Marking the Miracles

            A few weeks ago, the weather finally turned towards winter.  It was the first brutally cold December day and the snow began to fall for the first time.   “Oy,” was all I could think.  I had enjoyed the warm fall weather, the coatless days, and the changing of the colors.  The meteorologists all expected a winter filled with huge snowfalls and I dreaded the impending storms.  “Not again!” 

            As the snow began to pick-up, Caleb and I left home to go pick-up some food from the grocery store.  I was shivering from the cold and depressed by the first snow fall.  Yet, Caleb was all joy.  “Look Abba, look at the snow!”  He was running around in circles and trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue.  He was the happiest I had seen him all day.  “Cool, Abba, it’s so cool!”  It was at that moment, I realized how miraculous it was that it snowed that day.  It was after all, the first snowfall of the season!  How many days of snow would we receive this year?  A dozen perhaps, give or take a few days.  It was a blessing, a miracle!

            I looked at Caleb and told him that this was a Shehechiyanu Moment.  This was a special moment where we should thank God for the miracle of snow.  Together, we recited the blessing, thanking God that we were able to reach this moment together.  Afterwards, I grabbed his hand and the two of us spun around outside on our lawn catching snowflakes on our tongues.

            Just a few weeks ago, Rabbi Paul Kipnes visited Temple Sinai to share some insights from his new book “Jewish Spiritual Parenting.”  One of the best lessons he provided me was our responsibility as parents and mentors to teach our kids how to be grateful.  A perfect approach to move towards gratitude was to mark all of the blessings in our lives.  Taking a moment each and every day to recite the Shehecheyanu teaches us (and our kids) to “thank” God for all of the gifts of life.

            Caleb reminded me to look at the positive and I taught him to be thankful for the blessings of life!  As the cold and the snow begin to beat down upon us, may we reflect upon our bounty and our joy.  Wishing us all a wonderful winter season!

Time for Torah: A Short Video on Vayiggash

This week's Torah portion focuses on the relationship of Joseph and his brothers.  The last time Joseph met his brothers, they sold him into slavery and lied to their father.  Now, decades later, Benjamin, Joseph's brother, has been taken into custody as well.  He's about to become a slave which would break their father's heart.  This time, Judah stands up and protects his brother. 

This story about Joseph and his brothers is a human story that describes our understanding of Teshuvah, repentance.  It reminds us that each of us are capable of growth and change.

How can faith bring about a happier New Year? - Asking the Clergy

Check out my latest column in Newsday's "Asking the Clergy."  This week's question: "How can faith bring about a happier New Year?

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Jewish tradition teaches that happiness is most often achieved when we change our outlook and appreciate the blessings in our lives.  In the Talmud, we learn of a man named Nachum Ish Gamzu who was considered to be the happiest person in his generation.  Nachum suffered the horrible tragedy of living his days without the use of his legs or arms, an experience that would lead most of us towards depression and self-doubt.  Yet, whenever something bad happened, Nachum would reply, “This too happened for a good reason.”  It was his attitude that made him the happiest person in the world.  He constantly appreciated all of the gifts he possessed and never focused on the negative.

In addition, Jewish tradition also teaches that happiness is achieved by being part of a spiritual community.  In Psalm 106:3 we learn: “Happy are those who act justly, who do right at all times.”  While in Psalm 86:5 we are reminded: “Happy is the one who finds refuge in You.”  Finally, Proverbs 3:18 clarifies the importance of wisdom and the happiness that is achieved through study.  These Jewish texts deliver a resounding message, that happiness is attained through engagement with others: through learning, prayerful experiences, and acts of kindness.

As the calendar turns from 2016 to 2017, may all of us appreciate the many blessings that are a part of our lives.  May we search out moments of connection with our own faith communities and with the broader world that surrounds us. 

Bringing Light to the World

The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting darker, and it’s getting much, much too cold outside!  These dark days of December can sometimes feel just a bit discouraging and depressing.  We miss the sunshine, the warmth, and the long days.  Just when we’re feeling the most blue, Chanukah arrives: latkes, dreidels, presents, celebration, and light!

Think back to the Hanukkah story:  The Syrian Greeks attempted to destroy our way of life.  Our ancestors weren’t allowed to study Torah, celebrate Jewish holidays, or gather together as a people.  They were asked to bow down to idols, to forego their Jewish responsibilities.  Yet, they didn’t stand down.  They stood up for their values and beliefs.  They fought valiantly with their words and their fists.  After overcoming their enemy, they entered the Temple in Jerusalem and kindled the menorah, bringing light to their world.

That is our responsibility today.  Our world can sometimes feel darkened, filled with hate and anger.  Often at this time of year, we want to curl up into a ball and ignore all of the challenges that surround us.  Yet, we can’t be blind to our reality.  As a Jew, our responsibility is to bring light to the world.  To become a beacon of kindness, compassion, justice, and love.  It’s difficult to make change, yet those Hanukkah candles remind us that light overcomes darkness, that love overcomes hate. 

May this be a joyous and celebratory Hanukkah for us all.  May the light of the menorah give us strength, dedication, and a sense of hope for the future.  During these darkest days, may the light of the Hanukkah candles give us strength to transform our world into a place of hope and peace for all humanity.

Quenching the Fire

Last Thursday, I woke up and grabbed my phone as I do every morning.  But, instead of looking at the headlines on the New York Times, I decided to check-out Twitter.  It was Thanksgiving Day after all!  I wanted to be inspired – perhaps there’d be a quip about gratitude, a picture from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, or a funny story about cooking a turkey.  Instead, my heart dropped as I read the shocking news from Israel: violence and hatred; devastation and destruction!  On Thanksgiving, a day of gratitude, family, and celebration, my spirit was saddened; my thoughts turned towards the Holy Land.

As we prepared for Thanksgiving in our country, Kehilat Ra’anan, a Reform synagogue in Ra’anana, was vandalized.  The beautiful exterior of the synagogue was spray painted with biblical hate filled graffiti.  Death threats were issued against leaders of the Reform Movement in Israel and abroad.  A knife was laid near the door of the shul, with words written in bright red letters, alluding to an ancient religious obligation to kill traitors.  This shocking and hate filled incident caused distress and nervousness throughout the Reform Jewish world.  For years, radical rabbis and extremists labeled anyone who was non-Orthodox, as a heretic, an animal, or worse.  And we know throughout our history that hate filled rhetoric can lead to violence.

At the same time, news came out from Northern Israel of a devastating fire.  Since last Tuesday, 110 fires blackened the landscape around Haifa.  It was the worst fire in Israel’s history: over 1,000 homes destroyed; 60,000 people displaced.  The police have reported that 30 – 40 of these fires were started by arsonists or perhaps even terrorists.  The dry Israel countryside like kindling, spread the fires quickly, devouring acres upon acres of precious land. 

This past week: we’ve watched as fires of hatred and fires of destruction scorched the very fabric of the land and state of Israel!  Although our Torah portion does not discuss fires per se, it does address animosity and ruin around a story about wells of water.   Our ancient ancestor Isaac, was a herder by trade.  One of the most important resources needed by a herder was wells of water to feed the flock.  The wells that his father Abraham dug were later filled-in by the Philistines who lived there.  Isaac took it upon himself to dig out his father’s wells, so that his flocks would have a place to drink.

Unfortunately, the Philistines had other plans.  Isaac and his servants dug out the first well and the Philistines quarreled with him and said “The water is ours.”  He named that well Esek, meaning “they opposed him.  And he moved on.  Isaac and his servants decided to dig another well and the Philistines also disputed over it, so he called it Sitnah, meaning provocation.  He moved from there as well.  Finally, he dug a new well, which was not one of his father’s wells.  This time, the Philistines did not quarrel with him.  He called that place Rehovot or Rehoboth, meaning “now I have ample space.” 

I love this story because of the lessons that Isaac teaches about dealing with conflict and struggle.  I believe that there are three major lessons of this story that continue to resonate with us today:

First, Isaac reminds us that we never give up.  Over and over Isaac dug out a well and the Philistines continued to antagonize him.  Isaac could have given up after the first incident or the second incident, but he didn’t fold.  He continued to stand firm.  As we look towards Israel, it often feels like our ability to affect change never happens.  For years we’ve discussed an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall, or the right of Reform rabbis to marry Jewish couples or perform conversions, or the ability to wrestle power away from the Ultra-Orthodox Rabbinate, yet the prospect of winning these battles remains more and more remote.  Isaac reminds us that we can’t give up.  We must continue to dig out those wells!

Second, Isaac reminds us that to be successful we can’t do what we’ve always done before.  Isaac began this endeavor by digging out the wells of his father.  Yet, this continued to lead towards misery and challenge.  Only when Isaac decided that he’d dig a new well, were Isaac and the Philistines able to come to terms with one another and achieve a sense of peace.

In Israel today, it often seems that the Orthodox and the non-Orthodox continue to butt heads.  The battles continue to rage.  The fights, the challenges, they never cease.  Perhaps we can take a lesson from Isaac and think about new ways of doing things.  Instead of holding on to the old battle lines, we can attempt to change the narrative or move the conversation into a new direction.

Finally, we are reminded that we must stand together.  Rabbi Weinberger teaches that in the first two wells, it says “they dug” meaning that Isaac and his servants dug the wells.  He explains that during those initial diggings, there was fighting amongst Isaac and his allies.  Only during the last well does it say and “he dug” meaning that Isaac and his servants finally worked together in harmony.  Rabbi Weinberger believes that when we all work together as one, our enemies are able to see our strength and make peace with us.  As Reform Jews living outside of Israel, the issues there sometimes feel remote.  Yet, our brothers and sisters in Israel need our support.  When Israelis know that American Jews are watching and listening, the entire conversation changes.  When we are present and actively involved, Israel changes for the better.

The fires around Haifa and the fires of hatred will simmer and the flames will die down.  Yet, with the dry weather, the kindling of anger, all that is needed is a small spark that will lead to a blaze that will overcome the land and the people.  What is needed is a well of water, to quench the fire and extinguish the flames.  Isaac’s well reminds us that only through perseverance will the fire truly be contained.  Only when our voices are heard and when we come together, will the living waters be restored.  May the flames die down, may the fire be extinguished, and may the living waters provide nourishment and strength for the road ahead.