Temple Beth Sholom - Rabbi Lucas' Israel Sabbatical Blog
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Greetings from Jerusalem! Summer 2010
http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100709-031300
It is such a privilege to be here in Yerushalayim!
This is the completion of a journey that began 5 summers ago!
I had a sabbatical coming that I could not find a way to take. Three months to renew my rabbinate and refresh my learning – had been included in my contract and I found people very encouraging – but comments went something like this: “Oh rabbi, I know how much you will benefit from some time to recharge your batteries, but --- make sure you are here for my son’s wedding…or my daughter’s bat mitzvah!” And then I discovered the Rabbinic Leadership Institute at the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem that offers a variety of learning opportunities for rabbis of all denominations from all over the world with some of the finest scholars in Judaism. So I came on my vacation in the summer of 2006 for two weeks to check out their RTI – Rabbinic Training Institute which is open every summer to hundreds of rabbis from around the globe. I fell in love – with the learning, the place, the people and I applied to their prestigious Fellowship program that accepts an elite group of 27 or so rabbis once every three years to an intense program of study and fellowship.
And then in the summer of 2007 I began a three year journey that brought me to Jerusalem every July for three years. In addition I came for one week in February and on 22 Mondays I participated in video conference learning from my office – where all 27 of us joined form our offices with our teachers in Jerusalem. The timing fit perfectly into my schedule and the rhythm of my life at Beth Sholom. And, now this summer we came to participate in a tekes siyyum – a graduation ceremony where we would be awarded the title of Senior Fellows of the Hartman Institute. It was a moving ceremony that included Natan Sharansky as the honored speaker. I was proud to be chosen as a speaker to present comments on behalf of our class of 27 rabbis.
We have also been busy with our usual regimen of study here at Hartman that begins early on the morning and continues till late at night. This year the theme is: Engaging Israel: Jewish Values & the Dilemmas of Nationhood. We are wrestling with the issues that confront all of us who care about Israel and the challenges she faces in a hostile world. We study and argue over the meaning of Israel, the challenges of Israel and the unique relationship and responsibilities that we have as American Jews.
Our courses include: Legal and Moral Dilemmas in Countering Terrorism: An Insider’s View taught by Tal Becker an International Associate at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a member of the Hartman Institute's Engaging Israel Project. From 2006-2009 he served as senior policy advisor to Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs and was a lead negotiator in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations during the Annapolis peace process. He has represented Israel in a wide variety of bilateral and multilateral negotiations, and served as director of the International Law Department at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, as counsel to Israel's UN Mission in New York, and as an international law expert in the Military Advocate General's Corps of the Israel Defense Forces. We have studied with Rachel Korazim, David Hartman, Michah Goodman – an incredible young scholar who is doing remarkable things here in Israel. We have discussed such issues like: The Value of Peoplehood, The Question of Sovereignty – that go to the very core of what this place is and what it is trying to be.
While study is most of what I am doing here we are also here in Jerusalem, catching up with old friends – soaking in the sights and sounds of this remarkable city. Last night we went to the opening of the Jerusalem Film Festival which featured an incredible French Film- La Rafle – about the roundup of Jews in Paris in 1942. It is a powerful movie but was even more remarkable to watch it while sitting in the midst of thousands of other Israelis – outdoors under a beautiful clear and cool Jerusalem night at Sultan’s Pool outside the walls of the Old City. One of the special moments was when they introduced the producer, writer and some of the actors – and the screenwriter explained how they felt about screening this movie in Jerusalem – and how everything in the story was true with the exception of one conversation she felt she needed to add. At a poignant moment, right before the Jews were herded onto the trains that would take them to their deaths – there is a brief conversation between two of the leading actors over where their salvation will come from. One suggests that Jewish salvation will come from the communist revolution, “Ah a Bolshevik!” says the other. And then he replies that what we need is our own country, where Jews can defend themselves! “Ah a Zionist,” says the other. But to watch that movie, in this place – surrounded by thousands of Jews who had built a country – a place where Jews could defend themselves. Well, it was truly a remarkable movie. When that very sad movie was over, we were in Israel. So many had died – and we were alive, in Jerusalem – in a vital and vibrant country – truly remarkable.
Tonight is Shabbat. Nothing in the world better than Shabbat in Yerushalayim. The plan is to take a walk after dinner – to visit the Hasidic shuls in Meah Shearim – to “tisch hop” -- go from one Rebbe Tisch to another. These get togethers take place late (near midnight) on Shabbat – when the Hasidim gather to be near their particular rebbe – to learn from him but more importantly to imbibe his presence. It should be quite an experience – hundreds (thousands?) of Hasidim in a room with their revered rebbe – singing, dancing. I will be sure to let you know how it goes.
Until then – warm wishes of Shabbat Shalom from Edy and me from Jerusalem!
PS -- after three weeks in Jerusalem -- my still pale skin is ample proof that I have been spending most of my time in doors studying.
PPS I want to thank my good friend and colleague Rabbi Steve Moskowitz of Old Brookville for the use of his Flip Video.]]>Mt. of Olives Tiyul
http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090721-045635
tiyul (hike) from the top of Har Hazeitim (Mt of Olives). We met there at 7:00 AM which necessitated going to a 5:45 AM minyan! You can find a minyan here at almost any time you want. It was a wonderful walk from the top of the Mt. of Olives down to the Valley of Jehosephat and then up to the Dung Gate entrance to the Old City.
Here is a picture we took of the 25 or so Rabbinic Fellows who have been studying together for the last few years:
]]>Shabbat in Jerusalem
http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090719-135349
Clearly one of the highlights of the past week was Jessica Barnoy’s Bat Mitzvah aliyah at the kotel. Jessica was outstanding – she led the davening and chanted beautifully from the Torah. Those of you who traveled with me to Israel may remember the spot that we had our Service at what is being called Hakotel Hamesorati that is located at Robinson’s Arch – it was a wonderful Service and a wonderful simcha.
The program at Hartman continues to occupy ALL of my time. The subject for this past week has been “Pluralism and Diversity and their Limits”. We have studied Jewish sources and had many extensive conversations on the subject of Boundaries and the Limits of Tolerance. Our readings have been as diverse as the Tamlud and Tosefta and of course of the Bible, to contemporary Israeli poets, William James, Charles Taylor and Erich Fromm.
Our faculty is equally diverse. We have studied with Dr. Noam Zohar a professor of Jewish Philosophy at Bar-Ilan University, Rabbi Dov Linzer the Rosh Yeshiva and Den of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School, Rachel Korazim a Jewish educational consultant and one of the leading educator on Israeli literature, Ori Goldberg who recently received his PhD from Tel Aviv University School of History – he is interested in religious thought and it role in shaping global culture and politics. With Ori we studied Shia texts on diversity. And the list goes on and on.
Of course all of this is going on against the backdrop of what is happening here in Israel. I don’t know how much the media has been covering it in the states but here in Israel there has been a lot of tension between the very right wing segment off the Hareidi Ultra-Orthodox community in Mea Shearim who have been rioting and demonstrating against the police and local government.
Last Thursday night we were invited to the home of Professor Jacob Milgrom who is a scholar and professor emeritus in the field of Biblical Studies at the University of California. He is most known for his research on the book of Leviticus and the purity regulations of the Torah. He is also the father of fellow Hartman Rabbinic Fellow Rabbi Shira Milgrom. Prof Milgrom who is now 86 years old and his wife Jo who is an accomplished artist live in a remarkable home in Jerusalem. We were invited into their home for a lovely evening.
You can see Prof Milgrom addressing us in his living room and his wife's artwork on the walls. She is quite a controversial artist using religious artifacts in very provocative ways.
We had a wonderful conversation on the subject of "how do you lead a life of faith and combine it with a critical understanding of Judaism?"
His wife has been involved in a wonderful project of collecting artistic representations of Biblical themes and making them available for educational purposes on the internet -- you can check out her work at: http://www.tali-virtualmidrash.org.il/A ... px?art=497
Friday was a day to get ready for Shabbat. There is nothing better than Shabbat in Jerusalem - the sounds and smells. We visited our favorite bakery to buy challot and rugelach:
We went to our favorite place to buy ready made foods for Shabbat. The owner Eli makes you taste everything before he lets you buy so by the time you leave you not only have purchased food for Shabbat but taken care of lunch on Friday!
I davened in no less than 5! shuls during the course of Shabbat. Friday night we davened at Shira Hadasha with its wonderfully spirited davening, Saturday morning we davened at the Hildesheimer Shul -- a local small shul in the neighborhood that I have been attending daily at 5 PM we attended a lecture at the Ramban synagogue at 7:20 we went to Mincha back at the Hildesheimer Synagogue and at 8:30 I went to Ma'ariv at the Yehuda HaLevi Synagogue right near our apartment. None of these were more than a 10-15 minute walk.
There is so much more to tell you -- but the hour is late and tomorrow is another full day -- but I did want to try and keep you informed of what was happening here.
I understand that things have been going beautifully back home and I have gotten great reports about the davening on Shabbat. Yashar Koach to Norma Grill and David Rosenthal for leading Services this past Shabbat as well as Moshe Ostad reading Torah and Warren Rubin doing the Haftarah and to Beatrice Karten and Saul Waxman the week before with Madeline Yousefzadeh reading Torah and David Wasserman doing Haftarah -- it is great to know that the shul is in such good hands while I am away!]]>Crisis and Uncertainty: Paradigms of Response
http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090712-135747
What a remarkable experience to see your baby having a baby. To see your daughter responding with love and maturity to the demands of a new life. It is hard to know where to look first at the baby or at the mother – both are an incredible cause for amazement and thanksgiving. We are grateful that our grandson is healthy and well. We are grateful that mother and father are fine and blessed with everything they require to raise our grandson well. We are truly blessed.
And now we are in Israel – studying at the Hartman Institute. I am participating in the Rabbinic Torah Study Seminar, which has as its subtitle: “Foundations for a Thoughtful Judaism.”
The topic for this summer is: Crisis and Uncertainty: Paradigms of Response.
It has indeed been an amazing year and many of us have “felt the ground moving under our feet” – this year it became almost an earthquake. There is an uncertainly and vulnerability in the world that many of us have never experienced before. Things look very different this summer than they did just one year ago – and the future looks much more challenging for us as individuals and for our institutions than it did just a year ago.
As a result our teachers at Hartman decided to focus our learning this summer on how our tradition responds to crisis and uncertainty. Rabbi David Hartman gave an opening lecture entitled: “The Contingent Feature of the Jewish View of History.” A religious person is tempted to believe that everything that happens is ultimately part of God’s plan. David Hartman showed that is not the only religious response to crisis and that our sacred sources have other complex ways to respond to history – not only by ascribing everything to God’s will. Sometimes it is very much the absence of God that is experienced in the things that happen to us.
In dealing with crisis we recognize that there is personal crisis and national crisis – and while they are very different in some ways – they are also very similar in the responses they demand from each of us.
We have sessions with colleagues from around the country where we speak about our own sense of how each of us is experiencing: “The ground moving under our feet” – there is a comfort in knowing that others are experiencing what you are experiencing and a wisdom that comes from sharing.
On Tuesday and Wednesday Rabbi Donniel Hartman gave a two-part shiur (lesson) on “Ethical Responses to Uncertainty.”
On Tuesday evening we met with the new mayor of Jerusalem Nir Birkat and were briefed on the challenges and opportunities he sees for this most unusual of cities.
Last night we had a most remarkable lecture presented by one of my favorite scholars here at the Hartman Institute, Dr. Michah Goodman – that was titled: “Personal Crisis and Theological Audacity – Job and the Rabbis” It was one of the most incredible presentations on the book of Job that I ever heard. I am sure you will hear much about this in the months to come.
This morning, Thursday July 9 our study session is led by Dr. Melila Hellner-Eshed whose expertise is mystical literature and poetry. We studied Midrashic, Zoharic, and Hasidic strategies for surviving and transforming crisis. We read sections of the Zohar and sermons delivered in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Nazi occupation by Kalonymus Kalman Shapira the Rebbe of Piaseczno. We studied poems by the contemporary Israeli poets Zelda and Yehuda Amichai as well as one poem written after the war in 1945 by a polish Jew, called “The Bridge” – it goes as follows:
THE BRIDGE Leopold Staff
I didn’t believe, Standing on the bank of a river Which was wide and swift, That I would cross that bridge Plaited from thin, fragile reeds Fastened with bast.
I walked delicately as a butterfly And heavily as an elephant, I walked surely as a dancer And wavered like a blind man. I didn’t believe that I would cross that bridge, And now that I am standing on the other side, I don’t believe I crossed it.
]]>First thoughts from Israel- Summer 09
http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry090709-010753
It is also nice to be back at the Hartman Institute – surrounded by good friends who have become very close friends over the course of this three year experience. By now we have spent several summers together, several winter trips together and shared our videoconferences on Mondays for three years. We know each others joys and challenges and the hugs and kisses are much more than gestures they are signs of real caring and concern.
It is great to be learning once again. The program at Hartman is indeed a strenuous one. One of the reasons it has taken me so long to get to my blog is that they keep us going from early morning to late at night. It is hard in the midst of all the hustle and bustle just to find a moment to sit and reflect. Minyan begins at 6:30 AM – (and I used to grumble about our 6:45 start at TBS!) I have been experimenting with a few synagogues in the neighborhood and I think I have settled on a minyan that is conducted at the Yehudah HaLevi school that is literally outside the front door of our apartment. It is not only convenient but known for its speed – not always the most appealing of prayer attributes but at 6:30 AM not an unwelcome feature of the davening.
By 8:30 we are in our seats and ready to begin our morning shiur – the professor for the day preps us with leading questions and then we spend the morning in hevruta – studying the prepared texts from the Bible, Talmud, Medieval commentators etc. in small groups. My group usually consists of Rabbi Neil Zuckerman who is a rabbi in Potomac, MD (formally a TBS rabbinic intern), Rabbi Vernon Kurtz a rabbi in Highland Park, IL, Rabbi Sam Kieffer a rabbi in Miami, FL. (his father was a long time rabbi at Old Westbury Hebrew Cong.) With a break for lunch our studies and lectures continue throughout the day. We break at around 4 and resume with dinner at 6 and this is usually followed by an evening program that concludes around 9 PM. This leaves us time for a walk to Emek Refaim – the main restaurant drag – for ice cream, a walk back to our apartment and some welcome sleep before we repeat it all the next day.
I promise to try and keep you informed on what is happening – but as I said – my schedule does not allow for a lot of down time and I will do my best. I am writing this on Thursday morning after Services and before I leave for classes. I will post this and I hope to update it a little later. At that time I will try and fill you in on the topic for this summer and the subject of our studies.
Until then – all our love from eretz yisrael. ]]>Wrapping things up...
http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080724-034329
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. ]]>So much to share
http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080718-094230
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. ]]>I hope you believe me...
http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080714-072831
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.]]>Shabbat Shalom!
http://www.bethsholom.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry080704-083258
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. ]]>
And then in the summer of 2007 I began a three year journey that brought me to Jerusalem every July for three years. In addition I came for one week in February and on 22 Mondays I participated in video conference learning from my office – where all 27 of us joined form our offices with our teachers in Jerusalem. The timing fit perfectly into my schedule and the rhythm of my life at Beth Sholom. And, now this summer we came to participate in a tekes siyyum – a graduation ceremony where we would be awarded the title of Senior Fellows of the Hartman Institute. It was a moving ceremony that included Natan Sharansky as the honored speaker. I was proud to be chosen as a speaker to present comments on behalf of our class of 27 rabbis. 
Our courses include: Legal and Moral Dilemmas in Countering Terrorism: An Insider’s View taught by Tal Becker an International Associate at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a member of the Hartman Institute's Engaging Israel Project. From 2006-2009 he served as senior policy advisor to Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs and was a lead negotiator in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations during the Annapolis peace process. He has represented Israel in a wide variety of bilateral and multilateral negotiations, and served as director of the International Law Department at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, as counsel to Israel's UN Mission in New York, and as an international law expert in the Military Advocate General's Corps of the Israel Defense Forces. We have studied with Rachel Korazim, David Hartman, Michah Goodman – an incredible young scholar who is doing remarkable things here in Israel. We have discussed such issues like: The Value of Peoplehood, The Question of Sovereignty – that go to the very core of what this place is and what it is trying to be. 
While study is most of what I am doing here we are also here in Jerusalem, catching up with old friends – soaking in the sights and sounds of this remarkable city. Last night we went to the opening of the Jerusalem Film Festival which featured an incredible French Film- La Rafle – about the roundup of Jews in Paris in 1942. It is a powerful movie but was even more remarkable to watch it while sitting in the midst of thousands of other Israelis – outdoors under a beautiful clear and cool Jerusalem night at Sultan’s Pool outside the walls of the Old City. One of the special moments was when they introduced the producer, writer and some of the actors – and the screenwriter explained how they felt about screening this movie in Jerusalem – and how everything in the story was true with the exception of one conversation she felt she needed to add. At a poignant moment, right before the Jews were herded onto the trains that would take them to their deaths – there is a brief conversation between two of the leading actors over where their salvation will come from. One suggests that Jewish salvation will come from the communist revolution, “Ah a Bolshevik!” says the other. And then he replies that what we need is our own country, where Jews can defend themselves! “Ah a Zionist,” says the other. But to watch that movie, in this place – surrounded by thousands of Jews who had built a country – a place where Jews could defend themselves. Well, it was truly a remarkable movie. When that very sad movie was over, we were in Israel. So many had died – and we were alive, in Jerusalem – in a vital and vibrant country – truly remarkable. 
As a result our teachers at Hartman decided to focus our learning this summer on how our tradition responds to crisis and uncertainty. 
On Tuesday and Wednesday Rabbi Donniel Hartman gave a two-part shiur (lesson) on “Ethical Responses to Uncertainty.”
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.
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!