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.

Don’t strike that rock!

Don’t strike that rock!

At Jewish Newport

July 4, 2020

By Aaron Ginsburg

Thank you to Rabbi Marc Mandel

Edited by Beth Ginsburg Levine

Also at facebook.com/groups/jewishnewport

Rabbi Marc Mandel of Newport’s Touro Synagogue shared a Dvar based on aish.com.

“In this week's Parsha [Parashat Chukat-Balak  Numbers 19:1 - 25:9]

 we read about the death of Miriam, and then the Torah states ‘there was no water for the congregation.’  God denied the nation water so that they might be ever-cognizant that the fresh sweet water of the well in the desert was all in the merit of Miriam.

“During the long, bitter years of Egyptian bondage, Miriam was responsible for imbuing the nation with faith. She put herself on the line to save the lives of doomed Jewish babies; she lovingly stood guard over the infant Moses while he was floating in a basket on the Nile; and she courageously convinced Pharaoh's daughter to entrust the baby to the care of Jochebed, Moses' mother. At the Splitting of the Reed Sea, Miriam inspired the women to call out to God in praise, dance, and sing songs of thanksgiving. 

“With the death of Miriam, God reminded the people that it was in the merit of Miriam that they had been granted the gift of water in the desert, and with her death, her well was lost.”

___________________________________________________

And the rest of the story is that God directed Moses and Aaron to take the rod to the rock in front of the people and that the rock would gush water.

Moses did as he was told, and then struck the rock. Bad move Moshe. God didn't say strike the rock. God lost his temper (again) and told them that they would not lead the Israelites to the promised land.  It seems a little unfair that Aaron was punished because Moshe struck the rock. 

How many times have you had trouble following directions? If God was my supervisor, I would be in big trouble!

Speaking of directions, I remember some of my acquaintances from Roger’s High School would boast about asking people, “Where is Spring St?” when they were on Spring St. At the time, there were a lot of street signs for the cross streets, but not for the main streets. 

When I lived in Sharon, MA, I used to walk my children to shul on Main St. It was not unusual for someone to stop their car on their way through town to ask for directions. I found these questions a particular challenge. Sharon was cut in two by railroad tracks and the streets wandered about because of the hilly topography. I yearned for Newport where, I thought, everything made sense.

May you have success following directions without striking a rock!

Shabbat Shalom from Jewish Newport

A Holy People

A Holy People

At Jewish Newport

June 27, 2020

By Aaron Ginsburg

Thank you to Rabbi Marc Mandel

Edited by Rebecca Beit-Aharon

Also at facebook.com/groups/jewishnewport

The Parsha this week is Korach. Rabbi Marc Mandel of Newport’s Touro Synagogue shared some words from aish.com:

“This week's Parsha tells the story of a man named Korach who led a mutinous rebellion against Moses and Aaron. Korach claimed that the entire Jewish people was holy, and therefore it was inappropriate for Moses and Aaron to exalt themselves over the people (Numbers 16:3). Moses responds to Korach, ‘In the morning, God will make known who is His own and who is the holy one, and He will draw him close to Him’ (Numbers 16:5).

“It seems strange that Moses would want to wait until the morning to resolve such a critical issue. Why not settle the matter immediately?

“Furthermore, Rashi (based on Midrash Tanchuma 7) teaches that Korach spent the entire night going around to each tribe and trying to gain support for his rebellion. Why does the Midrash stress that Korach went around at night?

“Korach tried to gain support for his rebellion at night because  Korach lived in darkness. Although he was a Torah scholar, he didn’t really have his own light. Therefore, he tried to gain followers at night, because he shone most brightly at that time. Moses, on the other hand, knew the true source of Korach's light. This is why he waited until the morning to resolve the issue. In the daytime, it would be obvious that Korach was merely a reflection of Moses's light.” ___________________________

Korach’s idea that we are a holy people is reflected in the oft used am hodosh. And it is not unusual for Jews to say that we are holy people. I like the sound of it, yet to me it sounds arrogant.

Where does the idea that the Jewish people are a holy people, an am hodosh originate? One source is Deutoronomy 14:2 (from Sefaria.org):

כִּ֣י עַ֤ם קָדוֹשׁ֙ אַתָּ֔ה לַיהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ וּבְךָ֞ בָּחַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה לִֽהְי֥וֹת לוֹ֙ לְעַ֣ם סְגֻלָּ֔ה מִכֹּל֙ הָֽעַמִּ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָֽה׃ (ס) 

“For you are a holy people to the L-rd your G-d [by virtue of your fathers], and in you [in your own right] has the L-rd chosen to be unto Him a chosen people from all the peoples that are on the face of the earth.” 

So there is an important qualification in the verse. Jews are a holy people to G-d. That sounds a little different. 

Rabbi Yirmiyahu Ullman points out that, “The commentators explain that kadosh means separate or set aside for a specific purpose.” 

What is that purpose? The Torah gives different reasons for being holy. Rabbi Dalia Marx tells us that  “[Parashat] K’doshim starts with God’s call: ‘You shall be holy, for I, the Eternal your God, am holy’ (Leviticus 19:2).”  Parshat K’doshim includes the commandments of how we behave towards our fellow man, who is created in the image of God. By following those commandments we are respecting the divine in each person and become holy ourselves. In other words, we may become holy because of our deeds, but it is not a given. To seal the deal it requires action.

This week I became closer to that holiness. One thing we can do is to comfort people when they are ill. A good friend of mine is very ill, and I helped comfort her this week. It is not a role I am accustomed to. I decided to be as upbeat as possible, stifling the tears with difficulty. 

I sang some of my favorite Rogers and Hart songs and Ned Rorem musical settings of poems to her, held her hand, and gently swabbed her with a wet towel. When I sing, it is not singing. Nevertheless, when she was able she asked for an encore each day. She even noticed when I forgot the bucket hat I usually wear. 

May your deeds and your bucket hats lead to holiness.

Shabbat Shalom from Jewish Newport!

Spies and Strangers

Spies and Strangers

At Jewish Newport

June 20, 2020

By Aaron Ginsburg

By Aaron Ginsburg

Thank you to Rabbi Marc Mandel

Edited by Rebecca Beit-Aharon

Also at facebook.com/groups/jewishnewport

Rabbi Marc Mandel, Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island,  shared some words of Torah with us, which were summarized from aish.com  

“When the spies gave their report to the nation, they related that there were giants in the land of Canaan, and they felt like grasshoppers next to them. How is it possible for members of a nation that stood at Sinai, that heard the voice of God, to view themselves as grasshoppers? In our generation we should be proud of our heritage, aware of the Divine spark in our souls and the gift of Torah that is our legacy.”

______________________________________________

God was so upset when the Israelites refused to proceed to the promised land, he threatened to kill them all. In Bereshit, Avraham pleaded with God to spare Sodom if there were a few righteous people there. Moses rose to the occasion, and asked that all of Israel be spared. He appealed to God’s vanity. “How would it look to the Egyptians if you destroyed your own people?”  They would say, “מִבִּלְתִּ֞י יְכֹ֣לֶת יְהוָ֗ה לְהָבִיא֙ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֣ע לָהֶ֑ם וַיִּשְׁחָטֵ֖ם בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃ 

It must be because the LORD was powerless to bring that people into the land He had promised them on oath that He slaughtered them in the wilderness.”

Moses then rubbed it even more, remind God that he had already promised to be patient (Numbers 14:18)

 יְהוָ֗ה אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֙יִם֙ וְרַב־חֶ֔סֶד נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֺ֖ן וָפָ֑שַׁע וְנַקֵּה֙ לֹ֣א יְנַקֶּ֔ה פֹּקֵ֞ד עֲוֺ֤ן אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֖ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִֽים׃ 

‘The LORD! slow to anger and abounding in kindness; forgiving iniquity and transgression; yet not remitting all punishment, but visiting the iniquity of fathers upon children, upon the third and fourth generations.”

We recite this passage during the shalosh regalim, Sukkot, Pesach and Shavuat, and during the High Holidays.

Nowadays, we might take exception about punishments falling on succeeding generations, but when this passage was written, this did not raise an eyebrow.

The One Above backed down. He decreed that all the adults would die in the wilderness. Only the children, and two adults, Caleb and Joshua (who dissented from the other spies' warnings) would enter the promised land.

In Numbers 15:15 God commanded,

 חֻקָּ֥ה אַחַ֛ת לָכֶ֖ם וְלַגֵּ֣ר הַגָּ֑ר חֻקַּ֤ת עוֹלָם֙ לְדֹרֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם כָּכֶ֛ם כַּגֵּ֥ר יִהְיֶ֖ה לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃ 

“There shall be one law for you and for the resident stranger; it shall be a law for all time throughout the ages. You and the stranger shall be alike before the LORD.”

Although it was a command, in Leviticus 19:34 God gave a reason, 

כְּאֶזְרָ֣ח מִכֶּם֩ יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֜ם הַגֵּ֣ר ׀ הַגָּ֣ר אִתְּכֶ֗ם וְאָהַבְתָּ֥ לוֹ֙ כָּמ֔וֹךָ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם אֲנִ֖י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ 

“The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I the LORD am your God.”

Whether you are a stranger or a citizen, may you be treated fairly!

Shabbat Shalom from Jewish Newport!

@tourosynagoguenewportri