Shabbat Divrei Torah

Parshat Vayeshev, 22 Kislev 5780 - December 20, 2019

     Recently, Rabbi Yair Silverman of Kehillat Moed in Zichron Yaakov in Israel taught about Chanukah in our Shul, and introduced us to a Chanukah derashah (1874) by the Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter of Gur, otherwise know as the Sefas Emes. In a clever word play, the Sefas Emes, in classic Chassidic fashion, takes an external halakhic concept and spiritually internalizes it. The Sefas Emes writes:

מצוותה משתשקע החמה עד "שתכלה הרגל מן השוק" (שבת כא:). המצווה של נר חנוכה צריכה להשפיע על היחיד עד שתכלה הרגל מן השוק – שתעקור ממנו את ההרגלים הגשמיים ואת המידות הגסות שבהם הוא עדיין קשור בשוק

 Its mitzvah (i.e., the timing of lighting the Chanukah lamp) [spans] from sunset until “the foot traffic (haregel) has finished in the marketplace” (TB Shabbat 21b). The mitzvah of the Chanukah lamp must influence the individual Jew [in the sense of] “until the habit (hergel) has finished in the marketplace” – that is, [a person must] uproot from within him/herself the habituations toward materiality and their attendant self-centered characteristics that are yet tied to the marketplace [i.e., a for-profit orientation that asks what’s in it for me.]

    The Chanukah lights may publicize without, but also seek to illuminate and thereby purify within. The buzz word of the contemporary business world is “disrupter.” Sefas Emes also seeks disruption in the “marketplace,” or perhaps better stated – ascension beyond its allure to more holy living and greater sacred purpose. Have our Jewish lives become routinized? Can we follow the Sefas Emes and become disrupters of self and ascenders? Can we find personal rededication and renewal - hitchadshut - even as we commemorate a historical rededication of so long ago? Can we make the “bayamim ha-hem” our own “bazeman hazeh”?

     Shabbat Shalom and Chanukah Sameach, Rav Benjie

Parshat Vayeshev, 9 Kislev 5780 - December 7, 2019

At our Pesach Seder, we tell the Jewish story. The question is where does our story begin and end? Our rabbis’ selection for our Passover evening of learning is not the Torah’s narrative of the Exodus from Sefer Shemot, but Mikra Bikkurim (Devarim 26) - the required recitation attending the mitzvah of first fruits, which itself is a retelling of the Jewish story in brief. It famously begins: “Arami ‘oved avi…,” which the rabbis midrashically interpret, yielding the meaning: “An Aramean tried to destroy my father.” Who is the Aramean? Lavan of our parashah - uncle to Yaakov, father and grandfather of Yaakov’s wives and children. Lavan is a trickster, and although Yaakov thinks himself Lavan’s equal (TB BB 133A), it is very difficult to best a master of deception. I have two questions to pose for this Shabbat. One, when did Lavan first conceive of the plot to marry Leah to Yaakov and then get seven additional years of service out of Yaakov for Rachel’s hand in matrimony? Two, why did our Rabbis choose to portray on Pesach Lavan as the archenemy of the Jewish people, even more so than Pharoah?

This week, British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis took an unprecedented, bold action of penning an op-ed warning the Jews of the United Kingdom against voting for Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, labelling him and his party platform as anitsemitic. On this side of the pond, NYT op-ed writer Bari Weiss authored a chilling article, entitled: “Inconvenient Murders: The Global Surge in Jew-hatred barely registers in the West.” Why is it during these extreme and polarized times that antisemitism is arising anew? Is it merely an epiphenomenon of our age? Or, more likely, is it the (not-so) long-dormant seeds germinating afresh in an emerging environment hospitable to Jew hatred and scapegoating?
 

Lavan, more than even wicked ‘ole Pharoah, was a trickster and a planner. Like a chessmaster, he was always several moves ahead, and had the patience for long plot lines. The Talmud teaches that Lavan planned on tricking Yaakov into 14 years of service and marrying his two daughters to him from the very beginning, when they first met and Yaakov was alone and vulnerable. Twenty-years later, when Yaakov and his large family and flocks escaped Lavan’s control, Lavan sought their destruction. This wasn’t a spontaneous response, but a long-charted contingency. Yaakov could never anticipate all of Lavan’s moves, but it was essential that he learn to contend with the Lavans of the world. And what was true of Yaakov is true for his descendents -- the Children of Israel -- us!
 

May Hashem’s promise to Yaakov at the beginning of the parashah continue for us (Bereishit 28:15): “And behold, I am with you, and I will guard you wherever you go, and I will restore you to this land, for I will not forsake you until I have done what I have spoken concerning you (i.e., fulfill all the patriarchal blessings and promises).”

Shabbat Shalom, Rav Benjie

Parshat Toldot, 2 Kislev 5780 - November 30, 2019

Rabbis get a well-deserved bad rep for bad jokes -- I would say “corny jokes,” but as an Ashkenazi rabbi I avoid kitniyos. This morning, I had the glorious opportunity to share a really bad, well-worn “Rabbi-Joke” with a visiting Israeli man, who my gut told me probably had never heard it before. It goes like this: “What is the source for Thanksgiving in the Torah?” The answer: “Hodu Lashem Ki Tov…” You see the Hebew word for “Turkey” is Hodu, and the Hebrew word for “Give thanks” is also Hodu, so “Hodu Lashem Ki Tov…” reads as “Give thanks to God for God is good,” or “Turkey for God for God is good.” Thus, American Thanksgiving culinary fare is referenced in the Torah, or more accurately in Sefer Tehillim (Psalms 118 and 136). I am still scouring TaNaKh for something that sounds like Tofurky. The visitor politely laughed. I think it was out of chesed. But that’s okay - ki leolam chasdo -- God’s kindness is eternal.

Hodu is also the Hebrew word for the country of India, and ironically not Turkey, thus leading some rabbinical wanna-be-comedians to suggest that we should eat Indian Cuisine on Thanksgiving. However, The Kosher Veggie Crust restaurant in Brookline, which will feature vegetarian/vegan Indian fare (in addition to Pizza), isn’t opening as kosher until next Tuesday, Dec. 3, so we’ll have to wait until Thanksgiving 2020 for that unfunny joke to land. The 17 wild turkeys that winter in the trees at the Samuels homestead, however, will thank you if you make the switch. Please note: only the Brookline location will be kosher, and if you order from UberEats or a similar service, you need to make sure that the food is coming from the Brookline (Kosher) and not Sommerville (not-Kosher) location. Always look for a KVH symbol on take-out food.

Regardless of what we eat, we all have much for which to be thankful, and Thanksgiving is a time to harvest our feelings of gratitude and give them expression. However, as important the value of hakarat haTov, feelings and expressions of appreciation only turn into full blessings if they inspire action to bring bounty and blessings to others. To enhance our Thanksgiving feast, consider downloading this one-page Thanksgiving Jewish Reading and Discussion Guide, published by the American World Jewish Service, to bring Social Justice to your festive table.

Finally, if you would like to join another Shaarei member’s Thanksgiving meal or Shabbat table this week, please let me know.

Give thanks to God for God is good/for God’s Kindness endures forever - הוֹדוּ לַה' כִּי-טוֹב כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ

Be the grateful agent of God’s kindness, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Chodesh Tov, Gobble Tov and Shabbat Shalom, Rav Benjie

Parshat Vayera, 17 Marcheshvan 5780 - November 15, 2019

   Last week, I entered the Shalom of Shabbat with prayers and thoughts of peace having attended a religious peace conference in Washington, D.C. This week,we enter Shabbat with the bitter aftertaste of war -- over 450 rockets shot from Gaza at Israel, with three Israelis civilians killed and 100 wounded. Needless to say, war devastates all involved, and the plight of the Palestinians of Gaza has not been improved or advanced by waging a war of terror against Israel. In the aftermath of war and loss, the openness to any vision of peacemaking closes. 

   In this week's parashah, Avraham argues with God about the destruction of S'dom va'Amorah. "Will not the Judge of all the earth do justice?," challenges Avraham when he learns of God's plan to destroy the seaside Canaanite cities of the Jordan valley. Didn't Avraham know and believe that God is a just God? Didn't God feel secure in God's omniscient decision of destruction? Why then the exercise of debating the Almighty? Why did God invite Avraham's input and argument?

    This episode clearly teaches that our Abrahamic responsibility is to apply our moral conscience and strategic responsibility to attempt both to protect defensively our person, family, people, nation, and all human beings, as possible, and also proactively yield just, compassionate and good outcomes, as possible. The beginning and end of all things lie with God, but the in-between task has been given to people. As our Sages teach: "It is not incumbent upon you to complete the task; but you may nonetheless not desist from it" (Avot 2:16).  Kohelet offers another Sage, even if difficult, teaching (3:1,8): "Everything has an appointed season, and there is a time for every matter under the heaven....a time for war and a time for peace." This past week was a time of war. May the time for peace follow.

     Shabbat Shalom, Rav Benjie

Parshat Noach, 4 Cheshvan 5780 – November 2, 2019

    Last Shabbat, we celebrated the installation of our new solar panels with a special text study. We affirmed our sacred mission of partnering with our Creator to develop and protect the world that God spoke into being (see Bereishit 2:15). This week, we read parshat Noach which tells the story of mass extinction, and the saving remnant of Noach, his family, and the menagerie aboard his floating sanctuary. Why does the Torah record and tell the story of mass extinction? The TaNaKh is replete with calls to individual responsibility and even national accountability within a larger theological framework of covenantal obligation and its reward/punishment consequences. Why then, at the very beginning, tell the story of the mass extinction of the entire world, including the human race?

    In Pulitzer Prize winning, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert, Kolbert tells the history of five previous mass extinctions in the deep-past history of our Earth. The question before our generation is whether we are in the middle of a sixth, human-generated, era of mass extinction. Based on her research, Kolbert estimates that by the end of the 21st century, 20-50% of “all living species on earth,” will disappear. Noah would be crying, or seeking escape in inebriation.

    Tears, distraction, denial, and escapism, however, will not solve the challenges we face. Though the world was brought into being through God’s word, it can only be sustained by strategic and foresightful action. The Torah teaches us the story of the flood to remind us that sometimes the problems we create affect the whole world. On the one hand, it is Noah, as an individual, who surmounts and survives the flood with his selected few. The cost of this approach is the loss of everyone else. Another approach is for the world, united together, to solve its global problems. If a house divided against itself cannot stand, what chance the planet?

    Shabbat shalom, Rav Benjie

 SHEMINI ATZERET/SIMCHAT TORAH  -22 Tishrei 5779 - October 21, 2019

     On Simchat Torah, it is of the utmost importance that each of us bring “all of me” to participate in the dancing and contribute to creating a true atmosphere of Torah simchah. As Hillel taught, we must be able to say: “If I am here, then all is here; but, if I am not here who is here.” For truly, every person’s participation positively affects the whole, and every person’s lack of participation detracts from our communal potential. The Torah, its values and vision for our people and for all humanity, yearns to be celebrated with joy and commitment. On Simchat Torah, we make a siyum on the Torah, but instead of saying “Hadran – One day, we will return to you,'' we run to dance with and start learning the Torah again. We must not be mistaken. Despite the light-hearted atmosphere of Simchat Torah, our sacred task is incredibly serious and vital. It is said that how we celebrate the Torah on Simchat Torah portends how we will learn our Torah in the year to come. Toward this goal, we will aspire to celebrate Simchat Torah with concentrated energy in a reasonable time frame. We hope that people will stay in shul and participate for the duration of our celebration.

    On leil Simchat Torah, in addition to the candy bags we distribute to the children in attendance, we will also have grape juice for Kiddush and snack foods for teens and adults in the social hall where most of the dancing will take place.

    Important Note on Alcohol at Shaarei on Simchat Torah and in General: When we lift a shot glass to make Kiddush and a L’Chaim, we must make sure our drinking is a Kiddush Hashem and is truly l’Chaim – a healthy drinking habit. It is essential that the adults in our shul model proper drinking behavior in front of our children, and thus adults are asked to limit their own alcoholic consumption to a shot or two and no more! There is no mitzvah in inebriation, only transgression. It is also essential that no under-age drinking (<21 yrs old) occur at shul. We ask parents to supervise their children.

    Chag Sameach, Rav Benjie

 Sukkot 5780

     While some people are naturals at memorizing, others require games, dittys, and mnemonics to remember arcane bits of information. For high school students, studying anatomy and physiology, some science educators employ fun, childhood games to help memorize bone names, and the like. Que the Hokey Pokey, and in your mind’s ear and eye, hear and see the teacher singing: “Put you femur in, put your femur out…” When it comes to Sukkot, we are all in. It is a New Year, brimming with religious opportunities and spiritual potential. Living in the Sukkah is one of the few mitzvot in the Torah that one fulfills using one’s whole person. You can’t just put your cranium or clavicle in and leave the rest out. Sukkot, however, demands more than full body participation. The Tur famously halakhically requires that when we sit in the Sukkah, we need to think about how we are shielded and protected by God’s solicitous Divine Providence. The schach represents the ‘Annanei Hakavod -- the clouds of Divine glory, that protected us in our desert wanderings between Egypt and the Promised Land, and that protect us still. This Sukkot, as you sit in your Sukkah with your family and/or friends, think of all that you have in your life for which to be thankful and grateful, and resolve this year to be “all in.”

Chag Sameach, Rav Benjie

 Shabbat Parshat Vayeilech/Shabbat Shuva/ Yom Kippur 5780
5 Tishrei 5780 - October 4, 2019 

      In Parshat Emor, in speaking about Yom Kippur, the Torah seems to say that we begin the inuy (fasting, etc.) already on the 9th of Tishrei – "ve-initem et nafshoteikhem be-tisha la-chodesh ba-erev" (Vayikra 23:23). Since we know, however, that the fast of Yom Kippur only begins on the 10th day, this verse must refer to some other practice which begins on the 9th. The Gemara therefore explains: whoever eats on the 9th day is considered as having fasted on both the 9th and 10th. Most Rishonim (Medieval authorities), with the notable exception of the Rambam, maintain that this mitzvah is of biblical force. Some opine that if we eat well the day before it will make our fast more difficult, a true affliction of the soul. Others assert that the primary rationale for the Torah commanding us to eat well on the 9th is that Yom Kippur is a Yom Tov for which we fulfill its festive character through eating on the day before. In truth, Yom Kippur ensconces both themes: the discomfort of vulnerability and the confident joy of daring greatly and achieving atonement, forgiveness, and starting anew.   
    May we have an easy fast, a motivating Yom Kippur, and a Gemar Chatimah Tova!
    Come early, stay late, and be inspired! Rav Benjie

Parshat Ki Tavo, Elul 21 5779 - September 21, 2019

When I turned 40 years old (that was 11 years ago!), I grew very excited. Rabbi Yehudah ben Teimah outlines in his review of the life course that “Ben ‘arabaim lebinah - At forty, one reaches the age of wisdom”(M. Avot 5:21). At last, I would achieve wisdom! I said to myself, maybe I would begin to understand the mysteries of the universe -- from its hidden origins to its unknown future. I would now master the complexities of interpersonal relationships ... even know the mind of God ... and finally understand why a pizza box is square when a pizza is round and we cut it into triangles -- oy vey, my brain hurts just thinking about it!

    At the end of this week’s parashah, Ki Tavo, “Moses called all of Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the Lord did before your very eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, to all his servants, and to all his land, the great trials which your very eyes beheld and those great signs and wonders, but God did not give you a heart to know, or eyes to see, or ears to hear until this day" (Devarim 29:3). The verse seems self-contradictory. It is forty years after the Children of Israel experienced the exodus, with the prior sufferings of servitude and the subsequent miracles of redemption. How is it that only now, forty years later, they are given a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear -- in other words, the wisdom of understanding? Surely, then, at forty, one reaches the age of wisdom!

    The truth is, as we all are wise enough to know, wisdom is less a function of time, and more a product of experience lived and contemplated. Only forty years later at the threshold of the Land of Promise do the people of Israel have enough perspective to understand how they grew into a holy people from the challenges they faced; how they ascended from the depths of despair to the hope of a new destiny.  We too stand at a crossing-point: the end of our year’s wanderings and the beginning anew. Today, we too are given new hearts, eyes and ears to reflect upon the mistakes, failings, lessons, and achievements of the past year. The wisdom gained will help us enter into a new year of great promise. Forty days after Rosh Chodesh Elul, the beginning of our season of Teshuva, we will arrive at Yom Kippur. Ben/Bat ‘arbaim lebinah - At forty (days), may we gain the needed wisdom and understanding! 

Shabbat Shalom, Rav Benjie

Parshat Shoftim, Elul 6 5779 - September 6, 2019

This past week, one of my beloved teachers from my post-high school yeshiva years at Gush (Yeshivat Har Etzion) passed away after suffering with ALS for the past several years. Rabbi Binyamin Tabory zt”l was an amazing pedagogue and exemplary educator. Even when I was no longer in his shiur, Rabbi Tabory maintained a warm and interactive relationship with me, as he did with countless other talmidim and talmidot. I still remember dearly many of the stories and vortlach he shared with me in the Beis Medresh – much more than I remember all the sugyot and lomdishe chakiras from all the various Gemara shiurim I attended, however important they are. But most of all, I remember his model of sincere concern and warmth for his students. His model has been very influential in shaping the type of rabbi and teacher I myself aspire to be. 
      A few years ago, I was invited by Camp Moshava IO to be a guest rabbi for a Shabbat. I believe it was Rav Tabory’s last summer at Moshava as Rav Machaneh. WIthout question, the highlight of the Shabbat weekend for me was the opportunity to reacquaint myself with Rav Tabory. Incredibly, he remembered me fully, even conversations we had together, though I had not seen him in over two decades. We sat next to each other at Shabbat dinner and lunch, and it was like we just picked up our Beis Medresh banter  from so many years ago. 
     In life, we have role models and mentors; gate-keepers and door openers; even shoftim veshotrim. We have attained our professional accomplishments, personal achievements, and even religious identity, among other aspects of who we are, in great measure because of the influential roles -- both large and small -- that they have played in our lives. Sometimes they are family members, other times teachers and rabbis, often friends, and once in a while even a complete stranger -- what my colleague and friend Rabbi Daniel Cohen calls “Elijah Moments.” 
     This Shabbat, take some time to think about the positive influencers in your life. If they are no longer with us, share your memory of them with people you love. If they are still alive, consider sending them a Shana Tova card or email or call them, and say thank you. But more importantly, think about ways that you yourself can pay their kindness forward.  How can you best become a positive role model and mentor, constructive gate-keeper or door opener, judicious and magnanimous shofet veshoter, for others? 

Shabbat Shalom, Rav Benjie

Parshat Devarim, Shabbat Chazon, 9 Av 5779 - August 10, 2019

Chevre,

This year, the 9th of Av falls on Shabbat, and the fast and observances of Tisha b’Av are delayed until Saturday night and Sunday, the 10th of Av, August 10 and 11. The below “Schedule and Halakhic Guidelines” aims to help proper observance of both Shabbat the 9th of Av and the Fast of the 9th of Av observed on the next day. Tisha b’Av is our national day of mourning for which we remember the sin of the spies and the decree against the generation of the Exodus, the destruction of the first and second Beit HaMikdash, the fall of the Jewish city of Beitar during the Bar Kokhva revolt, and the razing of Yerushalayim, along with numerous persecutions through Jewish history. It is not a day of activism or optimistic expression, but a day of mournful solidarity with the Jewish people throughout the ages. The ritual practices and liturgies of the day help connect us with this pathos, but ultimately each of us in shared and individualistic ways must find depth of meaning in the observances of the day.

Shabbat Shalom, in love of Tzion, Rabbi Benjamin J. Samuels

Friday night and Saturday, Shabbat, 9 of Av, August 9, & August 10 - Erev Fast of “Tisha b’Av”

There is a debate among the rabbis regarding when the 9th of Av coincides with Shabbat. Some say that it is indeed Tisha b’Av, however, Shabbat overrides public and semi-public displays of mourning. Thus, at Shul, we treat the day as a regular Shabbat and at our Shabbat tables we do likewise. However, for example, in the privacy of our bedrooms we refrain from marital relations, unless it is leil tevillah – one’s mikvah night, for which we rule leniently (Rosh, Ta’anit 32; Ramo 554:14).

Others say that the rabbis uprooted Tisha b’Av completely from Shabbat and moved it a day later to Sunday, and thus there are no restrictions whatsoever (based on Tosefta Ta’anit chapter 3). While Rabbi Joseph Caro, the author of Shulkhan Arukh (O”C 554:19) rules like this later position, Ramo rules more stringently for Ashkenazic Jewry (ibid).

We will not display any practices of mourning at Shul on Shabbat, we will study Torah related to this time period per our general practice of studying on Shabbat about upcoming holidays. On Erev Tisha bAv, it is generally forbidden to learn Torah, other than topics relating to Tisha b’Av or other lachrymose topics. When Erev Ta’anit Tisha b'Av falls on Shabbat, some are lenient, and the Mishnah Berurah says that one may rely on this opinion if needed. People who have Shabbat chevrutot or study groups will need to decide whether to study their regular topics or take up a topic relevant to Shabbat Tisha B’Av (my recommendation).

Since it is Shabbat, there is no Seudah haMafseket (pre-fast symbolic meal), but rather we eat Seudah Shelishit at home and conclude all eating and drinking before Sunset, which is at 7:53 pm.

6:00 PM Shabbat Minchah

Saturday night, 10th of Av, Leil Fast of Tisha b’Av

7:53 PM Fast Begins at Sunset
While we refrain from eating and drinking at Sunset, we are not allowed to prepare for the fast or actively demonstrate mourning until after Shabbat ends. Thus, we do not change into weekday clothing, remove our Shabbat shoes and don sneaker/slippers or prepare our Kinot books until after 8:30 pm.

8:35 Shabbat ends, but Havdalah is not said until after the fast on Sunday night.
Havdalah is postponed to Sunday night. All those who will need to eat on Tisha b’Av for medical reasons, however, should make Havdalah with beer or juice before they eat or drink. Additionally, although we do not normally make Havdalah, we do recite the berakhah of “Borei Me’orei Ha-Eish” on fire at Maariv before the reading of Eichah.

Who Has to Fast?
All Jewish men and women above bar/bat mitzvah are required to fast. However, because this year is a delayed fast, there is less of a halakhic threshold to legitimate eating and drinking for those with medical need. Thus, women who have given birth in the last 30 days do not fast at all; pregnant or nursing women need not fast if difficult; and a person who is slightly sick and will feel worse as a result of fasting need not fast. Children under Bat/Bar Mitzvah age are not required to fast the entire time, but should fast a set amount of time as to be determined in consultation with their parents. [Note this is different from Yom Kippur where 11 year old girls and 12 year old boys should fast the whole time.] At the same time, all children of the age of chinukh should be taught about Tisha b’Av, and restrict their eating somewhat, especially of indulgence items (i.e., cookies, ice cream, candy). To the extent possible, try to program Tisha b’Av appropriate activities for your children.

Additional Restrictions:
In addition to fasting, we do not bath, wash, anoint ourselves with moisturizes or wear perfumes/colognes, wear leather shoes, have marital relations, extend greetings, engage in pleasurable activities or sit on regular chairs (unless medically indicated). After chatzot – midday, we move from the floor to sit on regular chairs, but the other restrictions still apply until the fast concludes.

9:00 PM Maariv, Megillat Eichah and Kinot with Introductions (via microphone) by Rabbi Benjamin J. Samuels. Eichah Readers: Perek alef: Allen Flusberg; bet: Bill Feld; gimel: Ernest Mandel; daled: David Waxman; heh:Daniel Swartz.

Sunday Morning, 10th of Av, August 11, Fast of “Tisha b’Av” Day

8:00 AM Shacharit and Kinot with Introductions and commentary by Rabbi Samuels and Community Members (Main Sancutary) Men do not wear Tallit and Tefillin until Minchah.

Upon rising, "Negel Vasser -- Morning Hand Washing" is done only from the finger tips until the knuckles. Residual water drops on our fingers may be used to wipe sediment from our eyes. A Tallis Katan is worn, but without a berakhah.

Following davening, one may work on Tisha B’Av, however, try to program your day in such a way that you can incorporate meaningful Tisha b’Av activities (i.e., recite additional kinot or read/learn sorrowful materials). Especially since this year we observe our national day of mourning on Sunday, consider participating in one of our many educational offerings throughout the day.

~10:30 AM Women’s Eichah Reading. Note: This is an approximate time, WTG Eichah will begin upon conclusion of Kinot. Perek alef: Esther Israel; bet: Rebecca Israel; gimel: Rachel Schiff; daled: Julie Goschalk ; heh: Sarah Robinson

12:49 PM Chatzot – Midday: We move from sitting on the floor to sitting on chairs.

Tisha b’Av Multi-Media Program for Adults, Teens and Youth sixth-grade-and-up

2:00 – 3:50 PM Screening “Who Will Write Our History (96 minutes) and discussion with Rabbi Benjamin J. Samuels.

4:00 PM Learning out Loud on Jewish Mourning and Women Saying Kaddish with Sarah Robinson

7:15 PM Mincha (with Tallit and Tefillin for men) followed by a brief Shiur on a Holocaust Responsum and Maariv

8:00 PM (approximately) Maariv

8:31 PM Fast Ends

Sunday Night, 11 Av, August 11
Haircuts, laundry, bathing and swimming are all permissible. Eating meat and drinking wine (other than Havdalah), as well as listening to live music, should be postponed until Monday morning.

Parshat Pinchas, 24 Tammuz 5779 - July 27, 2019

Pinchas begins with the story of an upstander who swiftly and decisively exercises leadership in a moment of national crisis. When we look deeper into the narrative of flagrant transgression and violent zealous response, we will take note of the story’s layers, tensions, and ambivalences. Is Pinchas rewarded with the covenant of peace as an uncritical reward, or, as my teacher Rabbi Norman Lamm taught me, as a Divine measure and message to temper his righteous anger? While Hashem may have approved of Pinchas’ act in that hour of crisis, God intends to negate vigilantism as an option for order-keeping. The Rabbis in the Talmud (TB Sanhedrin 82a) teach that had they been asked they would have denied Pinchas license to respond outside the system of justice.

There are moments, however, when the regnant “system of justice,” is patently unjust. Think of Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience, or Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Another Jewish model of an upstander who strategically exercised leadership in a moment of crisis and in the face of inescapable evil and injustice was a man by the name of Emanuel Ringelblum, who in November of 1940 was incarcerated with 450,000 other Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. He created a group known by the code name Oyneg Shabbes to resist Nazi oppression, persecution, and annihilation by wielding paper and pen to tell the story of the Jews of Warsaw, as a larger community and as distinct individuals. On Sunday, August 11, the observed fast of Tisha B’Av, we will be having a special screening of the critically acclaimed Who Will Tell Our Story, which tells the story of Ringelblum and Oyneg Shabbes. You can see a trailer or read about the film here. It is not to be missed and will deepen our appreciation of Tisha B’av, which at its core is the Jewish answer to the question: “who will tell our story?” The Jewish answer to this question time and again manifests that we despite all we have been through we still aspire to the promised and coveted covenant of peace.

Shabbat Shalom toward a B’rit Shalom, Rav Benjie

Parshat Chukat, 8 Tammuz 5779 - July 11, 2019

Over the past couple of weeks, I have written about utilizing summer-time for self-care, well-being and health, about trying to free ourselves from dangerous distractions (like texting while driving), and aspiring to the exercise of leadership and role-modelling. All of these themes, once again, are present in parshat Chukat, which focuses on staying-hydrated in the heat, anger-management, and the joys and oys of the life-cycle and leadership challenges. I would like to highlight, however, the great mystery at the heart of the ritual of the parah adumah (red heifer) with which our parashah begins. The waters of purification made from the ashes of the offering of the parah adumah purify all those who come in contact with a corpse, the most serious form of ritual impurity and defilement. Yet, despite the pure spiritual potency of these waters, the Kohen who prepares them becomes impure in the process. How can purifying waters impurify its preparers? I will not presume to claim an answer this conundrum that has perplexed throughout the ages our greatest scholars and wisest sages, including Shlomo HaMelekh. And yet, one observation I will offer -- that is, to do something helpful for another person requires sacrifice. That sacrifice need not be large or costly, but a sacrifice of time and/or resources is still required. There is no free lunch, as the expression goes - neither for the person who receives it, nor the people who prepare it.

Our Sages tell us that the reason the second Beit HaMikdash was destroyed was because of Sinat Chinam, needless hatred and indifference. Rav Kook insightfully taught that the third Beit HaMikdash will thus only be built through Ahavat Chinam - love and kindness generously and graciously shared. This year, on the fast of Shiva Asar beTammuz, our Shul will be organizing a Yom Chesed - a day of social justice and kindness. Come join other Shaarei families for hands-on volunteering at Cradles to Crayons on 17 Tammuz, Sunday, July 21 from 10 am to noon. This activity is free and open to all, especially families with children ages 5 and up. We will be working as a group to sort or pack clothing or other supplies for children in need in the Boston area. Cradles to Crayons is located at 155 North Beacon Street in Brighton. RSVP is required. Thank you to Shoshana L. and family for organizing.

Parshat Shelach, 25 Sivan 5779 - June 28, 2019

One morning this past week during rush hour, I dropped off my son at the Newton Centre T stop so that he could take public transit to his summer internship. There was no place to turn off to the side in front of the T station, so I put on my hazards and stopped before the crosswalk so that he could quickly exit the vehicle. In my rear-view mirror, I could see an gesticulating, exasperated driver not happy with my impeding her passage forward. When we both arrived at the intersection of Union and Langley, me being on the left, and her being on the right, she “flipped me the bird. “I imagine that she was late for something and I was a present and safe opportunity to channel her negative energies. No worries. It was not the first time I got the one finger salute, and I doubt it will be the last time. The funny thing is, when she drove away, I noticed the solitary bumper sticker on her vehicle. It was a peace sign. Well, at that moment, I guess you can say she shared with me half a peace sign.

This Shabbat, we read Parshat Shelach Lecha, which tells the story of how the best and brightest of the generation of the wilderness, the nisiim of Israel -- the tribal princes of Israel, went on a reconnaissance expedition of the land of Canaan in advance of the Children of Israel’s entry into the Land of Promise. They projected their own fears onto what they observed, and channeled their own insecurities in their subsequent negative report to Moshe and the people of Israel. In response to their failure of leadership and their unreadiness to advance to the next stage of national development, God punished the entire generation by sentencing them to 38 more years of wandering. Their abiding hope would have to be that their children instead would inherit their ancestral Divine promises.

Why did God punish them so severely? We all know that otherwise good and upright people could occasionally chose poorly, make mistakes, and even fail miserably? Should people really “lose their world in a single hour”? This is a legitimate and fair question which comes up all the time and deserves a fuller discussion. The lesson I wish for us to consider, however, is that every occasion counts and that each moment presents us with an opportunity to either mekadesh or mechalel Shem Shamayim. Half a peace sign in a moment of frustration may momentarily provide a release of frustration, but makes it much harder to build a world in which all hands display the full peace sign. Whether driving in traffic, or delivering a critical report, let us remember that to bring promise and blessing, we need to be the blessing and display the promise. Instead of Road Rage, let’s aspire to being models of courtesy, positivity, and understanding. Shabbat shalom, Rav Benjie

Parshat Nasso, 11 Sivan 5779 - June 14, 2019 - GRADUATION SHABBAT

As a pre-teen growing up in Chicago, for my friends and I, Parshat Naso was considered the Mount Everest of layning. The 34th parashah has the largest number of letters, words, and verses of any of the 54 weekly Torah portions. Forget baseball sluggers’ batting averages and pitchers’ ERAs, Naso’s stats made us quake: 8,632 Hebrew letters, 2,264 Hebrew words, 176 verses, and 311 lines of Torah text. To those layners who conquered it came the victor’s boast; for the rest, it represented a dangerous, even potentially lethal perilous journey. However, while the parashah is indeed quite long, for those willing to peer within, the mystique of the longest parashah evaporates. The primary reason for its lengthiness is its longest chapter of 89 verses (Bamidbar 7) which tells of the tribal sacrifices inaugurating the Mishkan. These 89 verses include a twelve-fold repetition of the same sacrifice brought time and again by each of the tribal leaders of all twelve shevatim. Many have asked why was it necessary for the Torah to repeat each Nasi’s sacrifice if they are all virtually identical. Why didn’t the Torah simply present the first, and then say something like: “and so it was for each of the tribes.” The answer is that the Torah wanted to equally honor each contribution, each achievement, and recognize that the whole - while stronger than the sum of its parts - still relies on each of its constituent parts!

This Shabbat, we celebrate all of the graduates in our Shul community. Our custom is for our President during announcements to read the names of each graduate, just like at a graduation ceremony. Why not just read the first name, and say: “and so too for all the graduates whose names may be found in your pamphlets.” Every individual learning achievement is valorous and worthy of celebration; every one’s sacrifice and contribution needs to be acknowledged. Mazal Tov to all our graduates and their families! May your graduation not only be a conclusion, but also a commencement of further learning and its application to life!

Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Samuels

Parshat Bechukotai, 26 Iyar 5779 - 41st Day of the Omer - May 31, 2019

The biblical book of Daniel tells us that while residing in captivity in Babylonia after the exile of Judea (594 BCE), and the destruction of the first Beit HaMikdash (586 BCE) , “Daniel would enter his house, where there were open windows in his upper chamber facing Jerusalem; three times a day he would kneel and pray'” (Daniel 6:11). From Daniel’s example, the Talmud (TB Berakhot 34b) learns two halakhot: one, when we pray, we should face Jerusalem; two, we should seek to pray in a space that has windows. Why does the Talmud require that we pray towards Jerusalem? This certainly made sense in Daniel’s generation as Jerusalem was his home, and to return home was his deepest prayer. But why did the rabbis of the Talmud ordain that all subsequent generations should pray for Jerusalem? Three reasons: One, Jerusalem represents the meeting place of God and humanity. To turn to Jerusalem is to seek an encounter with the Divine. Two, Jerusalem represents the capital of the sovereign nation of the Jewish people. To turn to Jerusalem is to connect oneself with Jewish peoplehood and destiny. Three, Jerusalem represents the utopian vision of peace on earth, of all nations recognizing their common origins, their shared ultimate destiny, and that we are all God’s children and accountable to God’s expectations of us (see Isaiah, chapter 2). Thus, it is also a rabbinic requirement to pray in a room with a window in order to remind ourselves that when we pray it is not just about us, but our connections beyond ourselves to God, the Jewish people, and a greater human peace, purpose, and plan. This Sunday is Yom Yerushalayim. We celebrate the unification of Jerusalem, as well as share in its dream. At Shacharit, we will say Hallel with a berakhah. Throughout the day, find ways to connect to Israel and Jerusalem: wear blue and white; recite the Shirei haMa’alot - Tehillim 120-134; eat Israeli food; pray for peace; be an activist for Israel; contribute tzedakah to an Israeli cause; call a friend or relative in Israel. Think of your own connections and activities. Above all, seek Jerusalem and pray for its peace.

Shabbat Shalom, in love of Tziyon, Rav Benjie

Parshat Emor, Iyar, 13 Iyar 5779 - May 18, 2019

In this week’s parashah, admidst the description of the festivals marking the yearly cycle, we find the mitzvah of Sefirat HaOmer: “You shall count for yourselves from the morrow of the Shabbat, from the day on which you bring the Omer offering; seven complete weeks they shall be . . .” (Lev 23:15). The Maggid of Mezeritch teaches that the word, “sefirah - counting,” in the Kabbalistic tradition also means “illumination,” being etymologically related to “Sappir - Sapphire.” Thus, the illumination of God’s light in this world is poetically expressed through the metaphysical metaphor of the Sefirot, the 10 valences of God’s luminescent emanations. This duality of meaning teaches us, says the Maggid, that on each of the progressive forty-nine days of “Sefirat HaOmer - the Counting/Illumination of the Omer,” we illuminate, refine and advance another of the forty-nine characteristic aspects of our soul. This is a profound and beautiful idea. Each day when we arise, it is not yet another day in the slog of life, but an opportunity awaiting, a bestirring of unrealized potential, a trajectory of growth. All things change. Yet it is up to us whether the graph of our life is a bell curve beginning with growth and then after reaching an apogee a downward decline, or whether one cycle of growth leads to another. Aging or Saging? The Torah doesn’t set a date for Shavuot - the receiving of the Torah. The only way to get there is by the upward journey of Sefirat HaOmer. Let’s make it count! Let’s make it shine! Shabbat shalom, rbs

Parshat Achrei Mot, Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Iyar, 29 Nisan 5779 - May 4, 2019

On Wednesday night, Jews the worldover will join with our Israeli brothers and sisters in remembrance of the 23,741 fallen heroes of Israel on Yom Hazikaron, and then celebrate the 71 anniversary of Israel’s independence on Yom Haatzmaut. Please join our annual community event this Wednesday night, May 8th, beginning at 6:45 PM, at Cong. Beth El. This annual bittersweet dual observance resonates with us at this juncture in our Jewish lives. We celebrate Jewish self-sovereignty in the Land of Israel and the freedoms we have enjoyed post-Shoah and post-USSR throughout all our diaspora habitations, and yet we witness once again the rise of extremism, exclusive nationalisms, bigotry, and antisemitism throughout the globe, and even in the United States. Last weekend’s murderous shooting at the Poway Chabad Community at Yizkor on the last day of Passover reminds us that we still await redemption, and that there is still much for us to fix in our broken world. This week’s parashah “Acharei Mot” - “After the death,” invites us to think about “reconstruction” in the aftermath of death, disappointment, and destruction. It calls upon us to be God’s partner in building a world of holiness, ethics and goodness. Shabbat and Sunday are Rosh Chodesh and create yet another opportunity for new beginnings. May the new month bring us new blessings.

Shabbat Shalom, rbs

Shabbat Hagadol, Youth Shabbat, Iron Blech, Parshat Metzora, 7 Nisan 5779 - April 12, 2019

This past Thursday (April 11), I watched the attempted satellite moon-landing by SpaceIL. I was born in 1968 and did not witness the great excitement of the first space-flights and moon-landing at the dawn of the space age. My mind’s eye can picture the image of the great control center at NASA that I have seen in books and recreated in movies. How different was the relatively small command center of a “small country with big dreams” trying to make history, displayed on a live YouTube feed on my personal computer, a day after a contentious and acrimonious election. I was gripped with excitement and pride as the mission control announcer spoke in Hebrew of engines firing, telemetries, and horizontal and vertical acceleration rates. And then, in the dramatic last 30 seconds, the failing of a critical instrument and then the primary engine, the successful attempt to restart the engine, but alas too late. The satellite’s descent was too fast, the landing failed, the craft crashed. One would have expected a scene of immense sorrow and disappointment. To be sure, there was disappointment, but the overall feeling in the air was still one of great achievement and hope. It was a beautiful Jewish and human moment, and displayed the Jewish capacity for survival and resilience.

This Shabbat is Shabbat HaGadol, when our ancestors enslaved in Egypt set aside a lamb or goat, animals deified by the Egyptians, in advance of the night of Passover. There had been so many promises and then setbacks. And yet, the Children of Israel tried and tried again. When did the Children of Israel begin to gain their freedom? When they left Egypt or when they got up after their first failure and tried again? Shabbat Shalom, rbs

Shabbat Parah, Parshat Shmini, 22 Adar II 5779 - March 29, 2019

This past week, I travelled to Washington to attend the AIPAC policy conference. It is always an incredible opportunity to stand with 18,000 other people -- Jews and Gentiles -- in support of the US-Israel alliance.  At a special lunch for 500 rabbis and cantors from across the denominational and political spectrum, we heard a presentation by Moran Samuel, an Israeli woman who played on Israel’s national women’s basketball team. At age 24, though young and fit, she tragically suffered a rare spinal stroke, that left her lower body paralyzed. Determined to not let her physical limitations define her, she applied her upper body strength and dexterity to become a celebrated Israeli paralympic basketball player and world champion rower. Among her many victories, in 2012, she won a race in the single scull competition at the Adaptive Rowing Regatta in Gavirate, Italy. However, when she received her trophy at the podium, the organizer didn’t have the music for Hatikva, the Israeli national anthem, so she asked for the microphone and sang it herself! Embodying the Israeli national spirit, she told us that obstacles are challenges, not barriers. Then she asked us to sing Hatikvah with her. She said that as Jews we have learned to carry our own music with us. It was a moment of extraordinary uplift and inspiration.  Shabbat Shalom, rav benjie

Shabbat Zachor Parshat Vayikra, 8 Adar II 5779 - March 15, 2019

Shabbat is Parshat Zachor, the Shabbat preceding Purim on which we fulfill our yearly biblical obligation to recall Amalek’s war on the Children of Israel upon their leaving Egypt and our perpetual battle against the forces of evil and injustice in the world. With the alarming rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, hate speech, and global terrorism – most recently aimed at Muslims in New Zealand, Parshat Zachor takes on even greater significance reminding us to stand up against bigotry and prejudice on behalf of our fellow Jews and other human beings. Both men and women should make sure to come to shul on time to fulfill this important obligation. For parents with small children who may not be able to attend the regular reading of Zachor, we will have a second reading of Zachor immediately following davening in the main shul.

Apropos of questions of discrimination and exclusion, this past week on our Kahal listserv, we had a respectful impromptu exchange about race. One person posted an informational notice about a Pre-Purim gathering of Jews of Color (and their families) this Sunday in Roxbury, and another person asked why an exclusive gathering of Jews of color doesn’t perpetuate a culture of exclusion and discrimination. In other words, if we would be outraged by a whites-only event, why is an exclusive event for people of color any better? When I read this exchange, it reminded me of the heated “Black Lives Matter” movement, and it's “All Lives Matter” critique, that roiled our society in recent past years, and to my mind was a phenomenon of people talking past each other, rather than to and with each other. As a traditional Jew whose political values are primarily socially progressive, for me, these larger clashing viewpoints also resonate with the discomfort I witness, ironically, by socially progressive political communities to condemn anti-Semitism on its own.

I reached out to our teacher and member, Yavila McCoy, a self-described Jewish woman and person of color whose professional life as an educator, activist, and spiritual teacher has been dedicated to educating people about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Yavila helped frame the issues for me, very much in line with the wisdom shared by our teacher and member Amy Newman, when she wrote that it should be okay for Jews of Color (and their families) “to gather in a space that’s just for them, without the people who have marginalized them. It is not at all the same as when the majority chooses to exclude a minority.” Yavila advised that a starting point is to think of affinity groups (such as a Shul, or within a Shul, such as a Women’s Tefillah Group, and how and why people feel a need to gather with others of similar interests and experiences, and how minority/majority and privileged/underprivileged distinctions impact on the legitimacy of exclusivity for affinity groups. Yavila also shared with me a thoughtful and ardent essay on this topic, “Why People of Color Need Spaces Without White People,” which I recommend reading. Another resource that I personally found helpful, is the YA (young adult) Novel, The Hate You Give, which dramatizes quite effectively the “Black Lives Matter” movement, and the feelings of marginalization felt by people of color that are not even on the radar of many white people whose world is shaped, at times, by vastly different treatment and therefore experience.

I would like to end by thanking the participants in this exchange for raising issues of race relations for our community and creating a “teachable moment.” At Shaarei, we sincerely think of ourselves as a thoughtful, warm, welcoming, inclusive and empowering community, but we also live, at least partially, in our own Modern Orthodox, Newton Centre bubble, that has not been on the front lines of race relations. I would like for us this summer, one Shabbat afternoon, to have an educational program on issues of race in our society and in the Jewish community. If you would like to help organize this educational event, please let me know.

Wishing you a memorable Shabbat, rbs

Parshat Tetzaveh, 17 Adar I 5779 - February 22, 2019

RABBI’S MESSAGE: “Ki tissa et rosh b’nei Yisrael - when you lift up the heads of the Children of Israel according to their count….” (Shemot 30:12). Our parashah begins this week with a census, a numbering and taking of account. The Torah’s expression gloriously captures the importance of the individual, even while focusing on population mass.. When you consider, teaches the Torah, the quantity of Israel, lift up each person and never forget the irreducible quality of every soul endowed with tzelem Elokim and the dignities of absolute value, fundamental equality, and uniqueness.

Last Shabbat, on the occasion of the first Yahrzeit of her mother Lillian Garber z”l, our friend and teacher Ronda Jacobson expressed her gratitude to the men and women, adults and teens, who with quiet heroism attend our daily minyan, day by day, week by week, month by month, year after year. I too deeply feel this appreciation on the occasion of having completed my eleven-month recitation of Kaddish this past Thursday evening for my dear late mother z”l. There are moments of profound understanding and transcendent gratitude which we experience in life. If we try hard, the aroma and taste of those moments last a bit longer. Yet, after a while, concrete feeling evaporates into cognitive abstraction. I don’t know a single person in a kehillah who doesn’t intellectually appreciate the need for minyanaires - i.e., minyan regulars, and for those who stand ready to fill in the breach when a call is made for men to help make a minyan or for women to help create a greater sense of community tefillah. And yet, the reality of kehillah is also that the burden of the many is too often carried by the ardent few. While our parashah begins by taking note of the individual even at a time of census, there is another level of meaning at play. The individual feels his and her importance by realizing their contribution to the whole. The whole may indeed be greater than the sum of its parts, but the parts are integral to the whole, and are made more whole by being a part, rather than apart. Thank you again to all those who help make up our daily minyanim, and may those of us who are blessed to feel deep gratitude born of our moments of need shape ongoing appreciation of our amazing community.

Parshat Terumah, 3 Adar I 5779 - February 8, 2019

A chassidic story: One day an elderly gentleman was crying on a city-street bench. A kind-hearted person approached and asked if the older man needed help. “Dear friend, why are you crying?,” she asked. “Are you in pain? Do you need bus fare home? Do you have family? Are you all alone? Homeless?” “No, Madam,” responded the man. “I am married to an extraordinary woman, and we have a beautiful home.” “So why are you crying?,” persisted the woman. To which the man replied: “Because I don’t remember where I live.”

This week’s parashah teaches us about God’s home -- the Mishkan, which literally means: “the indwelling.” Yet, famously, the Torah says that when God instructed Moshe to command the Children of Israel to build God a terrestrial abode, God said: “ve’asu li mikdash veshakhnit betocham -- make for Me a sanctuary, and I will indwell among them.” When God looks for a home, it is not the structure of beams and planks and boards, but within the chambers of a person’s heart, the noble dimensions of a Jewish soul. God says, “I have an extraordinary family and a beautiful home, but sometimes I cannot find it, I don’t recall where it is.” If, however, we live with generosity of spirit, with sincere regard for others, with kindness, faithfulness, and integrity, then God remembers the way back. God returns to indwell in God’s home. God lives within us. Shabbat shalom, rbs

Parshat Yitro 19 Shevat 5779 - January 25, 2019

I have returned from my extraordinary learning mission to Israel, or perhaps I should say “listening mission.” Having met with high ranking Israeli Government, Palestinian Authority, and United Nations officials, as well as with Jewish and Islamic religious leaders, Israeli and Palestinian thought leaders and grassroots (peaceful) activists across the spectrum, the role of our delegation of 12 Orthodox rabbis led by the Honorable Robert and Laurie Wexler of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Mideast Peace was primarily listening -- listening deeply. Of course, we asked hard questions of all we encountered, but our questions were to facilitate more profound understanding, rather than to share opinion or recommend policy.

One of the thought leaders we met with was Rabbi Re’em HaCohen, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Otniel, a Jewish settlement near Hebron, who participates in an intra-Jewish and inter-Jewish-Muslim dialogue group called Siach Shalom.

Rabbi HaCohen shared that the parashah narrating the giving of the Torah at Har Sinai begins with the arrival of Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law: "וַיִּשְׁמַ֞ע יִתְר֨וֹ - Jethro priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, how the LORD had brought Israel out from Egypt” (Exodus 18:1). The Torah emphasizes that what characterized Yitro was that “he heard” -- that he was a listener. Learning begins with listening; understanding with hearing. Rabbi HaCohen said that Yitro taught the Children of Israel how best to receive the Torah, how to become a people known for “Shema Yisrael -- Hear O Israel.”

I look forward to finding a time in the next couple of weeks to share of my experience with those in the kehillah who may be interested in learning what I learned about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, what new efforts toward peace are being generated on the ground that seed hope, and what challenges persist that entrench despair. With two upcoming b’nei mitzvah and a scholar-in-residence, Shabbat morning will likely not be a conducive time for several weeks. Stay tuned. Shabbat shalom, rbs

Parshat Shemot 20 Tevet 5779 - December 28, 2018

New Beginnings: A Bat Mitzvah. A wedding engagement. Returning to Sefer Shemot. The secular New Year. In what ways are all these new beginnings similar, and in what ways do they differ? Two ways we think about time are linear and cyclical conceptions. A linear sense of time, sometimes called the arrow of time, understands time along a line, with a beginning, an end, and lots of middle. Life cycle events, for the most part, like birth, maturation - i.e., rites of passage, life-course milestones like marriage, etc., fit nicely with time’s linearity. Starting a biblical book anew in our yearly keriyat haTorah cycle, and celebrating a new year, whether Jewish or secular, align with a cyclical framework. And yet, when we celebrate, as a community, with a particular individual, or a couple, or a family, a life-cycle event, there is a sense of cyclicality and we affirm the life cycle through the generations. Similarly, although returning to a biblical book, and starting a new year fit into a cyclical pattern, we don’t return to the past, but progress along the timeline, as a wheel rolling forward on a pathway. Common to all the dimensions of new beginnings is a shared sense of renewal and commencement -- an opportunity to learn from the past, while we create a new future in relation to our unique present. In the beginning of the 20th century, thinking about time’s nature, its linearity, cyclicality, and relationality, helped yield new physics (think Einstein), and new metaphysics (think Alfred North Whitehead’s Process Philosophy). In Jewish thought, it is yet another example of the interaction of tradition and modernity, and building a new future based on a present-tense sense of our shared past. Wishing one and all a good Shabbos, Mazal Tov, and a thoughtful New Year! Rav Benjie

Parshat Vayigash 6 Tevet 5779 - December 14, 2018

This past week, I traveled to Chicago to lecture on “What Makes Us Human? Artificial Intelligence and Human Personhood in Jewish Thought and Law,” at an annual Science and Religion memorial lecture at a Modern Orthodox Shul in Skokie. Returning to Chicago is always a homecoming for me. Not only because people don’t talk funny there, and not only because it affords me an opportunity to visit with my dear father, my sister, and other family members and friends, but because there is a graceful comfort of familiarity in one’s place of birth and upbringing. The streets of West Rogers Park are mapped clearly in my mind, even as the shuls, stores, and other buildings have changed. Newton has been our home for 24 years, and we have lived here longer than any other locale, but Chicago will always be my hometown. This Shabbat, we read parshat Vayigash, which highlights the Joseph’s dramatic unveil and the reunion with his brothers and father. The children of Israel descend to Egypt, and the Midrash debates in what ways they remained strangers in a strange land. Did they not change their names, their language, nor their clothes, remaining Israelites even after a protracted residence in Goshen; or did they descend to the 49 level of impurities, assimilating to Egyptian culture and values. Per the first, the remained the Children of Israel, waiting for the fulfillment of the Patriarchal promises. Per the second, no matter how hard they tried to blend in, the Egyptians saw them as other. Was Joseph Yosef or Tzafnat Paneach (his Egyptian name)? Both? Neither? Is home a location, a state of mind, a network of relationships, a vision of promise? The Jewish saga continues… Shabbat Shalom, rbs