Temple Beth Sholom - Rabbi Lucas' Israel Sabbatical Blog2008-11-21T03:22:13ZRabbi Alan B. LucasCopyright 2008, Rabbi Alan B. LucasSPHPBLOGWrapping things up... The final few days have been no less remarkable than the previous few weeks. Our last week of studies included classes with Donniel Hartman in the morning and Melila Hellner-Eshed in the afternoons.
One of the most interesting aspects of our final days was the inclusion of a session with Christian leaders. The Hartman Institute has just begun a 10 day Christian Leadership Conference where Hartman, in conjunction with the American Jewish Committee, has invited a number of the leading Christian thinkers of various Protestant and Catholic denominations for a study mission in Jerusalem. The goal is not dialogue but study and immersion in ancient Jewish texts and contemporary Israeli society. They are a fascinating group and one morning we had a chance to study Talmud with them in Hevruta. I was paired up with the Rev. Dr. Cynthia M Cambell who is the president of the McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. She is the first woman to be elected president of a Presbyterian seminary in the United States. She recently published a book entitled: "A Multitude of Blessings: A Christian Approach to Religious Diversity." I also had the privilege to study with the Rev. Dr. Douglas Mills who is the Associate General Secretary for the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns for the United Methodist Church located in Manhattan. We studied two Talmudic texts together -- one from the Tractate of Kiddushin 39b which explores the age old question of why the righteous suffer and the wicked flourish. We also studied one of the most fascinating sections from the tractate of Avodah Zarah 54b. Our Christian friends had never studied Talmud before and remarked that there was nothing like this in their tradition: A text that raises argumentation to an art form and feels no need for resolution but is satisfied just to allow a multiplicity of opinions interact with each other -- we had a wonderful time. There is nothing like studying together to open a relationship and encourage a deep and honest conversation.
And now it has come to an end.
How do I begin to capture the scope of what I have been involved in these past few weeks? Does the 110 typed pages of notes give you an idea? Or maybe the 225 hours of sessions we were involved in give you another glimpse. How do I share with you the countless conversations with colleagues and scholars, Israelis on the street and opinion makers in various fields from the military to the arts? It has been a remarkable experience that will nourish me (and you) for months to come.
On Wednesday evening we gathered in the apartment of one of our colleagues Rabbi Sam Gordon from Chicago for a wrap up. Sam and his wife are staying in the Guest House at Mishkenot Shaananim. It is one of the most magnificent places in Jerusalem. Originally built by Sir Moses Montifiore in the 1800's to encourage Jewish settlement outside the walls of the old city -- today it has been remodeled and serves as a center for the arts encouraging artists from around the world to use Jerusalem as their inspiration. We sat on his balcony, overlooking the walls of the Old city and with Jerusalem as our backdrop and our inspiration we spoke of the remarkable time we shared together.
We have become quite a close group of some 26 rabbis of all denominations. We respect each other, we have learned from each other and we have developed that special love that can come only from sharing and caring and studying together. We had a wonderful evening. We laughed, shared stories and a lot of wine and scotch and then embraced each other with the knowledge that, God willing, our journey together will continue. In October our video conference learning sessions will start up again, in January we return to Jerusalem for a week of intensive study and next summer we all hope and pray to be back together to rejoice in the special privilege of studying Torah together in Jerusalem.
So as things wrap up here in Jerusalem, I look forward to seeing all our good friends back in Roslyn and I am returning renewed and refreshed and excited about the opportunity to continue all of the wonderful and exciting things we have planned for this coming year. I hope you will be inspired by my studies to renew your commitment to Jewish learning. I hope that the joys I experienced in learning and praying will be inspire you to join in our dynamic community of learning and prayer and fellowship at TBS. I hope to see you soon. ]]>http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080724-0343292008-07-24T00:00:00Z2008-07-24T00:00:00ZSo much to share For example I am sure you have all been following the events surrounding the return of the bodies of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. It was two years ago, July 12, 2006 that Hezbollah attacked a reserve patrol along the northern border but because they took their bodies it was not known for sure if they were alive or dead.
In many ways this attack precipitated the second Lebanon War that had such catastrophic results for Israel. It was their capture that caused us at TBS to start saying the prayer for soldiers that we recite every Shabbat morning as part of our davening.
And it came to an end this past Wednesday when all Israel watched the live television picture of Hezbollah announcing that if you want to know the fate of your boys? And then they placed two coffins on the ground. It was a sad moment, a tragic moment in the life of modern Israel - and it was played out over 24 hours culminating in their funerals on Thursday. It was heart wrenching - but as usual it was a privilege to be here and see how this country and this people deals with its heartbreak. The comments of Karnit Goldwasser who spoke at her husband's funeral -- they had been married less than a year - and the clips from their wedding video are interspersed with his funeral on Israeli TV.
And now begins the debate -- was it worth it? was it the right thing to do? Israel traded 199 bodies and 5 live Lebanese prisoners -- to get back the bodies of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. Israel is now going through that internal soul searching that it does so well. The commentators are giving their opinions and the people are debating and something very remarkable is happening. There right in front of my eyes a nation is changing, maturing, learning, reacting.
I don't know why but it just doesn't seem to happen that way in America. There are events, there are those who speak out -- but maybe because we are so much larger -- you just don't see it happening -- the wheels turning, the pained looks, the thoughtful responses the anger and sadness that gives way to understanding and growth. Here it is just so much more -- real.
What makes this country so remarkable is that it does learn. It grows. Yes, it makes mistakes -- and some of them have been tragic. But, it rarely sweeps them under the rug, it almost never ignores them or denies them -- that is not what they do here. Here, like father Jacob so long ago -- in an act that got his name changed to Yisrael -- here they wrestle.
Wrestling is still what Israel does best -- they wrestle with each other, but most of all, they wrestle with themselves.
Two scenes played out on the TV screen this past week -- on the other side of the border Nasralloah gave triumphant speeches how they won. They danced and they celebrated a victory that brought them nothing. And here on our side --we cried and we mourned the funeral of our two boys who finally came home. There was a lot of crying here in Israel this week and a lot of sad conversation, some heated debates and a lot of love and support. I am glad that I am on this side of the border -- on our side.
For a wonderful example of the kind of soul searching that is going on here take a look at this Danny Gordis piece
On Wednesday night we took a walking tour of the Nahlaot section of Jerusalem with Benjy Levin the grandson of "The Tzadik of Jerusalem" Reb Aryeh Levin. It was a remarkable evening of stories and a glimpse into a Jerusalem that is no more. We were introduced to the characters who walked these streets almost some 60 years ago. Sinners and saints and personalities that were quite remarkable. Like the milkman Reb Sholem who was so pious that he was disturbed by the housewives of Rehavia who were coming out to purchase their milk in their nightgowns -- so he dipped his Streimel --his hat in herring brine and smelled so bad -- they left the bottles on the doorstep with a note rather than coming out to meet him.
On Thursday we took a tiyul, a trip down to Qumran on the Dead Sea. We were escorted by Hanan Eshel a remarkable archeologist who specializes in the Dead Sea Scrolls. You can read more about him here
We spent an entire day learning about the Qumran sect and one of the things that we learned is that Qumran in the summer is VERY HOT! Having barely survived our trek up to a few of the caves where the scrolls were found and exploring the community in which they lived more than 2000 years ago -- we were bussed up to the Israel Museum where we were met by Adolfo Roitman the Director of the Shrine of the Book that houses the Dead Sea Scrolls. You can actually see what we saw at: Israel Museum Shire of the Book web site as they have put many of their precious texts online. There has been much in the news lately about this period of history from another one of our teachers at the Hartman Institute -- Israel Knohl. You may have seen the article in the New York Times and it has created a lot of discussion and conversation here.
We also managed to take in a couple of movies as part of the Jerusalem film Festive -- a Czech Film called "Empties", that was very cute and a Jordanian film called "Recycle" that was very troubling.
And remember, all of this was just a quick walk through of what has been going on this past week outside of my classes!!!!
Now we are preparing for Shabbat. I forgot to mention that last week we had the pleasant surprise of bumping into Billy and Rachel Goldstein, Jacob and Morris in shul! We were all davening at Shira Hadasha -- what a treat. Tonight we are having some friends over for dinner. Tomorrow we will be davening at a shul called Yediya and having lunch with Rabbi Joel and Barbara Roth.
So Shabbat Shalom and I look forward to continuing our conversation soon. ]]>http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080718-0942302008-07-18T00:00:00Z2008-07-18T00:00:00ZI hope you believe me... So remember how I said I would be meeting a friend at 7:45 AM to explore a new shul in Jerusalem? Well it may have been a new shul for me - but it is hardly a new shul. Located on the Via Delarosa in the middle of the Arab Shuk in the Old City -- this shul was founded by the pre-'48 Jewish community that lived in the Old City at that time. It was lost from 1948-1967 when the Old City was under Jordanian Rule but was reestablished in 1967 when Israel retook the Old City. It has been meeting faithfully since then. It is quite a walk to get there -- from The German Colony where I live, down past The Sultan's Pool, up to the walls of the Old City, through the winding streets of the Christian and then Arab Quarters of the Old City -- to this wonderful, small shul. The attendance was small but the spirit was great. After services my friend took me to climb up a ladder to the roof of the shul with a fantastic view of the Old City. There before me was the chaos of the Old City -- Christian Pilgrims singing and walking the Via Delarosa, Arab merchants hawking their wares, Jews making their way to and from the Kotel, the smells and sights and sounds were overwhelming.
We then walked back to our apartment, and I was back home at 10:30AM! Just a little different from my usual Shabbat morning routine in Roslyn.
The classes continue to go well and each one is a new opportunity to explore new ideas with wonderful scholars. In the course of the week I studied with Melila Hellner-Eshed on "Ways of Remembering Sinai" and Rachel Korazim on "Holocaust Narratives and their Impact on Contemporary Jewish Identities." Rani Jaeger led a fascinating session on "Megilat Ha'azmaut (The Israeli Declaration of Independence): The Construction and Deconstruction of the Israeli Narrative". Doniel Hartman gave a wonderful lesson on "The Rabbinic Narratives of God and in the afternoons I studied with Moshe Halbertal four sessions on "Law and Narrative in the Talmud." And these are just the day sessions -- our evenings have been filled with a lecture by Doniel Hartman on "Yom Hashoah and Yom Hazikaron -- Competing Foundational Narratives for Understanding Modern Israel." And anther night we saw the movie "Beaufort" and were led in a conversation by Stuart Schoffman - film critic and journalist.
Last Monday we took a tiyul -- a walking tour of some of the neighborhoods of Jerusalem. We sat by one of the earliest apartments in Rechavia and our guide, Dr. Elan Ezrachi, Director of Yad Ben Zvi read a beautiful piece written around 1903 of a man who took his children to this very spot and told them he had just purchased this land and this is where he would build his new home -- he described the desolate scene of what was then an area filled with rocks and thorns. He then proceeded to tell us that the apartment we were looking at was the building he built and the man was his grandfather -- and he and his children live there to this day! It was quite remarkable - how the old and the new and the ancient and the contemporary- how history and reality intertwine at every step in this remarkable place.
We saw the Walk's when they were here and I am trying to reach some of our kids who are here on Pilgrimage.
We had a wonderful conversation with Rabbi Ed Feinstein of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California on some of the challenges facing the contemporary American synagogue -- such as how to change a crowd of people into a community. I think some of his ideas jive very nicely with the initiatives we are taking with our Legacy Heritage Grant/ Mentors program that Gila is developing and I suspect you will hear much more about this on the High Holy Days.
Now, I have a short break before returning for my afternoon session with Melila Hellner-Eshed on "Images of God" -- I will be using some of this material in my Herbert Tarr Adult Ed course this fall which I am calling "Talking About God".
Tonight Alick Isaacs is teaching a session entitled: "How Do We Get from Rational Learning to Spiritual Experience." And each morning this week we are studying with David Hartman himself on the topic of "Messianism".
So, my days are really quite full with learning and the real joy is the 25 or so other rabbis I share this with. We have formed a special bond in this learning and our conversations are as fruitful as the courses themselves. These are a remarkable group of dedicated rabbis who work tirelessly on behalf of Jews and Judaism and it is truly a privilege to study with them and get to know them.
OK -- enough for now. I look forward to seeing you all in a few weeks -- until then -- check back and I hope to have more details soon.]]>http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080714-0728312008-07-14T00:00:00Z2008-07-14T00:00:00ZShabbat Shalom! The biggest challenge of this blog is finding time to write it! My schedule continues to be quite full.
Take yesterday for example. I was at the Hartman Institute at 8:30 AM -- as usual, and was treated to a shiur-- a lesson by David Hartman himself. Each morning it is a different one of the great scholars of the Institute-- the day before it was Yisrael Knohl, and before that Moshe Halbertal.
Hartman's topic was: Abraham and Moses as the key to understanding Maimodean philosophy. He opened with a few introductory remarks and then we studied from 8:45 am to 10:30 in hevruta. Hevruta for those who have never experienced it, is a unique form of traditional Jewish study -- perfected over the ages. It is two (or more) people who wrestle with a text by studying it in dialogue with each other. Yesterday my hevrutot partners were Rabbi Neil Zuckerman from White Plains and formerly our TBS intern, Rabbi David Steinhardt of B'nai Torah in Boca Raton and Rabbi Neil Cooper of Beth Hillel-Beth El in Wynnwood, PA. We studied sources form Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed and his Mishneh Torah.
At 10:30 am we took a break for a 45 minute session which they call Havurot ( not to be confused with hevruta but all havurot come form the root Haver -- which means friend and describes some form of fellowship). These havurot, are groups of 6-10 rabbis who talk about various topics from current events to personal issues in the rabbinate.
At 11:15 we reconvene in the Beit Midrash where David Harman gave his lecture which was based on the sources we had been grappling with for the past couple of hours. In this particular case his premise was that Abraham is for Maimonides the ideal model of philosophic spirituality in Judaism whereas Moses is the model of halachik or legal spirituality. The greatest halachik mind in Jewish history (Maimonides) -- believes (Hartman contends) that halacha is not enough. Maimonides begins with Abrahamic spirituality according to Hartman because - the hero of the Bible for the greatest legal authority in Jewish history is Abraham, even more than Moses the lawgiver! (well I thought it was interesting)
The lecture concluded by 1:00 and we broke for lunch until 2:00. From 2:00 -3:30 we had our afternoon electives -- I have been taking a wonderful course with Noam Zion (many of you are familiar with him from his delightful Passover Haggadah "A Different Night"). He taught a course titled:" A Troubling Narrative -- Our Ancestors-- Oy! Avraham, Sarah & Hagar. You will probably hear more bout this as I think it will make a wonderful adult education course -- maybe for Herbert Tarr this fall (see I haven't forgotten you Florence Meyer)
At 3:30 we reconvened for our peer study -- each one of us in the Rabbinic Leadership Institute has to teach a session and this one was taught by Rabbi Jonah Layman of Olney, MD on how to make our shuls more inclusive -- reaching out to those on the fringes -- the handicapped, mentally disabled, etc. This finished at 5:00 giving us just time to run out and catch a chartered bus that was taking us to Tel Aviv for the evening .
And what an evening it was. We were treated to a most unusual experience at a unique dinner theater called Nalaga'at -- which is Hebrew for "Please touch!" There are two restaurants on the premise one is called Café Kapish, where we ate, that is fully staffed by deaf waiters and waitresses and the other is called "Blackout" which is a pitch black room where you order and are served dinner by blind waiters and waitresses. The challenge is to get you out of your world and give you a sense of the world that those who are deaf and blind live in. Following dinner we saw a fascinating play entitled "Not by bread alone…" where all the actors are either blind, deaf or both!
Billed as the only playhouse of its kind in the world, employing deaf and bind actors , -- it was an amazing experience. Not only was the subject of the play fascinating but when you contemplate what had to be done to coordinate, communicate and produce a play where all the actors are deaf and blind -- well it was quite remarkable. The simple challenge of a "blind actor" who must act on cue and create facial responses he or she has never seen before -- well, if you think about it, it is quite remarkable. The theme of the entire evening is to challenge you to get out of your own comfort zone and begin to imagine what the world is like for those who navigate it day in and day out without being able to see or hear!
Then it was back on the bus and we got back to Jerusalem after midnight. So as you can see, my days are quite full and quite remarkable.
Of course there has been much discussion revolving round the pigua -- the terrorist act where a Palestinian from East Jerusalem drove a bulldozer into an Egged bus killing 6 people. It is still not clear whether this was the isolated act of a disturbed man or a coordinated act of terror -- but regardless the dead are dead and the tragedy of innocent people going about their daily routine being at risk is a terrible feature of life here in Israel.
The fact is that a number of features of Israeli security, including the Security Barrier - have reduced these events dramatically. But that is small comfort to the few who still die. The real talk here is not about terror. The attitude regarding the Palestinians, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank -- is remarkably fatalistic. Israelis no longer have much hope that there are any real solutions in the foreseeable future -- but they feel these are problems they can live with and that can be managed.
The problem that keeps them up at nights is Iran. If the prospect of a nuclear Iran is problematic for us as Americans -- for Israelis is completely terrifying and therefore unacceptable. More and more you hear that Israel has resigned itself that no one else is prepared to do anything to prevent a nuclear Iran -- and that it will be left to Israel to prevent it from happening. For many Israelis the question is not so much "if" but "when."
They also are not confident in the current cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza and imagine that when it breaks down they will have to go in with troops and pacify it once again. Here too most Israelis speak in terms of "when" rather than "if."
But Israel is nothing, if not a land of contrast. One moment you are debating security the next moment you are dancing at a wedding. Last Tuesday, Edy and I went to the wedding of the son of good friends (and colleague) Rabbi Neil & Lori Cooper. Their son, Yoni, made aliyah last year, is currently serving in the Paratroopers and married a lovely young woman who was raised in Jerusalem.
Israeli weddings are very different affairs from their American counterparts -- starting with the fact that there were 400 people there. (Howie Braverman would love it here!) Everything was outdoors (no chance of rain till Sukkot) and the music was incredible -- including Neshama Carlebach singing as the couple marched down the aisle. It was a delightful evening and a nice chance to catch up with old friends.
So, now you are up to date. Today, we are busy shopping and getting ready for Shabbat. Things are noticeably more expensive here from last year. The combination of inflation and the weak dollar has made things 30-40% more expensive from what they were last year. And while you complain about gas -- it went up 7 shekels (more than two dollars) in one jump last week (making it $9-$10 a gallon).
Tonight we are invited for dinner at Rabbi Doniel Hartman's house, tomorrow I am walking with a friend to Services in the Old City - lest you think I am taking things too easy here -- we are meeting at 7:45 AM for our walk to shul -- so no complaints from those of you who come waltzing in after 10!
So have a nice Shabbat and I hope to write again soon -- maybe I will even remember to take my camera and include some pictures. Until then: Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem. ]]>http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080704-0832582008-07-04T00:00:00Z2008-07-04T00:00:00ZWe have arrived! Israel is a country that operates at the extremes -- everything is done with an intensity that is exhausting. We have been here only a couple of days yet have already been immersed in arguments about religion, politics and the economy. We debated whether Israel's celebration at 60 was a good thing or a waste of money that could have better been spent on the many challenges that confront contemporary life. We have had discussions over whether the major challenge to contemporary Israel is religious, political, educational or economic! There was even a gay pride parade on Friday -- which brought with it its whole set of arguments - from "Why not?" to "Why here in Jerusalem? -- Let them march in Tel Aviv where they belong!" And my program doesn’t even begin until Monday -- yes, these have just been casual conversations with friends and people on the street! What a country. Even the graffiti here is educational. On a wall is scribbled the familiar: am yisrael hai - "The nation of Israel lives!" To which someone appended the word: baseret - in movies. I did not understand until someone explained that the expression hai baseret -- to live in the movies - has the connotation of saying you are living in a dream world, in a fantasy world. So on the one hand you have the proud affirmation that Israel lives -- and the rebuttal -- in a fantasy world! What a place. Even the security people have their opinions. When my son was asked the purpose of his visit - he replied that he would be attending the wedding of a close friend. The passport officer smiled and replied: od gever nisraf -- which roughly translates to "another one bites the dust" -- but is a play on an army term that with each passing day you can say -- "another day burnt" -- here applied to my son's friend. In what other country would the passport person feel free to comment on the purpose of your trip?
But there are new restaurants to explore, new shops to discover and so many more conversations to be had. There is a vitality here that is a bright as the middle eastern sun that just seems stronger and brighter here than anywhere else. Every step, every experience and every day is filled with this feeling that you are living in the best of times and the worst of times. Of the many challenges that beset this place, boredom is not among them. So for now, we are here - exhausted, but thrilled to once again be part of the conversation. ]]>http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080629-1007202008-06-29T00:00:00Z2008-06-29T00:00:00ZWelcome to my Sabbatical Blog I hope to update this blog frequently during the course of my studies and I hope it will serve as a good way to keep you posted on my experiences so we can share this exciting adventure together. If last summer is any indication this will be easier said than done – as I was so busy – finding downtime to compose my blog entries was not as easy as I thought but, feel free to check back often and I will try to give you a taste of what I will be experiencing!
The Shalom Hartman Institute, where I will be studying, is a research and leadership training institute located in Jerusalem. Their mission is to revitalize Judaism, strengthen Jewish identity and foster religious pluralism by providing scholars, rabbis, educators, and lay leaders of all denominations with tools to address the central challenges facing Judaism today. Serving Israeli and world Jewry, SHI’s faculty and graduates are forces of change creating a new dialogue between Jews of diverse backgrounds, between classic Judaic sources and modernity, and between Judaism and other faiths. To read more about the Hartman Institute and see some pictures of where I will be spending my time – check their web site at: http://www.hartmaninstitute.com
The particular program I am involved with is called the Rabbinic Leadership Initiative or RLI. Some 25 rabbis from around the world – Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist and Reform - are selected to participate in this very special program and I am proud to be one of them. To read more about this program go to: http://www.hartman.org.il/Center_Rabbin ... gram_Id=13
I will be leaving New York on Wednesday June 25 and returning on Monday July 28.
I also hope to use my time in Israel to search out some mitzvah opportunities where I can serve as your shaliach – your agent, to bring tzedakah to various causes in Israel. Many of you have already generously contributed to the Rabbi’s Fund at TBS through the annual Passover Appeal or your contributions in appreciation for my participation at a Wedding or Unveiling or the like – I will be using some of those funds and seeking ways to put them to good use during my stay in Israel. I will report on my experiences seeking out these mitzvah opportunities in this blog.
The main thing is that I hope that by means of this blog you will feel that you are part of my experience. As I have mentioned before, a Sabbatical is an investment on both of our parts in keeping my rabbinate fresh and dynamic. It is not unusual in the course of a normal week for me to address more than a thousand people! From Shabbat sermons to Machon Beth Sholom High School classes; from Sisterhood classes to the Herbert Tarr Adult Education Institute; from sitting on the floor with our tots in our Early Childhood Center preparing for Shabbat, to the hospital visits where I sit with our most elderly members; from Divrei Torah at Board Meetings to counseling sessions in my office; from meeting to meeting to meeting – week after week, year after year - I am called upon to teach and share my insights applying the teachings of our sacred tradition to modern day situations. The challenge is to constantly renew myself and to keep fresh the wells of Torah that nourish me and therefore nourish you my community. After my experiences last summer, I am more convinced than ever that this opportunity that you have wisely afforded me, to study at the Hartman Institute will be an investment that will pay dividends beyond measure in the months and years to come.
In the meantime, I leave you in the capable hands of Rabbi Jeni Friedman and while I will be checking my email (alucas@tbsroslyn.org) but feel free to check in with Rabbi Friedman or the office if you need an immediate answer. God willing my next entry will be from Yerushalayim Ir Hakodesh – from the Holy Land!! L’hitraot!!
Rabbi Alan Lucas
Here is my schedule for the first two weeks:
Summer 2008 RLI Part 1
Monday, June 30 10:00 – 11:30 Registration Osher Plaza 11:30 – 12:00 Orientation Bill Berk Sharon Laufer Beit Midrash 12:00 – 12:30 Introduction Donniel Hartman Beit Midrash 12:45 – 14:00 Opening Lunch Tauber Hall 14:00 – 15:30 Welcome for spouses Sharon Laufer Osher Plaza 14:00 – 15:30 Electives - Please choose one for the entire week • The Story of the American Jew David Ellenson Mandel Beit Midrash • Zohar – The Idra Rabba Melila Hellner-Eshed Lafer 1 • The Troubling Triangle: A Modern Mikraot Gedolot – Sara, Hagar & Abraham Noam Zion Beit Midrash • Bringing God into Prayer/Spiritual Activism: A Jewish Guide to Leadership and Repairing the World/ Personality Type Theory and Midrash: The Case of Moses and Bezalel Avi Weiss Alfredo Borodowski (4th session) Beit Midrash Right seminar • Biblical Intimacies: The Unknown Woman Avivah Zornberg Lafer 2 15:30 – 16:30 Roundtable: Catching Up 16:30 – 17:00 Reception Osher Plaza 17:00-18:45 Panel Discussion & Havruta Journal Launch Conversion Controversies: Identity, Boundaries and the Future of the Jewish People David Ellenson Donniel Hartman Einat Ramon Moderator: Stuart Schoffman Beit Midrash
18:45 – 19:30 Dinner Tauber Hall 19:30 – 20:30 An Evening with David Hartman David Hartman Beit Midrash
Tuesday, July 1 The Spiritual and Ethical Dimensions of Memory 08:30 - 10: 30 Hevruta Introduction: Moshe Halbertal Beit Midrash 10:30 – 11:15 Havurot See locations list according to the letter on the backside of your nametag 11:15 - 13:00 Shiur Moshe Halbertal Beit Midrash 13:00 - 14:00 Lunch Tauber Hall 14:00 – 15:30 Electives 17:30 – 19:00 Visions of a New American Judaism and its Relationship to Israel David Ellenson Avi Weiss Beit Midrash 19:00 – 20:00 Dinner Tauber 20:00 – 22:00 Celebrating Israel at 60: Israel's Musical-Textual Renaissance Shlomo Gronikh Beit Midrash Wednesday, July 2 How Do the Biblical Narratives Create a People? 08:30 - 10:30 Hevruta Introduction Israel Knohl Beit Midrash 11:00 – 12:30 Shiur Israel Knohl Beit Midrash 12:30 – 14:00 Free for lunch 14:00 – 15:30 Electives 20:00 The Geo-Political Situation of Israel Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror Beit Midrash
Thursday, July 3 Rambam: Memory and Narrative 08:30 – 11:30 Hevruta Introduction: David Hartman Beit Midrash 10:30 – 11:15 Havurot See locations list according to the letter on the backside of your nametag 11:15 – 13:00 Shiur David Hartman Beit Midrash 13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Tauber 14:00 – 15:30 Electives 15:45 Roundtable: Peer Teaching Jonah Layman 17:00 Optional: Buses leave for Na-Lagaat
Friday, July 4 Shabbat Dinner at the home of Donniel and Adina Hartman
Saturday, July 5 17:00 – 19:00 Free Day Optional Jerusalem tour – Sign-up at courtesy desk
Sunday, July 6 Ways of Remembering Sinai 08:30 - 10:30 Hevruta Introduction: Melila Hellner-Eshed Beit Midrash 10:30 - 11:15 Havurot See locations list according to the letter on the backside of your nametag 11:15 - 13:00 Shiur Melila Hellner-Eshed Beit Midrash 13:00 - 14:00 Lunch Tauber 14:00 - 15:30 Electives: Please choose one for the entire week • Forgetfulness & Memory in one Commandment: The Talmudic Narrative as a Process of Forgetting (taught in Hebrew) Ari Elon Beit Midrash right seminar room • Law and Narrative in the Talmud Moshe Halbertal Beit Midrash • Returning to Cultural Zionist Narratives: Jewish Solidarity in the Midst of Revolutionary Polemics: Mendelei Mocher Sforim, Y.Ch. Brenner, Ahad HaAm, A.D.Gordon, Berl Katznelson & A.J. Heschel Einat Ramon Lafer 2 • Torah M'Sinai? Revelation & Interpretation in Modern and Feminist Jewish Thought (Heschel, Borowitz, & Plaskow) Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi Beit Midrash Left seminar room • Remembering Heroes and Martyrs: In Medieval and Contemporary Discourse Noam Zohar Mandel Beit Midrash
15:30 Roundtable: Topic TBA 19:00 Family Dinner Tauber 20:00 An Evening with Donniel Hartman - Yom Hashoah and Yom Hazikaron—Competing Foundational Narratives for Understanding Modern Israel Beit Midrash
Monday, July 7
Differing times depending on tiyul chosen. Four tiyulim – choose one  Sde Boker Stories and Hiking in Machtesh Ramon (12 hour outing)  Is the Bible True? Machloket with Archeologists & Guides  Jerusalem Narratives – Walking and talking Nachlaot and Rehavia  Spiritual Narratives of Secular Tel Aviv with Rabbi Julian Sinclair
Tuesday, July 8 Holocaust Narratives and Their Impact on Contemporary Jewish Identities 08:30 – 10:30 Hevruta Introduction: Rachel Korazim Beit Midrash 10:30 – 11:15 Havurot See locations list according to the letter on the backside of your nametag 11:15 – 13:00 Shiur Rachel Korazim Beit Midrash 13:00 – 14:00 Lunch with families Tauber 14:00 – 15:30 Electives 20:00 Movie Night Stuart Schoffman Beit Midrash
Wednesday, July 9 Megilat Ha’azmaut: The Construction and Deconstruction of the Israeli Narrative 08:30 – 11:00 Hevruta Introduction: Rani Jaeger Beit Midrash 11:00 - 12:30 Shiur Rani Jaeger Beit Midrash 12:30 - 14:00 Free for lunch 14:00 – 15:30 Electives 15:45 Synagogue Transformation: Focus on Adult Learning Ed Feinstein Bill Berk 20:00 Evening program: Islamic Fundamentalism and the New Middle East Res. Gen. Daniel Rothschild Beit Midrash
Thursday, July 10 The Rabbinic Narratives of God 08:30 – 11:00 Hevruta and Evaluation Introduction Donniel Hartman Beit Midrash 11:00 - 13:00 Shiur Donniel Hartman Beit Midrash 13:00 - 14:00 Closing Lunch Closing remarks by David Hartman and Donniel Hartman Tauber 14:00 Roundtable: Peer Teaching Jessica Spitalnic Brockman Room ]]>http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080625-0954392008-06-25T00:00:00Z2008-06-25T00:00:00ZHabitat for Humanity in New Orleans I took many pictures but unfortunately I am having trouble uploading them to this blog. The saying "A picture says a 1000 words" is especially true here because even when you see the totality of the destruction that took place here your eyes have a hard time believing what they are actually seeing. It is a sureal experience to drive through whole townships that were completely submerged under as much as 17 feet of water that came rushing inland when the levees broke.
And yet, there are many rays of hope like the ones provided by Habitat for Humanity. We are working on constructing a house which is one of approximately 110 that will be completed this year. This may be a tiny number compared to the 1000's that were completely "totaled" but when we got a chance to actually meet the owner of the property and she expressed her gratitude that we were rebuilding her house, we actually understood that we were not just building her house - we were rebuilding her HOME. She lost everything in an instant and our volunteer efforts, connected with many others from accross the country, is the only way she can afford to rebuild her life.
I don't want to blog in text what really should be said by pictures so I will cut it short tonight in the hope that I can figure out how to upload the incredible, unbelievable images that I have taken.
I will also be discussing our experiences here during various sessions and sermonettes at the temple, so please look for those opportunities as well.
Looking forward to another day of hard work on behalf of humanity!!
Good night.
Cantor Barnoy. ]]>http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080124-0148032008-01-24T00:00:00Z2008-01-24T00:00:00ZWe're having a great time! So, let’s backtrack a little and tell you a little bit about what we have done up until this point.
We landed at Ben Gurion Airport and hit the ground running. We visited Zichron Yaacov and saw the Sara Aronson house which was very interesting. We checked in to our hotel in Tiberias and that night were treated to a terrific welcome dinner at the world famous DECKS restaurant where our group was officially welcomed by a huge boat floating up to the restaurant with fire flares and over a loudspeaker greeting the group from New York, welcoming us to Israel and playing “New York, New York” for the whole restaurant to hear. We also were able to celebrate with our friends Harriet and Marvin Rosen on their 49th wedding anniversary.
A great ending to a great night.
Friday morning we were up early and headed to Tzfat – it was a great way to prepare us for Shabbat as the prayer L’cha Dodi, a cornerstone of the Kabbalat Shabbat service, was written in Tzfat. We then made our way up to Jerusalem where we had a beautiful service and magnificent dinner at (get the name) Beit Shalom, a historical landmark in Jerusalem where heads of state deliberated and where magnificent works of art adorn the walls. The rest of Shabbat proved to be just as great – in the morning we split up into groups which went all over Yerushalayim, from the Kotel to local synagogues, we each got a taste of Shabbat in Jerusalem. Later in the days, some of the group took a walking tour in the Old City led by our fabulous guide, Lyanna Rotstein. We met for Seudat Shlishit at the Fuchsberg Center for Conservative Judaism, where we were able to see the movement’s home in Jerusalem. On Motzei Shabbat, people hit the town for a night of fun, eating and of course, shopping!
Today (Sunday) we started the day at our partner school, Yad HaMoreh. What an amazing place. The teachers, students and parents greeted us so warmly and it was really an amazing program.
We then spent the rest of the day in the Old City of Jerusalem, getting in touch with our ancient Jewish roots and seeing the archeological foundation of Israel.
The group gathers for a picture on the steps to the ancient Temple
It included a visit to the Kotel, which is always awe inspiring but held a new meaning for those on our trip who had never been to Israel.
The group gathers for a pictuere on the steps of the ancient Temple
We have totally lucked out with the weather. It is cool but sunny – we were even walking around today without jackets! The sunny days have given way to beautiful clear starry nights. Picture perfect!
The group is starting to bond. It is amazing that such a diverse group can find common ground through Israel and our experience here. We are learning about each other, discovering new neighbors and are quickly becoming a community.
Tomorrow we will wake up early for Shacharit at the Kotel Masorati, where we will honor those who have become or are becoming Bar or Bat Mitzvah. It will once again be a fantastic day.
Looking forward to reporting more to you then…
BETH SHOLOM - ISRAEL PILGRIMAGE - DECEMBER, 2007 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2007 Submitted by Carolyn Canova
The weather was cloudy, but a bit warmer today, as we set out from Jerusalem on our way to Tel Aviv. Except for our first night, which was spent up north in Tiberias, the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem has been our home base in Israel, and we were excited to be spending our one day in Tel Aviv. We proceeded north-west along the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway, and soon learned from Lyana that the route itself was steeped in history.
Shortly after leaving Jerusalem we passed the remains of several old trucks and vehicles, both to our right and left along the highway. Lyana told us that immediately after adoption of the UN Partition plan on November 29, 1947, the Arabs cut off Jerusalem in an effort to force the Jews to surrender the city. Jerusalem at the time was not self-sufficient and couldn't survive long without basic supplies from elsewhere. The vehicles we saw were left here as a reminder of the convoys, most of which failed, that were dispatched to bring supplies to Jerusalem in the struggle to keep the city under Jewish control, and in recognition of the valiant efforts of the brave boys and girls who risked their lives to bring in supplies during the siege. Upon seeing a convoy leaving Tel Aviv, the Arabs would signal the towns along the route, and the inhabitants would come down from the hills like locusts to ambush and attack the slow moving trucks. As we drove through the valley at the base of those hills, travelling safely between the barbed wire fences that frame the highway in this area for protection today, we could imagine the Arabs raining down on the convoys and feel just a little bit of how vulnerable they must have felt.
Lyana told us of the popular story of how the Israelis finally found a pass through the hills - - two soldiers from Jerusalem intent on visiting their girlfriends in Tel Aviv stole a jeep and made their way through the hills to Tel Aviv. An Israeli officer overheard them bragging about their exploits, had them recreate their journey, and thus, the route, shaky perhaps but nonetheless a route, was established. Unfortunately, even after the War for Independence was won, it was not until after the 1967 War and the capture of the Arab city of Latrun that a direct route could be established.
We soon passed the Arab town of Abu Gosh, and saw the unusual proximity of the Arab town to the main road. We learned of the high regard in which the town is held by Israelis as a result of the rare loyalty that the people of Abu Gosh demonstrated toward their Jewish neighbors by fighting alongside them against the Arabs in the War for Independence.
We heard from Lyana that although the Jews were not initially successful in the battle for Jerusalem, they eventually took the strategic points crucial for victory when, underestimating the Jews, the Arabs guarding them left their posts to attend the funeral of an important Arab leader, and Rabin's forces walked in and took them without a shot being fired (more about him once we get to Tel Aviv).
We hit lots of traffic enroute to Tel Aviv, and what should have been an hour trip took us two hours. Upon arriving in Tel Aviv, we went immediately to the Rabin Memorial and Rabin Square. The Walk family had chosen Yitzchak Rabin as their project, and with her characteristic charm, creativity and humor, Ellen Walk quizzed the group on the life and accomplishments of Yitzchak Rabin, including his participation in the Oslo Peace Accord and receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Then, in a touching tribute to him, the Weil family surprised us with having researched Shir L'Shalom, the song of peace which has become associated with Yitzchak Rabin, and Deborah and Levi handed out song sheets and led us in singing the song together in Rabin's memory at the spot that now bears his name. Lyana talked about how Rabin had just finished speaking at a the peace rally at the Square in which we were standing, when he was gunned down by a lone assailant, a religious right wing Jew who disagreed with Rabin's ideology, and was willing to take a life to prevent it from moving forward. We discussed that the inconceivable act of one Jew killing another because of ideological differences marked the end of innocence for the State of Israel, and deepened the rift between secular and religious Jews over the Land. The tragedy, though, also brought into light the seriousness of the growing divide among Jews over the issue, previously left hidden in the shadows. As we stood as a group in Rabin Square to honor one of Israel's fallen leaders, our experience here culminated with a moving reading by our young adult members focusing on thoughts and feelings of and about Rabin, the man, and of the peace he envisioned.
From Rabin Square it was a quick trip on the bus to Independence Hall, where at 4:00 pm on Friday, May 14, 1948, David Ben Gurion declared the Jewish State in the land of Israel. It initially brought to mind our own Independence Hall in Philadelphia where the Declaration of Independence was signed, also at the brink of certain war, but a much stronger connection to us a Jews quickly became apparent. The room itself is not very large, and is fairly simple and unadorned, but the sight of it invoked in many of us the emotions of that historic day that established a modern homeland for Jews in the land given to us as a people by Hashem in biblical times. At the front of the room, a large and familiar portrait of Theodore Herzel, the father of modern Zionism, is flanked by two large Israeli flags, draped from floor to ceiling on both sides. All around the room are beautiful paintings from leading Jewish artists, including the most famous, Marc Chagall. Due to our late arrival, we missed the official film, but our guide did a wonderful job explaining the historical and political circumstances leading up to the event and the participants who were present that day in the very room in which we were sitting. Then, as though we were transported back in time almost 60 years, we had the privilege of hearing for ourselves a recording in Hebrew of David Ben Gurion's actual declaration of the Jewish State, followed by the Rabbi reciting Shehechiyanu, and the orchestra playing Hatikva. Being able to understand enough of the Hebrew, I was personally moved to tears upon hearing the words in his own voice, and was not alone among our group (and certainly not by the time Hatikva began to play). It was a moment for all of us to reflect and appreciate with joy and pride for Israel and the Jewish people.
Upon leaving the inspiring experience at Independence Hall, we went to Nachalat Binyamin, the open air crafts market, for a bit of lunch and shopping. It was my favourite shopping stop so far, as all of the vendors were artists, showing their own beautiful work (way too short a time to appreciate and shop). My family ate in a small kosher meat restaurant where none of the staff spoke English, so we did our best in Hebrew, making out Corned Beef, Schnitzel, and Chips on the menu, and stuck with those standard items (fyi -"ketchup" is apparently a universal term, but beware of the really spicy mustard that also mysteriously appeared on our sandwiches). Billy didn't eat much for lunch, but we were just thrilled that he was feeling a bit better and made it to Tel Aviv, after he, Cindy Lipper and a few others with milder cases, were struck down by the "plague" in Jerusalem, and were out of commission for a few days.
On another personal note, our family was also trying to hook up with John's cousin, a law professor from the States, who was coincidentally flying into Tel Aviv that very day to lecture at a conference later in the week, but unfortunately the timing didn't work out for a quick reunion due to our very limited time in the city. As we walked around the city, it struck us that for much of the world, it was Christmas Day, and all that it implies, but you would never have known it, being in Israel.
Then we were back on the bus heading toward the port city of Jaffa along Ben Yehuda Street (we were already familiar with Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem, and now we were on this one in Tel Aviv). In addition to taking in the multi-era architecture throughout the city along the way, we learned that Ben Yehuda is honoured throughout Israel with streets named after him because he was responsible for reviving Hebrew as the modern spoken language of the Jewish people, and that he was instrumental in establishing it as the official language of Israel. Because Hebrew was until then an ancient language, Ben Yehuda had to invent many new words to reflect the modern world in which it would be used, and thus he wrote the first modern Hebrew/English dictionary.
We stopped briefly to see the new Boardwalk area of Tel Aviv, and got to walk along a short stretch of shore on the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. Aside from the sea itself, and the overabundance of stray cats to entertain the kids on the boardwalk, the highlight for most on this stop was some creamy, chocolate indulgence, hot or cold, at the Max Brenner café. We couldn't resist, and brought home chocolate malted shake mix, too.
Before heading back to Jerusalem, we took a quick bus tour of Jaffa, the 4000 year old port city on the Mediterranean Sea, still a critical port location in Israel. As we drove through the narrow, crowded neighborhoods, Lyana explained that it was an Arab city for many centuries, but it became clear as Tel Aviv was growing and expanding, that a Jewish presence was needed in Jaffa to control the port. Today, while Tel Aviv is a Jewish city, Jaffa is mixed with both Arabs and Jews.
As we said "Shalom" to Tel Aviv-Yafo, and travelled north for a bit along the coast, the clouds broke briefly and we could see the beginnings of a beautiful orange sunset. In response to our pleas, Adi stopped the bus for a minute and we all scrambled with our cameras to climb to the highest point to catch a glimpse of it, but alas, it was a fleeting moment, missed by all but the swiftest of us (best I could tell, Evan Siegel got the best shot, and was unofficially dubbed the Beth Sholom Israeli sunset photographer). Though lasting only a moment, the hint of brilliance as the sun dipped down from the clouds toward the beautiful Mediterranean Sea was an exquisite end to another wonderful, jam-packed, memorable day in Israel.
We can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store (oh, and it's laundry day, too - yea!).
A Full but happy bus!
First dinner in Tiberias at Decks
How's this for a welcome --just for TBS!!
At the shuk
Gila leads the davening at our TBS Bar/Bat Mitzvah minyan at the Kotel Hamesorati
a night out with hamburger's at Norman's
Jonathan Sherman has an aliyah at the kotel]]>http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry071224-1132362007-12-24T00:00:00Z2007-12-24T00:00:00Z2007 TBS Israel Trip Joining on this trip are:
Carolyn, John, William and Beth Canova Paula, Michael, Jessica and Ilana Margulis Andrew Finkelstein, Linda Lebovitz, David Finkelstein and Joanna Finkelstein Alice and Kenneth Jacoby Howard, Meg, Zachary and Danielle Kahn Ronni Kaplan Susan, Gil, Carrie and Cindy Lipper Rabbi Alan and Edy Lucas Marvin and Harriet Rosen Stacey, Fred and Hannah Rosen Antonie Samuels Lisa and Jim Schlesinger Debra, Gary and Tsvi Weil Nancy and Jacob Weiss Mindy, Jay, Jonathan and Andrew Sherman Wendy, Scott, Evan and Noah Siegel Ellen and Melissa Walk Gila Hadani Ward and Eddie Ward
Our Itinerary TEMPLE BETH SHOLOM
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2007 Welcome to Israel ! Meeting and assistance inside the arrivals hall of Ben Gurion International Airport. (El Al 002). Meet with your guide, Lyana Rotstein.
Your main luggage will be brought directly to Jerusalem. Be sure to keep your overnight bag with you (with all clothing and personal belongings that you’ll need until tomorrows arrival in Jerusalem)
Drive along the Mediterranean Coast to the town of Zichron Yaakov. The town was founded in 1883 by Baron Edmond James De Rothschild. Zichron Yaakov gained notoriety during World War One for the establishment of the Nili spy ring by Sarah Aaronsohn, her brothers and a friend. They volunteered to spy on Ottoman positions and report them to British agents offshore. In September 1917, the Ottomans caught one of Sarah's carrier pigeons and cracked the Nili code. In October, the Turks surrounded the town and arrested Sarah and several others. A special visit to their home has been arranged for you this afternoon. After this stop, it’s through the Galilee to Tiberias. Arrival to your hotel for check in. 8.00pm - Enjoy dinner at the Decks Restaurant, overlooking the Sea of Galilee Overnight: Sheraton Hotel, Tiberias
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2007 Early buffet breakfast and check out of your hotel. 8.00am – Departure from the hotel. A short drive brings us to the town of Safed. Wandering through the lanes and alleyways of Safed today, you may be struck its simple beauty. It is this beauty which inspires the many artists who have settled here during the last decades and have turned Safed into a center of Israeli art. Some of the greatest scholars, spiritual leaders and religious thinkers of the Jewish world, were drawn to this small Galilean village. From Safed, we head south, driving along the shores of the Jordan River, through the Jordan Valley. After passing the ancient city of Jericho, start the climb to the Golden city of Jerusalem Arrival and check in to your hotel. This evening, celebrate our group Kabbalat Shabbat and Traditional Friday night dinner at nearby Beit Shalom. Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2007 Buffet breakfast This morning enjoy visits to various shuls and have a taste of the wide variety of religious experiences available in Jerusalem. From Sephardic to Masorti to an Orthodox minyan that tries to incorporate women. This afternoon will be at leisure to enjoy the special atmosphere of Jerusalem. 11.00am – 1.30pm – Explore with Lyana the Jewish roots of Christianity. Walk to the Old City via the Jaffa Gate. Visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Proceed to Mount Zion to the traditional Tomb of King David and the room of the Last Supper before returning to our hotel. 4.00pm – A seudah Shlisheet and program has been arranged for you at the Fuchsberg Center for Conservative Judaism. We will also have Havdalah at the Fuchsberg Center and then spend a night on the town! Enjoy a walking tour to the Citadel of David at the Jaffa Gate. Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2007 Buffet breakfast
We will begin the day by visiting our “Partner” school, Yad HaMoreh. We will see first-hand the amazing work it does and how the connection of our TBS students and families to both the school and to Israel is strengthened through the Partnership 2000 (P2K) program. This will also give us the chance to see the Israeli educational system up close and to look at its challenges and opportunities.
An unforgettable day awaits us as we board the bus and proceed to the City of David. Explore the new excavations at this exciting site, and walk through the Warren’s Shaft. From here we proceed back into the Old City through the Dung Gate. Visit the Southern Excavations. Enjoy a “Jewish Quarter fast lunch) with some time for shopping and exploring the area.. Explore the Jewish Quarter before we head over to the “Quarter’s coffee house” for dinner. After dinner we have a special visit and tour through the Western Wall Rabbinical Tunnels. Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem
MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2007 Buffet breakfast 8.00am - We gather together at the Kotel for services This morning partake in a tsedaka project with Rabbi Lucas. Then it’s on to the hustling Machane Yehuda marketplace and a quick lunch. This afternoon we visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s newly reopened and updated memorial to the Jewish Holocaust victims. This evening will be free to visit friends, family or take in one of the great restaurants that we can recommend to you. Overnight: Inbal hotel, Jerusalem
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2007 Buffet breakfast In less than an hour, we drive from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv is where the action is in Israel. The Mediterranean beaches are clean and white, the sea warm (not necessarily in December), the nightclubs hopping, the shopping plentiful and the restaurants appetizing. Begin the day at Independence Hall, where David Ben Gurion proclaimed the State of Israel in 1948. Drive along Rothschild Blvd. There are over 5000 Bauhaus buildings, the largest number in any one city in the world; a fact that led UNESCO to recognize it as a “World Heritage Site." Tel Aviv is also known as, "The white city", named so in account of the bright colors of the building style: white, off-white, light yellow. On to Rabin Square, the large public square in front of Tel Aviv’s city hall, where, in November 1995 Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated. Enjoy a visit to Nachalat Binyamin, Tel Aviv’s twice a week pedestrian mall. We will then head back up to Jerusalem for an evening at leisure. Overnight; Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2007 Buffet breakfast The dress code today is worn and rugged. This morning we drive to Neot Kedumim, the Biblical landscape reserve of Israel. Our tour today will be based on the miracle of Chanuka (which we celebrated earlier this month) and the art of sheep-herding. From here, we proceed to Beit Guvrin for an opportunity to dig, sift and search through the underground tunnels and excavations with a professional archaeologist. Return to Jerusalem Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2007 Buffet breakfast Leave your locked luggage (with clear name tags attached) just outside your door. It will be collected and brought directly to Eilat. Only bring your valuables with you (passport, plane tickets, etc etc). This is a once in a lifetime day as after breakfast we head down to the Dead Sea. Drive through the Judean Desert eastwards until you reach the shores of the Sea. First stop will be Masada. For the adventurous prepare and enjoy the now famous “Lucasada” - you’ve never climbed Masada like this! (Unless you were on previous trips). You have to be in shape for this magnificent 2 ½ hour climb. For the slightly less adventurous, there will be an opportunity to meet us on top via the new cable car. After touring this mountaintop fortress, we continue driving south along the shores of the Dead Sea to Fata Morgana at Moshav Neot KaKikar. Enjoy a sumptuous desert lunch and have a peak at the amazing desert agriculture before the next leg of our journey – to the Red Sea port city of Eilat. Overnight: Queen of Sheba Hilton Hotel, Eilat
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2007 After breakfast, 9.00am – Meet your caravan of jeeps just outside the lobby of your hotel. (dress warmly as some of the jeeps are open) Proceed by jeep into the Eilat Mountains and Red Canyon. Visit the wadis of Shlomo, Rechavam, Yehoshafat and upper Shlomo. Enjoy an amazing view of 4 countries (Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia) from Mount Yoash. Walk through the Red Canyon before returning to your hotel. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure in Eilat. Evening Shabbat prayers will take place with Rabbi Lucas in the Eden Hall (12th floor) Shabbat dinner a private section of the Makeda hall (Lobby level) Overnight: Queen of Sheba Hilton Hotel, Eilat
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2007 Buffet breakfast Day at leisure in Eilat This evening enjoy a poolside Bar Be Que farewell dinner at the hotel (Ebony restaurant) For those traveling to Petra tomorrow, please settle any “extras” you may have billed to your room with the front desk this evening, as we are departing early in the morning. Overnight: Queen of Sheba Hilton Hotel, Eilat
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2007 Buffet breakfast
For those not traveling to Petra, you have a day to relax in Eilat. Check out time from your hotel room is at 12noon. (feel free to ask the front desk if they can allow you to keep your room for a bit longer – if they can, they will allow it). Keep your luggage with you – you will bring your luggage on the flight with you from Eilat to Ben Gurion Airport.
6.15pm – Departure from the Queen of Sheba Hilton hotel for Eilat airport Check in for your Israir charter flight from Eilat to Ben Gurion Airport (domestic terminal) 7.45pm – Israir charter flight 8.40pm – Arrival to Ben Gurion Airport (domestic terminal) Upon arrival to Ben Gurion airport, you will be met by our airport representative and transferred from the domestic terminal to the international terminal for check in for your flight home.
TOUR TO PETRA Sunday, December 30, 2007
Don’t forget your passports
6.00am – An early breakfast is waiting for you in the Makeda Hall (lobby floor) Check out of your room and leave your luggage (with a firmly attached name tag) packed and locked just outside your door. At 6.30am the hotel will collect these suitcases and store them in the security room. The next time you will see your luggage is at Ben Gurion Airport prior to checking in for your flight back home. We suggest you pack in your overnight bag and change of clothes for the flight home. You can leave the overnight bag in the hotel (at the front desk) or bring it to Petra.
6.30am – Departure from the hotel for the 5 minute drive to the Arava/Rabin border crossing. Following Israeli and Jordanian border formalities, meet our Jordanian guide, Mr Yousef Zureikat. Drive through the desert to the Bedouin town of Wadi Moussa. Enter the Nabatean capital of Petra. Walk thru the “Siq”, the immense crack in the sandstone. Near the end of the passage, take one last turn and out of the shadows appears Petra’s most impressive monument, el Khazneh – The Treasure. Beyond el Khazneh you are surrounded on both sides by hundreds of Petra’s carved and built structures. One should not forget that Petra is not only about the Nabataeans. Within a fifteen minute drive you have the 8000 year old excavated Stone Age village of Beidha and Basta, settlements of the biblical Edomites, not to mention the Tomb of Aaron, Moses’ brother. Enjoy before returning back to your hotel in Eilat.
10 rooms have been kept at the Queen of Sheba hotel for your convenience
6.15pm – Departure from the Queen of Sheba Hilton hotel for Eilat airport – HAVE PASSPORTS HANDY Check in for your Israir charter flight from Eilat to Ben Gurion Airport (domestic terminal) 7.45pm – Israir charter flight 8.40pm – Arrival to Ben Gurion Airport (domestic terminal) Upon arrival to Ben Gurion airport, you will be met by our airport representative and transferred from the domestic terminal to the international terminal for check in for your flight home.
]]>http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry071219-1816242007-12-19T00:00:00Z2007-12-19T00:00:00ZAll Good ThingsWell it is hard to believe that my time in Israel has come to a close -- what a wonderful and special time it was! The learning was at such an incredibly high level (some of you have requested that I share more details as to what exactly I have been studying -- so I have appended some class notes for those who are interested - at the end of this entry.
In addition to the learning, the hevra -- the remarkable collection of rabbis who are participating on this program is also quite special and we have much to learn from each other. So, great learning, a remarkable group of learners, and then throw Israel into the mix – and the time here has been too good to be true.
What a privilege to be in Israel – to drink in the sights and sounds of this remarkable land on a daily basis. The only thing that makes leaving possible is the knowledge that we are at the beginning of a journey together and not at the end. As I explained at the beginning of this blog – rather than take my Sabbatical in one extended period away from the congregation – I decided to use this Hartman Fellows Program which convenes every July for the next several years (with video conferencing from my office during the year etc.) This then becomes a real win/win – for the congregation, the intrusion of my being away is manageable – and for me, it is an opportunity to participate in this wonderful learning experience.
After our last classes this morning –and a concluding luncheon with a lot of hugs and promises to keep in touch (it really is remarkable how close a bond is formed through study) it was off to the city for some last few errands.
One last walk past my favorite bakery.
It has gotten VERY hot here in Jerusalem – and hot here in the Middle East is hot! This is coupled with a nation wide strike that has been called by Histadrut – the Labor Union to which almost all of Israel’s workers belong to. It is a crippling strike and expected to begin at the airport tomorrow at 6 AM. Guess when our flight back to NY is? 6:45 AM!
We called our airlines and they asked us to be at the airport at 2 AM because they hope to move up the flight to get out before the strike? Will Rabbi Lucas make it out before the strike? Will he be stranded at Ben Gurion airport – stay tuned for the dramatic conclusion of our show.
More than likely the strike will be settled – and even if not – we will probably get out before the deadline –so am I worried? Not at all.
So after a quick stop at Mahane Yehuda to pick up my favorite spices, and a stop at Meah Shearim to get some new tzitzit for a friend's tallit , it is back to the apartment for some last minute packing and then dinner with friends and off to the airport. I have so many wonderful stories to share with you over the next few weeks and months and I look forward to seeing you all in shul! Thanks for sharing our experience with us through this blog. See you soon!
Most of our classes were taught in this classroom - here is a picture of a class with Rabbi Donniel Hartman
And for those who asked -- here are some notes from a couple of our classes. I am not sure if you will be able to make much sense of them as you don't have the sources that we studied for hours before the lecture to prepare for the topic -- but it will still give you a feeling for what I have been doing. The first are notes from a class with David Hartman on "Foundations of Moral Obligation", the second is from a class with Moshe Halbertal on "Great Texts in Moral Philosphy" -- Enjoy! Rabbi David Hartman July 15, 2007 "Foundations of Moral Obligations"
Bereishit Rabbah, 24
Should be read: First Rabbi Akiva. Then Ben Azzai. Ben Azzai attacks Akiva.
Ben Azzai finds Rabbi Akiva’s klal limited. Is it an extension of self love or is it an extension of humanity? L’rayecha—refers to behavior. What you would want done to you, do to him. Ben Azzai understands the neighbor to be you. What if you have self-hate? If it’s an extension of you, not a good source to build an ethic. But could be, “he is like you—a representative of the human condition.”
“Don’t talk about what you yourself have not experienced. Stay with this nebuch religion called Judaism.”
This awareness of particular and universal—question is what happened to the God of Creation when He went to Sinai? Fundamental philosophical issue is what happened to God? God wants to destroy world and then falls in love with Abraham and becomes a bloody, tribal God. We take God out of universal role and give him family role. That’s why Genesis is a family story.
Personhood of God by Yohanan Muffs. Psycho-dynamic study of God. Most tragic pasuk in Bereishit: Lo osif l’kaleil et ha-adam… ki yetzer ha-adam. “You just found out the people are that way? You created them!” Heschel: All those who can’t understand God’s emotion in the Bible can’t understand the Bible. In beginning God brought great expectations and then lowered the expectations. God is learning on the job. Maturing as he goes along. Humanity of God is only thing Bible gives us. What type of religious life does Rambam want? Love is based on knowledge and you can’t have knowledge.
“Ehyeh asher ehyeh…” I am in process. Who God is is still unfolding. Have we exhausted all images of God. Ehyeh says you haven’t.
Most serious theological issue you have to face is transition from Genesis to Exodus. From God who understands Sarah’s pain to warrior God who takes on kingdom of Egypt. So they’ll know I am God. How will they know it? Through my power. Hazal understood that you cannot build theology on divine triumphalism. So they have to make new and different meanings of it. Most crucial issue in modern Judaism is issue of siddur. Whole siddur has to be re-thought. How can we say the same things after Holocaust that we said before? Have to rethink religious language.
Are Jews at Sinai b’nai noach? If so, re’eicha include ben noach. But if not, question becomes who is re’eicha. (Read article by Akiva Simon from previous booklet)
(DH says: Read Hilkhot Rotzeich)
“I separated you from world so you could be Mine.” What does that mean?
“Those who hate God, I hate.”—issue of where do you draw lines. 13:13. Mitzvah to hate him. But Rambam is prepared to see person not just by his actions but by his beliefs. If you believe right you’re OK.
(But this has changed. Now essence is on religious behavior. This is why people aren’t up in arms about Habad. So they believe he’s the messiah? So what. They keep kosher.)
Hilkhot Avel, 14:2
Ben Zoma says getting it right re: God, is enough. That’s why he says Sh’ma Yisrael.
[Problem in our communities is that they’re disconnected from Torah. ]
AKIVA Foundations of morality are normative connections in a community. For Rambam, re’eicha is someone you know. You learn to become an ethical person by living with your neighbor. That’s foundation out of which you build the ethical. Meeting with re’eicha Biggest problem of being rabbi is that you sacrifice your family for the congregation. Must demythologize the rabbi. There’s no role. You’re just a teacher. You’re a shnooky teacher. Start learning to be ethical by starting to learn to listen to your children. Before you embrace Darfur, there are children in your home who need your love. Ethics of intimacy. Relational intimacy creates ethical personality. There is a running away from intimacy so we gravitate to abstract ideas. But we need to focus on logic of intimacy. Election of Israel can be understood by this logic. You don’t make love to a universal woman. You make love to a particular person. Cannot be intimacy without particularity. Rabbi Akiva challenges you to enter into a love relationship based on intimacy.
Ben Azzai wants you to transcend the personal. See the world through God’s eyes. He doesn’t trust individual and wants powerful corrective—every human being is beloved by God. For him this is the ground to build ethical world.
When Rambam talks about love he talks about love in behavioral terms.
[? About Akiva—how can he leave his wife for so long? DH answers: Not just him. She wanted him to achieve as well. Takes 2 to tango.]
[Hagadah: Shfoch hamatcha and then 5 minutes later we say Nishmat kol chai]
Danger of intense relationships is that they can become either avenues of embracing world or avenues of distancing self from world. Intimacy becomes possessive. When child says, “Mommy do you love me?” Doesn’t want to hear, “I love all my children.” Wants to know that he in his particularity is loved.
Ben Azzai’s teaching is important because it’s the corrective for the dark side of intimacy.
Rambam, Hilkhot Avadim
Labor must be meaningful. Your creative process is not who you are. These halakhot give you a refined sense of what the relationship is.
But then you get to chapter 9, 8 Halakha allows it but compassion and reason want you to behave differently. What a critique of halakha! Halakha doesn’t include these things? Din is not midat hasidut? Din is not rachamim? This shows us that halakhah is incomplete and inadequate. If midat hasidut wouldn’t allow this, how can din be this way? Look what he does: He poskins that way and then says “no” to it. Doesn’t allow Jew to be defined by halakha. But the Rambam fails. He doesn’t overturn the law. Why doesn’t he? What were the constraints? Why didn’t he? He’s bound by halakhic precedent. He can’t move beyond it. He is only able to offer alternative ways of dealing with it. [“That’s why I say that all the agunot should marry and flood Jerusalem with mamzerim!”] Then Rambam quotes Ben Azzai by quoting Job. I can’t act towards the Caananite slave in a certain way b/c of Job. Then he says cruelty is a pagan quality. Whole foundation here of your faith posture is how you act toward non-Jew. “The way we feel compassionate for every human-being defines our faith.” If you are connected to God then you cannot feel disconnected from any other being. Here the particular halakhah doesn’t manifest the heart of the tradition. Shimon says: This halakhah is Caananite. There are details of the system and then there is the overall gestalt, the spirit of it all, that is not always embodied in every detail.
Torah is supposed to create a certain kind of mensch. How does Torah shape an ethical personality. To be ben Torah is to manifest a certain kind of gestalt.
By doing it this way, Rambam accomplishes something amazing. He shows us his critique of system. Moshe Halbertal – Great Texts in Moral Philosophy
1. Aristotle – Nicomachean Ethics 2. Kant- Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals 3. Utilitarians- Mills (greatest good for greatest number, etc) 4. Nietzche- Genealogy of Morals (post-modern)
Study these systems and point to connections to Jewish thought and halacha Speculate about what halacha would say about some of their claims
Aristotle – overview of main arguments His conception of ethics- not about rules governing our behavior. His question is What sort of life is worthy of pursuing? Philosophy is a lifestyle. Cultivation of mood, habits, way to appear in the world. For Kant, moral philosophy is much more narrow, about rules of behavior.
In inquiring about what good life is about, accd to Aristotle, we think of the telos of human life is happiness (not the mental sensation of pleasure, which is of limited capacity in most of us and is a dead end b/c we get bored from things that give us pleasure and leads to self destruction) but rather happiness is finding activities which are an aim in and of themselves (not goal oriented). Happiness is this kind of well-being.
When we look at human actions- they are organized as aims. I.e. the art of training horses is an instrument for war. The act of war is an instrument of well being of police. The police are instruments for the well-being of the citizenry. There is a hierarchy of the aims.
When something is GOOD, it fulfills its function. A good car, is a comfortable, gets from point A to point B, smooth. So what is the function of being HUMAN? Then we can answer what a good human being.
Accd to Aristotle: There is an essence of a human being. Our mark is, as distinguished from other creatures, are our capacity to judge between good and bad and between true and false. The fulfillment of human life is to manifest that capacity in our lives: to live a life of reason, to be devoted to deepening that capacity for judgment and reason is the ultimate good. NOTE: category of duty/obligation is not present in Aristotle. Ethics is not about our capacity for self-denial, or sacrifice for others. Ethics is about developing what is most noble in us.
Description of character. Moral life is the training of the whole personality of a person. A moral action flows from one’s character- not the will imposing on one’s. Giving charity in a good human is not painful for him. Moral life is about character formation. Life watching a dancer do a complicated dance and it looks effortless, it flows from her. (MAIMONIDES struggles with this- he says ethical life is the imposition of the will over the instincts to respond to one’s obligation. For RMBM/halacha greatness in moral life is our ability, no matter our desire/feeling is to CONQUER our desires in the name of principles/duties.) What is character and what is project of character training for Aristotle?
1. Sensations- our capacity to experience pain or pleasure- raw, share this trait w/dogs
2. Emotions- are far more complex than sensations. Emotions are cognitive and propositional. If I am fearful, it is because I have a belief that there is a danger to me. And there is an attachment experienced by my fear- i.e. the thing I am afraid of is important to me. Differentiation of emotions is about the attachments associated with them. Fear is generated by an external attachment. Guilt is generated by an internal attachment, I feel I did something that makes me feel guilty.
RAMBAM- ethics as embodied by the WISE MAN as refuah hanefashot- therapeutic. Neurosis arises from wrong set of beliefs (overly worried that your car is not safe in the parking lot) or wrong set of attachments (stinginess as over-attachment to wealth).
Aristotle- there are proper attachments. Love is the more worthy of attachments. What is worthy of loving in the world? (Stoics pre-empt loss by removing attachment from everything out of your control- only thing we are in control of is our moral self.)
3. Dispositions- habit of experiencing a certain emotion. Way we make an emotion wired into our character.
If moral life is about character formation, construction of virtues, and not about constructing rules of behavior, then what is character? Do we have a full picture of what a person of character should look like? What are his virtues? Moods? Dispositions?
There is a religious mood that tends toward melancholy. Happiness is seen as form of boundary expansion/release. And so you need to control frivolity. However, too much depression can cause a person to suffer from apathy. Interesting what Chasidut did to counteract/react this mood- on the other end of spectrum.
Aristotle attacks the virtue of humility (anavah) seriously.
Modern history of Zionism- many issues that we talk about- One that we don’t always talk about is attack on Jewish masculinity of old. Character of Israeli man is not Woody Allen. Macho culture. Assertiveness, emotional responses, way he walks, talks, posture all reflects this.
Clash between duty and overcoming inclination/flaw of self – is part of Jewish ethics Not part of Aristotle’s concept.
What is our ideal character in Judaism? What is our set of ideal virtues? Differentiation between nobility and piety. Cultivation of civic virtue in Aristotle- versus other worldliness (how difficult civic virtue/acculturation within a Jewish culture which is always suspect/outside of the norms.) Another clash between Aristotle and Judaism Golden mean (formulated also by RAMBAM) – there is a middle ground between every extreme. Courage is someone who takes risk for the proper goal. But not an impetuous risk taker and not a person paralyzed from taking a risk for a vital concern. Generosity is the middle ground between overspending and stinginess. Tempered person is the middle between apathetic and gluttonous.
[Problem for Aristotle is that the Golden mean is somewhat subjective. The virtuous path may not be courageous, maybe courageous is the extreme to fearful and cautious is the middle ground.]
If the mean is a rule of thumb is the proper way, then what do you do with a category like piety? What is piety if it is not about going above and beyond? Chassid is an extremist- a religious bohemian reacting against the religious bourgeois. Are they not virtuous? ]]>http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry070725-0922592007-07-25T00:00:00Z2007-07-25T00:00:00Z
The classes continue to go well and each one is a new opportunity to explore new ideas with wonderful scholars. In the course of the week I studied with Melila Hellner-Eshed on "Ways of Remembering Sinai" and Rachel Korazim on "Holocaust Narratives and their Impact on Contemporary Jewish Identities." Rani Jaeger led a fascinating session on "Megilat Ha'azmaut (The Israeli Declaration of Independence): The Construction and Deconstruction of the Israeli Narrative". Doniel Hartman gave a wonderful lesson on "The Rabbinic Narratives of God and in the afternoons I studied with Moshe Halbertal four sessions on "Law and Narrative in the Talmud." And these are just the day sessions -- our evenings have been filled with a lecture by Doniel Hartman on "Yom Hashoah and Yom Hazikaron -- Competing Foundational Narratives for Understanding Modern Israel." And anther night we saw the movie "Beaufort" and were led in a conversation by Stuart Schoffman - film critic and journalist. 
We had a wonderful conversation with Rabbi Ed Feinstein of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, California on some of the challenges facing the contemporary American synagogue -- such as how to change a crowd of people into a community. I think some of his ideas jive very nicely with the initiatives we are taking with our Legacy Heritage Grant/ Mentors program that Gila is developing and I suspect you will hear much more about this on the High Holy Days.
Hartman's topic was: Abraham and Moses as the key to understanding Maimodean philosophy. He opened with a few introductory remarks and then we studied from 8:45 am to 10:30 in hevruta. Hevruta for those who have never experienced it, is a unique form of traditional Jewish study -- perfected over the ages. It is two (or more) people who wrestle with a text by studying it in dialogue with each other. Yesterday my hevrutot partners were Rabbi Neil Zuckerman from White Plains and formerly our TBS intern, Rabbi David Steinhardt of B'nai Torah in Boca Raton and Rabbi Neil Cooper of Beth Hillel-Beth El in Wynnwood, PA. We studied sources form Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed and his Mishneh Torah.
And what an evening it was. We were treated to a most unusual experience at a unique dinner theater called Nalaga'at -- which is Hebrew for "Please touch!" There are two restaurants on the premise one is called Café Kapish, where we ate, that is fully staffed by deaf waiters and waitresses and the other is called "Blackout" which is a pitch black room where you order and are served dinner by blind waiters and waitresses. The challenge is to get you out of your world and give you a sense of the world that those who are deaf and blind live in. Following dinner we saw a fascinating play entitled "Not by bread alone…" where all the actors are either blind, deaf or both!
Tonight we are invited for dinner at Rabbi Doniel Hartman's house, tomorrow I am walking with a friend to Services in the Old City - lest you think I am taking things too easy here -- we are meeting at 7:45 AM for our walk to shul -- so no complaints from those of you who come waltzing in after 10!
