tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68066787177649650942024-03-13T19:29:28.723-07:00Minyan Dorshei Derekh @ Germantown Jewish CentreOur minyan has been going strong for over 37 years. Join us at 10:00 AM on Shabbat and Chag in the Maslow Auditorium or via GJC LiveStream.
https://venue.streamspot.com/b455ca4d To join our listserv, email nnevins@gmail.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-70141786255649251812024-03-05T12:14:00.000-08:002024-03-05T12:15:50.094-08:00The Role of Adina Abramowitz, z”l, in Reconstructing Judaism<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwDt_xtHG7IQ8s9_grRWYGsV_ejSrNIHvZOfAqk-G1FlNt_GgZ5Q7CETG0FMs8BTby-HZlU8VNlUC_Yct3i1Hkyx51g7adBSTRrgKuqHM2r_UAjkn7oxJpdANBt5ejHmivt1qxrYVyxfx37L5PAIqVLIzlKtWpGFfTyzfd34OQVcdGSRhBcRRIdyf42BQ/s1233/adina%20a.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1225" data-original-width="1233" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwDt_xtHG7IQ8s9_grRWYGsV_ejSrNIHvZOfAqk-G1FlNt_GgZ5Q7CETG0FMs8BTby-HZlU8VNlUC_Yct3i1Hkyx51g7adBSTRrgKuqHM2r_UAjkn7oxJpdANBt5ejHmivt1qxrYVyxfx37L5PAIqVLIzlKtWpGFfTyzfd34OQVcdGSRhBcRRIdyf42BQ/w335-h333/adina%20a.png" width="335" /></span></a></b></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 15.3333px;">The role of Adina Abramowitz, z”l, in Reconstructing Judaism</span></u></b><span style="line-height: 15.3333px;"><b> - </b>by</span><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Ruth Loew<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">On December
13, the Germantown Jewish Centre community was stunned and saddened by the unexpected
death of Adina Abramowitz z”l.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adina and
her wife, Naomi Klayman, were longtime members of Dorshei Derekh, the Reconstructionist
minyan within GJC. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the minyan, Adina
and Naomi often led Shabbat morning services.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sometimes Adina presented a teaching (d’var Torah) on that week’s Torah
reading and led the discussion that followed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She coordinated Dorshei Derekh’s High Holiday services for several years
and took turns as the coordinator for leading services or presenting divrei
Torah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many who had worked, learned, and
worshiped with her, in GJC and in the larger world, valued her for her deep
knowledge of Judaism; her talents for organizing (whether a meeting, a project,
or a budget) and for teaching; and her honesty, generosity, humility, and dependability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had a rare gift for clarifying issues
that others found hopelessly confusing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">Her sense of humor was also
appreciated: Rabbi Micah Weiss, the Reconstructing Judaism staff Tikkun Olam
Specialist, valued Adina’s </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">“ability to
lovingly roll her eyes.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Her entire career, both professional
and volunteer, was driven by her values: she was dedicated to creating a better
life for those who were disadvantaged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Professionally, she worked with CDFIs</span> (Community Development Financial Institutions), which offer financial resources to underdeveloped communities. In her private life, among the many organizations that benefited from her time and talents was the Reconstructionist movement. Most of her work with it was related to one of three projects: the Prayerbook Commission of the 1990’s, the Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World) Commission, and change management support for the Board of Governors.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Prayerbook
Commission created guides to Reconstructionist worship, including a siddur (prayerbook)
for Shabbat and holidays; a mahzor (prayerbook for the High Holy Days); a
weekday prayerbook; and one for houses of mourning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her excellent command of Hebrew and of Jewish
liturgy were great assets. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also
importantly, she presented a perspective from the LGBTQ community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rabbi David Teutsch, who worked with her on
this venture, describes her as “judicious, thoughtful, and capable of working
with grace and good will.”</span></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;">Adina was more recently active in the movement’s Tikkun Olam Commission, which addresses social justice issues. She was passionate about its work, particularly its commitment to racial justice, including reparations. She and Naomi were among the first to sign up for Reconstructing Judaism’s civil rights pilgrimage last spring. She was first a commission member, then became the transitional lay co-chair of the commission. When the new chair was on-boarded and ready to take on leadership, Adina, with characteristic humility, intended to step back into her role as a member. <br /><br />As part of the Tikkun Olam Commission, she led a qualitative research project on racial justice work in member congregations. What initiatives had the congregations tried? What were they accomplishing? What feedback were they hearing from members of color? This project concluded with recommendations for congregational action. Adina helped make racial justice a primary role of the Commission.
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">A third area in which Adina took a
leading role in Reconstructing Judaism was change management: helping the
movement assess its organizational and financial future, particularly in the
wake of Covid and, more recently, of October 7, 2023 and its aftermath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She served as a pro bono consultant to the Reconstructing
Judaism Board and movement leadership in evaluating what products and services Reconstructing
Judaism offers and how it does its work. </span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">That meant working closely with its president, Rabbi
Deborah Waxman; its executive vice president, Rabbi Amber Powers; and the
senior leadership team. She offered individual coaching and led a pivotal
discussion at their retreat this past fall. She quickly became a trusted
advisor, confidante, and coach to many with whom she worked. As Rabbi Deborah Waxman
said, “All of this was in a volunteer capacity and all with generosity,
creativity and effectiveness.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Adina quietly went about being helpful
whenever she could, without calling attention to herself. She didn’t care whether she was praised for
her work; she just cared that the work was done and done well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Rabbi Teutsch said, “I never asked for
help with anything that she didn’t say yes.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Zichronah liv’rachah – </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124;">זיכרונה</span><span style="background: white; color: #202124;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124;">לברכה</span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; line-height: 115%;"> - </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">May
her memory be for a blessing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you to
those who agreed to be interviewed for this article: Mark Pinsky, Rabbi David
Teutsch, Rabbi Deborah Waxman, and Rabbi Micah Weiss.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-28485928749407046022024-02-29T14:57:00.000-08:002024-02-29T14:57:54.969-08:00A Farewell to Ellen from Rabbi Simkha Weintraub<p><b> </b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_M3LAzhpH6DpJU_Lj5Jbr0Iw61-WP6FFXeVvmQfVev7s2MdBPJSaL6r_WoFdHRXTEEk1PeJoyZXFb8izmsRp6tQiFsGI2TGinDJdCkJt3P0vTfItgY8ISeCUl40dqrgbHRJkczVW6LCxKzqsXsu0tr7kVoLdoOM-sr3zKR6AzJiMveyO3xo5Qz4x2xPk/s1080/Ellen-Bernstein-Credit-Steven-Tenenbaum-copy.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1080" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_M3LAzhpH6DpJU_Lj5Jbr0Iw61-WP6FFXeVvmQfVev7s2MdBPJSaL6r_WoFdHRXTEEk1PeJoyZXFb8izmsRp6tQiFsGI2TGinDJdCkJt3P0vTfItgY8ISeCUl40dqrgbHRJkczVW6LCxKzqsXsu0tr7kVoLdoOM-sr3zKR6AzJiMveyO3xo5Qz4x2xPk/s320/Ellen-Bernstein-Credit-Steven-Tenenbaum-copy.webp" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br />A Prayer/A Psalm at the Funeral of Rabbi Ellen Bernstein zts’l</b><p></p><p>Halleluyah!</p><p>It is good to give thanks for Rabbi Ellen Bernstein/HaRav Nehamah bat Etta v’Pinhas</p><p>Who leaves this life too soon for us, and passes on to the Garden of Eden,</p><p>which she will certainly till and probably enhance.</p><p><br /></p><p>“And Adonai/God took the Human and put the Human into the Garden to till it and to guard it.”</p><p>(Genesis 2:15)</p><p>May the colors of Ellen’s garments and jewelry, flowers and plants, dishes and travel</p><p>Bless and rebuild our assaulted planet, from Kibbutz Be’eri to Zaporizhzhia,</p><p>from Gaza to benighted American zip codes,</p><p>from bursting refugee camps to razed forests, choked oceans, and decimated species.</p><p><br /></p><p>“The Heavens are Heavens of the Holy One, but Earth was given by God to humankind.”</p><p>(Psalm 24:1)</p><p>God, give Ellen the power to empower those who truly value and respect Earth,</p><p>Who see the whole of our planet as Holy,</p><p>And seek to live on it with reverence, awe, and responsibility.</p><p><br /></p><p>Introduce our dear Ellen to the Matriarchs and Patriarchs, to Hagar, to Serach bat Asher,</p><p>to Shifra and Puah, Miriam, Pharaoh’s daughter, and Yael.</p><p>Arrange banquets with Tzelophhad’s daughters, and those of Rashi and Mordecai Kaplan;</p><p>Brunch with Eleanor Roosevelt and Bella Abzug, Afternoon tea with Gluckel of Hamelin,</p><p>Dinner with Margaret Mead, Rachel Carson, and Henrietta Szold.</p><p><br /></p><p>Under Your sheltering Sh’khinah, may Ellen find not just rest but peace and renewal,</p><p>Not only comfort but creative freedom and discovery,</p><p>Stellar insights, and radiant innovations.</p><p><br /></p><p>I want You to know, God, that Ellen asserted M’hayei haMeitim loudly in a Reconstructionist</p><p>minyan in Philadelphia – affirming that You do, or will, revivify the deceased,</p><p>And so we request that You acknowledge her traditional and yet rebellious affirmations.</p><p><br /></p><p>“Praise Adonai from the earth, sea monsters and all deeps;</p><p>Fire and hail, snow and smoke, stormy wind executing God’s command;</p><p>The mountains and all hills, the fruit trees and all cedars,</p><p>The wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds…”</p><p>(Psalm 148:7-10)</p><p>Enliven our memories of Rabbi Ellen,</p><p>Not only for our own savoring, but for the sake of the world itself.</p><p>Amen v’Amen, Halleluyah!</p><p><br /></p><p>(Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub, Feb 29, 2024)</p><p>Photo: Steven Tennenbaum</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-9679406836903701402024-02-04T05:30:00.000-08:002024-02-05T04:54:28.983-08:00Thanks to the Invisible Laborers Who Make our Minyan Thrive!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18AvaVie-RKLZtNcMugpVuzX1ChGOWG0HTxogP6Knlh5WJFwEY9t4qB5RGcRqSCqUSKupJyypUNoywgK68NmVW57_c77n8oqIY-sket4yPU9Pg2_37fCbBgTX_A6XlrXZClUsKSqHXFUTrb0fRHpOrHTs6ADoAFGnqAlD2ylzcOPhk63S6iMMhs2UMZF5/s640/plants%202.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18AvaVie-RKLZtNcMugpVuzX1ChGOWG0HTxogP6Knlh5WJFwEY9t4qB5RGcRqSCqUSKupJyypUNoywgK68NmVW57_c77n8oqIY-sket4yPU9Pg2_37fCbBgTX_A6XlrXZClUsKSqHXFUTrb0fRHpOrHTs6ADoAFGnqAlD2ylzcOPhk63S6iMMhs2UMZF5/s320/plants%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work to keep Dorshei Derekh thriving.<p></p><p>Yesterday the Mazkirut (at present George Stern is outgoing coordinator, Deborah Weinstein is the Chair, and Betsy Teutsch is the incoming coordinator) thanks Mike Gross, who completed his three year Mazkirut term. We also thanked outgoing Green Coordinator Simone Zelitch and welcomed Jennifer Paget in that roll.</p><p> This was also a chance to thank all the longterm coordinators who are listed on the side bar.</p><p>There are more folks whose work people might not be aware of. Neysa Nevins manages our listserve, and has done so for a long time. Betsy Teutsch manages this blog (though many other members are also editors and *could* post.) </p><p>Sheila Erlbaum tends our plants. She selected them, has watered them weekly, and Jennifer Paget took care of them at home during the Pandemic. Thanks to Sheila and Jennifer, our room is graced with growing things!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5t8QG5x-fMl2CMLEhPHZntTlzLsMCbE5dOYGFv0AyLcTcBRRfUu53pj_7A4ZDVW1KCiQ2XRg39vYAVMPl6J8GrHZYMK_UHmioBcA7UHmbLJhpRlBrnfKPzG1gfA0qf5pBO5U1bU5rSlt6SqCa-GOOJ4gwYssgxDz6WsKntMCrJl14utk3UbbDxGHCmHg/s640/plants%201.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5t8QG5x-fMl2CMLEhPHZntTlzLsMCbE5dOYGFv0AyLcTcBRRfUu53pj_7A4ZDVW1KCiQ2XRg39vYAVMPl6J8GrHZYMK_UHmioBcA7UHmbLJhpRlBrnfKPzG1gfA0qf5pBO5U1bU5rSlt6SqCa-GOOJ4gwYssgxDz6WsKntMCrJl14utk3UbbDxGHCmHg/s320/plants%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Thanks, Dick Goldberg, our Minyan Muse, for celebrating our Coordinators, outgoing and presen<p></p><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; text-align: right;">February 3, 2024 Kiddush</span></p><p><b>WE ARE THE VERY MODEL OF A MODERN, MAJOR MIN-I-YAN</b></p><p>(To the tune of “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” by Gilbert and Sullivan) <br /><br /><br />We are the very model of a modern, major min-i-yan! <br /><br />Yes, Dorshei’s quite the prayer group in my humblest of opinions! <br /><br />Whose mazkirut in ’23 was led by rebbe Georgie Stern— <br /><br />From such a rebbe, oy, mein kind, a person has a lot to learn! <br /><br /><br />And speaking of the mazkirut, I think we really have to boast! <br /><br />For three long years that we were blessed to have a leader in Mike Gross <br /><br />And while we’re hoo- and hah-ing and we’re celebrating our dear own <br /><br />How ‘bout that green coordinator, our Ms. Zelitch, a/k/a Simone! <br /><br /><br />Another who coordinated with elan, aplomb and flare <br /><br />Was Ms. Naomi Klayman who saw to it that our every prayer <br /><br />Was uttered with con-siddur-ation, Hebraic-ly and every time <br /><br />Was led by service leaders though Kol Haneshama doesn’t rhyme. <br /><br /><br />Another who has planning skills quite peachy keen and yes, exempl’ry <br /><br />Is thoughtful Toby Kessler, who booked Torah readers for both you and me. <br /><br />And one to whom our gratitude is more than merely o-owin’ <br /><br />For all those Divrei Torah, taka, taka, Debrah Co-ohen! <br /><br /><br />For managing our membership for now and ever af-after, <br /><br />We give our thanks— to whom? Of course, the gifted Heather Shaf-after! <br /><br />For organizing kiddushim, of course, we must express-uh <br /><br />Our sheer delight from morn to night— to whom? To our dear Pesha! <br /><br /><br />Well, LBJ, as you well know had Zbigniew Brzezinski. <br /><br />The Rite of Spring was one wild thing thanks to I-igor Stravinsky. <br /><br />But neither could outdo our techy poohbah I mean, come on, Dorshei, since he <br /><br />Is also quite the hagbah, I mean Pinsky, Pinsky, Pinsky! <br /><br /><br />I’d like to end this ditty with a gentleman who in my view, he <br /><br />So ably keeps our bank accounts, I’m talking Arnie Lurie! <br /><br />In short, I think you’d have to say we are one in a trill-i-on— <br /><br />Yes, Dorshei is the model of a modern major min-i-yan!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-92111337520558590062024-01-04T13:01:00.000-08:002024-01-04T13:04:05.360-08:00Tu B'Shvat Seder to Launch Ellen Bernstein's Book, Toward a Holy Ecology!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaw_dG12lKNTVQwhUbpbAGrihhRFcbyr2nmr4SkAT6FK1DyjugfMEe8ZyF1od5zShR1Jrg2ue0SqXsH_Yqal0BwYqaJeXyJM_q1W-kyQ8_CI6dfm54mHGsJm0J1Pt1LihTKT8GptgjlvAil-4OzgHz3ct_AxmEXNn1j0l1-cu3mqLkEmRSWHy_Fc91mZ9/s2000/Tu%20B'Shvat%202024%20Bernstein%20Holy%20Ecology.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1545" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQaw_dG12lKNTVQwhUbpbAGrihhRFcbyr2nmr4SkAT6FK1DyjugfMEe8ZyF1od5zShR1Jrg2ue0SqXsH_Yqal0BwYqaJeXyJM_q1W-kyQ8_CI6dfm54mHGsJm0J1Pt1LihTKT8GptgjlvAil-4OzgHz3ct_AxmEXNn1j0l1-cu3mqLkEmRSWHy_Fc91mZ9/w494-h640/Tu%20B'Shvat%202024%20Bernstein%20Holy%20Ecology.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.ellenbernstein.org/a-new-year-for-the-trees">ellenbernstein.org/a-new-year-for-the-trees</a></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-51556070070181905232023-11-14T14:11:00.000-08:002023-11-14T14:11:48.264-08:00Yasher Koach to Rabbi Tamara Cohen, Covenant Grant Winner 2023<p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yZgGE1GVYvw" width="320" youtube-src-id="yZgGE1GVYvw"></iframe></div><br />Congratulations to our own Rabbi Tamara Cohen, recipient of the Covenant Foundation Award. Here is her talk, presented on November 8, 2023:<p></p><p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;">Hineni, here I am, Tamara Rut bat Esther
Rachel v’ Shachna Pinchas, Zichrono Livracha. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: var(--content-spacing); margin-left: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-right: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-top: 0in; max-width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-max-width)); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-width)); word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;">Hineni, here I am, a Jewish feminist educator, nurtured by beloved
mentors and community and passionately committed to transforming Jewish
education by centering the experiences of Jewish women and girls, LGBTQ+ Jews
and Jews of color.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: var(--content-spacing); margin-left: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-right: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-top: 0in; max-width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-max-width)); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-width)); word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: var(--content-spacing); margin-left: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-right: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-top: 0in; max-width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-max-width)); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-width)); word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;">My work is the weaving together of ancient and new, the grafting
of tradition and innovation, the invitation to others to join me in sacred play
and holy community building. I gather and create texts, ideas and rituals that
have been rescued, excavated and revealed to us by Jewish feminist historians,
theologians and scholars and I offer them to Jewish young people, their parents
and educators, as keys, as pathways, as doors inviting our youth, especially
those who feel on the margins, to come inside, to make themselves at home in
Judaism, a richer, more multifaceted, more whole Judaism that with their
presence and creativity, can and truly serve as a home for all of us in our
diversity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: var(--content-spacing); margin-left: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-right: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-top: 0in; max-width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-max-width)); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-width)); word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: var(--content-spacing); margin-left: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-right: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-top: 0in; max-width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-max-width)); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-width)); word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;">Jewish feminism starts by recognizing the vibrant Jewishness of
women but it doesn’t end there. It challenges structural inequity, asks us to
re-think our core assumptions, dares us to name what is sacred in ourselves and
in every being we encounter with ancient and new language.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: var(--content-spacing); margin-left: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-right: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-top: 0in; max-width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-max-width)); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-width)); word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: var(--content-spacing); margin-left: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-right: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-top: 0in; max-width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-max-width)); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-width)); word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;">Jewish education grounded in feminism is a practice of hope. Born
of necessity, loss, exclusion, oppression, revolution, it invites us all to
hold complexity, to dream that more is possible, and to trust that we have and
can create the tools we need, even for this intensely challenging moment.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: var(--content-spacing); margin-left: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-right: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-top: 0in; max-width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-max-width)); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-width)); word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: var(--content-spacing); margin-left: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-right: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-top: 0in; max-width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-max-width)); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-width)); word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;">We have practices of empathy and listening, midrash, ritual and
Torah study. We know how to honor each other’s experiences and embrace each
other’s questions, how to hold ourselves and others accountable, how to walk
the path of teshuva, how to envision justice and enact compromise, how to
cultivate the courage for the hard work of collaboration and connection across
difference, how to praise and cry out to God using Her many names.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: var(--content-spacing); margin-left: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-right: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-top: 0in; max-width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-max-width)); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-width)); word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;">The Israelites in the desert are said to have been sustained by
Miriam’s Well. Perhaps it was the same well that Hagar saw when God opened her
eyes in her moment of despair. That ancient mythical well is what I want to
help our youth see, drink from, and when needed, help us refill. It is a well
of sustenance, healing and hope.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: var(--content-spacing); margin-left: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-right: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-top: 0in; max-width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-max-width)); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-width)); word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: var(--content-spacing); margin-left: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-right: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-top: 0in; max-width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-max-width)); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-width)); word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;">Jewish youth need us to walk with them into the pressing questions
and challenges of our era as guides and as partners. They need us to be honest,
brave, and moral cultivators of hope even as we take seriously the threats we
face. They need us to see in them what they can’t always see in themselves or
in one another.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: var(--content-spacing); margin-left: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-right: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-top: 0in; max-width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-max-width)); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-width)); word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: var(--content-spacing); margin-left: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-right: var(--default-editor, auto); margin-top: 0in; max-width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-max-width)); orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; width: var(--default-editor, var(--block-width)); word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Assistant; font-size: 13.5pt;">Hineni, here I am. Filled with gratitude and ready to answer the
ongoing call to teach, to lead, to widen the tent, to insist on a third way, to
do justice, love goodness and walk humbly with God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<i><br /><br /> The Covenant Foundation's Covenant Award, honor three exemplary Jewish educators who are each meeting a complex moment in Jewish communal history with a powerful blend of courage, commitment, and compassion.<br /><br />The 2023 Covenant Award recipients are: Rabbi Tamara R. Cohen, Chief Program Officer, Moving Traditions, Philadelphia, PA; Allison Cook, Founder and Co-Director, Pedagogy of Partnership, Powered by Hadar, Cambridge, MA; Nicole Nash, Head of School, Hannah Senesh Community Day School, Brooklyn, NY.</i><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-83995826278042537772023-10-19T18:41:00.002-07:002023-10-19T18:44:45.190-07:00Parshat Bereshit - by Rabbi Ellen Bernstein - 2023/5784<br /><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsalF-YWFv-3DdWor0q9pIXVU6tkG_b3Zhcw226OJkjigiPdOeiURTmZ0VZoEr_mfE3hYR8a4_gOVtnKyXWYCeCbxJsnGkqUpNibnOuL8RqgGBSdLS2Asr5rKfZmEVXwy5KqW6pAFlBSRO3yoR3-cwU3IjdKLOGEvY_GRkZLfi7rnvOZCv4cKiftzgTSS/s240/Ellen+Bernstein+-+Portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="159" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEsalF-YWFv-3DdWor0q9pIXVU6tkG_b3Zhcw226OJkjigiPdOeiURTmZ0VZoEr_mfE3hYR8a4_gOVtnKyXWYCeCbxJsnGkqUpNibnOuL8RqgGBSdLS2Asr5rKfZmEVXwy5KqW6pAFlBSRO3yoR3-cwU3IjdKLOGEvY_GRkZLfi7rnvOZCv4cKiftzgTSS/s1600/Ellen+Bernstein+-+Portrait.jpg" width="159" /></a></div>Bereshit, Genesis I</b>, by Rabbi Ellen Bernstein <a href="http://www.ellenbernstein.org/">www.ellenbernstein.org</a> <br /><br />Friends,<br /><br />I want to apologize first for not giving a d’var related to the tragedy in the Middle East. Bereshit comes around just once a year and I’ve been waiting 2 years to give this d’var, since the slot was already taken last year. However, wrapped up in this d’var—but perhaps not so explicit—is the resilience of the natural world, so I hope that in this time of great sorrow, she can whisper some measure of comfort to you. <br /><br />My decision to take Judaism seriously and my entire career in the field of religion and ecology is a result of my first encounter with Genesis 1 as a young adult. In college in the 70’s, I studied in one of the first environmental studies programs in the US at Berkeley. Science seemed like only part of an answer to our environmental crisis, so I also embarked on a spiritual search that led me to studying the parsha with a friend; Having no prior relationship with the text, I was stunned to find such an elegant environmental manifesto in this very first chapter of the Bible. <br /><br />In case you have never studied this chapter before—a brief overview. God creates light on the first day, divides up air and water on the second; earth and trees appear on the third, stars and planets on the 4th, swimmers and flyers on the 5th, land animals and people on the 6th ; and on the 7th, God rested, creating Shabbat. In an elegant design the habitats/elements of air and water on day 2 and earth on day 3, give rise to their inhabitants--the air creatures and water creatures on day 5, and land creatures on day 6. If you plot out the creations of the days, you will see this simple and orderly design. <br /><br /><b>Goodness </b><br /><br />Significantly, God sees everything that comes into being as “good.” In Genesis 1, the goodness of the biodiverse world is the pre-eminent value. Each creature is inherently valuable—each has value in and of itself—whether or not we humans deem it useful or valuable. The rabbi, philosopher, physician Maimonides, writing in the twelfth century, said that the goodness of all the creatures is a testament to their intrinsic value. Each organism has integrity, each contributes to the whole and is required for the whole. The world is built on the foundation of the goodness of the creatures, without which it could not exist. <br /><br />This alone is a fundamental ecological idea, but there are several more that permeate the text. <br /><br /><b>The centrality/agency/meaning of Earth: Eretz </b><br /><br />Go to Gen I.11; The idea that the Earth is alive in some way—is a second fundamental ecological idea in Genesis 1. Many environmentalists argue that our environmental problems are rooted in our haphazard treatment of the earth. Since we don’t regard the earth as alive or life giving, we can innocently exploit and pollute her with no thought of the damage we may be inflicting or the consequences of our lifestyles. The scientists James Lovelock and Lynn Margulies understood earth as a self-regulating living system and called this idea the Gaia hypothesis—after the Greek goddess of earth, Gaia, mother of all life. This was considered a radical idea in its time about 50 years ago. And yet Genesis I portrays the earth as the mother of life, generating life, centuries before Lovelock, but most of us don’t recognize the aliveness of earth in the Bible, just like we don’t recognize the aliveness of earth beneath our feet. The construction of the Hebrew in verse 1:11 points to her lifegiving nature. On the third day, the text proclaims, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation.” The earth here has agency; she partners with God in the “bringing forth.” The earth has the ability to grow the creatures that will inhabit her. She is prolific. She is alive. We see this unusual construction again on the sixth day when the earth partners with God to bring forth animals. The 12th century rabbinic commentator Nachmanides recognized the aliveness of the earth, stating that the very word for earth, eretz, suggests a force that causes growth. <br /><br />Its worth noting as well that the word eretz occurs 10 times in the creation story—a kind of magic number—again highlighting her significance. <br /><b><br />Sustainability </b><br /><br />Third, the ecological idea of sustainability or flourishing appears over and over throughout Genesis 1. Sustainability is communicated in several ways—first, through the attention to seeds, or zera, given on the 3rd day in Genesis 1:11-12. Most people familiar with the creation story will tell you the third day is all about the trees and vegetation, and while all this green growth is incredibly significant, what is actually emphasized on day 3 is the word zera or seed. Zera, in various forms, is repeated 6 times in these 2 verses, telling us to pay attention; seeds are significant. The plants will seed seeds and fruit trees will make fruit with seeds in them. Seeds are, after all, the way that life is able to sustain and diversify itself from one generation to the next; This is what the biblical author seems most eager to convey on the 3rd day. <br /><br />Sustainability is also communicated through the phrase “after its kind” used repeatedly throughout Genesis 1 after almost every creature is created, pointing again to the biblical regard that life must be able to perpetuate itself. <br /><br /> The concept of blessing is another way in which the sustainability—the perpetuation of the species line—is articulated in Genesis 1. Most people assume that the Torah’s first blessing was given to humans—but in fact it is given to the fish and the birds. Take a look at verse 1:22 . God blesses the flyers and swimmers with the ability to be fruitful and multiply. <br /><br />With so many references the idea of living beings reproducing themselves, it’s clear that the biblical author was concerned—perhaps first and foremost—with the perpetuation of life on earth. The first creation story concludes with Genesis 2:3, and those of you who are facile with the Hebrew should be able to find a clue that this whole story ends with yet another declaration of the significance of sustainably. We can come back to this later if we have time. <br /><br /><b>Very Goodness=Kol </b><br /><br />One more ecological idea that I want to mention today comes at the conclusion of the 6th day. While on all other days, God sees each creation as good, on the sixth day, God makes a proclamation that God’s creation is “very good,” tov maod. Without looking at the text, what category of creation do you imagine is called “very good”—or lets’ say, what would most people who have not studied the text say? <br /><br />Verse I:31 clearly declares: And God saw everything –kol—that God had made and behold it was very good. Each individual creation was called good and now all the creatures, everything altogether is deemed “very good.” The repetition of the two-letter word kol or everything seven times in verses 29 and 30 evinces the importance of all the creatures, all together. There is a sense of indivisibility of all the creatures involved as one living breathing whole. Every organism is bound up in the life of every other organism. <br /><br />Commentators and many readers of the text have long presumed that the designation of “very goodness” on the sixth day referred to the human creatures who were created on this day. They assumed that humanity was the crown of creation, and that the creation was established solely for people to use for their own benefit. Such an assumption leads to a utilitarian and anthropocentric stance towards the world. Curiously, human creatures, unlike all the other animals, do not receive the designation of “tov.” From the beginning, the biblical author was circumspect about humanity. Indeed, the midrash teaches that God consulted with the angels to determine whether or not to even create human beings. (Bereshit Rabbah 8:8). <br /><br />There’s more I can say about Genesis 1’s ecological vocabulary (I wrote a whole book on it 20 years ago: The Splendor of Creation) but I want to make sure to leave plenty of time for a discussion of humanity’s role Genesis 1:28. Perhaps—if you are familiar with the text, you will recall that when humanity was created—last after all the rest—God gives them mastery over the earth and dominion over the other creatures. Read Gen 1:28. <br /><br />In 1969, the historian Lynn White wrote a famous article in Science Magazine, “The Historical Root of the Ecologic Crisis,” blaming the Bible and the Judao-Christian tradition for our environmental crisis: He claimed that God’s giving humanity dominion meant that God gave humanity a mandate to dominate and exploit nature. This has become a very common reading in liberal and environmentalist circles, including among environmentalist rabbis. <br /><br />For example: The esteemed Israeli soil scientist and irrigation expert, Daniel Hillel, (author of The Natural History of the Bible and many other books) referring to Genesis I:28 wrote, “His [the human’s] manifest destiny is to be an omnipotent master over nature, which from the outset, was created for his gratification. He is endowed with the power and right to dominate the creatures toward whom he has no obligation.” <br /><br />There are legitimate reasons that so many people are suspicious of Genesis 1.28. The idea of dominion as domination has endured a long and dark history that has led to terrible suffering and disastrous consequences. The verse was appropriated by the pope in 1493 to justify the Doctrine of Discovery and legitimize the confiscation of native lands everywhere. Tragically, this ideology persists. <br /><br />Lynn White’s assumption that the Bible—and the idea of dominion—was responsible for the environmental crisis had a profound effect on a whole generation of environmentalists and their students and it had a profound effect on me. It caused me to question how Judaism understood our relationship with the natural world. Yet once I began studying the parasha with a friend, I realized pretty quickly that those who argue that dominion means domination take the verse out of context, paying no attention to the verses that precede or follow this one. Many of them are biased against the Bible to begin with. <br /><br />If you read the context of this chapter, as we have been doing, you might ask, as the farmer poet Wendell Berry did, “Why would God want to give humanity a mandate to exploit nature after God worked so intentionally to create such a beautiful world”— a world that could sustain itself on its own in perpetuity, without any interference from people? <br /><br />The Bible itself hints that dominion is not given to people arbitrarily. It appears that dominion is conditional as it certainly is later in the Bible. Dominion is given and can be taken away. The Hebrew word for dominion, RDH, points to this conditionality. Since Hebrew words are built on a system of three-letter roots, and one root can lend itself to multiple meanings, sometimes even a word and its opposite share the same three-letter root. <br /><br />In certain grammatical forms (in the imperative form and the plural imperfect for 2nd and 3rd person) RDH looks exactly like another Hebrew word, YRD “to go down.” When RDH appears in one of these ambiguous forms as it does in Genesis 1:26, you must determine the word’s meaning by its context. Rashi, the foremost medieval rabbinic commentator, points out the wordplay inherent in this 3-letter root and explains that if we consciously embody God’s image, if we stand up-right and rule responsibly with wisdom and compassion, we will RDH, have dominion over, the creatures, insuring a world of harmony; but if we are deny our responsibility to the creation and thoughtlessly take advantage of our position and the creation, we will YRD, go down below the other creatures and bring ruin to ourselves and the world.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/af9631b94583d532/Documents/Bereishit-%20Gen%201.%20EllenB.docx#_ftn1">[1]</a> If we upend the blessing to further selfish goals, the blessing becomes a curse. If dominion becomes domination, then we are no longer worthy of the role we have been bestowed. We lose our kinship with God, and we lose our kinship with earth. <br /><br />Significantly dominion is bestowed as part of a two-fold blessing or bracha. The word bracha in Hebrew is related to the word beracha, a pond of water. A blessing is enlivening and regenerative, like an oasis in the desert. The blessing in verse 1:28 is for both fruitfulness and dominion. It lays the foundation for the two basic necessities of life. Fruitfulness promises generativity of the body and dominion—through the human creature’s benevolent rule—promises generativity of the earth and its creatures. Barrenness of body and barrenness of land (famine) would be the greatest threats to the Israelite people, while fruitfulness in both would be the greatest gift. The two-fold blessing for fertility and land reverberates through the Torah in the promise that God makes to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the Israelites. <br /><br />Notably the verses that follows add further context to the meaning of dominion. Immediately after God grants dominion to the human creature, God assigns the seed plants for food for the humans, and the leafy greens for the animals. Dominion, then, ensures that not just people, but that animals too, can eat and thrive. Notably, dominion over the animals does not include the right to eat them. <br /><br />Some of the rabbinic sages, read dominion allegorically and suggested that people must have dominion over their own desires, and master the tendency towards gluttony. Dominion over the earth first requires dominion over our selves. Seventy years ago, the great environmentalist Rachel Carson eloquently wrote "We, in this generation, must come to terms with nature. We're challenged as [hu]mankind has never been challenged before to prove our maturity and our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves." <br /><br />There’s much more to say about all of this and I’m happy to refer you to resources if you are interested. <br /><br />I want to conclude by saying that I always had this idea that Genesis I is an overture to the whole bible. You know the book, “Everything I need to know, I learned in kindergarten,” That’s how I feel about Genesis I. <br /><br />I always intuited that if Genesis 1 offered such a profound ecology, that these ideas must—like invisible mycelia--undergird the whole Torah, but I had never heard any Jews talk about a creation theology before—Creation theology isn’t even a thing in the Jewish world. If anything, the very language of creation is off-putting to most people I know. Mentioning creation theology in certain circles, and people assume you are a fundamentalist. There are many reasons that these ideas haven’t found their way into contemporary Jewish thought, but that’s a conversation for another time. <br /><br /><b>Questions for discussion:</b><br /><br />Are there certain ideas in Torah that you recognized as an adult that have caused you to change your mind about something? In other words, have you had an insight from the Torah as an adult that caused you to change your mind and your behaviors? <br /><br />Is there a time when you changed your mind to take a new position on something? Want caused you to change your mind? <br /><br />How are you influenced by ideas? In what way do they affect your life? <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /> <br /><br /><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/af9631b94583d532/Documents/Bereishit-%20Gen%201.%20EllenB.docx#_ftnref1">[1]</a> Rashi, Commentary on Genesis I:26 <br /><br /> <div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-7096190457969593992023-07-30T13:49:00.000-07:002023-07-30T13:49:04.092-07:00Shabbat Nachamu - A Positive Viduii (by Avi Weiss) - Betsy Teutsch D'rash<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Parshat V'etchanan/Shabbat Nachamu -<span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">July 29, 2023 - Shabbat Shalom.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhuVuMeEB7Wfuq-gMNTuaCS2peZVcxAEEFu629MHohO0rsnyMdvUhLK2MsYa4UsJZ9gTek_P4-DogA3UVLQoXUY3FEWJWnU-5tC8mA7Z8iyO5tlKXQrVBDlqRPZd8PtS6p2A3DMfn94BcmUlswX3qj80G2nnyPbKnQQ1ePzVtHX_mlqNbCHG-b898pecd/s1353/shaded%20viduii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1353" data-original-width="1100" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhuVuMeEB7Wfuq-gMNTuaCS2peZVcxAEEFu629MHohO0rsnyMdvUhLK2MsYa4UsJZ9gTek_P4-DogA3UVLQoXUY3FEWJWnU-5tC8mA7Z8iyO5tlKXQrVBDlqRPZd8PtS6p2A3DMfn94BcmUlswX3qj80G2nnyPbKnQQ1ePzVtHX_mlqNbCHG-b898pecd/w520-h640/shaded%20viduii.jpg" width="520" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I want to dedicate this D’rash to two of our minyan teachers whose Torah has stuck with me, Rabbi Avruhm Addison and Christina Ager and informed my davar.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As we read Parshat Vaetchanan, we are in the first Shabbat of the seven known as the Shabbatot of Consolation, named for today’s Haftarah’s words, Nachamu - Comfort. After the tragic destruction commemorated on Tisha B’Av, and for many the events in Israel this week, we reach a liturgical nadir. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now we look ahead seven weeks to the High Holidays. This is the beginning of the reverse 49 Omer, if you will, to complete our Chesbon HaNefesh, the accounting of our soul, and then we will confess our bad deeds on Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur.</span></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In this parshah God is the source and enforcer of a code of behavior, in a manifestly hierarchical system. God has all the power. We should not disobey God’s laws. There’s no justification or explanation for the Torah’s laws; it’s because God Said So. You want proof? Look at creation. Who else could have done this?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And if you don’t obey, you will be punished big time.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you stick with the program, you and your progeny will thrive.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> “For your God יהוה am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me,</span></span></p><p dir="rtl" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">וְעֹ֥֤שֶׂה חֶ֖֙סֶד֙ לַֽאֲלָפִ֑֔ים לְאֹהֲבַ֖י וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י (מצותו) [מִצְוֺתָֽי]׃ {ס} </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">but showing kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This world view and theology is obviously not how we moderns think. It reflects a period of competitive local Gods, with tribal clan structure. YHVH is an all powerful, non-local, God. This was a new concept. As is the idea of God’s abstract nature. Hence the Ten Commandments, in today’s parshah, emphasize worshiping one God, and no others. No idols, like the other peoples!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Deuteronomy reviews all that God did for our people, and our indebtedness. Fidelity is required; infractions will be punished. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is why the middle paragraph of the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kol Haneshamah</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Shma has a different choice - it’s not about reward and punishment. We think in terms of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">behavior and consequences</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We must find a balance between the God of Judgment, so present in this Parsha, and the God of Compassion and Mercy, whom we continually seek, especially as we approach the High Holidays.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Din</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the strict and severe aspect of God judging us and doling out punishment for what we did wrong and reward for what we did right. And </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rachamim </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(which comes from the word “womb” or “rechem”) is the soft aspect of God’s love and caring for us, no matter what, just because we are God’s children. - </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In our world we emphasize examining our behavior, not worrying much about our ritual infractions. Average people cut corners more than they sin big! We don’t typically worry about God keeping score.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A corner cutting example: our great nephew Zeke included an early grade school song in his Bar Mitzvah davar, “Do The Right Thing Because It’s RIght, even if no one’s watching!” He got us all to sing it.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Later that week David and I debated about how to handle our VRBO. We had paid for two adults for a week, but for a few days our kids and grandkids were with us. There wasn’t any method to reserve for a partial week of added guests on the website. Our host wasn’t watching, but we weren’t following the rules.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we wrapped up our rental, I texted our host the facts: 2 adults and 2 kids had joined us for 3 nights. His reply was, “Don’t worry about it!” It felt right to have been truthful, though we well might have owed more.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The opening of the season of seven weeks of pre-High Holiday preparation, focusing on self-reflection to accomplish</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> tshuvah</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, returning ourselves to the right path, goes about things in ways that I find personally ineffective. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Today I want to help us get started by using what we know from behavioral science - I am not alone in resisting negative assessment: People need positive reinforcement. In a d’rash many years ago, Christina Ager, a professor of education, taught us that to help students improve their behavior, they need 5 times as much positive feedback as negative. Our hand is a handy digital counter.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Beating up on ourselves is not very effective.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We need to recognize what we have done correctly to motivate us to keep on doing it, and doing it even more. We of course shouldn’t highlight positives while failing to hold ourselves accountable for bad deeds, but flipping the balance of positive to negative can be more efficacious.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cultivating and emulating God’s compassion to God’s creatures, and extending it to ourselves, is important. We need to extend it to others, as well, moving when we can from judginess to generous love, tempering our judgements by </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">dan bcaf z’chut, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">withholding judgment and ascribing good intentions to the actions of others.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“According to midrash </span><a href="https://www.sefaria.org/Pesikta_Rabbati.40?lang=he-en&utm_source=ravkooktorah.org&utm_medium=sefaria_linker" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pesikta Rabbati 40</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, “Initially, God intended to create the world with the attribute of Justice. But then God saw that the world cannot exist [with only Justice], so God gave priority to the attribute of Mercy, and joined it with the attribute of Justice.” </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I shared my frustration with the negative tone of our liturgy with Rabbi Avruhm Addison, he shared a Positive Vidui written in 2016 by Rabbi Avi Weiss [it's at the beginning of this post. ]I keep it in my machzor. For today, I reformatted it so you can more clearly how beautifully the Hebrew and English connect.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We’re going to experiment today with sharing positive messages about: OURSELVES. That is something we are socially conditioned to avoid, as it might be perceived as bragging. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In small groups, please share:</span></span></p><ol style="margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A positive change you have been successful in making, and stuck with. It could be big, or it can be as small. “I always have dollar bills to share with people on the street”, or “I compost”. You might say, “I go to morning minyan every Thursday.” </span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Or, something you have stopped doing, and managed to stick with. You may have managed to refrain from something for decades - give yourself credit.</span></span></p></li></ol><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">No judgments, but you need to take turns saying things you have managed to do (or not do) consistently, through making an effort.</span></span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV0krPwaCClkmltU6GS2A2GKZzOEWacfo8vASE3XoCNhg-LJ2Xy1KzB4Q-g4a7hcbyMhlAFh1IJV29wnVVp_gJrz4JrG-wvBl8s-vcRoqsRepsJwNqQwU8OzzTaqZu5xnyshOsmde2vL8V0dSOpVCFO47UJF1SGchdHZdyZk7NivhuUpCKx1LGCrse9_G/s1353/shaded%20viduii.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></a></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-38521223917285713672023-06-05T11:32:00.003-07:002023-06-05T11:32:59.427-07:00Happy 36th Anniversary, Dorshei Derekh!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9T-dGSyPjw4erypIPFQ5lpubrYkukt4QUP0leBqylZuvNF4f_9QWKO9pAIHKNXkTyO3fgy0hDX6sKRCBzzGezBGCv0jqa0BJuBHmOO76STkEhUA2q6P1UlLclt7uPkFmWmZIEJ2yx4BH0CgiYjE7VxNoIgOVJzvx0PnWwL_1UFOYnkfKnWv9cqjvvQ/s640/brochure%2036th.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="532" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9T-dGSyPjw4erypIPFQ5lpubrYkukt4QUP0leBqylZuvNF4f_9QWKO9pAIHKNXkTyO3fgy0hDX6sKRCBzzGezBGCv0jqa0BJuBHmOO76STkEhUA2q6P1UlLclt7uPkFmWmZIEJ2yx4BH0CgiYjE7VxNoIgOVJzvx0PnWwL_1UFOYnkfKnWv9cqjvvQ/w332-h400/brochure%2036th.jpg" width="332" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Longtime member, Rabbi Robert Tabak, as a historian and lover of ritual, has kept track of our milestones. He encouraged us to celebrate 36 years and pulled together a committee to do so: Jane Century, Fredi Cooper, Rachel Falkove, Dick Goldberg, Malkah Binah Klein, and Bob. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Rabbi Malkah Binah, our service leader, shared:</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 2px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>We agreed that our priorities are to build a strong and loving sense of community, to have a musical service with a strong spiritual focus and a lively Torah discussion, to be open, creative and flexible, and to reach out to and include new people. </b> (From minutes of planning meeting in 1986 for what would become Dorshei Derekh)</span></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Rabbi Tamara Cohen, unable to be with us in person, shared a poem:</span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mizmor l’dorshim</span></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>A psalm for the seekers</span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>Seekers of the path </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>With tambourine and tallit </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>With dishes to wash and stories to tell</span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>We call on one another alternating gender or not, muting and unmuting on our zoom squares, visiting <span> </span>the sick, learning how to welcome and how not to harm.</span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>We call one another to Torah - for birthdays and yartzeits, for gratitude and healing, for wonder and <span> </span><span> </span>honor, pebbles and milestones.</span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>We call on the Source of Life, on foremothers or six.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>Choosing not chosen, we arrive at thirty six, hai plus hai, two strands of life, original members and <span> <span> </span></span>newer ones, the ones that left and came back and the ones that stayed. </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p3" dir="auto" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>Lidrosh: to seek, also to interpret and reinterpret.</span></span></p><p class="p3" dir="auto" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p3" dir="auto" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>Seekers of the path, </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>through quiet and talk,</span></span></p><p class="p3" dir="auto" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>Prayer and song. </span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Rabbi Fredi Cooper bestowed an original blessing upon us:</span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>A Blessing for Dorshei Derekh on the Occasion of the 36<sup>th</sup>
Anniversary</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Shabbat
Parashat Naso: June 3, 2023/ 14 Sivan 5783</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And so, today, we have lifted up each head<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">We have been lifting up each one of us for thirty- six years<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And in this lifting, we have been sure to count carefully,
each one<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the blessing that has marked the vitality of our
minyan<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">We have been seekers together through these years<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And in our seeking we see each other….taking on a bit of the
almighty<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thirty- six is a number so rich in it’s meaning and it brings
blessing to our kahal, our sacred community<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">It marks now, that the minyan has lasted a double portion in
life<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">But even more thirty- six is equal to Lamed, Vav<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">We learn that the world must contain at least 36 righteous
individuals<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">At Dorshei Derekh we embrace the righteousness in each one
of us<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">We help the other to step in the right direction in life<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">We embrace and recognize that at any time, any moment, one
of us who is present<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">Could be one of those thirty- six<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And if it is so, we hope to learn from that righteous one<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the first day of creation, God created the light<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">It is said that, that light burned for exactly 36 hours<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">May we continue to be lifted together toward the best light<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And may we continue to come together in celebration, in
prayer, in righteousness and justice<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And together, may we always seek what is best in life<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And find it here<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">With full hearts we say, Amen<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">And Student <b>Rabbi Maria Pulzetti </b>shared a teaching from her 2019 Bat Mitzvah in abstentia:</span></p><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In Ahavah Rabah we pray, <br /><br />v’haeir eynenu btoratecha – <br /><br />light up our eyes with Your Torah. <br /><br />That phrase evokes Sinai, <br /><br />when our people gathered at the mountain, early, <br /><br />seeking a glimpse of the Divine. <br /><br />In place of the unseeable, the face of God, <br /><br />we received the light of Torah. <br /><br />Each day we pray that its glow will fuel us anew <br /><br />as we listen, learn, and teach, <br /><br />keep, perform, and fulfill, <br /><br />with love. <br /><br />We push and stretch and birth; <br /><br />lean out, and draw our edges together. <br /><br />Maybe today, we pray, we will dare <br /><br />to love our neighbor with the deep love that bathes us. <br /><br />Maybe today we will confront the legacy of slavery; <br /><br />we will stop standing idly by; <br /><br />we will center the needs of the poor, the sick, the mourners; <br /><br />we will illuminate the laws of Torah <br /><br />with the love poured upon us, <br /><br />and with light in our eyes <br /><br />we will listen. <br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: garamond, times new roman, serif;"></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-14432861622841634052023-04-03T04:54:00.002-07:002023-04-03T04:54:32.130-07:00Adina Abramowitz: Community Development Finance Mighty Woman<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXM7vQvgAEb67MTiEP7NMLG_wi61AWnHr3szXTUQM6T_uf-mFzNAdtUBiplYAWPhEHCr5Ofs511bt7D5sVj6m19EXHJRWBG961B38DjgqlyHbGBW4ZJUhqljKBYf_DBKhQutGVkaa89AtucyzuSY_VPTHVOfzjvCyB7vO0uOChTikqm2YCYTgflB8ZA/s1233/adina%20a.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1225" data-original-width="1233" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXM7vQvgAEb67MTiEP7NMLG_wi61AWnHr3szXTUQM6T_uf-mFzNAdtUBiplYAWPhEHCr5Ofs511bt7D5sVj6m19EXHJRWBG961B38DjgqlyHbGBW4ZJUhqljKBYf_DBKhQutGVkaa89AtucyzuSY_VPTHVOfzjvCyB7vO0uOChTikqm2YCYTgflB8ZA/s320/adina%20a.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">From </span><span style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/cdfifriendly">https://www.facebook.com/cdfifriendly</a> :</span></p><span style="font-family: arial;">As <a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/womenshistorymonth?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZW2REPrAQmSIJV4w66_TP5np64oeEmrKeUSQNeVO_bJ051ZwIXSe5fB_VBMN6yfBP2aalWhGq_CuSyWM-ZnAvCdtWFj7pE2auSBgujZJf7UDVPnIVxeu76cdC_CqaojUGRxgjkXlTICJMbcLro79tIkENyxgrBQ0kguQEoID-y56JveuUjVhN5hfN6dFziTZjw&__tn__=*NK-R" rel="noopener" style="color: #3c61aa; font-size: 16px; word-break: break-word;" target="_blank">#WomensHistoryMonth</a><span style="font-size: 16px;"> comes to a close, we want to feature a woman who has been in the Community Development Financial Institution industry since its inception—our very own</span>, Adina Abramowitz<span style="font-size: 16px;">! Adina began her career in this field in 1987, working for a new nonprofit small business lender in Camden, NJ, known as CBAC. Today it would be called a CDFI, but the term "CDFI" was not established until 1994. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Adina was drawn to the position because of a desire to make a difference and she saw that financing could be a tool to address social justice issues. She was instrumental in the early development of the CDFI industry through her work at Opportunity Finance Network, and in 2006 she launched her own consulting firm to help CDFIs develop and implement transformational strategies.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">In 2018, Adina was contacted by her former colleague </span><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/mark.pinsky?__cft__[0]=AZWHxXGe2lavOX8-KZeOGCSH6mAXJz--zzN54SQMhhO6dCpGVE-enG7bhnjjXklew4Fy72XTSxt1I5iK2gPq3Rses-qoYgBobNyfRETqkxPl3jq4Siy636eMnDOlCtW0cNyllT8Yd_ODMmmBHJ_bJjLqASI-1crD_R965s_XRf4pGK1OgE6xjZwgOaiREMDAm9rKvIvMdqAZSL7_jJsco0vF&__tn__=-]K-y-R" rel="noopener" style="color: #3c61aa; font-size: 16px; word-break: break-word;" target="_blank"><span class="xt0psk2">Mark Pinsky</span></a><span style="font-size: 16px;"> to help with a project in Bloomington, IN, which became the 1st CDFI Friendly city and helped form the CDFI Friendly strategy. After years of working with individual CDFIs, Adina enjoys how working at CDFI Friendly America has given her a fresh perspective—seeing and trying to solve for all of the credit needs in underserved communities. We at CDFI Friendly America are very grateful to have access to her wisdom and experience. Her advice to anyone entering the Community Development Finance space, "Be about positive change. Be about abundance. Be about spreading out opportunity. Be about expanding the pie."</span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8eqsShlD0ZHUhPWWdL5cyScSmpBin7rH7zLCBEfDJ_o5e9AwUXi1xNeed_LfjJ05gjmkZ4lQQFVaenNKkv_jqtJOz_Ag9HDkgJAUh5KjY3MiyJju5_9oQcCY0EYe12CUqfcADM49WWlh8KNeEYr_5SDYgEEBWICJZr30bUXywN60mcSqcSt8kqvdsqQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8eqsShlD0ZHUhPWWdL5cyScSmpBin7rH7zLCBEfDJ_o5e9AwUXi1xNeed_LfjJ05gjmkZ4lQQFVaenNKkv_jqtJOz_Ag9HDkgJAUh5KjY3MiyJju5_9oQcCY0EYe12CUqfcADM49WWlh8KNeEYr_5SDYgEEBWICJZr30bUXywN60mcSqcSt8kqvdsqQ" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-76840268342640327272023-03-06T14:56:00.002-08:002023-03-06T14:56:50.918-08:00Purim 5783/2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcJsmcOCsv_Aqz9SgC2D01QP2BJNBHXCd5qzrAXd0UAsZCZFNKBDphxE6yNud_L7UTpozrSDe0fC3Hjstc1r1xfOkfz3OvIOFRvJqaWP-Dg5mc6Gi9mcSfMJ-i6k8AStyiwBq2oEm4NuuTtLaMdr4ZH-1TmGC8iA9wjgmWr0p8Pbym5Q4nYyiPBJ6oQ/s640/mishloach%20manot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcJsmcOCsv_Aqz9SgC2D01QP2BJNBHXCd5qzrAXd0UAsZCZFNKBDphxE6yNud_L7UTpozrSDe0fC3Hjstc1r1xfOkfz3OvIOFRvJqaWP-Dg5mc6Gi9mcSfMJ-i6k8AStyiwBq2oEm4NuuTtLaMdr4ZH-1TmGC8iA9wjgmWr0p8Pbym5Q4nYyiPBJ6oQ/s320/mishloach%20manot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Happy Purim!<p></p><p>This year we have raised over $1000 towards to split between charities who feed people. One is in our neighborhood, the <a href="https://www.germantowncommunityfridge.com/">Germantown Community Fridge</a>. The other supports low-income women in need of assitance procuring Passover provisions, the <a href="https://www.fhbs.org/">Female Hebrew Benevolent Society</a>.</p><p>The baskets are made of coconut fiber. They are used as liners for hanging plants, but you can really use them just as a bowl or basket. If you're not finding a use for them, just give yours back. We can use them again next year!</p><p>The lace is fairtrade, from a company that went out of business, sadly, and we were able to purchase them at steep discount. Irish nuns originally taught the women of this community in India to make lace. Machine-made lace tanked their business but they did revive it.</p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHJ80MbujabINQvL4EqzR0g8xtAWmWkXJO9OBWkABodmWn035MwbBiDmABbeEco2N0p1AQw1BU1tqEHXLnPzEV_MR7CfAZaQz5IU_uOPXWKZn8H3yQv1XPqUvzXLkgbXmlCOJQtuuVpSPtZtXdTV97StJIs8Rzw3ztHdYpTJSwsxT782ZM13F5b5Q-g/s520/crane%20on%20lace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="480" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlHJ80MbujabINQvL4EqzR0g8xtAWmWkXJO9OBWkABodmWn035MwbBiDmABbeEco2N0p1AQw1BU1tqEHXLnPzEV_MR7CfAZaQz5IU_uOPXWKZn8H3yQv1XPqUvzXLkgbXmlCOJQtuuVpSPtZtXdTV97StJIs8Rzw3ztHdYpTJSwsxT782ZM13F5b5Q-g/w218-h237/crane%20on%20lace.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheila Erlbaum's crane</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Thanks to all who worked on this project, one of the most joyful of the year:</p><p><b><u>Bakers</u>:</b></p><p>Phyllis Berman, Jane Century, Fredi Cooper, Dayle Friedman, Pesha Leichter, Ruth Loew, Jennifer Paget, Sharon Strauss, and Esther Wiesner</p><p><b><u>Contributors of contents</u>:</b></p><p>Lynne Jacobs, Irene McHenry, and Sharon Strauss.</p><p>Origami artists: Eleanor Brownstein and Sheila Erlbaum</p><p><u><b>Assemblers and Deliverers</b>:</u></p><p>Eleanor Brownstein, Chana Dickter, Grace Flisser, Lynne Jacobs, Sharon Strauss & Sonia Voynow</p><p><b><u>Captain</u></b>: Betsy Teutsch</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy8RwMCuDRZT0-p5TbqpJA3JC9WHBv2vKJDW3vLjQpd-B4zAu83ikWYTpWVZXJFvgHQdum9KgtP-dyKKyo_Cw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Eleanor demonstrating how the origami frogs jump.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-84593730035226687612022-10-21T07:58:00.003-07:002022-10-21T07:58:43.268-07:00Dorshei Derekh Overview 2022<p><b><span style="color: #2f5496; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsAwoIk16VEIEYSk0wPMkoxwMgqZuJJwGGCf_bK0rc96bUfEcMe4hWnlbWg_LVC_9D3T4BkLqYFcXRF3TjnoDU3vSkebQrG3vdrrULc12HkkmYMvbFPd3pHDOXrBL22uEMSfS2xYOC6Rv5gnLhmpMMxdPjxCK8G1kNHotk4b_cXFO0gL05lIG2A952dQ" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="200" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsAwoIk16VEIEYSk0wPMkoxwMgqZuJJwGGCf_bK0rc96bUfEcMe4hWnlbWg_LVC_9D3T4BkLqYFcXRF3TjnoDU3vSkebQrG3vdrrULc12HkkmYMvbFPd3pHDOXrBL22uEMSfS2xYOC6Rv5gnLhmpMMxdPjxCK8G1kNHotk4b_cXFO0gL05lIG2A952dQ=w124-h186" width="124" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Deborah Schwartzman's<br />parochet</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Minyan Dorshei Derekh</span></b><span style="text-align: justify;"> (“Path Seekers”) launched in 1986 as one of the three davening
(prayer) groups meeting on Shabbat morning at Germantown Jewish Centre (GJC).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-align: justify;">We are based
in the Maslow Auditorium on the second floor of the school building. Shabbat
services begin at 10:00 am and conclude around 12:30 pm followed by a
kiddush/schmooze.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">Dorshei Derekh is an affiliate
of <a href="http://www.reconstructingjudaism.org/">Reconstructing Judaism</a> -
we <span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">count faculty, students, and alumni among our membership</span>.
(As part of GJC, we are also an affiliate of the United Synagogue for
Conservative Judaism.)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Ñ</span></span></u><b><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"> Core Dorshei Derekh Values</span></u></b><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Ð</span></span></u><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Lay leadership<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Vibrant
participatory services<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Critical and
creative engagement with Torah and liturgy <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Theological
diversity <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mutual
aid/caring for one another <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Feminist
innovation <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">LGBTQ inclusion<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Anti-racist
learning and practice <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Intergenerational
community <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></b><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>Inclusion of
those who have been historically marginalized in Jewish communities</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt;"><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Ñ</span></span><b><span style="color: #2f5496; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"> </span></b></u><b><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;">Davening </span></u></b><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Ð</span></span></u><b><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>We use <i>Kol Haneshamah</i>, Reconstructing
Judaism’s prayerbook; many members of our minyanhelped to create it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>The first half of our service is enhanced by
lively singing and/or chanting, occasionally accompanied by rhythm instruments.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>We read Torah on a Triennial Torah cycle,
divided into 3 aliyot.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Members volunteer to prepare and give each
week’s <i>Dvar Torah</i>. These are text-based, creative, and intellectually
stimulating presentations, encouraging lively response. Zoom participants
participate in their own breakout groups following the Davar Torah.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-family: Wingdings;">Ñ</span><b><span style="color: #2f5496;"> </span></b></u><b><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-size: 16pt;">Leadership</span></u></b><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-family: Wingdings;">Ð</span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; text-align: justify;">We rely on our members’ educational, liturgical, and organizational contributions to keep our minyan running.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt; text-align: justify;">Our leadership<b> </b>consists of the Chair, the past Chair, and the Incoming Chair. Individuals organize the many functions that are required to keep our minyan going. They are listed at www.minyandorsheiderekh.org</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-family: Wingdings;">Ñ</span><b><span style="color: #2f5496;"> </span></b></u><b><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-size: 16pt;">Service Times </span></u></b><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-family: Wingdings;">Ð</span></u><b><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: justify;">We meet on Saturday mornings and on Rosh Hashanah, Kol Nidre, Yom Kippur, Sukkot (1<sup>st</sup> day), Erev Simchat Torah, Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, Purim Eve, Pesach (1<sup>st</sup> and 7<sup>th</sup> day).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">We have joint davening with the other GJC minyanim for:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Kabbalat Shabbat<br />(Friday evening services)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Erev Rosh Hashanah<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Charry Scholar-in-Residence Weekend<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 3pt 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Occasional celebrations of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and special events</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-family: Wingdings;">Ñ</span><b><span style="color: #2f5496;"> </span></b></u><b><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-size: 16pt;">Membership </span></u></b><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-family: Wingdings;">Ð</span></u><b><u><span style="color: #2f5496; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">For minyan membership information<span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;">contact Heather Shafter at </span><u style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">heathershafter@verizon.net</span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal">For GJC membership information, contact Nina Peskin, GJC Executive Director, at<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;">215-844-1507 Ext. 12 or <u><span style="color: #0070c0;">director@germantownjewishcentre.org</span></u>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-67568080932763619242022-09-19T17:04:00.001-07:002022-09-19T17:14:55.014-07:00Dorshei Derekh Allocates 10% of Our Surplus for Tsedakah: Elul 2022<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_o_biLYpDamjKgRJ2mVVKm99jXKVqADCh4Uev_2hwEB5EsG35LO44y9m1OBMFpCLC2Zd_ZCQnWRNaWfME926hW711f2N2lTKtWF3rSL8JFEpsBapZUKqYrKkePy1Rxa3e9b4naP1LzHvMxOqlml2U19PgJSNi_4NKRUYwJZRN1vQJryPIwliaBYXkxQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="177" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_o_biLYpDamjKgRJ2mVVKm99jXKVqADCh4Uev_2hwEB5EsG35LO44y9m1OBMFpCLC2Zd_ZCQnWRNaWfME926hW711f2N2lTKtWF3rSL8JFEpsBapZUKqYrKkePy1Rxa3e9b4naP1LzHvMxOqlml2U19PgJSNi_4NKRUYwJZRN1vQJryPIwliaBYXkxQ" width="240" /></a></div>We have accumulated a surplus, a nice challenge for a small group like ours. We've decided that in Elul, we will donate 10% of our surplus. This initiative was hatched and shepherded by Lynne Jacobs. Thanks, Lynne! Jennifer Paget and myself, Betsy Teutsch, joined the group. It's an experiment; the minyan will revisit in the future.<p></p><p>Here are our five tsedakah allocations for Elul 2022:</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.familypromisephl.org/">Family Promise of Philadelphia</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; line-height: 115%;">in honor of Rachel Falkove's retirement, formerly the Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://welcomingcenter.org/">The Welcoming Center</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; line-height: 115%;">in support of Afghan refugees. We are so wowed by the work that our members Naomi Klayman and Debbie Stern are doing GJC-wide. The Welcoming Center is the fiscal sponsor for the GJC initiative helping resettle our Afghan family.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.donorschoose.org">Donors Choose</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; line-height: 115%;">in support of Philadelphia schools in need - this funds specific teacher requests.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; line-height: 115%;"><a href=" https://www.fhbs.org ">Female Hebrew Benevolent Society</a> </span></b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; line-height: 115%;">in support of emergency financial aid </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Cambria, serif;">for Jewish
women in crisis. The FHBS is over 200 years old!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Cambria, serif; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.jacc.org.il ">Jerusalem African Community Center</a> </span></strong><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Cambria, serif; line-height: 115%;">in support of African asylum</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Cambria, serif; line-height: 115%;"> seekers in
Israel in Jerusalem, where our alum Ari Brochin works.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-74729298906190552112022-08-07T18:51:00.003-07:002023-07-30T13:15:15.633-07:00On Pinchas - Jane Century, D’var Torah for Dorshei Derekh <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5OXsCVgXZW7m9ij_MEFVzAdr9rcJIQS1ynQxxSjnSxWj88wH-LEpTHxLA2TpD9fxcWC4QH8xz9A9-93zMSQhgDLACuqynaTALhqYX0NR_4S2Yk3JAjAhwQD1GPlSiOr67yXdHuT6uaKmrdJEyIPD-56dl7a_iNnFkT7eZoySv12Ve2IUY4gi3IPdSg/s2640/Jane%20Century%20-%20Jun%202022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2640" data-original-width="1980" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5OXsCVgXZW7m9ij_MEFVzAdr9rcJIQS1ynQxxSjnSxWj88wH-LEpTHxLA2TpD9fxcWC4QH8xz9A9-93zMSQhgDLACuqynaTALhqYX0NR_4S2Yk3JAjAhwQD1GPlSiOr67yXdHuT6uaKmrdJEyIPD-56dl7a_iNnFkT7eZoySv12Ve2IUY4gi3IPdSg/s320/Jane%20Century%20-%20Jun%202022.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">by Jane F. Century <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thank you for the opportunity to mine
some of the many nuggets of wisdom that today’s parshat Pinchas has to offer us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the interests of full disclosure, I
need to preface my comments by saying that prior to this moment, I have given
exactly one d’var Torah in my entire life, at the start of last month’s
quarterly minyan meeting -- so I hope you will allow me some additional
latitude with this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also confess
I am something of a spiritual omnivore, so you may find me referencing things outside
the pale of the usual Jewish commentaries. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">By way of additional background, I am
the middle child in a family with a sister one year older than me and a brother
three and half years younger than me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We grew up in suburban Minneapolis,
where all three of us got bussed to after-school Hebrew school for five years
from 3<sup>rd</sup> grade to 7<sup>th</sup> grade, to a place that was very
broadly satirized by the Cohen brothers, who grew up there as well, in their
movie <i>A Serious Man. <o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">My family was firmly middle
class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After my parents undertook the
expense of celebrating a bat mitzvah and luncheon for my older sister when she
turned 13 and knowing that my brother’s bar mitzvah would be coming around the
bend in a few short years, my mother came to me privately when the time for my
own bat mitzvah was approaching and asked me if I really wanted one. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I didn’t need a flash card to know
what the right answer to that was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If I agreed to take one for the team, my
mom promised they would throw me a lavish Sweet 16 party when the time came
instead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for
another d’var to find out how that went. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Back to Pinchas, which brings together
four seemingly disparate stories with one common theme having to do with
legacy. For me, this parsha speaks to two profound concepts: the legacies we
hope to pass along to those who survive us, and the ways in which all of us
leave unfinished business in our wake. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The first example of legacy in this
parsha is the legacy granted by God to Pinchas, the grandson of Mose’s elder
brother Aaron, after he slays a high-ranking Israelite official and the
Midianite princess with whom he was publicly consorting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Pinchas kills them both, and by this
act, he simultaneously atones for and halts a period of rampant idol worship
and the terrible plague that arose in the wake of it<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In gratitude, God grants Pinchas a
covenant of peace, and the eternal covenant of <i>kehunah</i> for his zeal in
atoning for the children of Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
doing so, he elevates Pinchas - along with all his descendants to the role of
priest. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Before that moment, only Aaron and his
descendants where designated by God as <i>Kohanim</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By blessing Pinchas in this way, God extends the
number of those who will inherit the honor and weight of a priestly connection
to the divine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This is special legacy has continued
to be passed down through the millennia from fathers to sons to this very day,
indeed to this very room in which we sit. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The second legacy noted in this parsha
is the one that results when God commands Moses to undertake yet another census,
the aim of which will be to allocate future shares of the promised land in
perpetuity in proportion to the total number of men aged 20 and older in each
of their fathers’ tribes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">While
all this counting and divvying is taking place, the action moves to a third
story related to legacy in the parsha – one that marks something of radical
step for its time, in which the five orphaned daughters of T<span class="coversetext">zelophehad realize that in the wake of their father’s death, they
have no way to claim their own fair share of the inherited wealth that property
ownership would confer upon the men of their generation when they reach the
promised land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="coversetext"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="coversetext"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">At this time, women without brothers were excluded
from inheriting property when their father died, a system that continues in
many places in the world where women still struggle to be counted as equals. We
can also see its echoes in the racist practices of redlining that not only
denied certain categories of citizens the right to own their own homes but the
chance to build and pass on the wealth that such home ownership could generate for
their descendants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="coversetext"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="coversetext"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">At the time of Moses, women were effectively
prevented from inheriting their own family land, with all that implied for
their own financial autonomy and freedom to enter into marriage agreements.
These five brave women stood before Moses, Eleazer and the chieftains at the
Tent of Meeting, and basically asked to be counted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="coversetext"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span class="coversetext"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Moses brought their case before God who
promptly agreed that Tzelophehad's daughters have “indeed spoken justly” and
instructed Moses that in future, “If a man dies and has no son, you shall
transfer his inheritance to his daughter.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This brings us to the fourth and for
me the most powerful example of legacy in the parsha as the people draw close
to the Promised Land, in which God abruptly informs Moses he will not be
allowed to enter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason for this,
we learn earlier, is that after the death of Moses’ older sister Miriam and the
disappearance of Miriam’s well that had quenched the thirst of the Hebrew
people throughout their wanderings in the desert, God instructed Moses to
gather all the people crying out for water and bring forth water as he had done
once before, this time by speaking to the rock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Instead, Moses grows angry at the people for their ingratitude and hits
the rock with his staff in frustration, unleashing not only water - but God’s
ire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clearly, this was not the
demonstration of a faith that God had in mind, and he makes Moses take the fall
for it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When we reflect on all that Moses
experienced in one lifetime, it is hard to fathom what emotions must have
passed through him on hearing that in one moment of anger he had forfeited his
long-sought dream of entering the land of milk and honey. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That after a life that began with
floating up to Pharoah’s daughter in a reed basket, being raised among royalty
only to flee for his life after killing an Egyptian soldier he saw beating an
enslaved fellow Jew, settling elsewhere to create a family for 40 years, speaking
to God via a burning bush that he needs to prepare for the Exodus from Egypt, after
repeated pleadings with Pharoah, after frogs, lice, vermin, etc, after the
parting of the Red Sea and getting to the other side, after reminding people
again and again that, unlike toilet paper, the supply chain of manna is
infinite, so there is no need to hoard it, after carrying down Tablets 1.0,
only to be greeted by the sight of a Golden Calf, and going back for Tablets
2.0, after beating back hordes of poisonous snakes with his own healing snake that
becomes a symbol of healing to this day, and after responding again and again
to the people’s seemingly endless doubts, misgivings and complaints, after all
of this ardor and tzuris, it seems hard to conceive that Moses himself would be
granted nothing more than a sneak peek from the top of Mount Abarim at the
legacy others would inherit by dint of all his efforts on their behalf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Of all the people we meet in the
Torah, Moses has the most direct, intimate experience with the Divine Presence
across his long lifetime. He never serves as king.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although he is the youngest in his family, I
see him as the ultimate middle child between God and the people Israel and a skillful
cajoler of both. He is also a prophet, a teacher and a devoted leader - of followers
who do not always follow, who are mostly loyal, until they are not. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">There are so many lessons to his
legacy, we can barely count them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
yet after everything he had done, after running the final lap of a grueling
40-year marathon of Biblical proportions, Moses suddenly learns - not only will
he be prevented from crossing the finish line, but he won’t even live to set
foot on the other side of it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead,
he will soon be gathered up with his siblings in the world to come and buried
by God in an unmarked grave. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Moses later begs God in vain to give
him a second chance to experience the “good land on the other side of the
Jordan” when this same moment is recapitulated in Deuteronomy. But in this earlier
parsha, when he is confronted with the chilling finality of God’s words, to his
credit, he doesn’t hesitate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He immediately
opts to take one for the team. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His heart
steps right up -- yet again -- to a place of compassion for his people, to urging
God to replace him in a timely fashion, lest the people wander about like sheep
without a shepherd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it is Joshua who
will step into his shoes, rather than either of his own two sons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Beyond the themes of legacy, this
parsha also speaks to two notions of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One is cyclical and the other linear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Jewish calendar binds us to countless cycles of recurring days and prayers
rejoicing in everything from waking up in the morning to vanquishing our
ancient enemies, days for grieving the loss of a loved one and for atoning for
the prior year’s transgressions. Days in which we savor the miracle of each
returning season of planting, flourishing and harvesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We reconnect with all these recurring
touchstones throughout the year like those cylindrical prayer wheels that hang
in Tibetan monasteries that the monks reach out and spin as they pass while
reciting their prayers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around and
around we go through Rosh Hashana to Purim to Pesach to Shavuous and back. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But Mose’s life was a linear
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Moses, time stretched out
like a Torah scroll that would only be unrolled – and never wound back to the
beginning and repeated anew - except by all of us who inherited his legacy. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And tragically, for me at least, I
feel we are witnessing in this present moment a foreshadowing of an age of non-recurrence
that is unfolding before our very eyes, the legacy of humanity’s profound and
shameful degradation and dismantling of the living web of land, sea and sky,
which is already bringing an end to certain familiar cycles of migrations and
seasons that our planet has witnessed over eons.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the face of obvious signs of glacial
melt and mass species extinction, we can no longer delude ourselves that the
natural cycles and rhythms of recurrence we once relied upon as children will
continue in our lifetimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And here is where I’d like to take a
big step sideways for a moment and take you on an imaginative journey by way of
the ancient book of divination, the I Ching, the Chinese Book of Change, that
some say dates back more than 5000 years, the source of which is said to be a
divine oracle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a book that
fascinated the psychotherapist Carl Jung throughout his life. It is intended to
be used as way of characterizing the essential nature of this very moment in
time in which the person consulting it finds themselves. Consulting the I Ching
can yield one or more of 64 possible responses or hexagrams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each has a name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interestingly Number 63 is called “After the
End,” but the very last chapter, Number 64 is called “Before the End.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I was struck recently by how closely
the language of “Before the End” mirrors the literal and psychological moment
of Moses reaching Mount Abarim and resonates powerfully with how we understand
ourselves as we approach the completion of a long sought goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I ask your indulgence in letting me
read this passage and ask you to imagine Moses standing reading this to
himself: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">BEFORE
THE END<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“The
accomplishment of a goal is in sight. It appears that long-impending matters
may be brought to fruition with an acceptable amount of effort. Increasing
clarity surrounds the meaning of situations once thought to be obscure. At the
time of BEFORE THE END there is great promise for the future. A unique and sage
viewpoint is present in human affairs. Order can be brought to chaotic
situations. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Because
you are now unusually familiar with the elements involved in the object of your
inquiry, you can evaluate and arrange them in whatever way necessary to achieve
your aim. It should be a relatively simple matter to bring together groups of
people in social or public-minded situations. By penetrating the psyche of each
individual involved, you can arrange to gratify their needs within the group
mechanism and thereby gain their co-operation. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Yet,
it would be a mistake to imagine that by achieving your aim you will bring
matters to a close, that good judgment and order will prevail. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“The
time BEFORE THE END can be compared to a lengthy trek over a high mountain. At
some point, before reaching the peak, you can see in detail exactly how much
farther you must travel. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“You
will know what is involved in reaching the top because of your experience in
the climb so far. However, when you do reach the peak, which has been in your
sight for many long days of effort, you will have done only that. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“You
will have acquired little information and no experience whatsoever about
descending the other side. To rush up and over the top in an overly confident
manner could bring disaster.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“In
this passage The Book of Change warns at some length, of the dangers of
proceeding without caution immediately BEFORE THE END. You must prepare
yourself with wariness and reserve. The coming situation will be strange to you
in every way, unlike any that you have experienced. In the near future you will
not be able to draw upon the wealth of your acquired experience, for in many
ways the time will be nothing short of a rebirth. The idea of rebirth here is a
key to the meaning of the I Ching as a whole. The book ends with a new
beginning, cycling back to the first hexagram, CREATIVE POWER, forever and ever
into eternity.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[Source:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>The I Ching Workbook</i> by R.L. Wing, December
19, 1979]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In this parsha, we stand as witnesses
with Moses as he reaches both the pinnacle of his life and its end, calling us
to imagine how we might feel if we stood in his shoes on Mount Abarim. The word
Abarim means “passage.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is this moment a
tragedy or a passage to a new era? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Or as Mitch Albom, author of <i>Tuesdays
with Morrie</i>, might say “All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know
it at the time.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">My questions for you:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">How do you yourself feel about the legacy of
Moses and the way his journey ends?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do
you see it as tragic, as appropriate, as a necessary evil or as creating space
for a rebirth?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">How much of your own identity and life pursuit
is wrapped up in what you hope to leave behind as a legacy? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In what ways, if any, have you prepared
yourself for the massive changes in our environmental, political, and economic lives
that signal things may never cycle back in our lifetimes to where they were
before?<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-72224113698252192212022-07-04T11:52:00.004-07:002022-07-04T11:52:57.581-07:00 Who Counts? Why Count? Who Cares? - Irene McHenry on Parshat BeMidbar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqRsEhrGE5ajTpuQc6WIvr7J3obh-q_OUlT_-ruIFWv03OpgL9V4gCRMB2UorxViuuKrEuHqpzfUlRePxnLe2PCXsca7yjF-TjSBcWEa9QXiJ8ufDTaTAtk_qqV6Nh3VuZ211nMWPBmwv4X5ezPLzSMj_qDQgxstmHoSO_gEuyroZt3mYyZh85p26ew/s491/irene%20mchenry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="491" data-original-width="491" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqRsEhrGE5ajTpuQc6WIvr7J3obh-q_OUlT_-ruIFWv03OpgL9V4gCRMB2UorxViuuKrEuHqpzfUlRePxnLe2PCXsca7yjF-TjSBcWEa9QXiJ8ufDTaTAtk_qqV6Nh3VuZ211nMWPBmwv4X5ezPLzSMj_qDQgxstmHoSO_gEuyroZt3mYyZh85p26ew/w232-h232/irene%20mchenry.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>Yasher Koach to Irene on her first Davar Torah at Dorshei Derekh, June 2022<br /><br />Today, as we examine parashat BeMidbar - in the wilderness – the first portion in the book of Numbers, we’ll also ponder literal numbers, and then we’ll close with a reflection on preparing for Shavuot.<br /><br />So, just for fun, let’s look at where we are today by the numbers - <br /><br />5th day of Sivan 5782<br />4th day of June 2022<br />Day 49 of counting the Omer<br />The 34th weekly Torah portion and the 1st portion of the 4th book of Moses<br />The Israelites are in the 2nd month of the 2nd year following <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exodus">the Exodus</a> from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egypt">Egypt</a>,<br />This parashah is made up of 7,393 Hebrew letters, 1,823 Hebrew words, 159 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapters_and_verses_of_the_Bible">verses</a>, and 263 lines in a Torah Scroll<br /><br />In the 1st portion of the book of Numbers, God directs <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses">Moses</a> to take a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Census">census</a> of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelite">Israelite</a> men, age 20 years and up, who are able to bear arms, and to count them by tribe. This first census did not count the women, the children, the disabled, the elderly.<br /><br />Later, we learn the result of that the census by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribe">tribe</a> with the numbers of suitable warriors ranging from 32,200 in the tribe of Manasseh to 74,600 in the tribe of Judah, with all 12 tribes totaling 603,550.<br /><br />So, what do we make of all these numbers?<br /><br />This parashat raises three questions: <b>Who Counts? Why Count? Who Cares?</b><br /><br />Who counts?<br /><br />First, I want to share a moment in my personal journey toward converting to Judaism. It’s a moment when I realized that I had moved from wondering “Do I count?” to knowing “I want to count,” and then taking action “to count” by joining the Jewish people.<br /><br />Growing up as a Lutheran, I learned from the teachings of a world-famous Jew from Nazareth known as Jesus that where two or three are gathered together in God’s name, God is also present. <br /><br />So, in my practice of Judaism, I was curious to understand the rationale for the number 10 for a minyan. Researching this, I discovered several different explanations as to why the number 10 was chosen:<br /><br />God agreed to save the cities of Sodom and Gomorrrah if there were 10 righteous people.<br /><br />When 10 spies returned from scouting the land of Canaan, Moses described them as an “assembly” and the same Hebrew word (eh-DAH) is used in Psalm 82, which says that G0d presides in the assembly. <br /><br />These explanations didn’t satisfy me. <br /><br />What led me to grock the rule of 10 for a minyan was my experience attending morning minyan and kabbalat shabbat on zoom, during the two years of the pandemic. There were numerous times when there where 10 of us on the screen, but the mourners couldn’t say Kaddish because I didn’t “count” as a Jew. At first, I felt mad about not counting when I had, in fact, shown up over and over again. The mad feeling quickly turned to sadness for myself, and especially for the persons who came to the zoom service to say Kaddish for a beloved with the support of a community. <br /><br />My surprising experience of prayer in a zoom group brought connection and a sense of closeness to the others on my screen, and brought a feeling of comfort in the tradition of saying Kaddish with a community. I realized that I wanted to count! After 30+ years of exploration as a fellow traveler (I understand the new term is JBA, Jew By Association), I took action to convert. <br /><br />Counting can lead to action. How do you want to count in the world today, where do you want to count?<br /><br />When the 10th person shows up for a minyan, a transformation takes place. Each individual in that group of 10 transforms the group to make it complete in order to energize the power of communal prayer.<br /><br />Then, I learned that the term synagogue is of Greek origin with meaning as a verb - “to bring together” or as a noun - “a place of assembly, a place to come together.” The synagogue is a place to count.<br /><br />And then, I became curious about the history of women in Judaism - When did they begin to count?<br /><br />Jewish women began to count in the U.S. in the mid-1950s with the adoption of mixed seating by most movement synagogues. In 1973, the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of Conservative Judaism voted to count women and men equally as members of a minyan and women to be eligible to be called to the Torah. We women have counted for 49 years!<br /><br />When could women count as rabbis? In 1972 in Reform Judaism, in 1974 in Reconstructionist Judaism, and in 1985 in Conservative Judaism.<br /><br />I’d like us to note and honor the date of the 50th anniversary, yesterday, June 3rd, of a giant step for women counting in American Judaism, the first ordination of a female rabbi in Reform Judaism, Sally Priesand. In 1972 her ordination by Hebrew Union College opened the doors to over 1,000 women rabbis today who are transforming the dynamic life of American Judaism.<br /><br /><b>Why count?</b><br /><br />Counting in itself is a neutral activity. Counting is used to gather data. We can also<br />attribute meaning to counting, and take action inspired by counting.<br /><br />We can count for joy, as in counting to make a morning minyan for prayer, counting the days in the miracle of Hannukah, counting the days after birth for a bris or a baby naming, counting the Omer on the way to Shavuot. <br /><br />We can count in sorrow and remembrance, as in burying our dead within 24 hours, the 7 days of sitting shiva, the 30-day period of shloshim. <br /><br />We count as individuals, as communities, as a country, as a world in order to gather data for taking action, such as daily tracking the numbers of those hospitalized and dying from Covid-19 (now over 1 million deaths in America), as in counting the effects of war in this one hundred days into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as in counting mass shootings in our country (232 so far this year including 21 since the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas)<br /><br />We measure the days of our lives by counting and honoring significant dates in our individual lives and in Jewish community life. <br /><br />Counting provides definition to a space and gives a structure to formlessness.<br /><br />Counting provides data for meaning making and decision making.<br /><br />I find it ironic that the original counting in today’s Parshah was to prepare for war, and now we gather together in numbers to pray communally for peace and to take communal action for peace, justice, and a sustainable world.<br /><br />One benefit of counting is to raise awareness of those groups that did not count throughout history and often don’t count currently. These groups include the elderly, people with disabilities, women, LGBTQ persons, Black lives. Each of these “left out” groups has its own history of beginning to count. How can we make it possible for each person in each of these groups to count?<br /><br />Today’s issues for counting – <br /><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>How many deaths by gun violence in the past month?</li><li>How many children dying from hunger in Philadelphia this year?</li><li>How many new cases of Covid in the past week?</li><li>How many tons of carbon do humans emit into the atmosphere each day?</li><li>How many refugee families can GJC host?</li><li>Does a fetus count more than the pregnant mother counts?</li><li>How many books have been banned in Texas?</li></ul>How does “counting” answer these questions and move us toward action for change to repair the world?<br /><br /><b>Who Cares?</b><br /><br />In parashat Bemidbar, when God instructs Moses to count the Israelites, God is counting those most precious to God at that time, the children of Israel. <br /><br />In any census, every individual counts equally, no one more or less than any other one. The concept of everyone counting equally relates the question of why would God be giving the Torah to the Israelites in the wilderness? <br /><br />The Babylonian rabbi Rava, often cited in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud">Talmud</a>, says that when people open themselves to everyone in the way that a wilderness is wide open to everyone, then God can give them the Torah. <br /><br />The Sages inferred from the book of Numbers that the Torah was given in the wilderness to show that as the wilderness is free to all people, so are the words of the Torah.<br /><br />Another Midrash teaches that God gave the Torah in the wilderness, so that all should have an equal claim to it.<br /><br />Shavuot tells the story of God counting on the Jewish nation by giving responsibilities and obligations set forth in the 10 commandments and those laws that follow for every one to follow. Through the commandments, God counts us, cares for us, and counts on us to care for one another. The commandments are obligations that we count on each other to uphold in community.<br /><br /><b>Transition to preparation for Shavuot</b><br /><br />The Hebrew word Shavuot translates to the English word weeks. In Leviticus, we are commanded to count the Omer each day of seven days of seven weeks from the second day of Passover, and to celebrate the fiftieth day as a holiday. We’ve been counting each special day for 49 days.<br /><br />Let’s take time now to prepare for Shavuot by making space, big space in our hearts and minds for receiving Torah, to receive the mystery as we stand together, each one of us counting equally as part of the community, with humility, openness, and awe. <br /><br />Questions for discussion:<br /><br />1. Think about how and where you want to count. What responsibility or obligation will you take up for this year to help repair the world?<br /><br />2. Think about how and where we can count as Minyan Dorshei Derekh, seekers of the way. What responsibility or obligation could we as take up for this year to help repair the world, making it a better place? <br /><br /><div>Closing (after discussion) - an exerpt from R. Yael Levy’s Journey through the Wilderness – <br /><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>Each of us is uniquely formed</div><div>so as to bring forth a particular aspect of the Mystery.</div><div>We give thanks for all of who we are.</div><div>We give thanks for our places in the mysterious unfolding of all creation.</div><div>We ask that our hands be open and our hearts be pure</div><div>so that our lives can be of service</div><div>and, together with all beings, we will bring forth blessing.</div></blockquote><div><br /><br /><br /><br /> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-77058393355961370752022-02-01T16:29:00.005-08:002022-02-01T17:13:21.792-08:00Guide To Welcoming Guests: from Dorshei Derekh's Anti-Racism Taskforce<p><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihM4XfPSthkiiyPQKUfqAW7eS338zoyRJTwKNawUzCXYrPiQO9mXwmnIHwh6mWTEG3g81E1WmMZhhiBSR6Bwod1a0GHqf4yRNM-bH2bLhkf6ZuyaJftGo5uxTZ6pB-qCQ2DkIllAcBpagPO5lKbe9iLglixO0c6l7KR4tqZiT85u9doz5q3Pe2yOSgJw=s366" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="366" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihM4XfPSthkiiyPQKUfqAW7eS338zoyRJTwKNawUzCXYrPiQO9mXwmnIHwh6mWTEG3g81E1WmMZhhiBSR6Bwod1a0GHqf4yRNM-bH2bLhkf6ZuyaJftGo5uxTZ6pB-qCQ2DkIllAcBpagPO5lKbe9iLglixO0c6l7KR4tqZiT85u9doz5q3Pe2yOSgJw=s320" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br />Haknassat Orchim<i> (Welcoming Guests): </i>Creating a </b><b><span lang="EN">Welcoming Community at Minyan Dorshei Derekh</span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0.7pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;">An introductory message from
the </span></i></b></span><b style="font-size: small;"><i><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;">Dorshei Derekh Antiracism Task Force, </span></i></b><b style="font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;">November 2021</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">All of us like to present our best selves to others.
We like to strengthen relationships with people we know and create new ones
with those we meet. Chances are, we usually succeed. But sometimes, despite our
good intentions, we all miss the mark; sometimes our words and behaviors have
consequences we do not intend. That is especially so as we seek to embrace the
full diversity within the Jewish community and reckon with the pernicious
racism that’s been a part of American, and thus also American Jewish, culture
and law for 400 years. The willingness of marginalized communities and
individuals to expect recognition of what they have often dealt with in silence
has created exciting possibilities as well as a level of discomfort among those
who, often unconsciously, have grown accustomed to being at the top of the
social ladder and in power. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Following important presentations as part of the
December 2019 Presser Shabbat programming on </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">dynamics of racism within our own
minyan</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> (which
itself followed up on previous looks at racial implications of </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Mass Incarceration, Climate
Justice, Immigration, and Education),</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> Dorshei Derekh embarked on a concerted process to
become an antiracist minyan. Many quickly realized that becoming more welcoming
would require a careful look at our communal practices and our individual
behaviors. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">We created the Dorshei Derekh Antiracism Task Force,
which set up reading groups to explore racism and early in 2021 shared a draft
welcoming document with our members. That draft document raised some important
questions and concerns. Some members felt overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of
phrases to use and not to use; they wondered how they could possibly remember
it all. Some found the tone accusatory. Several were worried that the list
could actually shut down, rather than encourage, conversation. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The primary goal of the Welcoming Guide--presented
here in a revised version--is to raise awareness about the often unintentional
impact of statements we make to others, create accountability, and offer
guidance to folks who may be struggling for the right words. No one is perfect;
try as we might, we make mistakes. We cannot easily erase phrases from our
minds and memorize others. We can hope, however, that these guidelines can, as
they become second nature over time, help us prevent unintended insults and
make us more welcoming. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Secondarily, we hope that the very existence of this
document will reassure Jews of Color, Sephardic Jews, differently-abled Jews,
Jews by Choice, queer and gender-expansive Jews, non-Jews -- all who join us,
whether once or permanently -- that we truly want to welcome each other with
open hearts and minds, fulfill the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mitzvot
</i>of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">haknassat orchim </i>(welcoming
guests) and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> kavod habriot </i>(honoring
all of God’s creation), and build what Martin Luther King, Jr., called<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>“Beloved Community<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 5pt;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">We suggest that you<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
</i>peruse this document, set it aside, then reread it a few more times. If you
deem some of the suggestions here unhelpful, don’t use them, or substitute what
makes sense to you. And don’t forget: we all make mistakes, and we all know how
to forgive.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">We acknowledge with much appreciation
the organizations whose welcoming guides served as models for ours: Friends
General Conference, Unitarian Universalist Association, and Congregation Kol
Tzedek.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">-- Dorshei
Derekh Antiracism Task Force: Tamara Cohen, Andrea Jacobs, Beth Janus, Malkah
Binah Klein, David Mosenkis, Jennifer Paget, Dina Pinsky, Atenea Rosado, George
Stern, Elyse Wechterman. November 2021</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN">Here are our <u>suggestions</u> for ways to reach out, introduce yourself, and
show interest -- all while respecting boundaries. <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0.7pt; mso-pagination: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><b><span lang="EN">Engaging
with a person whose name you don’t remember, or whom you don’t recognize...</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 0.7pt; mso-pagination: none;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmpy-HuO_LAsjudGju_b6-tL9U0gX3VT2ICspX6s2oFgAc9YqDmxa1_yLjUlXBKjL1DRfIaZOD5Hy-iqHmJVFeRkS6Hz2wbQY0ZX0UHE1uTiQXZ56NhJU_K36l0CI-u8hf6Miu91uoam0KCa85xefrPbhECLVifjdvDIy7A7Arzrk7kJojL5R4ZiBH6A=s619" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="619" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmpy-HuO_LAsjudGju_b6-tL9U0gX3VT2ICspX6s2oFgAc9YqDmxa1_yLjUlXBKjL1DRfIaZOD5Hy-iqHmJVFeRkS6Hz2wbQY0ZX0UHE1uTiQXZ56NhJU_K36l0CI-u8hf6Miu91uoam0KCa85xefrPbhECLVifjdvDIy7A7Arzrk7kJojL5R4ZiBH6A=w525-h307" width="525" /></a></b></div><b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_U9Gic5oRdVto-CMsCpXiDdyhlwTWA9-jDJP5JC-ILmpQjwA3PyOXMRqEGKWlZQlSSkg7UD_s2unolvIMTmhxuHfLfrUPTCWYWbyR7b5urVtXB5nGvr0XHI3RtNQDeaXcOHKsI2CTPI3MAcWMBDEDpOLemic0S_O0UUGGZTyZ4ue33UmwTx9Tlq1mvw=s884" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="884" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_U9Gic5oRdVto-CMsCpXiDdyhlwTWA9-jDJP5JC-ILmpQjwA3PyOXMRqEGKWlZQlSSkg7UD_s2unolvIMTmhxuHfLfrUPTCWYWbyR7b5urVtXB5nGvr0XHI3RtNQDeaXcOHKsI2CTPI3MAcWMBDEDpOLemic0S_O0UUGGZTyZ4ue33UmwTx9Tlq1mvw=w523-h354" width="523" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-0WvUbJsvteLzPetHrd94AA0nbqC5N3idSfmvoW_Gp8tpJrORozcbJwROBp40E5xBumOksMivMjtTAo-r_J_II5JRGxIMcyd0vuVycQ_Q5-BLwxchjHi48gdSEnMQOfpBIxZEsWQFuEzFRw_iL9rvHneo0BIeWz6IFuybsRykonrXkkg2BzP0aFkgbA=s787" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="756" height="543" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-0WvUbJsvteLzPetHrd94AA0nbqC5N3idSfmvoW_Gp8tpJrORozcbJwROBp40E5xBumOksMivMjtTAo-r_J_II5JRGxIMcyd0vuVycQ_Q5-BLwxchjHi48gdSEnMQOfpBIxZEsWQFuEzFRw_iL9rvHneo0BIeWz6IFuybsRykonrXkkg2BzP0aFkgbA=w521-h543" width="521" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjW7M9UHBDekeMFJZmFxL0toL2adhFswKwlw_UbAr1ioCrPenpvZzE4i9WvIwqVPy3JMK1vvj75IKS3nX7K8cW-9MZ_yXCdgmlI-FiuK4OB-Hm0EPs-WPdnQ7qjL_yefA00vc0HJ2PcqB3boc5CL_7syILhGeIu_e6Chun-oIUqkqMmAzeY5BIOYPP9Eg=s834" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="822" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjW7M9UHBDekeMFJZmFxL0toL2adhFswKwlw_UbAr1ioCrPenpvZzE4i9WvIwqVPy3JMK1vvj75IKS3nX7K8cW-9MZ_yXCdgmlI-FiuK4OB-Hm0EPs-WPdnQ7qjL_yefA00vc0HJ2PcqB3boc5CL_7syILhGeIu_e6Chun-oIUqkqMmAzeY5BIOYPP9Eg=w516-h524" width="516" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEindqAZxJNLKznlLU3zC_OBz9zIz0lGNFz9SiSf00u0_o6HZpUxv26lqOXsz_U3cKB5vuaJKdz4iGuYIOZoXKpzG-d-qX3KbsZioOfurpSQnXDiJ7Me3z7E2BLbESwPrRT_1OPyqpphQCFi1ww6T_Vkg7-Vfa3XbiLH-J7E_wtRbZtYQSNgqym8e4adSQ=s817" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="817" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEindqAZxJNLKznlLU3zC_OBz9zIz0lGNFz9SiSf00u0_o6HZpUxv26lqOXsz_U3cKB5vuaJKdz4iGuYIOZoXKpzG-d-qX3KbsZioOfurpSQnXDiJ7Me3z7E2BLbESwPrRT_1OPyqpphQCFi1ww6T_Vkg7-Vfa3XbiLH-J7E_wtRbZtYQSNgqym8e4adSQ=w511-h394" width="511" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCQLMHb1xM35ra3Sr9zcbXlxHuFqdNDe16n5wEAClo136TYr4VP6UNykXqtU6w_pe_ZpclhxVBXv3dVWwm6LIz0OWHvLlS7-WzMrBDD2U4zuk7D0nb_ZoHy8-EcDd3BOxcYxTCrT5sdAUEHPJhOntiPhaCDy-drOliSpRywEDISQp3IdEcKFdZ8rze5w=s799" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="687" height="586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCQLMHb1xM35ra3Sr9zcbXlxHuFqdNDe16n5wEAClo136TYr4VP6UNykXqtU6w_pe_ZpclhxVBXv3dVWwm6LIz0OWHvLlS7-WzMrBDD2U4zuk7D0nb_ZoHy8-EcDd3BOxcYxTCrT5sdAUEHPJhOntiPhaCDy-drOliSpRywEDISQp3IdEcKFdZ8rze5w=w504-h586" width="504" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><span lang="EN"><br /></span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: start;"><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><b>ALWAYS REMEMBER:</b><i style="font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
Don’t be afraid to</i> <i style="font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">reach out,
introduce yourself, and show interest. It’s the only way to be welcoming!</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-58628981727358474022022-02-01T15:58:00.002-08:002022-02-01T16:05:03.168-08:00Parshat Bo: David Mosenkis Presents the Monthly Anti-Racism Davar Torah, 2021<p><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: x-large;"><b>צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף</b></span> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhws2XREd_B9-p6ptCN5YyKe7qEufPGF2AN8BAqUYtdt52qgJOqoGCObxpp_MckYQuSCT0CI2BPz_E8GYvXtoO0I6WnZJ6cXjuZMQRJrQMIfVWofloAJexLtdL7i3ameNP_iaD4AT-UINORIqAs4V_p6c8ZpOlASEI4wGjRPl8WVDc8OyhRg4v5gmvxXg=s320" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="241" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhws2XREd_B9-p6ptCN5YyKe7qEufPGF2AN8BAqUYtdt52qgJOqoGCObxpp_MckYQuSCT0CI2BPz_E8GYvXtoO0I6WnZJ6cXjuZMQRJrQMIfVWofloAJexLtdL7i3ameNP_iaD4AT-UINORIqAs4V_p6c8ZpOlASEI4wGjRPl8WVDc8OyhRg4v5gmvxXg=w151-h200" width="151" /></a></div>D’var Torah – Parashat Bo - 5782/2022<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">First, a quick summary of this
momentous parashah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It opens with the 8<sup><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 103%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">th</span></sup>
and 9<sup><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 103%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">th</span></sup> plagues, locusts and darkness. Pharaoh continues to
refuse to let the Israelites go and worship God in the wilderness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God then tells Moses, and Moses tells
Pharaoh, that there will be one more plague, the killing of the firstborn. There
is then a pause in the drama while God gives instructions for the Passover lamb
sacrifice that the Israelites are to offer that evening, along with unleavened
bread and bitter herbs, and the commandment for the seven-day holiday of
Passover. The Israelites are then instructed to mark their doorposts with blood
to indicate their homes should be spared from the last plague. In the middle of
the night, God kills all Egyptian firstborns, human and cattle. The Israelites
request and receive objects of silver and gold from the Egyptians, as God had
told them to. And they leave Egypt, baking unleavened cakes on their way out. Moses
repeats the rituals of the Passover holiday for the people to follow when God
leads them into the land God promised to their ancestors, along with the redemption
of firstborn children and animals.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">Looking at this week’s parashah
through an <b>anti-racism lens</b>, it is not hard to find teachings that can
inform and inspire our present-day quest for racial justice.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 0.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;">First, the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt
has been a powerful inspiration for liberation movements over the generations,
and has been especially potent for the African American struggle for
liberation, first from slavery, and subsequently from continuing oppression. We
can find in today’s parashah a precedent for the layers of oppression that
Black Americans have faced in their quest for liberation. Moses starts by
asking for the Israelites to be able to go and worship God in the wilderness.
At first Pharaoh says no, then is persuaded by the plagues to say: OK, worship
your God, but here in Egpyt, not in the wilderness. Then he says OK, go to the
wilderness but only men, no children. Then he says OK all the people, but no
cattle, before he is finally convinced to allow all the people and their
animals to leave. Even after the Exodus, Pharaoh changes his mind and tries to
recapture the Israelites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="text-indent: 0in;">These reluctant insufficient steps toward liberation are
echoed in the Black American liberation experience. The United States’ Pharaoh,
the white power structure, eventually and reluctantly ended chattel slavery,
but soon replaced it with the practices of Jim Crow: OK, you can be technically
“free”, but you can’t vote, can’t receive an education, can’t own property,
etc.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0in;">Eventually the U.S. Pharaoh said OK,
we’ll eliminate explicitly racist laws, but maintain racial segregation and
discrimination through practices like redlining and restrictive covenants, and
restricting economic opportunity. In the next phase, commonly termed the “New
Jim Crow”, Blacks were and continue to be targeted with differential law
enforcement, resulting in mass incarceration and ongoing disparities in access
to education, economic opportunity, and power.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 0.5pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0in;">Secondly, also in
today’s parashah is the precedent for reparations for slavery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is first commanded in Exodus 11:2-3:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 99%; margin-bottom: .15pt; margin-left: 35.25pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.15pt 35.25pt;">Tell the people to borrow, each man from
his neighbor and each woman from hers, objects of silver and gold.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 99%; margin-bottom: .15pt; margin-left: 35.25pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.15pt 35.25pt;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 99%; margin-bottom: .15pt; margin-left: 35.25pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.15pt 35.25pt;">The LORD disposed the Egyptians favorably
toward the people. Moreover, Moses himself was much esteemed in the land of
Egypt, among Pharaoh’s courtiers and among the people.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 99%; margin-bottom: .15pt; margin-left: 35.25pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.15pt 35.25pt;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .5pt; margin-left: -.25pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.5pt -0.25pt;">And then it is carried out in Exodus 12:35-36:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .5pt; margin-left: -.25pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.5pt -0.25pt;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 99%; margin-bottom: .15pt; margin-left: 35.25pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.15pt 35.25pt;">The Israelites had done Moses’ bidding and
borrowed from the Egyptians objects of silver and gold, and clothing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 99%; margin-bottom: .15pt; margin-left: 35.25pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.15pt 35.25pt;">And the LORD had disposed the Egyptians
favorably toward the people, and they let them have their request; thus they
stripped the Egyptians.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">The word “borrow” can
alternatively be translated as “ask for”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">The Book of Jubilees (an ancient
Hebrew text that did not make it into the Bible) says: “This asking was in
order to despoil the Egyptians in return for the bondage in which they had
forced them to serve.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">The medieval commentator Sforno
says: In Moses' honor the Egyptians gave generously to the Israelites.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">It is fascinating how the Plaut
Torah commentary, published by the Reform movement in 1981, tersely comments on
these verses: “Note also the demands for restitution made by the black
revolutionary movement in the United States.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: -.25pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in -0.25pt;">Thirdly, there are different models of bringing about
justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does God bring Pharaoh
around to the right point of view?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From
the opening verses of today’s parashah:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: -.25pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0in -0.25pt;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 99%; margin-bottom: .15pt; margin-left: 35.25pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 0.15pt 35.25pt;">You may recount in the hearing of your
child and of your child’s child how I made a mockery of the Egyptians . . . How
long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">This is a model of total
domination and humiliation, which was deemed necessary in the face of Pharaoh’s
arrogant and repeated hard-hearted refusal to let the Israelites go. Is there
another model for opening people to a just perspective?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">There is a classical midrash in
which Pharaoh is spared at the Red Sea, and ends up leading his people in
repenting. In the Midrash, Pharoah became king of Nineveh, where, hundreds of
years later, Jonah came and brought word from God that in three days Nineveh
would be destroyed because of its wickedness. Pharaoh remembered when Moses
brought God's word that Egypt was doomed. So this time, he listened and led the
people of Nineveh in repentance. The wording in the book of Jonah, “The people
of Ninveveh believed in God”, mimics that in Exodus right before the Song of
the Sea: “They believed in God”. The people of Nineveh were brought to belief
in God by none other than Pharaoh, when he told them of the wonders that
occurred in Egypt and the Red Sea. The fact that someone like Pharaoh, who time
and again refused to recognize the power of God, could repent and teach a whole
city about the truth of God, is a remarkable lesson in the strength of
repentance.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">I want to invite us to explore
how we approach our anti-racism efforts. Do we emulate God’s approach in Egypt
of blaming and humbling those who perpetuate racism? Or do we emulate God’s and
the king of Nineveh’s approach of inviting people into repentance? While there
may be times in the struggle for racial justice that require strong public
rebuke, for the work we are doing inside our own GJC community, I invite us to
proceed with compassion, love, and respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">All of us grew up in a society
steeped in racism, whether or not we were aware of it. None of us asked for
this, but none of us could avoid messages of white supremacy and Black
inferiority from seeping into our conscious and unconscious minds. It was the
air that we breathed, and we are not to blame for having those attitudes and
thoughts lurking somewhere inside us. As I see it, our challenge is to uncover
any unconscious racial bias we harbor, strive not to let it influence our
thoughts and actions, and work to dismantle the oppressive systems that
centuries of racism have built up.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -0.25pt;">How can we approach our
anti-racism journey as a cooperative venture? As a way to help each other
liberate ourselves from the dehumanizing effects of racism? All of us have
blind spots, and we need each other to help see them. I believe that is best
done with compassion rather than blame, shame, or guilt. With a loving
approach, we can support each other to overcome our defensive reactions, and
maybe even celebrate anytime an artifact of our racist conditioning comes to
light.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 27.1pt; margin-left: -.25pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 27.1pt -0.25pt;">The big sign on the GJC lawn near Emlen Street says “Black
Lives Matter” on one side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other
side sometime reads “Tzedek tzedek tirdof – Justice, justice – pursue it.”. Why
does this verse from Deuteronomy repeat the word justice?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To teach us to pursue justice in a just
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe the just way to fulfill
our goal to be an antiracist community is to approach each other with
compassion.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-39165774669894171472022-01-30T07:02:00.002-08:002022-02-23T17:42:05.058-08:00Stefan Presser z"l Social Justice Retropsective: 15 Years!<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="282" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PoDxJWD-CXg" width="339" youtube-src-id="PoDxJWD-CXg"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Last night we gathered on Zoom for Havadalah and to hear from four of our leading Tikkun Olam activists: Donald Joseph, David Mosenkis, Tamara Cohen, and Seth Lieberman.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Betsy Teutsch shared this history of the Stefan Presser Memorial Social Justice Shabbat programing.<br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stefan’s presence in our minyan intensified along with his illness. He was a husband to Sandy and father of their three young kids [adults, and all present tonight!], in his late 40s, when diagnosed with a brain tumor. His prognosis was not great. He had been a member of Dorshei Derekh for several years, but once ill, he came to Dorshei Derekh most every shabbat, often sharing where he was on this distressing journey. When he had to stop working, and his world became smaller, the times he spent with us became increasingly precious. He radiated love, and we all beamed it back at him. Many of our members regularly went to visit with him as he became more frail.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He died on Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, in 2005. A few of us organized a program on his 2nd yahrzeit. His dear friend </span><a href="https://www.law.upenn.edu/faculty/skreimer" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Professor Seth Kreimer</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> spoke on legal issues issues of the day.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">My memory is hazy on how we decided to repeat this annually, but I recall meeting up with David Mosenkis at High Point to kick around ideas. Stefan had been the Legal Director of the Pennsylvania ACLU and many Minyan teens interned for him. Inviting them to speak was a way for us all to process both the loss of Stefan, and nurture his legacy. We got to hear what work Ari Spicehandler Brochin, Josh Marcus, Frances Kreimer, and our son Zach Teutsch, were up to. They are all active in social justice work as adults.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">By 2010 our planning group included Donald Joseph. In Stefan’s memory we planned an annual program on a specific social justice topic in the late fall/early winter. While the GJC community was always invited, it has primarily been an internal Dorshei Derekh event.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our formula was to choose an issue we wanted to learn more about, invite an expert activist to speak, and pair them with someone with substantial Jewish insight on the topic. Adding a lunch or, as we called it, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">lunchy kiddush</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, encouraged people to stick around. This was our approach for the ensuing decade, pulled off on a shoestring, funded by our minyan treasury.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the ‘0s, Germantown Jewish Centre’s social justice portfolio resided in the Social Action Committee. This committee was tasked with the annual MLK program done in conjunction with local churches, through the Neighbourhood Interfaith Movement. They also planned the annual Granger Shabbat focusing on local social justice issues. Additionally, the committee focused on direct service, organizing volunteers for tutoring and Story Times at our neighborhood’s Henry and Houston Schools. GJC’s program for housing and feeding homeless families, the </span><a href="http://philashelter.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, began in 1996, a complex undertaking with its own team of in-house volunteers. It became a major focus of direct service GJC mitzvah activity.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What was missing at GJC was a way for members with a passion around a particular cause to organize and build support for shared activism. We have always had many members involved in a myriad of issues. In our minyan Stefan brought his ACLU background; </span><a href="https://www.inquirer.com/obituaries/michael-masch-budget-secretary-pennsylvania-philadelphia-school-district-obit-obituary-20210215.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mike Masch z”l</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was our pipeline to city politics, as well as to Harrisburg and Pennsylvania state government policy and budget. It’s not every minyan that offers a </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">misheberach</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> when the State Budget passes!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many of our Stefan Presser program topics were proposed by Dorshei Derekh members wanting a platform for causes in which they were already immersed. Malkah Binah Klein became our committee chair, and brought some specific programs, including the one on </span><a href="http://www.minyandorsheiderekh.org/2013/10/2013-stefan-presser-memorial-social.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gun Violence</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and another on </span><a href="http://www.minyandorsheiderekh.org/2016/01/mass-incarceration-injustice-in-america.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Returning Citizens</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. On some level, we used this Social Justice annual program as an incubator; quite a few of the topics grew into synagogue-wide concerns. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2016 the GJC Social Action Committee was restructured as the </span><a href="https://germantownjewishcentre.org/tikkun/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tikkun Olam Coordinating Team</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. One of those working to bring about this change is our own Abby Weinberg. The mission is now very different, supporting members to advocate and organize for the causes they care about, and running programs where congregants can get involved. Tikkun Olam means Repairing the World; clearly we have continued providing direct services to but have expanded to working for systemic changes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And we will be hearing Donald Joseph’s update on the </span><a href="https://www.fundourschoolspa.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pennsylvania School Funding Trial</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the culmination of decades of work by the Public Interest Law Center.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">David Mosenkis will be talking in a few minutes about the synagogue’s deepening commitment to </span><a href="https://powerinterfaith.org/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">POWER</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a state-wide multi-faith multi-racial movement advocating for systemic change in a number of arenas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">We will be hearing from Seth Lieberman, the chair of the synagogue-wide Refugee Committee. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">We will be hearing from Tamara Cohen, on the minyan’s antiracism task force, along with hearing about the synagogue’s.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are all topics that we featured at specific Social Justice shabbatot, and are now woven into our synagogue’s work.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Personal activism and community organizing have taken off exponentially since the beginning of our Presser Shabbatot in 2008. The language around this work has changed. We have moved from </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Social Action</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Social Justice</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tikkun Olam</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. We are now more nuanced about justice: we speak of racial justice, environmental and climate justice, reproductive justice, education justice, disability justice, and gender justice. Kol Tzedek, the Reconstructionist Congregation in West Philly where many GJC Gen Xers are active, including Josh Marcus, named itself Kol Tzedek, A Voice for Justice - right there, front and center. There are many similar synagogues around the country that have sprung up with a primary focus on Tikkun Olam.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Obviously, the 4 years of the previous administration raised the pursuit of social justice to a crisis level. And 2 years of a pandemic have reset most everything.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Jewish community has generated ever more justice-oriented organizations. Keeping track of all of them is challenging!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tonight we are reflecting on how social justice/Tikkun Olam moved from the periphery of Dorshei Derekh - something </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">some</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of our members were devoted to - to becoming a central focus of our community. And how Dorshei’s Derekh commitment to these values connects to GJC, our larger home.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">We cannot claim that our Stefan Presser Social Justice programs brought this about, but we immodestly perhaps, do think they have helped to galvanize Dorshei Derekh, and motivated many of us to get more involved in initiatives we learned about at these programs. Indeed, we are better together. Pursuing justice is more effective, and more satisfying, when it’s a shared effort.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span> - Betsy Teutsch, January 29, 2022</span><br /></span></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-28440544044064526632021-12-10T10:44:00.003-08:002021-12-10T10:45:40.291-08:00Rabbi Ahuvah (Amy) Loewenthal: Reflecting on the Strength of Our Zoom Shabbat Experience<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A2oTRfQGq8Y/YbOfwowirXI/AAAAAAABHpg/kELBrV8A3pUqJuQ7I_BH45QzGfIYzboygCNcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A2oTRfQGq8Y/YbOfwowirXI/AAAAAAABHpg/kELBrV8A3pUqJuQ7I_BH45QzGfIYzboygCNcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="240" /></a></div>Thanks, Rabbi Ahuvah (Amy) Loewenthal, for this thoughtful reflection!<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As an RRC student living in Mt. Airy, I was an active member
of Dorshei Derekh. I enjoyed the warm community, the spirited tradition-based
davening, and the engaging varied divrei Torah. When I moved away from Philly,
I retained my Dorshei Derekh membership to stay linked and to demonstrate my
ongoing support. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My wife and I currently belong to four shuls. During the
pandemic, many shuls began offering Shabbat services on Zoom. Some were earlier
adopters. Some wrestled with halachic considerations. A remarkable aspect of
Dorshei Derekh services on Zoom is the sense of actually gathering together as
a community. Participants feel witnessed and included, not passive consumers. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Participation is encouraged in various ways. On these Zoom
services, the chat function is enabled. People can express their appreciation
during the service through a hearty “<i>Yisher Kokhaikh</i>!” dropped into the
chat, as would occur in an in-person service. One can also privately message a
friend to inquire after their well-being, as would occur sotto voce in an
in-person service.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some <i>shlikhei tzibbur</i> (service leaders) will pose a
thematic question in conjunction with a prayer. For example, during a prayer on
Creation, the <i>kahal</i> might be asked to recount a beautiful moment in
nature. People will unmute and briefly share their experiences.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Typically, a <i>darshan</i> (Torah sermonizer) will present
a framework for viewing the weekly <i>parasha</i>, followed by discussion
prompts. Participants are then sent to breakout rooms to talk in small groups,
before reassembling for the <i>darshan’s</i> concluding remarks. It is
fascinating to hear such a variety of comments, and a great way to get to learn
about one another. A breakout room of four to six people seems perfect, more
fruitful than a whole group discussion or a paired conversation, as might be
proposed in-person. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There are pastoral moments which work well on Zoom. There
are opportunities surrounding the Torah service to share one’s news of a happy
or difficult life cycle event; to offer the names of friends and relatives in
need of healing; and to encourage those within the community who are facing a
health challenge.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mourners share the names of those they are remembering
before <i>Kaddish Yatom</i> is recited, and everyone unmutes to be able to
respond “<i>Amen, Brikh Hu, Yehai Shmei Rabbah</i>…”. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At the end of the service, visitors and newer members are
encouraged to introduce themselves. They receive a warm welcome. After <i>Kiddush</i>,
there’s often an opportunity to schmooze in breakout rooms before folks push
back from the computer and move on to lunch in their own homes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When I’ve been free on Shabbat morning to attend Dorshei
Derekh services on Zoom, I’ve marveled at how these many measures generate a
feeling of being included and cared about. This community clearly prioritizes
connectedness. Dorshei Derekh’s effectiveness at gathering people this way is
outstanding among the many shul communities I’m involved with. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have loved attending services from afar and have enjoyed
serving as a <i>shlikhat tzibbur </i>several times.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s wonderful to be able to stay in touch with fellow
members even though I’m geographically distant. And it has been interesting to
meet and get to know people who arrived in the community after I left. In some
ways, Zoom Shabbat services may seem to be a less than ideal but necessary mode
during the pandemic. However, there are benefits to being able to meet via
Zoom. One’s geographical distance or other obstacles to attending in person no
longer preclude participation. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">An amusing unexpected consequence is that the group is
showing up much more promptly to Zoom Shabbat morning services. At a typical
in-person Shabbat service, attendance is lighter for <i>Pesukei d’Zimrah </i>but
builds during <i>Shakharit</i>, up to maximum attendance for the Torah service.
On Zoom, it turns out that people are happy to join earlier, while sipping
coffee in the comfort of their own homes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The future course of the pandemic is hard to predict. Perhaps
the option of remote access will end once the pandemic ends. Perhaps
multi-access will become a shul norm. In any case, Jewish community members
will have a rich opportunity to reflect on what we’ve learned in adapting to
these unusual times.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">~Rabbi Ahuvah (Amy) Loewenthal, 2021</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-14025196046259098682021-08-31T08:28:00.000-07:002021-08-31T08:28:21.649-07:00Dorshei Derekh Core Values<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6SmK7LWdUss/YSufsPCDatI/AAAAAAABHXU/mUFYCt3u7Z8iJqnXsdIxS2SUrecMQGntQCPcBGAYYCw/s1650/canna%2Bleaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1275" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6SmK7LWdUss/YSufsPCDatI/AAAAAAABHXU/mUFYCt3u7Z8iJqnXsdIxS2SUrecMQGntQCPcBGAYYCw/w154-h200/canna%2Bleaf.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><br />Our minyan has been continuing evolving over these past 35 years.<div>Shkoy'ach - kudos - to Rabbi Tamara Cohen for composing a contemporary statement of what matters to us and who we are now:</div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><u><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span></span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><u><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span></span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><u><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span></span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><u><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Ñ</span></span></u><b><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"> Core Dorshei Derekh Values</span></u></b><u><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">Ð</span></span></u><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Lay leadership<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Vibrant
participatory services<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Critical and
creative engagement with Torah and liturgy <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Theological
diversity <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mutual
aid/caring for one another <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Feminist
innovation <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">LGBTQ inclusion<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Anti-racist
learning and practice <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Intergenerational
community <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Inclusion of
those who have been historically marginalized in Jewish communities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-79889404834865818152021-08-29T08:07:00.000-07:002021-08-29T08:07:48.701-07:00Rosh Hashanah 5782/ COVID 2<p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6SmK7LWdUss/YSufsPCDatI/AAAAAAABHXQ/Mnk1Wj9Agx8Uoy-NIGq65KM1jj7U-qLUACNcBGAsYHQ/s1650/canna%2Bleaf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1275" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6SmK7LWdUss/YSufsPCDatI/AAAAAAABHXQ/Mnk1Wj9Agx8Uoy-NIGq65KM1jj7U-qLUACNcBGAsYHQ/w494-h640/canna%2Bleaf.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;">This beautiful art is the work of <a href="https://www.dominiquebutlerart.com/">Dominique Butler</a>, an African American artist in Baltimore. She is an active member of <a href="https://www.hinenubaltimore.org/">Hinenu: The Baltimore Jewish Justice Shtiebel.</a> We were pleased to compensate Butler for our specific reuse of her beautiful image.<span style="font-family: proxima-nova; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.28px; white-space: pre-wrap;">We were introduced to her work through</span><span style="font-family: proxima-nova; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.28px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://buyolympia.com/Artist/Radical+Jewish+Calendar" style="font-family: proxima-nova; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.28px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Radical Jewish Calendar</a><span style="font-family: proxima-nova; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.28px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which featured Butler's work last year.</span></p><p class="" style="background-color: white; font-family: proxima-nova; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.28px; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b><span style="background-color: transparent;">"</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.28px; text-align: left;">Dominique Butler is a painter who primarily works in gouache and oil. She grew up in a small farm town in northern Vermont and currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland. She received her Bachelor’s of Art in Drawing, Painting, and Art History from Drew University in 2017. </span></b></i></p><p class="" style="background-color: white; font-family: proxima-nova; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: 0.28px; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 1em; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>Her recent work revolves around viewing nature through the eyes of a person of color. Her paintings are captured images of the environment that are often overlooked. These pieces touch upon the distinct disconnection between black bodies and the great outdoors; prompting the viewer to question why nature, outdoor recreation, and environmentalism are white dominated."</b></i></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-9973493699073351232021-02-24T10:16:00.004-08:002021-02-24T16:12:03.046-08:00Dorshei Derekh Pandemic Purim 2121 <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WzFOX9vviGE/YDaUGAOEqmI/AAAAAAABHC0/b5rKv-_jxngoTGCrfn8HFJ3s6AbVKpEVACNcBGAsYHQ/s259/hamantasche.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WzFOX9vviGE/YDaUGAOEqmI/AAAAAAABHC0/b5rKv-_jxngoTGCrfn8HFJ3s6AbVKpEVACNcBGAsYHQ/s0/hamantasche.jpeg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">What a year - with Zoom replacing regular meeting, bringing many new "virtual" people to our community.<br />The Presser Committee usually plans one social justice event a year, but this year we are on a roll. We've planned many Purim events to help us stay connected.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Thanks to all who have helped pull this off!</span></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;"><br /></b></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;">Chag Sameach from the Presser Gang:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Malkah Binah Klein, chair</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span> </span>Donald Joseph, Chair Emeritus<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span> </span>Michael Blackman</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span> </span>Debrah Cohen</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span> </span>Mark Pinsky<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span> </span>Atenea Rosado</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Betsy Teutsch</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here is how we've organized the four mitzvot of Purim</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #073a6c; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Mishloach Manot (Gifts of food to our friends)</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bags of love, in the form of goodies, are being picked up today by those who sent back the form.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; text-align: left;"><b>Coordinator:</b> Betsy Teutsch</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; text-align: left;"><b>Co-Assembling</b>: Margaret Shapiro</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; text-align: left;"><b>Bakers</b>:</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Levanah Cohen</span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fredi Cooper (thanks for the recipe!)</span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dayle Friedman</span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Penina Kelberg, and Ellie and Kayla Kelberg-Gross</span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pesha Leichter</span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Bob Tabak and Ruth Loew</span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jennifer Paget</span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Allison Pokras</span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Genie Ravital</span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Heather Shafner</span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Howard Spodek (see his note on the baklava!)</span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elyse Wechterman and Sharon Nerenberg</span></blockquote></blockquote><p> <span> </span><span> </span><b style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Delivery Elves:</b><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"> Michael Blackman, Mark Pinsky, Donald Joseph, Betsy Teutsch</span></p><p><b style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span> </span><span> </span>Artwork</b><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">: Micaiah Kimmelman-DeVries</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">2. Matanot L’evyonim (Gifts to the poor)</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Dorshei Derekh has donated $500 to each of the following three local organizations. We encourage you to learn about these organizations and lend your support: </span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://philashelter.org&source=gmail&ust=1614275739585000&usg=AFQjCNGx0cQiqd-6QjnUMR_8Z650zWSk9w" href="http://philashelter.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://philashelter.org</a>)</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Germantown Fridge (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.germantowncommunityfridge.com&source=gmail&ust=1614275739585000&usg=AFQjCNFV9FUv-V1JSy4zXIyJwduBP8GQSQ" href="https://www.germantowncommunityfridge.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>germantowncommunityfridge.com</a>)</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Philadelphia Bail Fund (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.phillybailfund.org&source=gmail&ust=1614275739585000&usg=AFQjCNHNhVLk5qXooTlUV-XYRGGlQRz7JQ" href="https://www.phillybailfund.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.phillybailfund.<wbr></wbr>org</a>)</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Additionally Debrah Cohen is delivering 15 bags of goodies (our bakers really outdid themselves!) to her clients and to the Germantown Fridge, with a note explaning Purim gifts.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">3. Reading the Megillah</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">We encourage you to join GJC for Megillah reading on Purim night, February 25, and on Purim morning, February 26. See GJC emails for timing and details. In addition, Dorshei will be hosting a Melaveh Malkah (a special gathering for escorting Queen Shabbat on Saturday night) on February 20 to prepare for reading the Megillah.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Saturday evening, February 20, 2021, 7PM, begins with havdalah</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Listening for the Voice of Queen Esther</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Join Rabbi Malkah Binah Klein for an intimate evening of creative encounters with Queen Esther, the heroine of the Purim story known for her courage, beauty, connection with spirit, and friendship. Bring pen and paper, as there will be opportunities for writing, and if you are so moved, wear some jewels or a crown. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">4. Purim Day Seudah/Feast</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">We won’t literally be feasting together this year; however, we will be coming together as a community for a feast of joy, on Purim Day, just before Shabbat. Join us, even if you have traditionally thought that Purim isn’t your thing.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration-line: underline;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Friday afternoon, February 26, 4PM</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Dorshei Zoom Purim Party Extravaganza</span></b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Come sing, play, and laugh, and most of all, let loose your inner, zany child with special guests Rebekka and Gedalia. Silly hats/costumes are welcome. The Zoom link has been shared.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-84818299457925493672021-02-13T18:32:00.001-08:002021-02-13T18:32:14.923-08:00Atenea Rosado on Vayeshev, Presser Shabbat 2020<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UvqfsNp1PE8/YCiJ9wB7VlI/AAAAAAABHAM/DNz_8P7qO5olN7kwV8Wj7WPsSDoe0UV-gCNcBGAsYHQ/s802/atenea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="643" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UvqfsNp1PE8/YCiJ9wB7VlI/AAAAAAABHAM/DNz_8P7qO5olN7kwV8Wj7WPsSDoe0UV-gCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/atenea.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atenea Rosado, one of our<br />newer members!</td></tr></tbody></table>Hello, Shabbat Shalom! Thank you so much for allowing me to share some Torah today for the Presser Shabbat. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5dee11f5-7fff-910a-775f-f4e18029e735"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This parasha is a beautiful but difficult set of stories, and I'm hoping that we have a meaningful discussion of them. This parasha, Vayeshev, begins the story of Joseph and his famous many colored coat, and his even more famous betrayal by his brothers. It then digresses into the story of Judah and Tamar, which I´d like to discuss. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are new to the story, as I was, Judah (Joseph´s older brother), splits off from the rest of his brothers, and marries a Canaanite woman called Bat-Shua. They have three sons, Er, Onan, and Shelah. Er comes of age and is married to a woman named Tamar. Er dies, punished by God for an unspecified sin. Tamar is then married to Onan, in a traditional Levirat marriage, that is, a marriage that will produce children for the deceased Er´s name. Onan refuses to honor his brother´s memory and produce children, so he too is killed by God. Shelah is not of age, so Judah sends Tamar back to her father´s house, claiming that Shelah will marry her when he is old enough, but privately he is afraid of her bad luck with husbands. Some time later, Tamar gets news that her father-in-law Judah is coming to her part of Canaan. She disguises herself, and waits for him. Judah, believing her to be a sex worker, asks to sleep with her. Tamar agrees without revealing her identity. When Judah offers to pay on credit, Tamar successfully solicits his staff and personal seal, but returns to her true identity without ever collecting the real payment. When Judah is told, as patriarch, that his daughter-in-law is illicitly pregnant, he demands to know who the father is. Tamar produces the staff and seal and Judah accepts the paternity of the twins who will be born to her, Peretz and Zerah. Peretz will go on to be a direct ancestor of King David, and therefore, of the Messiah.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is the meaning of this strange, and brutal story? For me, Tamar´s journey is one towards agency. I´m not alone in that. Rashi thinks that Tamar sleeps with Judah because she is actively demanding a place in the family that has such a great destiny. We could view Tamar as a victim of a patriarchal society, who, afraid of her patriarch, Judah, must prove her own innocence, or at least, as the case was, Judah´s complicity. Many traditional (male) commentators remark approvingly of Tamar´s discretion when confronting Judah. She does not say publicly that Judah is the father of the twins, rather, she sends him the staff and seal. But many feminist commentators, like Francesca Littman, have remarked on Tamar´s fear that she will not be believed, as so many women and victims of systemic cruelties are asked to prove their own experiences. Toni Morrison, while discussing Racism, points out that the very nature and intention of this questioning of women and other oppressed peoples' lived experience, is itself an act of violence and theft of time. She says,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><blockquote>“The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing.”</blockquote></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why does Judah attack Tamar, demanding she account for her time and her so-called sexual impropriety, why does he accuse her of faithlessness? If Judah had not demanded from Tamar that she prove her innocence, if Judah and the patriarchy he represents had not threatened Tamar with death, then what might have Tamar accomplished? In our current society, many women and many communities of color, in particular in this country the Black community, have to constantly defend and justify their worth, interests, knowledge, existence and very lives. What might they be, if they could just be? Like Tamar, there is great promise and even possibly salvation in the people who have been systemically oppressed. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The questions I have are:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Was there a time when you felt, like I imagine Tamar felt, like I often feel, that you are being asked to prove something about your life or self that is self evident to you, and the demand is a distraction from work or life you´d rather be doing?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Was there a time when you may have, like Judah, demanded someone verify or prove something about themselves that may have distracted them from crucial matters? How do you think that doing that, demanding them to prove themselves, contributed to their oppression?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If Tamar deserves to be in the line of Messiah for her insistence on herself and her truth, then what relationship does hope have with self-assertion?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">XXXX</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Conclusion</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I´ll be thinking about your contributions all week, and please, reach out if you want to continue this conversation. I thought I would end by building more on the idea of agency, and how one can move from a victim to an active decision maker. When thinking of Tamar´s agency, we could view Judah´s accusation as not a distraction, but rather, Judah playing into Tamar´s hands. Tamar, from the moment she disguised herself, was hoping for exactly this, a chance to solidify her place in the people of Israel and produce children in Judah´s line. When he demands evidence of who she has been sleeping with, she delivers the evidence and in doing so, closes her trap. In this scenario, my question, and I´ll leave you with this for the week, especially as we approach the ending of the Joseph story, is, what is a trap? and when are they acceptable?</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Atenea and her husband Mo joined our community a few years ago and recently bought a house in Mt. Airy. Atenea is a PhD student at Penn</i></span>, <span style="font-family: arial;"><i>pursuing a joint PhD in Education, Culture and Society, and Anthropology.<br /></i></span><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Atenea</span></b> is Spanish for <b>Athena</b>, the Goddess of Wisdom. She is aptly named!</i></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-31570918604054813252021-01-26T19:57:00.004-08:002021-01-26T19:57:24.003-08:00Mark Pinsky on Parshat Vayechi: Hope & Faith After There is an After<p><b><span lang="EN"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1sEs3QtWV4k/YBDki7j-NGI/AAAAAAABG3o/kvhRnL1cwq8qfGI-sI1CTEzJLDCI6u22gCNcBGAsYHQ/s320/pinsky_mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1sEs3QtWV4k/YBDki7j-NGI/AAAAAAABG3o/kvhRnL1cwq8qfGI-sI1CTEzJLDCI6u22gCNcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/pinsky_mark.jpg" width="150" /></a></b></div><b>Parashah Vayechi: Hope & Faith After There is an
After</b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span> </span>Offered by Mark
Pinsky, Minyan Dorshei Derekh - </span>January 2, 2021</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN">My thoughts today
on parashah Vayechi go to the hopes of the Israelites at the end of the
parashah, after Joseph died, and what they might teach us about our own hopes
and faith as we start the new year.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN">In 2020, “Hope”
became a focus at Dorshei Derekh, inspired by Bobbi Breitman’s powerful call to
action. Hope helped us see a different and better time and believe we could get
there.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN">In fact, hope is on
the rise in America. According to a new <i>Axios</i> public opinion poll out
this week, “63% of poll respondents said they’re more hopeful than fearful
about what 2021 holds in store for the world, while 36% said they’re more
fearful.” This is a significant improvement over the prior <i>Axios</i> poll,
when 51% were hopeful and 48% were fearful.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN">It is tempting to
explain the rise in Hope by the election of Joe Biden, but the data don’t back
that up. Remarkably, what is lifting our hopes is COVID--apparently, our can-do
attitude that we will prevail over COVID.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN">To keep it in
context, however. <i>Axios</i> headlined the story, “America Hopes 2021 Will be
Less Terrible.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN">And while nothing
in our lives during COVID gives us easy beginnings or decisive ends, we
binge-watch mini-series, re-watch movies with their prequels and sequels, and
take comfort in the orderly resolves of Hollywood endings.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN">Vayechi delivers a
great Hollywood ending to a great melodrama, the story of Joseph. The parashah,
which begins with Jacob’s final moments, ends neatly with Joseph’s death, the
final scene in the book of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">B’reishit </i>and,
profoundly, the final curtain on the story of our Patriarchs.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN">Before Jacob dies,
he blesses his grandsons Menashe and Ephraim and then blesses his 12 sons--if
you can call his critical assessments “blessings”--to make the 12 tribes of
Israel. He makes Joseph swear to return his body to the Promised Land so he can
rejoin Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah. Of course, Joseph does
so with help from his brothers and Pharaoh.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span>Returning to Egypt,
Joseph reassures his brothers he has only good intentions and explains that God
is with them, through him.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">“Do not be afraid,”
he comforts them. “For I am in the place of God. Even if you meant to do evil,
God meant it for good, in order to bring about what is at present, in order to
keep a numerous nation alive. And now, do not be afraid. I will provide for you
and your children.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Later, as Jospeh
lays ill, he sketches in light strokes that the “numerous nation’s” destiny is
in the Promised Land:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">“I am dying,” he
says. “And God will <i>surely </i>remember
you again one day and bring you up out of this land to the land which God swore
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Finally, echoing
their father, his confidence waning with his breath, Joseph asks his brothers
to return his body, too, to the Promised Land. “<b>If</b> God will remember you again one day, then you shall bring my
bones up from this place.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Fade. Cut. Print.
That’s a wrap!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">I have to tell you
now that I struggle with Hollywood endings. Inevitably there is something
facile in their solutions, some point at which the story conveniently overtakes
the true meaning. If that sort of ending gives us hope, too often it’s false
hope.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Studying Vayechi, I
found myself focusing on the questions that are <i>not </i>answered, the tensions that are left <i>unresolved</i>, and the parts of the story around Vayechi that we
cannot see or know. There is a big gap--maybe even a 430-year gap--between the
end of Genesis and the first major action in Exodus. I am interested in what
happened during that time between Genesis and Exodus because I want to know
what the surviving Israelites experienced, felt, and thought.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span lang="EN">What gave them hope? They kept their faith without living
patriarchs or Torah. How?</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Adina Abramowitz
has taught us to recognize the time, in the words of Rabbi Arthur Waskow and his children David and Shoshana, “before there was a before.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Vayechi raises for
me questions about what goes on <i>with </i>and
<i>to </i>and <i>among </i>the Israelites in the time “after there is an after” … after
the Israelites mourn the loss of Joseph …
and before there is the next “before” … leading to the birth of Moses.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">We don’t know
whether the surviving Israelites understood what it meant that the Patriarchy
had ended. Did that scare them? Did it cause a power struggle? As Sheila said eloquently
last week, the Patriarchy produced a historically dysfunctional family.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">What did they make
of Jacob’s blessing of Menashe and Ephraim? Were Joseph’s brothers resentful?
Distrusting? What did it mean to them that Jacob favored the younger, Ephraim,
over his elder brother? We know they regretted what they had done to Joseph. I
imagine they remembered that Jacob had outmaneuvered Esau since we know there
are no family secrets in this story. What had they learned?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">What did they make
of Joseph’s promise that <span style="background: white;">"G‑d
will <i>surely </i>remember you, and bring
you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to
Jacob”? Did they hear self-doubt in Joseph’s words?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span lang="EN" style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">How </span></i><span lang="EN" style="background: white;">did they fear what the
loss of Joseph (who was providing for them) would mean for them, their
families, their tribes, and the Israelites?</span><span lang="EN"> Without
Joseph, Egypt ran differently.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white; mso-highlight: white;">Did they foresee the troubles ahead in Egypt? Did it
occur to them that Joseph could not say <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">WHEN
</i>they would return to Canaan or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">HOW</i>?
Surely that was </span><span lang="EN">on the Israelites’ minds--when to pack up
to return to Canaan … to emigrate?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">And how did they
recall the conditional nature of Joseph’s request--“<b>If</b> God will remember you again one day, then you shall bring my
bones up from this place,” he said. “If.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">I don’t know about
you, but I would be feeling pretty nervous. I imagine the Israelites felt their
faith and hope tested... Perhaps as WE do NOW. We live suspended in an
uncertain and indeterminate present.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">We are living in a
time that is “after many afters” and “before many befores.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">With each moment we
experience the amorphous time after COVID-19 took control of the world as we
knew it and before the time we will conquer it.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Each of us in our
own ways has sensed the fact that COVID-19 is a species-changing event, as I
heard Ameet Ravital say a few months ago, and yet we must make decisions and
choices about our futures before we know how different life will be after the
pandemic.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">We watch in
unsettled anxiety after the 2020 Presidential elections and before we know...</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN">Which party will control the
Senate;<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN">Whether Donald Trump will assault
the Constitution one final time by refusing to leave office; and,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN">Whether democracy as we knew it
will recover?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">We wake up each day
knowing that Climate Change has us descending quickly toward an unsustainable
future, hoping that we can help produce systemic changes in how the world runs,
fearing what will happen if we do not.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">And we go about our
lives after we have recognized that racial and other structural and systemic
injustices define our world … and before we know how to be part of the healing
or what life could be like when we are.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">So what helped the
Israelites find the hope and keep the faith to carry them across the narrow
bridge that links the time after the last “after” in Genesis to the time before
there is a new before in Exodus?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Of course, they
remembered the Patriarchs, Joseph and his brothers delivered Jacob’s body to
the Cave of Machpelah, and the Israelites delivered Joseph’s
body--eventually--to the Promised Land.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">The complex and
perplexing sequence of Jacob blessing his grandsons before he blesses his sons
seemed to give them faith and hope, too--as it gives us hope and faith still.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">First Jacob claimed
the boys as his own, telling Joseph, “Now, your two sons who were born to you
in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, <i>shall be mine</i>; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine no less than
Reuben and Simon.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Jacob claims them
as his lineage apparently to cast the Patriarchal lineage and the covenants the
Patriarchs made with Adonai beyond, or after, Joseph. “In them may my name be
recalled,” Jacob explains, “And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">And then Jacob
blesses his sons.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">In a sense, Jacob
passed on hope through his sons that the nations of Israel would continue what
God had promised the Patriarchs. And he passed on faith through his blessing of
Ephraim and Menashe and the Matriarchs, a weekly reminder that God was with the
Israelites just as the Shechinah is with us as we enter 2021.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">In the final cut,
as good as Joseph’s story is, you can look at Joseph ultimately as a
transitional character in it--as we all are in our own stories. If Adonai
caused Joseph’s brothers to do wrong so that they would all get to Egypt, you
might wonder if Adonai needed Joseph so that Jacob’s blessing of Ephriam and
Menashe would sustain our faith after ever after. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN">Discussion</span></b><span lang="EN"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN">What gives you hope and what
sustains your faith as you prepare for the time “after there is an after” in
our pandemic world? In our government and our nation? In our environment? In
our society?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN">Did your parents or your
grandparents give you something to carry across your lifespan so that the
descendants of yours that you will never know will keep their faith?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Closing</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN">My grandfather--my
father’s father--always told his 12 grandchildren, “It’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">deyn </i>America”--”It’s YOUR America.” The older grandkids heard it as
a judgement on their lifestyles and choices. The youngest of us, however, took
it as a call to social action and civic responsibility. Shroyal, as everyone
called him, still is a source of hope and faith for me, though he’s been gone
almost 48 years.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span>In his memory, I
want to report that peaceful transitions of power DO still happen.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span>Congratulations to
Beth, who has cycled into the role of Outgoing Coordinator. Beth’s trust,
confidence, and skills led us through tests in 2020 we never could have
imagined.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">I am sure we will
all rally to support Ruth Loew, as she becomes Coordinator, and Mike Gross, as
he joins the Mazkirut. Dorshei could not be in better hearts and hands.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Last, I want to
thank everyone in our community for the kindness, support, and love you have
shown me in my three years on the Mazkirut. I am grateful beyond words to you
all.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-72129757613744242622020-12-28T10:48:00.003-08:002021-01-10T07:02:18.581-08:00Hope as an Ethical Imperative 2020 - Barbara Breitman<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BwgwIyyZfvk" width="320" youtube-src-id="BwgwIyyZfvk"></iframe><br /><br /><b> Hope as an Ethical Imperative</b><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Or8r1YtYyE/X-onrxJfrMI/AAAAAAABGv0/jvGr3HBsBM88vrUYs1ioS0Lhcgfpy5tAwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1251/barbara_breitman.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1251" data-original-width="1250" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Or8r1YtYyE/X-onrxJfrMI/AAAAAAABGv0/jvGr3HBsBM88vrUYs1ioS0Lhcgfpy5tAwCNcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/barbara_breitman.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">An Offering in Honor of Stefan Presser<br /><br />Minyan Dorshei Derekh, December 12, 2020, 3rd Night of Hanukkah<br /><br />Barbara E. Breitman<br /><br />Before the election, like many of you, I was engaged in a variety of GOTV activities as well as getting trained to be present at a polling place on Nov 5 to support people whose right to vote might be challenged. Though my experience at the polling place was, fortunately, uneventful, my sense of how critical it was that I be out fighting to protect our democracy and voting rights was and is very strong. My hope that our democratic process would withstand the threats against us, that every legal vote would be cast and counted, was the only outcome I allowed myself to imagine. My hope for that outcome was not a feeling, but an existential position, an ethical imperative. It is sobering, if not shocking, that even after the election, our democracy is still at risk. <br /><br />As we face with urgency not only the divisiveness and suffering in this country caused by centuries of economic and racial injustice, and as we are living through climate change and a pandemic rooted in climate change, I would like to share a Midrash from Genesis Rabbah, that I first heard from Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari, that speaks powerfully to this moment.<br /><br />The Midrash asks: <br /><br />How did Noah manage to survive the flood and live to see his children exit the ark, thus begetting a new generation of humanity?<br />How did Moses go from fleeing from Pharaoh to plunging him into the sea?<br />How did Joseph go from being shackled in prison to a governor in Pharaoh's court?<br />How did Mordechai go from being ready for the gallows to executing his executioners?<br /><br />In other words, what made it possible for Noah and Moses, Joseph and Mordechai to transform the life-threatening situations in which they were living into a radically transformed reality?<br /><br /><br />Fortunately, the midrash doesn't just ask the question.<br />It offers an answer. It says that for each of these biblical characters, the answer is the same.<br />אֶלָּא רָאָה עוֹלָם חָדָשׁ<br />It was because they could see a new world. An Olam Hadash. <br /><br />(Genesis Rabbah 30:8)<br />Each of these biblical characters was able to imagine new ways of being and living. Their vision strengthened them, gave them direction and enabled them to meet the challenges of their historic moment and to prevail by creating a radically new and different reality. <div><br />The midrash teaches that it is our moral imagination, our ability to envision the world we hope to live into, that makes it possible to transform our current situation and bring a new world into being. The contemporary Indian author and human rights activist Arundhati Roy echoes this ancient Midrash as she speaks directly out of and into our current situation:<br /><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">Whatever it is, coronavirus has made the mighty kneel and brought the world to a halt like nothing else could. Our minds are still racing back and forth, longing for a return to “normality”, trying to stitch our future to our past and refusing to acknowledge the rupture. But the rupture exists. And in the midst of this ... despair, it offers us a chance to rethink the doomsday machine we have built for ourselves. ......Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next. We can choose to walk through it, dragging the carcasses of our prejudice and hatred, our avarice, our data banks and dead ideas, our dead rivers and smoky skies behind us. Or we can ....(be) ready to imagine another world. And ready to fight for it.</blockquote><br />Hope as an ethical imperative means having faith in the power of an ethical/spiritual vision to guide our action and activism toward revitalization, justice and compassion. Hope is an ethical imperative because when we face extraordinary challenges, despair drains us of energy and commitment. Taking a stand for our hoped-for outcome, empowers our work toward it.<br /><br />In a 2011 commencement speech at the University of California, Berkeley, Amory Lovins, a physicist and international visionary for a Green transition, said: “We work to make the world better, not from some airy theoretical hope, but in the pragmatic and grounded conviction that starting with hope and acting out of hope can cultivate a different kind of world worth being hopeful about.....Fear of specific and avoidable danger has evolutionary value....But pervasive dread, lately promoted by some who want to keep us pickled in fear, is numbing and demotivating. When I give a talk, sometimes a questioner details the many bad things happening in the world, all the suffering and asks how dare I propose solutions: isn’t resistance futile? The only response I’ve found is to ask, as gently as I can: “I can see why you feel that way. Does it make you more effective?” <br /><br />Joanna Macy, much beloved Buddhist teacher and long-time environmental activist says: “Active hope doesn’t require our optimism. We can apply it even....where we feel hopeless. The guiding impetus is intention, we choose what we aim to bring about, act for, or express. Rather than weighing our chances and proceeding only when we feel hopeful, we ....let our intention be our guide.” “Active hope is a practice. ...it is something we do rather than have. .... First, we take a clear view of reality; second, we identify ... the direction we’d like things to move in or the values we’d like to see expressed; and third, we take steps to move ourselves in that direction.”<br /><br />I’ve heard Macy put forth a version of the following question when she speaks about the dire situation of the Earth: if a dearly beloved family member or friend is dangerously ill and you know death is a real possibility, would you walk away, give up and do nothing for them because you don’t feel hopeful about their survival? How can we do that in relationship to our beloved Mother Earth?<br /><br />In 2012, in her book Active Hope, Macy put forth a vision that is ever more critically meaningful today. She describes three world shaping stories that co-exist uncomfortably at this moment in our nation: <br /><br />1. The first Is “Business as Usual’...the view that economic growth must continue and that for a market economy to grow, we need to consume more and more than we already do. In this perspective, climate change is irrelevant to the dramas or choices of our personal lives. <br /><br />2. The Second story is the “Great Unraveling”. According to this story, the world we’ve been accustomed to living in, is in the midst of unraveling. The world our children and grandchildren will inherit will be radically different than the world we grew up in. The conditions of the next generation will be much worse than for people living today because of economic decline, natural resource depletion, climate change, mass extinction of species, world-wide pandemics, social division, increasing numbers of climate refugees and war. This is the story that punctures the illusion we can continue with business as usual; it is the story penetrating our consciousness and breaking through denial ever more fiercely these days. The pandemic has brought climate change up close and personal to privileged folk in the first world.<br /><br />The stories of Business as Usual and the Great unraveling are contrasting accounts of the state of our world. The story of Business as Usual is increasingly being disrupted by the reality of the mess we are in. The pandemic is part of that mess and it is crucial that we understand how the pandemic is rooted in climate change and the economic growth story. This will be true, whether or not a vaccine helps us out of our current crisis in the coming months.<br /><br />3. The third story is the ‘Great Turning’, a story that has begun to catch on more and more: the commitment to act for the sake of life on Earth as well as the vision, courage and solidarity to do so. This involves a rethinking of the way we do things, and the creative redesigning of the structures and systems that make up our society. This is the enormous challenge of our moment. The ethical imperative is to give ourselves to that story so it can act through us, breathing new life into what we do and what we demand and expect of ourselves, our government and our leaders. <br /><br />Such a profound transformation requires that we keep reading, learning, talking with each other, sharing ideas and practices, working together and supporting each other to make changes in our lives and insist that our government turn the gigantic ship of state toward policies and action that are in alignment with the truths about the mess we are in. Hope as an ethical imperative is not a solo practice. It must be a communal practice, a societal practice, a global practice. I know there are people in this community with far more knowledge than I have about the ecological transformation necessary for our survival and have been engaged in activism on this issue for years. We need each other for learning, for motivation and for inspiration. We need to be able to see with new eyes together to find and do our part to create an Olam Chadash. <br /><br />Our nation is also at a crucial point of inflection about race, brought about not only by the persistence and greater visibility of systemic police violence but also because we can see that economically vulnerable populations, mostly black and brown people, have been more devastated by the pandemic. One of the gateways between this world and the next that has been opened by the pandemic has to do with race. I have been oriented and guided by far-seeing social justice activists who are articulating ethical and spiritual visions for American futures we must fight for.<br /><br />Here is the vision of Valerie Kaur, a daughter of Sikh immigrants who is now a civil rights activist connected to Rev William Barber and the Poor Peoples’ campaign. She shared these words on November 4, 2020, on the eve of the November election. <br /><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">Our nation is in transition. These last convulsive years are part of a larger transition in our country. In the next 25 years, the number of people of color in this country will exceed the number of white people for the first time since colonization. And we are at a crossroads. Will we birth a nation that has never been? A nation that has never been in the history of the world, a nation made up of other nations. A nation that is truly multi-racial, multi-faith, multi-cultural, where power is shared and we strive to protect the dignity, the wellness, the safety of all. Or will we continue to descend into a kind of civil war? Into a power struggle with those who want to return America to a past where only a certain class of people hold dominion.<br /><br />This power struggle has been going on for a very long time in this country. The founders of our nation crafted the US constitution to consolidate power for white Christian men of an elite class. The rest of us were simply not counted in “We the people...” .....<br />And yet the founders had invoked words that even they could not constrain: justice, freedom, equality, the guarantee of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. These were magical words that ...seized the imagination of people for whom they were never meant. In every generation, black and brown people, and white accomplices have risen up in movements to unleash the magic of these words, to bleed for these words, to expand these words so “We the people” would include more and more and more of us.<br /><br />This brings me to you. These last four years, you have wept, and prayed, and grieved, and marched and raged, and fought and now you have voted and gotten out the vote. Now I ask you to stay in the labor. Stay in the labor with love. Because America, our America is a nation that is still waiting to be born, and the only way that we will birth that nation is if we do so with love.<br /><br />Love calls us to look on the face of anyone and say you are a part of me I do not yet know. Love calls us to be brave with our grief and take in those wounded and neglected and abused, as our own flesh and blood. To harness our rage in the face of injustice because the purpose of divine rage is not vengeance, but to reorder the world. Love refuses to leave anyone outside our circle of care. For we are one family, even those who vote against us. For the only way we will birth an America for all is if we leave no one behind. So let us vow to be brave with our love, love for others and love for ourselves. For you matter. Your life matters and the only way we will last is if we let joy into our bodies and breath. Sing, dance, breathe, rejoice, let joy in. Joy will give us the energy for that long labor ahead. Laboring with love and with joy is the meaning of life.</blockquote><br />The vision of America as a nation still waiting to be born has animated the creative work of black activists and artists for many decades, like Langston Hughes, Dr. Vincent Harding, Maya Angelou and many others. In his book Is America Possible?, Harding wrote: <br /><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">It is precisely in a period of great spiritual and societal hunger like our own that we most need to open minds, hearts, and memories to those times when women and men actually dreamed of new possibilities for our nation, for our world, and for their own lives. It is now that we may be able to convey the stunning idea that dreams, imagination, vision, and hope are actually powerful mechanisms in the creation of new realities—especially when the dreams go beyond speeches and songs to become embodied; to take on flesh, in real, hard places.</blockquote><p><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Still, oppressive structures,
ideologies and beliefs that have existed for centuries can become so embedded
within us, that they take on an aura of inevitability.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">When this happens, our moral imagination is
sapped or disabled in ways we are not even aware of.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I recommend that people who have not already,
read the book </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><u>Caste</u></i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> by Isabel Wilkerson.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Wilkerson resurrects the concept of ‘caste
hierarchy’ to describe how the dominant white caste, living under the illusion
of innate superiority, have used power and terror to keep African Americans in
the bottom tier, deemed innately inferior: exploited physically, economically,
legally and socially. She shares many stories that describe vividly the ways in
which this hierarchy gets internalized psychologically and enacted in social
relationships of all kinds.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">She explores
parallels, overlaps, similarities and shared origins of how an American caste
system was constructed and continues to shape our common life in America,
differently, but not differently enough, from India and Nazi Germany.</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span> </p>After the election, I read the words of Ruby Sales, the well-known black activist, who at the age of 6, was the first child to integrate into an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. Ruby is now a 72 yo woman, still an activist, who has dedicated her life to working for social and racial justice. And yet even a courageous activist like Ruby had her vision temporarily occluded because of how caste can get embedded in our souls, how powerful despair can be and how easily we can slide toward it. Listen for the shift in her perspective as she ponders the results of our recent election. Her words were enormously helpful to me, and might well be for you, because, after the election, my vision was distorted in much the same way as hers...until I read her words. <br /><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">It is another end of a long and emotional day. Yet this day was different from all other ones in the last four years. Hope is everywhere because we have come through four years of unimaginable despair and grief..... However we are headed towards a new tomorrow where a new horizon dawns.<br />Yesterday I could not see the clearing, and I slumped for a moment as I focused my eyes on the fact that 55% of White women .... and 58% of White men voted ...[for things to continue as they have for these four years.] These stats captured my mind and spirit. [This is a slight adaptation of her words, altered to leave out he who shall not be named] </blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">My sight was narrowed by despair because I looked at these stats through the White gaze. It was one that extols and reinforces the power of Whiteness and raises it up to the normative majority even when it is the weakened minority.<br />In doing so, I diminished our collective power while making us invisible. Instead, I centered White lives rather than our diverse lives. Consequently, I overlooked the important point that the 55% and 58% of White women and men did not represent the total universe of men and women (in America). Rather these statistics only represent a high percentage within White America instead of the broadness of a diverse multi-ethnic and intergenerational America.<br />Because I fell into this trap of making this group my reference and starting point, I missed the significant and most hopeful meaning of the moment which was right before my eyes in clear sight. It is the new 21st century multiethnic coalition which is larger and ... (more) democratized .....</blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">40% of White men voted for change</blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">43% of White women voted for change</blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">80% of Black men voted for change</blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">91% of Black women voted for change</blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">61% of Latinx men voted for change</blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">70% of Latinx women Voted for change</blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">60% additional races of color voted for change</blockquote></blockquote><br />.... This coalition of men, women, multi-ethnic and intergenerational formation is the evidence of a new 21 century community coalition that destabilizes White supremacy. This new community .... sets in motion the concrete manifestation of a dream that flows toward a multi-ethnic democracy. It is in this new story and vision that we find hope. ...This is the hope to which we must hitch our work. It is this hope that has galvanized generations of Americans who kept on working towards it even in the nation’s worst moments.”<br /><br />As we gather tonight, on the 3rd night of Hanukkah, it is important to connect with the energy of this holy season and remind ourselves, as Rabbi Arthur Waskow reminds us, that: “Hanukkah was created in a time of resisting tyranny and honoring the resistance with a teaching and a practice: “Not by might and not by power, but by My Spirit, says the Breath of Life.” And the proof of the efficacy of that practice is that One day’s energy, one day’s olive oil, met eight days’ needs! If we resist tyranny and refuse to worship idols, we could learn how to make sure that it could take only a minimum of nature’s energy to serve us... we (can) and need to create social systems that not only sustain us but allow for us and the Earth we’re harvesting to mutually sustain one another. Forever.”<br /><br />As we continue to light Hanukkah candles this week and celebrate the power of faith and even the possibility of miracles, may we remember that ‘hope, like every virtue, is a choice that becomes a practice that becomes spiritual muscle memory.” (Krista Tippet) <br /><br />May the light of these holy days help us see with new eyes, as we find the strength and courage to bring forth the world we hope to live into and pass on to our children and grandchildren, an Olam Chadash. May it be so.<br /><br />Questions for small group discussion: <br /><br />Think of a situation, personal, communal or societal, which is calling for change:<br /><br />What is the direction in which you would like things to move or what values would you like to express?<br /><br />If you assume the stance of hope as an ethical imperative, what steps or action could you take that would be in alignment with your hoped-for outcome?<br /><br />If you are already engaged in working toward an Olam Chadash, please share your experience: how is it changing you? What learning and new perspectives are you developing? Where do you imagine moving next? What experiences have you had through which you felt yourself being part of a force for greater than yourself for good, for justice, for compassion?<br /><br />Closing song: <br /><br /><b>We Shall be Known</b> by Karisha Longaker of MaMuse<br /><br />We shall be known by the company we keep<br />By the ones who circle round to tend these fires<br />We shall be known by the ones who sow and reap<br />The seeds of change, alive from deep within the earth<br /><br />It is time now, it is time now that we thrive<br />It is time we lead ourselves into the well<br />It is time now, and what a time to be alive<br />In this Great Turning we shall learn to lead in love<br />In this Great Turning we shall learn to lead in love<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806678717764965094.post-44870890196298587632020-10-20T13:46:00.005-07:002020-10-20T13:46:29.180-07:00Zekie Lieberman's Original Compositions: Adon Olam and Ein Keloheinu<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wyuXuwQ5dLg" width="320" youtube-src-id="wyuXuwQ5dLg"></iframe></div><p><br /></p>Zekie worked with his tutor Rena Branson and created original music. We all look forward to singing with Zekie and Rena in person one day soon!<br /> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UEf3Xz9jDtY" width="320" youtube-src-id="UEf3Xz9jDtY"></iframe></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0