Thank you JTS. RTI was amazing.

From January 7-11, 2018, I had the privilege of attending the 33rd Annual Rabbinic Training Institute.

 I am deeply grateful to an anonymous donor who helped make it possible for me to attend. Since my ordination, I’ve desired to go, but time and/or finances have never quite worked out. I cannot fully express my appreciation to them for making it happen this year.

Every year I would hear from colleagues what an amazing experience it was. I heard of colleagues who have been every year for a decade or more. They spoke highly of hevruta, of collegiality, of time for Torah that was truly Lishmah.

My time at Pearlstone was restorative. It was enriching. It was inspiring. Studying with Rabbi Dr. Jeff Rubenstein, Rabbi Dr. Joel Roth, and Rabbi Dan Liben was so powerful. The professional skills were also useful, but the Torah was simply on another plane. I am grateful for having the opportunity to put text in context with Dr. Rubenstein, to think about how to connect Talmudic sources to our modern lives. While I attempt (and regularly fail) at Daf Yomi, I enjoy the breadth of the material, of trying to think about how the rabbis would view our milieu.  Dr. Rubenstein really captured that spirit, juxtaposing modern and ancient texts in unique ways. I was especially fond of the Israeli/Bavli intermarriage and comparison to Amelia Bedelia.

Studying with Rabbi Roth is always a pleasure. His digressions are as inspiring as his texts. He finds ways of reminding us of the importance of studying from those we may disagree with, of looking at complicated and challenging issues and finding more positive solutions. He is humorous and serious in a way that shows a living Torah.

Rabbi Liben’s manner of teaching was so gentle and yet so hopeful. He brought an energy and a level of forgiveness that I needed at this time in my life. The texts and practices he shared were a reminder of how we can build a spiritual practice through our sources, our prayers, our liturgy. Again, the Torah he taught was vital, filled with a life force human and Divine.

In our daily lives as rabbis, we strive to be present for our communities and congregants. Sometimes we need a reminder to stop and take care of our own souls, our own bodies, our own spirits, our own hearts and minds. RTI was a sacred gift. It brought me closer to myself, to my friends, my Torah, and to our shared Shechinah, our Divine Presence. It was a holy experience and I returned energized and enlivened. Since I have returned, I have mentioned RTI on a daily basis. The Torah I learned there is one that will be with me always. I cannot wait to sign up for next year.

Psalm for Wednesday and the Book of Esther

The Psalm for Wednesday is not the easiest psalm to recite.  Filled with calls for Divine Retribution and violent justice against those who oppress, it does not seem to trust human rulers to do their jobs. Crying out to the Holy One, in recent days and weeks, we have seen violence done in the name of God, hatred and malice among and between faithful of many traditions.  We have seen genocide against Christians and Jews in the Middle East and some of the last remaining Jews of Yemen (whose community has been there for 2000 years) fleeing to Israel.  Brussels, the seat of European government, has seen its supposedly multicultural and multiethnic city bombed and broken by terror and regular terror attacks in Israel have impacted tourism and everyday life.  Tonight we read the Megillah-the Book of Esther-where God’s name is never mentioned yet whose presence fills the book.  Mordechai and Esther play their holy roles and bring God and goodness amidst the chaos and the evil.  Haman is the most evil character of the story, bringing hatred and violence, yet Achashveros, is not exactly a good guy either.  Concerned only with his own pleasure, firing his first wife for being a proto-feminist (she didn’t want to dance naked on command), he signs on to the massacre of the Jews, and only allows them to defend themselves after realizing it might affect HIS life (with the death of his beloved wife).

We can easily cry out to God:

“1 O LORD, Thou God to whom vengeance belongeth, Thou God to whom vengeance belongeth, shine forth.

2 Lift up Thyself, Thou Judge of the earth; render to the proud their recompense.”

(1917 JPS translation from: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/e/et/et2694.htm)

Yet, one of the lessons of the Book of Esther, is that we have to act, too.  We depend on God, yet do God’s holy work HERE, NOW.

“16 Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?”

The answer to the question is God--but the answer is ALSO us.  For we have God within us.  In my first interfaith chaplaincy class, students spoke about “being Jesus in the room.”  At first it sounded absolutely absurd to me, the theology did not speak to me.  Yet over time, I found so many moments when my timing was impeccable.  I found so many times when I thought my words failed me and they hit just the right note.  We all have within us Godliness.  We all have within us the possibility of a better world.  What are we doing to activate that?  How do we bring not just God’s retribution, but God’s love?

From the Jewish perspective, it’s much easier to NOT be Jewish!  Non-Jews only have 7 Noahide Laws, while we have 613 Mitzvot/Commandments.  The last of those Noahide laws demands a court system, a justice system.  It must be functional.  It must be equitable.  It cannot treat the rich and the poor differently.  It cannot treat people differently based on color or faith.  We were strangers in Egypt, so we MUST remember the stranger.

Our system of justice has major flaws.  Different drugs result in harshly different sentences.  Money allows some to face far easier terms than others.  The bail/bond system allows some to return to their normal lives while facing trial and others to remain imprisoned--losing their jobs, their lives, and even their children.  Worldwide, we do not know how to resolve terrorism.  Are we in a clash of cultures or do we ALL need better education?  How do we balance the need to remember that every soul was created in God’s image--even if that soul wants to kill us--AND remember that no one’s blood is redder than ours--that we have a right to self-defense AND should not kill innocents.

Wednesdays, we end Psalm 94 with the opening of Psalm 95, reminding us that Shabbat is coming (as it is a psalm of Kabbalat Shabbat) AND that we should sing before God, offering our Thanksgiving.

How do we offer our thanks in an imperfect world?

How do we fix the justice system?

How do we find justice for terror’s victims?

How we stop terrorism?

Do we use an iron fist or fill our quiver with love?

None of these questions have satisfactory answers.  Yet each Wednesday we ask them.  We sing the Psalm, cry out to God, and hopefully continue to improve our answers.  Justice should be swift, but mercy must also be in our arsenal.  In the interim; let us find love in all of our hearts; let us share God’s presence with all those around us; let us find hope in the words of the prophet Micah.

ח  הִגִּיד לְךָ אָדָם, מַה-טּוֹב; וּמָה-ה' דּוֹרֵשׁ מִמְּךָ, כִּי אִם-עֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וְאַהֲבַת חֶסֶד, וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת, עִם-אֱלֹהֶיךָ.

8 It hath been told thee, O man, what is good, and what the LORD doth require of thee: only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1806.htm

Amidst the violence, the hatred, the misery in this world; there is also much love, justice and peace.  Let us build up the latter so the former does not even triumph.

Building blocks and Axis of Awesome

Science tells us that atoms and matter are the building blocks of life.  In music, notes and chords form the musical universe.  This week a live version of an 

"old" video is racing around the internet.  Embedded below is the  Axis of Awesome's original "4 chords" a demonstration how most #1 hit songs are simple chord progressions.

As I was listening/watching, I thought about prayer and trying to connect to God.  What are the 3 or 4 chords of prayer?  When we teach prayer to children, we generally speak of "praise, petition and thanksgiving."  While simplistic, these frameworks do capture much of our prayer-lives.  Additionally, applied to our lives outside of prayer they can create goodwill in all aspects of our lives, improving our relationships and personal interactions.

• Praise:
• In prayer, praise helps us see the greatness of God, acknowledging our limited place in the world and helping us to reach out to our creator.
• In relationships, praise builds connections.  A sincere compliment opens the door to a sincere conversation.
• Petition:
• In prayer, our requests focus our thoughts on what matters, helping us decide what actions we need to take.  For those of us who believe that God hears and responds to prayer, formally asking God is opening the door to a better future.
• In relationships, asking for what we need helps us get what we need. Relationships are stronger when we communicate honestly.  Asking for what we need can be the second step to deeper connections.
• Thanksgiving:
• In prayer, offering thanks reminds us of our place in the world AND that we don't have everything in our control.  Gratitude truly changes us, seeing the greatness in the world makes us happier, more fulfilled individuals.
• In relationships, offering gratitude is a third step to happier relationships.  If we give thanks we appreciate one another more AND we are more generous in our judgments!

The song that started this entire thought process is below.  It's pretty awesome!

According to wikipedia "The Axis of Awesome is an Australian musical comedy act with members Jordan Raskopoulos, Lee Naimo and Benny Davis. The trio cover a wide variety of performance styles, and perform a combination of original material and pop parodies."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Axis_of_Awesome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOlDewpCfZQ