In The Beginning God Created Carrots

In The Beginning God Created Carrrots
At Jewish Newport

October 16, 2020

By Aaron Ginsburg

Thank you to Rabbi Marc Mandel, Beth Ginsburg Levine and Vicki Kaplan

Also at https://www.facebook.com/groups/jewishnewport

Let’s start at the beginning! It sounds simple. But in Judaism everything is open to questions.  

Today we read parshat Bereishit, beginning our year long cycle of weekly Torah readings. In his dvar, Rabbi Marc Mandel of Newport’s Touro Synagogue fills us in:

“As we begin to read the Torah from the beginning, Rashi asks, ‘Why does the Torah begin with the story of creation? The Torah is a book of Mitzvot, and should begin with the Mitzvot.’ The Ramban disagrees, and says that, ‘It is vital to begin with the creation story, because it forms an important part of our outlook on life.’

We are not accidents. We are part of a larger plan of God, and we must partner with God in maintaining this world. Indeed, as we humans face major challenges of climate change and social disunity, we must begin with doing our share to repair God's world. That is our mandate and the time is now!”

---

In Judaism, it is not clear who has the last word. So, Mr. Rambam, I will put in my five cents. 

If the Torah starts with creation, it is because it sells. Just look at today. DNA test kits and  genealogy software are big business. TV shows are devoted to who you think you are. We are fascinated with every scrap of science news about the origins of life, about the origin of the universe, and the evolution of hominids. There is a drumbeat of news about historic discoveries, be it in Egypt, the Vikings, the Romans, and across the globe. 

Clearly there is a wide interest in origins. Starting the Torah with creation addresses that interest, and draws the reader in. Why not take the opportunity to throw in a few commandments, even 613, at no extra charge?

But do our origins really matter? 

When the playwright Anton Checkov was asked about the meaning of life, he retorted, “That’s like asking me what is the meaning of a carrot? A carrot is a carrot, and that is all there is to it.” 

Chekov was warning us about being obsessed with the latest discoveries and philosophical debates and the use of “science” to justify our beliefs. Living in late 19th century Russia, Chekov was aware of the obsessive discussions of opponents of the Tsarist regime that led to fanatacism.  

In1863, Nikolai Chernyshevsky wrote “What is to be done?” which emphasized the duty of intellectuals to educate and lead the Russian masses, and encouraged idealism, asceticism, and fanaticism. The book was inspiring and persuasive with a logical and scientific veneer. How could it be wrong? The book was so inflammatory that both Fyodor Dosteyevsky and Lev Tolstoy wrote responses. It inspired Russian radicals, particularly Vladimir Lenin.

Judaism doesn’t discourage our interest in our origins nor does it oppose science, but it is sensitive to the misuse of science and dubious about basing ethics on science.

Judaism is concerned with how to be a mensch. We are encouraged to be leaders by setting an example. Russsian radicalism took a different approach to leadership, my way or the highway. 

May your life and your carrots be meaningful sans fanaticism! 

Carrot (and squash) fanatics should beware of carotenemia(orange skin)! 

Shabbat Shalom from Jewish Newport!

The Willow and the Compost Heap

The Willow and the Compost Heap

At Jewish Newport

Sukkot 2020

October 9, 2020

By Aaron Ginsburg

Thank you to Rabbi Marc Mandel

Also at https://www.facebook.com/groups/jewishnewport

Rabbi Marc Mandel of Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island shared a message with Jewish Newport,

“As the year 5781 begins, we are all feeling a sense of vulnerability. As this blog goes to press, we have reached the grim milestone of one million people who have lost their lives to the pandemic. We feel vulnerable because we can't control this invisible virus. We feel as unstable as a blade of grass or a passing cloud. But the festivals of the month of Tishrei teach us that our attitudes can help us deal with our vulnerabilities.

“Once we accept vulnerability as part of our reality, we are ready to live with it and even conquer it. With a changed attitude, we can have the confidence to position ourselves in a flimsy Sukkah and still feel secure. With faith in God, we can maintain peace of mind and serenity in our unpredictable and vulnerable world. Chag Sameach!”

---

In 2005 I remember rushing back to my home in Sharon, Massachusetts after visiting a friend in Amherst, MA.  I was trying to arrive in time for evening services on the first night of Sukkot. I ran so fast to shul that I was out of breath when I arrived. To my shock, the shul was empty! I was a day early. 

While walking home, an idea popped into my head on Pond St. in Sharon: a website devoted to pictures of Sukkahs. I struggled the next morning to set up a website, and then went looking for sukkahs with my Kodak digital camera. I was so nervous I only found 5 sukkahs. And so Sukkahsoftheworld.org was born. 

During Hol Hamoed, I learned about many more sukkahs in Sharon, even the ones that were behind high fences. Soon I had pictures of 70 sukkahs from Sharon alone, not to mention ones from Shanghai, China and St Louis, Missouri. 

On Hashanah Rabbah that year, it snowed early in the morning, and a gust of wind blew down some of the sukkahs. I ran out after services to catch sukkahs in the snow before melting began.

This year it has also been windy, and Jeff Weizenkorn’s sukkah blew down just a few hours after he erected it, even though it was secured with concrete blocks. Jeff is handy. He went to Home Depot, got some brackets and secured the sukkah to the cement deck using TAPCON screws! 

Hoshanah Rabbah is Judaism’s most visceral holiday. As always in Judaism, we say a blessing before starting. A youtube video at https://youtu.be/n2gcQuZGRUs shows benching the lulav, etrog, hadass, and aravah-palm branch, citron,  myrtle and willow.

After marching around seven times while holding the four species, we take the willow and beat it on the ground at least five times for the leaves to fall off. 

Purportedly, this is a symbolic casting off of our sins; the gate of forgiveness that opens on Rosh Hashanah closes on Hashana Rabbah. But beating the ground with a branch is so dramatic and so violent, it must have more meaning.Is it rage or frustration at the fragility of our existence?

This morning, at Hashanah Rabbah services in the Temple Israel Sharon parking lot, Brian Silver wondered if we should recycle our willows and myrtles. As if on cue, Ken Sperber collected them for his compost heap. Rabbi Ron Fish told us to save the lulav for the burning of the chametz before Passover.

May you, your sukkahs and your compost heaps be well during 5781 and beyond!

Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord?

 Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord?

At Jewish Newport

Yom Kippur

September 27, 2020

By Aaron Ginsburg

Thank you to Rabbi Marc Mandel, Geroge Aronson, 

and Beth Ginsburg Levine

Also at https://www.facebook.com/groups/jewishnewport

One of the great insights of the Yamim Noraim, the High Holy days, is that we pray for forgiveness as a community. This is especially evident in the Viddui, the Confessional Prayer, where we collectively acknowledge our misdeeds,

ָאַשְמנוָּ,בַגְדנוּ,גַזְלנוּ,דַבְרנוּדִפי,הֱעִוינוּ,וִהְרַשְענוּ,זְדנוָּ ,חַמְסנוּ ָטַפְלנוּ,שֶקר,ָיַעְצנוָּרע,כַזְבנוּ,לְצנוּ,מַרְדנוּ,נַאְצנוּ,סַרְרנוּ,עִוינוּ, ָפַשְענוּ,צַרְרנוּ,ק ִשינוּ עֶרף,ר ַש ְענוּ,ש ַח ְתנוּ, ִת ַע ְבנוּ,ָת ִעינוּ, ִת ְע ָת ְענוּ.

We have trespassed; We have dealt treacherously... We have been stiff necked; We have acted wickedly; We have dealt corruptly...We have gone astray; We have led others astray.

The upside of this is that we can help each other to become better. But does that mean Judaism believes in collective guilt and punishment?

This opens a whole can of worms. Should a nation or group be blamed for the misdeeds (real or perceived) of some of its members? This can be rationalization for genocide.

We saw what happened in the Soviet Union, where groups of people or entire nations were declared enemies and sent into exile or worse. We saw what happened in the Holocaust. We see examples in the world today.

The creators of our liturgy were aware of this. It’s clear that we pray communally for forgiveness for the sins we commit against the Almighty. 

But this does not get us off the hook as individuals. We pray individually for those to be forgiven, and only another person can forgive us those sins.

Thanks to George Aronson, the video features excerpts from the Selikhot service. The link is at https://youtu.be/-HaahnO7kww

Is there hope for us? Rabbi Marc Mandel, of Touro Synagogue Newport, shares some thoughts about the message of Yom Kippur, 

מִֽי־יַעֲלֶ֥ה בְהַר־יְהוָ֑ה

"Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord" (Psalm 24)

“Why do we recite this Psalm several times during the High Holy Day prayers?

“The Torah relates, when Moses descended from Mount Sinai, and he smashed the Ten Commandments, God said to him, ‘Now you must fix the situation. Find some more tablets, and climb back up the mountain so we can start over.’ The rabbis teach us that the process to repair the Ten Commandments took place during the months of Elul and Tishrei, and was completed on Yom Kippur.

“I believe the message we derive from this information is clear. We all break things at times, but we can repair them. It might be difficult, like climbing a mountain can be, but that is our job as mature and responsible individuals. 

“The Talmud tells us that Yom Kippur is one of the happiest days of the year. Why? There is no greater satisfaction or fulfillment than repairing something that you broke. When we live with hope and confidence that we can repair our world, we can truly find happiness.” 

Jewish Newport wishes you an easy fast. May your repairs make you a better person, and the world a better place. May you be inscribed in the book of life.

What is a Poem?

What is a Poem?

At Jewish Newport

September 18, 2020

By Aaron Ginsburg

Thank you to Rabbi Marc Mandel

Also at https://www.facebook.com/groups/jewishnewport

 Rabbi Marc Mandel shared a short Dvar about the Parsha for tomorrow’s Shabat Shuva, The Shabbat of Return and Redemption,

“This week's Parsha, Ha'azinu, is different from all the other Torah readings, in that it is a poem, and it appears written as a poem in the actual Torah Scroll. It is a poem that Moses presents to the Jewish people as he is about to depart from this world. Of all the talents that Moses had, we never knew he was a poet. During this pandemic, some of us might also be discovering that we are poets, and that poems can offer us comfort during this stressful time. Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova.”

---

“What is a poem? There is a long article in Wikipedia, and I am exhausted after glancing at it. One thought did stand out, 

“A Western cultural tradition (which extends at least from Homer to Rilke) associates the production of poetry with inspiration – often by a Muse (either classical or contemporary).”

For some of us, it is difficult to feel or admit that we are inspired. But if you enjoy or if you write a poem, you are inspired, no matter what you feel.

Ha’azinu starts very promisingly and poetically,

הַאֲזִ֥ינוּ הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וַאֲדַבֵּ֑רָה וְתִשְׁמַ֥ע הָאָ֖רֶץ אִמְרֵי־פִֽי׃ 

“Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; Let the earth hear the words I utter!” 

יַעֲרֹ֤ף כַּמָּטָר֙ לִקְחִ֔י תִּזַּ֥ל כַּטַּ֖ל אִמְרָתִ֑י כִּשְׂעִירִ֣ם עֲלֵי־דֶ֔שֶׁא וְכִרְבִיבִ֖ים עֲלֵי־עֵֽשֶׂב׃ 

“May my discourse come down as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, Like showers on young growth, Like droplets on the grass.”

כִּ֛י שֵׁ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה אֶקְרָ֑א הָב֥וּ גֹ֖דֶל לֵאלֹהֵֽינוּ׃ 

“For the name of the LORD I proclaim; Give glory to our God!” 

הַצּוּר֙ תָּמִ֣ים פָּעֳל֔וֹ כִּ֥י כָל־דְּרָכָ֖יו מִשְׁפָּ֑ט אֵ֤ל אֱמוּנָה֙ וְאֵ֣ין עָ֔וֶל צַדִּ֥יק וְיָשָׁ֖ר הֽוּא׃ 

“The Rock!—His deeds are perfect, Yea, all His ways are just; A faithful God, never false, True and upright is He.”

But then the parsha becomes a rant about the lack of faithfulness of the Jewish people. Moses knew he was about to die, and vented his frustration. Ouch!

Fortunately the Haftarah,  (Hosea 14,2-10; Micah 7,18-20), takes the opposite approach. It’s optimistic tone is about redemption, not punishment. It starts with a reference to the dew, a counterpoint to the rain that starts the parsha.

אֶרְפָּא֙ מְשׁ֣וּבָתָ֔ם אֹהֲבֵ֖ם נְדָבָ֑ה כִּ֛י שָׁ֥ב אַפִּ֖י מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃ 

“I will heal their affliction, Generously will I take them back in love; For My anger has turned away from them.”

אֶהְיֶ֤ה כַטַּל֙ לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יִפְרַ֖ח כַּשּֽׁוֹשַׁנָּ֑ה וְיַ֥ךְ שָׁרָשָׁ֖יו כַּלְּבָנֽוֹן׃ 

“I will be to Israel like dew; He shall blossom like the lily, He shall strike root like a Lebanon tree.”

And ending with three verses from Micah, 7:18-20,

מִי־אֵ֣ל כָּמ֗וֹךָ נֹשֵׂ֤א עָוֺן֙ וְעֹבֵ֣ר עַל־פֶּ֔שַׁע לִשְׁאֵרִ֖ית נַחֲלָת֑וֹ לֹא־הֶחֱזִ֤יק לָעַד֙ אַפּ֔וֹ כִּֽי־חָפֵ֥ץ חֶ֖סֶד הֽוּא׃ 

“Who is a God like You, Forgiving iniquity And remitting transgression; Who has not maintained His wrath forever Against the remnant of His own people, Because He loves graciousness!”

יָשׁ֣וּב יְרַֽחֲמֵ֔נוּ יִכְבֹּ֖שׁ עֲוֺֽנֹתֵ֑ינוּ וְתַשְׁלִ֛יךְ בִּמְצֻל֥וֹת יָ֖ם כָּל־חַטֹּאותָֽם׃ 

“He will take us back in love; He will cover up our iniquities, You will hurl all our sins Into the depths of the sea.” 

תִּתֵּ֤ן אֱמֶת֙ לְיַֽעֲקֹ֔ב חֶ֖סֶד לְאַבְרָהָ֑ם אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתָּ לַאֲבֹתֵ֖ינוּ מִ֥ימֵי קֶֽדֶם׃ 

“You will keep faith with Jacob, Loyalty to Abraham, As You promised on oath to our fathers In days gone by.”

May the spiritual rain and dew and the inspiration that we imbibe and transmit during this season enable us to thrive spiritually, poetically, and physically during the coming year. 

Shabbat Shalom from Jewish Newport!

Photo from New York Public Library, Blind Milton dictating "Paradise Lost" to his daughters by Munkácsy, Mihály, 1844-1900

Music and Memory

 Music and Memory

At Jewish Newport

September 18, 2020

By Aaron Ginsburg

Thank you to Rabbi Marc Mandel

Also at https://www.facebook.com/groups/jewishnewport

There is nothing like a catchy tune to help us remember something or to put us in the right mood. 

Rabbi Marc Mandel of Newport’s Touro Synagogue shared a message with Jewish Newport,

“One of the reasons why we sound the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah is because it reminds us of when the Jewish people received the Torah on Mount Sinai. When the Torah was given at Sinai, the sound of the Shofar was heard by all, as it is written, וְקוֹל שׁוֹפָר חָזָק מְאֹד, “the sound of shofar was most powerful” (Shemot 19:16). It was at that time the people responded by saying “We will do and we will listen.”  Each year, on Rosh Hashanah, as we hear the Shofar, we relive this unique moment, and once again, we accept the Torah into our lives. Shanah Tova to all. “

There was a little more than the shofar. The entire verse reads,

וַיְהִי֩ בַיּ֨וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֜י בִּֽהְיֹ֣ת הַבֹּ֗קֶר וַיְהִי֩ קֹלֹ֨ת וּבְרָקִ֜ים וְעָנָ֤ן כָּבֵד֙ עַל־הָהָ֔ר וְקֹ֥ל שֹׁפָ֖ר חָזָ֣ק מְאֹ֑ד וַיֶּחֱרַ֥ד כָּל־הָעָ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃ 

“On the third day, as morning dawned, there was thunder, and lightning, and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the horn; and all the people who were in the camp trembled.”

The shofar would have had to have been loud to drown out  the thunder.  

This year the shofar is competing for our attention with Covid-19 and politics. Once again the shofar needs to be very loud to get our attention.  

So what’s the story with music and memory? There must be a book on the subject. And there is, This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel Joseph Levitin. Among his insights are,  “That practice, rather than talent, is the driving force behind musical expertise.”

Does that mean there is hope for me? My usual strategy on the bimah at Touro Synagogue is to go as fast as possible, before the congregation can grasp what I sound like.

This song has been on my mind since I first heard it in before Rosh Hashanah 5768 in 2007  https://youtu.be/yk2cNrRDGO0

Jewish Newport wishes you Shabbat Shalom and Rosh Hashanah greetings for 5781!

Judaism's Big Hits

 

Judaism's Big Hits

At Jewish Newport

September 11, 2020

By Aaron Ginsburg

Thank you to Rabbi Marc Mandel and George Aronson

also at facebook.com/groups/jewishnewport

the video is at https://youtu.be/NVoaMtcuFvQ 

Judaism has many types of big hits. Our texts and liturgy contain great hits. Did I mention the Ten Commandments?

For holy days, Shabbat is tops; the High Holidays are a very close second. 

One tenet of Judaism is to add from the profane to the holy. During Shabbat, we try to hold onto the enjoyment a little longer. Although in the Hebrew calendar, the day ends at sundown, Shabbat ends a little later, when 3 stars can be seen in the sky.

This kind of reasoning probably made our synagogue services as long as they are, particularly during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. For some of us, however, the lengthy services add to the agony rather than to the ecstasy. Fortunately music helps overcome the agony and keeps us awake to boot.

We lengthen the High Holiday period by reciting Psalm 27 twice a day from the first day of the month of Elul until Shemini Azteret. 

Rabbi Marc Mandel of Touro Synagogue Newport explains why in a short dvar he shared with Jewish Newport,

“There is a custom to recite the 27th Psalm during the High Holy Day season. What is the reason for this custom? There are passages in this chapter that connect to the High Holy Days. One passage references the Teruah, which is one of the sounds of the Shofar that we hear on Rosh Hashanah. 

“Another passage says, ‘God will shelter me in his Sukka on a bad day.’ 

“Another reason we might recite this chapter is because God's name is mentioned 13 times, and that connects to God's 13 attributes of mercy that we refer to during the High Holy Days. 

“Since we are now living in times of a plague that is dangerous to us all, this year especially we should recite this psalm. 

“May we all be inscribed in the book of life.”

 At morning minyan at Temple Israel in Sharon (service links at tisharon.org) we pause during Psalm 17 to sing Achat Sha’alti:

אַחַ֤ת ׀ שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יְהוָה֮ אוֹתָ֪הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ שִׁבְתִּ֣י בְּבֵית־יְ֭הוָה כָּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיַּ֑י לַחֲז֥וֹת בְּנֹֽעַם־יְ֝הוָ֗ה וּלְבַקֵּ֥ר בְּהֵיכָלֽו 

“One thing I ask of the LORD, only that do I seek: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD,  to frequent His temple.”

Since 9/11, at the end of Temple Israel’s morning minyan we add another Jewish musical hit by singing Irving Berlin’s God Bless America.

To a Jew, the Temple is not just a building, but a way of life including respect for God and for each other. 

Shabbat Shalom from Jewish Sharon!

May you be inscribed for a good year.