Rabbi Yoffie’s Shabbat Sermon
November 7, 2009 
29 Comments
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, gave his Shabbat morning sermon today at the URJ’s 70th Biennial Convention in Toronto. Read the full text below.
His sermon launched two Biennial initiatives:
- Just Table, Green Table: Rabbi Yoffie calls for a commitment to ethical eating, asking synagogue leaders to “carefully, thoughtfully, Jewishly” formulate new eating guidelines for their communities.
- Embracing Technology: Reform Judaism’s opportunity to engage with communities and help congregations relate to members in the online space has reached a tipping point. At the Biennial in Toronto, Rabbi Yoffie urged the Reform Movement to create congregational blogs and experiment with a range of creative technological approaches to strengthen community ties and help build community.
Thank God for Shabbat.
For far too many of us, the need to work-work-work has seeped deep into our souls. We have homes we’re too busy to enjoy, marriages we’re too busy to celebrate, and children and friends we’re too busy to listen to.
And then comes Shabbat, and we find a measure of stillness and peace. For a short while, we recover the lost harmonies of the Garden of Eden.
On this Biennial Shabbat, we are a bit more somber than at Biennials past. Our world has been shaken by economic cataclysm. Captains of industry and finance have failed us, and millions of people – often the least among us – have paid the price. Our congregations have struggled mightily to sustain themselves, as have the institutions of our Movement.
The good news, as I said on Wednesday night, is that our synagogues have moved aggressively to meet this challenge. In the 1930s, we were slow to act. This time, our congregations have responded quickly, making the hard decisions that these times require. Our Union and seminary have done the same, reducing budgets while working on a new vision for our Movement’s future.
Most important, though, is what our synagogues have done to strengthen the morale of our members and speak to the fears of their heart. They have sent the message that the value of things is not the same as their price. They have reminded us that as an ancient people, whatever we are going through, we have been there before. They have offered a spiritual home for all Jews – rich and poor, employed or not – who enter their gates. The result is that Reform congregations and the Reform Movement will emerge from these difficult times stronger than they have ever been. And this too: the major institutions of our Movement are working in unity as never before. Because we know this simple truth: If we are not only to survive but to thrive, we must join in partnership and sing together unto God.
It has been 30 years since our Biennial was held in Toronto, and we return to this beautiful city with delight. I am grateful to the Reform congregations here for the warmth of their hospitality. As for the Reform community of Canada, it continues to have extraordinary influence in the councils of our Movement and to grow in strength and dedication. It is known and admired for its commitment to Jewish education, to Zionism, and to a traditional view of Reform Jewish practice. Maurice Eisendrath, zichrono livracha, the builder of our modern Union, emerged from its ranks, as did Gunther Plaut, long our preeminent scholar of Torah; both men saw Toronto as their communal home and served as rabbi of Holy Blossom Temple.
We Americans, it needs to be said, do not know Canada as well as we should. Who would deny that all Americans, Reform Jews included, can be terribly parochial? We don’t learn languages and know too little of the world, including our closest neighbors. I have a question for the Americans sitting in this congregation: How many of you can name the last three Prime Ministers of Canada?
Well, we Americans need to do better. The Canadian political system is far from perfect, but remember this: it has well-regulated banks; tough gun control laws; legalized marriage for gays; and an excellent, publicly-run health service – all matters of importance to Reform Jews and worthy of emulation by the United States.
So we thank our Canadian synagogues again for their gracious welcome. Let us, Canadians and Americans, deepen our conversation and our mutual understanding, and this Movement that we have shaped together will only grow in strength.
As our Torah portion for this Shabbat begins, Abraham is sitting at the entrance to his tent. Only three days before, at age 99, he had been circumcised. And what is his very first act as a Jew? He invites wayfarers to a meal.
Remember: Abraham was an old man, sick, in pain. But he does not give in to illness, the desert heat, or limitations of age. Instead, he offers his guests the finest foods, and presides himself over the serving.
All of this might be incidental to later events, but I don’t think so. There is a message here. Jewish history begins with a Jew – a new Jew, the first Jew – saying to others: come, eat with me. And ever since this first Jewish meal, Jews have believed that eating matters.
We know, of course, that eating is a biological necessity; but, beginning with Abraham, Jews have seen eating as more than a mechanical act. We are heirs of a tradition that makes a distinction between food and nourishment, between refueling the body and replenishing body and soul. We understand the physicality of eating, but, at the same time, we work very hard to transcend and transform it.
Not all cultures believe that this is desirable or even possible. For the ancient Greeks, eating meant indulging in hedonistic pleasures. But we Jews sanctify and elevate. Rabbenu Bahya b. Asher reminded us that people who eat indiscriminately are no better than animals. My mother, when I was a child – and later as well – put it this way: don’t eat like a pig. She was trying to civilize me, but – more importantly – to make me a Jew.
One might think that 3,500 years after Abraham, we would be making progress in this area. But the opposite seems to be true. The North American way of eating has become “gobble, gulp, and go.” We shovel our food in. We eat a fifth of our meals in cars. One-third of our children eat in a fast-food outlet every day, and the average McDonald’s meal is 11 minutes long.
But we Jews have a response to this animal-like eating: while animals eat instinctively, Jews eat mindfully and thoughtfully. While animals greedily devour their food, our sources tell us to linger over our meals (Berachot 55a).
And this above all: Jews invite God in. The emergence of food and drink from the earth is a wonder and a mystery; therefore, we stand in awe before the work of God’s hands, and recite blessings to give expression to our gratitude. Also, we know that the Divine Presence lives in the texture of our everyday acts, and that even the most mundane task can be sanctified. And so, for us, eating can be a gateway to holiness.
For a Reform Jew and a Reform synagogue, what does it mean to eat Jewishly? What does it mean to hallow our eating by inviting God in? It means reciting blessings prior to a meal and after a meal. And beyond that, there are two things that strike me as essential.
First, we know – as all Jews know – that meals are profoundly important in creating and sustaining purposeful community. When we eat alone, we are sorely tempted to focus on ourselves; we distance ourselves from the world, from the needs of others, and–most often–from the presence of God. And eating in loneliness, we drift away from the Jewish people.
But when we join together for a se’udah – a Jewish communal meal – we open our minds and our hearts to the concerns of others, and we draw God in, as a partner, to our sacred community.
For most of us, the Seder, the Yom Kippur break fast, and the Shabbat meal – each an experience of togetherness and solidarity – are among our most significant Jewish memories. For 3,000 years, the message of the Jewish tradition has been: invite others to join you in your festive meals and celebrations.
The lessons for the synagogue are clear. In these difficult times, countless members are overwhelmed by work, economic distress, and ever-deepening isolation. Many would welcome the sharing of an Erev Shabbat meal and the beauty and peace of a Shabbat community, but they don’t know how to get there without help.
So let’s help them. Congregation Rodef Sholom in San Rafael, CA, serves as a model here. On the first Shabbat of every month, Rodef Sholom offers a Shabbat dinner for its entire congregation. This is not a nursery school dinner, or a religious school dinner, or a Men’s Club dinner. It is a Shabbat dinner for all. The food is simple, but no one cares. RSVPs are encouraged, but if you forget you come anyway. And members do come: 300-500 every time, people of all ages, young families, grandparents, singles.
And this too: the dinner is free. The funds are raised separately. The congregation decided that it wanted no barriers to the community it hoped to create.
Not all congregations can afford this. But when I asked Rabbi Stacy Friedman how she could afford it in these difficult times, her response was: We can’t afford not to do this. She and her leaders understand that for our synagogues, communal meals need to be a fundamental value–an occasion to unite our congregations, rise above our self-absorption, and turn our members in the direction of mitzvah-doing and God.
A wise person once wrote that “if I had my life to live over I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.” Our congregations, no matter what their size or the state of their physical plant, need to do the same.
The second thing that we need to think about is how the food that we eat advances the values that we hold as Reform Jews.
This is hardly a new concern for us. Years ago, when it became clear that most of the grapes served at our tables were produced by exploited workers, many Reform Jews and synagogues stopped eating grapes. Our actions drew on the rabbinic teaching that one does not say a blessing over stolen food (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Berakhot 1:19). Surely it follows that we do not bless or consume food produced by acts of injustice, by mistreating animals, or by despoiling the environment.
One would think that it would be a simple matter to make such decisions, and thereby to increase holiness in our lives. Our society is more food-conscious than it has ever been. A whole food vocabulary has come into being: there is organic food and hormone-free food; there is free range food and grass-fed food; there is local food, imported food, and fair-trade food. These labels are all helpful and tell us something about the food that we eat and whether it meets our ethical and spiritual standards.
But here is the problem. This dizzying dietary diversity is also confusing. We don’t always know what the labels mean, or whether they make any difference. Some experts promote organic food; others argue that the term has little meaning. And organic junk food is still junk food. We also know that eating exclusively local foods may be possible for some, but surely not for all. What then are we to do?
The key, as always, is to begin with small steps.
Above all, let’s avoid the temptation to do nothing. Reform Jews are ethically aware, ecologically responsible, and sensitive to matters of physical and spiritual health. We know that our Jewish tradition speaks to these issues, and that our young people care about them. At such times, Reform Judaism does not remain silent.
Let’s start by educating our members in a serious way about the meaning of Jewish eating for Reform Jews. Let’s carefully study the sources and offer courses on Jewish eating for adults and children. Let’s plant synagogue gardens and take our religious schools to visit local farms. And let’s engage with local farmers. The Union has established a website with resources to help us in all of these areas.
And once the education is underway, let’s create our own standards for what may or may not appear on synagogue menus and in synagogue kitchens. I expect no consensus here. Some may focus on healthy ingredients, some on sustainable agriculture, and some on economic fairness for farm workers. And individual Reform Jews, of course, may be influenced by these standards or not. But let’s provide the leadership that we have provided before when it came to grapes, lettuce, and recyclable products. As synagogue leaders, let us formulate – carefully, thoughtfully, Jewishly – what we will or will not eat in our shared communal space.
And when the time comes for those decisions, I have a recommendation to make. It stems from my concern that when it comes to rethinking our diets and caring for the earth we will not be daring enough. I worry that sometimes what we do is more to make us feel good than to make a real difference.
By all means, let’s make use of eco-friendly cleaning supplies and avoid plastic and paper plates. And let’s go to the supermarket with cloth bags. But let’s admit: such actions have limited impact and require of us virtually no sacrifice. Let’s worry less about the bags we bring to the store and more about what goes in those bags.
My proposal is this: let’s make a Jewish decision to reduce significantly the amount of red meat that we eat. There are urgent and compelling reasons to do so.
This is not a call for vegetarianism, or for asceticism. Judaism is not an ascetic tradition. “You shall rejoice in your Festival,” the Torah says (Deut. 16:14), and this means that we celebrate our sacred occasions and take delight in our eating. If we become obsessed with calorie-counting and reducing cholesterol, our holidays will become grim and joyless.
But meat consumption in North America has doubled in the last fifty years, and we can easily make do with far less red meat than we currently eat. And contrary to what many think, Jews are not obligated to eat meat on Shabbat and holidays. The Talmud suggests that fish and garlic are the foods that we should serve to honor Shabbat (Shabbat 118b); it also instructs us to eat meat in modest quantities (Hullin 84a). Remember too that in biblical Israel, the common diet consisted of barley bread, vegetables, and fruit, along with milk products and honey. My point is this: for the first 2,500 years of our 3,000 year history, Jews consumed meat sparingly, and we can surely do the same.
And we must. The meat industry today generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change throughout the world. According to a U.N. report, animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gas than all transportation sources combined. And the preparation of beef meals requires about fifteen times the amount of fossil fuel energy than meat-free meals.
And this is an area where we can make a difference. Our carbon footprint is largely determined by the energy that we use to heat our houses, get us to work, and produce the food that we eat. There is only so much that we can do to reduce our heating bills and shorten our commutes, but we can eat in a different way. Professor Gidon Eshel of the Bard Center has suggested that the effect of reducing our collective meat consumption by twenty percent would be comparable to every American driving a Prius instead of a standard sedan. And this twenty percent reduction is something that every one of us – every Jew, every family, every synagogue – can do.
And finally this: we have obligations to our own health and well-being. Created in God’s image, we are obligated to maintain our physical vigor so that we may bring honor to the Divine Presence. And this means reducing the red meat and the processed meat that will kill 1.5 million men and women in the next decade, most from cancer and heart disease. How many of us go to doctors who recommend that we eat more red meat?
Let’s study these issues and put them before our temple members and our boards. Let’s talk about what it means to eat Jewishly and ethically as proud Reform Jews. Let’s consider doing more to eat together in communal celebration. Let’s talk about what we choose to eat and not eat within our synagogue walls. Let’s ask ourselves if we are prepared to replace red meat with pasta or fish in our temple home because to do so is healthy, economical, and good for God’s earth. As always, each congregation will decide what course of action, if any, it chooses to take.
Perhaps we can begin by offering some Shabbat dinners and Passover Seders that will delight with their variety, creativity, and taste, and that will be a model for our members of healthy, festive, meat-free meals.
And let’s make a special effort to engage our young people. A delegation of NFTY leaders recently met with me to ask what the Union might do in this area. I asked them in turn: if they really wanted to eat Jewishly and ethically, what sacrifices were they prepared to make? One possibility would be to advocate that all of NFTY give up their hamburgers one day a week. Another would be to make themselves responsible, weekly or monthly, to prepare a healthy family meal consistent with the highest Jewish and ethical values. Our kids are smart and enthusiastic and Jewishly committed; let’s challenge them. If we do, they will rise to the challenge.
What about kashrut? This is not about kashrut. There are many Reform Jews who find meaning in the observance of kashrut, wholly or in part, and we deeply respect their choice. But it is not a choice that the great majority of us want to make.
In fact, the rejection of kashrut was long a hallmark of North American Reform Judaism. Kauffman Kohler, an early leader of the Movement, proclaimed that “Judaism is a matter of conscience, not cuisine.” Ours is an ethically-based tradition, and Reform leaders saw no connection between the intricate rules of kashrut and ethical behavior. Sadly, for too much of the kashrut industry, this disconnect still exists; in recent years, kashrut authorities have failed in their duty to treat workers, immigrants, and animals with compassion and justice. For that reason, we applaud the Conservative movement for creating a new system of kosher certification that takes ethical factors into account.
Nonetheless, we – as a Movement – have put kashrut aside, and kashrut is not the issue for us. We do not accept the authority of the kashrut establishment, and its problems are for others to resolve.
But we do now realize that we need an approach of our own–our own definition of what is proper and fit to eat. Because our ethical commitments remain firm, and we understand – as we did not a century ago – that Jewish eating has a profoundly ethical dimension. We now know that God cares what we eat, and that eating can be an entrance to holiness. We now see that when we eat with mindfulness, even the humblest meal can become a sacred act.
So let’s begin the discussion. Let’s find a way to eat that is right for the farm workers, right for the planet, right for our bodies and right for our souls. Let’s find a way, as Reform Jews, to elevate every bite that we place in our mouths and make it a taste of the divine.
Forming communities for congregational meals is the kind of thing that synagogues do. After all, the heart of synagogue community is face-to-face interaction. We go to temple – especially now – to touch, taste, and feel community. We go there for solace, humor, and support among a reassuring crowd of friends and fellow Jews.
That being so, what about the Internet? Will it undermine the synagogue? Some fear yes–that it will lure Jews away from the old ways of connecting that require us to be in the same physical place. They fear that it will become a substitute for in-the-flesh contact, and that if people start getting their needs met in the virtual world, they will have no need for the real world.
But this is not my view. True, you can’t have a minyan or pay a shiva call online; online experience is not the same as being there. Still, it can be a powerful adjunct. And studies show that heavy Internet use actually encourages users to meet more with other people.
Remember: from the time of Ezra, who rewrote the Bible in a new script, we Jews have always adapted to our environment and taken advantage of the latest technologies. To encode our conversations and sacred texts, we moved with ease from stone tablets to parchment to paper, and we will move with equal ease to the electronic word.
In fact, we should see the Web as one of the most wondrous developments of all time.
In the first place, our members do not have the time they once had. We are working more and sleeping less, and we can’t get to the synagogue as much as we once did. Carving out an hour or two for a class or committee meeting is harder than ever. In this world, we need the benefits that online community brings. In any case, let’s not kid ourselves; our members are spending more and more of their time online, and we need to be there with them.
In the second place, the web does what Judaism has always aspired to do: it opens up the vast treasury of Jewish knowledge to everyone. Judaism is not a religion of elites; we are all expected to learn and to know. The web provides access to Jewish learning on a scale that was unthinkable a decade ago.
And in the third place, the web – potentially at least – empowers our members and democratizes our synagogues. The synagogue is the grassroots address of the Jewish world, and the web gives us an instrument to involve and include Jews as never before. This is enormously exciting, and more than a little scary.
Are our synagogues doing great things in this area? Absolutely. Are we making the most of this potential? Not even close. Almost all our synagogues have email lists and websites; but these are usually a way to present information rather than a means to engage their members. Even those congregations that have a blog rarely use it to generate conversation and foster connection.
But I believe that we are missing a critical opportunity. The Internet and cyberspace are changing all the rules of Jewish interaction, and we need to be at the forefront of these changes. We need to create an online, Oral Torah of ongoing Jewish discourse, and invite in the opinions of our members. We need to ask our members to share their personal stories and Jewish memories – which they love to do when given the chance. We need to encourage hotly debated, multi-voiced, civil discussions on synagogue and local issues, and on Israel and national issues.
The idea is not just to serve our members but to engage them. The idea is not only to inform but also to inspire and create community. The idea is to see the Web not as a bulletin board for announcements but as an act of communal collaboration.
Please note: None of this makes temple leaders less important. Information is not knowledge. Our members will still want their rabbis and cantors, their educators and administrators to listen and to lead.
Nonetheless, we need to be aware of what is happening in our world. We have talked endlessly about how to attract young adults into our congregations. No one is certain how to do it. But if we are ever to succeed with these young Jews, we need to know who they are, where they are, and what they want. Having grown up in the digital world, theirs is a culture of interaction and enablement. They want to inquire, discuss, and argue. They are natural collaborators and community-builders. And they will not be attracted by authoritarian Judaism; they want a synagogue that is more bottom-up than top-down.
That being so, I believe with all my heart that the Judaism best able to reach them is Reform Judaism, and the synagogue best able to meet their needs is the Reform synagogue. We must become the address for technological experimentation – for web streaming, “virtual board meetings,” and a whole range of creative approaches that the innovators in our midst are already working on. To help our congregations begin this process, the Union has collected some of the best ideas for your review and consideration.
But there is one particular idea that I hope every synagogue will think about immediately, and that is a congregational blog – not just an electronic temple bulletin, but a truly interactive, online forum. We need blogs because the era of one-way, passive information consumption is over. Our members, young and old, expect to talk back and have a conversation; they think in terms of networks rather than hierarchies. And creating a blog is easy and free, and the technology is so simple that even I can understand it. The Union has produced a guide with sample posts, technical advice, and ideas on how to draw people in. The key is to assemble a team of temple members who will agree not only to write for the blog but to read other posts and to comment. At the beginning, participants may be few, but if we address the real issues in people’s lives, the numbers will grow.
If this is to work, it cannot be the job of the rabbi or the administrator. They may choose to join in, but they have enough to do. Only if lay leaders take this on will a community come into being. As I said, if we ask our members to share their Jewish journeys, most will be flattered and eager to respond. Let’s exchange Jewish memories. Let’s talk about why we come to services or why we don’t. Let’s discuss the big issues of the Jewish world. And Presidents and board members can test ideas and ask for feedback, on anything from dues and membership to personal theology.
It is a rare business nowadays that doesn’t have an online forum for customers to share insights, make observations, and post questions. Given the importance of our sacred work, shouldn’t we be doing the same?
A word about the risks. A blog means you don’t control everything. You must welcome honest and open conversation and give people the freedom to disagree, criticize, and complain. Once, as we see from the Talmud, Jews could be counted on to do this with civility. But today, blogging can be a shoot-from-the-hip medium. And if our blogs are taken over by the kvetchers and the whiners, by the grievance collectors and the supersensitive souls, we are lost. I suggest, therefore, a simple solution: every temple needs a volunteer moderator who will review comments before they are posted. The Union will offer online training to prepare the volunteers for their work. And I recommend three rules to govern what will be posted and what will not: you need to sign your name; your comments will only be posted if they could be read from the bima on Erev Shabbat; and no one blogger will be permitted to dominate the conversation.
Our NFTYites do not agree with me here. They favor a wide open approach and feel that those who are petulant or nasty can quickly be brought around. But I believe that if online conversation is to serve our sacred cause, tact and reflective judgment are essential.
So yes, there are risks, but they are manageable;we will lose some control, but we will gain the ability to hear and to learn, and to reach out in new directions. The greater risk by far is that we will do nothing, and the digital generation will pass us by.
So let’s take up the challenge of the online age. Let this Movement do what it has always done: welcome diversity, encourage community, and join ancient tradition with cutting-edge culture. Let us create Torah, embrace Torah, and search out the unfolding word of God, wherever it may be found.
And by the way, this sermon will appear next week on the Union’s blog, and I look forward to entering into discussion with you.
Permit me to say a few words about the State of Israel.
When the history of Reform Judaism is written a century from now, its authors will ask many questions: did Reform Jews study Torah, do mitzvot, and bring justice to the world? But most important of all will be the question: did we do enough to assure the security and well-being of the State of Israel? And if we did not, none of the other questions will matter.
I am worried now, not because we don’t love Israel, but because we are distracted. We know from the years following the Great Depression that when times are tough and synagogues are struggling, North American Jews turn inward. We focus on our own problems and turn our attention away from the problems of the Jewish people. Understandable, perhaps, but a huge mistake nonetheless. We can’t afford that now – not even for a second. The world is simply too frightening and too dangerous a place.
And the greatest danger is clear: the government of Iran, with support from Russia and China, is inching toward the nuclear threshold; this is the same government that threatens to destroy Israel with such regularity that it is no longer news. How did it happen that the Jewish State is once again unable to take its very existence for granted? How did it happen that Israel’s survival today is more precarious than it has been since the Yom Kippur War?
What Israel needs from us now is unconditional support. It needs our visits, our dollars, our love, and our engagement. And it needs our political activism. We must call upon the governments of CanadaUnited States, both devoted friends of Israel, to impose the toughest possible economic sanctions on Iran if it fails to abandon its nuclear program. We should encourage other nations to join them, but both governments should be prepared to act unilaterally, if necessary. Time is running out, my friends. The only way Iran will stop its nuclear program is if it feels real pain. And God and history will not excuse us if we are silent. and the
Israel needs our help in other ways too. In this regard, we should be clear that unconditional support is not the same as uncritical support. We love the Jewish state, and we embrace Zionism, the national liberation movement of the Jewish people; but we need not accept every idea of those who rule Israel, from the left or the right, even if they are democratically elected. When 100,000 people are settled in the heart of the West Bank, in the place where a Palestinian state must one day arise, this is not Zionism; this is anti-Zionism, and a blow to the very foundations of the Zionist movement. When Orthodox women are relegated to the back section of certain busses in Jerusalem, this is not Zionism; this is an affront to the values that Zionists hold dear. And when the Reform Movement in Israel is denied recognition and equality before the law, this is not Zionism either. It is a tragedy for all and especially for us, who take pride in this Movement and see it as the best hope for Israel’s future.
So this, then, is our task: unconditional support for the State of Israel, abiding solidarity with the citizens of Israel, unbending resolve in the battle against Israel’s enemies, unshakeable determination in the face of all those who wish Israel ill. At the same time, we hold firm to our own vision of what the Jewish state must be, and we proclaim our commitment to a two state solution as essential to Israel’s well-being and security. And willingly, lovingly, joyfully, we engage in the struggle to realize Israel’s most cherished ideals.
I conclude with an experience that I shared with our temple presidents and that some of them asked that I share with you.
Before the Houston Biennial, I invited the members of our Movement to be in touch with me about what they were looking for in their synagogues. I received many responses, including the following:
“I would like to find a temple where people can disagree butstill care for each other and build community; a temple that isn’t too traditional – remember, I grew up in the Midwest – but not too classical either; a temple where I can find inspiration, and where the Jewish tradition really comes alive; a temple where truth is honored, where worship is meaningful, and where respect for each other is not the exception but the norm.”
What was my response? “You won’t find a temple like that. I’m sorry but you won’t. You will have to make do with the same kind of temple that the rest of us have: a place that is filled with dreamers, and unruly children, and difficult characters, and the occasional village idiot, and that is prone to mistakes, blunders, and misjudgments. But now the good news: While you won’t find all of what you are looking for, you can find most of it. There are plenty of synagogues that are true to their religious calling and that have become, or are becoming, a sacred community.”
What was true then is true now, even in these hard times – in fact, especially in these hard times.
Our synagogues are the place where we sanctify the ordinary and uplift the everyday; where we eat intentionally and reconnect our children to the table and to the earth; where we build holy community by connecting with each other in new and exciting ways; where we honor and serve the land on which we live and the land of our ancestors.
And we do all of this as only Reform Jews can: by embracing ancient traditions while bravely facing the future; by accepting with joy our Jewish inheritance while working with all our strength to refashion and recreate it.
How blessed we are to be leaders of the synagogue and to add our works to the story of the Jewish people!
Shabbat Shalom.
The argument about food consumption considerations as a sustainability issue would have far more weight if Rabbi Yoffie were not periodically taking sips from a bottle of bottled water. We know that bottles of this kind will be clogging our landfills for centuries to come. Why didn’t the Biennial staff insist that the caterers provide ordinary tap water and recyclable — or just glass — glasses?
Actions speak loudly when the come from leaders. Suggesting that we reduce red meat consumption while drinking a very unsustainable version of a readily available, sustainable beverage sends the wrong message.
Steve Lubetkin
Sh’liach Kehillah, Temple Emanuel
Cherry Hill, NJ
1,000 Families
@PodcastSteve – Twitter
steve@lubetkin.net
Once again Rabbi Yoffie has given us a set of relevant challenges for the continuing reform of our Judaism. I was not at the Toronto convention, but I was thrilled to see and hear the sermon on internet video this Sunday morning. What a tremendous demonstration of Yoffie’s expressed confidence in the power of the internet to assist synagogue leader’s engagement with wider circles of the Jewish community. What boldness too for a rabbi to invite viewers of the video to “post a comment” on the web! That is a demonstration to all of us rabbis that Yoffie is ready to practice what he preaches.
BTW: Steve Lubetkin’s criticism of Yoffie’s plastic water bottle is correct. Oh, the details of responsible living!
As a blogging rabbi, I appreciated Rabbi Yoffie’s suggestion that blogging can be a way of building community and democratizing our congregations, and as a vegetarian trending vegan, I appreciated the focus on ethical consumption.
Having said that, I was disappointed that Rabbi Yoffie felt the need to offer such a strong defense of the initiative as “not kashrut.” It almost felt like he was — excuse the pun — tossing some red meat to those who wish our synagogues were less-connected to traditional Jewish eating practices. My congregation does not stress about hechshers, but we do designate communal meals as “meat” or “dairy” and take those standards seriously. This stance is largely embraced by our membership, whatever their eating habits in the private domain.
I understand that Rabbi Yoffie didn’t want to come across as preaching a Reform kashrut, and I agree with that instinct. But surely there was a way to say it that didn’t come across as denigrating Jewishly-informed eating practices (I think the part that really got to me was how “they” keep kosher and “we” don’t have a problem with it — aren’t “I” part of the “we?”). I’m assuming Eric didn’t mean for it to sound that way, and that the many, many congregations which do see their communal food choices as (at least partly) rooted in the ancient distinctions of kashrut are still welcome
Sorry to have missed this one, and looking forward to 2011!
Rabbi Larry Bach
El Paso, TX
http://blog.rabbilarrybach.com
Steve Lubetkin said:
“if Rabbi Yoffie were not periodically taking sips from a bottle of bottled water. We know that bottles of this kind will be clogging our landfills for centuries to come.”
Thanks Steve, for raising this for discussion. Discussion brings change. Change can be challenging. I believe Rabbi Yoffie spoke of this several times. Together, as we discuss the issues we can make changes for the better.
Steve also indicated, “Why didn’t the Biennial staff insist that the caterers provide ordinary tap water and recyclable — or just glass — glasses?”
For meals, the caterers did provide glass glasses.
Throughout the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, there were water stations. I believe there was at least one station in every meeting room. the water stations included large “thermos” water tanks and glasses. Many people thought the glasses were plastic. By the water tanks, were signs that read something like, “Glasses are made of corn starch. When done, please place in the organic recycling bins.” There were organic recycling bins by most of the water tanks.
The Metro Toronto Convention Centre has won many environmental awards. For some insight, see http://www.mtccc.com/planners/green.cfm
Latter I will talk about other issues.
Just after Rabbi Yoffie delivered his sermon in Toronto, I read the text of it in Calabasas, CA (isn’t technology wonderful?).
Each of Rabbi Yoffie’s initiatives offer food for thought (pun intended). I am particularly taken with his interest in expanding the use of technology within the synagogue world. We are finding, at Congregation Or Ami (http://www.orami.org), that – through eNewsletters, the rabbi’s blog (http://rabbipaul.blogspot.com), our Facebook page, Twitter (newly using it), Evites, photo page and videos – we are reaching more people than would ever walk through the doors (except, perhaps, on the High Holy Days).
Recently our new social media sub-committee met to prioritize our use of social media. We set out these goals:
* To build community and deepen connections among Or Ami members and “friends”
* To further the Or Ami’s Vision and Values, especially regarding: Henaynu, Life-long Learning, Accessibility of Clergy, Social Justice and Openness
* To shine the light of Or Ami into the surrounding community, including publicizing our events
* To create a conversation about the joys of being Jewish
Further, we decided to focus in these areas:
* Deepen the use of our Facebook page to meet our goals
* Expand the use of E-vites to publicize programs
* Develop more online videos and to collect them in one place
* Enhance the synergy between our blog, Facebook, and website
My rabbinical colleagues often ask me how I have time to do all of this social media and technology. I answer, simply, that our congregants are communicating this way, so shouldn’t we be utilizing their modes of communication to spread Torah, communal caring and deep Jewish spirituality? That’s what motivates me. How about you?
Missing from the “print” version of Rabbi Yoffie’s sermon but included on the video was his ad lib “caution” that there should be no booing because it was Shabbat. I wonder how many of his assembled congregants understood that this was a reference to the much-publicized booing that interrupted his speech a few weeks ago at the J-Street conference.
Rabbi Yoffie alluded to his (and most of the Reform movement’s) position on Israel in arguably the most important sentence in the sermon: “We should be clear that unconditional support is not the same as uncritical support. We love the Jewish state, and we embrace Zionism, the national liberation movement of the Jewish people; but we need not accept every idea of those who rule Israel.”
We all know Reform Jews who disagree with Rabbi Yoffie on the issue of uncritical support — but this is not the group who booed. The booers (if you want to spell that boors, that’s okay with me) were those, mostly young, mostly ill-informed, who have been suckered by enemy propaganda and its media carriers into questioning the very idea of a Jewish state.
Not only THE SERMON, as URJ communications director Toni Kamins described it elsewhere on this blog, but the entire Biennial program, made clear the stalwart Zionism of today’s Reform movement — but if there was a gap in the program, it was in not guiding us more in how to respond to the new campus breed of Jewish anti-Zionists, a totally different breed from those of the pre-state era, other than waiting for them to grow up.
Rabbi Yoffie – I found your sermon to be very thought provoking and with tasks suggested that should be accomplished. However, the Saturday morning Shabbat service was ruined for me because I was told by Rabbi Stern that “we would not be standing for the Sh’ma.” Though he gave an interesting history of the practice of standing for the Sh’ma in Reform Jewish history and an explanation of why we would not be doing it today, his pronouncement violated the principal of informed choice and denied me the meaningful spiritual experience of standing as a congregation and affirming our most sacred principal and contribution to the world. I admire many of the changes made in ritual and practice over the past years, but change for change sake makes no sense. And this change imposed on us violates the spirit of Reform Judaism and replaces a moving aspect of the service with one more opportunity not to pray as a people. Marcie Aiuvalasit, Religious Educator
I’m of the mind that the URJ *almost* gets blogging. Read more about that opinion here: http://davidsaysthings.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/the-urj-on-blogging-yay-blogging-we-almost-get-it/
Case in point, this post is written in the third person, referring to Rabbi Yoffie, though the byline is Rabbi Yoffie.
David, as long as you want to engage in pilpul, let’s note that only the ten-line introduction to the post is written in the third person. The speech itself includes first person singular and plural. Or is the point you’re trying to make that a real blogger needs no introduction? All in all, your “shtoch” diminishes the credibility of your relatively cogent argument, as expressed on your personal blog.
Marcie, it’s true that Rabbi Stern denied you the “meaningful spiritual experience of standing as a congregation” while allowing the rest of us the meaningful spiritual experience of sitting as a congregation, and thus affirming our most cherished principle, that we are not Reformed but continue to Reform, while seeking ways that are right for us of affirming our connection to other segments of the Jewish people across time and space. I do not believe that Rabbi Stern was enforcing change for the sake of change — I think he was encouraging experiment and role modeling for congregations that they too can experiment. If you can claim the personal right to stipulate what violates the spirit of Reform Judaism, why shouldn’t a learned rabbi claim the same right?
Marcie Aiuvalasit writes:
However, the Saturday morning Shabbat service was ruined for me because I was told by Rabbi Stern that “we would not be standing for the Sh’ma.” Though he gave an interesting history of the practice of standing for the Sh’ma in Reform Jewish history and an explanation of why we would not be doing it today, his pronouncement violated the principal of informed choice and denied me the meaningful spiritual experience of standing as a congregation and affirming our most sacred principal and contribution to the world.
Telling everyone to stand violates the principle of informed choice just as much! How about letting everyone stand or sit as they wish?
Thank you Rabbi Yoffe for your strong support of Israel that is central to (Larry Kaufman excepted) the vast majority of us, both young and old. It is an important aspect of being reform that has engaged both myself and my children and been passed down from my parents.
I must say, though, how truly disappointed I was sitting there and, while being lectured about how I should live my life, I see you drinking from the water bottle. It is not the staff’s fault or the MTCC’s or anybody but you. As a leader, responsibility for actions must be taken without excuses. If you felt so strongly about it, you could have insisted and water be served in a pitcher and not in a plastic bottle (which is sold for $3 a pop there as well). I know having dinner with many others that night across the street from the conference many of the people gathered commented over their hamburgers (although I will admit I had salmon) that if you couldn’t live without bottled water (as significant a source of pollution as red meat), they were not going to try to go ‘meatless’.
While I applaud Rabbi Yoffie’s applause of the Conservative Movement’s Magen Tzedek, I have to admit that I am disturbed by the statement that “We do not accept the authority of the kashrut establishment, and its problems are for others to resolve.” This is the statement of the Wicked Son of the Seder, who has distanced himself from the community and, coupled with Rabbi Yoffie’s acknowledgment that “there are many Reform Jews who find meaning in the observance of kashrut,” denotes a flat out refusal to stand behind even those of our own who choose kashrut observance.
Gunther Plaut notes on page 813 of the first edition of The Torah: A Modern Commentary that “conscientious Reform Jews . . . must help protect the right of all Jews to live by the dietary laws if they so choose – in the name of both Jewish loyalty and religious freedom.”
These rights are jeopardized by the chillulei HaShem that Magen Tzedek came into existence to repair. Moreover, all of klal Yisrael – even the freiest of the frei are endangered when we stand idly by such deeds saying “they are problems for others to resolve.” If you wish to see precisely where I see the danger, please refer to my blog post The Rubashkin’s Raid and the Reform Jew.
My thanks to everyone for their thoughtful comments, some of which I agree with and some of which I don’t. I can’t react to everything, but a few thoughts:
My colleague Larry Bach discusses the issue of kashrut. My goal was to put the issue of eating Jewishly higher on the agenda of the Reform movement. He and I appear to agree that “preaching a Reform kashrut” is not the best way to do that. I hoped to generate study and discussion, with the understanding that some Reform Jews may ultimately choose to embrace some aspects of Kashrut while others may choose to struggle with this issue without Kashrut. I regret that he interpreted my remarks as denigrating those who make a “pro-Kashrut” choice. This was not my intention, and, for the record, my wife and I have a kosher home.
Larry Kaufman wanted some guidance on how to respond to the new campus breed of Jewish anti-Zionists. The honest answer, Larry, is: I don’t know, if we are talking about what will convince them to change their minds. In my experience, anti-Zionists, Jewish or not, very rarely change their minds. Our major task, it seems to me, is to teach our own kids and congregants a love of Israel. We can also help those who care about Israel how to conduct pro-Israel campaigns on campus and in the community.
Finally, David Wilensky raises some issues about technology on his blog. My goal was not to promote technology, of course. It was to promote community, using technology (and specifically blogs) as a mechanism to do that. A major issue for him and others is whether our congregations should have moderated blogs. A tough issue. (In the sermon, I said “yes.”)Blogs only work if they are lively, vibrant, and people feel free to criticize and say what’s on their minds; some suggest that if blogs are moderated, you can’t do that. Here’s the problem: blogs can frequently be vicious. A Jewish blog that David references as being responsible recently ran a post in which the author called me a “traitor,” expressed his desire to kill me, skewer me, etc. As a Jewish leader, I get this all the time, particularly when the subject is Israel. (Usually it comes from the right, but this one was from the left.) But I don’t believe that our congregations will tolerate this kind of language, and I strongly suspect that congregational blogs that engage in it will not survive; hence, my preference for moderated blogs. As I noted in my sermon, not everyone agrees on this point, but that is the state of my thinking. I certainly welcome additional thoughts.
Eric Yoffie
Thanks to Stanley Smurlick for describing the environmentally conscious arrangements made throughout the convention center, but that doesn’t answer my central question.
If all that stuff was available, why was Rabbi Yoffie clearly seen on the video taking swigs from a plastic, non-organic, non-recyclable water bottle apparently sold for an exorbitant price in the convention center?
If the convention center is so environmentally applauded, why do they even sell water bottles?
Who was in charge of his stage presence and should have realized that it was in dissonance with his message of sustainability?
Perhaps more could be done in the future to extend the inclusiveness found in most of the congregations to the next Biennial? Perhaps the student rate could be extended to congregants of lesser means. Also, I believe that vegetarianism is the ultimate form of Kashrut. As for the water bottle issue, I carry a stainless-steel Thermos hydration bottle (with a locking lid) everywhere I go, filled with my favorite cold beverage (iced tea or coffee). Maybe Rabbi Yoffee could do the same.
I hope that Rabbi Yoffie has the decency to flog himself publicly with a water bottle the next time that he dares to give a speech. I never thought that doctrinal purity was much of an issue in Reform Judaism, but apparently it is when the issue is environmental politics. Which is more execrable, consumption of red meat or use of disposable plastic drinking vessels? This surely is an issue worthy of neo-Talmudic rumination.
The convention centre does recycle water bottles. This was a learning experience. May it now be “water under the bridge”.
Could stainless-steel bottles become part of a URJ Environmental Policy? Maybe for the next Biennial, encourage bringing such bottles from home? How about a contest for the best decorated bottle on a Jewish theme? For the next biennial, maybe have an easier system for people to refill their water bottles. [Water tanks were moved forward and back.]
Inclusion and a focus on youth were mentioned. We have special programs to appeal to the youth.
This might be off track, since it was not part of the speech. There could have been more of a focus on “those with many years of life experience” or “handicapable”. [I am aiming to be "politically correct".]
Maybe for the next biennial, have some sessions dealing with issues related to the “latter years”. There were receptions for first timers and other groups. How about a reception to honour our older members?
For the “handicapable”, there was one session entitled “A Ramp Is Not Enough: Broadening Programming and Accessibility”. This was a good move.
Still on your Biennial website is: “The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is a very large place and there will be distances to walk between events.
In order to make this easier for participants who have difficulty walking, the Union is in the process of finding companies who provide mobility scooter rentals.”
At least one other large venue in Toronto, actually has a scooter rental booth on site. There are scooter rental companies in Toronto.
With a massive URJ reorganization and having the biennial in a different country, there were challenges to make it happen. It is truly amazing what URJ and everyone involved accomplished.
The Gaylord National Resort Hotel and Convention Center does have Accommodations for Guests with Disabilities. Maybe arrange to have scooter rentals available to compliment this. As with blogs, there is a warning. Users of the scooters must use them with caution. [There were "incidents".] For new or all users, offer instruction and a “practice area”.
Theory and practice should compliment each other.
For many years I have heard about the biennials. I have seen them on URJ websites. To actually experience a biennial for the first time, was way beyond my expectations. Thank you!
Rabbi Yoffie would not be in the job he occupies if he were not an intelligent person, and he would not want the job if he were not a caring person committed in all ways to tikkun olam, so we can safely assume that he has gotten the bottled water message — and presumably also the message that two years hence, his initiatives should relate to teaching derech eretz (civilized behavior) to those members of his constituency who need the lesson.
What ever happened to the concept of kibud rav, respect for the rabbi? Just as Rabbi Yoffie indicated that our support for Israel must be unconditional but may be critical, so too our criticism of Rabbi Yoffie should at least be respectful.
Any way, there is good precedent for our leaders to get themselves into trouble on water issues, whether you’re trying to get it out of a rock by striking when you should have been speaking, or drinking from a bottle when you should have used a glass. But now let’s cross over the water issue onto dry land — and remember that the three messages we were supposed to extract from the sermon were to eat responsibly, embrace technology to enhance synagogue life, and help Israel in any way we can. If we can say this of a message delivered on Shabbat, a good day’s work.
In an otherwise excellent address, Rabbi Yoffie’s dismissal of Kashrut and its ethical relevance to us as Reform Jews is disappointing. If we are going to take “small steps,” why not have some of them be identifiably and traditionally Jewish?
The laws of kashrut require that the animal life we take for food be taken with sensitivity and with the intent of minimizing suffering. This is very much in keeping with his argument that our choices in eating should embrace an ethical dimension.
Holding the kashrut industry to its best should not be a task for Conservative and Orthodox Jews alone. Practicing ethical kosher eating can be a mitzvah that will draw us closer to the rest of Klal Yisrael in a manner that is consistent with our principles as Reform Jews.
“Well, we Americans need to do better. The Canadian political system is far from perfect, but remember this: it has well-regulated banks; tough gun control laws; legalized marriage for gays; and an excellent, publicly-run health service – all matters of importance to Reform Jews and worthy of emulation by the United States.”
I do not support the “emulation” that the Rabbi desires:
1. the word “marriage” is for heterosexuals, use a different word for gays in permanent relationships
2.publicly run health care is why Canadians come to the US for health care
Respectfully,
Amalie Frankel
I invite Amalie Frankel to share her lexicographic credentials, and explain why she is qualified to determine the boundaries of the word marriage, but Rabbi Yoffie is not.
I also invite her to share the statistics on Canadians coming to the US for health care. I have known Canadians residing in the U.S. who have maintained their Canadian citizenship so they could go “home” for free health care…but my knowledge of that is only anecdotal. I suspect that Ms. Frankel’s information is also anecdotal, and probably not first-hand.
Shalom Rabbi Yoffie,
I was surprised to see no mention of URJ restructuring in the sermon, but then I was pleased to realize this sermon is not just for the leaders, but for the people. This issue of ethical eating is extremely relevant to the 20′s/30′s group with whom I work so closely at Rodeph Shalom in Phila. This is EXACTLY what they are talking about (for the first time, I have shared a biennial sermon with our young professionals group)! And it isn’t an issue for just one generation; it’s what we should all be talking about and acting on.
Thank you also for this modeling of social media. I reflected on the technology topic in a recent blog post; for congregations interested in developing a blog, feel free to visit ours as one example: http://www.rodephshalom.wordpress.org.
Again, my thanks to all participants.
To Amalie Frankel and Aryeh Lev:
It is the official position of the Reform movement that gays and lesbians should have the right to marry and to have their marriages recognized by civil authorities. Obviously, this position does not obligate individuals or congregations, but it does express a consensus reached through adoption of a Biennial or URJ Board resolution.
Regarding health care, a Canadian physician spoke at the Union board meeting prior to the Biennial and refuted the claim that Canadians are streaming across the border to get medical care in the United States. In any case, the heart of the matter is this: in Canada, individuals with pre-existing conditions are not denied health insurance as they often are in the United States; and no one in Canada is without access to a reasonable level of health care, while in the United States more than 45 million people have no health insurance whatever. Whatever the health care system that we put in place, surely we Americans do want to emulate the Canadians in this regard.
My rabbinic colleagues Richard Agler and Jill Maderer continue the discussion that I have been having with many other rabbis — and lay leaders — since the Biennial. Many rabbis believe that the best way and perhaps the only way to discuss Jewish eating is to affirm the importance of a Reform kashrut; many others strongly disagree, or see this as an incidental point. I affirmed in my sermon that the term “kashrut” was not necessarily essential to the discussion, but that the discussion was vital. Again, I would welcome the thoughts of others on this point.
Eric Yoffie
I recognize the political implications within the Movement of using the term kashrut, but nonetheless I believe that most congregations today are modeling an appropriate Reform approach to the Orthodox and Conservative dietary laws –
ethical eating, in terms both of the Hechsher Tzedek approach and the environmentally conscious eating described in Rabbi Yoffie’s sermon
abstention at a communal level from pork and shellfish, regardless of the choices individuals make in their personal practice
abstention at a communal level from the flagrant mixing of milk and meat, without the stringencies of Orthodox practice — like the 6-hour wait after eating meat before eating dairy.
The Union pretty much practices those standards in its own functions, and sooner or later we will have the courage to revoke Pittsburg 1885 and concede that there are Reform dietary laws.
I married Joe Hample, now Rabbi Joseph B. Hample,in a same-gender ceremony in our Reform synagogue, Beth Chayim Chadashim in Los Angeles. Reform rabbi Lisa Edwards performed the ceremony. Because we were married before the 2008 election, our marriage is still valid in the State of California. Joe was ordained at Hebrew Union College last spring.
Amalie Frankel may state that “The word ‘marriage’ is for heterosexuals,” but, of course, that is her opinion, not mine, nor is it the policy of the Reform movement, as Rabbi Yoffie pointed out.
Amalie Frankel, Gay people have the same right to use the word marriage as straight people. One day, your comment will be viewed as prejudice, similar to segregation. (Separate but equal?).
I applaud Rabbi Yoffie’s call for us to reduce red meat consumption, but I wish he hadn’t given the poulty industry a pass.
The practices on the factory farms that produce more than 99 percent of our chicken are appalling on every level.
I urge Jews to educate themselves about both the beef and poultry industries. A good place to start is Jewish author Jonathan Saffran Foer’s new best-selling book, “Eating Animals.”
Some thought should probably should also be given to fish consumption. There is a good primer at http://jcarrot.org/half_wild.
I am wondering what was the point of the reference to “the occasional village idiot” near the end of this speech — it even got a big laugh.