned B’tzelem Elohim (“in the Divine Image”) do we discover our true selves linked by soul (i.e. n’shamah) as a reflection of God.

May the beginning of the New Year be one of transcendence and rediscovery for you and your dear ones.

Shabbat shalom!

Prayer for the Victims of September 11 Attacks

10 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by in American Politics and Life, Inuyim - Prayer reflections and ruminations, Quote of the Day

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I first posted this prayer on the 10th Anniversary of September 11 attack, one year ago.

Eternal God, / Source and Creator of Life; / From the depths we have called to you / and we call to you again for courage, strength and wisdom on this  anniversary of our nation’s tragedy.

Grant us courage to confront our enemies. / Comfort those who stand alone without spouse, parent, brother, sister, or friend. / Open our hearts to them and to the children orphaned ten years ago today. / Enable us to love more deeply all children who suffer. / Accept with mercy our prayers of healing on behalf of the families of the victims / and on behalf of the first responders who became ill at Ground Zero.

Despite the horror and tragedy of 9/11, / our country remains a shelter of peace, / a symbol of freedom, / a beacon light of compassion and justice / to the downtrodden and oppressed of the world.

Strengthen the hands of our people to defend this country / and our common values of freedom and justice. / Inspire our leaders and diplomats / to act wisely and to pursue peace everywhere in the world.

May we teach our children to learn and to think, / To consider and to reason, / To be courageous in thought and in deed, / And to nurture hearts of wisdom / That they may do battle against fear, hatred and bigotry / Using weapons of the spirit and loving hearts.

We offer our prayers / on behalf of our country and government, our President and judiciary, / our officials and institutions, our soldiers and citizens, / upon all who faithfully toil for the good of our country, to preserve democracy in our land, / to advocate for civility between adversaries, and to treat every human being / as infinitely worthy and dignified / by virtue of being created / b’Tzelem Elohim, in the Divine image.

Bestow upon us all the blessings of peace, / and may we live to see the day / when swords will be converted into plowshares / and nations will not learn war anymore. / Amen!

 By Rabbi John L. Rosove, Temple Israel of Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA

20 Years and Counting – Kehillat Mevasseret Zion: A Reform Synagogue Model in Israel

09 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by in American Jewish Life, Israel/Zionism, Jewish History, Stories

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The following is my contribution to the “Memory Book” of Kehillat Mevasseret Zion (KMZ) on the occasion of their 20th anniversary as a congregation. KMZ is the Reform Synagogue in Mevasseret Zion and is located 15 minutes down the road from Jerusalem on the way to Tel Aviv.

In 1997 I joined my friend and then Director of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA) Rabbi Ammi Hirsch and 30 North American Reform Rabbis in a mission to Israel. One day we journeyed to Mevasseret Zion to meet with your Rabbi Maya Leibovich and the leaders of the municipality to show our support for their approval of KMZ’s request that 900 dunam of land be set aside in order for the congregation to build a new Reform synagogue in the town. There had been strong resistance before that from the Orthodox of the community and a fire bombing of the synagogue’s Gan (Kindergarten) was perpetrated by unknown arsonists. Ammi believed it important to show the Mayor and other city officials that American and Canadian Reform Rabbis representing 1.2 million North American Jews supported this project and the right of Jews regardless of “stream” to not only worship unfettered in the State of Israel but to be supported by the government in the same way that orthodox synagogues and communities were supported.

It was then that I first met Maya and learned more fully the story of your community. It did not take much for me to become one of Maya’s chassidim and proud supporters.

During the following High Holidays when I gave my annual appeal for funds from my congregation I requested that my members increase their gift by 10% so that we could support Kehillat Mevasseret Zion (KMZ) in your building what would become the jewel of a synagogue that is your home. My congregants responded joyfully, happily, passionately, and generously.

I continued asking them for funds for a number of years in that annual High Holiday Appeal, and whenever I would bring my congregants to Israel I would always schedule a visit to KMZ for Kabbalat Shabbat. You welcomed us with open hearts and arms. My families shared Shabbat dinner with your families. Friendships were formed and as a result your community has become Temple Israel’s synagogue home in the State of Israel.

Speaking personally, I am grateful to count not only your Rabbi and her family, but a number of your leaders as among my dear friends.

Our bodies may be at the extreme edges of the west, but our hearts are in the east with you (Yehuda HaLevi).

In your 20th year we at TIOH (Temple Israel of Hollywood, Los Angeles) send dash chamah and hopes that you will continue to grow in heart, mind and soul and touch not only the lives of your members and community, but to serve as a beacon light of yahadut mitkademet, tzedek, g’milut chassadim, and ahavah (Progressive Judaism, justice, loving-kindness, and love) in the State of Israel.

L’shanah tovah u’m’tukah! A good and sweet New Year!

Life Lessons For Elul – 2012

06 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in Health and Well-Being, Holidays, Musings about God/Faith/Religious life

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Soren Kierkegaard said: “It is perfectly true, as philosophers say, that life must be understood backwards. But they forget the other proposition, that it must be lived forwards.”

Though we are always living forward, the life lessons we learn helps to shape our future. Since this is the season of self-examination leading to Rosh Hashanah in 9 days, I offer to you a list of 32 life lessons I’ve learned in my nearly 63 years – there are others, but the number 32 is a significant one in the mystical tradition. It equals the 22 letters of the Hebrew aleph bet plus the 10 “words” of the covenant, and it is the number equivalent for the Hebrew word Lev (lamed – beit), heart, which the mystics teach are the number of pathways to God.

I offer the following, some of which I’ve borrowed gratefully from a 90 year old lady named Regina Brett and published in the Plain Dealer from Cleveland, Ohio (in italics).

They are not necessarily a way to God, but a means to a healthier, wiser and more sacred way of living, at least as I’ve come to believe in them. I encourage you to draw up your own list.

1. God gave us life and our natural abilities only – everything else is either up to us or a result of dumb luck.

2. Life isn’t always fair, but it’s still good.

3. Life is short, so cut your losses early.

4. Begin planning for retirement as a teen-ager by developing your passions and interests, for they will sustain you when you get old.

5. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up your present.

6. You don’t have to win every argument, so at a certain point stop arguing.

7. Love your spouse above all other people and things. If you aren’t married, then nurture the special friendships in your life.

8. Don’t compare your life to anyone else’s as you have no idea what their journey has been all about.

9. If you can’t publish what you want to say or do on the front page of The NY Times, then don’t say or do it.

10. Try not to speak ill of anyone else, but if you must, do so only with trusted friends and then only in order to understand better how to cope better with people like that.

11. Don’t procrastinate seeing doctors. It may save your life.

12. Carpe diem. Take pleasure in this day and do that which inspires you for we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

13. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

14. Breathe deeply as it calms the heart, mind, body, and soul.

15. Take your shoes off whenever possible as studies indicate that doing so will prolong your life.

16. Too much alcohol and drugs dull the mind and loosen the lips compelling us to say things we may mean but don’t want said and to say things we may not mean at all.

17. Get a dog or a cat for the love for and from such a creature is unlike anything else you will ever know.

18. Over prepare, and then go with the flow.

19. It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.

20. Speak the truth but only when you know you can be effective and only if it doesn’t cause another person unnecessary harm or hurt. Otherwise, just be quiet.

21. Stand up to bullies wherever they are and whenever you encounter them.

22. Time really does heal almost everything.

23. Don’t fear or resist change for it is natural, necessary and an opportunity for growth.

24. Love is not just a matter of the heart – it comes from God.

25. Learn Torah as often as possible – it will enrich, change and enhance your life and it will inspire you to do things you might never choose to do otherwise.

26. Being outdoors is almost always better than being indoors.

27. Don’t envy anyone else’s talent, circumstances or life – you already have everything you require.

28. Be modest.

29. Be forgiving.

30. Be kind.

31. Be generous.

32. Be grateful.

Now, let’s live our lives forward.

Shabbat Shalom!