tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64882523074080753932024-02-20T01:16:41.421-08:00Rabbinic ReflectionsRabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-83465293822535800582020-08-14T10:29:00.007-07:002020-08-14T10:29:59.124-07:00<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Teach
them how to say goodbye – how Moses found his voice</span></b><b><span style="background: white; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rabbi
Stephen Wise – Parshat Devarim <br />
</span></b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(with much help from 10 min
Torah by Rabbi Max Chaiken)</span><b><span style="background: white; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">July
25, 2020 – 4 Av 5780</span></b><b><span style="background: white; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am sure
most of us have heard of the musical Hamilton, which broke box office records
and won a bucketful of Tony awards and began touring around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might not know that I had tickets for the
march 26<sup>th</sup> performance, which covid-19 ripped from my hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, in a beautiful turn of events, Disney a
few weeks ago released the movie version of the original Hamilton cast
performing the entire show on Broadway. Though I have listened to the album
dozens of times, watching it play out in front of my eyes was magnificent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lyrics and music are so incredibly
intricate and heart-wrenching, its an emotional rolloercoaster – and its based
on the life of Alexander Hamilton, a founding father on the 10 dollar American
bill who is otherwise one of the least popular historical figures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But why I bring him up this morning is the
connection to Moses and this weeks torah portion of Devarim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As we begin
the fifth and final book of the Torah today, Deuteronomy, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">chapter 1 verse 1 states,
“These are the words that Moses addressed to all Israel on the other side of
the Jordan” (</span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/dvarim/english-translation"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; padding: 0cm;">Deut. 1:1</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">). The Hebrew name for
Deuteronomy, <em><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; padding: 0cm;">D’varim</span></em>,
literally means “words,” and this framing sets the entire book apart from the
rest of the Torah.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As Rabbi Chaiken writes in
this weeks 10 minutes of Torah, from all we know of Moses from the previous
books of the Torah, it has all been in the third person, Moses did this, Moses
said that, Moses went there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now,
for the first time, Moses speaks for himself. The irony comes from what we know
about Moses: In his encounter with God at the Burning Bush, the reluctant
prophet needed serious convincing that he was the right man for the job. He
pleaded with the Eternal One:</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“I have never been good with
words, either in times past or now that You have spoken to Your servant; I am
slow of speech and slow of tongue.” (</span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/shmot/english-translation"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; padding: 0cm;">Ex. 4:10</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">)</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But Now here Moses stands, 40
years later, ready to speak an entire book called “Words”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After 40 years in the desert, Moses has found
his voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has a story to tell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he needs to pass along these pearls of
wisdom before he dies and his successor Joshua takes on the mantle of
leadership and take the people into Israel, the promised land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But how to say goodbye, how
to make that transition.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And here is where I rely on
Lin Manuel -Miranada, the author and star of Hamilton the musical to help.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the story of the American
revolution, it is Washington who is the great leader and warrior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He guides them through the revolution against
Britain, against all odds winning battles and finally gaining independence for
the 13 colonies to form the United States of America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is then chosen to be the first President,
to help write the constitution and the bill of rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then comes one of the most significant
moments in the history of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Washington is not a king, he is not power hungry ruler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He understands that he was voted to be
president but that he must also step down and allow for the succession of
power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He must yield his authority to
the next person or else the whole democratic enterprise will die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so he asks Hamilton to help him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the lyrics of the song “one last
time” speak for themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to
play it for you now. </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wYwA2LRShQ"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wYwA2LRShQ</span></a></span><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">if you have goosebumps
listeting to the one song, listen to the whole show or watch it on Disney Plus,
but in the meantime lets focus on a few lyrics that are pertinent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">[WASHINGTON]</span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://genius.com/Christopher-jackson-lin-manuel-miranda-and-original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-one-last-time-lyrics#note-8363302"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">I
wanna talk about what I have learned</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://genius.com/Christopher-jackson-lin-manuel-miranda-and-original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-one-last-time-lyrics#note-9227690"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">The
hard-won wisdom I have earned</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">[HAMILTON]</span><br />
</span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://genius.com/Christopher-jackson-lin-manuel-miranda-and-original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-one-last-time-lyrics#note-7899240"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">As
far as the people are concerned</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">You
have to serve, you could continue to serve—</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">[WASHINGTON]</span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">No! One
last time</span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The people
will hear from me</span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">One last
time</span><br />
</span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://genius.com/Christopher-jackson-lin-manuel-miranda-and-original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-one-last-time-lyrics#note-7954224"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">And
if we get this right</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://genius.com/Christopher-jackson-lin-manuel-miranda-and-original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-one-last-time-lyrics#note-8227020"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">We’re
gonna teach ‘em how to say</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">Goodbye</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">You
and I—</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">[HAMILTON]</span><br />
</span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://genius.com/Christopher-jackson-lin-manuel-miranda-and-original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-one-last-time-lyrics#note-8992328"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">Mr.
President,</span></a></span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://genius.com/Christopher-jackson-lin-manuel-miranda-and-original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-one-last-time-lyrics#note-8286783"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">they
will say you’re weak</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br />
<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">[WASHINGTON]</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">No,
they will see we’re strong</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">[HAMILTON]</span><br />
</span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://genius.com/Christopher-jackson-lin-manuel-miranda-and-original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-one-last-time-lyrics#note-7911961"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">Your
position is so unique</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">[WASHINGTON]</span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">So I’ll use
it to move them along</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">[HAMILTON]</span><br />
</span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://genius.com/Christopher-jackson-lin-manuel-miranda-and-original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-one-last-time-lyrics#note-8546868"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">Why
do you have to say goodbye?</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">[WASHINGTON]</span><br />
</span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://genius.com/Christopher-jackson-lin-manuel-miranda-and-original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-one-last-time-lyrics#note-8250935"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">If
I say goodbye, the nation learns to move on</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://genius.com/Christopher-jackson-lin-manuel-miranda-and-original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-one-last-time-lyrics#note-7973707"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">It
outlives me when I’m gone</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://genius.com/Christopher-jackson-lin-manuel-miranda-and-original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-one-last-time-lyrics#note-8978520"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">Like
the scripture says:</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://genius.com/Christopher-jackson-lin-manuel-miranda-and-original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-one-last-time-lyrics#note-7855822"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">“Everyone
shall sit under their own vine and fig tree</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">And
no one shall make them afraid.”</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://genius.com/Christopher-jackson-lin-manuel-miranda-and-original-broadway-cast-of-hamilton-one-last-time-lyrics#note-10330963"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: #DDDDDD; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">They’ll
be safe in the nation we’ve made</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">What do we learn here from
Washington.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has to move on, to say
good bye, in order for the people to learn how to move on when he is gone. </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Moses has to deliver the same
message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though his is the humble
prophet who was “never good with words” he is standing on his soapbox, speaking
directly to the people Israel, as they stand ready to move forward.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A first lesson relates to
personal growth. Moses’ role as the speaker teaches us that people can change
and grow. As Rabbi Chaiken writes, forty years in the desert leading an unruly,
cranky bunch of Israelites would take a toll on anybody. Yet despite given the
dual role of leader and prophet, Moses manages to cultivate and deepen his
skills. Even through the personal tragedies of mourning his siblings, Miriam
and Aaron, and the heart wrenching ultimatium from God that he not be allowed
to enter the promised land, he found a well of resilience within himself, and
he turns his weakness with words into a profound way to use them to teach the
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A second lesson in this
portion reminds us that in order to move forward, we sometimes must start by
reviewing where we’ve been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>President
Washington reminds the people of the wars of independence, the words of the constitution
and bill of rights created so all are created equal, that everyone has a right
to a voice and a vote, that the states must work together, that the president,
supreme court and congress balance power to rule effectively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Here in Dvarim Moses offers a
similar historical lesson, an abridged retelling of the Israelites’ journey
through the wilderness. Starting from Horeb </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/dvarim/english-translation"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; padding: 0cm;">(Deut. 1:6</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">), he reminds the people of
his own challenges of leadership, and his need to delegate and maintain order (</span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/dvarim/english-translation"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; padding: 0cm;">Deut. 1:9-18</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">). He recounts the deep
uncertainty and fear the Israelites expressed, leading to the episode with the
spies (</span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/dvarim/english-translation"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; padding: 0cm;">Deut. 1:22-24</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">) and eventually to God’s
decree that the people would remain in the wilderness for an entire generation
(</span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/dvarim/english-translation"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; padding: 0cm;">Deut. 1:34-38</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">). Finally, Moses turns his
attention to review the recent military battles during the Israelites’
wanderings. He recounts for the people both the defeats and the victories over
the course of their trek through the desert (</span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/dvarim/english-translation"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; padding: 0cm;">Deut. 1:46-3:22</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">).</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In all of this retelling,
Moses never fails to maintain a laser focus of what comes next even after he is
gone: crossing the Jordan and entering the Promised Land. He carefully reminds
the people that “the Eternal your God has been with you these past 40 years” (</span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/dvarim/english-translation"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; padding: 0cm;">Deut. 2:7</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">). The way he crafts the
story offers constant reminders that their defeats coincided with their lack of
trust in God and their victories were delivered with God’s help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that God will be there for generations and
generations to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses retells the
story to the people to prepare them for this uncertain future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He reminds them time and time again to build
their trust in themselves along with their trust in God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that Moses, despite being a man who
thinks he stutters and can’t put words together, accomplishes his goal of
girding the Israelites spiritually for the challenges to come by reminding them
of all that they have already endured and survived and their ability to handle
whatever comes next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This can be a powerful lesson
for us, too. While we hopefully do not find ourselves fighting literal battles,
each of us faces struggles and challenges in our lives. Each of us will
encounter self-doubt or despair, or feel vulnerable to attack; you may even be
feeling that now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But learn from the
lessons of the leaders from History.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Washington understood when his time had come to a close and retired with
grace and honour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He taught the people
how to say good bye but also how to feel safe in the new country they build and
not put all their trust in one leader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They have the right to vote for the next one and the next one and create
the democratic system that has enveoloped most of the world today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And we can learn from Moses
who overcame great adversity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As he grew
to overcome his fear of words, we too can remember and identify ways we have
grown, and weaknesses that we’ve turned to strengths. Like Moses, we too can
look back and consider our journey before we advance. We can choose to retell
our story in ways that remind us that we are not alone, and that we too have
the power to move forward from strength to strength.</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Shabbat Shalom</span><span style="font-size: 18.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-9313043975920945422015-09-17T08:59:00.001-07:002015-09-17T08:59:18.284-07:001st day RH sermon – Saying Yes - Sept. 15, 2015 – 1 tishrei 5776<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">As I settled into my seat on the Chicago subway this
past summer, I figured it was so late that we should just head back to our
hotel and call it a night.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">I couldn’t
have been mor</span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"></a><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">e wrong.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> We had just
had an incredible time watching the Toronto Blue Jays fight it out with the Chicago
White Sox. It was fun watching Chris
Sale up against our team’s Mark Buherle, both of them on their game, and both
teams tied one to one going into the 9<sup>th</sup>. A pitching
masterpiece. And being with my son and
his entire Thornhill Reds baseball team at the tail end of an epic 7 day road
trip through the <st1:place w:st="on">Midwest</st1:place> was true baseball
heaven, not to mention our little side trip to the Field of Dreams in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iowa</st1:place></st1:state>. The Jays game was especially fun as we met RA
Dickey before the game and heard from friends and family back in Ontario that
they kept seeing us on TV cheering for the Jays. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> As the
skies darkened and it began to rain, the game also turned dark for me as the
White Sox scraped out a late run and beat our Blue Jays. This didn’t dampen our enthusiasm though as
we headed out of the stadium and ran for the subway to escape the
downpour. We found our way into the last
subway car and sat down exhausted. The
man across from us, noticing our Blue Jay hats, asked if we were Jays fan from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Toronto</st1:place></st1:city> and added , “I bet
you like Josh Donaldson”. We all replied,
“Of course”! “Well”, he said, “Josh is an old friend of mine from high
school”. “No way” we hollered. Then he
brought us in closer. “Josh is a good friend and in fact I’m going to meet him
right now at the hotel where the Jays are staying”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“And what hotel is that”, I quietly asked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“The <st1:place w:st="on">Peninsula</st1:place>, right
down on magnificent mile”, he replied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> We
continued discussing baseball while I kept that nugget of information to
myself. When the team met up in the lobby of the hotel half an hour later, I
told everyone that the Jays were staying not too far from us. “Who wants to go see if we can meet some
players,” I asked them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">By now it was around 10:30 pm and
most of the dads were tired and not planning to walk out in the rain to go see
if some Jays might possibly be in that hotel.
I however am not most people. I
learned from my father a long time ago to always say yes, especially to an
adventure like this. Great things can
happen when you go out and try new things and take what we in the clergy call “a
leap of faith”. As Wayne Gretzky once
said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. So I said I’m going. Then about 8 kids said they would go
too. The remaining dads said “Hey if you
want to go, go ahead”. So I did. Guess
what? We did find the Jays at the hotel just as the guy on the subway said. We
got some autographs, some hugs, and some high fives and went back to the hotel
with some great stories for the remaining dads.
So what do we learn from this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> In life there is always a balance between
risks and regret. Speaking personally I
usually lean toward the risk side, leaving my comfort zone even if I’m not sure
what the future will bring. Each person
has to find their own way. But as we approach the high holydays we are each forced
to take a look at our life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Were there times when you wanted to take a chance and
didn’t? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> What held you
back? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">How might you be open to new possibilities in the
coming year?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Yamim Noraim force us to examine the promises we
made but didn’t fulfill. We get a clean
slate to try again, get out of our comfort zone and drink fully from the cup of
life. As the old cliché reminds us, if
you don’t try, you can’t achieve. It
might not work out perfectly the way you hoped but there is so much upside to
trying. If you miss the mark, then
adjust and keep trying. Failure is just
a step to getting it right. You definitely can’t succeed if you never even take
the first shot. Whether its aiming for a new career, a new school, a new company,
a new home, a new partner – aim to do what you love and go for it. There’s only
one way to find out. Take the leap of
faith. Try saying yes whenever you can. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Being here
today is a Jewish leap of faith. Whether you believe in God or a higher power
or something beyond our understanding, we are here today because we are following
the traditions of our people. We are following God’s commandments. Why do we follow them when there is no hard
evidence that God is watching. It’s
because we are saying yes. We’re taking a risk. We’re taking the day off work
or school for a higher purpose. There
are many things in our mahzor that we
pray about that are hard to accept and hard to believe but we take the risk. We
say yes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I remember once my son Jacob asked me about Jesus
and how he died and came back to life 3 days later. He seemed skeptical that Jesus rose from the
dead. I said, “Well, our founding story
is that God split the <st1:place w:st="on">Red Sea</st1:place> in two, I bet
people are skeptical of that moment, but we Jews believe it”. He nodded his head slowly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> It takes a lot courage and conviction to
embrace our faith. It’s easy to say
there’s no evidence, it’s easy to not believe.
It takes more of an effort to say yes, I do believe, to embrace this
day. And when you put in the effort you
get a lot more out of it, whether it’s because you were forced to come here by
a family member, or you just feel comfortable surrounded by your community, or
you just like the music. Whatever it was, you made the choice to come
here. And when we all sing the prayers
and say the words together – it has power and it has meaning. It’s part of saying yes, I’m part of the
Jewish people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Every Jew around the world is in shul today,
just like you. We’re all saying the same words, perhaps in different
languages. Perhaps the men are sitting separately from the women, maybe some
are in fancy pews, or on kitchen chairs or on a sandy floor. But we’re all doing it together. And once you start saying the prayers and
singing the music, everything comes together.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Just sitting
here and thinking about our actions over this past year can make us better
people. This self-reflective guilt trip
can lead to more positive actions in the coming year, whether consciously or
unconsciously.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The Rabbis of the past knew what they were doing when
they created the customs of our high holydays.
They used various methods to get us here and to help us find God in our
own way. One way is fasting. When you’re hungry you ask yourself, why am I
punishing myself like this. Then you remember, it’s because I did something
this past year where I hurt another person.
Everyone has done it. Maybe I
could apologize and do better next year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Another way
is a blast from the shofar, a jarring loud sound that forces you to sit up and
think, why are we blowing a rams horn.
It’s waking us up and reminding us to look at our behaviour. Another way is our reading the Torah
scroll. It’s wonderful to see our scroll
taken from the ark and read aloud. It’s
the same words year after year, but guess what, it’s different every year. We hear it differently, and respond to it in
new ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> It’s funny
to look at our customs from an outsider’s point of view. Other people throw a party on the New Year.
But look at us. We sit here in a room all day thinking, saying the same words
and hearing the same songs, blowing a rams horn and starving. Not very exciting but certainly spiritually
fulfilling. The easier way would be not
to follow these customs. But we say Yes.
We take the leap of faith. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Jews have been doing it for centuries. We have fought and died for the right to
follow our rituals. As a people, when we say yes, we really mean it. Look at our prophets. They said yes when they
were called knowing that theirs would be a difficult life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> In the book
of Kings chapter 20, Elijah the prophet is told to anoint Elisha as his
successor. Elijah comes upon Elisha
plowing the field. He walks up to him and throws his mantle over Elisha’s
shoulders. Elisha simply walks away from
the field saying “let me kiss my mother and father goodbye and I will follow you”. Talk about taking a leap of faith. Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, each are called in
a similar fashion and say yes, some without fully understanding the
consequences. Moses understood the
gravity of God’s request to lead the people from slavery and needed more
convincing. But at some point he also
had to stand up and take the risk, whether sure of the outcome or not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Our biblical
figures set a great example. But there are also more modern instances where
Jewish men and women took a leap of faith and said yes to the challenge when
asked of them. When an Air France
airplane was captured by terrorists and flown to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Entebbe</st1:place></st1:city>, the Israeli government had the
audacity to ask Yoni Netanyahu to take his team and fly to an enemy country. His job was to pretend
he was the president of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Uganda</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
sneak into the airport terminal, kill the terrorists and save the hostages. An
unprecedented act. And he said yes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Ilan Ramon
was told to fly from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>
to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>
to destroy their nuclear power plants. He was to do this without permission
from any other country. He said yes. They
asked Golda Meir, from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Milwaukee</st1:city>,
<st1:state w:st="on">Wisconsin</st1:state></st1:place> to visit every synagogue in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>
to ask for money needed by <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>
when it became a country in 1948. She
said yes. Eliezer Ben Yehudah, told that
the new Jewish state needed a unifying language, was asked to update the ancient
language of Hebrew so that modern-day <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> could use it. He said yes. He wrote the first Hebrew
dictionary and, from that day on, Hebrew became the language of the country of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>. This summer I was asking Jill Anne about a
possible trip to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>. She said, “What do I need in order to go”. I said, “a passport and a dream”. She said, “I’ve never been on a plane before.
In fact I’ve never even been out of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ontario</st1:place></st1:state>
before”. But she said, “Yes, I’ll go”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> I love it
when people say Yes. It was something
ingrained in me in my childhood and something I try to pass on to my
children. It’s something I encourage
each and every one of you to try, as we begin this new year of 5776. You never know when you might walk a hotel in
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Chicago</st1:place></st1:city> and
meet MVP Candidate Josh Donaldson in the lobby.
You never know when someone might invite you to go to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>. You never know when you might invent
something that changes the world. And
you’ll never know until you say that one magic word…“Yes”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Shana Tova<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-4505054180929895242015-09-17T08:57:00.004-07:002015-09-17T08:57:55.462-07:00Political rhetoric and the holocaust – Sept. 5 2015<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">As the election cycle takes up
more traction, I am noticing a trend of using Holocaust references in campaigning. H</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">ow do we campaign with dignity and class.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">In other words, is it ever right to invoke the holocaust in politics.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">There was a </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">recent backlash against York Centre Conservative MP Mark
Adler for noting in campaign literature and on his website that he’s the son of
a Holocaust survivor. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">He posted it on a large sidewalk billboard in
his neighborhood, Bathurst street and Sheppard, declaring his qualifications as
an MP. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I didn’t think he needs to use
the Holocaust as a way to get votes, but I am sure that works on the Bathurst
corridor. Apparently others felt he had
crossed the line and tweeted how inappropriate it was to link his campaign to
the holocaust. A social media war was
launched, each proving their side. His
side said he wasn’t using the Holocaust for votes, just putting out his
biography. In fact they said he is the
only MP who is a holocaust survivor. The
opposing side said he was using it for personal gain and besides he is not the
first holocaust survivor to be an MP.
That honour resides with </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Raymonde
Folco, a Liberal who served as a Montreal-area MP from 1997 to 2011, preceded
Adler in that distinction, and that Folco was herself a child survivor of the
Holocaust, not just the son of a survivor. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 37.3333px;">A recent CJN article by Paul Lungen commented that it wasn’t the first incident of late in which a Canadian politician invoked the Holocaust and was swiftly condemned for it. I</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">s it ever appropriate to reference the Shoah in political
and campaign rhetoric.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Raymonde
Folco, was asked and criticized Adler for, as she put it, “us[ing] the
Holocaust in this way, for personal ends.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">In March, federal
Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney testified before a parlimentary committee
in support of his government’s anti-terror bill, C-51.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Defending a part of
the bill that would ban the spread of terrorist propaganda online, he said,
“The Holocaust did not begin in the gas chambers. It began with words.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">NDP public safety
critic Randall Garrison said the comment trivialized the Holocaust and accused
Blaney of using “inflated rhetoric.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The night before, in
a speech to alumni at McGill University, federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau
had attacked the Conservative government’s immigration policies, saying it had
stirred up anti-Muslim sentiment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">After adding that “we
should all shudder to hear the same rhetoric that led to a ‘none is too many’
immigration policy towards Jews in the ’30s and ’40s being used to raise fears
against Muslims today,” Trudeau faced criticism that the reference was offensive
and the historical parallel inaccurate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">And then last weekend
in a twitter war, our own Mayor Burton wrote that Harper was wasting tax payer
money by hiring Canadian veterans as his personal bodyguards. He added that there were others who needed
extra bodyguards, citing Hitler and Mussolini.
The backlash was quick, asking why Burton was comparing Veterans to
Nazi’s, which he didn’t actually do, but our Mayor had to quickly apologize. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The question of
whether citing the Holocaust is ever acceptable in politics divides even those
who are close to the issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Nelson Wiseman, a
professor of political science at the University of Toronto and the child of
Holocaust survivors himself, said he doesn’t consider either Adler’s or
Blaney’s Holocaust references to be in poor taste. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“Is it in poor taste
for an Aboriginal to say, ‘I’m a survivor of the residential school system’? Is
it in poor taste to say ‘My relative starved to death in Cambodia’” he asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“To me, Adler made a
pitch for the Jewish vote… That’s perfectly OK. Chinese politicians will pitch
for the Chinese vote. Sikhs will pitch for the Sikh vote. A lot of people
identify with those running for political office with the same heritage as
them… Every politician, by definition, has a political agenda… They say
something they think will resonate with people.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Wiseman added that
Blaney’s claim about the Holocaust beginning with words was hardly
irrelevant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“Should we discount <em>Mein Kampf</em>?” he asked. “Many
people did.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Myer Siemiatycki, a
professor of politics at Ryerson University whose parents also survived the
Shoah, argued that political parties and candidates can best honour the
Holocaust by combating racism and protecting human rights, not by exploiting it
for “personal electoral advantage,” as he believes Adler did.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“This debases the
catastrophic Holocaust experience of the Jewish People into crass partisan
marketing,” he added. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Jonathan Kay,
editor-in-chief of <em>The Walrus</em>
magazine, drew national attention to Adler’s Holocaust reference by tweeting a picture
of it on Adler’s campaign office poster Aug. 16.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Kay told <em>The CJN</em> it was the way Adler
presented his heritage that he objects to. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;">“It’s completely
legitimate to say, ‘This tragedy is part of my family history and it’s given me
a special appreciation for the universal lessons that came from it,’” Kay said.
“But the context people see here is that the Conservative party has made a very
special, and sometimes slightly obsessive, push to convince voters Harper is
committed to the survival of the Jewish State… So it’s reasonable to interpret
[Adler] as saying, “I’m more sensitive to the needs of Israel and world Jewry
because of this one thing’… To my mind, he was exploiting his family history to
reinforce Conservative talking points about foreign policy.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Rabbi Abraham Cooper,
associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, said it’s a given
that politicians will mention their family heritage or involvement in a tragic
historical event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">He pointed to U.S.
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio, who “in pretty much every
national debate and public arena wants to make sure it’s known he’s the son of
Cuban refugees who fled Castro,” and retired U.S. senator Joe Lieberman, who
“made a big deal of the fact he’s shomer Shabbat.”Rabbi Cooper stressed, “For
many political candidates nowadays, every moment of their background is anyways
vetted, debated, put on social media… Why should one never mention their family
or history? I believe people who don’t do this are in the minority.” </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Eli Rubenstein,
national director of March of the Living Canada, said because the Holocaust is
widely known as an epic human tragedy, with extremely graphic imagery attached
to it, people often invoke it to make a point. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Sometimes that’s
appropriate, sometimes it isn’t, he said<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">For instance, in
1979, Canada’s then-minister of employment and immigration Ron Atkey invoked
the Holocaust appropriately, Rubenstein said. In making the case to grant
tens of thousands of Vietnamese “boat people” asylum in Canada, Atkey referred
to Canada’s infamous “none is too many” policy of barring Jews from immigrating
to Canada during World War II.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Today I would say the
biggest refugee crisis is in Syria and seeing the image of a young boy washed
up dead on the shores of Turkey is horrifying.
And we can invoke the lessons of the 1930’s when Jews were prevented
from emigrating because each country closed their doors. We should push our government to open our
doors to Syrian Refugees because it is a humanitarian crisis and we knew what
it was like to have no where to go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">But citing the
Holocaust in a way that trivializes it, or when it has no bearing on the
subject at hand, is not OK, Rubenstein said. “For example, bullying is wrong,
but one shouldn’t invoke the Holocaust to make that point.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">I would say, why
bring up the holocaust, I can’t really think of a proper political moment to
use it. Instead focus on the issues at
hand because you are simply playing with fire.
Lets talk about Israel, about the refugee crisis in Syria and the struggling
world economy. Lets talk about
aboriginal issues and poverty and
infrastructure. Lets talk about the
issues that matter today and lets elect a party that will make change and make
all our lives better. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-20376343267595483672015-09-17T08:54:00.003-07:002015-09-17T08:54:44.474-07:00Ltaken seminar and Iran and Washington Saturday March 7th at SBE<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">This past weekend I
was in Washington DC with our youth on a wonderful social justice weekend. While we have been doing youth group trips to
various cities over the years, this trip was unique. First we joined a program called L’taken,
which means “to fix”, sponsored by the Religious Action Centre. </span><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">For more than 50 years,
"the RAC" has been the hub of Jewish social justice and legislative
activity in Washington, they educate and mobilize the Reform Jewish community
on legislative and social concerns, advocating on more than 70 different
issues, including economic justice, civil rights, religious liberty, Israel and
more. The L’taken program brings around 300 teenagers from around north American
to take an in depth look at social concerns and then learn how to take action
on those issues. For example, we talked
about homelessness and poverty and heard from a former homeless man named Steve
who was abused and lived on a bench for two years about a block from the white
house. He is now able to find work and a home but talked about his
struggles. We then learned about the
root causes of poverty – mental illness, homelessness, abuse, drug and alcohol etc.
then we talked about how to take action on poverty. We studied Jewish texts on
the mitzvoth that require us to help the needy.
We talked about how we can do food drives and volunteers at soup kitchens. But these address the symptoms, not solve the
problem. The government can have a much
bigger role in legislating towards alleviating poverty such as raising the
minimum wage or better health care or federal job training. As Canadians we were lucky to learn about how
Canada has taken a much more progressive role in these issues, but while we
have accomplished a lot the work is far from done. So we learned how to lobby the government to
make effective change through new and better laws. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">After poverty we focused on Israel, women’s’
rights, climate change, worldwide malaria and more. Each time doing the same thing, examining the
issues, learning the root causes, studying Jewish values that correspond and finding
out ways to take action to solve the problems.
Of course we had time to hang out with other teenagers, have great
meals, see the sights of Washington like the monuments, museums and shopping
and stay up late eating pizza. But we
also learned a lot and the culmination was our visit Monday morning to the
Canadian Embassy. Throughout Sunday, we
focused on how to write a speech and present it to legislators and other
government representatives. Monday was
the time to put our work into action. Each student put on his or her best
professional attire, wrote a speech about an issue they felt strongly about and
entered the embassy board room to meet with our Canadian ambassadors’ representatives. We spoke mainly on three issues – a strong
relationship between Canada and Israel, Canada’s role in addressing climate
change and women’s’ rights. For two of
these issues, we were preaching to the choir.
Canada has led the way on fighting for women’s rights on a global
scale. Canada has also been a great
friend to Israel with economic and military trade and support. On climate change we felt Canada could do
more by donating more to the worldwide green fund, curbing greenhouse gases and
switching to renewable energy. I sat
back with amazement as our teenagers delivered their words with great emotion
and seriousness, forcing the embassy officials to take notes and answer how our
government can do better. It was a great
weekend and hopefully we can continue to build on the work by meeting with our
MP and MPP’s here in Oakville. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">In the discussion on Israel it was hard not to
notice events happening around us in Washington. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu had arrived to
speak at the AIPAC conference on Sunday and Monday and then was going to
address the US house of representatives on Tuesday, one of just a handful of
foreign leaders to ever have that opportunity.
It was all over the news and seemingly all everyone could talk
about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The topic of Netanyahu’s speech as we all know was
about the current round of negotiations between </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>P5+1</b><span class="apple-converted-space">, </span>a group of six<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_power" title="Great power"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">world powers</span></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P5%2B1#cite_note-1"><sup><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">[1]</span></sup></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">which in 2006 joined the diplomatic efforts with<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran" title="Iran"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Iran</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">with regard to<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_program_of_Iran" title="Nuclear program of Iran"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">its nuclear program</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">. P5 are the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_members_of_the_United_Nations_Security_Council" title="Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">five permanent members</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">of the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_Security_Council" title="UN Security Council"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">UN Security Council</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">, namely<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" title="United States"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">United States</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia" title="Russia"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Russia</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China" title="China"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">China</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">United Kingdom</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">, and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France" title="France"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">France</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">, plus<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany" title="Germany"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Germany</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Israel is clearly not on that list and I am amazed
that our little tiny country has such a voice in world affairs. This issue is of particular importance
because while no country in the world seems to be happy that Iran is trying to
acquire nuclear weapons, there is only one country that is a target, and this
is Israel. And not just hints, </span><span class="Heading2Char"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has
called for the annihilation of Israel</span></span><span class="Heading2Char"><span style="font-size: 13.0pt; line-height: 150%;">.
</span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The
former PM of Iran Amhanejiad denies the Holocaust and calls for Israel’s
destruction time and time again. Not of
the p plus 1 countries have been called out for obliteration like Israel, which
also happens to be within firing distance of Iran’s new rockets. Those rockets were just tested over the past
few months and can hit our entire homeland with ease. What if they carried nuclear war heads? We are not at war with Iran but it is clear
that Iran sponsor terrorism by Hezbollah and Hamas to attack Israel. They are involved in supplying money and arms
to the regimes in Syria and Lebanon and support all anti-Israel activity. They walk the walk and talk the talk. So why would Israel want a country that calls
for its destruction to be in possession of nuclear weapons, of course we are
doing everything we can to halt their progress.
The UN in 2006 upon heard of Iran’s plans to develop the bomb imposed a
halt, to no avail. For years they passed
sanctions and demanded inspections, some worked for a little while, some were
merely window dressing but Iran continued.
They build bunkers underground, they have over 10,000 centrifuges, and
they brought in experts from Russia.
They are going full speed ahead.
Israel tried other options such as computer viruses which set back their
work for a few years but nothing has worked.
It is possible there is a bombing option but it presents many
problems. The sites are spread out, hard
to find and extremely difficult to neutralize effectively. Iran would bomb Israel in retaliation,
perhaps other Arab countries would join, and that could be disaster. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3 style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Back to Netanyahu, he was
called by the Congress speaker of the house Rp. </span><a href="https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FJohn_Boehner&ei=vr_4VJCwAYH7sASooICICw&usg=AFQjCNEUXUr6ACFw9bYaBC16-iOIG37UHg&sig2=mf6QH3sP3eEk9DVwKC4p6A&bvm=bv.87519884,d.aWw"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">John Boehner </span></a><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">to come speak.
Here is the political side. While
it does seem appropriate for a representative from Israel to provide
information to congress on how they view the negotiations with Iran, there are
so many problems here. One is that
Boehner did not consult the white house on this invitation, and skipped
protocol. The white house does not want Netanyahu
to speak in the middle of these negotiations.
Moreover the house is controlled by republicans and the white house by
democrats, it’s making Israel into a partisan issue. The greatest fear would be that Israel’s best
ally America, will be driven by politics on supporting Israel. So it becomes a wedge issue. AIPAC gives equal support to both major
parties in America, because no matter who is in power in which office, the best
case scenario would be to support Israel, economically and militarily and
diplomatically. But this might drive a
wedge into that relationship. <o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<h3 style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The other part is that Netanyahu
himself is in election mode as Israeli’s go to the polls in two weeks to elect
a prime minister. Is it just a coincidence
that he goes to Washington now? Of
course its politics, he wants to show how great a leader he is that he can go
to Washington and speak in front of the entire nation on Israel’s behalf to
stop Iran from going nuclear. <o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<h3 style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Everyone believes that Iran
should not have the bomb the real question is how to go about stopping them. Forget all the politics, Bibi is right that
they must be stopped, that is his strong advice, no more negotiations and
freezes and maybes and pleases. Full
sanctions, no negotiations no bomb.<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<h3 style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The other side, preferred by the
UN, the p-5 and the white house, would be to negotiate because what other
options are there. <o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<h3 style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span></h3>
<h3 style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">So here we are in Washington,
visiting the embassy and then walking by the congressional buildings where the
Israeli PM is about to speak. Our small group from Oakville witnessing history. And then our teens spoke up about how much we
support the strong connections between Canada and Israel, despite the lunacy
that is Washington. <o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<h3 style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">While I do not claim to have any
answers, as always it is vital to keep engaged in what is going on, to show our
support for Israel, and to teach our young people about the issues of the day
and how they can make a difference.
Because god needs us to take an active role in making the world a better
place for us all.<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<h3 style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Ken yehi ratzon.<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-89530598415837033552014-08-14T10:49:00.002-07:002014-08-14T10:49:29.766-07:00The legacy of Robin Williams
<br />
<div align="center" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 15.75pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 18pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">The legacy of Robin Williams –by Rabbi Stephen Wise<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 15.75pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 18pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">August 16, 2014 – 20 Av 5774<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 15.75pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The modern Hebrew poet Hayim
Nahman Bialik put it this way:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 15.75pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">There
was a man -- and see: he is no more!<br />
Before his time did this man depart<br />
And the song of his life in its midst was stilled<br />
And alas! One more tune did he have<br />
And now that tune is forever lost<br />
Forever lost!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 15.75pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I was shocked when I heard
Robin Williams died.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is probably one
of the most loved comedians and entertainers, hysterically funny, zany and
brilliant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will miss him, I already
do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">People of my
generation grew up with Robin Williams. His frenetic humor, the dizzying runs
of free-association, resonated across all ages; as children, we didn’t get all
his jokes but we knew it was amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
had the ability to make us laugh and cry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the end of Mrs. Doubtfire, after making us laugh as he acts like an
old Scottish Nanny for half the movie, he moves us to tears about how much he
loves his children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was a genie in
the bottle for the Aladdin movie, the first time I really remember a funny
Disney character whose voice made the film come alive for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was Peter Pan in Hook able to re imagine
what Peter might be like as an adult trying to recapture his childhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I loved his genius in Patch Adams as a doctor
healing through laughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And his Oscar
winning role as a psychiatrist in Good Will Hunting helping the Matt Damon
character overcome his inner demons and finally breaking free into a life
filled with love and purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first war movie I remember seeing was Good
Morning Vietnam, and he was so funny, I bought the album and memorized all his
lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dead poet’s society moved me in profound ways,
and the way he reached his students actually influenced the way I wanted to be
a teacher when I did my masters of education degree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">In some ways, I think of Robin Williams as an honourary Jew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 7.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">He could effortlessly drop Yiddishisms into any conversation, he could perfectly
articulate the accent of an old Jewish man and he had countless close friends
and colleagues who were members of the tribe. Apparently his affection and
support for Judaism ran deeper as the New York Jewish Week reported, Williams attended
13 Bar Mitzvahs in the eighth grade while growing up in Detroit. Williams
provided the comedy at the 2005 annual banquet of the Spielberg’s Survivors of
the Shoah Foundation, leaving everyone in stitches; offending no one and remained
at the banquet long after the headliners left. When Spielberg was filming
“Schindler’s List,” Williams called him every day during the production to
“brighten the director’s mood.” Indeed the Jewish Federations of North America noted
on their facebook page “We mourn the loss of the great actor, comedian Robin
Williams, zichrono li-veracha, “may his memory be a blessing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 7.5pt 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">A few years ago on “Inside
the Actors Studio,” host James Lipton asked Williams the final question on the
Proust Questionnaire: “If heaven exists, what would you like to hear at the
pearly gates?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“First, I’d like to have
a front row seat,” he smiled. “It would be nice to know that there’s laughter.
And it would be nice to hear G-d say, ‘Two Jews go into a bar . . . ’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I think
there some things to take from his life that can guide our lives today.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="p2" style="background: white; margin: 1.5pt 0cm;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The first is that he brought laughter and joy to so
many.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His used so many tones of
traditional Jewish comedy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Rabbi Evan
Moffic wrote, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p2" style="background: white; margin: 1.5pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">He
used Humor to undermine pretension and pomposity:</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Robin Williams managed to
be lovable and irreverent at the same time. He did not fear offending anyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p2" style="background: white; margin: 1.5pt 0cm;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">As one of his obituaries reported, he once called out
from a London Stage,<span class="s2"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">“Chuck, Cam, great to see you.” Charles, Prince of Wales, and his
wife, Lady Camilla Bowles were in the audience. He continued, “Yo yo, wussup
Wales, House of Windsor, keepin’ it real!”</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p3" style="background: white; margin: 1.5pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">He
used comedy to heal. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Jewish history is filled
with destruction. Hatred and persecution have plagued us for so long, and they
continue to do so in the Middle East and Europe.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p3" style="background: white; margin: 1.5pt 0cm;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">One of the great healing balms of Jewish life has been
humor. It has helped us maintain perspective, seeing possibilities for joy
amidst pain, for sweetness amidst the harshness of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p3" style="background: white; margin: 1.5pt 0cm;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Robin Williams’ humor—along with his many acting
roles—helped heal so many. His life mirrored the role he played so beautifully
of Patch Adams, the doctor who used humor to heal his patients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p3" style="background: white; margin: 1.5pt 0cm;">
<span style="font-style: inherit;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">He
used Comedy as a way of poking fun at ourselves:</span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> Robin Williams knew his own
foibles. He did not shy away from admitting his struggles with addiction and
relationships.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p3" style="background: white; margin: 1.5pt 0cm;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">And he would turn those struggles into brilliant
one-liners. Indeed, he once described cocaine as <span class="s3"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">“God’s way of saying you make
too much money.” </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The second lesson was can take away from his death is
knowing that he was a mensch, in the sense that he was one who struggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know
now that this was an internal struggle behind closed doors, that Robin Williams
struggled with mental health and addiction issues for many many years and to
which he eventually succumbed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps it
will prompt us in the Jewish community and the wider community, to deal more
seriously with mental illness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This includes
depression but also bi-polar, schizophrenia, PTSD and addiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We as Ashkenazic Jews are more prone and
clinical trials have shown its in our DNA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 15.75pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Rabbi Jeff Salkin wrote a
brilliant piece this week in the Jewish news about William’s struggle with
mental illness and showed that in our history there are many Jewish heroes who
suffered similarly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moses seemed to have
struggled with a kind of depression – and anxiety, about representing God,
constantly feeling that he was letting them or God down, and weighed down by
the immense task of leading the people to freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The prophet Elijah seems to have suffered
from depression. He flees from the homicidal wrath of Queen Jezebel, finds
himself at Horeb (Mount Sinai), and crawls into a cave -- either crawling back
into the womb or looking forward to the tomb (I Kings 19). Some say that the
prophet Ezekiel struggled with mental illness. The Psalmist had his demons.
Just one example: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil
within me? (Psalms 42:11)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 15.75pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Many Hasidic rebbes struggled
with depression. Elie Wiesel devoted his book <em>Four Hasidic Masters and
Their Struggle Against Melancholy t</em>o their storiesReb Nachman of Breslov
famously battled the forces of depression, and his prayers and meditations are
“gentle weapons” in that struggle. It appears that the great Zionist Theodor
Herzl was given to bouts of inner darkness, and he passed on this tragic legacy
to his children and grandchildren. Moshe Dayan struggled with depression; when
he was Army Chief of Staff, Yitzhak Rabin suffered a nervous breakdown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 15.75pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We know there is a veil of
secrecy, shame and stigma when it comes to mental illness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If someone breaks a foot playing hockey there
is no shame we sign their cast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When someone
breaks their soul having put too much strain on it, let there be no shame there
as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want our synagogue to be a
place of healing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One way is in our
liturgy when we offer the Mi Sheberach prayer for healing, we ask God to grant
healing of the body, and the mind and the soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 15.75pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">When thinking of Robin
Williams, he had to hide his inner demons and be a comedian on the outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loved to make others happy even if he was
not always happy on the inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 15.75pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Talmud (Ta’anit 22a) tells
the story that, one day, when Rabbi Baroka was in the marketplace, he
encountered Elijah and asked him: “Who among these people will have a share in
the world to come?” Elijah pointed to two men, and replied: “Those two.” Baroka
asked them: “What is your occupation?” They replied, “We are clowns. When we
see someone who is sad, we cheer him up. When we see two people quarreling, we
try to make peace between them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 15.75pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Maybe right about now, Robin
Williams is sitting in the World To Come entertaining The Holy One, “who in
enthroned in the heavens and laughs” (Psalm 2:4).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p5" style="background: white; margin: 1.5pt 0cm;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Williams’ apparent suicide is a tragedy. We can never
know the pain he felt and struggles he underwent. What we do know, however, is
that his life was a blessing.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="p5" style="background: white; margin: 1.5pt 0cm;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">He fulfilled the definition of a successful life captured
so brilliantly by Ralph Waldo Emerson:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p5" style="background: white; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 1.5pt 0cm;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn
the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To
appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To
know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have
succeeded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="p5" style="background: white; margin: 1.5pt 0cm;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 16pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Zichrono livracha, may his name always be remembered as a
blessing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-85017348794004193412014-07-22T09:27:00.000-07:002014-07-22T09:27:09.220-07:00a way to look at the current situation in Israel and the Gaza Strip
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As the hostilities continue in Israel
and the Gaza Strip, now for a third week, its quite painful to watch and hear
about war and death and struggle in the Jewish holy land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are too many opinions on who started
it, who is to blame and who should end, to put it all here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think what is more helpful is to ask
thoughtful questions about what is happening, so the conflict is not reduced to
simple one word or one line sentences that don’t really delve into the deeper
understanding of the context of the events and how to perhaps resolve some of
the issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">makomisrael.com had a great way to see the conflict through looking at Israel’s national anthem, Hatikva,
where four values are extolled in the penultimate line, “To be a free people in our
land”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This summarizes what Israeli’s
want.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">First “To be”, that is Jews have
known for centuries what it was like not to have a homeland, not to have a safe
place to live and suffered through attacks none worse than the Holocaust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At what point will the Jewish state be
allowed to simply live in peace without the constant threat of war and
destruction?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Second, a “people” relates to the
understanding that Israel stands for more than the sum of its parts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Israel represents the Jewish people as a
whole, who live there and in all corners of the world. It is the Jewish
homeland, and every Jew tries to visit and faces her when he or she prays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jews are connected to the country in a
visceral and emotional way, that traces back through our history and very soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Third,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“in our land” is perhaps the most
controversial part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This land was
promised to the Jewish people by God as written in the Bible, and we began our
journey as a people in Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Romans exiled us from the land around 70 CE and we yearned to return and
finally did officially in 1948 when the United Nations voted to create the
modern state of Israel, as it exists today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However it is obvious that when the UN made that vote, it was not a
perfect situation as many other peoples lived on that land over those years and
through until today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How are borders
established when many people lay claim to one piece of land?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What about when wars happen and people move
from one part of the land to another? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Fourth, “free”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- how do we understand freedom?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is one free to do anything or are there some
limits, in terms of violence or speech that can hurt others?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If one is attacked, how should one
respond?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As one addresses these questions in
light of the conflict, we can see that there are no easy solutions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jewish traditions maintains that we are a peaceful
people who pursue peace and value life above all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However we also have sources that allow us to
defend life when someone rises up to kill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here lies the major issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today
Israel is in a state of defense, to protect its citizens and borders from
terrorist attacks and hand held rockets fired from Gaza and landing in
Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To properly defend the country,
Israel must prevent these attacks from where they originate in Gaza, which is
under the control of Hamas, a terrorist organization that in its charter that
they are struggling against the Jews and call for the creation of an Islamic
state in place of Israel and the obliteration of Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is why Israelis planes target missile
launching sites in Gaza and why the army has moved into Gaza to root out
terrorists, close up weapon smuggling tunnels and prevent more attacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope
and pray each day for an end to the hostilities and that the two people can
come to some sort of agreement to share the land, without resorting to
violence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am realistic to know that
peace is hard to achieve and may not be at hand, but I am also optimistic
enough to say that looking back at history, there have been longer conflicts
and that hopefully the time will come when we shall lay down our swords and shields
and turn them into pruning hooks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #6d7d85; font-family: Qlassik; font-size: 15pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-66765946499469580832014-05-30T10:57:00.001-07:002014-05-30T10:57:42.412-07:00The pope's visit to Israel
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 110%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 110%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 110%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 110%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Rabbi Stephen Wise – May 31 2014 –<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>2 Sivan 5774<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
featuring quotes and content from Israeli columnist Haviv Rettig Gur of the “Times
of Israel”. original article at <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/how-the-pope-triumphed-over-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/">http://www.timesofisrael.com/how-the-pope-triumphed-over-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/</a></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 110%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 110%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"></span> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">It is a memorable moment
when the Pope visits Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some
ways it’s a pilgrimage for a leader of faith to visit the birthplace of his
religion, a chance to walk in the path of his prophet and lord, Jesus Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we all know its so much more that simply
a religious journey for the Pope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the
leader of 1.3 billion adherents, his visit is always political and
strategic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This newest leader of the
Catholic Church, Pope Francis has been a source of humility and hope for not
just Catholics but all faiths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact
for this particular trip to Israel, he brought along two of his close friends
from Argentina, a Rabbi and an Imam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
was remarkable alone for his strong attachment to improving interfaith
relations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few days have passed now
since the visit and everyone has had a chance to examine it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">He started by landing in
the territories and meeting with Palestinian leaders and even praying at the
separation fence between Israel and the territories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then he came into Israel and prayed at the
Kotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He met with various political and
religious leaders and at the end of the day, according to Israeli columnist
Haviv Rettig Gur, the rhetoric and imagery produced by the visit have been
assessed and reassessed from every imaginable perspective, and something close
to a consensus has developed: the pope didn’t make any mistakes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">This might appear like an
odd conclusion, as though his visit was a test.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But in many ways it was, his first visit to a volatile region, trying to
bridge two warring sides and finding a middle ground where it appears he
supports both sides and ultimately aspires for them both to achieve peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed it might be hard to convey the scale
of this achievement, but it must be attempted because it reveals much about the
conflict, about leadership, about Israel and about the pope. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Much like a chief Rabbi, The
Holy See has no hard power. As Gur writes, “The pope can’t tax or arrest the
estimated 1.2 billion adherents of the Catholic Church. His only influence over
them is voluntary, driven by powerful images and narratives of redemption and
belonging. In an important sense, then, the pope is a symbol, a stand-in for a
higher reality, and all his statements and actions are consciously undertaken
as part of his symbolic role.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">So when the Palestinian
Authority brought the pope to a concrete-walled portion of Israel’s West Bank
security fence, the pope was hardly confused by the intentions of his hosts.
They wanted to create a symbol, and he, a master of symbolism, gave it to them
willingly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then he proceeded to
offer prayers there. According to the Huffington Post, the wall just happened
to be on the path of his itinerary through Bethlehem, but the PA revealed that
their plan all along was to create the image of the Pope at the separation wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was hard to watch for Israeli’s,
especially hard line right wingers, but I think a moment of clarity that the
Pope was literally straddling the fence on the issues that separate Israeli’s
and Palestinians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The pope’s visit to the PA
together with the repeated mention of the “State of Palestine” in Vatican press
releases and in the pontiff’s own speeches, quickly set people off with the
predictable cheering and hand-wringing. Yet while the Palestinians claimed victory
that the Pope was on their side, the Israeli’s could quickly point out that in
the same press release and speeches, the Pope for the very first time explicitly
recognized the justice of Zionism and made the first papal visit to the tomb of
Theodor Herzl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The Pope also followed his
visit to the Palestinian side of the separation fence with a visit to the
Israeli national memorial for terror victims — with Israeli leaders noting that
over 1,000 Israelis were killed in Palestinian suicide bombings by the time the
government decided to build fences and walls between Israelis and Palestinians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Pope delivered on live Israeli TV a brief
but strident rejection of terrorism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
he managed to deliver for both sides, and all able to say that the Pope was on
their side is a matter of excellent diplomacy and spiritual strength.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">As Gur wrote in the Times
of Israel, as Pope Francis left the region he had gone out of his way to accept
both sides’ narrative. Unlike previous popes or more junior Vatican officials,
Francis did not hedge or equivocate for a moment. He signaled without
hesitation his belief that the Palestinians are traumatized by occupation and
deserving of long-denied national freedom, and simultaneously that the Jews of
Israel are victims of indiscriminate violence who also deserve to live as a
free people in their land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
something many Jews <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- from Israel and
the Diaspora - have been saying for years, this Rabbi included, but it comes
across loud and clear when an impartial leader with great weight behind him,
such as the Pope, says it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">What more could a Jew, or
anyone, ask of the Pope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tens of
thousands of articles, if not more, have been written about the new ideology
that Pope Francis has brought to the papacy. While he has not compromised on
any aspect of dogma or ethics — he is as intransigent on contraception,
homosexuality and abortion as his two famously conservative predecessors — he
has brought a new “style” and a new rhetoric to the post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Last July, Francis gave a <a href="http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/pope-homosexuals-who-am-i-judge" target="_blank"><span style="color: #346f99; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">remarkable interview</span></a> to journalists aboard his flight
back to Rome from Brazil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In talking
about homosexuality he said, “When I meet a gay person, I have to distinguish
between their being gay and being part of a lobby. If they accept the Lord and
have goodwill, who am I to judge them? They shouldn’t be marginalized. The
[homosexual] tendency is not the problem…they’re our brothers.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He brilliantly moved it from dogma to a personal
approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, who are you, who is
anyone, to judge someone based on their sexuality or gender or orientation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the most incredible line I have heard
from a Pope since 1964 when the Pope officially said the Jews did not kill
Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The Pope has railed again
the troubled global financial system, called for a new theology for women, and
brought new standards to the pomp and circumstance of the Vatican, himself
moving into a humble guesthouse instead of the papal residence. Non-Catholics
have also started talking about him, even the American pro-gay magazine The
Advocate named Francis their “Man of the Year” on the grounds that his
acceptance of gays as human beings is the most important thing to happen to
gays last year. “Pope Francis is leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics all over
the world,” the magazine noted. “There are three times as many Catholics in the
world than there are citizens in the United States. Like it or not, what he
says makes a difference.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Thus the man who
vociferously opposed the introduction of gay marriage in his native Argentina
became a hero of the gay community in the United States simply for stating that
gays must be treated as human beings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">There is a unifying thread
in all these statements, an ideology summed up in the official motto of his
papacy: “Miserando atque eligendo,” a Latin quote from the seventh-century
English monk Bede that means, roughly, “By having mercy, choosing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">That, in short, is
Francis’s message to the world, and the mission of redeeming humanity, of
evangelizing and elevating, cannot be conducted through political partisanship
or theological bickering, Francis has said. It must evangelize as Jesus did, by
seeing past the discord and sinfulness with which people interact with the
world to the suffering and brokenness at the core of the human experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">This is the backdrop for
Pope Francis coming to Israel in the spirit of harmony and brotherhood and
peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both the Palestinians’ and
Israelis’ tried to get him to legitimize and magnify their narratives, and in response
he refused nothing. He recognized every symbol, stood at every wall and
memorial, recognized both Palestinian suffering and Israeli victims of
Palestinian violence, Zionism and the State of Palestine. As Gur writes, in
doing so, he wasn’t being a “pawn.” He was simply but emphatically
refusing to play the Israeli-Palestinian game<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Humility, Francis has
taught, especially in the face of conflict, is the only way for the church to
offer guidance to those who suffer war or deprivation. That is what Israeli and
Palestinian leaders must learn if we are to move forward towards peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">For Israeli’s, what might
have been the highlight was the Pope as leader of a billion Catholics with
Peres the president of the only Jewish state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But Francis did not seem to share the Israelis’ enthusiasm for the
symbolic event, wearing a bland, tired expression, and walking slowly through
the grounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was only when a choir of
120 Jewish, Christian and Muslim children sang Hallelujah, did he smile and
make contact by shaking the hands of all the participants. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Pope Francis is not as
foolish as Israelis and Palestinians believe. He did not invite Abbas and Peres
to the headquarters of the church to negotiate — but to pray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was the point of his visit, and before
leaving the country, the pope extended an unplanned invitation to President
Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to join him in the
Vatican for a prayer for peace. The invitation, which the two leaders
immediately accepted, was soon the subject of much head-scratching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Abbas and Peres have met
hundreds of times. Abbas is forming a government with Hamas, which continues to
openly advocate terrorism against Israeli civilians, while Peres holds a
symbolic post from which he is in any case retiring in July.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 140%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The pope “doesn’t know
Peres doesn’t make political decisions at all,” PLO official Hanan Ashrawi
explained in comments echoed by officials close to Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu who were embarrassed by the pope’s favoring of Peres over the prime
minister who holds the actual power to broker peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is because the Pope is smart and it’s a lesson
we can all learn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He isn’t there to
negotiate, especially over generations’ long conflict and heels dug in mutual suspicion
– rather he came to ask God to help us all find Peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ken Yehi Razton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 140%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-14545256562899413872014-03-18T12:01:00.001-07:002014-03-18T12:01:25.188-07:00The Original Rabbi Stephen Wise - Lessons on the Art of Public Speaking
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 24pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-effects-reflection-align: bottomleft; mso-effects-reflection-angdirection: 5400000; mso-effects-reflection-angfadedirection: 5400000; mso-effects-reflection-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-reflection-angleky: 0; mso-effects-reflection-dpidistance: 0pt; mso-effects-reflection-dpiradius: .5pt; mso-effects-reflection-pctalphaend: .3%; mso-effects-reflection-pctalphastart: 53.0%; mso-effects-reflection-pctendpos: 35.5%; mso-effects-reflection-pctstartpos: 0%; mso-effects-reflection-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-reflection-pctsy: -90.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shade-linearshade-angle: 5400000; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shade-linearshade-fscaled: no; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shadetype: linear; mso-style-textfill-type: gradient; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: 0pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The art of speaking<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 20pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rabbi Stephen Wise – March 15 2014 – 13 Adar 2<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On March 17, 1874 a young Stephen
Wise was born in Budapest, Hungary, delightfully coinciding with St. Patricks
Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His father Aaron Weisz was a Rabbi, as was his grandfather Joseph Weisz, famed for his legendary gifts of
prophecy, orthodox piety and political liberalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the legacy that seemed to transfer
down through the generations and imbedded itself in the future Rabbi Stephen
Wise, having his named changed to the simpler spelling upon the family’s
arrival in American in 1875, a year after his birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stephen’s father Aaron served as Rabbi of Temple
Rodeph Sholom on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and this certainly inspired
young Stephen to follow in the family footsteps, because from his earliest
youth he was determined to find a career in the ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As this is the week that celebrates
the birthdays of both Stephen S. Wise from March 1874 and Stephen A. Wise, the
current rabbi born in March 1974, I wanted to take a look at
some of the things that made the original Rabbi Wise such a unique leader,
specifically his speaking eloquence and passion for social justice. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe there is a lot we can learn from his
life and his advice that speaks to use today.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In reading further into his
background and personal letters, I believe what made Rabbi Stephen S. Wise
stand out was his art of public speaking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the height of his influence as Rabbi of the Stephen Wise Free
synagogue in NYC that he founded, his sermons were so popular they were often
delivered at Carnegie Hall and would be carried live on radio for the whole
country to hear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the height of his
popularity, letters addressed to “the rabbi” would arrive at his door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stephen Wise devotes one chapter of
his autobiography to the Art of Speaking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He gives three pointers:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>1. Have
something to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2. Believe in what you
are going to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3. Say it clearly and
without fear.</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first one reminds us that
before you know how to say something properly, you need to have message you
want to communicate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And where will you
find what you want to say; at home, or from school/university.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From reading books and newspapers, even
online news sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wise says don’t
read just to find quotations, but rather to get more information and to make
you think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wise said, “I attach great
importance to reading…for the sake of self-enrichment” (p.121).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wise then recommends, once you have something
to say, begin and when you finished, stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is important, to not linger at either end but say your piece and be
done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In regards to the second point,
nothing is as important in public speaking as to believe in what you want to
say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This might seem simple, but be sure
to think about what you are saying and how to say it, but deep down you had
surely be passionate about the subject and that you personally believe in the
point you are making.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you talk about
belief in God, you need to believe in God, its not enough to simply bring
information for others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Wise wrote,
“Often among listeners they might be saying to themselves, “did he mean
that?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Is he sincere?”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If doubts arise, the speaker is lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Noise and vehemence, far from proving and
achieving sincerity, are ordinarily accepted as disproof thereof”. (p.122)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally making his third point, Wise says, to speak without
fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be yourself and don’t imitate
anyone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wise often came across
people trying to imitate him and would warn them, “one if me is quite enough,
perhaps too many.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be yourself”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is a great Talmudic story
about being yourself, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that perhaps Rabbi
Wise drew upon when he gave this advice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Once there was a rabbi named Zusya who loved God with all
his heart and soul, and who treated all God’s creatures with respect and
kindness. Rabbi Zusya studied Torah, kept Shabbat, visited the sick, and
praised God for all the goodness in the world. Though he was not a rich man,
Zusya gave generously to those in need. Students came from far and near, hoping
to learn from this gentle and wise rabbi. Zusya often told his students,
“Listen to the still, small voice inside you. Your </span></i><em><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">neshamah</span></em><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> will tell you
how you must live and what you must do.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Each day Rabbi Zusya”s students came to the House of
Study, called the </span></i><em><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Bet Midrash</span></em><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">, eager to learn what they could from
him. One day, Zusya did not appear at the usual hour. His students waited all
morning and through the afternoon. But Zusya did not come. By evening his
students realized that something terrible must have happened. So they all
rushed to Zusya’s house. The students knocked on the door. No one answered.
They knocked more loudly and peered through the frost-covered windows. Finally,
they heard a weak voice say, “</span></i><em><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Shalom aleichem</span></em><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">, peace be
with you. Come in.” The students entered Rabbi Zusya’s house. In the far corner
of the room they saw the old rabbi lying huddled in bed, too ill to get up and
greet them.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Rabbi Zusya!” his students cried. “What has happened?
How can we help you?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“There is nothing you can do,” answered Zusya. “I’m
dying and I am very frightened.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Why are you afraid?” the youngest student asked. “Didn’t
you teach us that all living things die?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Of course, every living thing must die some day,” said
the Rabbi. The young student tried to comfort Rabbi Zusya saying, “Then why are
you afraid? You have led such a good life. You have believed in God with a
faith as strong as Abraham’s. and you have followed the<br />
commandments as carefully as Moses.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Thank you. But this is not why I am afraid,” explained
the rabbi. “For if God should ask me why I did not act like Abraham, I can say
that I was not Abraham. And if God asks me why I did not act like Rebecca or
Moses, I can also say that I was not Moses.” Then the rabbi said, “But if God
should ask me to account for the times when I did not act like Zusya, what
shall I say then?” because I know that is what they will ask of me. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The students were silent, for they understood Zusya’s
final lesson. To do your best is to be yourself, to hear and follow the still,
small voice of your own neshamah.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now even if you have something to
say, and believe in it without fear, but what if you really can’t say it
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some might say, “Rabbi Wise, but I
have a poor voice”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rabbi Wise counselled
them, better a poor voice with something to say than the oft fatal gift of
mellifluousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A voice of honey is not
substitute for the salt of thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps the best example of a
handicapped speaker was our greatest teacher of all, Moshe Rabbeinu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knew he was hard of speech and explained
to God that he could not face Pharaoh alone and speak of behalf of the Jewish
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was scared, Pharaoh wouldn’t
listen to him, the Jewish people wouldn’t listen to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Moses went, with Aaron by his side, and
learned to believe in what he spoke and trust in God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Together these elements made Moses perhaps
the greatest speaker ever as from that moment on, God’s words all came through
Moses, the next three books of Torah are spoke by Moses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is considered our greatest teacher, from
such humble beginnings, never to let his claim of difficult speech prevent him
from leading the Jewish people to freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As Wise writes (p.123) anyone
handicapped by an unpleasant or ineffective manner of speech can choose to make
that handicap good by wide reading, deep study, clear thinking and brave
speaking. To speak with a sense of respect for the subject, the audience and
himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rabbi Wise writes that one of the
most effective speakers he ever heard was the first president of the state of
Israel, Chaim Weitzman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His voice was
often hoarse and throated and unpleasant to listen to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had no grace nor manner of speaking, spoke
slowly and awkwardly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet he would make
his point deliberately, with scientific precision and sequence, always
mastering his theme, rarely deflecting from his goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through supports and hecklers he always made
his point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows his case, he makes the best possible
use of folk lore and folk manner, with nothing to commend him save his
intellectual weight and his command of the cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">These lessons on the art of
speaking might not seem so revolutionary or profound but they are lessons I
take to heart each time I am preparing to speak in public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rabbi Stephen Wise was quite modest in
writing this chapter, because many of his contemporaries would name him as the
person to whom they would describe as giving the great speeches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We still study his words at seminary
today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But Wise was also modest in
avoiding giving advice about content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rabbi Wise is know for his willingness to speak out about subject that
were often controversial, to his synagogue community, to him personally and to
the Jewish community as a whole, but that never prevented him from speaking on
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one point in building his
synagogue, he had a great amount of pledges towards a new building fund.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the pledges came from wealthy
members, who owned business, usually without unions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time Wise would stand at the
pulpit and decry these sweatshops and demand worker rights and unions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The individuals with wealth withdrew their
money in protest, but Wise would not stand down, even as the fundraising plan
collapsed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He stood by his values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wise was also one of the first to follow in
the steps of Theodore Herzl calling for a Jewish homeland in Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This again went against the grain as most rabbinic
leaders in America were hesitant to support a Jewish homeland, when life for
Jews in American was prosperous and full of freedom and opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why would they jeopardize their position by
actively calling for Jews to leave and form this new homeland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wise was not fearful of a backlash against
him personally or the community at large and continued to push for Zionism,
even forming the first American Jewish Zionist organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wise was also quick to fight for Jews who
were suffering through the Holocaust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
was able to get information to the President about the Jewish plight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many who felt Wise did not do
enough or put lives in danger, but Wise stood by his beliefs to do what he
could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I even have a copy of the
telegram sent to his attention that he passed on to President Roosevelt.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is much to learn from Rabbi
Wise, from his advice on the art of speaking to his ability to put his money
where his mouth is and speak truth to power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Wise had great oratorical skills and used them to express strong
opinions on the controversial topics of his age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am very honoured to carry on his name and
take his advice in speaking passionately and without fear about modern issues
today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we all have that courage and
strength to speak to what we believe in with passion and excellence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shabbat Shalom.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-5153465678230176522014-03-03T08:54:00.003-08:002014-03-03T08:54:55.742-08:00Whats Jewish about the Olympics
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What’s Jewish about the Olympics?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rabbi Stephen Wise – March 1 2014 – 29 Adar 1 – Pekudai<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sidney Crosby and PK Subban each had exactly zero
goals as Team Canada approached the Gold Medal game vs Sweden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was much talk about why the best player
in the world had not scored and why the NHL’s best defenseman from the previous
year was not even being dressed for the game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The prevailing wisdom was that when Team Canada puts together a hockey
team, its not about individuals, its about the team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that is not just for hockey, its for the
entire Canadian contingent at the Olympics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When any athlete competed to the best of their abilities, it was the
team that succeeded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When a Canadian
received a medal, it was tallied towards the Team Canada total.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There of course were wonderful stories of
athletes succeeding beyond expectation and others unable to fulfill their
dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When snowboarder Spencer Obrien
failed to finish in the top 3 spots of her discipline, she broke down in tears
in an interview saying <span class="st">“I'm really disappointed and really sad
that I </span></span><em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">let Canada down</span></em><span class="st"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hold your head up high Spencer, you didn’t
let Canada down, but you did realize that we work together as a team, its not
about individual achievement, its an overall effort by multiple people to
achieve a goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed in the gold medal
hockey game, Crosby played as well as he had all tournament and in one defining
play, was backchecking when he stripped the puck from a Swedish player, raced across the ice, past 3 players, deked out the
goalie and scored putting Canada ahead comfortable 2-0 on route to a 3-0 final
score gold medal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it was PK Subban
who stood in line to receive the very same medal Crosby did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How poetic that the two are side by side with
medals around the necks and huge smiles on their faces for the Gold Medal team
photo.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Olympic fever has slowly started to dissipate this
week <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>across Canada and as we move past
these extraordinary games, though I feel this cold weather has given us fever’s
of another variety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But its fitting to
look back at the games on this Shabbat from a Jewish perspective to examine if
there is anything that connects to our faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This weeks portion is Pekudai which accounts the records of all that had
been built in regards to the Holy tabernacle – the Mishkan – which would be
filled with God’s presence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The holy
priest would be adorned with Gold, a testament to this medal holding the
properties of the most valuable material, fitting for the top Olympic
performers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And just as the verses make
an accounting of all the precious metals used, so too do the Olympics finish
with an accounting of all metals won – from gold to bronze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But as we delve more deeply in the Jewish connection
to the Olympics, we would be mistaken to see Jews in sports as a high
value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In ancient times, while we were
busy attending to worship in our holy temple, it was the Greeks who valued
sport and the human body and began the Olympic games, in honour of their
Gods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this way the Olympics are tribute
to idols, completely foreign in every way to our worship of the one true god –
unseen, unchallenged, omnipotent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
Jews had our heads in the books while the Greeks used the Olympics to highlight
natural human movement and the shape of muscles and the body. It was as much a
religious festival as an athletic event with sacrifices to Zeus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the Maccabees defeated the Greeks and
rededicated our Temple, it was a pushback not just on our political freedom but
to eliminate cultural assimilation into the new Greek ideas, game, foods and
dress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For most of Jewish life
from ancient times to the 20<sup>th</sup> century, we placed much more value on
literacy than sports, as most famously joked about in the movie airplane when a
passenger asks the stewardess for some light reading she says “I have this 1
page leaflet- famous Jewish sports legends”. Other than stoning, it would be
hard to find a Jewish sport in the Bible or any Talmudic source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jews have however in the 20<sup>th</sup>
century and beyond embraced sports and certainly in each professional league in
every era we can often find one Jewish athlete we can rally around such as
boxer Barney Ross, baseball players Hank Greenberg or Sandy Koufax, ice skating
champions Sasha Cohen, and more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
children would probably value sport over religious school these days, though it
does warm my heart when a child makes the effort to come to religious school in
their soccer uniform to learn some Hebrew before heading off to the pitch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But I also think there are values in the Olympics that
are in line with Jewish values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 38.05pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Healthy bodies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Athletes are very careful about what they
eat, and how they exercise and stay healthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These are lesson for all of us, perhaps not to compete at an Olympic
level but to make healthy eating choices and regular exercise to avoid disease,
maintain energy and mental acuity and live longer more productive lives.<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></em>Jews too value health and
nutrition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In ancient times we had rules
about food, including never eating an animal we found dead or had disease, we
had to kill it properly and humanely, thereby only eating proper meat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also ritually washed our hands before each
meal. There is a wonderful new book out by the Reform Rabbis called “the Sacred
Table: creating a Jewish food ethic” with essays about Jewish dietary
practices. A lot of it focuses on healthy eating and the spirituality of
food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amy recently gave talk about it
after her research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Jews we know that
taking care of our body is important, not just to ourselves but to God, who
created us, made us in Gods image and breathed life into us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is therefore our responsibility to take
care of this vessel and keep it healthy throughout our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Team work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I alluded
to in the beginning, the word Team in Team Canada is first because every
athlete understands what it means to be part of a team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even in individual races on the skating rink
or snow slopes, the athletes are collectively part of a team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They train together, travel together, get coached
together and compete together. A win for a Canadian athlete is a win for the
team.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the team sports of course its
even more crucial to work together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
lead curler who seems to be throwing rocks on an empty sheet of ice is setting
up shots for the skip to take home the points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The bobsledders who push the sled at the top give it that edge of time
so the driver can steer through the rest of the course for victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Judaism we always stress our collective
identity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this week’s portion, each
Israelite gave something towards the building of the mishkan, whatever they
were able, and then it was up to Bezalel the master artist to gather the
materials and create the sanctuary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
synagogue is made up a team of individuals who each bring their own strengths
and gifts to make this shul work as a whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some are great cooks providing communal meals, some serve on boards to
set guidelines and fiscal responsibility, some attend worship and education
regularly keeping our spirituality high, some work behind the scenes raising
money or preparing the kitchen or making phone calls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Collectively as a team we make this shul
great, and only working together do we succeed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Practice makes perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In Olympic sports the athletes trains for years and years to compete in
the moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Practicing is the only way
to achieve excellence, and even then it might not be enough because some of the
sports are so detail oriented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
racing events such as luge, skeleton, skiing and skating – often come down to
1/100<sup>th</sup> of second to mark the difference between a winner and 10<sup>th</sup>
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s incredible how close the
athletes are in skill when such tiny measurements of time can determine
victory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Judaism too the details are
important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God does not just say build
me a mishkan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a dozen chapters
with exact instructions as to how to build it, what dimensions and what
materials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Listen to the details on just
the breast piece of the outfit for the high priest <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“on
the breast piece they made braided chains or corded gold, they made two frames
and two rings of gold, and fastened them at the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They attached them to the inner edge which
faced the ephod, the rings were fastened to the front, low on the shoulder
pieces close to the seam but above the decorative band, and held in place by a
cod of blue from its ring to the rings of the ephod…..”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When a bar or bat mitzvah student is
getting ready for their coming of age ceremony, we don’t start a week
before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These children being learning
Hebrew when they are in kindergarten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
year before the big day they begin learning their portion with weekly
appointments with a tutor to learn the Hebrew of their portion, prepare to read
it without vowels and learn the trope marks to sign it. In addition they learn
their haftarah, lead some of the prayers, do a mitzvah project and write a dvar
torah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remind them, this will take a
year of practice and there are many many details to get it right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps the best lesson for our student athletes that
is different from the Olympics is that they don’t have to be perfect or the
best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each child strives to their best,
not in competition with any other students because our community, and god, only
want to see each child achieve as best as they can do. Moreover no one can read
the torah perfectly, that is why we have a gabbai who reads along with the
portion and guides the torah reader as they go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s a bigger mitzvah to correct the reader to make sure they are doing
it right, then the mitzvah of actually chanting torah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its not a mistake, rather its an opportunity
for the gabbai to guide towards the correct word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Olympics if you fall on a qualifying
run or during a big race, you are done and have finished your competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Judaism you are always able to get back up
and compete again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not just in your bar
or bat mitzvah reading torah, but in every facet of life we have the built in
ability to start again, teshuvah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
given to us at the moment we were created, the ability to get a second
chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether its taking that
opportunity in the moment or during our holiday of yom kippur, our tradition
reminds us that we humans are not created in perfection, we all miss the mark
at times, and we have the ability to start again, make changes, get back on the
right path and finish the race we call life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And finaly I want to
talk about patriotism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt it in my
heart when I watched the Canadian team walk into the opening ceremonies, in
fact I felt for each country as they walked in, in the countries colours,
flying the flag, so proud to represent a common group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was even more special at the closing
ceremonies, because no matter how each athlete did, win a medal or place in any
position, they competed as a team and so team Canada walked in together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the sports village everyone had a similar
room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The NHL players have multimillion
dollar salaries but they lived in the same rooms as the amateur athletes who
might have even paid their own way to Sochi to attend, who don’t have endorsements
or salaries, who might be going back to regular jobs after the Olympics as
factory workers or small business owners or bank tellers. For these few weeks
it was a team who put away their selfish interests and pocketbooks to live and
compete together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when Canada
actually won, again and again, in skiing or men and womens curling or men and
womens hockey<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- again- I had tears in my
eyes as we sang the Canadian anthem together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As Jews we can be proud that our tiny country of Israel sent Olympians,
we sent 5 for the winter but often have a large presence at the summer
games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its interesting because of those
5, none were actually born in Israel but now live there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I often think to myself, if I was competing
at an Olympic level I could actually choose to compete for Canada or by making
aliyah I could just as easily compete for our Jewish homeland. Most people in
the world don’t have the option to choose for which country they compete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now Israel could probably use more athletes
but one would likely have a better chance to win with Canada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily we have the maccabee Olympic games,
the one<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for Jewish athletes every four
years where we can cheer for everyone because everyone is a member of the tribe<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To the question what is Jewish about the Olympics,
indeed when you look closely there is a lot in common.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our shared values of healthy eating and
healthy bodies, team work, practicing to get things rights, the details are
important, guidance of teachers and coaches and competing for a country or
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed our Jewish tradition ought
to have a prayer for sports – for competing hard and achieving goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I want to end with this which I put
together from two different sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s a prayer not for someone to win a race or a game, but to compete
well and at the end realize its not a blessing for the sport but rather for
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> “My you run and not grow weary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May you be strong and walk in Gods ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May you mount up with wings as eagles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May you pursue and then overtake your
foes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And may you prosper in all that
you do and wherever you turn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<br />
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<em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(taken
from Psalm 18:38, Isaiah 40:31, </span></em><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1 King
2:2-3, Ken Bresler from Ritual well)</span></i><em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 200%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-31684224427920469532014-02-24T15:17:00.001-08:002014-02-24T15:17:35.283-08:00PM Harpers recent trip to Israel
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<span style="font-size: 36pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Harper’s trip to Israel </span></span><span style="font-size: 20pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
Feb. 22 2014 – 22 Adar 5774<br />
Rabbi Stephen Wise<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was hard not to be amazed as a
Canadian and a Jew, that our Prime Minister went to Israel last month to a
hero’s welcome and spoke in front of the Knesset, the first prime minister ever
to do so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this for a man in his very
first visit ever to the Holy Land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its
quite remarkable that Harper has been such a supporter of Israel since becoming
PM in 2006 and even before, yet this was his first trip actually seeing the
county.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its almost mystifying how this
PM is so supporting of Israel but yet how we can we not be impressed by his
words and actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many other
leaders of state visit Israel and address the Knesset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many other world leaders stand beside
Israel and say they will stand by her no matter what.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Prime Minister Stephen Harper spoke fiercely in defence of Israel, accusing
critics of anti-Semitism, vowing to stand with the country, and even drawing
heckles from the two Arab Minister who eventually walked out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">"Through fire and water, Canada will stand with you,"
Harper said in closing his speech to Israel's parliament, smartly
echoing one of the prayers we say on Rosh Hashanah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He must have some excellent Jewish
speechwriters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In his speech, Harper spoke of
the long ties between the two countries, and said Israel and Canada share the
same democratic values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Jews we
wonder when critics accuse Israel of human rights violations or apartheid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know it’s absolutely wrong and unfair to
continually single our one country in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there a China Apartheid, North Korea
Apartheid, or Iran Apartheid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Syria
murders 200,000 of their own people but only Israel is continually singled
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally it was our Canadian PM who
spoke the hypocrisy aloud. He accused Israel's Western critics of moral
relativism and said they single out Israel "to go along to get
along." He argued "People who would never say they hate and
blame the Jews for their own failings or the problems of the
world instead declare their hatred of Israel and blame the
only Jewish state for the problems of the Middle East," he
said. "Some civil-society leaders today call for a boycott
of Israel.... Most disgracefully of all, some openly call
Israel an apartheid state. Think about that. Think about the
twisted logic and outright malice behind that. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Canada for many generations rarely
took strong stands on world affairs, preferring to stay in the background or
serve as a middleground, ready to see both sides and find solutions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We supported world democracies and stood
against communist or totalitarian or autocratic regimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we never stood firm on supporting Israel
despite her commitment to democracy from the first day of independence in
1948.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Indeed when one looks at official </span><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Canadian government policy towards Israel</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> <span style="color: black;">and the Palestinians, there doesn't seem to be much that is outstanding.
Beyond the language on UN resolutions that provide Canada with room to protect
Israel, the basic pillars are all there: Two-state solution, anti-settlements,
reference to UN resolution 194 for refugees, etc. Yet, after this visit, knows
that the Canadian prime minister's heart and soul, and his rhetoric, are firmly
on one side: With Israel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span lang="ES-TRAD" style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So what are
we to make of this trip, and overall our prime minister and ruling party
Progressive Conservatives strong Support of Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
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<span lang="ES-TRAD" style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I looked
at the huge delegation that went along, 208 people and most of it paid for by
our government, I wonder, was this motivated by votes or morals? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Jewish population of Canada is around
300,000 out of 30,000,000 – so it doesn’t make sense that it would lead to more
votes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes there are three mainly jewish
ridings and yes the PC won but that won’t give them a majority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there are three times as many muslims in
Canada as Jews, with many more votes in the balance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even Netanyahu must be wondering where this support comes from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harper supports every single thing Israel
does, its almost as if Netanyhau wrote the speech that Harper delivered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">According to John Bell, Director of the Middle East and
Mediterranean Programme at the Toledo International Centre for Peace in Madrid,
this general bafflement may be because Harper's stance is personal and
ideological, not calculated interest. He may embrace a deeply held view of
Israel's place in Christian eschatology, a "moral" position where
Israel's existence rights historical wrongs, while also heralding of a
Christian messianic future. This translates politically into a view that Israel
is a country under threat that needs to be defended - more like Israel of 1966
than 2013. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="ES-TRAD" style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: ES-TRAD; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">"Canada
supports Israel, fundamentally, because it is right to do so," Harper said.
Beel writes, a</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> world of greys does not suit him as much as a landscape where one side
is decidedly right, and the other decidedly wrong. The fact that the creation
of Israel, no matter what one's views on that, has also done another people,
the Palestinians, a wrong, has little space in this universe. Such
contradictions hold little sway in the world of cartoons, of good guys and bad
guys, that Mr Harper inhabits.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now the Canadian government does support the Palestinians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The PC will point to the announcement of $66
million as a sign of new support for Palestinians, in addition to $30 million
last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, its obvious that
Palestinians come a distant second in Mr Harper's calculations. And I am happy
as a Jew, that someone unequivocally supports the Jewish state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But I sometimes worry, that is also what Jews do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Canada is known as the nice country, a “nation
that is expert at keeping political emotions low, and avoiding ideological
madness - two keys to finding constructive solutions”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so in that sense, we are an exceptional
nation, a country rare in its avoidance of national zeal. Yet, our PM is
working hard to make it as "unexceptional" as all others:
nationalistic, and very certain of its right and wrongs. Are we going to send
fighter jets to defend Israel from Iran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Are we going to search for national glory by beating the drums of
war?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think so and that is not
what Israel, nor the Middle East wants or needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For now Canada’s reputation has not been permanently damaged. Canada's
image, as a country of tolerance, has withstood the PM's fervent attempt to
paint it in sharper and more dramatic historical colours. In a survey of
Canadian responses to the trip to Israel, 1/3 were supportive, 1/3 were against
it and 1/3 didn’t care and had no opinion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So nothing to be learned there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I worry though that Canada is losing its position as a country that can
help Israel and the Palestinians achieve peace, by taking such a one sided
support Israel at all costs. I believe Canada can be a great friend of Israel
and also out of support point out policies that are not working to achieve a
peaceful settlement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is what a true
friend does.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I also worry that we might blindly support Harper despite some of the
other policies of the current government that might not be in light with Jewish
values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The recent changes to refugees
and immigrants making it harder to come here, hearken back to the day when Jews
were refused entrance before the Holocaust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How can we support building barriers to those who are trying to find
safety in Canada, when we know how it affected us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I also don’t want Israel to become a wedge issue in Canadian
politics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That each party uses it to
garner votes and put other parties down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This week we had a visit from Howard English from CIJA who as a
representative of the most important Jewish advocacy group in Canada, talked
about how its not a wedge issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact
all three political parties are supportive of Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is unique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we don’t need to necessarily need to vote
for any one party to show that we support Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a Rabbi who said after the visit
that Harper “walks on water”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t
walk on water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No politican does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So overall I am very happy that our government and our pm support
Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are not too many countries
or leaders that do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it makes me
proud of our country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But support is not
a blanket black and white Israel is perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She isn’t, and I will be the first to admit and I love Israel and will
fight for her at all costs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I don’t
want Canada to lose her status as a catalyst of solutions. I want Canada to be
an honest broker whom two sides can rely on to find a true and honest middle
ground. A country that can lead globally through its highly education
population, multicultural ethos and past excellence in multilateral diplomacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-67573331214531640232014-01-29T15:26:00.003-08:002014-01-29T15:26:16.548-08:00dvar torah on parshat mishpatim by our bat mitzvah student from last shabbat Aimee
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The word
Mishpatim means ordinances or rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mishpatim is the portion of the Torah that happens right after Moses was
given the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai and it contains 53 of the 613
commandments found in the Torah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of
course, <u>everyone</u> here is familiar with the very famous Ten Commandments.
They even made a movie about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
Mishpatim, there are more than 5 times that many commandments but unfortunately
NO dramatic display of thunder, lightning or fire that Hollywood portrayed in
the Ten Commandments movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Commandments
are more than just laws governing people’s behaviour. They are actually
“mitzvot” which is often defined as a “good deed” but really means
“commandments” or rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These rules
include a wide range of civil laws, ritual laws, financial laws, criminal laws,
and family laws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some laws actually
carried the death penalty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crimes like
premeditated murder, kidnapping, practicing witchcraft, and offering sacrifices
to idols.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even cursing one’s father and
mother was punishable by death!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of
course, I think that’s just a little extreme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Parents should forgive and forget and then move on with their lives
instead of dwelling on the past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Seriously.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Mishpatim
describes mitzvot for how we should observe certain Jewish festivals and
holidays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s why we only eat
unleavened bread (matza) for 7 days during Passover and why we rest from work
and light candles on Shabbat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other laws
describe cases of personal injury or the treatment of strangers, widows and
orphans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are also laws about loans
and many laws regarding what is and is not kosher to eat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A lot of
the rules can be very hard to interpret.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For example, one rule says that we cannot boil a baby goat in its
mother’s milk, but this rule has since evolved to tell us that we shouldn’t eat
milk and meat together. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">There is
a lot of controversy about whether Jews should be allowed to get body
piercings, and this comes directly from a rule stated in Mishpatim regarding
the piercing of slaves by their master.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It says that a slave is to go free in his 7<sup>th </sup>year of
slavery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if a slave says that he
does NOT wish to go free, if instead he wishes to stay with his wife, children
and master, then his master shall take him before God and pierce his ear as a
symbol of this choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, even
today, Judaism frowns upon body piercings because we are not slaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand, I have my ears pierced and
I am not a slave, so Jewish law needs to evolve and accept piercings, which it
has.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Another
rule in Mishpatim that I found especially fascinating is the one we all
commonly know as “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It basically says that if someone damages
your eye, you can damage their eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, now a days, we are taught in school that if someone hits you,
you should <u>not</u> hit them back because it is a sign of immaturity, and it
is better to talk it out without the use of violence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have become much more conscientious and
socially aware.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rabbis of the Talmud
decided that you should pay back the equivalent worth of the eye that you
damaged, but you should not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">actually</i>
damage their eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then we get into
this whole idea of what an eye is worth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Interestingly,
God does not explain to the Jewish people exactly WHY we have these specific
rules set in place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God says that we are
expected to observe them all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
simply our faith in God that guides us in the right direction and helps us
follow the rules he has given us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find
this extremely relevant in MY life!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
parents do not tell me WHY I must make my bed everyday or clean my room (even
if I am just going to mess it up again later), but I know that they MUST have a
REALLY good reason that COMPLETELY outweighs my uncertainties.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">An <u>overall
theme</u> of Mishpatim is how we should treat other people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Torah was written in a time when slavery
was common and when men had power over women, so it is good that there were
rules to help protect the vulnerable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Today, I believe that everyone, no matter what his or her circumstances
deserves a fair shot at life and an equal chance in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The laws set out in Mishpatim are more than a
checklist of “rules”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mitzvot that
we are commanded to follow in Mishpatim enhances our relationship with each
other and also with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mishpatim helps
us think about ethics and what our values are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">For
example, for me, it highlights the message that God loves everyone equally no
matter what challenges they might face in their life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, one of the main beliefs in Judaism
is that each one of us was created “in God’s image” and therefore we are all
worthy and equal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone regardless of
gender, race, or physical ability have equal value in God’s eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Aimee
R.</span></div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-42709975860239304552014-01-16T10:21:00.001-08:002014-01-16T10:21:21.869-08:00history and origins of ashkenazic jewish last names
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><a href="http://jewishcurrents.org/the-origins-and-meanings-of-ashkenazic-last-names-12849" title="Permalink to The Origins and Meanings of Ashkenazic Last Names"><span style="color: blue;"><o:p></o:p></span></a></span><br /></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">One of the
most amazing things we get to do as parents is name our children. What an
honour and privilege.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You bring a baby
into the world and then you get to give this child a name it will be called for
the rest of its life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a powerful
statement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get asked so many times
about naming rituals for Judaism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who are
we supposed to name after?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who can we
not name after?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we figure out the
Hebrew name?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s so exciting and fun. And
that is just the first name but I have always been curious about where our last
names come from because for most of our history we never took last names.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Generally Jewish names generally changed with
every generation. For example, if Moses son of Mendel (Moyshe ben Mendel)
married Sarah daughter of Rebecca (Sora bas Rifke), had a boy and named it
Samuel (Shmuel), the child would be called Shmuel ben Moyshe. If they had a
girl and named her Feygele, she would be called Feygele bat Sora.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">I was reading
an article recently about the origins of Jewish names by <b>Bennett Muraskin</b>
a contributing writer to Jewish Currents magazine and the author of The
Association of Jewish Libraries </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://jewishcurrents.org/marketplace/new"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Guide to Yiddish Short Stories</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> and </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Let-Justice-Well-Like-Water/dp/0971632502/ref=la_B001K91EFU_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352843912&sr=1-2"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Let Justice Well Up Like
Water</span></i></a></span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">: Progressive
Jews from Hillel to Helen Suzman</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">, among other books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">I wanted to share some of his
research into this fascinating part of our history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">According to Muraskin, Ashkenazic
Jews were among the last Europeans to take family names. Some German-speaking
Jews took last names as early as the 17<sup>th</sup> century, but the
overwhelming majority of Jews lived in Eastern Europe and did not take last
names until </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="http://jewishcurrents.org/november-12-jews-acquire-family-names-12794"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">compelled to do so</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">. The process began in the Austro-Hungarian Empire
in 1787 and ended in Czarist Russia in 1844.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">In attempting
to build modern nation-states, the authorities insisted that Jews take last
names so that they could be taxed, drafted and educated (in that order of
importance). For centuries, Jewish communal leaders were responsible for
collecting taxes from the Jewish population on behalf of the government, and in
some cases were responsible for filling draft quotas. Education was
traditionally an internal Jewish affair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Jews
distrusted the authorities and resisted the new requirement. Although they were
forced to take last names, at first they were used only for official purposes.
Among themselves, they kept their traditional names. Over time, Jews accepted
the new last names, which were essential as Jews sought to advance within the
broader society and as the <i>shtetles</i> were transformed or Jews left them
for big cities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we go through the
sources for names, perhaps you will hear your name and its origins or friends
of yours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The easiest
way for Jews to assume an official last name was to adapt the name they already
had, making it permanent. This explains the use of “patronymics” and
“matronymics.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">PATRONYMICS</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> (son of…..)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">In Yiddish or
German, it would be “son” or “sohn” or “er.” In most Slavic languages
like Polish or Russian, it would be “wich” or “witz.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">For example:
The son of Mendel took the last name Mendelsohn; the son of Abraham became
Abramson or Avromovitch; the son of Menashe became Manishewitz; the son of
Itzhak became Itskowitz; the son of Berl took the name Berliner; the son of
Kesl took the name Kessler, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">MATRONYMICS</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> (daughter of…)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Reflecting
the prominence of Jewish women in business, some families made last names out
of women’s first names: Chaiken — son of Chaikeh; Edelman — husband of Edel;
Gittelman — husband of Gitl; Glick or Gluck — may derive from Glickl, a popular
woman’s name as in the famous “Glickl of Hameln,” whose memoirs, written around
1690, are an early example of Yiddish literature<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Gold/Goldman/Gulden
may derived from Golda; Malkov from Malke; Perlman — husband of Perl; Rivken —
may derive from Rivke; Soronsohn—son of Sarah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">PLACE NAMES</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">The next most
common source of Jewish last names</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> is probably places. Jews used the town or region where they lived, or
where their families came from, as their last name. As a result, the Germanic
origins of most East European Jews is reflected in their names. For example,
Asch is an acronym for the towns of <u>A</u>isen<u>sh</u>tadt or <u>A</u>lt<u>sh</u>ul
or <u>A</u>m<u>sh</u>terdam. Other place-based Jewish names include:
Auerbach/Orbach; Bacharach; Berger (generic for townsman); Berg (man), meaning,
from a hilly place; Bayer — from Bavaria; Bamberger; Berliner, Berlinsky — from
Berlin; Bloch (foreigner); Brandeis; Breslau; Brodsky; Brody; Danziger
Deutch/Deutscher — German; Dorf(man), meaning villager; Eisenberg; Epstein;
Florsheim; Frankel — from the Franconia region of Germany; Frankfurter;
Ginsberg; Gordon — from Grodno, Lithuania or from the Russian word <i>gorodin</i>,
for townsman; Greenberg; Halperin—from Helbronn, Germany; Hammerstein; Heller —
from Halle, Germany; Hollander — not from Holland, but from town in Lithuania
settled by Dutch; Horowitz, Hurwich, Gurevitch — from Horovice in Bohemia;
Koenigsberg; Krakauer — from Cracow, Poland; Landau; Lipsky — from Leipzig,
Germany; Litwak — from Lithuania; Minsky — from Minsk, Belarus; Mintz—from
Mainz, Germany; Oppenheimer; Ostreicher — from Austria; Pinsky — from Pinsk,
Belarus; Posner — from Posen, Germany; Prager — from Prague; Rappoport — from
Porto, Italy; Rothenberg — from then town of the red fortress in Germany;
Shapiro — from Speyer, Germany; Schlesinger — from Silesia, Germany; Steinberg;
Unger — from Hungary; Vilner — from Vilna, Poland/Lithuania; Wallach—from
Bloch, derived from the Polish word for foreigner; Warshauer/Warshavsky—from
Warsaw; Wiener — from Vienna; Weinberg.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">OCCUPATIONAL
NAMES</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Craftsmen/Workers</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Ackerman —
plowman; Baker/Boker — baker; Blecher — tinsmith;
Fleisher/Fleishman/Katzoff/Metger — butcher; Cooperman — coppersmith; Drucker —
printer; Einstein — mason; Farber — painter/dyer; Feinstein — jeweler; Fisher —
fisherman; Forman — driver/teamster; Garber/Gerber—tanner; Glazer/Glass/Sklar —
glazier; Goldstein — goldsmith; Graber — engraver; Kastner — cabinet maker;
Kunstler — artist; Kramer — store keeper; Miller — miller; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Nagler</u></b> — nail maker; Plotnick — carpenter; Sandler/Shuster —
shoemaker; Schmidt/Kovalsky — blacksmith; Shnitzer — carver; Silverstein —
jeweler; Spielman — player (musician?); Stein/Steiner/Stone — jeweler;
Wasserman — water carrier<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Merchants</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Garfinkel/Garfunkel
— diamond dealer; Holzman/Holtz/Waldman — timber dealer; Kaufman — merchant;
Rokeach — spice merchant; Salzman — salt merchant; Seid/Seidman—silk merchant;
Tabachnik — snuff seller; Tuchman — cloth merchant; Wachsman — wax dealer;
Wechsler/Halphan — money changer; Wollman — wool merchant; Zucker/Zuckerman —
sugar merchant<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Related to
tailoring</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Kravitz/Portnoy/Schneider/Snyder
— tailor; Nadelman/Nudelman — also tailor from “needle’; Sher/Sherman — also
tailor from “scissors” or “shears”; Presser/Pressman — clothing presser;
Futterman/Kirshner/Kushner/Peltz — furrier; Weber — weaver<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Medical</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Aptheker —
druggist; Feldsher — surgeon; Bader/Teller — barber<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Related to
liquor trade</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Bronfman/Brand/Brandler/Brenner
— distiller; Braverman/Meltzer — brewer; Kabakoff/Krieger/Vigoda — tavern
keeper; Geffen — wine merchant; Wine/Weinglass — wine merchant; Weiner — wine
maker<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Religious/Communal</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Altshul/Althshuler
— associated with the old synagogue in Prague; Cantor/Kazan/Singer/Spivack —
cantor or song leader in shul; Feder/Federman/Schreiber — scribe; Haver — from
haver (court official); Klausner — rabbi for small congregation; Klopman —
calls people to morning prayers by knocking on their window shutters;
Lehrer/Malamud/Malmud — teacher; Rabin — rabbi (Rabinowitz—son of rabbi);
London — scholar, from the Hebrew <i>lamden </i>(misunderstood by immigration
inspectors); Reznick — ritual slaughterer; Richter — judge; Sandek — godfather;
Schechter/Schachter/Shuchter etc. — ritual slaughterer from Hebrew <i>schochet</i>;
Shofer/Sofer/Schaeffer — scribe; Shulman/Skolnick — sexton; Spector — inspector
or supervisor of schools<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">PERSONAL
TRAITS</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Alter/Alterman
— old; Dreyfus—three legged, perhaps referring to someone who walked with a
cane; Erlich — honest; Frum — devout ; Gottleib — God lover, perhaps referring
to someone very devout; Geller/Gelber — yellow, perhaps referring to someone
with blond hair; Gross/Grossman — big; Gruber — coarse or vulgar;
Feifer/Pfeifer — whistler; Fried/Friedman—happy; Hoch/Hochman/Langer/Langerman
— tall; Klein/Kleinman — small; Koenig — king, perhaps someone who was chosen
as a “Purim King,” in reality a poor wretch; Krauss — curly, as in curly hair;
Kurtz/Kurtzman — short; Reich/Reichman — rich; Reisser — giant; Roth/Rothman —
red head; Roth/Rothbard — red beard; Shein/Schoen/Schoenman — pretty, handsome;
Schwartz/Shwartzman/Charney — black hair or dark complexion; Scharf/Scharfman —
sharp, i.e intelligent; Stark — strong, from the Yiddish <i>shtark </i>;
Springer — lively person, from the Yiddish <i>springen</i> for jump<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">INSULTING
NAMES</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">These were
sometimes foisted on Jews who discarded them as soon as possible, but a few may
remain:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Billig —
cheap; Gans — goose; Indyk — goose; Grob — rough/crude; Kalb — cow<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">ANIMAL NAMES</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">It is common
among all peoples to take last names from the animal kingdom.
Baer/Berman/Beerman/Berkowitz/Beronson — bear; Adler — eagle (may derive from
reference to an eagle in Psalm 103:5); Einhorn — unicorn; Falk/Sokol/Sokolovksy
— falcon; Fink — finch; Fuchs/Liss — fox; Gelfand/Helfand — camel (technically
means elephant but was used for camel too); Hecht—pike; Hirschhorn — deer
antlers; Karp — carp; Loeb — lion; Ochs— ox; Strauss — ostrich (or bouquet of
flowers); Wachtel — quail<b>.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">HEBREW NAMES</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Some Jews
either held on to or adopted traditional Jews names from the Bible and Talmud.
The big two are Cohen (Cohn, Kohn, Kahan, Kahn, Kaplan) and Levi (Levy, Levine,
Levinsky, Levitan, Levenson, Levitt, Lewin, Lewinsky, Lewinson). Others include
Aaron — Aronson, Aronoff; Asher; Benjamin; David — Davis,Davies; Ephraim —
Fishl; Emanuel — Mendel; Isaac — Isaacs, Isaacson/Eisner; Jacob — Jacobs,
Jacobson, Jacoby; Judah — Idelsohn,Udell,Yudelson; Mayer-Meyer; Menachem
— Mann,Mendel; Reuben — Rubin; Samuel — Samuels, Zangwill; Simon — Schimmel;
Solomon — Zalman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">HEBREW
ACRONYMS</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Names based
on Hebrew acronyms include: Baron — <u>b</u>ar <u>aron </u>(son of Aaron); Beck
<u>— b</u>ene <u>k</u>edoshim (descendant of martyrs); Getz — <u>g</u>abbai <u>ts</u>edek
(righteous synagogue official); Katz — <u>k</u>ohen <u>ts</u>edek (righteous
priest); Metz — from <u>m</u>oreh <u>ts</u>edek (teacher of righteousness;
Sachs, Saks —<u> z</u>era <u>k</u>odesh <u>s</u>hemo (his name descends from
martyrs); Segal — <u>s</u>e <u>g</u>an <u>l</u>evia (second-rank Levite)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">OTHER HEBREW-
and YIDDISH-DERIVED NAMES</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Lieb </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">means “lion” in Yiddish. It is the root of many
Ashkenazic last names including Liebowitz, Lefkowitz, Lebush, and Leon. It is
the Yiddish translation of the Hebrew work for lion — <i>aryeh</i>. The lion
was the symbol of the tribe of Judah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Hirsch</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> means “deer” or “stag” in Yiddish. It is the root
of many Ashkenazic last names including Hirschfeld, Hirschbein/Hershkowitz (son
of Hirsch)/Hertz/Herzl, Cerf, Hart, and Hartman. It is the Yiddish translation
of the Hebrew word for gazelle — <i>tsvi</i>. The gazelle was the symbol
of the tribe of Naphtali.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Taub</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> means “dove” in Yiddish. It is the root of the
Ashkenazic last name Tauber. The symbol of The dove is associated with the
prophet Jonah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Wolf</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> is the root of the Ashkenazic last names Wolfson,
Wouk and Volkovich. The wolf was the symbol of the tribe of Benjamin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Eckstein</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> — Yiddish for cornerstone, derived from Psalm
118:22<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Good(man</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">) — Yiddish translation of Hebrew work for “good”: <i>tuviah
</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Margolin</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> — Hebrew for pearl<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">INVENTED
‘FANCY SHMANCY’ NAMES </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">When Jews in
the Austro-Hungarian Empire were required to assume last names, some chose the
nicest ones they could think of — and may have been charged a registration fee
by the authorities. According to the YIVO Encyclopedia, “the resulting names
often are associated with nature and beauty. It is very plausible that
the choices were influenced by the general romantic tendencies of German
culture at that time.” These names include: Applebaum — apple tree; Birnbaum —
pear tree; Buchsbaum — box tree; Kestenbaum — chestnut tree; Kirshenbaum —
cherry tree; Mandelbaum — almond tree; Nussbaum — nut tree; Tannenbaum — fir
tree; Teitelbaum — palm tree.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Other name ,
chosen or purchased, were combinations with these roots: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Blumen (flower), Fein (fine), Gold, Green, Lowen
(lion), Rosen (rose), Schoen/Schein (pretty) — combined with berg (hill
or mountain), thal (valley), bloom (flower), zweig (wreath), blatt (leaf), vald
or wald (woods), feld (field).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Miscellaneous
other names included Diamond; Glick/Gluck — luck; Hoffman — hopeful;
Fried/Friedman — happiness; Lieber/Lieberman — lover. Weis (white)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Jewish family
names from non-Jewish languages included:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> Sender/Saunders — from Alexander; Kagan —
descended from the Khazars, a people of Turkic speaking Jews from Central Asia;
Kelman/Kalman — from the Greek name Kalonymous, popular among Jews in medieval
France and Italy. It is the Greek translation of the Hebrew “<i>shem tov</i>”
(good name); Marcus/Marx — from Latin, referring to the pagan god Mars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Finally,
there were Jewish names changed or shortened by immigration inspectors or by
immigrants themselves and their descendants to sound more American, which is
why “Sean Ferguson” was a Jew or stephen wise was once zalman weisbrod.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">In our
portion this week we read about Moses, and of course with most biblical names
his reflects his origins, he was drawn out from the water of the nile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when Moses asks God how God should be
called what is gods name “eheye asher eheyeh” roughly translated as I will be what
I will be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s name is eternal, even
our words such as elhoim, adonai, el rachamim, el shaddai, melech malechei
hamlachim, all reflect our attempt to give glory and honour to god, to reflect god’s
role in our life or the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While god
might not have a name, we are all given a name, by our parents, by our home, by
our ancestors, by our history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that
makes all the difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shabbat shalom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-75127456496688794222013-12-20T08:46:00.000-08:002013-12-20T08:46:06.340-08:00URJ Biennial 2013
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My URJ Biennial San Diego 2013 experience – things seen and things learned<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m standing in a room with 5000 people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its Shabbat morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Rabbi asks us to close our eyes and raise
up our hands in a special movement to bless God through the words of the
Shema.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 100 person choir begins to
sing, the 9 piece band begins to play, voices swell in volume and I’m entranced
by the power of this moment of prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Juxtapose that to Shabbat afternoon, I’m sitting on top of a mountain in
the hills outside San Diego.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
completely alone, as the group dropped us off one by one for some solitary
prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the distance the sun is
setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hear the wind softly blowing
through the canyon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can hear off in
the distance the crunch of other hikers on the gravel paths though I cannot see
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I contemplate prayer, without a 9
person band or 100 person choir or 5000 worshippers, yet feel the same sense of
awe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This was my Shabbat at Biennial 2013 in San Diego.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The conference brings together Reform Jews
from around the world for prayer, music, learning and networking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get a chance to do all in equal
measure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as with most things, the sense
of connection is what first draws me to Biennial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love getting together with my classmates
and friends from rabbinical school at HUC-JIR who are spread out throughout
north America and whom I get to see only at these type of get-togethers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We share best practices, recall fond memories
of school and catch up on our newest family developments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love attending the variant worship opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thursday morning we were led by a group from
Tel Aviv, from Beit Daniel, who have created wonderful new music and
participatory practices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During Birchot
Hashachar, after a few prayers from the liturgy, they invite people to offer
their own prayer of thanks out loud and then everyone says amen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They adapted Beatles tunes to our prayers and
mix Hebrew with English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 4 prayer
leaders sing in beautiful harmony with multiple musical instruments, its was absolutely
beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m hoping to bring some of
their ideas here to SBE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shabbat evening
and morning were so inspiring. We have wonderful worship leaders in our
community, Friday night was the clergy team from Beth Elohim in Boston and
Saturday morning it was Rabbi Jacobs along with Rabbi/Cantor Angela Warnick-Buchdal. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We also had the
storah-tellers, making the story of Jacob blessing his children and
grandchildren come alive, including the missing Dinah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They selected beautiful musical pieces, some
we knew, some brand new, all set with choir and instrumentation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were moments went people jumped up and
danced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a dozen torah scrolls
around the room so everyone felt they were part of the reading and I received two
group aliyot, as an HUC alum and as a NFTY youth group alum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps my favorite moment is the Friday
evening song session.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was up at the
front with some good friends, dancing and singing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I almost got caught up with the nfty kids
whose enthusiasm and energy made me feel like a kid again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In terms of speakers and learning, I was particularly inspired
by the words of Anat Hoffman, who runs the Israeli religious action centre in
Jerusalem. She said, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">"Together we are negotiating a new reality
for all of us at the Wall. This is not going to be a slightly cleaned up
second-rate area for the misfits. It will be the first time that the
Israeli government will offer everybody a real choice at the Kotel. I know
Israelis are going to get used to the flavor of choice and they are going to
demand freedom of choice in all other areas of religious life, such as
marriage, divorce, conversion, and education. Once you have 31 flavors, you
can’t go back.<br />
<br />
For too long, the face and character of Judaism’s holiest site has been in the
image of one extreme minority, but we are changing that. It is time that
Israelis got to know some other faces of Judaism, like that of our very own
Rabbi Miri Gold, or that of Ariella Finklestein, our orthodox 14-year-old
client who personally sued the bus driver who told her to go the back of the
bus in Beit Shemesh.<br />
<br />
We must plant our values the same way we have planted trees. This will require
all of us to get our hands dirty since there is no other way to plant.<br />
<br />
Our success at the Kotel must become the engine pulling the train of religious
pluralism. The next car is the end of gender segregation in Israel and the
exclusion of women. We bring you news of great achievements, but we also know
that the rights of women in Israel are under attack, and it is falling on us to
provide the response<br />
<br />
Other cars in the train are freedom of choice in marriage, in conversion, and
the full equality and recognition of our Rabbis and institutions.<br />
<br />
Anat then asked us to do 4 things to help, to roll up our sleeves and get to
work.<br />
<br />
1. Read - At least once a week read something about Israel that is not about
security. <br />
2. Use your financial support to create an Israel that reflects your values.<br />
3. Visit Israel, and make your visits count. Make time for the Israel Religious
Action Center. (Less Roman ruins and more freedom rides.)<br />
4. Refuse. Refuse to choose between your liberal values and your commitment to
Israel. Let your frustration motivate you to action. Action is our middle name"<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We also heard a wonderful charge from Rabbi Rick Jacobs,
giving us focus for our movement and defining clearly what Reform Judaism
stands for and what we have to offer that Jews want and need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">“There
are those who would say the trend is from more observance to less, from deep
and serious about Judaism to entertaining a passing fancy for it, as if Reform
is a watered-down "something else." But look around you. Have 5,000 people
come to this convention because we believe in doing less, caring less,
achieving less, or being less? We came because we want to do more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Our
Judaism is for everyone. Our Judaism is inclusive, egalitarian, intellectually
rigorous, joyful, passionate, spiritual, pluralistic, constantly evolving and
relevant. Soul elevating spiritual practice, life-altering Torah study,
courageous practice of <i>tikkun olam</i>, loving care for our community,
especially the most vulnerable--that's what we are. Just look at this Biennial
if you want to see Judaism that is all of the above and more. I believe with
the very fiber of my being that young Jews are hungry, but not for a Judaism
frozen in a distant time, no matter how loving and warm the purveyors -
including Chabad, in particular - might be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">We have
what people are looking for, but we've been reticent to get out and say so,
partly because we have yet to articulate an audacious vision of what the world
can become. God bless Chabad and all outreach organizations for getting out
there and sharing their beautiful expressions of Judaism with those who are
interested. But theirs must not be the only voices defining Judaism. It's time
to speak our minds. Let's be clear about who we are and what we have to say. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">We believe that our understanding of Judaism is right: that God did not
literally hand down sacred laws in the Bible and the Mishnah at Sinai, but
rather that from our encounter with the Divine, Jews have written our sacred
texts, striving to understand in their own time what God called them to
do. That process has continued through the centuries, and it continues
today. We are not the way out, but the way in, the way to being fully Jewish
and modern, Jewish and inclusive, Jewish and universal, Jewish and compassionate,
Jewish and deeply committed also to science, the arts, and the human community
in its constant evolutionary spiral toward sustaining the planet and bettering
life for everyone who lives upon it. "</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
Overall it was a wonderful, enriching and invigorating experience for me, something I hope many others will come along next time in Orlando 2015.Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-41723730147947010862013-12-05T19:11:00.002-08:002013-12-05T19:11:29.726-08:00The agreement with Iran
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Canadians<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jews<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>have a unique sensibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
care deeply about the country in which<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>we live, and our role in world affairs, and at the same time<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we are dedicated and devoted to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and her
safety and security.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d like to
focus on the interim agreement<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>recently
made between the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region>, </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Russia</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place></st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="color: #333333;">, as a group, </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">and</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
a declared enemy of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>. In my
opinion it is a good first step but one which can hardly end our concern for <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><div class="irc_mutc" style="text-align: center;">
<a class="irc_mutl" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=jOPin7qRnx5K8M&tbnid=bPN0kCZ16jXVIM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gloria-center.org%2F2011%2F09%2Fisrael-iran-and-the-new-middle-east%2F&ei=OUChUqj3AqrX2QWd74HoAQ&bvm=bv.57155469,d.b2I&psig=AFQjCNEMSmoRx9EFFj1oVcFeeIJJcq5z_A&ust=1386385824853254"><img class="irc_mut" height="393" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRoytL4q2eKhz7vwAb9wc4mOqDqKL30vDc_yh9fEQhZTsgpUV8Mng" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="345" /></a></div>
</o:p></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">As we all know, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>
for years has been building up stores of enriched Uranium which were
undoubtedly intended<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to create nuclear
weapons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With such weapons<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in place there’s little doubt that <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> as well
as the entire <st1:place w:st="on">Middle East</st1:place> would be under
serious threat. Let’s not forget that it was the current president of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the
so-called moderate,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hassan </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Rouhani, who planned the bombing of the Jewish Community
Center in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Buenos Aires</st1:place></st1:city>
in 1994, which took 85 lives. And<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the
Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia in1996, in which 19 American soldiers were
killed. Following his predecessors he<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>refuses to acknowledge<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the
Holocaust. He has openly called Israel “a wound” on the Middle East that must
be removed. He has <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>boasted about
deceiving the West into believing that Iran, from 2003 to 2005, had stopped
enriching uranium. He is part of a theocracy that continues their <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>savage persecution of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the Bahai, Christians, Jews and anyone in Iran
who professes a religion other than Shi’ite Islam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is only a slight improvement on his
predecessor </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">President Ahminehjad <span style="color: black;">who <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>consistently and publicly denied the Holocaust
and predicted in a speech early in his tenure that Israel would one day be
“wiped off the map”, the one who told the world that </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: black;">“The very existence
of the Zionist regime is an insult to humankind and an affront to all world
nations… we should wipe out this scarlet letter, meaning the Zionist regime,
from the forehead of humanity.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
unfortunately know all too well that when leaders of countries publicly declare
their intentions to destroy Jewish lives, they usually mean it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thus when the 6 countries declared a 6 month agreement freezing
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iran’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>preparation of Uranium for use in nuclear bombs, I’m sure we all felt a
twinge of optimism, spiked<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with the
usual <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>dose of <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jewish skepticism.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t long before Israeli PM Bibi
Netanyah <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pointed out <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"> <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s nuclear weapons would
endanger not just <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>
but <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place> and the world at large.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He reminded us of </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">three
major problems :<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, how can we trust
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>
to follow through on any agreement, in view of their past record of duplicity
with regard to inspections of their current nuclear capacity?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, the agreement stops <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> from further
enriching of uranium but fails to stop it completely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Third, the agreement ignores the plight of
those who are presently victimized by the Iranian government .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Professor Howard
Adelman in an article this week pointed out that it was the economic sanctions
on <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>
that brought then to the negotiating table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>
is owed 7 billion dollars <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on oil sales
alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could therefore be argued, why
not leave the sanctions in place till <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> gives in completely.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It seems to me that we cannot expect <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> to be
reduced to its knees. That in fact it would be dangerous in the long run to do
so. In my view,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> is already
giving up quite a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The world is
gaining transparency into what <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>
is doing, a freeze on current uranium enrichment and a rollback on what they
had been doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inspectors can go in and
maintain the parameters of the agreement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We know sanctions worked and can always be restarted .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We gain at least a negotiating point, to
continue talking and working this interim agreement towards a more fulfilling
final agreement that accomplish <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the
goals of preventing a nuclear weapon capable <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> retains
stature as an international player having worked an agreement with the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their regional power undoubtedly has been <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>strengthened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And there is no relief for the Bahai, Christians and Jews, and any others
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>persecuted within Iranian borders. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Prime Minister Netanyahu firmly believes the negotiations were all
political theatre, and he has asked western powers to not ease the economic sanctions,
saying,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Although <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tehran</st1:place></st1:city>, led by President Hassan Rouhani,
presented a smiling face to the West, it continued to “butcher people in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Syria</st1:place></st1:country-region>, to
promote terrorism” and to support Hezbollah and Hamas.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He argued that <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> president Barak Obama did it so
he could demonstrate his ability to sign an agreement with the enemy <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Other
Israeli news sources such as Ynet suggest that the American people are weary of
so many conflicts, especially in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, so that with this
agreement, they can focus on domestic and economic issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 200%; margin: 0cm 0cm 16.8pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So where does <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region> stand on all this.
Officially Rafi Barak the new Canadian embassador called it a "historic mistake", echoing Netanyahu from the previous day, highlighting Israels concerns about the Iranian</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> regime’s conduct in five areas: its nuclear program, its 400 missiles
that can reach the eastern <st1:place w:st="on">Mediterranean Sea</st1:place>,
its support of terrorism, its involvement in propping up the Syrian regime and
its general attitude towards human rights.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“There are a lot of
question marks about the future,” Barak said. “We are concerned that the
sanctions were having a positive effect and we should have waited a bit before
lifting [them].”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">John Baird, our Canadian
minister of minister of foreign affairs, speaking <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed
similar concerns, and said he remained “skeptical” about the effectiveness of
the current interim agreement. John Baird was quoted as saying,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“We are a country that is
obviously deeply concerned, not just about the nuclear program, or the spread
of the weaponization program, but also, their human rights record is of
significant concern,” . “No one more than Canada would like to see this deal be
successful… But we are deeply skeptical of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s intention in this regard.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
has to be acknowledged that no country has been as fully supportive of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s every
move as <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This past weekend our prime minister was
honoured by the Jewish National Fund, and helped them raise over 5 million
dollars .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Where
should we stand on this current issue?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As Canadians, we are not part of this agreement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a responsible member of the United Nations
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>our goal is to ensure world stability
and peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A nuclear <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> is a threat
to peace and so supporting <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>economic
sanctions is correct.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should
spearhead continued negotiation. We should ensure that nuclear<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>inspectors do their job with respect to
enriched uranium in Iranian nuclear power plants . <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The agreement has<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>potential but<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>we should regard it as a small stepping stone while keeping a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>close eye on the fulfillment of every aspect
of it and continue economic pressure until we are secure.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As
Jews, we know that the threat of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> towards <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> is real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> supports terrorists such as
Hezbollah <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>who have launched missiles and
suicide attacks on <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>
before and would attack again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should
support <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>
in her declaration that this agreement is not enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should continue to let <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> monitor <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s nuclear plans closely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should keep the world’s attention on <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> to
maintain some economic pressure and ensure that <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> never succeeds in obtaining
nuclear weapons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should at the same time remember that
simply saying everything <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>
does is correct. That’s not what a best friend does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am grateful <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region> supports <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>, but I
believe we need a more nuanced approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A best friend doesn’t say everything you do is perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A best friend helps put you on the right path
when you stray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>support <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region> and care deeply for her safety
and security, the true way to a peaceful middle east is not necessarily simply
declaring that this is a historic mistake and end the conversation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe through continued negotiation and
containment of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
along with western allies, we can ultimately achieve an agreement that works. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
torah portion this week reminds us that even brothers that hate each other can
reconcile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joseph was almost murdered
and then sold into slavery by his brothers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even they found a way to find love and resolution, and that is the story
of our people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us use that as a
guide to our lives and hopefully not just as <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>individuals but also as<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>countries .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-1469666115007785622013-11-27T10:56:00.001-08:002013-11-27T10:56:16.339-08:00<h2 class="entry-title" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://haltonrecycles.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/chanukah-and-the-environment/" rel="bookmark" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: black; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Chanukah and the Environment</a></h2>
<div class="entry-meta" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #777777; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Posted on</span> <a href="http://haltonrecycles.wordpress.com/2013/11/27/chanukah-and-the-environment/" rel="bookmark" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #777777; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="11:58 AM"><span class="entry-date" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">November 27, 2013</span></a> <span class="by-author" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="sep" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">by</span> <span class="author vcard" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="url fn n" href="http://haltonrecycles.wordpress.com/author/haltonguestblogger2/" rel="author" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #777777; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="View all posts by Halton Guest Blogger">Halton Guest Blogger</a></span></span></div>
<div class="entry-content" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://haltonrecycles.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/chanukah-istock18484602.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Jewish family celebrating Hanukkah" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-4429" height="199" src="http://haltonrecycles.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/chanukah-istock18484602.jpg?w=300&h=199" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: none; display: inline; float: right; height: auto; margin: 4px 0px 12px 24px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="300" /></a>In the darkest days of December, the Jewish community will be celebrating our annual holiday of Chanukah. This ancient ritual dates back close to 2,500 years ago when the Greek-Syrians took over the holy land of Israel from the Jewish people. They set laws over the Jewish people restricting them from praying to God, celebrating Jewish holidays, performing Jewish customs or even studying our holy texts.</div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
In response the Jewish people revolted, led by Judah Maccabee, and defeated the mightier Greek army. When they recovered the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, they saw their holy candelabra lights had been extinguished and not enough oil to relight the lights. However a great miracle happened, the lights were relit and lasted a full eight days longer than they should have, until more oil could be produced and brought in. Today we therefore light candles for eight nights, starting with one the first night and adding one each night, to add light and holiness to our lives.</div>
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As we think about light and thanking God for miracles of the past, we can take these lessons forward to today’s celebration of this holiday, and the other holidays of this December season.</div>
<ol style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0px 24px 1.5em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> <b style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Light</b> – the candle lights of Chanukah are wonderful for the environment. While we can’t use candlelight for everything, we can take a look at how we consume light and electricity in our homes. Remember to turn off lights when not using them. Replace all your light bulbs with either CFL or LED bulbs that use a fraction of the electricity and last for years longer than traditional bulbs.</li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Waste</b> – as this is the time of gift giving in the Jewish community, one for each night, might we consider how we wrap the gifts to avoid waste, and save the parts like ribbons and gift bags for future use. Perhaps using a website like <a href="http://www.echoage.com/" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; color: #743399; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">www.echoage.com</a> which is way to give gifts without waste and sends half of the money to a worthy charity of your choice.</li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Miracles</b> – at this season of remembering miracles, let’s take a moment to recognize the value of all the earth provides for us. We have the luxury of turning on electricity when we need it, we have food at an easy reach wherever we go and plenty of water. The earth itself is a miracle from God that we must cherish, respect and keep in good shape for future generations.</li>
</ol>
</div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-89974231435051207722013-11-27T06:53:00.000-08:002013-11-27T06:53:08.210-08:00Channuka thoughts in the Oakville News<a href="http://oakvillenews.org/happy-chanukah/">http://oakvillenews.org/happy-chanukah/</a><br />
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-36831392011594860502013-11-25T13:46:00.001-08:002013-11-25T13:46:14.968-08:00<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">AGM Rabbis speech 2013</span></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you can believe it, this
is my seventh year at Shaarei Beth El.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In Jewish terms, we would call this the
Shmitah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In ancient times the 7<sup>th</sup>
year was when all debts were forgiven and the land was allowed to lay fallow
and not harvested, to give people and the land itself a time to refresh and
recharge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seven as you know is a whole
number in Judaism – we have the seven days of creation leading to the seventh
day as Shabbat, a time to rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have
many other sevens – seven circles of a bride around a groom, 7 day of shiva, 7
dreams of Joseph in the Bible, the armies circled Jericho 7 times before
winning the battle, there are 7 layers to ascent to heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each 7 represents a milestone, a time to look
back on what was accomplished and to spend a year planning for the future. So lets look back seven years ago.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I arrived here
financially our synagogue was on shaky footing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had large debt and incurred losses each year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due to many factors we are now on solid
ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We updated our dues structure,
cut down on spending, restructured our debt, adjusted our staffing,
created an annual fundraiser, and we balanced our budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was due to the hard work of our treasurers,
board and executive members and especially you, the congregants, who gave so
generously out of your pockets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact
not only have we had a balanced budget each year, we raised enough last year to
complete the first phase of Walking on Sacred Ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we were all impressed by how it
turned out, thanks to some very hard work by our WSOG team and the renovation
professionals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of our biggest
benefactors, Eddie Weisz, took me to lunch the other day to express his delight
at how beautiful our sanctuary looks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
excited for phase 2 and the renewal of our entranceway and lobby to match our
sanctuary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now if only TD Bank would
respect our Shmita laws and forgive our debt, we would be thrilled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However with a balanced budget now for 7
years its time to look to the future and establish an endowment fund, a place
where we put money away and earn interest to go towards our operating
budget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This can be in the form of large
donations from wills or stocks or final requests, or other such initiatives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to have a long term plan for the
continual survival of Shaarei Beth El, for us, our children, our
grandchildren and beyond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I look back 7 years
ago, I wanted us to be a learning congregation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our education program has succeeded beyond expectations, as testament to our education staff and director Cheryl Wise, so that our children are learning in innovative ways. We even received special grants from Federation that have rewarded our new approach to
Jewish study.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time, we as
adults are also continually learning. We have a wide variety of adult
opportunities, such as Shabbat morning torah study, film nights, and Hebrew
Sunday mornings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wednesday nights are
going to be our adult Ed nights, as we have focused on Judaism and health
recently, and moving ahead into more Israel and Jewish European history in the
coming months, to tie into our upcoming trips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Of course last summers’ Israel trip was a huge success, I’m looking
forward to taking a group to Europe next summer and mark your calendar now for
our return trip to Israel in 2015.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7 years ago many outside our
shul didn’t know SBE existed in Oakville.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have raised our profile, with events such as our inclusive Chanukah
candle lighting ceremony, participated in other civic events, highlighting our
activities in the local papers and became much more active in interfaith
events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember when I got here we
didn’t even have a sign on the front of the building that said SBE and now we
are <em>Or L’goyim</em>, a shining beacon of light within the Halton community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I am not that surprised that many families
are looking our way, and am happy to report that 17 new families have
joined our shul this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With new
membership chairs Doris and Arthur leading the way, we are surely looking at a
very strong membership base.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I look forward to using this
year to recharge, see where we are, and build for the years ahead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-27426068457916540742013-11-21T12:21:00.000-08:002013-11-21T12:21:01.693-08:00comparing Mayor Rob Ford to King Antiochus from the Channuka story
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<div style="direction: ltr; language: en-CA; line-height: 90%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.25in; margin-top: 10pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;">
<span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"> As a resident of the great city of Toronto, its somewhat embarassing to constantly be reminded that our mayor is a crack smoking liar. When Ford was elected a few years ago, I was unimpressed with him, and his ideas and his policies. But sometimes you don't always agree with whoever gets elected to office but you wait and see what happens. Ford has gone further and further downhill, caught on video smoking crack and admitting to it. He has lied and his boorish and bullying behaviour is not becoming of an elected official. Imagine trying to explain to young children that this is our mayor. When he gets made fun of on TV talk shows constantly, at first its funny, but then its sad that our great city is connected to this man. </span></span></div>
<div style="direction: ltr; language: en-CA; line-height: 90%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.25in; margin-top: 10pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;">
<span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">As Channuka is approaching next week I was studying a book called "A Different Light" edited by Noam Zion to prepare for an adult education program. I read an article by Victor Tcherikover, exerpted from "Hellenistic Civilization and the Jews" (p.175-181), which highlights Antiochus Epiphanes as a "mad missionary". Here are some points about King Antiochus, a man with no political tact who did not know how to act as a King. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 22pt; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 22pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-special-format: bullet;">•</span></span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 22pt; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">At
times would leave the palace and wander and converse with insignificant people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 22pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-special-format: bullet;">•</span></span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 22pt; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Was
more than once seen in the company of shady company of aliens of unknown
identity and origin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 22pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-special-format: bullet;">•</span></span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 22pt; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">If
he heard of a drinking party, he would join, often making such a strange
impression, many would fear him and make their escape.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 22pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-special-format: bullet;">•</span></span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 22pt; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Full
of contradictions and sudden surprises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 22pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-special-format: bullet;">•</span></span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 22pt; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">At
a festival once jumped on stage to dance with other players, causing many to
leave the hall in shame.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 22pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-special-format: bullet;">•</span></span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 22pt; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Silent
among the company of his best friends but talkative among strangers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 22pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-special-format: bullet;">•</span></span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 22pt; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Irritable
and nervous, ever striving to do something extraordinary and to astound the
world.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="direction: ltr; language: en-CA; line-height: 90%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0.25in; margin-top: 10pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;">
<span style="font-size: 22pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-special-format: bullet;">•</span></span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 22pt; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Sometimes
walked the streets handing out rings of gold or simple stones but gave others
worthless objects such as dates or dice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 22pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-special-format: bullet;">•</span></span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 22pt; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">The
humorists openly mocked him, calling him Antiochus “</span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 22pt; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Epimanes</span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 22pt; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(mad) instead of </span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 22pt; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;">Epiphanes</span><span style="color: #00b050; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 22pt; language: en-CA; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #00B050; mso-style-textfill-type: solid;"> (the god manifest)</span></div>
<br />
As I finished reading I realized, this King is very similar to Mayor Rob Ford. Ford also keeps shady company, joins in drinking alcohol, full of contradictions and causes others to leave his company in shame. I found it fascinating to compare the two characters. Antiochus is the villian of the Channuka story, who imposes discriminatory rules over the Jewish people, who eventually fight back for religious freedom and re-establish a sovereign Jewish state. I hope that for our great city of Toronto, we too are able to convince Mayor Ford to enter some sort of rehab program and allow responsible town councillors to run the city properly until next years election.<br />
<br />
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-24602987833871015122013-11-21T11:17:00.003-08:002013-11-21T11:17:36.157-08:00
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A recent article in the Oakville News emphasised the disturbing facts
that even in a fine town such as Oakville, abuse against women does take place
regularly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Among the members of the
Jewish community, there is the same false notion that these things don’t happen
among our people, its out there among other families. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The sad truth is that Jewish women also
experience physical, sexual and verbal abuse by boyfriends, husbands, fathers
and more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its time to put a stop to it,
and no better time to highlight these issues than Nov. 25<sup>th</sup>, the
<strong>International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women</strong>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Here are some important steps toward ending
abuse, as compiled by Rabbi Catharine Clark (original article from the Canadian Jewish News <a href="http://cjnews.com/columnists/violence-against-women-must-end">http://cjnews.com/columnists/violence-against-women-must-end</a>)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">End denial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a popular
strategy but it does not change the fact that abuse victims live in fear and
pain inflicted often by people very close to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Jewish law prohibits a man from striking his wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rabbi Yosef Karo wrote in the 18<sup>th</sup>
century that “we must treat a man who beats his wife more severely than a man
who beats another man, since he is obligated to honour his wife, more than
himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A man who beats his wife should
be placed under a ban and excommunicated”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We must uphold the value of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shalom
Bayit</i> which means “a peaceful home”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The person abuser is disrupting the family, not the woman who speaks out
and attempts to leave the relationship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We should speak about abuse from our pulpits and in bulletins and
emails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leaders of faith, especially rabbis,
cantors and educators, should send the message that we take this seriously and
will listen to someone suffering from abuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We can also help through referrals, counselling and simply encouraging a
woman that they are not alone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Insist that contact numbers for shelters and abuse help lines be up on
the walls in the womens bathroom to empower women to make the first step
towards help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Listen and believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stories
might sound far-fetched or insignificant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However if a man is controlling a womans money, time, space, living area
or access to others people – this is abuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Respect her courage in coming to you to talk about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Know the options for a woman seeking help and provide the phone numbers
and emails so a woman can develop a safety plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allow her to make the calls from a safe place
such as a synagogue or other house of worship knowing that an abused woman
might not have free access to a phone or computer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When preparing couples for marriage, discuss abuse openly and
honestly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allow for a separate
conversation where a woman can speak to the Rabbi alone and ask if there are
any signs of abuse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Do not tell a woman to stay in a relationship for the sake of children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Long term abuse can have life-long effects on
a woman and the children’s development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
fact the children might become victims themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Support a woman in her decisions, even if this means staying in the
abusive relationship for now until she is ready to make the next step. Support and
guide her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-2950354680368804572012-11-12T14:19:00.002-08:002012-11-12T14:19:36.329-08:00Religion and the political arena - advantages and drawbacks<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In light of Canadian Remembrance Day, the American election this week, and my recent Reform
Rabbi’s conference in Ottawa, I wanted to take a moment to comment on the role
of Judaism and our relationship to the government and country we live in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">As a people
that spent most of its time living in the Diaspora, and even when the state of
Israel existed as an independent entity both in ancient times and today, Jews
have always lived in countries around the world and had to establish a set of
guidelines in how to understand and relate to the government of that
country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In ancient
times in Israel under Greek and Roman rule, we primarily fought back when a
government sought to impose its authority over us, whether politically or
religiously. This often ended in battles
and ultimately when we fought the powerful Romans for sovereignty, they
destroyed the Temple and sent us into slavery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Since then
we have yearned to return to our own state but also realized the importance of
establishing communities in various countries and create positive relations
with the governing authority. When
governments gave Jews free reign in commerce and industry, we flourished. When governments gave us freedom of religion
and let our courts adjudicate our own religious matters, we flourished. When the opposite was true, we languished and
often the end result was migration or expulsion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In modern
times, when church and state have separated, individual Jews, and the Jewish
community, has thrived. But we constantly
remember the Talmudic dictate, from Pirkei Avot that says, “Ohev et ha’mlacha,
u-s’nah et harabanut, v’al teetvada larashoot”.
This translates as “love work (your profession), hate title/dominance,
and do not seek undue intimacy with the government”. In other words, everyone should have a job
and enjoy their chosen field, or at least enjoy it enough to make a living from
it. We should not depend on the country
we live in for financial support. Hate
the dominance or authority, that is if
you constantly let yourself be filled with the power of a high up position, it
will take over your soul. This was meant
to say that those Jews who always sought to lead over others will be buried by
it, absolute power corrupts absolutely. The
great medieval commentator Rashi explains further that of all the 12 sons of
Jacob in the book of Genesis, Joseph died first even though he was one of the
youngest, and that was because he spent most of his life around those in power
in Egypt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">But most
importantly is the last part, do not seek undue intimacy with the
government. In Roman times that was seen
as blasphemous. Even today, we should
not be seduced with the government and its power. The Rabbis say if you are seeking to be part
of the government, you are really seeking your own needs and not for anyone
else. You will then break away from God
and the mitzvot. On the other hand, the
government has a great deal of influence on our lives, to where our tax dollars
go, to legislation for human rights, to creating a social safety net for the
vulnerable in our society – the poor, homeless, and hungry. So we have to walk a careful line, especially
here in North America. We want to live independent
lives from the government, in terms of having freedom to worship and express
our religion – following our customs, our holidays, our dietary habits,
circumcisions, holidays etc. But we want
and should be involved in serving our country during war, lobbying for issues
that are important to us that contravene our deepest held values and voting for
leaders who will fight what we think is important. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Over the
wars of the past century, Jews have served admirably in securing freedom and
democracy and even more so, fighting Hitler’s Nazi Army in World War Two,
ultimately saving the remnants of the European Jewry from complete and utter
destruction. On this Remembrance Day weekend we remember
that </span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Jewish soldiers served in greater numbers, proportionate to their share
of the population, than any other comparable ethnic or religious group. More
than 17,000 Jews served in the Canadian Armed Forces during World War II. Of
these, 420 were killed in action and more than 300 were wounded. Over 200
received decorations for their service to their country. We acknowledge their sacrifice and dedication
to our country and to the Allied effort to end the war and bring peace once
again to our world. Jews continue to
serve in the military in Canada, in our peacekeeping efforts, in UN missions,
in NATO missions, serving abroad or here nationally, and we are proud of
them. </span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">And what of
the election south of the border. I was
trying not to get too caught up in their electoral process, but its hard not to
be affected by the outcome as America’s influence stretches around the world,
she is our biggest trading partner and her involvement in the Middle East has
incredibly high strategic value for our homeland in Israel. The political rhetoric and commercial messages
are quite overwhelming, as is the obscene amount of money spent on this
election that seems to take years. I
much prefer our system with controlled spending and short election seasons. That being said, way more Americans are
involved in the process and vote, in swing states as much as 70-80%
voting. In the last Canadian federal
election only 60% voted and in Ontario, especially in the most recent election,
it was below 50%. Maybe its because
politics are more exciting down there.
Maybe its because the US leaders are so diametrically opposed even
though its only two parties, it really matters which side you vote. Here in Canada, even with 3 parties, the
political platforms are much more similar.
While I did not vote, I was hoping for Americans to choose a leader who
was fiscally responsible, maintained appropriate taxes on all segments of
society, increased the social safety net for the vulnerable including health
care and pension, stood up for same sex marriage and a woman’s right to choose,
and maintained the strong friendship between Israel and America. I think President Barak Obama is that
leader. I was especially insulted by the
rhetoric of the Republican party that attempted to smear Obama as soft on
Israel and Iran. In fact in speaking with
Israeli low level diplomats, they say he has been one of the best presidents
for Israel. Of course that doesn’t sit
well with Netanyahu, who wants a blank cheque that anything Israel does is
great and the US must supports it. Obama
has a more nuanced approach, understanding its not black and white. To act as mediator, the US cannot favor one
group over another, but we know the US has Israel’s interests at heart, a two
state solution based on negotiated settlement of all issues, clear recognition
of the other and a fully implemented peaceful treaty. The hoopla surrounding the election and the
attempt to get out the Jewish vote for Romney simply because he was painted as </span><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 42px;">stronger</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"> on Israel, fell short, way short.
The Jewish vote went overwhelmingly in favor of President Obama, by
something like 70%, showing the Jews were thoughtful about who they voted for,
examined all the issues, and voted for a President that led on all the issues I
highlighted before. I can tell you among
my American colleagues there was a deep sigh of relief and most decided to
continue living south of the border and not move up here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I watched
the election in Ottawa as I was there on a 3 day study conference with the
Canadian Reform Rabbis. 16 of us visited
the capital, heard from excellent speakers and discussed important issues for
Jews in Canada. We were particularly
impressed with our local MP Terrence Young who gave us a backroom tour of the
Parliament building, seeing Prime Minister King’s old office and unusual
tidbits of history. We walked into the
senate and even the parliamentary library.
We were treated to dinner in the Parliamentary dining room, where each
Rabbi got to sit with his or her MP from across Canada and have some informal
time to get to know each other. This is
part of the CJPAC mission, for us to get to know our MP or MPP and engage in
the political process. Not to select one
party over another, but simply to establish a relationship with all government
officials, regardless of party, so if an issue of importance comes up for
Israel or our community, we have someone to go to and they might listen to us
because we know them. Terrence Young
already has a strong record on support of Israel and our community, and he
impressed the entire group with his graciousness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We also met
with Ambassador Miriam Ziv from Israel. We
discussed at length the very positive friendship between Israel and Canada
through the Conservative leadership years.
But when we mentioned how Anat Hoffman was arrested at the wall and the
lack of rights of women in the religious sphere - and of liberal Judaism in
general, she simply lost her cool. She told us she was secular and had no interest
in our concerns. She yelled at us, reminding us that she is a woman in power
and seemed unaware and totally disinterested in the role of non-Orthodox
Judaism at the Kotel or anywhere else in Israel. She said if we don’t live there or serve in
the army, we can’t be anything but totally and 100% unconditionally supportive
of everything Israel does and says. This
goes against everything I believe in, that I, and all of us in this room, have
a stake in the land of Israel, as the homeland for all Jews. She talked about the great relationship with
Canada, but seems to disregard Canadian Jews.
We don’t have a vote in Israel but we certainly have a voice and she
attempted to silence it. As you can
imagine we were quite upset after her diatribe, and afterwards wrote letters both
to her and her bosses, and the leadership of the Reform movement in Israel and
abroad, about our concerns. We will see
if she even addresses them, apparently she is quite controversial. Her staff apologized on her behalf after she
left, and that is pretty much their job everywhere she goes. To hear this from an ordinary Israeli is one
thing, where we can debate. But to hear
it from the official representative of Israel in Canada was almost too much to
bear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For the
most part though, we enjoyed meeting members of our government. We sat with Tom Mulclair, leader of the
opposition NDP and Bob Rae leader of the Liberals. We met with Jon Baird the minister of defense
and Jason Kenney the minister of immigration.
We were quite impressed that CIJA
- the Canadian Israel and Jewish affairs committee, that has such positive
relations with all the parties in Ottawa that we were able to meet with
everyone. While each had slightly different views on domestic policy, they were
almost uniform on their calls against the Apartheid Israel Boycott/Divestment/Sanction
movement among the left in Canada, and uniform in their declaration of support
for Israel and the two state peace process.
This was nice to hear, as Baird put it succinctly, Israel does not come
up much in the House of Commons or question period, because its not controversial. All the parties share the same position,
which is comforting to know that whichever party retains power or moves into
power, support for Israel is established.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;">Not that
the parties agree on everything, we got a chance to enter Parliament and watch
Question period. In a way we know its theater as it’s the only hour when the
television cameras are there and the public is watching. The politicians know in advance the
questions, and have prepared their answers, and generally the game is
preset. However there are moments of
levity and improvisation. Plus its fun
to see each party declare their intentions to catcalls and yells of support and
sarcastic applause. The best line was
actually from Bob Rae, commenting on PM Harper paying to have his </span><span style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 42px;">armored</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 200%;"> Mercedes brought from Canada to India for his transportation, Rae said if the
PM would finally meet the premiers of Canada, he could bring along his limo to
Charlottetown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">There is a
delicate balance when it comes to living our lives as Jews and as Canadians. We must fight hard for our religious freedom
and maintain our culture, identity and practices as a minority. At the same time our tradition calls on us to
follow the law of the land, and even more so to engage in the political
process, to make sure the leaders in power commit to upholding the values we
hold dear, and call them out when we feel they have missed the mark in their
duties. Yet we must refrain from being
too close to power, to letting it corrupt us, to letting it move us away from
our ultimate goal of being responsible, dedicated and caring Jewish
Canadians. And let that be God’s
will. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-28437162678354755362011-06-17T11:40:00.000-07:002011-06-17T11:41:21.807-07:00The favorites and the underdogs – a sermon on Jewish values and sporting championships<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; line-height: 38px; ">After a tumultuous week of sports, with ups and downs, surprises and sure things, we are left with two champions – The Dallas Mavericks of the NBA and the Boston Bruins of the NHL.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Thinking back to the beginning of the season, even going back a few weeks ago, one would have been hard pressed to pick these two team as the champions within their respective leagues. Both are solid teams, but neither had won anything of significance in decades.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Expectations were low, though each team had plenty of talent and drive, and each featured a superstar.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Mavericks feature 7 footer Dirk Nowitzki, a former NBA MVP who is a natural team leader.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Bruins feature the best goalie in the NHL this season, Tim Thomas, the eventual MVP of the playoffs and most likely the eventual Vezina trophy for best goalie during the regular season.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Bruins also feature one of the most dominant defensemen in the game, the 6”9 Zdeno Chara who happens to hold the title of hardest shot from the NHL skills competition.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt;line-height:200%"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:36.0pt;line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%">So while these two teams were both underdogs, they were able to overcome great odds and win it all; how did they do it?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Mavericks were facing the Miami Heat who featured the “big 3”.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In the last offseason the 3 best free agents all signed with one team in south Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They held onto Dwayne Wade, grabbed Chris Bosh from us here in Toronto and more significantly attracted Lebron James from Cleveland, possibly the greatest player in basketball today.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In his ego driven nationally televised decision, Lebron invited the world to watch a one hour special where he told the world he was going to the Heat.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The way the team presented the 3 players as though they had already won a championship and the way they ditched their former teams to get together, made them the most talented and most hated team.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>With high expectations, the team gathered steam through the regular season and steamrolled the competition through the playoffs, and won the first game of the series so convincingly, it seemed the Heat would fulfill their top dog status.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:36.0pt;line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%">The Bruins faced the Vancouver Canucks, who owned the best record in the NHL this past season winning the president’s trophy. The Canucks have arguably one of the best goaltenders in the league, who won the gold medal for Canada at last year’s Olympics.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Their top forwards twin brothers Daniel and Henrik Sedin each led the league in scoring respectively over the past 2 years, and Henrik was league MVP last year and Daniel will likely win this year.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>With secondary scoring from such heavyweights such as Ryan Kessler and Alex Burrows, and great defense, the Canucks gelled in the playoffs squeezing by the rival Blackhawks in 7 but then racing by the Sharks and Predators and taking the first 2 against the Bruins and the cup was in sight.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">So these two underdogs, the Mavs and Bruins, had something special that led them to the championship.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>What was the secret to their success?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Let’s look at the classic Jewish story of an underdog overcoming all odds, David vs. goliath.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The account of the battle between David and Goliath is given in </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_Samuel" title="1 Samuel"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none; text-underline:none">first Samuel</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%">, chapter 17. </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul" title="Saul"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none; text-underline:none">Saul</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt;line-height:200%"> and the </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelites" title="Israelites"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none; text-underline:none">Israelites</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%"> are facing the </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philistines" title="Philistines"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;color:windowtext; text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Philistines</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%"> at the </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_Elah" title="Valley of Elah"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%; color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">Valley of Elah</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%">. Twice a day for 40 days, Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, comes out between the lines and challenges the Israelites to send out their MVP of their own to decide the outcome in </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_combat#Single_combat" title="Single combat"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%; color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline:none">single hand to hand combat</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height: 200%">. However, Saul and all the other Israelites are afraid of him. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">Young </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David" title="David"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;line-height:200%;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none;text-underline: none">David</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%"> is present, having brought food for his elder brothers. Told that Saul has promised to reward any man who defeats Goliath, David accepts the challenge. Saul reluctantly agrees and offers his armor, which David declines, taking only his </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sling_(weapon)" title="Sling (weapon)"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:200%;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none; text-underline:none">sling</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 14.0pt;line-height:200%"> and five stones chosen from a nearby brook.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">David and Goliath confront each other, Goliath with his armor and shield, David with his staff and sling. David hurls a stone with all his might, and hits Goliath in the center of his forehead. The Philistine falls on his face to the ground; David takes his sword and cuts off his head and a new champion is crowned.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">Here are David’s strategies.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">One he was brave and didn’t back down.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sure goliath was the greatest warrior of the time, but if you don’t enter the battle you certainly can’t win.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>David believed in himself and went into the battle mentally prepared to fight and win.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Mavs and Bruins similarly didn’t see their opponents as any better than them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In the rhetoric and preparation for the games, they held on to their own style of play and never backed down.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Mavericks lost game 1, but continued to play their game, shooting well from the 3-point line, excellent defense and clutch scoring down the stretch.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Bruins continued their hard nosed play, concentrating on scoring spread among their 4 lines and smart, simple defense, letting Thomas make the big stops.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Even after losing the first two, they had only given up a total of 3 goals, they continued their style and believe their pucks would eventually go in, especially returning to their home rink in Beantown.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">Second David saw the goal at the end.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He realized there would be a reward from King Saul, but David had the greater purpose in mind of freeing the Israelites from Philistine rule.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Yes there are individual battles, but there is a larger war.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>David was doing his one small part to defeat Goliath and send a message to everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Eventually David would become king, using this victory as his calling card.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>By showing he could defeat the great Goliath, when he led his men into battle they were given great confidence as well to follow someone who led by example.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Following David meant they were following a champion and this gave the whole army confidence.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>No one wonder David’s armies were so successful in establishing the greatest Israelite kingdom.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">The Bruins and Mavs also focused on the end goal.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The Mavs played with heart and soul.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They fought down to the final minute in each game.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Even when they were down by a lot, they didn’t let up and twice came from behind to win in the 4<sup>th</sup> quarter.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There was no individual, it was a team effort.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They played the emotions of<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Nowitzki who is quiet, unassuming and plays hard.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Contrast to the Big 3 who yell, gesture, make faces and style their way to the basket but come up short at crucial moments.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And Jason Kidd, nearing 40, a wily veteran who had come close twice before, they wanted him to finally get the big trophy.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">The Bruins played hard as a team too, seemingly none of their players are all stars, but as a group they are cohesive.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They never dive, they hit hard and they never back down.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When one of their best players, Nathan Horton, was knocked out by a late hit, he came back a few nights later to cheer on the team from the bench.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They also had two wily veterans in Thomas and Rechi, the latter had already said this was his last game and they wanted to win it for him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You of course could say the same about Vancouver, who were playing at times for a city and an entire country, but unfortunately they weren’t able to put it all together on the ice when it mattered the most.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">Finally David spoke truth to power.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When they faced each other, “The Philistine cursed David by his gods.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But David replies: “This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down, and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that God saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is God’s, and he will give you into our hand.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>David speaks with great confidence and sets the tone for the battle simply through his words.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>David states the fact, that he will win, and not just that but particular details of the outcome.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Surely even Goliath was struck by the ferocity and clarity of the words.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">In sports, there are always words spoken before and after the games, sometimes cliches sometimes real feelings, and it can affect the game.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After Lebron James was called out for his lack of ability to finish games strongly, he countered with an observation that all those that hate will have to go back to work the next day, while he continues to play basketball and get paid tons of money.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He belittled the whole premise of sports, that we buy a ticket to support a team, even if these athletes make millions more than us, the owners too.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We give our loyalty and love to a team because of the collective, because its an escape from our job (whether we have one or not), our lives, our reality.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s a time to embrace something beyond our simple lives and that is what we all buy into.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Buy calling us out on it Lebron further lowered in our standards and is actually biting the hand that feeds him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Its not confidence, or a challenge to win the final goal, it’s a slide out the back door for someone who didn’t have the desire or determination to win.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">In the hockey final, there were many words exchanged about the goalies.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A writer asked Thomas if he would change his style after he got faked out and scored upon in game 2.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Thomas said, no he wasn’t going to change, he’s been playing goalie for quite a while and been successful. He knew exactly what he was doing and had the confidence in himself to win it all, his way.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Luongo on the other hand got flustered at one point when asked about a particular goal that Thomas let in again in game 5 with his aggressive style.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Luongo said he probably would have made the save, then quickly went on to say Thomas was a great goalie, but he never got compliments from him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Thomas quickly went on the offensive.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He’s supposed to compliment the opponent?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Did David compliment Goliath for his size and battle skills. No he described how he would cut his head off.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then he went out and did it, that is the way you demoralize your opponent and set the tone for victory.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">Of course sports are just games.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We cheer and hope for our teams, but ultimately it’s not life and death.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When David faced goliath he did face a real existential battle.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And when David talked about God on his side, that was truly when he needed god’s help.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When athletes point to God to thank them for scoring a basket or saving a goal, its not a life and death situation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Perhaps they can thank god for giving them the talent to compete so well in games.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They can thank god for their health and their ability to sustain play at such a high level, especially when we see serious career threatening injuries all the time. They can thank god for the chance to play on a great team, to earn money for playing games.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But its not appropriate, I think, to thank god for winning or scoring, god has better things to do.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>I am a big sports fan as you can tell, and I was stunned this week when two underachieving teams, facing great odds, came up big to win championships.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I’m a sucker for the underdog and I love the finals, watching teams raise the trophy, the tears from huge strong men, the emotions flying out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There was a great advertisement for the Stanley Cup that strung together a bunch of interviews where each player was asked what it was like to win the cup, and their eyes get misty and they can’t even get the words out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The tag line is, “there are no words”.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I have to admit, even I teared up just watching the commercial.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There is something about sports that brings out certain emotions.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And when a team overcomes obstacles, senses the goal, works as a team, voices their commitment, and wins, its great to watch.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I just hope, one day, that it will be a Toronto Maple Leaf that hoists that cup and I’ll be there to witness it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On that day, there will be no words.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p style="line-height:200%"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-61008244528616151862009-08-03T13:18:00.000-07:002009-08-03T13:24:00.428-07:00<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%">Finding Judaism in Algonquin Park<br />Shabbat Parshat V’etchana<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span><br />Rabbi Stephen Wise<br />August 1<sup>st</sup> 2009<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>11 Av 5769<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">“The forecast calls for rain, rain and, guess what…more rain..now what do we do”.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That was the beginning of the discussion I had with my 5 friends – Eyal, Nic, David, Romm and Roman – as we prepared for our annual canoe trip to Algonquin Park.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As you can imagine, rain on a camping trip is the worst.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> When </span>you’re wet, its almost impossible to get dry when you’re out in the backcountry.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Its miserable and cold, you can’t start a fire to cook food, its windy and hard to paddle – pretty much its lethal to a trip.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And so we had to decide…should we stay or go.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our staying option was to relax at our cottage up in Muskoka – protected by a nice solid roof, easy access to a hot shower, stovetop and toilet.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We were already away from our wives and kids, so the holiday had begun, now was the moment of truth.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Should we take the risk or take the easy way out.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">I can imagine this is similar to what the Israelites were thinking as they left Egypt thousands of years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Do you stay with what you know, or go into the unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Granted what they knew was slavery in Egypt, but at least they had steady work.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But all kidding aside, they were well fed, clothed and housed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They have very little to worry about and they always knew what tomorrow would bring.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Out in the wilderness they could be cut down by the Egyptians – or any other marauding army such as the Amorites, Moabites, or Amalekites.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There was no food, water or shelter in the desert.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And there was a great river to cross between Egypt and Israel – how would they get across it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They were being led into the great unknown led by a man – Moses, who claimed he could speak to God and to trust him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This was a man who couldn’t even speak for himself, he had to have his brother Aaron speak for him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I read recently in a book<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>called “Learning from the Heart” by noted psychiatrist Daniel Gottlieb, that according to new research there is a theory that actually only about 20% of the Israelites did take up the offer by Moses to leave Egypt and head for the unfamiliar.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And in fact, of those 20% who did leave Egypt, how many died in the desert?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All of them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Including their leader Moses himself.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So perhaps those 80% of Israelites who stayed behind were right all along.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But Gottlieb reminds us that they took a leap of faith.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This coming from an author Gottlieb who himself is quadriplegic, having been in a serious car accident in his early 30’s with a wife and two small children.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He knows what its like to take a leap of faith each morning, just putting his life together and continuing to create a new life for himself, maintain his career and support a family – all of which he has done quite successfully.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span>What he explains from this story of the 20% is that they took a leap of faith for the larger picture – they weren’t thinking about themselves, they were thinking about their children, and the future of their nation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They saw themselves as something bigger.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They decided to take control of the destiny of the people Israel by embarking on this journey.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>Our embarkation on a small canoe trip of course did not impact a nation, but there was a small lesson to be learned.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You can’t know what is out there until you go.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The weather could turn out to be great or it could pour every minute of the way.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But how would we know unless we went.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And the stories we’d bring back would be phenomenal either way.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So we set out and wouldn’t you know it, the weather wasn’t so bad. It rained a lot the first day, but we had prepared.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We weatherproofed our bags with layers of protection, wore rain coats and water shoes and so the rain barely bothered us.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We luckily got a respite as we set up camp and in fact were able to make a pretty good fire and cook up some nice steaks.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Overnight we got another rainstorm but by then we were happily set up in our tents with our waterproof tarps.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And then something miraculous happened, the rain stopped and the sun came out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> B</span>y the second day we were canoeing, swimming, gunneling and relaxing as we wanted too.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There is something so wonderful about being far away from civilization.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At night the sky was so clear you could see a million stars.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We took out the canoes and lay back and just stared up at the sky for an hour.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>All we heard was the call of the loons and rustle of the leaves with the breeze and occasional crackling twig of animals in the brush.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On the third day we actually saw a moose as we slowly paddled down a river off of Small Trout lake.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He looked up from drinking and saw us.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We stared at him as we paddled by and then, without fear, he slowly turned around and meandered back into the forest.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was the first time I had seen a moose up close like that, it was magical.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And there is nothing like food cooked over the open fire.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We made chicken breasts that melted in our mouths.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We ate this freeze dried chili, that I wouldn’t even glance at in the supermarket, but out there, it was manna from heaven.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>One night, as we lay by the fire, we started talking about the journey and the decision to come.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was touch and go for a while that first evening whether we would come or not, but we realized we had to just go out there, no matter the forecast.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We had to experience it for ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>In our portion this week we read how Moses pleads to enter the holy land.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And its easy to understand his pain.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He had led the Israelites through the desert.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He was the first to step into the unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He trusted God at the burning bush.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He followed God’s instructions and faced down Phaorah, the most powerful man in the ancient world.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He stood at Sinai and instructed the Jewish people in the ways of the Lord.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And now, at the climax of the journey, he was told to stop.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>No doubt he wanted to be at the front of the line again.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He heard the report of the spies, he got a taste of the land.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Its like being told we’re going on a big trip, everyone plans for it and then at the last moment, one person is told, sorry, you’ll be left behind.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>How unfair.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>No wonder Moses gets angry.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He doesn’t show that much emotion through the Bible, and rarely complains.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He’s always placating, always humble always eager to serve.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He never asks for anything for himself, and even though he knew that he was not to lead them in, V’etchana – he pleads one more time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“God please give me this chance.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I want to experience it for myself, to step into the unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Once I finish the trip, then I can die in peace".<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But God replies in frustration, "no, I said no, you will not enter the land.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Your work is done right here".<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span>Its hard to understand why Moses was not given this final gift.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Commentators over the genereations have many explanations.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Moses was part of the exodus from Egypt to the holy land, his job was finished.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The people needed a new leader, they couldn’t rely on Moses forever, they needed to trust themselves and gain independence.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These all hold some kernels of truth and make sense.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For me the only part that made sense was that when Moses died, it was God who buried him.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That was the ultimate response for why Moses could not go into Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>God felt sorry for the decision, and even though it was the right one, the only way to make Moses understand was for God to bury Moses by himself.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>And in a spot that no one will ever know.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maybe he didn’t die, like Elijah he was carried up to heaven and watched the Jewish people from afar.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:200%"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; line-height:200%">My journey was one that faced obastacles.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not real ones, just the fear of what might happen. They were quickly overcome when we set out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But I am so grateful that I was given the chance to make that choice on my own.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We are reminded that we have our destiny in our hands, when we take the leap of faith.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Our life is in our hands.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We don’t know how life will unfold or what it will look like or what our life means.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Like Moses, we take the step of faith and go where it leads us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-85502858090003854382009-06-03T11:48:00.000-07:002009-06-03T12:02:11.020-07:00Shavuot thoughts on the 10 commandments"I am the eternal thy God, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."<br /><br />Traditionally, Shavuot is recognized as the day we received Torah from God at Mt. Sinai. This post will be the first in a series of posts on each of the top 10 commandments.<br />Upon a closer examination of the first commandment, it becomes apparent that its not really a commandment at all. "I am Adonai". It’s a statement. I am God. I took you out of Egypt. Why would God need this to be the first of the 10 commandments. The people have waited 40 days and 40 nights, amid thunder and lightning finally Moses comes down the mountain and says these are the words of God....I am your God. Don’t we know that already, we’re here after all. its rather anticlimactic. Its almost redundant, why does it need to be said, and in such a fashion as declarative and not as a command such as “take me as your God since I took you out of Egypt”. <br />I think this statement/commandment is the declaration of an assumption. The people have followed God this far, he is already their God, now they must take this statement as fact. And so we realize if this one statement is not take as fact, the rest of the 612 commandments are not going to work. We won't follow the other commandments if we don’t believe that God is our God, God would have to stop at this point. But if we understand that God is our God, we recognize that any commandment followed thereafter would be following God's will.<br /><br />In God’s eyes, he has already begun the covenant by taking them out of Egypt with an outstretched hand, with great miracles and wonders. They can’t really go back now, even though the Israelites constantly complain when it gets to hard that they do want to go back to slavery. They have intrinsically accepted God and so God here announces that fact, not just to the Israelites but to the world, to anyone who will read the Bible (and based on numbers, it’s the alltime bestseller for eternity). So anyone and everyone will know that God is the God of the Jewish people. - "I am your God", no one else's.<br />The Hebrew for “your God” is individualized. In speaking with a group, usually one would say, <em>ani Adonai Eloheichem</em>, using the plural form of "your God" common in many of our prayers including the V’ahavta. But this is a special format, I am your (singular) God, <em>eloheicha</em>, as in each person individually, as well as collectively. It’s a beautiful phrase, that has both power and comfort in it. It’s big, I am God, but yet personal, I am your God. I am God to the world and your own personal God. It’s almost conversational as much as explanatory. It’s the bridging of the gap between the human and the divine. I am your God. Not just any God. I’m yours and you are mine, the beginning of the covenantal relationship. <br /><br />Now on to part two of the commandment "who has brought you out of the land Egpyt, out of bondage. " It’s not a subtle claim; it’s the basis of peoplehood. Its not a boast or a justification. It’s a statement of reality. Without God the Israelites would still be slaves, there in Goshen probably forever. It was God who initiated the process, by calling out to Moses in the desert saying I have heard the cry of the slaves and want you to go and demand their release from Pharaoh. These are the people are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and their suffering was painful for God. God was not prepared to wait it out, and see how human history unfolded. God needed to take an active role, to be their God. <br />And for all time we would remember what God did for us and how much we must give back to God. That is why we say it during all our daily prayers, why we remember it particularly on Passover and then quickly 49 days later on Shavuot, as we read the 10 commandments. It’s the most powerful statement of our faith, maybe even more than the Shema. Its our credo, God took us out of Egypt. And we think of it every time we think of other people who are enslaved, or put down, or disenfranchised, or at the bottom of the heap. We were once the lowliest of human beings, and so we must always reach out to the widow, the orphan, the poor the hungry, the needy, the defenseless. That is our duty, that is our mission.<br /><br />One might think that the 10 commandment should have started with the phrase, I am your God... who created you. That is true, God created all human beings, and in fact the entire universe. The first humans, Adam and Eve, develop a relationship with God but there is no sense of covenant, there is no indication that they are Jewish. They are human beings. God is saying here in this commandment that God is the redeemer, not just the creator, by freeing them from bondage. According to Rabbi Plaut in his commentary God gave the people freedom, the necessary foundation for the covenant. God is, and God is the one, who gave Israel its existence as a nation, as a people, for all time. Thus God brought us into history and declares that with this opening statement. <br />And what is our purpose? If we are God’s people we are more than just like all human beings on the earth, we are to achieve through service to God what other generations and nations could not do, <strong>we were redeemed by God so we can redeem humanity</strong>. The reference to Egypt is not simply a geographical one, as in that is the place where you came from. It’s a spiritual notation, we came from slavery to freedom, now we are ambassadors for God to restore all humanity to freedom. We, each one of us, has our purpose to fulfill our destiny and do our share. <br />The midrash to this commandment, suggests that not only is humanity dependant on Israel but even God is dependant on us. I am your God, that is, God can only be God if we acknowledge God. <em>“if you do my will I am Adonai the merciful one. But if you do not, that I will be Elohim, the dispenser of stern justice”. </em>Israel is dependent on God for our redemption from slavery but God depends on us to act, to bring the redemptive plan to fruition. God can only be our God if we are ready for it. These simple words carry great meaning, Ani Adonai eloheicah – I am your God, the words, a statement, a preamble, a charter – as Plaut writes, the cornerstone of Israel’s covenant and mankind’s salvation.Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-1501274892659962762009-05-20T13:53:00.000-07:002009-05-21T10:59:33.381-07:00Women in the BibleThis past weekend I spoke at the Al-Falah Islamic Center in Oakville as part of an Interfaith dialogue on the subject of women in holy scipture.<br /><br />There are not that many female heroines in the Bible, in fact, there are not that many named women at all. And even when they are given a name, they are often flawed secondary characters. In the Book of Genesis, the very first woman identified is Eve, created from the rib of man, who first act is to seduce Adam to sin by eating of the tree of life. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, is another challenging figure, laughing at God who allows her to have a son at the age of 99, and sending off Hagar and her son Ishmael to die in the desert once she is pregnant. Leah and Rachel fight over Jacob to be the favorite bride.<br />But we do have Rebecca, who defied the notion that women cannot go directly to God. Rivka does not turn to Isaac to mediate between her and God. When her pregnancy distresses her, she goes directly to inquire of Elohim. The scope of female power increases when women can engage directly with the divine. (This makes more sense later in the story when Rebecca circumvents Esau to make sure Jacob gets the blessing and fulfills God’s plan). Traditional commentators skip over her plea to God, which is odd considering it is rare that anyone enjoys such an intimate communication with God. It makes sense that a religious woman experiencing gut-wrenching pain would pray to God to understand her pain. The pain is easier to endure when there is a purpose. Indeed she seems to be much better after she finds out that two nations are struggling in her, the pain is real and will result in something tangible.<br /><br />The stealing of Isaac’s blessing by Jacob remains one of the most contested aspects of Rebecca’s character. Does she remain above condemnation for following God’s plan in getting the blessing for Jacob or is she vilified for being partner to the conspiracy? The argument for remaining blameless centers on the idea that Rebecca knew what she was doing was wrong, but went through with it for her son. Jacob says in Genesis 27:12 that if Isaac finds out what is happening, he will be seen as the trickster and a curse will be upon him. But Rivka declares that she will bring the curse on herself for the sake of her son. She knowingly participates in the trick, knowing it was wrong and should be punished. Midrash Tanhuma relates that God put the words in her heart. She said, "When the first Adam sinned, was he cursed? Was not his mother cursed? And now it is my turn. Fulfill your destiny and if you should be cursed, you curse will fall upon me." According to Ilana Pardes, women are powerless but despite that fact, they have an important role in teaching the weak and threatened young sons how to trick hostile oppressors, how to submit to paternal will and at the same time usurp the father's position.<br /><br />In the book of Exodus we have even fewer females named. We barely hear about the mother of Moses – does anyone know her name its Yochevet. But there is a woman who stands out for her bravery and passion, one and her name is Miriam. the sister of Moses.<br />she watches Moses, in the basket in the nile. She arranges for his weaning by Yochevet. She leads dancing and singing at the sea – firsts of both these activites in the Bible.<br />The story of Miriam parallels another powerful woman named Deborah, a Prophet, leader, judge quite a unique combination of roles for anyone, let alone a woman. The Israelite army commander Barak comes to her for to prophesy on the upcoming war. Deborah tells him he will be victorious but he is unsure and demands she accompany him to battle. She decides to accompany him, but in punishment for his lack of faith, warms him that the enemy commander Sisera, will be delivered into the hands of a woman – Yael.<br />The text implies that this is against the natural order of things, for a woman to take an important role in battle, promoting the patriarchial nature of the text, but nevertheless it’s important to see the dual roles of powerful women. Deborah, who prophesies the victory and Yael, who is given the honor of beheading Sisera. This happens at the end of the story as Sisera stumbles into her tent thinking she is an ally, but once he falls asleep, after a tall glass of warm milk, Yael pierces his skull with a tent peg.<br />In rabbinical school I was assigned this passage and instructed to think of a creative way to present this text to teach to teenagers. Using the Alanis Morisette song “isn’t it ironic” my colleagues and I rewrote the lyrics to suggest the irony of Sisera dying at the hands of a woman.<br />“women have a funny way of sneaking upon when you’re in a big deep sleep and sticking a tent peg in your head”...“it’s a sharp pain, in the side of your head, and you can’t get up, cause you’re totally dead, that glass of milk sure didn’t help, and who would have thought it figures”<br /><br />Indeed the true irony of the song is the powerful role of women in this story. Turning the bible on its head, Deborah speakers her mind, despite the discomfort for the men of the time, and even mocks them. The story even celebrates women’s violence. Perhaps there is one subtle knock against the women of the story, as Deborah’s name translates into bee and Yael’s name translates into Ibex ( a small mountain goat) while Barak’s name means lightning, a name still popular in Israel today and of course the name of the current US president, Barak Obama.<br /><br />There is a powerful poem written by Merle Feld called “We all stood together”<br />My brother and I were at Sinai<br />He kept a journal<br />Of what he saw<br />Of what he heard<br />Of what it all meant to him<br /><br />I wish I had such a record<br />Of what happened to me there<br /><br />It seems like every time I want to write<br />I can’t<br />I’m always holding a baby<br />One of my own<br />Or one for a friend<br />Always holding a baby<br />So my hands are never free<br />To write things down<br /><br />And then<br />As time passes<br />The particulars<br />The hard data<br />The who what when where why<br />Slip away from me<br />And all I’m left with is<br />The feeling<br /><br />But feelings are just sounds<br />The vowel barking of a mute<br /><br />My brother is sure of what he heard<br />After all he’s got a record of it<br />Consonant after consonant after consonant<br /><br />If we remembered it together<br />We could recreate holy time<br />Sparks flying<br /><br />The author’s hope is that together, brothers and sisters, need to find common ground, to see the humanity in each person and share together holy time and space. Despite the shortage of famous female personalities in our bible, they are there and we can learn a lot from them. We are reminded that our biblical ancestors, both male and female, can teach us about leadership and vision. We are reminded that we must look beyond gender or race to see the value of people as leaders, ones who inspire us, who give us hope, who push us to seek the truth and fight for justice.Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6488252307408075393.post-59642789975649093222009-05-19T13:34:00.000-07:002009-05-19T13:36:43.720-07:00the Pope’s visit to IsraelMay 16th, 2009 22 Iyar 5769<div align="left"><br />I was intrigued by the Pope visiting Israel this week, as Pope Benedict XVI became only the second pope in the history of the Catholic Church to officially visit the State of Israel.<br />While Catholic-Jewish relations have greatly improved over the last half century, this particular trip had Israeli, Jewish and Vatican leaders expressing high hopes for a smooth visit that would enhance the Catholic-Jewish and Israel-Vatican relationships.<br />From the minute he got off the plane, Benedict’s actions and words have been severely checked and scrutinized from all sides.<br />Abe Foxman of the ADL wrote in an op ed article this week that it must be recognized that Benedict is following in the footsteps of his predecessor, the beloved Pope John Paul II, whose groundbreaking pilgrimage in March 2000 hit all the right notes and captured the hearts and minds of Jews and Catholics around the world. John Paul came not only as the pope, but also as Karol Wojtyla, a pro-Jewish Polish survivor of the German occupation in Poland - a truly compassionate personality with close Jewish friends who, in his Western Wall note, asked for forgiveness for his own sins -- and he had never sinned against the Jews. If he had, at that point, become a candidate for Israeli prime minister, he would have been elected by an overwhelming majority<br />Its unfair to measure the two especially because the world was different 9 years ago, before 9/11, before the latest intifada, where there was much more hope and optimism in the region and the world. Also, the two popes have vastly different personalities and public personas. Where the Polish-born John Paul II was a grand communicator able to project his charm and personal story to a wide audience, Benedict, a native of Germany, is a reserved theologian who conveys a professorial tone. Listening to him talk, he is very quiet, with a strong accent that at times makes it hard to understand his true intentions. <br />Prominent officials have sharply criticized Benedict’s much-anticipated speech at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial for failing to live up to expectations.<br />When Pope John Paul II visited Yad Vashem he referenced the Nazis by name, condemned the murder of millions of victims and mourned the loss of his Jewish friends. He met at length with 30 Polish Jewish survivors.<br />By contrast, Benedict failed to mention Nazis or Germany, as well as his own personal history in Germany during the war. Its been well documented that he was in the Hilter youth, though it was also clear that his family was against the Nazi Regime. In his speech, he did not use the word murder and ignored the issue of Christian responsibility for the Holocaust. A historic opportunity was squandered. But as Jon Stewart said in the daily show, are we being too critical of the specific words he said, are we being “anti-semantic”. <br /><a href="http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/the-pope-in-the-mideasts-minefields/#gordis">Daniel Gordis</a> (senior vice president, the Shalem Center in Jerusalem) said: "The pope’s mistake was that he assumed the role of diplomat rather than religious leader. There was nothing technically wrong with what he said at Yad Vashem. But in choosing such carefully measured, tepid language, he said nothing that an ordinary diplomat could not have uttered. We heard none of the passion, the fury or the shattered heart that is the hallmark of genuine religious courage and leadership. Atop Mount Scopus, Pope Benedict literally gazed upon the hilltops that Amos walked when he begged that 'justice flow like a mighty river' and that Jesus called home when he demanded a renewed moral order. With anguished self-reflective contrition (he is German, after all), or with a courageous call that Palestinians should have a state but must also publicly proclaim that Jews need a home to call their own, too, the pope could have assumed the mantle of the man of God in the tradition of those who have come here before him."<br />But a close examination of Benedict’s text and actions shows that he did deliver an appropriate speech focusing on the concepts of remembrance. He also met briefly with Holocaust survivors. It must be noted also that in recent months, Benedict has made strong statements repudiating Holocaust denial. <br />As <a href="http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/the-pope-in-the-mideasts-minefields/#allen">John L. Allen Jr.</a> (senior correspondent, The National Catholic Reporter and author of “The Rise of Benedict XVI") said: "Whatever the disappointments from the Yad Vashem visit, they’re not indicative of a pope with a lack of respect for Judaism, or one who’s indifferent to either anti-Semitism or the memory of the Holocaust. I also know that prior to his election as pope, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger bluntly acknowledged Christian complicity in the Holocaust. I know the pope has reflected at length, including in his own autobiography, about his childhood in Nazi Germany, and his shame that his nation produced such a monstrosity. Finally, I know the pope has written a virtually unprecedented letter expressing his anguish over the recent controversy involving the lifting of the excommunication of a Holocaust-denying bishop. It probably would have been helpful to hear some of this at Yad Vashem, and people can be forgiven for seeing the visit as a missed opportunity. In context, however, it seems clear that Benedict meant well."<br />By coming to Israel at this time, the 82-year-old pontiff is solidifying the Vatican’s formal relationship with the State of Israel, launched when a historic diplomatic agreement was signed in 1993. His trip demonstrates the Church’s commitment to the security and survival of Israel as a Jewish state. This is no small thing, following after the Gaza Strip war still fresh in people’s minds, his trip refocused on building bridges between Jews and Palestinians, instead of only walls. <br />Benedict is also establishing a track record for future popes. No longer will Pope John Paul’s journey be able to be portrayed as an aberration or a personal mission. Indeed, Benedict’s trip will institutionalize that every pope visit Israel and commit the billion-member Roman Catholic Church to the importance of Israel as the Jewish state. That is a significant achievement. <br />Benedict’s voyage also demonstrates the continuity of the Church’s commitment to enhance relations with the Jewish people. As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he was Pope John Paul’s chief theologian and, therefore, the many positive improvements in Jewish-Catholic relations over the past three decades were done in consultation with him.<br />I found it fascinating that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Pope Benedict XVI to speak out against the anti-Israel rhetoric from Iran's president. I don’t ever remember an Israeli leader asking the Pope to speak out to the world against an agitator who has called for Israel’s destruction. Bib met privately with the pope on Thursday for about 15 minutes in Nazareth and the talks "centered on how the peace process can be advanced."<br />Afterward Netanyahu said "I asked him, as a moral figure, to make his voice heard loud and continuously against the declarations coming from Iran of their intention to destroy Israel,". "I told him it cannot be that at the beginning of the 21st century there is a state which says it is going to destroy the Jewish state, there is no aggressive voice being heard condemning this."<br />Netanyahu said that in response, the pope said that "he condemns all instances of anti-Semitism and hate against the State of Israel -- against humanity as a whole -- but in this case against Israel."<br />On the other hand, this was the day after the pope made an emotional appeal in the West Bank for the establishment of an independent Palestinian homeland -- a concept Netanyahu has not yet publicly endorsed.<br />According to Abe Foxman, there are a series of outstanding serious issues challenging the Vatican-Jewish dialogue, including the recent troubling regressions in Catholic theology and liturgy about Judaism. Israel and the Vatican also have complicated property and tax issues to resolve.<br />"the focus on this trip should be in recognizing the positive contributions of the current pope. Benedict has pledged to keep strengthening Catholic-Jewish relations and reaffirmed the Church’s unqualified repudiation of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. He has taught that Christians should gain a new respect for the Jewish interpretation of the Old Testament. And he has asserted that God’s Covenant and promises to the people of Israel are alive and irrevocable, further demonstrating his belief that the Jewish people “are beloved brothers and sisters.”<br />While we believe that Jews must remember and honor the past, we cannot change it. What we can do is create a future where Catholics and Jews deepen and expand our dialogue and work together with mutual respect and understanding in the interests of tikkun olam."</div><div align="left">and to these words I heartily agree.</div>Rabbi Stephen Wisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615750452541545167noreply@blogger.com0