Israel at 60: Is Israel the Beginning of the Sprouting of Our Redemption?

Israel at 60: Is Israel the Beginning of the Sprouting of Our Redemption?

Rabbi Dov Gartenberg

May 23, 2008

 

The prayer for the welfare of the State of Israel and the Harahaman prayer in the Grace after Meals for the State of Israel contain a formulation that we have said for many years. The formulation is found in many modern Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform rites as well as in the public ceremonies of federations and Jewish community centers. The prayer was written by the Israeli chief rabbinate upon the creation of the state. I would like to reflect on this prayer and what we mean by it as we mark the 60^th birthday of the State of Israel.

 

    "Our Father in Heaven, Rock and Redeemer of the people Israel. Bless the State of Israel, the beginning of the sprouting of our redemption (or as translated in another text, the dawn of our redemption)."

 

What is the meaning of `reishit tzemichat geulateinu'. Reishit means `the beginning', while tzemichat describes the sprouting of a young plant. The word Tzemah is an allusion to the Messiah in Mishnaic Hebrew as found in the Amidah. In a sense the phrase is a redundancy. It could have read reishit geulateinu-the beginning of our redemption, or tzemichat geulateinu-the sprouting of our redemption. As we shall see, the curious phrase `reishit tzemichat geulateinu' reveals the language of compromise.

 

    Geulah, meaning redemption is a traditional religious concept with different connotations. The traditional notion of redemption has these principle features:

 

1. Geulah will be an era of peace and prosperity ushered in by God through his messiah.
   
2. Geulah will be a time of justice and compassion between people.
   
3. With Geulah the Jewish people will regain their faith in God and will follow the Torah.
   
4. As a result of Geulah the Jews both living and dead will be brought back to the land of Israel where they will witness the restoration of the Jewish commonwealth, the Temple in Jerusalem and the Davidic monarchy.
   
5. The Jewish people will no longer be oppressed and will live in security in their land.
   

   
    

   This phrase is not universally accepted by Israelis. .
   

 

    For secular Zionists the phrase reishit tzemichat geulateinu is highly questionable if not totally objectionable. Most of the founders of the state were not traditional Jews in any way. The religious notion of redemption was anathema in their eyes. They blamed the suffering of Diaspora Jews on their submissive loyalty to the idea of a divinely dependent redemption. Traditional religious life had value as an instrument of Jewish preservation in the Diaspora. But now the new unfettered Jew living in Israel would bring on a sort of secular redemption without the help of God, by building up the land and creating the State of Israel.

 

    For many secular Zionists, identification with the historical destiny of the Jewish State is not only necessary for being a Jew; it is also sufficient. Zionism is a more effective tool for making possible the continued existence of the Jewish people in history. A Jew's commitment to the state of Israel is the new substitute for traditional Judaism and its messianic vision.

 

    Meanwhile, the Ultra-Orthodox Jews, both in Israel and the Diaspora, refuse to recite the prayer Reishit Tzemichat Geulateinu. Their objection derives from a discussion in the Talmud in tractate Ketuvot about the meaning of the Jewish dispersal among the nations. Based on an interpretation in the Song of Songs, Rabbi Zera of Babylonia teaches that Israel must remain in the Diaspora. God stipulates that:

 

    First, the Jewish people shall not go up to the land of Israel all together as surrounded by a wall (that is they shall not return to Israel en masse); second, that the Holy One, Blessed be He adjured the Jewish people that they shall not rebel against the nations of the world; third is that the Holy One, Blessed be He, adjured the idolaters that they shall not oppress the Jewish people too much while they dwell amongst them.

 

    Rabbi Zera understands Israel fate amongst the nations as a sort of a three way covenant between the Jewish people, God and the nations. We promise according to Rabbi Zera not to go to Israel en masse unless God brings us there directly. Meanwhile we must stay amongst the nations and the nations will make our lives miserable, but not too miserable.

    

    Our redemption and our return to the land of Israel will be on God's terms, not our own. The Ultra-Orthodox believe that the restoration of the Jewish nation will be the messianic culmination of the Torah and its vision of history. The authentic Jewish commonwealth will not share the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of the secular Jewish state. The messianic Jewish commonwealth will last forever. It will be free of all the tragic features of human history and most notably free from the historical sufferings of the Jewish people. .

 

    Therefore, the Ultra-Orthodox do not see a promise of redemption in the secular return to Zion. Moreover, they vehemently reject any attempt to give religious significance to the modern state. The current state is one of heretical Jews and is no different than other nations in its spiritual standing. The Ultra-Orthodox refuse to say reishit tzemichat geulateinu because they do not believe a state started by apikorsim and compromised religious Jews can be the first step to the messianic ingathering of the Jewish people.

 

    It was the modern religious Zionists, especially the settler movement which established the religious communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza advocated for the phrase reishit tzemichat geulateinu. In adopting these words they made an interpretive leap in their understanding of modern Jewish history and the significance of the return to the land. The modern state of Israel may have been settled and governed by secular, non-practicing Jews, but as the third commonwealth matures, God will divert the course of events, turning the Jewish state into a holy nation. Secular Jews planted the seed of the Messianic Days. By resettling the Land, they set the stage for God's dramatic culmination of history. The secular and religious views of the meaning of the modern Jewish state are thus welded together.

 

    As we observe the 60^th birthday of Israel, how do we make sense of this phrase? The Ultra-Orthodox continue to refuse to say it, convinced more than ever that the Jewish State is not what is promised in the messianic teachings of the Talmud and Kabbalah. Many Ultra-Orthodox have come to terms with the reality of the State of Israel which serves as their benefactor, but they accommodate with it just as Jews accommodated with the nations they sojourned in the Diaspora.

The national religious Jews who embraced this phrase have lost faith in the phrase. The evacuation in Gaza and the growing unpopularity of the settlements in recent years have left many of these Jews alienated from the Jewish State. Many of them have a darker vision of Israel of defiant resistance against a compromising and anti religious Jewish state. They understand that the next decades will revolve around the fate of Jewish settlement in the territories.

More and more of them feel that the Messiah will not come from the liberation of the land, but in defense of those who refuse to follow the orders of the State that will likely at some point demand from them to give up their settlements.

 

For the majority of secular Israelis, the phrase `reishit tzemichat geulateinu' connotes little or no significance. This is not an idealistic time in Israel. Israelis don't see Geulah around the corner, whether religious or secular. Contemporary Israeli culture is focused on the here and now, on keeping the nation strong, while attempting to live as normal lives as possible. This is the modern crisis of meaning in Israel.

 

The challenge of the poet, the liturgists, the prophets, and the dreamers is to find a new phrase that encapsulates the hope of the Jewish people and the yearnings of our brothers and sisters in Israel. These yearnings may be found in the revival of interest in study of Jewish texts shared by a growing number of Israelis. These yearnings may be found in the spiritual searching that characterizes many secular Israelis.     They may be found in the new story tellers such as Edgar Keret or the blossoming and greater popularity of Israel movies and TV shows.

 

As we reach the 60^th birthday of Israel, the phrase, reishit tzemichat geulateinu, no longer can convey the meaning of Israel for most Israelis. This is the spiritual challenge which is behind the challenge of physical survival that stands before Israel as it looks forward. Most Israelis have no patience for seeing themselves as the vanguard of the Messiah. They dream of having normal lives without fear of violence and war. They will fight for this, however long it takes. But they say emphatically to us, Cut out the messianic stuff.

 

This is beautifully expressed by the late poet, Yehuda Amichai

 

Tourists, Part 2
Once I was sitting on the steps near the gate at David's Citadel
and I put down my two heavy baskets beside me. A group of
tourists stood there around their guide, and I became their point
of reference. "You see the man over there with the baskets? A
little to the right of his head there's an arch from the Roman
period. A little to the right of his head." "But he's moving,
he's moving!" I said to myself: Redemption will come only when
they are told, "Do you see that arch over there from the Roman
period? It doesn't matter, but near it, a little to the left and
then down a bit, there's a man who has just bought fruit and
vegetables for his family."

 

 

 

 

 

A Davar Torah in Honor of the Smichah of Rabbi Hazzan Glenn Gelman

A Davar Torah in Honor of the Smichah of Rabbi Cantor Glenn Gelman

Offered by Rabbi Dov Gartenberg

Shabbat Morning Services, April 12, 2008

 

A young rabbinical school graduate was hired as the second rabbi of a large Conservative congregation. One of his new duties was to officiate at an overflow service on Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur. The senior rabbi tells him "You must be aware of one thing. Our cantor is stubborn and refuses to permit us to hire a second cantor. Therefore the cantor prays with one congregation and his voice is piped into the other. We must make sure, therefore, that our sermons are of the exact same length. On the second day of Rosh Hashannah, the cantor is praying with your congregation. I have prepared a thirty two minute sermon. Make sure you do the same."

The young rabbi went home and prepared a 32 minute sermon. On the Second day of Rosh Hasahnnah as he was giving his sermon, he noticed that his digital watch had gone blank. He became nervous and lost his timing, but ultimately he finished the sermon. When he finished the talk he signaled to the cantor, who immediately began chanting the Kaddish for the Musaf service, "yitgadal veytkadash."

Unfortunately the new rabbi's nervousness caused him to deliver a 32 minute sermon in 26 minutes.

5 minutes later the senior rabbi came running in, yelling, "You made a fool out of me in front of my entire congregation!"

"What happened?" The new rabbi stammered.

"I had just reached the emotional high point of my speech. I was saying: 'Today there are those who say that God is dead. Is God dead?' And the cantor's voice piped in: 'Yitgadal veyitkadash.' "

This funny story illustrates the challenges that rabbis and cantors have sometimes when they work together. One of the pleasures of coming to Beth Shalom is to work and collaborate with Cantor Glenn Gelman. Glenn loves to share the pulpit, to include his colleagues and the congregation in worship. He is exquisitely sensitive to the needs of others and does not seek the limelight. Yet when he leads the service he brings a wonderful presence and spiritual beauty.

Now our beautiful Cantor has achieved a great milestone in his life. He has studied for the rabbinate and received smichah. In honor of this great accomplishment I would like to share some teachings about the rabbinate in honor of Rabbi Cantor Gelman.

 

Rabbi Akiva said:

If a person studied Torah in his youth,

He should also study Torah in his old age;

If he had students in his youth

He should also have them in his old age.

A verse indicates this,

"Sow your seed in the morning,

(and do not hold back you hand in the evening.)

Since you do not know which is going to succeed, the one of the other,

Or if both are equally good."

 

ו בַּבֹּקֶר זְרַע אֶת-זַרְעֶךָ, וְלָעֶרֶב אַל-תַּנַּח יָדֶךָ:  כִּי אֵינְךָ יוֹדֵעַ אֵי זֶה יִכְשָׁר, הֲזֶה אוֹ-זֶה, וְאִם-שְׁנֵיהֶם כְּאֶחָד, טוֹבִים.

Kohelet 11:6

Yevamot 62b

 

One of the most impressive things about Rabbi Cantor Gelman's accomplishment is that it reveals his lifelong love of Torah. To be ordained as a rabbi requires hours and hours of study. We all know how busy you are, running an accounting business, caring for your family, and your continuing voluntary service to Beth Shalom. But despite all these demands, the love of Torah is central to your life.

 

Here is another teaching from Maimonides' Mishneh Torah

"Among the greatest sages of Israel were woodcutters, water drawers, and blind people. Nevertheless, they were involved in Torah study day and night."

 

The original rabbis were not professionals, who drew their livelihood from serving as rabbis in congregations. Maimonides himself, one of the greatest Rabbis of all times was a full time physician. Rabbi Cantor Gelman follows a great tradition of the rabbi who does not serve with expectation of financial reward, but instead serves out of the love of Torah and the love of the Jewish people.

 

Here is another text that illuminates a quality we love about Rabbi Cantor Gelman:

 

And raise many students (PA 1:1)

The School of Shammai says:

A person should teach only those who are wise, humble, a descendent of distinguished people, and wealthy.

 
 

The School of Hillel says:

A person should teach everyone, for there were many Jewish sinners who became attached to Torah study, and, as a result, righteous, pious, and decent people came from them. Avot De Rabbi Natan A3

 

Our Rabbi Cantor clearly follows the school of Hillel. You are a person who teaches all the people. You do not want to exclude anyone from your Torah. You are always concerned that your words and your melodies are accessible to all. You want to make your Torah and your Shirah like low hanging fruit, easy to pick, easy to enjoy.

 

I want to share with all of you another teaching from Maimonides about one of the vulnerabilities of the rabbinate and the cantorate:

 

"It is a duty to honor every scholar even if he is not one's teacher, as it is said, "You shall rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man"

מִפְּנֵי שֵׂיבָה תָּקוּם, וְהָדַרְתָּ פְּנֵי זָקֵן; וְיָרֵאתָ מֵּאֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֲנִי יְהוָה.

(Lev 19:32). "Old man refers to one who has acquired wisdom. (Hilchot Deot Talmud Torah 6:1)

 

The obligation to honor a Torah sage always caused problems, because it often caused many Rabbis and Cantors to conduct themselves as if they deserved honor because of their titles. In more traditional Jewish society-Rabbis especially- were revered and treated with the utmost deference. It is an understandable and very common foible for people with such a title to be become full of themselves and to laud it over everyone else.

 

This is illustrated by a Hasidic story:

 

R. David Moshe of Tchortkov once met R Aaron of Tchernobil. R. Aaron asked the former how may beadles he employed and received the answer that he had 5. R David then began to list their duties: "One of them stands on duty at the door of my study, the second is responsible for finding accommodation for my Hassidim, the third looks after the cleaning, the fourth sees to purchases, and the fifth oversees all travel arrangements. "

 

He then asked how may R Aaron had, and the latter replied that he had six. Five of them, he explained performed the same offices as those of R. David.

 

"What then is the function of the sixth? R David asked curiously.

 

"He is the most important of all." Replied R. Aaron. "He stands behind me all day and whenever I say anything, he murmurs devoutly, 'Wonderful, absolutely marvelous!'"

 

That is why Maimonides adds the following teaching concerning the honor due to sages.

 
 

"It is improper for a sage to not put the people to inconvenience by deliberately passing before them, so that they should have to stand up before him. He should use a short route and endeavor to avoid notice so that they should not be troubled to stand up. The sages were wont to use circuitous and exterior paths, where they were not likely to meet those who might recognize them, so as not to trouble them." (Hilchot Deot Talmud Torah 6:3)

 

This teaching of Maimonides made me think of you Rabbi Cantor Gelman, because you are the one who takes a circuitous path so as to not draw attention to yourself or to catch the virus of arrogance. You embody one of our tradition's great virtues-Tzniut-modesty. Your modesty is more than a virtue; it enables you to teach and to let others to shine for the good of the community and for the good of the Jewish people.

 

The Talmud has another wonderful expression which I have as a signature on all my emails. Rabbi Cantor Gelman, I aspire to it, but you embody it.

 

Yafeh Talmud Torah Im Derech Eretz

 

יפה תלמוד תורה עם דרך ארץ

 

The study of Torah combined with kindness is very beautiful.

 

Mazal Tov on becoming a Rabbi.

 

 

 

 

A Renewed Koshrut for American Jews

A Renewed Koshrut for American Jews

Abandoning the Western Diet

Rabbi Dov Gartenberg

4/4/08

 

As Jews we have a thing about food. Especially around Passover when we become a mass of food inspectors, looking for evidence of Hametz in our homes and in the foods we buy. No matter your relationship to koshrut, Jewish culture has a concern about the food we eat. Food for us is connected to story. The foods we eat on Passover remind us of the traumas of slavery and the going out from Egypt. Food serves as symbols that teach us empathy, the bitter herb helps us to remember the bitterness of the slaves, the matza connects us to the experience of the poor.

The regular kosher dietary laws also reflect a moral passion about food. We are supposed to drain the blood from an animal that we kill for food. The rabbis teach that if an animal is to be slaughtered for food, it must be killed in a way that reduces suffering to a minimum. The consumption of meat, while permitted as a concession to human natur,e is constrained by laws of slaughtering and the limitation of the number of animals that can be eaten. The level of detail of these laws leaves us with a proud legacy (something which I think many of us misunderstood) as a people that is very concerned about what enters our mouths and the impact of the way we eat both on creatures and the world around us.

I just finished an amazing book by the award winning author, Michael Pollan, called In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. It is a book of remarkable clarity and powerful argument about the ills caused by the way we eat in America.

"The chronic diseases that now kill most of us can be traced directly to the industrialization of our food: the rise of highly processed foods and refined grains: the use of chemicals to raise plants and animals in huge monocultures; the superabundance of cheap calories of sugar and fat produced by modern agriculture; and the narrowing of the biological diversity of human diet to a tiny handful of staple crops, notably wheat, corn, and soy."

 

"Various populations thrived on diets that were what we'd call high fat, low fat, or high carb; all meat or all plant; indeed here have been traditional diets based on just about any kind of whole food you can imagine. Lesson: That human animal is well adapted to a great many different diets. The Western diet is not one of them. "

 

"An American born in 2000 has a one in 3 chance of developing diabetes in his lifetime; the risk is even greater for a Hispanic American or African American. A diagnosis of diabetes subtracts 12 years from one's life and living with the condition incurs medical costs of $13,000 a year (compared with $2500 for someone without diabetes)."

 
 

"This is a global pandemic in the making, but a most unusual one, because it involves no virus or bacteria, no microbe of any kind-just a way of eating."

 

I know, because I am one of its victims. I found out last year that my body crossed the boundary to become vulnerable to Type two diabetes. There is no history of it in my family, no predisposition. I had to change my lifestyle or face the harsh realities of a condition that worsens over time. Most of all it made me aware of our food choices that are all around us.

 

Our ancestors accepted koshrut on themselves in part as a moral stance in relationship to their world and to affirm their identity as Jews. As modern Americans living with the ills of the Western diet we have an even more difficult challenge before us that demands a new koshrut. I want to introduce this to you tonight, albeit in a brief form. I urge you to get the book and read it with me. Here is one part of what Michael Pollan argues we must do to reverse the ills of the Western Diet.

 

There are three rules to this new Koshrut:

1. Just Eat Food:
   
2. Not Too Much
   
3. Mostly Plants
   

   
    

   Under each of these categories there are several helpful rules-halachot. I just want to cover tonight in this short talk the rules of "Just Eat Food".
   

   
    

First we must acknowledge our confusion around food. The key to overcoming the confusion over food is to simplify and to avoid industrialized food.

 

"Real food has disappeared from large areas of the supermarket and from much of the rest of the eating world. Taking food's place on the shelves has been an unending stream of food like substitutes, some seventeen thousand new ones every year." Avoid as much as possible processed and refined foods. Here are 8 rule to start off with.

 
 

1. Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. Because even our mother's and grandmothers are confused.
   

 
 

1. Don't eat anything incapable of rotting.
   

 
 

1. Avoid food products containing ingredients that are as unfamiliar, unpronounceable, more than five in number or that include high fructose corn syrup.
   

 

Consider Sara lee's Soft and Smooth Whole Grain White Bread

 

Enriched bleached flour [wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin monoitrate (vitamin B,) riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid], water, whole grains [whole wheat flour, brown rice flour (rice flour, rice bran)] high fructose corn syrup, whey, wheat gluten, yeast, cellulose. Contains 2% or less of each of the following, calcium sulfate, vegetable oil (soybean and/or cottonseed oils) salt, butter, cream, salt) dough conditioners (may contain one or more of the following: mono-and diglycerides, ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides, ascorbic acid, enzymes, azordicarbonamide), guar gum, calcium propionate (preservative, distilled vinegar, yeast nutrients (monocalcium phosphate, calcium sulfate, ammonium sulfate) corn starch, natural flavor, betacarotene (color), vitamin D, soy lecithin, soy flour.

 

The plastic wrapper ads: "Good source of whole grain and low fat".

 
 

1. Avoid food products that make health claims:
   

   
    

   "for a food product to make health claims on its package, it must first have a package, so right off the bat it's more likely to be a processed than a whole food. Don't forget that trans fat rich margarine, one of the first industrial foods to claim it was healthier than traditional food it replaced, turned out to give people heart attacks. "
   

 
 

1. Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle.
   

 
 

1. Get out of the supermarket whenever possible.
   

 

1. CSA box Community Supported Agriculture. Subscribe to a farm and receive a weekly box of produce or from your garden. Shake the hand that feeds you.
   

 

1. Food is about pleasure, about community, about family, and spirituality, about our relationship to the natural world and about expressing our identity. As long as humans have been taking meals together, eating has been as much about culture as it has been about biology.
   

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Sources of Inspiration for a Life in the Rabbinate

 

Sermon on the Occasion of the Rabbi's Installation

Rabbi Dov Gartenberg

Temple Beth Shalom of Long Beach

March 7,2008

 

Sources of Inspiration for a Life in the Rabbinate

 

Opening Remarks and Acknowledgments

Thank you, Sally, for your beautiful words. Sally Weber is one of the most respected Jewish professionals in our region. I belong to the army of rabbis, Jewish educators, Jewish communal professionals and major lay leaders who admire your vision, courage, and compassion. You are an amazing mother, spouse, and friend and hosts of the best Passover Seder in Los Angeles. I am honored that you are here tonight to install me as Rabbi at Beth Shalom.

When I was in Rabbinical school I was invited to be on an interfaith panel of seminarians from different faiths who were asked to tell their stories of their journeys to the clergy. The Protestant seminarian began by sharing how a number of years ago he was down and out on skid row. One night while lying in a drunken stupor on the street, he had a vision of his savior so powerful that he put back his life together and ultimately entered the seminary to train to become a minister.

He was followed by a Catholic priest in training who told us about his serving as a Navy fighter pilot flying missions over North Vietnam. On one particularly destructive bombing run, he had a vision of his savior. In the vision Jesus told him to stop his war making and instead, choose the path of peace. He left the Navy to become a priest and now he committed himself to a life of celibacy and peacemaking.

It was now my turn. Now the audience was on the edge of its seat waiting to hear the dramatic events that led me to the rabbinate. I admitted, " It was all because of my mother. " I went on to say that it was my parents who laid the groundwork for my becoming a rabbi. They brought me up in a home filled with love, characterized by intellectual curiosity, a commitment to social action and service, and a love of Judaism. While I chose a different religious movement than the one they brought me up in, I have always remained close to them. By coming to Long Beach, I am just down the road from them. I am so happy that they are close by and can share in this happy moment.

I also want to thank my wife, Robbie, who has been so supportive as we have maintained a long distance marriage during this first phase of my time here. She is the best virtual rebbetzin I know. Thank you to my friends and family including many of Robbie's family who are present tonight to share in this simchah.

Lastly, thank you to the congregants of Temple Beth Shalom who placed their trust in me to serve as your Rabbi. I have been thrilled to meet so many wonderful and devoted people during this first seven months. I add my words of praise to Eugene and Eva Schlesinger who we honor tomorrow night. I met them during my interview week and came away deeply impressed by them. They embody the incredible yiddishkeit and menthlichkeit of this congregation which led me to choose to come to Temple Beth Shalom back in April of last year.

The source of inspiration for my rabbinate flows from my distinguished predecessors, the Rabbis of the Mishnah and Talmud. They speak to me through their stories and texts and illuminate difficult questions, nurture wisdom, and bring meaning to my life. Tonight I want to share with you four beloved texts from the Rabbis and why they inspire me as your Rabbi. Through them you can get to know me. I hope they inspire you as well.

 

My first story comes from the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Eruvim 13b

R. Abba stated in the name of Samuel: For three years there was a dispute between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel over a matter of Jewish law. Beit Shammai asserted, 'The halachah is in agreement with our views' and Beit Hillel countered, 'The halachah is in agreement with our views'. Then a bat kol-a voice from Heaven- issued forth and announced: '[The utterances of] both are the words of the living God, but the halachah is in agreement with the rulings of Beit Hillel'.

The Talmud now pauses and asks, "Since, however, both are the words of the living God' why was Beit Hillel's position given precedence?"

The answer is given: Because they were kindly and modest, they studied their own rulings and those of Beth Shammai, and were even so [humble] as to mention the actions of Beth Shammai before theirs…..

אמר רבי אבא אמר שמואל: שלש שנים נחלקו בית שמאי ובית הלל, הללו אומרים הלכה
כמותנו והללו אומרים הלכה כמותנו. יצאה בת קול ואמרה: אלו ואלו דברי אלהים חיים הן, והלכה כבית הלל. וכי מאחר שאלו ואלו דברי אלהים חיים מפני מה זכו בית הלל לקבוע הלכה כמותן ־ מפני שנוחין ועלובין היו, ושונין דבריהן ודברי בית שמאי. ולא עוד אלא שמקדימין דברי בית שמאי לדבריהן

Have you ever had an argument for three years? If you are married you know this is very plausible. The Talmud is talking about an intractable dispute between two schools of thought. It doesn't even bother to introduce us to what they were arguing about. The Talmud is simply telling us about an irresolvable dispute that God decides to adjudicate. The Bat Kol is an indirect, but clarifying decision from on high, like the bailiff announcing the decision of a judge.

From this text we receive two wonderful teachings. There are disputes between human beings which carry truth-as expressed in our beautiful formulation: Elu v'elu divrei Elohim Hayim. We are quick in human relations to dismiss or ridicule the strongly held positions of the other. But there is truth to them. Recognizing that truth is the only chance for compromise.

But if God has to choose between two reasonable positions, then He takes regard of the behavior of the adversaries. Which one was civil? Which one was open minded? Which one was firm, but not arrogant about his position? For God according to this text esteems civility in conflict, open mindedness in the face of complexity, and modesty in one's personal demeanor. This text models us on how to disagree with others, yet to afford them dignity, respect, and consideration. There is a way to be a menstch in an argument.

 

*******************

My next text comes to us from the Jerusalem Talmud, Bava Metzia 8c (4th century CE)

 

Shimon ben Shetah traded in cotton. His students said to him: "Master, allow us to buy a donkey so that you will not have to labor so much." They went and bought him a donkey from a certain Syriac (non-Jew) and found upon it a precious stone.

They came and told him: "Now you need not labor ever again."

Said he: "Why so?'

They replied, "We have bought you a donkey from a certain Syriac, and found upon it a precious stone."

He asked" "But does the owner know of it?"

They replied: "No."

He told them: "Go and return it."

They responded to him, 'But did not Rav Huna Bivi Bar Gozlon say, quoting Rav, "It was stated in the presence of Rabbi (Judah, the Prince), ' Even according to the view that stealing from a pagan is forbidden, (appropriating) his lost property is permitted."'?

He looked them intently and said, "What do you think, that Shimon ben Shetah is a barbarian? Shimon b. Shetah preferred hearing, "Blessed be the God of the Jews" to all the riches of this world.

 

We all must face a God test. Does the God we believe in make sense to those around us? How do we know this? The God we believe in is evident in our actions and our behavior. It doesn't even matter if we don't believe in God. Our actions reveal our beliefs about the moral order of the universe. An avowed atheist who acts with moral impeccability is not an atheist from the Jewish point of view. For a Jew, according to Shimon Ben Shetah, our actions toward other people, especially those who are not of our faith should lead to a response: "Blessed be the God of the Jews."

Shimon Ben Shetah understood that we teach about God by our behavior more than our words and our statements of belief. How do you teach the love God? Engage in loving acts toward other human beings. How do you impart the hatred of God-be a jerk with other human beings. Our children, our neighbors, the strangers we encounter sense God by how we treat them and others. Does our behavior lead to the exclamation: Blessed be the God of the Jews?

    

********************

My third story comes from the Talmud Bavli, Shabbat

…It happened that a certain pagan came before Rabbi Shammai and said to him, 'Make me a convert to Judaism, on condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I balance on one foot.' Shammai dismissively pushed him out his door with a yardstick that was in his hand. The man then trekked to Rabbi Hillel and made the same request: 'Make me a convert to Judaism, on condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I balance on one foot.' Hillel said to him, 'What is hateful to you, do not to your neighbor; that is the whole Torah, all those scrolls you see here in the Beit Midrash are commentary on that idea; Now go and learn from them.'

Empathy is a very important quality in the rabbinic tradition. Hillel could connect with the most marginal or unreasonable person and find the gist of what that person was seeking. He would take their strange requests and find the way to connect them to Judaism. Rabbi Hillel was not merely giving this pagan what they call in the modern marketing, an elevator pitch. Hillel grasped the greatness of Judaism and believed that it was his responsibility to help the others to grasp it, in a way that each person could understand it coming from his unique background and capacity.

He also understood that the opening to a life of Torah and Mitzvot consisted of a seed, a kernel, a shoot he needed to plant within the inquirer. Think about your own Jewish journey. Was there someone in your life who planted the seed within you? When was it? How was it planted? What did it lead to? Rabbi Shammai, as brilliant as he was, did not know how to do this. He only could deal with fully grown, pruned, and fertilized plants. Hillel knew how to plant and grow them. A good rabbi has to be a farmer and a gardener.

****************

My last text comes from Talmud Bavli, Berachot 32a:

The Talmud quotes a Midrash, a rabbinic commentary from the story of the Golden Calf in the Book of Exodus.

God, upon seeing the children of Israel dancing around the Golden Calf, says to Moses; "Now then, leave Me alone, that My rage may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them, and instead I will make of you a great nation." (Exodus 32). R. Abbahu comments about Moses subsequent response to God in the next sequence of Torah verses: Moses refuses God's offer of greatness and stands before God, imploring him to not destroy His people who He brought out of Egypt.

Rabbi Abahu says: Were it not explicitly written, it would be impossible to say such a thing: (In other words, this is a very radical Midrash.) Moses response to God is as if he took hold of the Holy One, blessed be He, like a man who seizes his fellow by his garment and said before Him: Sovereign of the Universe, I will not let You go until You forgive and pardon them.

Chutzpah is a religious quality. Chutzpah is an authentic spiritual quality that flows from our texts. Moses had Chutzpah. Avraham had Chutzpah. God is not a tyrant, but our partner. We can argue and disagree with our partner. God wants us to challenge Him and hold Him to a higher standard. Likewise we must challenge ourselves to a higher standard. If we are prepared to do that then we may also hold humanity to a higher standard. The God of the Torah and of rabbinic Judaism invites Chutzpah.

 

We are constructed as human beings by our stories. One of the privileges of being a rabbi is to have access to this great repository of human experience and wisdom. But more than learning this repository, we are commissioned to share it. I have described myself as a 'teaching rabbi'. This is really a redundancy. A rabbi, by definition is a teacher. The challenge of my career has been to not let the burdens and distractions of the modern rabbinate to cut me off from the stories and texts that are the source of my teaching and wisdom that ultimately I impart to you. I hope that in the coming years I can inspire you with these stories and many others. Together we will unfold our own Jewish story at Temple Beth Shalom. Shabbat Shalom and Rav Todot.

A Reorienting Jewish Experience: The Limmud Phenomenon

A new blog entry from Rabbi Dov Gartenberg: Rabbiblog

A Reorienting Jewish Experience: The Limmud Phenomenon

(Click on the links to go get more information)

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a groundbreaking event for LA Jews. It is called LimmudLA. It was one of the best Jewish experiences I have had in many years. What is it and why is it special?

Limmud in Hebrew means to learn or study. Limmud was started in Great Britain 25 years ago. Limmud UK has become an annual gathering of 2500 Jews from all around the world and is considered one of the most exciting events in modern Jewish life. The concept has begun to spread to new countries and cities. LimmudNY is now an established gathering. LimmudLA will be followed by LimmudColorado in May.

Limmud as described by the organizers in Great Britain aims to enable each participant to go one step further on their own Jewish journey by offering access to some of the world's most dynamic Jewish educators, performers and teachers. At Limmud you are exposed to all educational styles including lectures, workshops, text-study sessions,  film, meditation, discussions, exhibits and performances to ensure that there is always 'something for everyone'. Indeed, the content of a typical Limmud event is as diverse as its participants. The concept of Limmud is to honor the diversity of modern Judaism by creating a gathering space for Jews of all stripes and ages to come together, learn with outstanding teachers, enjoy creative artists, and engage each other in countless ways. The organizers of Limmud resist other institutions or religious movements from being sponsors and thus keep the gathering free from ideological or religious agendas. It is one of the truly pluralistic events in modern Jewish life which is the source of its inspiration and uniqueness.

LimmudLA, as reported in the cover story of the LA Jewish Journal, was a huge effort. "More than 100 volunteers and one paid professional worked insanely long hours over the past two years to bring together more than 600 Jews from every denomination, age group and area of Southern California for 262 study sessions, 21 films, two concerts, a comedy show, an off-Broadway play and countless hours of connecting."

From Friday noon until Monday noon there was a buzz of excitement. Every hour gave you 10 choices of learning and arts. Over Shabbat there were multiple options for davening to accommodate the diversity. The meals were set up to maximize meeting. At every meal you met another 4 or 5 people. The beautiful thing about Limmud was the diversity of age groups with lots of college students mixed in with older adults.

Our Jewish lives are fragmented much of the time. Jewish life's strength and weakness is that our Jewish lives are local, centered around a shul or a JCC. Many Jews do not even have that, cut off from any Jewish communal experience beyond their families or friends. This leaves us to live in our little Jewish worlds often sucked dry of rich, authentic, and inspiring Jewish experiences. But we benefit greatly from being exposed to a wider Jewish world and to different approaches, forms of expression, and alternative perspectives of Jewish life. Each of us can benefit from the powerful renewal of a powerful multifaceted Jewish experience like Limmud. I hope you can find a way to a Limmud experience, either here in LA or in the many communities that are discovering the power of these unique Jewish gatherings.

Kol Tuv,

Rabbi Dov Gartenberg

February 26, 2008

20 Adar I 5768

08-01-23 'Outed' as a Reform Jew

I was speaking to a nice woman at the JCC about our kids' college experiences. She told me this story. Her daughter and a friend, both high achieving high school students, found a site on Beliefnet, the spirituality website, called Beliefomatic. The site provides a questionnaire that ask about your basic religious beliefs. At the end of the test the site gives you a list of religions that best match up with the beliefs you indicated in the exam.

 
 

These two high schoolers, who were in their own religious quest, took the test and discovered that the religion that best matched up with their answers was Reform Judaism (both girls were not Jewish). They were surprised, but took the results very seriously. They got up the nerve and went to a local Reform Temple to inquire about an Introduction to Judaism class. They were told that indeed there was a class, but it cost $300. No scholarship was offered. As high schoolers they did not have this type of money. The ardor of their religious quest cooled and they never took the class. They are now both in college finding their own way in the world.

 
 

After hearing this story my curiosity drove me to explore the Beliefomatic site. I wondered what religions this site would recommend for me? So I answered the theological questionnaire. (You can find out your best fitting religion by clicking on: http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html. ) My results are copied below. According to my answers I am 100% compatible with Reform Judaism. According to the test I should seriously check out Bahai, Sikhism, the Quakers, the Unitarians, and Islam before checking out Orthodox Judaism. I am starting to make calls today.

 
 

So I have been outed as a Reform Jew (I am a Conservative Rabbi.). Checking out the site I discovered they do not even have Conservative Judaism as a category which may say volumes about the standing of this movement in the eyes of the broader world. So anyone on a serious religious quest on Beliefomatic would never be steered to my Movement or to my synagogue. It is lonely being a Conservative Jew.

 
 

I thought about those two girls inquiring about Judaism. They probably came to the front office and were officiously given the information about the class, told about the cost, and left alone in the office to contemplate their next move. Obviously religion is much more about specific beliefs. It is also about how you are related to, how you are welcomed or regarded. The failure of the synagogue here is a failure of hospitality. It is a failure to understand that at the margins, one must be ready to keep the door open.

 
 

We live in a world where identity is so fluid and so confused that many of us try to figure out with the help of sites like Beliefomatic. Fewer of us are brought up in a richly contextual home, both filled with tradition, links to community, second languages (Robert Bellah) but also an openness to the world. Beliefomatic starts to make sense when we appreciate how wide open the world is. People want to find their place in it. But while Beliefomatic might send you careening in one direction, it all depends on the reaction of the unsuspecting person or institution who will encounter this cyber seeker.

 
 

As for me, Beliefomatic cannot quite grasp my nuanced identity. I am left wondering where nuanced people should turn religiously. Maybe I should start the Nuanced Religious Movement for people seeking interesting and eccentric religious groups that don't fit any conventional categories. Stay tuned.

 
 

Dov Gartenberg

 
 

 
 

Your Results:

The top score on the list below represents the faith that Belief-O-Matic, in its less than infinite wisdom, thinks most closely matches your beliefs. However, even a score of 100% does not mean that your views are all shared by this faith, or vice versa.

 
 

Belief-O-Matic then lists another 26 faiths in order of how much they have in common with your professed beliefs. The higher a faith appears on this list, the more closely it aligns with your thinking.

 
 

How did the Belief-O-Matic do? Discuss your results on our
message boards.

 
 

 
 

 
 

1.	Reform Judaism (100%)
2.	Bahá'í Faith (87%)
3.	Sikhism (86%)
4.	Liberal Quakers (83%)
5.	Unitarian Universalism (78%)
6.	Islam (77%)
7.	Orthodox Judaism (77%)
8.	Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (75%)
9.	Neo-Pagan (63%)
10.	Jainism (59%)
11.	New Age (54%)
12.	Mahayana Buddhism (53%)
13.	Orthodox Quaker (51%)
14.	Scientology (51%)
15.	Secular Humanism (50%)
16.	New Thought (48%)
17.	Theravada Buddhism (44%)
18.	Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (43%)
19.	Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (41%)
20.	Hinduism (39%)
21.	Taoism (38%)
22.	Eastern Orthodox (37%)
23.	Roman Catholic (37%)
24.	Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (35%)
25.	Seventh Day Adventist (30%)
26.	Nontheist (30%)
27.	Jehovah's Witness (27%)

 
 

Inserted from <http://www.selectsmart.com/PRO/beliefnet/index1.html?im_fact1=3&x=33&q4=8&im_fact10=2&q11=1&im_fact11=3&im_fact12=2&im_fact13=1&im_fact14=2&im_fact15=2&im_fact16=2&im_fact17=2&im_fact18=2&im_fact4=2&q5=2&q1=2&im_fact9=2&q17=1&im_fact7=2&q10=2&im_fact2=2&q3=3&q13=1&q2=1&y=8&q12_a8=8&q15=2&im_fact3=3&q6=2&q18=2&im_fact5=2&q7_a2=2&q8=1&q14=2&im_fact6=2&q16=2&im_fact8=2&q9=2&q19=2&im_fact19=2&q20=1&im_fact20=2&submit.x=25&submit.y=0&doit=1>

 
 

 

 
 

 

Rabbi Gartenberg's Beliefomatic Results

 
 

Your Results:

The top score on the list below represents the faith that Belief-O-Matic, in its less than infinite wisdom, thinks most closely matches your beliefs. However, even a score of 100% does not mean that your views are all shared by this faith, or vice versa.

 
 

Belief-O-Matic then lists another 26 faiths in order of how much they have in common with your professed beliefs. The higher a faith appears on this list, the more closely it aligns with your thinking.

 
 

How did the Belief-O-Matic do? Discuss your results on our
message boards.

 
 

 
 

 
 

1.	Reform Judaism (100%)
2.	Bahá'í Faith (87%)
3.	Sikhism (86%)
4.	Liberal Quakers (83%)
5.	Unitarian Universalism (78%)
6.	Islam (77%)
7.	Orthodox Judaism (77%)
8.	Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (75%)
9.	Neo-Pagan (63%)
10.	Jainism (59%)
11.	New Age (54%)
12.	Mahayana Buddhism (53%)
13.	Orthodox Quaker (51%)
14.	Scientology (51%)
15.	Secular Humanism (50%)
16.	New Thought (48%)
17.	Theravada Buddhism (44%)
18.	Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (43%)
19.	Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (41%)
20.	Hinduism (39%)
21.	Taoism (38%)
22.	Eastern Orthodox (37%)
23.	Roman Catholic (37%)
24.	Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (35%)
25.	Seventh Day Adventist (30%)
26.	Nontheist (30%)
27.	Jehovah's Witness (27%)

 
 

Inserted from <http://www.selectsmart.com/PRO/beliefnet/index1.html?im_fact1=3&x=33&q4=8&im_fact10=2&q11=1&im_fact11=3&im_fact12=2&im_fact13=1&im_fact14=2&im_fact15=2&im_fact16=2&im_fact17=2&im_fact18=2&im_fact4=2&q5=2&q1=2&im_fact9=2&q17=1&im_fact7=2&q10=2&im_fact2=2&q3=3&q13=1&q2=1&y=8&q12_a8=8&q15=2&im_fact3=3&q6=2&q18=2&im_fact5=2&q7_a2=2&q8=1&q14=2&im_fact6=2&q16=2&im_fact8=2&q9=2&q19=2&im_fact19=2&q20=1&im_fact20=2&submit.x=25&submit.y=0&doit=1>

There is a long way which is short and a short way that is long.

There Is A Long Way Which Is Short And A Short Way That Is Long
Rabbi Dov Gartenberg Parshat Beshalah
Given, 08-01-19

The Sidrah begins with the word Vayehi. The first two letter read וי
That is Woe!.
Pharaoh said, Woe, because the Israelites, his best workers had left;
Moses said Woe because when God led the people by the circuitous route, he knew they would misuse their freedom.
Israel said Woe because they now had to look after themselves.
God said Woe, because God knew Israel's weakness. (R. Hacohen)

This is the Oy parsha because it starts off in such a strange way
Let's consider the famous verses.

‘Vayehi’-Now when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer; for God said, "The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.: So God led the people round about, ‘Vyasev elohim’, by way of the wilderness at the Sea of Reeds. Es 13:17-18

Why did God not take Israel the shortest way to the land of Canaan and to escape a potential pursuit of the Egyptians? Why did God not consult Moses who would bear all the burdens of the people's wanderings? Why did God have so little faith in the people he liberated? What is the benefit in causing people to wander?

For generations students of the Torah have asked these questions. I share with you a few suggestions for your consideration.

This is an act of kindness and consideration on God's part. Ki karov hu " because God was near to them and loved them, and therefore, did not want to risk having some of them killed in a battle with the Philistines (Minhah blulah)

Rashi: God did not lead Israel through Philistine territory precisely because it was close, and it would have been too tempting to become discouraged and return to Egypt.

Nahmanides: Although the way to through the Phillistine territory was more direct, God was afraid that the people would be discouraged if they had to fight their way through.

All these commentators are aware of an older Midrash which gives specific reasons for God's fear of Israel's potential weakness.

"Israel had spent 180 years in Egypt, in peace and prosperity, not in the least molested by the people. Suddenly Ganon came, a descendant of Joseph of the tribe of Ephraim. He said, The Lord has appeared to me and He bade me to lead you forth out of Egypt. The Ephraimites were the only ones to heed his words. Proud of their royal lineage as direct descendants of Joseph and confident of their valor in war, for they were great heroes, they left the land and betook themselves to Palestine. They carried only weapons of gold and silver. They had no provisions, because they expected to buy food and drink on the way or capture them by force if the owners would not part with them for money.

After a days' march they found themselves in the neighborhood of Gat. There the local shepherds refused to provide provisions for the hungry and thirsty Ephraimites. Angry by the refusal, the Ephraimites attacked the shepherds of Gat, who then called on their fellow Philistines. They gathered a large army and annihilated the Ephraimites, leaving only 10 of them who escaped with their bare lives.

They returned to Egypt to bring all of Israel word of the disaster that had overtaken them. The disaster at Gat was followed by disgrace, for the bodies of the fallen lay unburied for many years on the battlefield. To add insult to injury, Pharaoh, alarmed over the possibility of all of Israel leaving initiated the first acts of oppression that led to Israel’s enslavement. Thereafter, the Egyptians exercised force to keep Israel in their land.

The Midrash concludes, Therefore, God chose the longer route to spare Israel of the sight of those dishonored corpses. Upon seeing the corpses the Israelites would become discouraged and would return to Egypt. (Legends of the Jews)

This Midrash (which has no historical basis) is fascinating because it suggests that God avoided the coastal route because of a previous traumatic incident. Think about this in your own lives. Have you ever steered a child or a spouse away from falling into a trap which you had fallen into yourself? How do the traumas of our past effect how we guide others today? How much do we hide those traumas to protect our children or grandchildren? Or should we allow our descendants to know about the trials of our past so they may learn as well.

In the case of this Midrash, God does not want them to see this indignity and guides them away from it. Going back to Egypt is not an option.

The final interpretation I will offer is my favorite.
The long route was necessary because the Israelites would need to develop qualities to be able to conquer and settle the Promised Land.
i. Ibn Ezra: God did not want them to arrive at the Promised Land too soon. Slaves could not conquer the land.
ii. Maimonides: God wanted to accustom them to hardship, to prepare them for the task of being a free persons and a free nation.
Maimonides writes, “ It is impossible to change a person instantaneously.” When a person or community undergoes a profound change in condition, it will take a long time for that person and that community to adjust to the new reality. Therefore God has Israel wander to help them adjust to the new reality of their freedom and their service to God.

Isn’t this true for us? We are not built for quick pivots or sudden turns. So much of the difficulties we have in modern life stem from this super fast pace of life in which our bodies and our minds have trouble keeping up. Modern life does not allow the wandering time for us to catch up. No wonder we feel so out of sorts so much of the time.

That is the wisdom of our passage today. God knows that we need time when faced with radical change. He let us wander so we can adjust and get used to the new reality. The Talmud captures this wisdom in a wonderful expression.

There is a long way which is short and a short way that is long. (BT Eruvim 53b)