Parshat Miketz – From Eretz To Exile (and Back) | Hanukkah

Parshat Miketz – Torah From The Holy Land

Torah: From Canaan to Exile (and Back)

In last week’s parasha, Joseph is an incredibly passive character. His father loves him more. God reveals a prophecy to Joseph through his dreams. His brothers hate him. His father sends him to check on his brothers, and they throw him in a pit. The list goes on until the very end of the parasha, when Joseph asks the cupbearer to remember him when he is set free, and the parasha tragically ends with the cupbearer forgetting him. Two years later, Pharoah dreams, and Joseph is brought to interpret them. Then, in a matter of lines, Joseph goes from lowly and despised to the Viceroy of Egypt.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks notes this quick change, and comments that “the story is telling us something fundamental about the relationship between our dreams and our achievements. Joseph was the great dreamer of the Torah, and his dreams for the most part came true. But not in a way he or anyone else could have anticipated… There is no achievement without effort. That is the first principle. God saved Noah from the flood, but first Noah had to build the ark. God promised Abraham the land, but first he had to buy the cave of Machpelah in which to bury Sarah. God promised the Israelites the land, but they had to fight the battles. Joseph became a leader, as he dreamed he would. But first he had to hone his practical and administrative skills, first in Potiphar’s house, then in prison. Even when God assures us that something will happen, it will not happen without our effort. A Divine promise is not a substitute for human responsibility. To the contrary, it is a call to responsibility.” Professor Ben Sommer also notes a similar phenomenon, pointing out that the entire enslavement of the Israelites is so that they would learn building skills, to later built a house for God. There’s something in every situation that we need to learn, so we can be ready for our real work manifesting the Divine in our world. This parasha is the beginning of B’nai Israel’s first experience in galut, exile, setting the stage later for the first conquest of Eretz Yisrael. Now that Jews have returned Israel, we too need to ask what was the lesson of exile that Israel is supposed to learn now?

Rabbi Isaiah Ha-Levi Horowitz (1558–1630), called the Shlah, taught: “He who dwells in the Land of Israel must always remember its name, K’na’an, which teaches servitude and subservience (hakhna’ah) to God.” And then he continues, “Thus, may it be granted you to be (that is, to think of yourselves as) strangers in your land, as David said: ‘I am a stranger in the land: hide not your commandments from me’ (Psalm 119:19). From this we learn that the settlers in that land must, as strangers, be in a state of ongoing subservience (Hebrew: yoshvei ha’aretz tzerikhin lihyot behekhneia) and not make the settling of the land into the essential element of the enterprise.” This is a powerful statement; he is claiming that there is something much more essential to Israel than only the land itself. He demonstrates this with an example, the opening words of last week’s parasha: “And Jacob settled . . . in the land of Canaan (Genesis 37:1). Jacob sought to settle in tranquility [then the turbulence of Joseph sprang upon him], for it is a land ‘that devours its settlers’ (Numbers 13:32), eliminating those who want to sit in it with quietude, relaxation, and validity, to eat of its fruit and enjoy it thus.” There is an essence to the land which causes the dweller to be in a state of exile, even while inhabiting the land.

Rabbah Tamar Elad-Applebaum comments in “Process Theology and Eretz Yisrael” that this feeling of galut, exile, is actually necessary to dwelling in the land. Eretz Yisrael is “an educational environment designated to become a spiritual training space for believers, training them to settle it while always in motion. (This can give a greater understanding regarding the role of exile in training the nation for its eventual return to Eretz Yisrael.)” Settling the land means that we must be willing to relinquish our ownership over it to the one who created it, having faith that we will be sustained and that we will be able to survive in the land. And it’s exile that has trained Jews for centuries in this art of faith. From place to place we have wandered, seemingly comfortable and prosperous one day, and fleeing with few possessions the next. According to the reasoning of Rabbi Sacks above, these lessons in galut are necessary actions, that when learned allow us to inhabit the land of our ancestors, and not, as Rabbah Tamar reminds us, be spit out. May we be blessed this week to become active participants in our own lives, and may we have the strength to reinvent ourselves so that we may deepen our relationship with the Holy Blessing One.

Hanukkah: Strangers in Our Home – R’ Sholom Brodt

“On every other holiday you don’t need a house. On Chanukah you need a house to kindle light at the door. On Chanukah when I see someone else kindling, I also say a blessing. When do I know that I’m at home with the Torah? When do I know that the light of the Torah is really my own? If I blow my mind over everyone else’s good deed and I can’t control myself, I have to say a blessing over it.

It is possible to live in the same house as your wife and children and be strangers t…o one another. On Chanukah every person in the house is kindling light; every night the light is becoming stronger and deeper and more.

Our age is the age of strangers. We’re strangers in our own homes; we’re strangers in our own land; we’re strangers in our own religion.

Let this Chanukah open the gates for all of us — the lights of Chanukah at the gates to show how holy everyone else is. Let this Chanukah give us the strength to bring light to the whole world, because people only hate each other when they have no home. So our light of Chanukah will show the whole world how deep life is — how deep it is to serve G-d.”

You can view a PDF of this week’s parasha here.

Sam Blustin is an alumnus of the Conservative Yeshiva (2014-2015) and a current Rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary (Class of 2020). You can view more divrei Torah at www.samblustin.com or contact Sam directly at samblustin@gmail.com.

Parshat Emor – To Live In Israel

Torah: To Live In Israel

Until the morrow of the seventh week, you shall count fifty days, and you shall offer a new meal offering to the Lord. From your dwelling places, you shall bring two loaves of bread that shall be waved. (Vayikra 23:16-17)

With the reading of Parshat Emor, we’re now into the heart of the counting of the Omer, the fifty days between Passover and Shavuot. The Sefer HaChinuch (13th Century Spain, anonymous), among others, describe this liminal time as a preparation for our receiving the Torah on Shavuot. Immediately following that commandment, our parashah commands the above, to bring two loaves of leavened bread as part of the sacrifice of Shavuot. This mitzvah could only be performed in the land of Israel, and interestingly, must be made from grains harvested in Eretz Yisrael. The Zohar explains the reason: “The two loaves symbolize the Torah, and one cannot attain a full understanding of the Torah outside the Land of Israel” (Parashat Bereshit).

Throughout my time in Israel this year, I’ve come to understand the truth in this statement. Until one has spent the year living in the land of Israel, it’s hard to understand why the Rabbis would mandate dwelling in sukkot in 30 degree weather (with snow!), why we sing “hashkediyah porachat” (the almond trees are blooming) on Tu B’shvat, or why Hanukkah is on the longest day of sunlight in the year (for our friends in the southern hemisphere). Until one has spent time in Israel, the Torah does not come alive. Here, you get a real sense of the distance our ancestors walked between Hebron and Jerusalem. You can step into mikvot from the Second Temple period that pilgrims would have cleansed in before heading to the Temple to sacrifice on chagim. You can walk Derech Avot, the road our ancestors would have traveled upon. You watch how the blooming of agriculture corresponds to our chagim. You can imagine the game of hide and seek played by David and Saul in its natural habitat. And you can see the magnitude of the supporting walls of the Temple, and can imagine just how large and imposing the Temple must have been when fully intact. To live in Israel is to walk the streets our ancestors walked on, to eat from the same soil they grew food in, and to worship Hashem in the same places. To live in the land of Israel is to realize that there’s a context to the Bible, that it’s not just a series of made up stories, but that there were real people that lived here, a real Jewish claim to the land.

While my time studying here may be coming to an end, my memories of Israel will stay with me through my prayer, divrei Torah, and, God willing, by bringing many people here to grapple with our long and complex history as a Rabbi, so that they may have their own relationship to this Land, and that they too can obtain a full understanding of the Torah.

Synagogues, Synagogues, Synagogues

Thursday was a day filled with travel and synagogues. We started our day by traveling to the Temple Synagogue in Krasnik, where we davened shacharit in the old, run down synagogue.
After a moving service where we brought Judaism back to a town where there were no Jews left, we headed on a 4 hour drive to Krakow. On the ride, we watched the moving movie Schindler’s List, which recounts the heroics of Oskar Schindler, a Nazi who saved the lives of some 850 Jews in Krakow by working them in his factory, exchanging his fortune for their lives. We later would get to see his factory in person.
Upon arriving, we walked through the Krakow ghetto to the Izaak Synagogue, named for Izaak Jakubowicz, also called Isaac the Rich, the donor and also a banker to King Władysław IV. We learned about the history of the synagogue, and I had the opportunity to teach Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach’s Krakow Niggun. The power of being able to bring back a melody to its place of origin, in a beautiful acoustic inside of an ancient synagogue, was extremely moving. Others who were visiting the synagogue stopped to listen, and some even recorded it on their phones.
We visited a few more synagogues (see pictures below) and headed to our hotel for the night.
We wrapped up the day with Ma’ariv and subgroups, where we had private journal time.
More pictures to come.

SHUL REVIEW: Raz’s Minyan (VaAni Tefillah) (Friday and Saturday Morning)

Rating: 4/5- Friday nights are wonderful and full of energy, Saturday mornings are rather lacking

Services Attended: Friday Night and Saturday Morning
Date: November 14, 2014 and November 15th, 2014

Observance: Orthodox
Time of Service: Mincha 20 min after candle lighting on Friday, and 7:30am-10:45am Saturday Morning, children’s book reading following
Mechitza: Right-Left, with shtender in middle in front
Women: No leadership
Meals: No mention
Frequency: Every Friday Night, Saturday Morning, Holidays
Family friendly service: Extremely. Nice courtyard for kids to play outside, and following services there’s story time
Sermon: All Hebrew

Review:

Friday Night: Friday night services were full of energy and youthful exuberance. The place was packed, and filled with young people and families. Raz leads his own tunes for Kabbalat Shabbat (which are similar to Carlebach in style), and everyone joins in, singing and dancing at length at times. Ma’ariv was more typical Carlebach, and just as wonderful. Raz has a quiet demeanor, but a beautiful voice that allows the congregation to join in prayer.

Saturday Morning: Twice I’ve been to Raz’s on Saturday morning, and I’ve been disappointed both times, especially after seeing what it is on Friday Nights. They set up less chairs expecting a smaller turnout, and they certainly get that; in the Torah Service, they maybe had 20 men and 10 women. Between this and the fact that Saturday services are lay led (still good, but not Raz), the room lacked energy and general enthusiasm for prayer. Saturday morning services start early at Raz’s, so if you’re a morning person it’s great, and you’re done before 11. P’sukei D’zimra is probably around 1 hour in length, but I didn’t get there that early. After the service, the multitude of children gathered around the front for story time, and there was a small kiddush afterwards.

Friday nights are really wonderful, and if you’re a young person looking to meet that special someone, this is the minyan for you. However, unless you have young children, I wouldn’t bother going on Saturday mornings.

Raz’s Minayn (VaAni Tefillah) is located near 34 Menahem Ussishkin Street, Sha’arei Hesed, Jerusalem. It’s located through a gate which opens to a compound of school buildings. The gate should have a sign that says “Kehillat VaAni Tefillah here”, but in Hebrew. Enter through the more southern gate (probably the only one open). On your left, you’ll see a building that says Beit Bubis, with a garden in front of it. VaAni Tefillah is located in the second building on the right.

Parshat Vayechi – Embracing the Pain || Yamin u’Smol

Parshat Vayechi- Torah From The Holy Land

Torah: Embracing the Painful

In the Torah scroll, all parshiot either begin on a new line, or with a nine letter break between the last parasha and the new one, except for parshat Vayechi. This closed spacing prompts Rashi to comment below:

למה פרשה זו סתומה, לפי שכיון שנפטר יעקב אבינו נסתמו עיניהם ולבם של ישראל מצרת השעבוד שהתחילו לשעבדם

“Why is this section closed? Because, as soon as our father Jacob passed away, the eyes and the heart of Israel were “closed” from of the pain of the servitude that they (the Egyptians) began to subjugate them to.”

This phenomenon of closing ourselves off to painful stimuli, or worse yet, refusing to see the reality in front of us by closing our eyes and hearts, is all too familiar to us as humans. This phenomena is twofold: it exists both on the outside, in the pain of others, and inside, in our own pain. Pain isn’t a pleasant feeling, whether we experience it directly or see it on the faces of those around us, so we turn away from those who are hurting, or deny the fact we hurt at all, suppressing our feelings. According to Rashi, the children of Israel shut down after Jacob’s passing and in the face of a privileged class seeking to enslave them. Paraphrasing a quote of Rav James Jacobson-Maisels, when we are closed to one emotion, we close ourselves to them all. To be open, we must open ourselves to both the pleasant and unpleasant emotions. Jacob’s sons were not able to process their own pain at the loss of their beloved father, and this numbed them from sensing the pain of enslavement that was to engulf them until it was too late.

Today, in the discourse surrounding Israel, Judea, and Samaria, this phenomena seems to be all too prevalent. While the left needs to recognize Israel’s historical right to this holy land, the right must also be willing to make compromises in the pursuit of peace. The belief that while peace is desirable, it’s not possible right now, has led to a status quo that is untenable. The terror of the early 2000s and the failure of the pullout from Gaza has understandably numbed the hearts of many Israelis, and they have closed their hearts to their closest neighbors, who, like them, have valid claims to the land and in the end will be forced to make compromises as well. In order for any lasting peace to develop, both Israelis and Palestinians must commit to opening their eyes and hearts each other. They must learn to sit in their discomfort, and learn that, as my teacher Yiscah Smith says, “we are not commanded to like other people, or go out to coffee with them, but we are commanded to love each other.” That love is a deeper love, a recognition of each person as made b’tzelem elokim, in the image of God. It’s a recognition that we all have something important that only we can bring to the world. And it’s a recognition that we all have the right to have our basic needs fulfilled. In this space, the status quo begins to move towards a status in which there is a basic respect for the rights of others. And it’s in the small steps that this recognition is demonstrated, through a real demonstrative effort to give the other basic respect that shows that we view them as a person.

Our life practice is to learn how to open ourselves in love to that which makes us uncomfortable or afraid. Not to push it away or bury it down deep, but to welcome it in and soften our resistance to those feelings. Avot de Rabbi Natan comments, “Who is a hero of heroes? One who conquers his evil inclination” but then goes on to say “and there are those who say: One who makes his enemy into his beloved” (23:10). May we be blessed in the coming week with the breaking open of our heart, so that love may pour forth, and with the courage and vision that we may be able to transform our enemies, both internal and external, into our beloved, that they may spread more love into the world.

T’fillah: Yamin u’smol – Left and Right You Shall Spread Out

At the end of our parasha, Yisrael turns to Joseph’s two sons to bless them in Joseph’s place. At this point in the Torah, it should be no surprise that he puts his right hand on Ephraim, the younger, and his left on Menasseh, the older, saying the younger will become greater and more famous than his older brother.

The imagery of yamin u’smol, right and left, is also found in the 8th stanza of Lecha Dodi, which is said on Friday night in Kabbalat Shabbat. Below, I’d like to suggest a new interpretation of the stanza.

Yamin u’smol tifrotzi – Right and left you shall break out – When we live in a place of fear and despair, such as the desolate city described in previous stanzas, we close ourselves off to the world, and in turn, close ourselves off to ourselves as well. We deny reality and create a reality that is more pleasant and comfortable. It’s when we burst out of our bubble, opening up to finally accept those surrounding us, that we can accept ourselves as well for who we really are.

V’et Adonai ta’aritzi – And to the Lord you will be in awe – When we break out of our self-centered reality, we are able to recognize the Divinity present all around us, in everyone and everything. This recognition leads us to a feeling of the awesomeness of our creation.

Al yad ish ben partzi – Through the descendant of Peretz – Read partzi not as Peretz, but as “one who breaks out from the ‘I’” (from the root prtz, break out, as seen above). In Rabbinic teaching, the redeemer will come from the lineage of Peretz. In this reading, the redeemer will come from one who has broken out of the self-centered mindset of “I”, who has sown the seeds of love by revealing the Divinity present in the world. This person, which could be any of us, may not see the redemption themself, but their descendents will merit it.

V’nism’cha v’nagila – We will rejoice and we will be glad – Only after all of this, after we open our hearts to the world around us and the seed has been sown, will we merit the joyfulness that will create a new world, a world of Shabbos, where we can sit back and say the world is tov me’od, very good.

On Friday nights, we bless our sons to be like Ephraim and Menasseh, the blessing of the right and the blessing of the left. And we recall Yisrael’s blessing to them, that they “may proliferate abundantly like fish within the land” (Bereshit 48:16). May we be blessed through the holiness of Shabbos to break out of our servitude to the ego and embrace the world around us, and let love spread right and left, multiplying like fish within the land.

View a PDF of this d’var here.

Israel!

Our time in Poland ended Monday night, but it was after an eventful and moving day.

We started Monday by davening at the Tykochin synagogue, where Jews once prayed in this thriving shtetl, and then made our way to the Lupochova Forest, where the Jews of Tykochin and some surrounding villages were marched, told to line up along pits, shot by a firing squad, and then buried in mass graves. Three graves were dug, and there are memorials now that recognize those who were murdered.

Our time in Poland ended at the Treblinka death camp, which was completely destroyed by Nazis as the war was coming to a close. While no physical structures remain from the camp, there are a number of memorials in the places where the different buildings used to be, as well as a huge expanse that is covered in large symbolic rocks to memorialize the 800,000-120,000 that were were murdered there. Some of the rocks recognize particular towns where many Jews were brought from.

We had a ceremony led by the Usyers, where they read selected readings and poems that were moving to them, and we ended by singing Hatikvah, The Hope, that one day we might be free to live in peace in our holy land. We surprised the Usyers by giving them letters that their parents had written to them specifically for this occasion, and it was extremely moving to see the emotions they felt and the thought of what might be contained within those letters even brought tears to my eyes. Some found out they had family who at one time lived in different towns in Poland, and tried to find those names written on the stones.

Monday night, we left for Israel, and arrived Tuesday only to find that 15 of bags, as well as some 90+ Ramah bags, were not put on the plane. We had an emergency shopping trip for those of us (including me) who did not have their suitcases, and overall had a pretty relaxing first day.

Wednesday was our first full day in Israel. We started the day with an archaeological dig at Tel Maresha, where we helped excavate a real historical site. Due to the extreme number of potential archaeological sites in Israel, archaeologists often use volunteers and tour groups to help them in their excavating. We were able to find a number of pottery shards, animal bones, and even some charcoal. It was a really cool activity, and the archaeology loving boy in me had a ton of fun.

We then went for a swim in the pool at Beit Guvrin, which was exactly what was needed for a 90 degree+ day. The day ended with a seminar on the Arab-Israeli Conflict with Neil Lazarus.

Today, Thursday, we started our learning about ancient times with exploration of the second Temple period. We started the day exploring the Southern Wall of the Temple, and learning about the daily life at the Temple, and stopped into the Davidson center for a break and a movie explaining more about life in the second Temple period.

We briefly greeted the Kotel, or the Western Wall, and the USYers had a chance to write notes if they wanted. We explored the remnants of the Herodian mansions that lie underneath the streets of the old city, and learned about the warring factions of the time, the Sadducees and the Pharisees.

Our day trip ended with a visit to the Israel Museum, where we saw the Heliodorus Stele, an ancient document written on stone from around the time of the Maccabees that was actually found at Tel Maresha. We continued to see a few more artifacts, browsed the Shrine of the Book containing the Dead Sea Scrolls, and saw the giant model of Herodian Jerusalem.

I had some free time in the afternoon where I got to catch up with some friends in Israel, and it was really great to see them. We ended the day with a trip to Ben Yehuda Street, where Gonen, one of my co-staff, showed me some great places to shop and eat for the future.

A few more days in the Jerusalem area, and then we’re off to see the rest of Israel! More to come soon!

How To Take The GRE In Israel

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So you’re in Israel for the year, and you need to take the GRE to apply for your select grad school. What do you do? Where can you take the test, and how can you get there? Good thing I’m here to help. Last week, I took the GRE, and wanted to lend my experience to help out the countless others who might have questions. Here’s what you need to know. (NOTE: These tips, especially on how to get there, work for any of the tests provided by ETS at this location)

The first step of taking the GRE is obviously signing up
- Start by Signing in or Creating an Account
  - NOTE: If you don’t sign in at the start, you’ll have to go through the process again after sign in/account creation, so do it first
- After signing in, select ‘Register for a General Test’ in the ‘My GRE Home’ page
- Select Israel from the dropdown
- Three cities will show up: Ramallah, Ramat Gan, and Tel Aviv
  - You’re probably tempted to select Tel Aviv from the list, so you can go and party afterwards, but there isn’t actually a test center there (but you can check, it will probably say there are no times available)
  - Unless you’re a particularly daring person and wish to go to the West Bank, Ramat Gan is your best (only) option (Ramat Gan is a suburb of Tel Aviv, so you can still go party if you’re up to it)
- After selecting Ramat Gan, you’ll see information about the test center, like it’s at Ramat Gan college. This is important. Click on ‘Check Seat Availability’ under Test Dates and Availability.
- This goes to a page called ‘Test Center Selection’, where you unfortunately have to put in the location again. Type in Ramat Gan in the search box. If you’re interested, you can also take the test in Amman, Jordan, or Lebanon, but this tutorial only covers Ramat Gan.
- Select the first option, site 8150: Tel Aviv (actually Ramat Gan), then click on availability
- Select a date, and if the time works for you, ‘Schedule an appointment’
- At this point, you can sign in or create an account if you haven’t already, or finish registering for the test
- Congrats! You’re registered for the GRE!
The next step is to study (or not)
- As part of the confirmation, you’ll receive free software with practice questions and tests, including timed tests
- You can get this free software here! You’re welcome
Test Day!
- Make sure ahead of time you know how you’re getting to the test
  - From Jerusalem, I took the 400 from the Central Bus Station (Tachana Mercazit) to the Ramat Gan – Road 4 Bar Ilan Interchange. Tell the driver you’re going to Bar Ilan University. I think it was something like 16NIS
  - It’s a little bit of a walk, and hard to find, so leave time
  - When you get off at the bus station, you may have to walk half way up a bridge, down the other side towards another bus stop, then up another bridge that goes left across the highway.
  - Google walking directions. Don’t bother trying to use the address provided on the GRE site. It says the address is ’87 PINCHAS RUTTENBERG STREET’, but google recognizes it as ‘Pinhas Rutenberg St 87’ (note the spelling). It won’t recognize it otherwise
  - Instead, use Ramat Gan College, and it will get you there faster
  - Using, Ramat Gan College, you’ll take Etsel Street past Arieh Ben Eliezer St, and take the first left down a long driveway past a security officer
  - At the end of the driveway, there will be a building on your left that should be Building 6 (Binyan 6). The office is either 608 or 610 (I can’t remember), but you’ll see it immediately on your left, and it’s on other signs if you miss it. The door has a sign saying it’s the testing station
  - If you choose to go by way of Pinhas Rutenberg, then you’ll go through a long confusing maze of buildings, eventually going through Building 5 to a courtyard that leads to Building 6 and 7
- The office opens around 1 hour prior to the test, and there are a few places to eat or grab a snack on the campus itself (I went to the little cafe outside of Building 5)
- If you get there earlier than the test time, they’ll start to process you earlier, and you can start earlier
- POLICIES
  - You can bring absolutely nothing into the test with you. They’ll give you a locker that locks, and you put everything in it except your passport
  - Make sure you have recent identification that matches your registered name exactly. See more information on what identification is allowed, but you may need an updated picture on an alternate ID if your passport doesn’t look enough like you
  - They’ll make you empty all pockets and take a metal detector test before entering the testing room
  - They do give you a nifty pair of earplugs though
  - You get a 10 minute break in the middle of the test, but make sure you leave a good couple of minutes to get back into the test, as they have to re-verify your pockets are clear, you don’t have any metal, and you have to resign-in
- Know what range of score your desired college is looking for going in, because you can choose to send your score at the end after seeing it (minus the writing section) for free. You have to pay a fee if you send it at a later date

Hopefully this has helped as a guide, and if you have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer them if you comment below! Happy testing!

Parshat Shemot – The Power of Women | Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak, Elohei Ya’akov

Parshat Shemot – Torah From The Holy Land

Torah: The Power of Women

On Friday, President-Elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States. Both during his campaign and after his election, he has been incredibly disparaging of minorities, women, those with disabilities, and anyone who does not agree with him. That his inauguration coincides with Parshat Shemot, where a new king arises who did not know Joseph and proceeds to sow seeds of fear of minorities and immigrants, has been pointed out by more than a few commentators. However, a different story in Parshat Shemot can give us a reason to hope as we move forward.

A day after the inauguration, 200,000 women will march on Washington to “promote equal rights for women and to defend marginalized groups” (New York Times), with the goal of sending a “bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world, that women’s rights are human rights,” (Women’s March website). That women are stepping up to lead a movement of equality and to push human rights for all isn’t surprising; after all, it’s the essence of Feminism. What may be surprising is the emphasis of women’s leadership in this week’s parasha.

In Shemot, there is not only one female hero, but six. The first is Yocheved, the mother of Miriam, Moses, and Aaron. She had the courage to have a child despite the death sentence for male newborns, hid Moses for three months from the Egyptians, and had the faith to put Moses in a basket in the river, hoping that someone would find him and take care of him. The second is Miriam, who took on the responsibility to watch over her brother Moses as he floated down the river, and worked out a plan with Pharoah’s daughter so that her own mother would be able to nurse Moses in the palace. The Midrash even gives her credit for convincing her father, Amram, to remarry Yocheved after they had separated for fear of giving birth to a baby boy, who would be killed. Shifrah and Puah, two midwives, were the third and fourth. Despite Pharaoh’s decree to kill all male babies, they continued to help Hebrew women give birth. When caught, they told Pharaoh that the Hebrew women were so stubborn that they gave birth before the midwives could come. As a result of their faith in God and their courage to stand up in the face of injustice, they were rewarded by God. Fifth is Zipporah, Moses’s wife, who accompanies Moses on his return to Egypt, and saves his life by decisive action to circumcise their son (Ex. 4:24-26). Six, and maybe the most incredible, is Pharaoh’s daughter, who, despite her father’s decree to kill all Hebrew boys, not only saves Moses, but brings him into the palace and raises him as her own son. All of these women, in their own way, sow the seeds for redemption and freedom in opposition to a ruler who seeks to oppress them and their voices.

While these women had no official title, they exhibited outstanding leadership qualities. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks points out,

“Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron in his Responsa, Binyan Av, differentiates between formal or official authority (samchut) and actual leadership (hanhagah). There are figures who hold positions of authority – prime ministers, presidents, CEOs – who may not be leaders at all. They may have the power to force people to do what they say, but they have no followers. They excite no admiration. They inspire no emulation. And there may be leaders who hold no official position at all but who are turned to for advice and are held up as role models. They have no power but great influence.” He concludes, “Yocheved, Miriam, Shifra, Puah, Zipporah and Batya [Pharaoh’s daughter] were leaders not because of any official position they held (in the case of Batya she was a leader despite her official title as a princess of Egypt). They were leaders because they had courage and conscience. They refused to be intimidated by power or defeated by circumstance. They were the real heroes of the exodus. Their courage is still a source of inspiration today.”

Their courage is not only a source of inspiration, but also a sign of hope. The small actions of individuals standing up for human rights, equality, and freedom of speech can have an impact far greater than anyone can imagine. May their courage inspire us today and in the coming years to stand up wherever we see injustice and hatred.

T’fillah: Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak, v’Elohei Ya’akov

In the middle of this week’s parasha, Moses encounters God for the first time at the burning bush.

YHVH said: ‘Do not come closer to here, remove your shoes from your feet, for the place upon which you stand is holy ground.’ and YHVH said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to gaze toward God. (Ex. 3:5-6)

These verses may sound familiar; the phrase ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ appears three times a day in first paragraph of the Amidah. Looking at this phrase in its biblical context, what new intentions can we bring to our own prayer?

Interestingly, we notice that Moses is the focus of this prayer, not the Patriarchs (and certainly not the Matriarchs). And it’s not Moses as the proud leader of the people, but Moses’ first interaction with God. Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, in his book Empowered Judaism, points out that “the Moses in this scene is not the leader we know from the rest of the Torah, but a reluctant shepherd who is about to receive the mission and purpose of his life: to redeem the people of Israel from Egypt and lead them to the promised land. Significantly, Moses doesn’t jump at this offer, but instead ‘hides his face.’” From this realization, he teaches, we can learn three things.

First, this is the first communication between Moses and God, the beginning of a Divine-Human relationship. We too are expected to treat our relationship with the Divine as if it’s brand new. If you think about it, how you act towards someone who you’re trying to build a friendship with is much different than an old friend. Most likely you’re much more intentional about you act and how often you’re in contact if you’re beginning a relationship. Further, he says “the Moses portrayed in this biblical scene is perhaps more akin to the modern-day worshiper who objects to this line in the first place: a person completely disconnected from Jewish heritage and alienated from a deep relationship with God.”

Second, this is not just a description, but a quote by God. Prayer is not only about talking to God, but also about hearing the messages that God gives to us. “What is the message of God’s speech?” He asks, “it is an invitation to ponder the mission of your life.”

Third, Moses’ reaction of hiding his face stands in stark contrast to our physical posture of prayer, which is standing with constrained movement. He says that this contrast “begs the questions: How is your relationship with God different if you stand before God as opposed to lying prostrate? What is that position meant to symbolize?”

By looking at the context from which our prayer is taken, we see the additional depths that can be revealed, pondered, and meditated on in our prayer practice. May we merit to hear our purpose in life, and dedicate our lives to the fulfillment of that purpose.

Israel: Weekend #1

I last checked in with you fine folks a week ago Thursday, when Operation Protective Edge was just a seedling. Since it has become a full fledged operation, but that hasn’t stopped our ability to see Israel and enjoy the land.

Last Friday was the first Friday of Ramadan, and as such, there were many protests and at times physical riots in the East Jerusalem neighborhood. As safety is our primary concern, we changed what was supposed to be an day exploring the First Temple period in Jerusalem to a hike and exploration of the terrace farming system that dated back to the time of First Temple in the surrounding Jerusalem area. We also explored a few water caves in that area.

We had a wonderful lunch, and headed back to Jerusalem to give the USY’ers some time to explore Machane Yehuda, and to buy gifts for their Shabbuddy (Shabbat Buddy). I went and found my coke in a glass bottle (my favorite), and bought some fresh chocolate rugelach.

Coke on Machane Yehuda (Have to love the photobomb)

We welcomed Shabbat as a group by davening at Yemin Moshe, overlooking the old city of Jerusalem. We had a very nice Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv, and headed back to our hostel for Shabbos dinner. As was my tradition when I was a madrich at Herzl, I told those sitting around me a story on Shabbos evening, this time the story of Yossele the Holy Miser (a Carlebach story, of course). After dinner, we sang a spirited ruach session, and went to bed for the night.

The next morning I took a group of kids to daven at the Great Synagogue. Not sure who the Hazan was, but from what I could understand it was a different one than usual, and there was no choir, which I understand they also usually have, but it was still a nice service, and the shul is absolutely beautiful. Their ark alone had something like 20 Torahs in it, from what I could count.

Services ended very early, so instead of free time, I told our group to grab any food they might have, and meet up on the balcony, where we had a nice oneg and traded off telling our favorite Jewish stories. We also sang some, and as other groups returned from davening, they joined us as well.

We had kiddush at Rabbi Paul Friedman’s apartment, and both he and his lovely wife welcomed our group into their home with food, stories, and a kiss on the cheek for each of us. We returned for lunch, ruach, and some much need Minuha (rest time). During the afternoon free time, I took a group of kids to throw a disc around the near by park. It was nice to have a Frisbee back in my hands again. We concluded the night with Pirkei Avot study, mincha, dinner, more ruach, and havdallah.

Sunday, we visited Yad L’Kashish, where elderly people are given food and housing to make a variety of wonderful Judaic products. While touring the factory, our kids interacted with the elderly, making conversation in Hebrew, English, and even Spanish. They took pictures with some of the workers, and to see the smiles on both the USY’ers faces and the elderly’s faces was truly heartwarming.

USY’ers speaking Spanish with an elderly person at Yad L’Kashish

We spent the afternoon touring Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Museum. While the museum is always meaningful, I, and many of the USY’ers, found it hard to concentrate and find meaning in it, especially when we had experienced and learned about many of the sites in person the previous week. While it would have been a great way to summarize our experience when we first arrived in Israel, doing at the end of the first week lost some of its power and meaning.

We then spent Sunday afternoon heading south.

While I have so much more to catch up on, alas, I’m running out of time before Shabbat, so I’ll have to finish updating you all another time!

Have a quiet and peaceful Shabbat!

How To Get A Student Visa In Israel

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Ah, the Misrad Hapnim. Everyone’s favorite Israeli bureaucratic organization. If you are as unfortunate as I was to not get a Student Visa before you came to the country, and you’re staying in the country for more than 3 months, you’ll inevitably have to take on this daunting challenge. And if you’ve talked to anyone who has dealt with Misrad Hapnim in the past, you’ve probably heard horror stories like my roommate who’s been 6 times with no luck. And while you could attempt to forgo the whole visa step and live as an illegal immigrant, you may prefer to go by the book. If that’s you, then you’ve come to the right place. This is ‘How To Get A Student Visa In Israel’ (specifically in Jerusalem).

Contact your program, as they will be able to help you with paperwork and likely have helped other students before
From your program, obtain a letter in Hebrew on official letterhead signed by the head of the program stating the following (Note: This definitely works with a Yeshiva. Not as sure with other programs):
1. Your name
2. Your passport number
3. A statement that you will be studying at the Yeshiva
4. A statement confirming you are Jewish AND that your mother is Jewish (especially if you’ve converted, this is the easiest way to prove that you are Jewish. Don’t go through the process of producing conversion documents and such. What they don’t know won’t kill them.)
  1. If you’re not Jewish, you can still get a student visa. Talk to your trip provider on the best way to do so
5. A statement containing the start and end dates of your studies, as well as a statement of the hours and days of the week that you study (ie. 9-18:00)
  1. Make sure your dates are of the Gregorian calendar, not the Hebrew Calendar
6. A signature from the Rosh Yeshiva
You’ll need to get a passport picture. There are many places you can do this, including but not limited to photo places on Ben Yehuda and right next to the Jerusalem Misrad Hapnim.
There’s a form that you will need to fill out, but the form available online is slightly out of date and can just be filled in there.
Bring your Passport
You may need to pay, but it depends on the person you talk to. I’ve seen it should cost 165 NIS. I didn’t have to pay anything.
Find the location of the nearest Misrad Hapnim (you can’t go anywhere you want, you have to go in their district)
1. In Jerusalem, this is Misrad Hapnim on 1 Sholmtsiyon HaMalka (NOTE the spelling. Searching anything else in Google will either get you no results, or send you near the Knesset. Trust me, I did it…)
Attempt to figure out their hours. Expect to fail.
1. At the time of this writing, Misrad Hapnim in Jerusalem is open for Visa acquisition on Sun-Tues, Thurs, from 8am-12pm. That’s it. Don’t try to go any time else. This may change at their discretion
2. If you get there right at 7:55, you can probably walk right in, and not have too long of a wait inside
Try to look as Jewish as possible. This sounds awful, but they do tend to profile, and have been known in the past to make it hard on the lives of those blond haired, blue eyed Jews
Once you get through security, make your way up to Kuma 1, the first floor. This is the Visa office
1. To get your form, wait in line for the front desk. They’ll give you the proper form (you’ll want an A2 visa). Fill it out
2. I was told by others that I would need to make an appointment, but on arriving to get said appointment, they said just to go in and wait for the second desk to be open. Even if you’re supposed to get an appointment, DON’T. Read on
3. When ready, wait in line for one of the desks. It doesn’t really matter which one, but I had a great experience with the lady at desk 2. I would recommend waiting for her
4. When it’s your turn, tell the person at the desk that you had been in there previously, and that they told you to come back once you updated your paperwork. They do this frequently to most people, and they probably won’t remember you anyways. This way, you’ll avoid having to have an appointment.
5. If it happens to fail, feel free to try to go to another person your next time in
It’s very likely you won’t be successful on your first try, so don’t despair, I got it on my second try. As I said earlier, my roommate is on try 6 and counting
Some notes
1. Expect to be yelled at at least once. It’s part of the experience
2. Feel free to try to game the system, especially as I described above
3. Israeli bureaucracy sucks. Expect to fail at least once, if not multiple times
4. A smile goes a long way

That should be all you need. Feel free to share your own stories below, and maybe they’ll help someone else as well! Best of luck!