Reform Judaism

Book Discussion: By Fire and By Water
July 28, 2010

by R. Peter Shapiro
Read the review of this Significant Jewish Book in RJ magazine
See other Significant Jewish Book selections

Palace intrigue, ethnic cleansing, murder, unrequited love, and the quest for new lands and their riches are all woven together in Michael James Kaplan's novel By Fire and By Water. The story takes place in Spain during the mid 1480's through the late 1490's in the reign of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. In that time frame four world-changing events were simultaneously occurring: the establishment of the New Inquisition in Castile and Aragon, the reconquest of Granada, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, and Cristobal Colon's (Christopher Columbus) so-called discovery of the Western Hemisphere.

The author opined that these four events when taken together "amounted to a cataclysm, foreshadowing the collapse of the medieval economic, governmental and religious systems and the birth of the modern nation-state." The book's protagonist, Luis de Santangel, is a composite fictional character. He was the Royal Chancellor of Aragon, a widower, with a young son. As a third generation converso he was caught between competing faiths, social classes and loyalties. His problems were complicated because he was a close friend of King Ferdinand. His rival for the ear of the Monarchy was Inquisitor General Tomas de Torquemada whose power and influence over Queen Isabella allowed him to steadily increase the brutality of the Spanish church and the paranoia it inspired.

Filed Under: Books | Jewish History

A Tribute to Classical Reform
July 28, 2010 (4 Comments)

by Rabbi Eric Yoffie
Originally published in Reform Judaism magazine

Reform Jews like to divide themselves into camps, the most prominent being "traditional" versus "classical." Having grown up in a Reform congregation where the worship services were primarily in Hebrew, virtually all of the men wore kippot, and we observed two days of the major festivals, I identify more with the former. Yet I do not believe that the line between the two is as sharp as some would have us believe.

Classical Reform values such as universal ethics and intellectual rigor remain an integral part of who we are as a Reform Movement. Unapologetically cerebral, resting on a foundation of rationalism, Classical Reform attaches importance to thoughtful, well-prepared preaching, and expects rabbis to deliver the "message of Israel" with clarity and oratorical skill.

Filed Under: By Rabbi Eric Yoffie | Defining Reform | Jewish History

Galilee Diary: Fringes
July 27, 2010 (2 Comments)

by Marc Rosenstein
(Originally published in Ten Minutes of Torah and Galilee Diary)

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That shall be your fringe, look at it and recall all the commandments of the Lord and observe them, so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in your lustful urge.
-Numbers 15:39

Three stories, no comment:

On Rosh Chodesh Tevet of this year (in December), the Women of the Wall held their monthly morning service at the Western Wall plaza. This service, ostensibly religious, also has obvious overtones of political protest, seeking to draw attention to the unequal status of women dictated by Orthodox control of an area which seems like it ought to belong to everyone. One young woman put on a tallit, which aroused the ire of some bystanders who called over the police (of whom there are always plenty at the Wall), who arrested the offender and held her for several hours "for questioning" at the local station before releasing her. This past week on Rosh Chodesh Av, Anat Hoffman of the Center for Religious Pluralism was arrested for carrying a Torah.

Later this month I will be leading a group of visitors around the Old City of Jerusalem, and want to include the Temple Mount in our route. Not having been there for years, I decided I should make an advance review visit. So on a recent day when I was staying over in Jerusalem, I got up early and, on the way from my hotel to HUC, walked through the awakening alleyways of the Old City. This is a lovely time to walk there: the streets are mostly empty, the fragrance of fresh-baked bread wafts from the bakeries, shopkeepers are sweeping the pavement, kids are hurrying home with breakfast purchases from the local grocery, and religious Christians, Moslems, and Jews are on their way to and from morning prayers. I was first in line at the security gate to the Temple Mount, which opens for Jews at 7:30. After convincing the guard that this was an innocent visit and not a right-wing provocation, he waved me through with the warning: "Remember, no praying, and no entering the mosques; you walk around and you leave!" But the guy manning the x-ray machine studied the image of my backpack carefully, opened it, and pulled out a plastic bag. "What's this?" "A tallit." "Sorry, you have to leave it outside." "But I'm not going to pray." "Doesn't matter, you can't take it in." I tried to suggest I leave it with him until I finished my visit, but no way. So I missed my opportunity, on that morning, to tread on holy ground.

Filed Under: Israel | Social Action

Davar Acher: Awe and Activism
July 25, 2010

by Annie Belford
(Originally published in Ten Minutes of Torah and Reform Voices of Torah)

Years ago, I hiked up a California mountain. I walked until I reached the peak, and as I looked out I saw the low clouds above covering the valley and ocean beyond; I could just make out the tops of ocean islands peeking through the cloud cover. As I took in the view, I was overcome with emotion. Never before had I felt so connected to the world around me or sensed holiness in nature. I was full of awe, and could only cry.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel discusses this kind of experience when he says, "awe is an intuition for the creaturely dignity of all things and their preciousness to God; a realization that things not only are what they are but also stand, however remotely, for something absolute" (God in Search of Man [New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1955], p. 75). When we experience awe, we gain deep respect and gratitude for the world around us--and ultimately, for God.

Before our Torah portion goes into the details of the challenging theology that Rabbi Perlin describes, Eikev reminds us of the necessity of these feelings: "For the Eternal your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill . . . a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack for nothing. . . When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the Eternal your God for the good land given to you" (Deuteronomy 8:7, 9-10). Whether we find that awe through study, prayer, activism, or hiking up a mountain--in the end, it cannot help but commit us to change the way we relate to the world, to work for climate change and sustainability--and in the end, to connect us to "something absolute" in everything around us.

Rabbi Annie Belford serves Temple Sinai in Houston, Texas.

Filed Under: Torah

D'var Torah: Eikev: Rain for All Seasons
July 25, 2010

by Amy R. Perlin
(Originally published in Ten Minutes of Torah and Reform Voices of Torah)

The climate debate over global warming rages in political and academic circles, commanding media attention daily. A recent article in The Washington Post¹ explored the dramatic change in Australia's rainfall, which has resulted in a decade of drought. Today, the Jordan River is more of a creek than a river, and geologists are worried that the Dead Sea is drying up. The thing most prayed for on our planet is "rain . . . in season" (Deuteronomy 11:14). The Torah teaches us that the world began as water, and the water crisis looms dark on our planet's current horizon. We need rain now, no less than our ancestors who farmed the soil of biblical Israel.

So our portion this week states, "If, then, you obey the commandments that I enjoin upon you this day, loving the Eternal your God and serving [God] with all your heart and soul, I will grant the rain (m'tar) for your land in season, the early rain (yoreh) and the late [rain] (malkosh) (11:13ff.). Our Torah commentary² says that the yoreh falls in October and early November, and the malkosh in late March and early April with the majority of Israel's rain falling in December and January. When I complained that all it did was rain during two visits to Israel in December and February last year, Israelis reprimanded me: how dare I complain about Israel's most precious and cherished resource? Israelis appreciate the gifts of rain for arid soil to blossom.

Filed Under: Torah

Va-et'chanan
July 23, 2010

by Ed Nickow
Temple Chai, Long Grove, IL

The Ten Commandments
Repeated in this portion
But with some changes

Here, "observe" Shabbat
Before, it was "remember"
Two ways to "keep" it?

read MORE

Filed Under: Torah

Praying with Heart
July 23, 2010

by Larry Kaufman

A highlight of any trip abroad is the chance to get off the tourist route and into the homes of locals. We've accomplished that in Israel by traveling with organized Reform movement groups, which typically includes Erev Shabbat services at a Progressive congregation, followed by dinner at the home of a member of the congregation.

While that opportunity was available to us on our trip this past June, we chose the other option, attending services at a fledgling congregation in downtown Tel Aviv, followed by potluck supper with the congregants. It was the right decision!

Our Kabbalat Shabbat was at T'filat HaLev, Prayer of the Heart, a congregation that was launched last year at Rosh Hashanah by HUC-Jerusalem rabbinic student Or Zohar, and that has met approximately monthly since. T'filat HaLev meets in a dance studio in downtown Tel Aviv, off Allenby Street - and the dance studio director plays an integral part in the service as she relaxes the congregation with a variety of motion exercises. The service is very musical - Or's primary vocations are radio broadcaster and musician, and he leads services with his guitar while his wife Feliza, who describes herself as a musician and voice movement therapist, functions as the cantor, singing and playing the harmonium. This video provides a feel for what the service is like. (This was not filmed the night we were there, but it captures the "vibe" we experienced.)

Filed Under: Community | Israel | Jewish Living

Past, Present, and Future
July 23, 2010

by Paul Reichenbach, Director of Camping and Israel Programs
Originally posted in The Campfire

It's July 16^th and I'm sitting on my fifth flight in six days as I travel across North America visiting the 13 URJ camps I have the privilege to supervise. While having been in the camping/Israel programs "business" for more than 35 years, I remain in awe of my friends and colleagues who willingly take responsibility for other people's children summer after summer. Anyone who has been connected to Jewish camping knows that the job of camp director has changed radically in the last 10+ years. There is no "break" at the end of the summer, stakeholder needs and expectations continue to rise, directors must possess expertise in everything from septic to stewardship of donors. And then there are the spouses, partners, and kids. Finding balance during the summer...hah! I was recently remarried...yes semi "old" people can find happiness the second time around. Cathy knew what she was getting into but already refers to herself as a "summer widow". The reward for all this: creating and shaping a vision and monumental satisfaction amid the hassles and endless days and weeks.

This week has been about the past, present, and future. I began last Shabbat in Bruceville-Eddy Texas at the celebration of the 35 anniversary of the founding of the URJ Greene Family Camp. The celebration acted as an alumni reunion and dedication of a spectacular new sports center. (Full disclosure, the director is my former college roommate, best friend, and Greene director for 33 years). More than 1100 alumni gathered in central Texas to reconnect and revel in the accomplishments of a special place that their parents and grandparents founded to inspire generations to come to take pride in being both Jews and Americans. It has succeeded beyond anyone's wildest imagination.

Late last night I flew back from Toronto after two days with my deeply committed Camp Board Chair, Raymond Capelouto. After a tire blowout on highway 400 near Barrie, we arrived at URJ Camp George on beautiful Maple Lake. George has a skilled staff, passionate lay leadership, and a stunning site. All that is needed...$6 million to fund phase one of an exciting master plan (third camper village, new dining hall, health center). George can become a model for Jewish camping in North America. "IM TIRZU..."

I'm about to land in Raleigh on my way to the URJ Six Points Sports Academy on the campus of the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, NC. This is the future: highly specialized Jewish camping in rented facilities reaching kids/parents who would probably never have considered Jewish camp. Ninety-five 10-15 year olds are engaged in basketball, tennis, baseball, soccer, and swimming under the tutelage of great coaches. All of this taking place in a warm and welcoming Jewish environment, filled with Jewish values and role models. Very cool. This visionary program was made possible by the Jim Joseph Foundation as part of the Foundation for Jewish Camp's Specialty Camps Incubator initiative. The North American Jewish community is truly investing in the growth and expansion of Jewish camping.

To all those toiling in the vineyard of building Jewish identity and our future, I wish for you a healthy and safe summer and above all, Shabbat Shalom.

Filed Under: Youth and Family Life

Funeral Fiascos: Should Jews Rethink How We Honor the Dead?
July 21, 2010 (15 Comments)

by Rabbi Eric Yoffie
Originally posted on the Huffington Post

A friend of mine recently attended the funeral of someone he had known for many years. About a dozen people got up to speak. Most of them spoke badly. Often the eulogizers ended up talking not about the deceased but about themselves. When the funeral was finally over, at least an hour and a half later, my friend was frustrated and angry. "I cared about this person," he said, "and she deserved a more fitting farewell."

Jewish funerals have changed in the last several decades, and not always for the better. Some of the changes were both understandable and welcome. At a time when all ritual was becoming less formal, Jews wanted funeral services that were more personal, intimate, and heartfelt. Therefore, when a death occurred, instead of calling on the rabbi for the eulogy, a close member of the family -- perhaps a child or sibling of the deceased -- was sometimes called upon to say a few words.

So far, so good. I have frequently been deeply moved by the eloquence of a daughter speaking of her father at his funeral, sharing memories and experiences with power and immediacy that no other speaker could possibly provide. A family member or close friend is often in a position to do what a member of the clergy cannot.

But once this door was opened, a variety of difficulties came into play. Family members discovered that when a close relative died, there was an expectation that one of them would speak -- even if they had no desire to do so. Since Jewish burials take place as soon as possible after the death, individuals still reeling from the impact of a loss find themselves under pressure -- real or self-imposed -- to talk at the funeral and represent the family to the community. Some refuse and feel guilty. Others agree but find the task difficult and painful. Either way, an unfair burden is imposed on those who are in profound distress.

Filed Under: By Rabbi Eric Yoffie | Lifecycle

Galilee Diary: Shopping
July 20, 2010 (4 Comments)

by Marc Rosenstein
(Originally published in Ten Minutes of Torah and Galilee Diary)

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They reached Wadi Eshcol and there they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes - it had to be borne on a carrying frame by two of them - and some pomegranates and figs... At the end of forty days... they made their report to the whole community, as they showed them the fruit of the land.
-Numbers 13:23, 25, 26

Since 1992, our seminar center has provided educational tours for many North American tour groups, to various sites around the Galilee. One of the "must-sees" of course, is Safed, the city perched in the mountains, which was, for barely a century, a major center of Jewish religious creativity: refugees from the Spanish expulsion of 1492 settled there and made it a hub of kabbalistic thought and literature. Among the well-known products of 16th century Safed are the Kabbalat Shabbat service and the hymn L'chah Dodi, and the major law code, the Shulchan Aruch. Later, Safed's economic and political fortunes declined, and it was destroyed by earthquakes in 1759 and 1837; in 1948 it was an Arab town with a small Jewish community, mostly ultra-Orthodox. The Arabs fled in the War of Independence, and new neighborhoods were built for new immigrants. For years Safed was a summer resort destination because of its mountainous location, but with the spread of air conditioning it was eclipsed by Tiberias, which, while hot and sticky, offers a waterfront. An artists' colony developed in the old city, which helped keep the town on the tourism map, but it has remained a "must see" that almost no one stays in for more than the two hours it takes to do a standard tour.

Filed Under: Israel