Parshat Hashavua: July 30/31
July 29, 2010 by Steve
Drash on Parshat Ekev
Rabbi Dean Shapiro
Beth Shalom, Auckland, New Zealand
“There is nothing as whole as a broken heart,” said the Kotsker Rebbe. Nor anything as human.
As Moshe Rabbeinu prepares the Israelites for the Promised Land (and himself for his own demise), he recounts the journey that brought them to this point of transition. He relives the moment when, descending the mountain, he spotted the Israelites in their ingratitude, and in fury smashed the original Tablets of the Law. He speaks of provocation, defiance and anger hot-as-lava, but behind the mask I hear silent sorrow. Forty years on, Moses’ grief remains, undimmed by the swirling sands of time. The rupture is still raw.
This is life: our hearts break, our hopes shatter. That’s what it means to be human.
The Israelite story could have ended there, at the foot of the mountain, the relationship between God and the people shattered beyond repair. But instead God offers them another set of Tablets, dutifully brought down to the camp, and placed in the ark next to the remnants of the first.
Our hearts get broken in life, and our hopes are shattered, but we pick ourselves up and start again. And we cherish what was shattered.
We are in the month of Av, days of destruction and comfort. Why must we endure despair to arrive at the High Holy Days? Because this is the human experience—we cannot regret, cannot grieve, cannot atone if we have not first been destroyed.
This is a Shabbat of n’chemta – comfort—the second of seven that follow Tisha b’Av. Following all the pain, all the pathos, the loss and the ache, we crave some respite, some solace. But instead Moses recounts the bitterness, the anger, the mistakes made along the way. He makes promises to his charges, but offers no n’chemta.
As much as we would like to like to put the destruction of Tisha b’Av behind us, to forget about it and move on, we cannot shift to the healing of the High Holy Days without this period of grief, of mourning. As much as we would like to put the hurt we have known in our lives behind us, to forget about it and move on, we cannot heal without grief, without mourning. We need to acknowledge our broken hearts. If Moses will not offer us a n’chemta, then we must make one for ourselves.
Before Elul comes, inviting us to introspection, we have these last days of Av in which to name our pain. We can look over our battle scars, touch those broken parts of us that will never fully heal. None of us is unbroken, but it is from this hurt that we grow. Surely, few of us would willingly pay the price for the knowledge we’ve received through pain, but it makes us who we are.
Just as the broken tablets are cherished, so should be our own wounds and hurts. Moses remembers how betrayed he felt, and how alone when his people imagined they did not need him. And I remember Ian, who died in this season 22 years ago. I remember the man I once aspired to be, and I remember that promise is forever unfulfilled.
As Av turns to Elul, let us run our fingers over the scars of our lives, retracing our losses and hurts, acknowledging our survival. For these have made us who we are, and with them we are wholly human.
Join the voices for Gilad
July 22, 2010 by Steve
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Anat Hoffman’s arrest on video
July 22, 2010 by Steve
On July 21, IRAC director Anat Hoffman was arrested while carrying a Sefer Torah at the Kotel. Click here to see the video footage.
Parshat Hashavua: July 23/24 2010
July 21, 2010 by Steve
Civilization and the Jews
Drash on Parshat Vaethanan: Shabbat Nachamu
Rabbi Dr John Levi AM
Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Beth Israel, Melbourne, Australia
Can we be commanded to love? That is exactly what happens in this week’s revolutionary Torah portion.
Our reading begins with the Ten Commandments which implies that we have and the freedom to choose how to behave as civilized human beings. Then follows that dramatic sentence beginning with the word Sh’ma ,”Listen” or “Understand”. We are told to listen and learn that God is one. Of course, it is much easier to believe that there are many powers governing the universe. After all, human beings are complex and life is not always easy. However the concept of the unity of God is the single thread that binds all of past Jewish historical experience together. And following the Sh’ma comes the familiar sentence “You shall love the Eternal your God with all your heart (mind) and your soul and with all your might.”
We tend to say those words almost automatically. On this Shabbat we need to take the time to think about them.
One God implies that One intelligence suffuses the universe and that human beings are able to sense God’s presence. It says that creation is not cold and heartless. We can understand that we are finite and yet the abiding human yearning for justice, love, freedom and knowledge are spiritual clues to the Infinite nature of God. Finite we may be but we can learn to love God with all our mind, soul and being.
This Shabbat Nachamu acknowledges that , despite catastrophic set-backs ,hope in a better future can never be lost. Tzion b’mishpat tifdeh. “Zion shall be redeemed with justice”. (Isaiah 40:27) In other words, justice will win in the end. It is a deeply Jewish response to defeat and I hope with all my heart that it is true.
Over the last couple of weeks Liberal Jews have celebrated our two hundredth birthday. On 17 July 1810 the first Reform religious service was held at a purpose built Jewish school synagogue in Seesen Germany. Local Orthodox rabbis attended the service, instrumental music was played, prayers in Hebrew and in the vernacular were read and a sermon was preached. Since then, of course, we have grown intellectually and physically and we constitute a Jewish majority in the Diaspora. We are a silent majority in Israel who have been alienated by the ruthless use of political coercion and blackmail.
We can see the worst of this abuse of power on You Tube’s eight minute record of the dramatic arrest of Anat Hoffman, Director of the Israel Religious Action Centre, who was charged by the police for the “crime” of carrying a Torah at the Western Wall.
That is the Torah which contains the words of the Sh’ma and the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments are universal. The Sh’ma does not say “Hear, O Orthodox Jews..” It does not even say “Hear, O male Jews”. The Temple, was rebuilt only to be destroyed again and again and its site is sacred to all Jews. No one should feel threatened by either the prayers of men or women who stand beneath its ancient walls.
We have to believe that the return of the Jewish People to Zion will be redeemed with justice. We are comforted by that hope.
Good news about Conversion Law - for now
July 20, 2010 by Steve
Good morning,
It is with a mixture of pleasure and relief that we share the news that MK David Rotem has withdrawn the controversial amendments to the Law of Conversion - for the time being at least.
Although it is sad that it was such a negative issue that prompted people around the world to speak up in opposition, it does provide some important lessons. The first is that we cannot assume that Israeli politicians will always act in a manner aimed at benefitting Israel or Klal Yisrael - we need to be vigilant in monitoring events and acting when we believe something detrimental to the Jewish world is being proposed.
The second thing is to realise how much we can achieve when we act in unity with our brothers and sisters around the world. We must build on this initial success and work even harder to support the work of the WUPJ and the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism in their work to make Israel the egalitarian and pluralistic democracy dreamed of by Herzl and described in the Declaration of Independence.
Although this Bill has been withdrawn for now, there is a strong possibility that it will be re-introduced after the High Holydays unless we maintain the pressure on the Government of Israel to make sure that it is totally withdrawn. Please maintain your support for us over this important matter and consider asking those Jewish organisations that you support what their stand on this issue is. Ask if their leadership sent a letter of support, and if not - why not?
The UPJ was proud to add its voice of condemnation for the bill, which was reported as the lead story on the Australian Jewish News online edition (to ready the story, go to: www.ajn.com.au - under “News - National”).
Best wishes,
Ian Samuel
Chair, ARZA Australia
David Robinson
President, Union for Progressive Judaism
Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins
Chair, Moetzah (Rabbinic Council)
Steve Denenberg
Executive Director, Union for Progressive Judaism
WUPJ statement and call for action on conversion bill proposal
July 15, 2010 by Steve
14 JULY 2010 | 3 AV 5770
Dear Friends,
Now is the time to act - for your sake, for the sake of your children and grandchildren. In a place in which all Jews should find safe haven, Israel, our legitimate rights as modern Jews are being threatened by pending legislation in the Knesset. A small minority of ultra-orthodox Jews are threatening to delegitimize all forms on non-ultra orthodox practice by changing the laws of conversion. We need you to make your voice heard and tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he must act to prevent a potential rift between Israel and the Jews throughout the world. Please send the attached letter to the Prime Minister. We would also appreciate if you would send a letter to your local Israeli Ambassador
MK David Rotem’s bill could be brought before the Knesset in the next several days, unless we can get the Prime Minister to stop it. Rotem’s bill would place responsibility for supervising all conversion courts on the Chief Rabbinate - effectively making conversions performed by Reform and Conservative rabbis (and other non Ultra-Orthodox rabbis) within and outside Israel illegitimate. Further, this bill would require all converts to accept "the yoke of the mitzvot according to Halacha (Jewish Law)," i.e. to live an orthodox lifestyle. For detailed background information, please click here.
The majority of the world’s Jews are not orthodox; we cannot allow our religious rights to be abrogated by a small minority.
Next week, Jews around the world will commemorate Tisha B’Av, a day of great sadness. On that day, the Temple that once stood in the heart of Jerusalem was destroyed. While history records that the destruction occurred at the hand of our enemies, our tradition teaches that our enemies were able to prevail because the Jewish people were consumed by sinat chinam - baseless hatred. Factions and disagreements within the community made us vulnerable to attacks from without. Today, history seems poised to repeat itself, unless we ACT.
The World Union for Progressive Judaism has been actively involved in this issue from the outset, and we are proud of the fact that our regions and communities around the world have already sent powerful messages. This is not just an issue for the Progressive / Reform community - we are joined in this campaign by Conservative, Masorti, Reconstructionist Jews and Federations around the world. Now is the time for every individual Jew to make a difference and be heard.
L’shalom, 
_____________________________________________
Sincerely,
World Union for Progressive Judaism
Updates on proposed changes to Israel’s Conversion Law and the Law of Return
July 14, 2010 by Steve
For the up-to-date information about developments with regard to the proposed amendments to Israel’s Conversion Law and the Law of Return visit the website of ARZA now www.arza.org.au
Parshat Hashavua: July 16/17 2010
July 14, 2010 by Steve
Drash on Chazon - D’varim
Rabbi Richard G Lampert
Rabbi Emeritus
North Shore Temple Emanuel, Chatswood, NSW, Australia
The fifth book of the Torah, known in English as Deuteronomy and in Hebrew variously as D’varim (from the first significant word of the Book) and as Mishneh Torah, a repetition of the Torah (which is roughly what Deuteronomy means), finds the Israelites on the eastern bank of the Jordan River, opposite Jericho, having completed the 40-year-long sojourn in the wilderness. The book deals with last two months of Moses’s life.
Moses knows that he will not be privileged to enter the Promised Land of Canaan, which he can see across the Jordan River – and like a concerned parent, he worries about what will happen to his people once he, their rabbi, their teacher, is no longer with them. He knows that they are a fractious lot, liable to soon forget what he has taught them and what God has done for them. He has had much experience of their fickle nature.
This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Chazon – the Shabbat of the vision - because the accompanying Haftarah is from the first chapter of the prophet Isaiah, who starts off his book with the words “Chazon Yeshayahu ben Amotz - The vision of Isaiah son of Amotz”.
Moses, just before his death, had a vision that the Israelites are liable to go astray and encounter many difficulties with their neighbours, with their fellow Israelites and with God. And so he spends the next two months – his last two alive - repeating his message, reinforcing his teaching, in the hope that this time the people will hearken and take to heart the words that come from his heart.
His vision showed him that in the future there could be exploitation of the poor, of those in need – and so he stressed the importance of “not hardening your heart towards nor shutting your hand from, helping your fellow human being”. When approached for a loan, for financial assistance, he told his people that they should not take into account that the seventh year, the Sh’mittah year, the year of release from debts, might be close. He reiterated that his people should be gracious and generous.
His vision showed him that there could be occasions in the future when the application of justice could be tainted by prejudice towards the ”other” – and so he repeated the injunction “Tsedek, tsedek tirdof – justice, justice you shall pursue: justice for yourself as well as justice for the ‘other’”.
His vision showed him the Israelites, some time in the future, would forget the law of the unintentional human-slayer – and so Moses reminded his people that there were cities of refuge to be set aside to which the unintentional human-slayer could flee the wrath of the victim’s family- the blood avengers.
Moses’s vision showed him that the Israelites might be inclined in the future to take for granted the gifts of nature and the natural world that God had provided to humankind. Therefore Moses stresses the importance of bal tash’chit – the prohibition against wasting of life and resources, of cutting down fruit-producing trees even in times of war with enemies.
Moses’s vision showed him that there might be times when the Israelites, his people, would be faced with the temptation to partake of the flesh of a number of forbidden animals, and therefore he repeated the prohibition against their consumption lest the Israelites should have forgotten their holy status.
Shabbat Chazon – the Shabbat of Vision – is not only Isaiah’s vision but also the vision of Moshe Rabbeinu - of Moses our teacher. And as we enter the Book of Deuteronomy, we will find many subjects which Moses felt could bring the Israelites to grief. And he hoped and prayed that his words, his d’varim, would not fall on deaf ears.
Parshat hashavua: July 9/10 2010
July 8, 2010 by Steve
Drash on Matot/Masei:
Ancient and Contemporary Pursuits
Rabbi Paul Jacobson
Emanuel Synagogue, Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia
In Matot-Masei, our readings from the Torah this week, we will conclude reading from the book of Numbers, the fourth book of Torah. The conquest of Midian, the dispossession of Canaanite enclaves, and the Israelites’ subsequent journeys en route to their promised land all have a place in these two parashioth. Yet what is more remarkable than the battles and wars forged through these journeys is the underlying spirit which pervades the text. The ancient Israelites must engage in the difficult task of expelling idolatrous behaviour as they attempt to establish monotheistic worship and practise. But even as they pursue war to achieve their efforts, Torah reminds them that they must ultimately work to become a nation who, collectively, pursues lasting peace.
The Israelites are commanded, “You shall not pollute the land in which you live; for blood pollutes the land, and the land can have no expiation for blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. You shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I myself abide, for I the Lord abide among the Israelite people” (Numbers 35: 33-34). Admittedly, these words are hard to accept, given that just a few chapters earlier, the Israelites were commanded to “wreak the Lord’s vengeance on Midian” (Numbers 31:3). How in one part of our parashah can we read words which command us to “wreak vengeance” and then also read words which tell us “not to pollute the land by bloodshed?”
Much has been written in Jewish commentaries of the place of war in Jewish history and in Jewish life, and generally, war is regarded as a necessary, yet unfortunate evil, the step that is taken only as an absolute last resort. Ultimately, the message of Torah, and of subsequent generations of Jewish commentary, involves the pursuit of peace in all of its forms, by living lives of holiness and compassion, seeking to repair and rebuild our fragmented world. It is as if Torah wants to teach that war will be a necessary part of taking control of the land of Israel. Yet once the Israelites have the land in their possession, there will be certain behaviours expected of them - namely that they pursue lives of peace, fairness and justice.
At this time of year, the quest of our ancestors becomes part of our journey too. We find ourselves in the darkest period of the Jewish calendar, the three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av, in which we commemorate the destruction of the ancient Temples in Jerusalem and other calamities which have befallen our people throughout history. From this time, we will emerge into a period of consolation and comfort, the seven weeks that lead from Tisha b’Av to our celebration of Rosh Hashanah. In this season, as we focus our attention on our connection to the land of Israel, we also begin to focus our attention on what is good, pure, and holy in our lives and what “defiling” aspects of our own existence we might seek to improve upon and correct in the year ahead. Ultimately, from bringing about war, and being victimised by war, Jewish tradition’s reaction rings equally true - pursue peace within yourself, within your family, within your community, and upon your land. It is up to us to work together, determining how we will pursue and achieve such significant and meaningful goals.
Invitation to a worldwide Progressive Torah study session - live, online!
July 2, 2010 by Steve
On the Shabbat, July 17, we read the Haftorah known as Shabbat Hazon (the Sabbath of Vision), which teaches us about Isaiah’s strong criticism of what was happening in the Jerusalem of his time. He lashes out at the corruption and hypocrisy of the politicians, the wealthy and the religious establishment, all of whom are turning Jerusalem into anything but a holy city. He delivers God’s message that the Jewish people is obsessed with sacrifices, but cares noting for the poor or needy. In essence, Isaiah’s message is that the city’s people may be going through the motions of piety when it comes to pleasing God, but have no idea how to treat their fellow man.
Come join the Anita Saltz International Education Center live, online, for a unique and innovative webinar. This Web-based study session will look at the experience of our ancestors, their experience in Jerusalem, and what all this can teach us about our Jewish communities today. It will begin at 18:00 GMT on July 11 (July 12 in eastern Asia, Australia and Oceania). For further details and information on how to connect to the Saltz Center webinar, contact the center’s director, Rabbi Rich Kirschen, at Rich@wupj.org.il.
See you online at the Saltz Center webinar!
Rabbi Rich Kirschen
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