Car Memories

I have been thinking about the first car I drove--a Pontiac Safari station wagon with a 455 hp engine. Although it was a rather unattractive car for a teenager to drive, I still managed to find the positive and brag to my friends about its power. It did not matter then that the car got only eight miles per gallon--when not running the AC. After reading this week's papers I have been thinking about cars and my first memory. It is wrapped up in a car as well. I was three and a half years old. It was the evening my brother Michael was born. My dad came into my bedroom in the middle of that cold January night and wrapped me in my light blue blanket. He placed me on the back seat of our Pontiac Catalina--no car seats back then. I can still see that car. It was dark green with a black vinyl roof. He carried me into our friend's home and let me fall back to sleep. I was awakened to the news that I was a brother. A few years later, that green Pontiac Catalina was the same car my dad drove around the block searching for me to show me our new puppy. It is funny how one line in a paper can trigger a flood of memories. "GM also announced that it will stop making Pontiacs." I never really understood why old men collect old cars. Now I do. On days such as these we are only left with our memories.

Obama's Rousing Words

Yesterday I was only allowing myself to hope. Today I am filled with hope. My faith in our country is restored. To witness a Black man with a Middle Eastern name become president is remarkable. You do not need to be schooled in history to appreciate this moment's significance. Given how unlikely this moment was--even one year ago--gives me renewed hope that anything is possible. I was especially stirred by Obama's words as he hearkened to the cadence of the Bible and called us to take responsibility for our future. This country, like our Jewish tradition, was once built on responsibility and action. It will be rebuilt on these ancient truths. "In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never given. It must be earned." Amen! I especially applaud our president's warning to our enemies. "And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, 'Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.'" Even more important than this warning to others were the numerous calls for our country to return to its ideals. Fear has eroded our values. Terrorism succeeds when we allow it to destroy our greatest treasures--the values on which our nation was founded. "As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals." Amen v'Amen! I sense our country is once again ready to rekindle its spirit and work to a better future. Today I believe Maya Angelou's assessment in Sunday's Washington Post may be correct. Our new president is the "real deal." He is a man of great intelligence, ability, depth of character and devotion. I am inspired by his words. "Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism--these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility..." Kein y'hi ratzon--may it be so!

Inauguration

Tomorrow Barack Hussein Obama will become our president. And I am going to allow myself to hope. I have spent the last days watching the festivities, reading about the final weeks of his transition and of course listening to Obama's words. There are two notes in particular that give me hope. Obama more than any of his predecessors appears to listen to his ideological opponents. He has for instance sought out the counsel of John McCain. He has listened to the thoughts of leading conservatives. He is not blinded by ideology. He is comfortable with debate and dialogue. Maureen Dowd took note of this character trait in yesterday's Times, while also cautioning that this can turn into a tragic flaw. Obama is "...a complex, polysyllabic professor sort who will make a decision only after he has held it up to the light and examined it from all sides." Most important of all Obama possesses a remarkable ability to be honest and forthright about our struggles while still sounding a note of hope. His hope is not pollyannish. Our country does indeed face many challenges. Yet despite this, and perhaps because of our new leader's words, I am once again hopeful about the future and the great potential of our country. Until tomorrow I conclude with Obama's words from yesterday's ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial: "...Despite all of this -- despite the enormity of the task that lies ahead -- I stand here today as hopeful as ever that the United States of America will endure, that it will prevail, that the dream of our founders will live on in our time.... There is no doubt that our road will be long, that our climb will be steep. But never forget that the true character of our nation is revealed not during times of comfort and ease, but by the right we do when the moment is hard. I ask you to help reveal that character once more, and together, we can carry forward as one nation, and one people, the legacy of our forefathers that we celebrate today." I am going to allow myself to hope. I am also going to answer the call to strengthen our nation's character.

Hamas Again

Bret Stephens writing in Tuesday's Journal offers a telling reminder of the nature of Israel's struggle against Hamas. He reminds us of Hamas's slogan: "God is [Hamas's] target, the Prophet is its model, the Quran its constitution: Jihad is its path and death for the sake of God is the loftiest of its wishes." How can one emerge victorious fighting against someone who sees death as a victory? How can one compromise--the very essence of cease fires and peace agreements--with someone who would prefer death over life? In past wars military victories were quantifiable. One destroys 60% of their tanks and the remaining 40% limp back to within their state's borders. Victory in conventional terms is an illusion. Peace is therefore also an illusion. Such is the nature of Israel's present struggle. Israel can best hope to minimize rocket attacks on its South and prevent the smuggling of more advanced weapons into Gaza. Perhaps Israel can push the Palestinian people into rejecting Hamas and the cult of death it offers. Then again if it pushes too hard the people may choose death by their own hands and in keeping with Hamas's jihadist theology rather than at the hands of Israel's soldiers. I support Israel's right to defend itself and protect its citizens. I pray that Palestinians will see living alongside Israelis and the Jewish state as the best hope for life. I pray that Palestinians will see compromise as the road to eternal life. In the meantime I pray that Israel's soldiers will succeed in bringing some measure of shalom--quiet and calm--to its borders.
Watch Rabbi Donniel Hartman to hear an excellent analysis of the moral questions Israel faces in waging war against Hamas.

Helping Israel's Soldiers

If you would like to support Israel's soldiers directly I recommend these three organizations:
Package from Home delivers cares packages to combat soldiers. This is my favorite. I have packed many care packages for soldiers through this organization. Even more than the food, your personal letters are most appreciated by the soldiers. Since the start of the war this organization has delivered more than 4,300 packages.
IDF Pizza delivers pizza to soldiers. Its promotional video offers a touch of humor to the current situation.
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces is the well-known American charity that raises funds to support Israel's military. Take particular note of the ways to help injured soldiers.
Don't underestimate the good will generated by sending a pizza to tired and hungry soldiers.

Qassam Rockets

Qassam rockets piled up at the Sederot police station. This picture was taken when I traveled to Israel on a UJC Rabbinic Mission in October 2006, only a year after Israel's disengagement from Gaza. I wonder how large the pile is today. Enough said! Well I wish that was all I needed to say to offer moral clarity to the current situation of why Israel sent its troops into Gaza! Pray for Israel's soldiers who are struggling to ensure that no more rockets are ever added to such piles and that Israel's citizens can live in peace.
Watch this video of a Sederot playground to get a better feel for the situation.

Gaza and Hamas

I just returned from a vacation in Israel. It was as always a wonderful trip. We live in a remarkable age. There in Israel my son Ari can read Torah on the very rubble the Romans pushed down from the Temple Mount 2,000 years ago. There in the holiest of places--a place centuries of rulers attempted to destroy--my son can affirm his Jewish heritage. Despite the efforts of countless enemies the Jewish people lives. Nothing can keep us from our most treasured city, Jerusalem. I returned from Israel with a renewed conviction that just as we overcame centuries of enemies we will overcome their modern day inheritors. Today it is Hamas. Two years ago it was Hezbollah. One day it will be Iran. This past week the IDF attacked its avowed enemy, Hamas. Yet, we only read of Israel's disproportionate response. There seems to be some confusion about the moral calculus. Let me clarify. Hamas' stated objective is the destruction of the Jewish state. Hamas purposely targets civilians. Hamas leaders train their own sons to be suicide (nay, homicide) bombers. In short, Hamas loves death more than life. Israel is willing to make peace--even with its enemies. Even during the past six month so called tahadiya (calm), when Israel exercised remarkable restraint, Hamas continued to fire rockets at Israel's southern towns and cities. Israel goes to great lengths to avoid civilian deaths--even dropping leaflets warning of impending attacks. Israel prays that its soldiers might live--and mourns the loss of all life. After Ari finished the Torah reading we prayed for Israel's soldiers, and in particular the sons of our friends gathered there at the Wall to celebrate with us. Their teenage boys were waiting on Gaza's borders. I pray for them. I pray for peace. But as God commanded Joshua, we must be strong and resolute before our enemies.
Watch Mayor Bloomberg to hear an excellent defense of Israel's right to self defense and the question of proportionality.

Hanukkah and the iMenorah

If you go to the iTunes App Store you will find an application for your iPhone or iTouch for Hanukkah. It will guide you through a digital lighting of the Hanukkah menorah. Light the candles and watch them burn as the blessings play. So here is the question: is this same as lighting the menorah? There is nothing quite like watching the candles burn. Nothing can replace the flickering of real candles. Will there soon be an app for yahrtzeit candles? There is of course something lost in the digital revolution. I have found an endless amount of information and reading on the internet. I can search through every Jewish book ever written with one stroke of my laptop's keypad. It is not the same as holding a sefer--a book--in my hand. Yet there is also something gained. One of the mitzvot of Hanukkah is to proclaim the miracle. I can light my menorah in my home and be enthralled by the burning of the candles or I can walk around with my iTouch blaring Maoz Tzur. More people can learn and read about Judaism than the rabbis of old ever imagined possible. Now you can light the menorah in the most public place of all--the iTunes store. That is really proclaiming the miracle of Hanukkah!

Electric Cars

I read Tom Friedman's column in this morning's New York Times with great interest. You can read the column here. He discusses an Israeli inventor, Shai Agassi, who may very well change the way we drive around our suburbs. You can read Agassi's blog here. I am unsure what I think about Agassi's idea—although it stirs my Jewish kishkes that he is Israeli. I have been driving a car and filling a car with gas for nearly thirty years. It is hard to imagine breaking such habits. I am unsure if the idea can even work. Yet his idea gives me hope. It says: there are people who are trying to change the way we get to and from places so that we can alter our dependence on oil. There are people who understand that we must change course. It saddens me that the American auto industry fails to grasp how much it must turn, that the world needs it to change. This industry should be leading us. I should be reading about their inventions instead of their need for billions of dollars. Detroit helped to build this country. Henry Ford revolutionized the industrial world. Yes I am aware and it is impossible to forget that he used his profits for evil ends when he distributed the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. But in the ark of a Detroit synagogue—hmm could that be my brother's synagogue?—there rests a Torah donated by Henry Ford's great grandson. In that Torah are to be found the teachings of hope and our capacity to change. We can change. We must change. Whether or not it will be Agassi's idea or another's, Hummers should no longer dot our suburban landscape. I hope GM, Chrysler and Ford can recover the leadership they once offered this country and lead us through the next revolution in driving. I hope my grandchildren have to ask me, "Grandpa, what is a gas station?" I hope they don't have to ask me "What is a Ford?"

Shared Blogroll

There is so much information to be found on the internet. Some of it is excellent. Some of it should never be published. So I have added a new feature to my blog. On the right sidebar you will find the Shared Blogroll. It lists worthy articles from the many blogs I now read. You can view the complete list of shared articles by clicking on "Read more…" Lately, I have found the most interesting articles on The Jerusalem Post and Jewcy. There is a wide variety of opinions out there and I try to read those that I agree with and especially those that I disagree with. The danger of the internet is that you can surround yourself with agreement. You can find thousands and thousands of people who share your opinions. You can find a web page devoted to whatever esoteric interest (or obsession) you might have. And if not, you can write a blog and then your opinion and your interest seem to magically gain legitimacy, authority and approval. (Hmm...) But countless internet pages do not make an idea true. The task is to find ideas that challenge your notions, to build your opinions on new and different ideas. I want to be shaped by ideas, not shape my ideas around like minded opinions. My soul is nourished by machloket l'shem shamayim—arguments for the sake of heaven.

My Son's Bar Mitzvah

This past weekend we celebrated my son becoming a bar mitzvah. What follows is part of what I said to him... While it is true that Shira made me a father, you Ari made me a man. I know this might sound strange and that most people think that you become a man on your bar mitzvah or better when you get married or perhaps when you get your first job, but for me becoming a man is realized when there is another young man watching you and following you. It is one thing to have a father looking over your shoulder and saying, “Did you remember to do your homework?” Or, a grandfather who might say, “Give your grandmother a kiss.” It is quite another matter when it is a son looking over your shoulder. My son watches me like the king in the Torah portion Toldot. You watch me and I feel your perceptive stare and I feel your mind thinking, how do I speak to my Susie, how do I talk to my parents, how do I comfort my congregants, how do I treat strangers? Ari, having you as my son makes me a better man. Every day I thank God for my family. On this day I especially thank God that you are my son. I have a son who is a lot like me and a little not like me. I have a son who is loving and caring, honest and forthright, a son unafraid to challenge me and perceptive beyond his years. Ari you are a blessing. And I thank God for bringing you into our lives. Ari, I love you.

Riches by the Pocketful

Hadassah Magazine November 2008

Like my grandfather, I am a proud Jew and a proud American, but there is something else in my pocket that defines who I am. Though I am a rabbi of a congregation, I don't carry the keys to a synagogue in my pocket. Instead, I carry the keys to a church--the Brookville Reformed Church on the North of Long Island, founded over 270 years ago. For over 10 years Reverend Allan Ramirez and his congregation have allowed my community to meet there for Shabbat and holidays. I doubt the original founders of this church could have imagined that one day a rabbi would lead a Jewish congregation in song and prayer, that the Hebrew words of the Jewish tradition and the melodies of my grandfather's past would fill the church sanctuary. This, too, is what is good and noble about this country. Here in the United States, a church can help sustain a synagogue. Christians can say to Jews, "Come, fill our home with your melodies." Some days I look out of the window of my study and I see my son, Ari, and his best friend, Hugh O'Connor, sitting on the curb talking. Ari tells me that they are talking about religion. I suspect they are talking about girls and sports. As I watch them, I reach into my pocket and finger the church keys. They are a reminder that in the United States it is natural and normal that a Jew and a Christian are best friends. One day soon, my synagogue will have its own building. Still, I hope Reverend Ramirez will let me to keep the church keys so that they might forever remain in my pocket and forever remind me of what I love about this country to which my grandparents brought my family.

The complete article can be found by following the link on the Blog's sidebar.

Trying to be Honest

Recently I backed out of my driveway to discover only Newsday and the Wall Street Journal. "No New York Times," I screamed to myself. So I put the car in park and called the Times to report a missed delivery. Later I continued backing the car out of the driveway. There was the Times. It was under my car! I stopped the car again to call the Times and cancel the credit for the missed delivery. No option existed for cancelling a credit so I pressed "0" to speak to a service representative. After waiting some five minutes I finally reached a live person. I explained to him the situation and my mistake. I offered an apology. He explained that the computer would not allow him to reverse the credit. There was nothing he could do. I would have to accept the credit for the missed delivery. "But I made a mistake!" He thanked me for my call. I resolved that for my next vacation I would donate the vacation suspension to schools. I often wonder why it is so difficult to be honest. Why does it require so much effort? Why can't we make it easier for people to be honest? Why can't computers be programmed for honesty as well as dishonesty? Is this experience evidence that so few people take the time to place such a call? The Rabbis teach: "Let truth rise from the earth." I will continue to make such calls. But I will also wait to make such calls until after checking under my car!

Bar Mitzvah Montage

My son's bar mitzvah is fast approaching. One of the"rites" is preparing the montage. For those readers not accustomed to how things are done in these parts, the montage is a brief slide show of the child's first 13 years. I often marvel at our privilege and blessing when viewing these photographic essays. The slide shows are often filled with pictures of vacations, celebrations and birthday parties. "Look at all of the places they visited!" I often think to myself. Now I am preparing the montage. "Look at all of the places I have been able to visit! Look at all of the family surrounding us!" I am not sure how the final slide show will look but preparing it has been a true gift. I sifted through some 5,000 pictures on my laptop and a few in old photo albums. "I remember taking that picture. I remember that beach." I remember how I could throw Ari in the air. I remember how I could carry both of my children in my arms. Now my son stands as tall as me and looks directly into my eyes. What a blessing are these memories! What a blessing are these pictures!

Voting and the Vote

It was by all measures a historic occasion when Barack Obama won the election. In January he will become the 44th president of the United States. To borrow Tom Friedman's analysis this marks the end of the Civil War. I am not so sure about that analysis but I do share Leon Wieseltier's views, who said: "How can a Jew, I mean a Jewish Jew, not rejoice at the election of Barack Obama? Not politically, where the road ahead may be rough; but historically, spiritually. We, too, remember the pharaohs; and we, too, choose never to hate the world; and we, too, have a hope of being saved by America." (The New Republic) I do sense that there is now a renewed sense of hope in this country. I pray that there is a renewed faith in American ideals and apirations. Whether you voted for Obama or McCain the promise of something different and the feeling of participating in history adds meaning to our days. I can't remember the last time I had to wait in line to flip those levers. Usually I am in and out; parking my car takes longer than voting. This time I waited some thirty minutes to cast my vote. I talked with my neighbors. I talked with those in front of me and behind. I am sure there were many different votes in that elementary school gym. There were some who stand to the right of me and some to the left. Regardless of the particulars of our votes, regardless of whether our opinions might have divided us, we stood as one waiting to participate in the dream of America. That alone was enough to restore my hope. May this great country realize all its dreams and all its promise!

The American Elections

As a rabbi I think first and foremost about issues of Jewish concern. The lenses of my glasses are colored by the Torah and the Jewish people. I of course always have the State of Israel in my heart. As we get closer to the elections I continue to weigh my vote. How will the candidates conduct their foreign policies? Will they strengthen the relationship between the United States and Israel? What will they place first and foremost in their domestic policy agendas? Will they help to steer our struggling economy towards growth? Do they share my passion and concern for the environment? The following articles are worthwhile reading on these subjects. They are culled from JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People. I have always found the JTA to be balanced and fair in its reporting. Here are the four articles:
1. How do the candidates differ on questions of Jewish concern? Where do they stand on such issues as abortion rights and the separation of church and state?
2. Who are the candidates' chief foreign policy advisors? Do they share my love and commitment to the State of Israel--even though Israel will not be my primary concern on this election day? Do they understand the threat Iran represents to the world?
3. An editorial arguing why you should vote for John McCain.
4. An editorial arguing why you should vote for Barack Obama.
I hope these articles help you make your decision on November 4th.

Politics and the Pulpit

There is a debate within the rabbinic community whether or not a rabbi should endorse a candidate. My friend, Rabbi Sam Gordon of Chicago, has publicly endorsed Barack Obama and helped found the organization Rabbis for Obama. Others have endorsed John McCain. Take a look at the recent article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz about rabbis making political endorsements and that on the Hartman Institute Blog about Rabbi Gordon. I disagree with my friend! The role of the rabbi is to teach and to interpret our tradition. At times—especially in current times—his role is to interpret Judaism as it applies to the issues of the day, presenting to his congregation a coherent Jewish vision. For a rabbi to ignore our nation's problems and speak only of Shabbat and holidays is to suggest that our beloved tradition has nothing to say to the pressings problems of our generation. Judaism must speak to modernity! What does Judaism say about the environment? What can our tradition offer us in trying economic times? Each rabbi must interpret the tradition for his congregants and help them synthesize Judaism with modernity. To endorse is to move beyond interpretation and attempt to make decisions for our congregants. In a country that believes in individual rights this is inappropriate. I share my interpretations with my congregation. My vote remains private.

My Favorite Moon

On Tuesday evening a full moon illuminated the evening sky. It my favorite moon of the year. It is the full moon of Tishrei. It is the moon that I see through my sukkah's skhakh (roof)--every year. It is there--year in and year out, without fail. The full moon of Elul, on the other hand, gets me nervous. It signifies that I have only two weeks until Rosh Hashanah, two weeks to prepare, two weeks to finish sermons. The full moon, one month later, means that the High Holidays are behind us. I have given my sermons. I have recounted my sins. I have repented. This moon is my favorite because it means that we can rejoice. We can celebrate. We can sit in our sukkot and and be thankful for all that we have. We can eat and sleep in our sukkot and peer into our homes and be reminded how fortunate is our lot. In the Jewish year even the moons can lift our emotions.

High Holiday Musings

One of my favorite parts of our High Holiday services is looking out and seeing how many families are sitting together. In our congregation parents and children, as well as grandparents, sit together. Although we provide babysitting for our really young children it is refreshing to see entire families sitting together. It is a wonderful site to behold, seeing generations of Jews together for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, seeing young children sitting on their parent's laps. In most synagogues there are adult services and children services. Here at JCB there is only one service--for everyone. That is the way it should be. I am proud of the young people in our congregation who not only participate in the reading of the Haftarah but also sit and participate from their seats. I believe their singing and praying is more important than my own. I was especially pleased to discover how many of our young people listened to my sermons and were comfortable discussing and debating their points. In Confirmation Class we continued the discussion started on Yom Kippur about abortion rights. These young people are our future. May we always sing and pray together!

Yom Kippur Morning Sermon Highlights

"Judaism and the Elections" For years I have avoided discussing politics from the bima, but this year is different. I can no longer remain silent. We must listen to the words of our tradition. We must allow Judaism to speak to the issues of our day. If Judaism is only about Torah portions and candle lighting times then it will become irrelevant. It must speak to our country's greatest problems. In addition to the economy there are four issues that most concern me. 

1) The State of Israel. I worry about Israel's security. I worry about the dangers of Iran, Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Palestinian Authority. Nonetheless I will not be thinking about Israel on November 4th. Here is why. It is not good for Israel and it is not good for American Jews to portray Israel as a needy, younger sister. Israel is not the perennial victim. It is a strong, vibrant country. It is a country I deeply love. The idea of Zionism is that the Jewish people will write its own history in a country of its own. That is what it means to have a Jewish State. When I vote I must think first of the problems here not there. 

2) Medical Issues. It is deeply troubling that one in six Americans does not have adequate health care. It is also deeply troubling that others wish to push on others their religious definition of the beginning of life. My religion tells me something different. Judaism teaches that the fetus is holy but not of the same moral value as the mother's. When there is a conflict between the two Judaism chooses the mother's life. Regarding stem cells I do not understand how some cannot make the moral distinction between a few cells and that of a living person. While again these cells are holy they are not of the same value. Judaism values pikuah nefesh--the saving of a life and we should do everything in our power to save life. 

3) The Wars. We had every moral right to attack and invade Afghanistan. It was from there that the 9-11 attacks were planned. But how is it that we allowed bin Laden to escape to Pakistan? Regarding the war in Iraq that I once supported I offer this confession. I was wrong because it distracted us from our primary moral objective: the destruction of Al Qaeda. I was wrong because there we allowed torture and the subversion of the rule of law to take root. Adding Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo to the Arab lexicon has undermined our moral authority. 

4) The Environment. The issue about which I most concerned is the environment. Judaism teaches that we are custodians of this God given world. I believe the science is irrefutable. We are destroying our world. We need to wean ourselves off of Arab oil because it is destroying the environment and it is feeding our enemies hatred. I fail to understand how we can fight wars against enemies supported by these Arab oil dollars. We should build alternative energy plants and design better, more fuel efficient cars. (For more information about Judaism and the environment, visit: COEJL.) We must do this for the sake of our children and grandchildren. This is our only world!