SHUL REVIEW: The Great Synagogue (Saturday Morning)

One of the few remaining synagogues with an old time feel, led by a world renowned Chazzan

Rating: 4/5
Service Attended: Saturday Morning Services (on two separate occasions)
Date: Two separate weekends in July 2014

Type of Service: Orthodox. Chazzan led with all male choir (choir present some weeks). Also a separate Sephardic service.
Time of Service: Saturday morning typically ending by 11:30
Mechitza: Men on ground floor, women on U-shaped balcony
Meals: No mention of offering meals for visitors. No kiddush to my knowledge.
Frequency: All weekly services provided

Review: I have attended Saturday morning services twice at The Great Synagogue, and have enjoyed it both times. To start off with, the building is gorgeous, with stained glass windows, showcases of Judaica lining the walls of the hallway, and the ark held some 20 Torahs. It’s a huge space, which tends to fill up most mornings. People from all different backgrounds attend, from black hatters, to modern orthodox, to youth groups in town for Shabbat.

The first time I attended, a young chazzan was leading, and there was no choir (I was a little disappointed). He led a very nice service, and as most typical chazzan led services, participated where I could. Because of the size of the room however, and the fact that they don’t use microphones, it was hard to hear at times, making it even more difficult to participate.

I made sure the second time I went to go on a week when their Chief Chazzan, the world-renowned Chazzan Haim Adler was leading services. It did not disappoint. Chazzan Adler is one of the few remaining “old-school” chazzanim, and the presence of the choir lifted us to even higher heights. The choir, all male, combined traditional liturgical settings of the music with modern settings of liturgy with a skill that sets them beyond any synagogue choir I’ve ever heard.

The Great Synagogue is a must visit, just make sure you look ahead of time at who’s leading the service. With that said, if you’re looking for a service you can really dig your feet into and sing, this probably isn’t the shul for you.

The Great Synagogue is located at 56 King George Street, ירושלים, 9426222, Israel. For more information, visit their website.

Bereshit: A Primordial Light and Yotzer Or – Parshat Bereshit – Torah from the Holy Land

Torah – Bereshit: A Primordial Light

Have you ever gazed longingly at the sky on a star filled night, pondering the immensity of the universe? It’s an incredibly awe inspiring experience. Growing up, one of my favorite places to go was to the planetarium in Minneapolis, but it was shut down a number of years ago. A few months ago, I had the incredible opportunity to visit the Hayden Planetarium in New York. One thought that struck me was the brevity and smallness of human life in the universe. The light we see emitted from stars in the night sky can be light from BILLIONS of years ago, only just now reaching earth to be gazed upon. It reminded me of a Hannah Szenes quote: “There are stars whose light is visible on earth though they have long been extinct. Likewise, there are people whose brilliance continues to light the world, though they are no longer among the living. This light is particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for mankind.” We sit in shul today reading a text thousands of years old, that has spawned the world’s main religions and has been an inspiration for dozens of generations of Jews. And it all started with bereshit, a beginning in which light was created and separated from the darkness. It’s this light that we still feel and experience today in every interaction with our tradition. Today, as you ponder the awesomeness of the universe, ask yourself, how has my tradition been a guiding light for me? In what moments have I experienced this awesome light? And how am I going to amplify and enhance this light for the next generations?

Tefillah – Yotzer Or

In the beginning, the earth was unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep. The Creator said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. The Creator saw that the light was good, and separated the darkness from the light. In the beginning, the Creator created light, and separated the existing darkness.

In our morning prayers, however, immediately after the Barchu, we say the blessing yotzer or u’vorei choshech, oseh shalom u’voreh et hakol, Blessed are you who fashioned the light and created darkness, who makes peace and creates everything. If you look carefully, the tefillot flip the verb used to describe the creation of light, stressing that everything, even darkness, comes from the Creator. The blessing of yotzer or actually comes from Isiah 45:7, which stresses this point even more: “I form light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil-I the Lord do all these things…Shame on him who argues with his Maker, you are nothing but a pot made of earth! Shall the clay say to the potter, “What are you doing? Your work has no handles?…” (Isaiah 45:7-9). It goes on to stress that we humans are nothing but, to quote Reb Simcha Bunim, “ash and dust”. And this awareness of our own limitations and mortality is vitally important. Reb Simcha Bunim would teach that a person’s intellect leads them to an awe of their Creator, and this awe leads to humility. It’s only through humility that one can encounter God, for humility leads a person to find the Truth within. In our morning prayers, we have just cultivated a sense of awe of the Creator through the Psalms. The Yotzer Or brachah then reminds us to humble ourselves, so that we can approach the Creator with our full selves in the Amidah.

Parshat Mishpatim – Little By Little I Shall Drive Them Away | V’charot Imo Ha’Brit

Torah: Little By Little I Shall Drive Them Away

“I shall send the hornet-swarm before you and it will drive away the Hivvite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite before you. I shall not drive them away from you in a single year, let the Land become desolate and the wildlife of the field multiply against you. Little by little I shall drive them away from you, until you come fruitful and make the Land your heritage” (Ex 23:28-30)

Last week, we visited the Chicago Community Center in Lod, a site which, over the years, has been a source of friction between the different Jewish and Arab populations. Not too long ago, the Community Center had been given to the Orthodox population, who created a communal space exclusively for Jews, despite the majority (~70%) of the neighborhood being Arab Israelis. In this model, the Jews, the powerful minority, won, and the Arabs lost. But, as our guide D’ror explained, a win-lose scenario between two populations that must live together inevitably leads to a lose-lose situation. A few years ago, the new mayor recognized the need for the Center to serve all people in the neighborhood. For two years, the lower floor served for Jewish programming, and the upper floor served for Arab programming. Slowly, the floors started to become mixed, but today the classes remain separate. The goal, eventually, is that Jewish and Arab children will be able to share classes and activities together, maximizing the resources for all in a win-win situation. What they recognized, however, is they couldn’t jump to the last step immediately; the people weren’t there yet. Slowly, the walls can be lowered, and eventually, children (and their families) will be comfortable sharing space together.

There exists a fourth possibility, which we see in the verses brought above. This plan of incremental gains, expulsion and immediate settlement, makes sense as a strategy for taking over the land. Let the enemy continue to till the soil and maintain property, so that when you defeat them, you can settle seamlessly. While it may be smart military strategy, the mass expulsion of an indigenous people in order to live in their homes and till their soil (although some would claim that the land was really theirs from the start) for the sake of security, doesn’t sit well morally with me. While there are strategic locations where this might be justified, I find expulsion for entire tracts of land problematic, to say the least.

“In the Middle Ages, Saadia Gaon argued that a biblical passage should not be interpreted literally if that made a passage mean something contrary to the senses or reason (or, as we would say, science; Emunot ve-Deot, chapter 7)” (Conservative Judaism). Dr. Fritz Rothschild, former Professor of Jewish Philosophy at JTS, extends this to include morality in his assessment of Rabbinic textual interpretation. The practical implication of this is huge. If we don’t need to read Torah literally, we can search out a deeper meaning, even in morally problematic passages.

One such way of deriving deeper meaning is by viewing difficult parts of the Torah as analogy. In this case, the Hivvites, Canaanites, and Hittites are idol worshiping peoples, and the Biblical fear is that “they cause you to sin against Me, that you will worship their gods, for it will be a trap for you” (Ex. 23:33). The concern is that these people will cause the Israelites to distance themselves from the Divine presence.

In our world today, expulsion is not an option in most, if not all, cases. Therefore, we must learn how to live with each other side by side. As I saw in Lod, there are three main options: (1) We can seek to gain power over the other in our midst, ultimately resulting in a lose-lose, (2) we can split resources, staying separate but respectful, or (3) we can learn to share all resources, maximizing them to benefit everyone together. In my belief that the divine is manifested in the world through love and justice, moving from lose-lose to win-win is a moral imperative. While the verses may intimate expulsion, the deeper lesson is the opposite. We must learn how to live side by side with those different from us, and it’s only through this that we reveal the Divine in the world.

T’fillah: V’charot Imo Ha’Brit – Redemption of the Land

“You are the Lord God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees… and You made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. You fulfilled Your promise for You are righteous” (P’sukei D’zimra, ‘Ata hu Adonai l’vadecha’).

In our morning prayers, we recall God’s promise to Abraham to give the land of Israel to his descendants, mentioning two of the three peoples our parasha mentions as living in the land, the Canaanites and the Hittites. The Abudarham (~1340 in Seville) comments that these six nations are mentioned zecher l’maaseh bereshit, as a reminder of the creation of the world. In his typical style, the Abudarham brings biblical parallels and thoughts, while leaving it to the reader to find their own meaning. It seems to me, that just as the world was created in six days and Shabbat, there were six nations who lived in the land before the Israelites. Therefore, the Israelites are made parallel to Shabbat, tastes of the ultimate redemption of space and time, respectively. Placed in the beginning section of our prayers, where we offer praises to the Divine for wonders both natural (creation and nature) and supernatural (Exodus), the inference that the Israelite’s purpose is to make holy the land, and that this redemption is as natural as one day blending into the next, follows logically. While we may not have a moral right to exclusivity of the land of Israel today, our liturgy is an important reminder that our claim to the land is thousands of years deep, and that we have as much right as anyone to develop a national homeland in our ancestral homeland.

You can view a PDF of this Torah 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.

SHUL REVIEW: Yakar- Upstairs Minyan (Friday)

Rating: 4/5- Solid service with lots of ruach, lacking in harmony

Service Attended: Friday Night Services
Date: 8/23/2014

Slogan: Authentic open-minded Judaism, rooted in the riches of tradition and relevant to the issues of the present day
Time of Service: Begins 30 min after sundown
Mechitza: Left-Right, shaliach tzibur in the middle
Women: No leadership
Seating: A few chairs in back in the men’s section, most people stand, significantly more seating in the women’s section. Get there early if you want a seat.
Meals: They asked at the beginning and end of the service for anyone who is looking for a place to go for Shabbos dinner to go up front and they would match you up. I was matched with a lovely English couple, who had other guests that hailed from various English speaking countries (US, South Africa, Australia).
Frequency: Upstairs minyan is only every Friday night
Family friendly service: Shaliach Tzibur began by announcing that if any child would like to make noise, that they are encouraged, as it’s a form of prayer as well. I couldn’t agree more.

Review: Yakar is an extremely friendly congregation, and I found it to be quite delightful. The shaliach tzibur made every person feel welcome as they walked into the men’s side (at times at the expense of actually leading), greeting them with a handshake and a shabbat shalom. It was very friendly towards kids, and the shaliach tzibur gave out candies to those present. He also reinterated a number of times that if anyone needed a place for dinner, they would find someone, and he did in my case.

The davening was very solid, filled with ruach but not much harmony. The shaliach tzibur was good, although at times out of tune, and he would occasionally switch to the harmony part, which would have worked had the congregation been solid enough underneath him to carry the melody at those times. The service was largely Carlebach, with some different tunes I had not heard before or was unfamiliar with.

Note that the minyan does not have air conditioning, so when it’s warm out, it’s warm in the minyan. The room filled as the service went on, but I’m told it’s generally a lot more full. Overall, I would like to go back during the year and see what a full minyan is like. If you’re looking for some really solid, spirited davening, this minyan is a good place to check out.

Yakar is located at 10 Halamed-Hey St., Jerusalem. The entrance is actually off of Kovshei Katamon Street, and is up one flight of stairs on the outside of the building. For more information, visit their website.

Shedding the Fur Coat and Faith – Parshat Noah and Tov l’hodot

Torah – A Tzaddik in a Fur Coat

Chassidic master Rabbi Mendel of Kotzk once referred to a certain rabbi as ah tzaddik in peltz — “a righteous person in a fur coat.”

The Kotzker explained: When it is winter and it’s freezing cold, there are two things one can do. One can build a fire, or one can wrap oneself in a fur coat. In both cases, the person is warm. But when one builds a fire, all who gather round will also be warmed. With the fur coat, the only one who is warmed is the one who wears the coat.

It’s the same for spiritual warmth — one can be a tzaddik in a fur coat….

Noah is described in the Torah as “a righteous man, perfect in his generations; Noah walked with God.” Yet, as Rabbi Jonathan Sacks claims, Noah was not a leader. He was, as the Kotzker Rebbe taught, a tzaddik in peltz; he himself may have been righteous, but he didn’t have the ability, or maybe the will, to inspire people to seek out haShem. Instead of building a fire to allow all to get warm, he kept the warmth to himself.

In our own lives, in our families, in our businesses, are we creating power structures where we warm only ourselves, or are we inspiring others to be and bring their full selves?

Source: Chabad

Tefillah- A Deeper Faith

Tov l’hodot ladonai, ul’zamer l’simcha elyon. L’hagid baboker chasdecha, v’emunatcha baleilot. (Psalm 92)

It’s great to give praise to the Master, and to joyfully praise the Most High. To sing of Your love in the morning, and Your faith in the night. The Holy Rebbe of Aleksander (1879-1943) would say, ‘L’hagid baboker chasdecha’, “to sing of your love in the morning,” refers to times when things are bright and shining. It’s very easy to praise God in those times. But what do I do at night, in moments when everything is darkness? When my world is dark, I need to turn inside, to something deeper: Not just how much I believe in God, but how much God believes in me. “V’emunatcha baleilot,” God’s faith in the night.
When was the last time you understood that someone believed in you? That they had faith in you, wholly and unconditionally? We often think of our faith, or lack of faith, in a higher power. But do we ever think of haShem’s faith in us to do the work that we are put on earth to do? Especially when the night is dark, the floods have come, and you lose your way, know that haShem has faith that you can return to the essence of who you are, to be steadfast in your mission. And remember to tell those you love that you believe in them, as that Emunah is also invaluable and Divine.

Parshat Terumah – When The Trees Were Martyrs | Or Chadash | Mishkan Song!

Torah: When The Trees Were Martyrs

“The political, economic and cultural welfare of the Arabs will thus always remain one of the main conditions for the well-being of the land of Israel.” Ze’ev Jabotinsky (1880-1940), Was Wollen die Zionisten-Revisionisten, 1926

A few weeks ago, I visited the soon to be demolished Israeli Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran, located in the Negev (southern Israel). At the time of our visit, ten houses had just been demolished, and the incident in which a Bedouin man was shot in his car, which led to his killing a security official, was fresh in the air. The village, which has existed since military police moved them there in the 1950s, is an unrecognized village. Now, with a new, Jewish town set to be built on the same location, the Bedouin of the town have weeks at the most before they’re evicted (for more on the history of the Bedouin in the Negev, see here). It was in this context that I, along with T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, paid a solidarity visit.

Our main task was to plant olive trees in the courtyard surrounding the mosque alongside villagers. In all likelihood, the mosque, and consequently the trees, would be the last area to be destroyed. I thought back to the story of Honi, who stumbled across an old man planting a carob tree. “Old man,” he asked, “do you expect to be alive to eat the fruit of this tree?” The old man responded, “Perhaps not. However, when I was born into this world, I found many carob trees planted by my father and grandfather. Just as they planted trees for me, I am planting trees for my children and grandchildren so they will be able to eat the fruit of these trees.” Back in Umm al-Hiran, I wondered, what was the point of planting these trees, which will never bear fruit?

In Parshat Terumah, we receive the details of how the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, should be built. One particular detail stands out: The shittim, acacia wood, which was to be used for boards and walls. Where did they find acacia in the middle of the desert? Midrash Tanchuma comments:

“Ya’akov Avinu planted them when he went down to Egypt. He said to his sons: ‘My sons, you will eventually be redeemed from here, and after you are redeemed, the Holy Blessing One will command you to make Him a Mishkan. Therefore, arise and plant cedars now, so that when He tells you to make Him a Mishkan, the cedars will be ready for you…’”

Ya’akov Avinu knew that these trees would be used by the Israelites to one day build the Mishkan, but they served an additional purpose as well. These trees were a sign of hope, a promise of the coming redemption. They reminded people that even in the worst of situations, one should remain hopeful.

In Umm al-Hiran, I realized that while the physical trees may not bear fruit, the seeds of hope and humanity we planted may yet grow. By standing in solidarity with the villagers, we showed them that Jews are not just cruel oppressors, but that there are Jews who are willing to stand with them and who seek to build a joint life together. May the Holy Blessing One bless these and all of our efforts to build bridges, within and without, with plentiful fruit.

T’fillah: Or Chadash

“He made narrowing windows for the Temple” (I Kings 6:4)

The Haftarah for Terumah parallels the parashah; both are filled with the details of a building which is to house the Divine. In the Haftarah, King Shlomo builds the Temple in an unorthodox style. Instead of the windows being narrow at the entrance and wide within to let the light in, they are built in the opposite direction, with the narrow end on the inside. Midrash Tanchuma (4:3:2) explains that it was built so that the light from the Beit HaMikdash would illuminate the entire world.

We see this idea in our morning prayers: “Or chadash al Tzion tair, v’nizkeh chulanu mehera l’oro, May You make a new light shine over Zion, and may we all soon be worthy of its light.” While it’s up to the Divine to shine its light, we are not powerless. What are you doing today to shine your own light into the world?

Bonus: Mishkan Song!

Check out the Mishkan Song by Eliana Light. The full version is available on her new album of Jewish ritual music, called Eliana Sings (About Jewish Things!). Get the full album here.

View a PDF of this Torah here.

SHUL REVIEW: Moreshet Yisrael (Friday)

Rating: 3/5- Typical American Conservative service, with participation in the service likewise

Service Attended: Friday Night Services
Date: 8/29/2014

About: Fully Egalitarian, Masorti (Conservative) congregation
Time of Service: 6:45pm Friday night
Mechitza: None, people can sit wherever
Women: Full participation
Sermon: English on Friday Night, Hebrew (same sermon) on Saturday Morning
Meals: No mention of offers to set people up
Frequency: Weekday mornings, every Friday night, Saturday Morning
Family friendly service: Yes, Rabbi gave out treats to the younger kids present.

Review: Moreshet Yisrael is one of the only fully egalitarian, Masorti (Conservative) synagogues in Israel. The space is beautiful, but unfortunately acoustically lacking. On the evening I was there, there were around 30 people, which is around 1/4 of the total size of the synagogue, so it was also lacking in the energy necessary to fill the space fully.

As such, it was a typical American Conservative shul in many ways. Seating was spacious, and prayers mumbled or quietly sung in contrast to the typical Israeli loud kavanah. They used a guitar (and a tambourine) for Kabbalat Shabbat, and put it away for Ma’ariv. The shlichei tzibur led a very nice service, but they were largely on their own in the davening.

In the end, if you’re looking for a place that resembles a service back home where men and women participate equally and can sit together, check out Moreshet Yisrael.

Moreshet Yisarel is located at 4 Agron Street, Jerusalem, as part of the Fuchsberg Center Complex. For more information, visit their website.

Lashon Hakodesh (The Holy Tongue) and Magen Avraham – Parshat Lech Lecha

Torah From the Holy Land

Torah: Lashon Hakodesh (the Holy Tongue)

יג וַיָּבֹא֙ הַפָּלִ֔יט וַיַּגֵּ֖ד לְאַבְרָ֣ם הָֽעִבְרִ֑י וְהוּא֩ שֹׁכֵ֨ן בְּאֵֽלֹנֵ֜י מַמְרֵ֣א הָֽאֱמֹרִ֗י אֲחִ֤י אֶשְׁכֹּל֙ וַֽאֲחִ֣י עָנֵ֔ר וְהֵ֖ם בַּֽעֲלֵ֥י בְרִֽית־אַבְרָֽם

Then there came the fugitive and told Abram, the Ivri, who dwelt in the plains of Mamre… (Bereshit 14:13)

At this point in our story, Abram’s nephew, Lot, has just been kidnapped, along with Lot’s family and possessions, by the Four Kings. A survivor of the attack runs to Abram to alert him to Lot’s status, and Abram immediately mounts an army and rescues Lot. What’s of interest here is the description used for Abram, Ivri. Radak comments that name means he was a descendant of Eber, who spoke Ivrit, Hebrew. Abram’s descendants are called Ivrim because they are the only ones who spoke Hebrew, the rest of Eber’s descendants speaking Aramaic.

The language of Hebrew has been vitally important to the Jewish people, and remains so today. Not only is it the language that connects us to our religious texts, but it’s a language that remains alive and vibrant, living in the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Eliezer Ben Yehuda, the founder of modern Hebrew, knew this truth when he wrote in the late 1800s: “If we see today’s youth leaving their ancient tongue it is because they consider it dead and worthless. All our labor to try and make them see its value will be for naught- for only a ‘Hebrew’ can feel for his tongue. Let us, therefore, revive the language and plant it in the mouths of our youths and they will never betray it – but we shall not be able to revive the Hebrew language except in the land where the Hebrews form a majority of the inhabitants.” While Ben Yehuda’s prophecy rings true with regard to creating the new Hebrew, I also believe it is the key to creating the new Jew. Without knowledge of Hebrew, a Jew remains an outsider in his/her own religion. They are forced to interact with text through the interpretation of someone else’s translation, never learning how to challenge the text, or dig into the multiple interpretations of a text. Most of Jewish commentary lays beyond the reach of the non-Hebrew reader, inaccessible. And most problematic of all, much of the Hebrew taught in our schools is uninspiring to today’s youth, who consider it “dead and worthless”. Let us resolve to cultivate the mindset of Avram ha-Ivri in our communities, restoring Hebrew as an integral and necessary part of both youth and adult education. Let us speak Hebrew in our homes and in our shuls. And let us interact with our tradition as full Hebrews, fluent in the language of our past and our future.

Tefillah: The Shield of Avraham

After Abram defeats the Four Kings and redeems Lot and his family from captivity, Abram returns to a celebration thrown by the 5 Kings who were attacked. Despite his military might, Abram is worried. Rashi says that he fears punishment for the lives he took in battle against the Kings, for his victory was a miracle, and he would perhaps be punished by way of retribution or revenge. HaShem comes to Abram in a vision, saying “fear not, Abram, I am a shield for you (magen lecha), and your reward will be very great” (Bereshit 15:1). This language is picked up in the chatima, the conclusion, of the first bracha of the Amidah: “Baruch Ata HaShem, Magen Avraham”, Blessed are You the Name, shield of Abraham. It recalls, three times a day, a time when Avraham, who is known for the trait of chesed, lovingkindess, is forced to go out of his comfort zone, venturing into g’vurah, strength. It’s precisely in that moment, when he is vulnerable and inexperienced, that HaShem appears to him and gives him strength and protection, a piece of mind allowing Abraham to continue on his journey in confidence. While we’re praying, we might use this bracha to pause momentarily and consider how we can step out of our comfort zones, and ask haShem for strength and protection in those moments of discomfort. May we continue to challenge ourselves so that we may reach our goals, whatever they may be.

View the PDF form of this d’var Torah here.

Parshat Tetzaveh – Words Matter | R’tzei and the Language of Sacrifice

Torah: Words Matter

Parshat Tetzaveh reads more like a fashion magazine or manual than a typical Torah story. It specifies in exacting detail how each garment that the Kohanim, the Priests, are to wear when attending to their duties in the Mishkan. These garments are not just to look good; if a mistake is made, they can cause any service to become invalid, or worse, can signal life or death. The garments themselves affect a change in the wearer, as it says that Aaron’s garments “sanctify him to minister to Me” (Exodus 28:3). Further, Aaron must wear a robe with bells on them, and that “it must be on Aaron in order to minister. Its sound shall be heard when he enters the Sanctuary before Hashem and when he leaves, so that he not die” (Exodus 28:35). In the case of the Kohanim, the clothes make the man, or at least, the service of Hashem.

Like clothing, words can also be used to dress up a concept. They can make something holy or be used to denigrate another human being. As we know, Judaism places a huge emphasis on the power of words. In the beginning, the Creator created the world with speech, and Balaam, when trying to curse the Israelites, ends up blessing them instead, saying “Mah tovu ohalecha Ya’akov, mishkenotecha Yisrael”, “How beautiful are your tents Jacob, your dwelling places Israel.”

And like clothing, words can also be an integral part of one’s identity. Jewish American, American Jew, Jewish Israeli, Palestinian Arab Israeli, and Israeli Arab are all labels that we take for ourselves, or place upon others. Beneath these labels are extensive narratives, told for generations and shaped by the borders that we impose or that imposed upon us in the present. And inside of these communities, words have worlds of meaning. They can define who is in or out of a group, who is too heretical for or perfectly in line with a group’s views.

Last week, I attended an event hosted by the T’ruah Rabbinic Fellows in Israel on the topic of how to take action on our values. The two activists we spoke with, Sahar Vardi and Gili Re’i, both talked about the power of words in their own activism. “Use language that speaks to the other,” Gili said. If the language you are using is a deal breaker for the other person and would immediately stall the conversation, then you have to use language that will invite them into the conversation. As one example, instead of using the language of “occupation”, she takes care to say “the Israeli regime in the territories of Judea and Samaria”, a burdensome phrase, but one in which she’s found people on the right respond more positively to.

In a world today in which it is becoming increasingly hard for people to talk together, it’s important to use language which talks to the other. If we continue to talk past each other, shouting down each other, then we run the risk of further polarizing our society and pushing people further away. This week, may the Holy Blessing One bless us with the wisdom to recognize the narrative of those around us, and may we have the words to speak to the souls of others and the courage to open our hearts to hold the narratives of others along with our own. Amen.

T’fillah: R’tzei and the Language of Sacrifice

R’tzei Adonai Eloheinu b’amcha Yisrael u’vitfilatam, v’hashev et haavodah lidvir beitecha.

Find favor, Lord our God, in your people Israel and their prayer. Restore the service to Your most holy House. (Amidah)

With this parasha focusing on the Kohanim, I want to focus on the blessing that the Kohanim recite during the repetition of the Amidah. While I’ll address the actual text in a later d’var, what interests me here is its placement in our service. The Priestly Blessing comes in the part of the Amidah titled Avodah, Temple Service, where we petition for God to restore the Temple and bring back sacrificial worship. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, in the Koren siddur, comments “The last three blessings (starting at R’tzei), called by the sages “Thanksgiving,” are linked because they were said by the priests in the Temple (Tamid 5:1).” This is just one example where the Temple takes primary focus in our prayer. In a time where the Temple service seems so foreign to us, how can the language of sacrifice speak to us today?

First of all, seeing prayer as a replacement for sacrifice changes the direction and purpose that we often associate with prayer. Instead of asking for things from God, we are now offering something of ourselves to the Divine. Prayer then creates a space for praise, thanksgiving, and forgiveness, paralleling the different types of sacrifices offered in the Temple. In addition, it instills in us a sense of commandedness and obligation. Three times a day we stop our normal flow to connect to a higher purpose, no matter how we may be feeling at the moment.

How do you approach prayer? How might a model of sacrifice change that approach?

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SHUL REVIEW: Beit Yisrael at Yemin Moshe- Ashkenazi (Saturday Morning)

Rating: 5/5- Friendly, with good kavanah and harmony, and an excellent kiddush

Service Attended: Saturday Morning Services
Date: 8/30/2014

Observance: Orthodox
Time of Service: 8:15am-11am Saturday Morning
Mechitza: To left of men’s section, shaliach tzibur in the middle of men’s section. Sizable women’s section
Women: No leadership
Meals: Known for its kiddush after the meal, which was very nice. No mention of meals at the service, but their newsletter says to email Valerie Adler to request a meal
Frequency: Weekday Shacharit, every Friday Night, Saturday Morning, and Saturday evening
Family friendly service: While there were families, there weren’t too many, and were not a focus by any means
Sermon: English sermon, announcements in Hebrew and English

Review: Beit Yisrael, also known as the Ashkenazi shul at Yemin Moshe, was one of my favorites so far. Great combination of kavanah and harmony, and the voices beautifully filled the space. I went with a female friend (who is conservative), who also enjoys it there. Many English-speaking people daven there, so it can feel very homey for the English speaker.

English sermon, with Hebrew and English announcements. Very friendly people, and I was invited to join them for High Holidays by one of the leaders of the congregation after the service. The highlight is definitely the kiddush afterwards, which had a number of delicious treats, a great lasagna, and some tuna and egg salad.

Come for the food, get some great davening to boot. I definitely recommend Beit Yisrael.

Beit Yisrael is located at 2 Pele Yoetz Street, Yemin Moshe, Jerusalem. There are signs pointing you to the Ashkenazi shul when you get into Yemin Moshe. For more information, visit their website.