The Housing Protest and the Three Weeks.

Here in Israel, we frequently discover unexpected connections between current events and the Jewish calendar. Usually at the peak of the summer we get a war (2006), or a disengagement from Gaza (2005), or just some angry demonstration or another.

This year, in the thick of the "three weeks" [traditional mourning period for the Temple destruction and exile,] we have the widespread housing protests, and doctors' strike. And I have to say that this movement is very close to the heart of the message of the three weeks. I will explain.

What are people protesting? As regards the issues, it started with a boycott of the price of cottage cheese, and quickly followed with a protest of rising house and rental prices, along with the trainee doctors who scuttled a negotiation deal that ignored the ridiculously long hours that trainee doctors spend at the hospital without a break, and with little pay.

The government responded 2 days ago with a wide housing initiative, but unfortunately they are missing the point.

The main issue is that Israel's economy is run by a very small group of tycoons, monopolies and cartels - some are government sponsored like the electricity company - who fix the prices of cell phones, banking charges, electricity, water, food, clothing, etc. at a rate that merely increases the profits of the wealthy while severely squeezing the middle class. This has hit a point at which families who were relatively comfortable some ten years ago, are now scrambling to balance their budgets, and young families cannot afford to purchase a home. Israel has not suffered from a recession like the US and Europe, and yet the economic growth has affected only the highest paid sectors and life has become more expensive for the majority of the population. Wages for the lower percentiles (75%) of the workforce have dropped, whereas basic commodities have risen over 40% in the past 5 years.

The reason why this is protest reverberates so poignantly at this time of year relates to the special haftara next week, a haftara that is read in the Eicha tune and is meant to give us pause to think before the 9 of Av. Some people merely connect the "3 weeks" to Jewish infighting , sometimes called "sinat chinam.' But it is the opening chapter of Isaiah which labels a corrupt and uncharitable society as "Sodom and Gomorrah." Isaiah accuses the leaders of society of making a profit on the backs of the lower classes in society:

“Cease to do evil; Learn to do good.

Devote yourselves to justice; aid the wronged,

Uphold the orphan, defend the cause of the widow.

... Your rulers are rogues, and thieving cronies.

every one avid for presents and greedy for gifts,

... Zion shall be saved by her justice,

her repentant ones with Tzedaka.” (Yishayahu 1:16-28)

Isaiah relates to the situation in which the poor are abused by the leadership whose culture is one of bribes and cronyism. The poor suffer and God finds it abhorrent.

This protest has a wide base of support and is likely to continue. It is not merely about housing costs. It is about the question of the widening division between rich and poor in Israel and the erosion of the financial security for whole sectors of Israeli society. I believe that Yishayahu would have parked his tent along Rothschild boulevard, or would have joined the doctors in their march to Jerusalem. The current protest resounds with the sounds of his words, spoken to a very unequal and corrupt Jerusalem, 2500 years ago

As for solutions ... who knows? When I listen to the protesters asking for the govt. to fund education/health/housing etc. I wonder what planet they live on ... Where do they think the govt. will get the money? But on the other hand, as I say, the fact that the economy is soooo centralized and that there is a dearth of competition -- those sorts of things can be changed as the economy becomes more efficient and more competitive.

NEXT POST

Rami Levy in Gush Etzion – Arabs in Israel: Does an equal society mean intermarriage?

Old and Young. Does it make a Difference?

We live in a world that worships youth. Whether in TV or on the catwalk, youthfulness is cool, daring, and attractive. Older people are at times, too old for a particular job, are made to look out of touch in movies, and (some) feel a need to inject themselves with Botox to somehow fend off the years!

In Judaism, we have a sense that age is realted to differently. It is addressed with veneration; it is something that we prize. Sefer Vayikra tells us:

"מִפְּנֵי שֵׂיבָה תָּקוּם וְהָדַרְתָּ פְּנֵי זָקֵן"
"'Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly" (19:32)

In Judaism we recognize age - זקנה - as related to sagacity and wisdom (age-sage… is there an English connection too?) and we encourage the young to revere and cherish the older generation as an invaluable resource.

זְכֹר יְמוֹת עוֹלָם בִּינוּ שְׁנוֹת דּוֹר וָדוֹר שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ וְיַגֵּדְךָ זְקֵנֶיךָ וְיֹאמְרוּ לָךְ.
Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. (Devarim 32)

I mention this topic because I had a couple of new insights to the topic this week. We have a family practice of studying Pirkei Avot every Seuda Shelishit during the summer. This week, we related to the topic of old and young in a series of Mishnayot (that I had never perceived as a series until now!)

4:25 Elisha ben Avuyah used to say: He who learns as a child, what is he like? He is like ink written on new paper. He who learns as an old man, what is he like? He is like ink written on "erased" paper.

4:26. Rabbi Yosi bar Judah of Kefar ha-Bavli said: He who learns from the young, what is he like? He is like one who eats unripe grapes and drinks wine fresh from his wine press. But he who learns from the aged, what is he like? He is like one who eats ripe grapes and drinks old wine.

4: 27. Rabbi Meir used to say: Do not look at the flask but at what is in it; there may be a new flask that is full of old wine and an old flask that does not even have new wine in it.

4:25 talks about the fresh mind of children, or is it youths in general, (…or until what age may a person be termed a ילד?) in which every new piece of data makes an indelible mark, in which a child has a special capacity to absorb new information without any interference. The older person, is like writing on paper from which text has been erased. I think this means that the paper is marked, even if it is erased; one finding it difficult to undo previous misconceptions and misperceptions. New information must be configured into an already organized brain and seeks to find its place amongst the existent data.

(Interestingly the Talmud in Chagiga 14a-b records the way that Elisha Ben Avuya had a fatalist attitude, convincing himself that he was unable to change from his heresy and rejection of a Torah lifestyle. This Mishna too, reflects the feeling of "too little too late," and the inability to engage in a full experience of Torah due to the scars of prior experience.)

4:26 Rabbi Yossi bar Yehuda proposes that the old have an advantage over the young. Their minds are mature like old wine. In contrast, the minds of the young are unripe, sharp in taste, sour. Their knowledge is raw, untried and untested, full of unbridled adolescent passion and idealism. But it is as if the youthful minds lack the ability to truly process the knowledge, to understand its far-reaching implications, to foresee its effects. Time allows one discipline to enhance another. The experience of life is the understanding of ideas that have succeeded and failed, a perspective that discerns between that which is fundamental and that which is peripheral. The older a person, the more his knowledge has developed, deepened, undergone a process of integration and cross-fertilization, of thoughtful reflection, of selection and rejection.

This is reminiscent of the Talmudic saying of Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar:

If elders say "destroy" and children say to "build" – destroy and don't build, for the destruction of elders constitutes an act of construction, and the building of youths is, in fact, an act of destruction. The indication of this principle is the story of Rechavam, son of Shlomo. (Megilla 31b)

Is Rav Yossi arguing with Elisha ben Avuya? Or do they agree – teach the young, but learn only from the old?

Would the Educational Psychologist concur? Do children and youth exhibit the power of data retention, as opposed to an older person's ability to process and apply knowledge? And should our educational curriculum follow this dichotomy?

In reading Rabbi Meir in 4:27, it would seem that he disagrees with this sharp distinction based upon age. He argues that one must not judge a book by its cover, or a person in accordance with their age. Some young people exhibit extraordinary wisdom, insight and sensitivity. Some mature adults reflect an immaturity and have little to share in knowledge or worldly advice. Rabbi Meir cautions us to afford young people the opportunity to prove themselves, and not to automatically defer to the elderly unless they offer insight and vision.

Israel. Country of Opposites

I love this country! Today, I was at the Tel Aviv Port. Great place. all of Tel Aviv is gearing up for Thursday night's "Layla Lavan" (lit. White Night) when there are all night long events throughout the city's cultural establishments.

I loved these two posters that were up in the port area.

On the one hand, Kabbalat Shabbat:

On the other hand: Yoga blessings to the setting sun!






Judaism and Paganism hand in hand - or just good old fashioned tolerance?





Well, actually I just love the fact that these two things can co-exist. And it is an acolade to the place of Judaism in Israel, and to Tel Aviv, that they hold something called "Kabbalat Shabbat.' (Bialik took "secular Oneg Shabbat sessions very seriously.) I know that it is probably way different from Kabbalat Shabbat in my shul, but they are welcoming Shabbat! That is a great thing!

Shopping in Jerusalem on Jerusalem Day

Yesterday, as dusk was falling on Jerusalem, I was wandering around the industrial zone of Talpiot, looking for a couple of pairs of shorts for my 6 year-old. His are all worn out or don't fit, and he has been reminding me on a daily basis that I promised to buy him new clothing.

I was wondering whether this was "appropriate" behaviour for Yom Yerushalayim, or whether I should be dressed in blue and white, waving a flag, and praising God. And then I remembered Yehuda Amichai's lovely poem:

TOURISTS

Visits of condolence is all we get from them.
They squat at the Holocaust Memorial,
They put on grave faces at the Wailing Wall
And they laugh behind heavy curtains
In their hotels.
They have their pictures taken
Together with our famous dead
At Rachel’s Tomb and Herzl’s Tomb
And on the top of Ammunition Hill.
They weep over our sweet boys
And lust over our tough girls
And hang up their underwear
To dry quickly
In cool, blue bathrooms.

Once I sat on the steps by a gate at David’s Tower, I placed my two heavy baskets at my side. A group of tourists was standing around their guide and I became their target marker. “You see that man with the baskets? Just right of his head there’s an arch from the Roman period. Just right of his head.” “But he’s moving, he’s moving!”
I said to myself: redemption will come only if their guide tells them, “You see that arch from the Roman period? It’s not important: but next to it, left and down a bit, there sits a man who’s bought fruit and vegetables for his family.”
(Hebrew version here)

In this poem, Amichai feels that people visit Israel to salute death, to acclaim dead politicians, and to view ancient artifacts, remaining in the tourist bubble (represented by the hotel room.) But the real life - the redemption that is happening NOW - is the stuff of ordinary people going about their daily lives in Jerusalem. That is a source of wonder and amazement, and it is alive not dead.

There is certainly a time and place to celebrate, commemorate, to thank God for his salvation and kindness, (I did say Hallel this morning.)

Maybe I am suffering from a serious case of self-justification, and yet, possibly the best way that I commemorated Yom Yerushalayim this year was just living like a normal citizen in Jerusalem. I went to work, and then I bought my son a few pairs of shorts, and that is, in its own small way, an act of redemption. Because for 2000 years, there were no Jews doing that in Jerusalem. I came home, and took my other son to a supermarket (to buy Bissli for his Yom Yerushalayim party) in a place at which soldiers were fighting battles just 44 years ago. We thank God that we have the gift of being able to live normally in our beloved city.

Happy Jerusalem Day!

Herzl in Tel Aviv - 2011

In 2004 the Israeli Knesset passed the Binyamin Ze’ev Herzl Law (In Commemoration of His Memory and His Work), 5764-2004.The purpose of the Law is, “to inculcate future generations with the vision, legacy and activity of Binyamin Ze’ev Herzl, to honor his memory, to teach future generations and to effect the creation of the State of Israel in accordance with his Zionist vision, together with its institutions, its objectives and its image.”

Tomorrow, the Knesset is due to have its annual session which discusses Herzl and Zionism's vision.

Two comments are worthwhile making.

1. Herzl's vision could not have been more successful. We have a living, breathing country in our "old-new land" fulfilling Herzl's dream of normalisation.


But Herzl's vision couldn't have been more wrong! Herzl thought that our Statehood would bring anti-semitism to an end, facilitating Jewish normalisation in the global community. And yet, today, Israel is the focal point of world anti-semitism. This reality lends a fundamental paradox to Herzl's legacy that we don't quite know how to digest.

2. But the real reason that I wanted to write this post is due to this graffiti that I found and photographed in Tel Aviv:

This graffiti is a play on Herzl's famous line: "If you will it; it is no dream." Herzl's original statement indicated that if we have the determination, the courage and desire, then anything is possible. This sort of ideology which animated the founding generation of the State of Israel was responsible for the passion and belief that Medinat Yisrael would come into existence and that it was worth toiling for, fighting for.

Unfortunately, this graffiti shows that there are some who today preach a different ideology: "If you don't want; there is no necessity." לא רוצים - לא צריך. This is not a joke; and if it is, it is humour in poor taste. This way of thinking takes Israel for granted, or worse - suggests that Israel is just worthless, not worth fighting for. It is sad to see how within 63 years of independence there are Israelis who fail to understand what we fight for, who lack the historical perspective to know how desperate the situation of world Jewry was in a pre-Medinat Yisrael world. These are people who fail to envisage the incredible state that we CAN create in Eretz Yisrael.

We still need to plant and tend the seeds of ideology, nurturing and fostering a passion and love for our country, hope for the future, and the wherewithall with which to build our collective future.

Happy Herzl Day!

At the Israel Museum

The other day I visited the newly renovated Israel Museum to see the archaeology section there. For a Tanakh teacher, it was a real treat; there are phenomenal exhibits which bring Tanakh to life.

We saw artifacts from ancient Hazor, the royal archway from Achav's palace in Shomron. Here is the earliest reference to the "House of David" (See right - highlighted in white")

Here (below) is Sennaherib's prism which tells the story of the Assyrian attack on Hizkiyahu. It is incredible what these archeological artifacts reveal. For example, until we had these Asyyrian records, we never knew that Sennaherib described his besieging of Hizkiyah as if Hizkiyahu was a "caged bird." But after we learn this, we better understand why Yishayhu (31:5) uses the metaphor that, "as birds fly free, so will the Lord of Hosts protect you." Yishayahu MUST be responding to Sennaherib's propaganda, but until this archaeological find, who knew?

It is incredible to see these connections with the past. When you see Hizkiyahu's royal seal in front of your eyes, when you can look at "shekel" and "gera" weights and measures, the amazing silver "scroll" of Birkhat Kohanim, found in the Hinnom valley, and so much else which directly overlaps with Tanakh, it is quite wonderful!

The museum has been beautifully refurbished and renewed and it looks amazing.

One of the things I was excited to see was Anish Kapur's special new sculture. The way I read about it is that it reflects the notion of ירושלים של מעלה\ ירושלים של מטה as it switches heaven and earth. In Jerusalem, the "heaven" is on "earth," and the "earth" is in the "heavens." What an amazing metaphor, and what a stupendous creation to express this idea.

Come visit!

Beauty - A terrible basis for marriage!

I am currently teaching a course at Pardes entitled, "War and Peace." No! It isn't about Tolstoy. It is an examination of the morality of war in Sefer Devarim.

This is taught on the Community Education program at Pardes which means that the class is exceedingly heterogeneous. In my class of 20 students this week, we had two 20 year old WUJS students, a 40 year old tour guide, a retired president of a prestigious university, and two fully participating students who were over 90 years old! The beautiful thing about having mature adult students is the life-wisdom they they bring with them, and a perspective of experience that comes with a long life. As Devarim 32 tells us:

Remember the days of old;
consider the generations long past.
Ask your father and he will tell you,
your elders, and they will explain to you.

We were studying the case of the אשת יפת תואר - the beautiful captive woman. The Torah legislates an entire procedure for a man who sees a beautiful woman amongst the prisoners of war and wishes to marry her. There are serious questions of morality here that relate to human rights, to intermarriage, assimilation, and so forth. (Read more on the topic here.)

One elderly man - he must be at least 85 - raised his hand, quite agitated. He objected to the entire discussion:

"I am bothered by the Ramban," he said; "He keeps talking about beauty as the basis of attraction between this man and this woman. But doesn't he know - beauty is a terrible basis for a marriage. Beauty fades and is fleeting; marriage is based on so much more!"

Everyone in the class laughed. The wonderful thing about this man was the straightforward, almost naive, simple way in which he said it, with a "childish" innocence. Only after everyone laughed did he realise that what he had said could sound funny. It was if he was unaware that we live in a society that is youth-intoxicated, botox-injected and obsessed with external appearances. For him, it was most preposterous to base a relationship on good-looks, which, as this wrinkled, stooped, wonderfully cheerful and happy man knows, dissipate and diminish with the years. Love is based upon something deeper.

In Hebrew, the word "זקן" means "old" but also "wise." - How true that is!

Parashat Tezave. "Tamid" - Always connected!

(NOTE. I particularly enjoyed developing this Devar Torah because its source was the Concordance! By carefully observing instances of a word throughout Torah, I noticed something novel and new. It is amazing how a simple tool like the Concordance - or the Bar Ilan program - can contribute to our understanding of Torah. )

A key feature of the drama of Parshat Tetzave is the notion of "Tamid;" - that the service of God in the Mishkan must be constant, or perpetual.

Let us examine the evidence:


1. The Menora: "To light a perpetual candle (ner TAMID)"

2. and 3. The Breastplate: "Aharon shall carry the names of the Children of Israel… on his heart … before God, at all times (TAMID)."

4. The Tzitz (headplate) "… and it shall be continually (TAMID) upon his forehead…"

5&6. The Daily Sacrifice (Korban Tamid) "…Year-old lambs, two a day, for perpetuity (TAMID) … a Tamid (continual) burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting"

7. Incense: "a constant (TAMID) offering of incense."

The theme of "Tamid" resonates throughout the parsha quite clearly, The impression is that the Mishkan service be continual, without a break, constantly serving God. Through the reptition and the consistency, the perpetual motion, we build a sense of Israel's never-ending dedication before God.

Interestingly, many of these activities only take place once or twice a day! The Menora is lit each night (Rashi); the priest's clothes are only worn when the High Priest is engaged in Temple service, but not at night, for instance. The Korban Tamid is each morning and evening, as is the incense. These are not continual acts.

There is a difference between a continual, uninterrupted phenomenon, and one which is periodic, even if regular. Tamid, interestingly, means an action which is not perpetual. But by being a regular, daily, constant rhythm, it engenders the momentum and power of something which is continual, seemingly without interruption.

The clear upshot of all this is that one of the essential elements of Avodat Hashem (worship of God) is indeed that regular, daily action, which is the essential ingredient of "Tamid." Today, the way that we demonstrate this dedication is through our daily prayers which are modeled on the Temple service, and in their constant thrice-daily tempo, they too generate the energy and power of "Tamid."

(In our world, where we find ourselves needing to be "online" at all times, we might have some contemporary reflections to add to this notion of TAMID and the relationship between constant connection and our deeper commitments in life.)

GOD RECIPROCATES

I decided to look up the word "Tamid" and see where it appears in chumash and in which contexts. I was quite surprised to see the results, which to my mind give us something of a "Hiddush."

The word "Tamid" appears 18 times in Humash. 16 of those instances are clearly related to the avodat HaMishkan, the Temple service, indicative, as we have said, of the constant and continual rhythm of the Mishkan service.

However, there are two other instances. The first relates to the pillar of cloud or fire that hovered above the Mishkan from the moment of its construction:

"On the day that the Tabernacle (Mishkan) was set up, the cloud covered the Mishkan, the Tent of the pact; and in the evening it rested …in the likeness of fire until morning. It was always so (Tamid): The cloud covered it, appearing as fire at night." (Bamidbar 9:15-16)

(טו) וּבְיוֹם הָקִים אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן כִּסָּה הֶעָנָן אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן לְאֹהֶל הָעֵדֻת וּבָעֶרֶב יִהְיֶה עַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן כְּמַרְאֵה אֵשׁ עַד בֹּקֶר:
(טז) כֵּן יִהְיֶה תָמִיד הֶעָנָן יְכַסֶּנּוּ וּמַרְאֵה אֵשׁ לָיְלָה: במדבר פרק ט


Now this is surprising, because the actor, the subject, has shifted. In the 16 other instances of this word, man engages in an act of worship that is in some way, "Tamid." But now, it God who is relating to Israel in a mannaer reflective of "Tamid." And this is exceptionally powerful. It is as if God reciprocates our dedicated "Tamid – perpetual" service, actively demonstrating that His protective presence remains over the Mishkan at ALL TIMES - Tamid! Man's constant presence in the Mishkan, stimulates God's ongoing protective presence over Bnei Yisrael.

Interestingly, it is Israel who create FIRE in a perpetual manner every evening by lighting the Menora (and also continually on the Mizbeach אש תמיד תוקד על המזבח לא תכבה (ויקרא ו').) Israel also generates CLOUD – ענן הקטרת. We can suggest that there is a visual symmetry, a realistic corollary of man's fire and cloud corresponding with God's fire and cloud.


ERETZ YISRAEL

But the second (or 18th) reference is more exciting still. In reference to the Land of Israel, we read:

It is a land upon which the Lord your God seeks; His eyes are constantly (tamid) upon it, from the year's beginning to year's end."(11:12)

אֶרֶץ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ דֹּרֵשׁ אֹתָהּ תָּמִיד עֵינֵי ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ בָּהּ מֵרֵשִׁית הַשָּׁנָה וְעַד אַחֲרִית שָׁנָה: ס דברים פרק יא פסוק יב

In the Wilderness, God responds to our Tamid – our regular commitment - by concentrating His Presence over the Mishkan at the epicentre of the Israelite camp. But this passuk takes it all to a higher level. In the Land of Israel, God extends His providence and protection to the ENTIRE land, which God watches and protects, TAMID – perpetually. In the Land of Israel, the entire land is under God's protective gaze and nourished by His spiritual proximity.

וכן יהי רצון
שבת שלום!

Haredim turned Hilonim - New Israeli series

This week, a new series began on Israeli TV. It is a drama about a group of Hilonim (secular Israelis) who have all left the Haredi (Ultra Orthodox) community. It is called Simanei Sheela (Question Marks) which is a play on the phrase חזרה בשאלה - a contemporary Hebrew phrase indicating a movement from the Religious world to the irreligious. You can watch the opening episode here. It centers around a clandestine apartment which is a "safe house" for Haredi escapees. They keep the address secret so that the Haredi community cannot find them.

One of the fascinating scenes in episode 1 sees all the members of the apartment eating Friday night dinner, with the TV on, smoking, and singing zemirot! A passionate debate ensues instigated by the freshest memeber of the apartment as to why they should be singing zemirot at all if they are now Secular. As many op-eds on the topic have noted (link, link), any religious person who moves to the Hiloni community still carries the baggage of his or her religion throughout their lives! For these people, their songs are still a part of their identity. Their secret knock is to the beat of Hassidic hit music!

Another great scene is when one of the girls who has already been secular for 3 years, becomes terrified of a dog that barks at her. This plays into one of the classic cliches about Haredim that they are terrified of dogs. (Since I also share this fear, I fully identified.)

Incidentally, the phrase חזרה בשאלה is a play on the term חזרה בתשובה. Rather than translating it as "returning (to God) in repentace," it is read by the secular public as "a return to having answers" as if the religious world purports to being able to offer answers to life's difficult questions. In that case חזרה בשאלה means "living with questions." I have to say that from my perspective, this is wholly wrong. I follow Rav Soloveitchik in this regard who says that belief in and practice of Judaism isn't a respite for life's big questions, in fact, it just deepens them! See Halakhic Man, footnote 4(!). Religion should deepen our sensitivity, our caring, our ethical conscience, our peoplehood, our humanity. Our struggles are more and not fewer.

So, let's see how this series develops. Will it have any depth? Will it just be a Haredi-bashing series, or will it be intelligent about this fascinating sub-group in Israeli society who certainly do not have an easy life.

Galant, and the morality of our leaders

The saga of the Israeli Chief of Staff goes on and on. It is upsetting to see the real bitterness, infighting, intense rivalry and interpersonal acrimony in the leadership echelons of the army/Ministry of Defense that this “story” has revealed. However, in the wake of this turmoil, I would like to make a couple of comments that regard morality in public life.

First, this episode demonstrates that Israel is looking to have a leadership which is honest and ethical, upholding high standards. After a corrupt presidents and prime ministers, we are embarrassed by our leaders. Israeli society has had enough of corruption. I am glad that the primary question that is being asked about anyone who rises to high office relates to his ethical standing. This is a good sign.

But I also feel that Yoav Galant has been dealt a raw deal. Yes – his house or “estate” raises serious worries, if only about ostentatious style and extraordinary size. But on the other hand, even if he filed a request for a building permit falsely, even if he did seize some public land, I am not sure this is reason to reject him, especially after he has already been appointed.I asked an Israeli judge about this last week what he thought about the scandal. He said: “They are holding him up to a standard of angels; but we are all human beings, and we all make mistakes.” (link, link) Yoav Galant has been hailed by his soldiers and colleagues as an impressive professional who upholds a high ethical standard, and is infused by his ideological Zionist mission. He sounds pretty good to me. If he had lapse of honesty regarding the legality of his home, so be it. I am not sure that this is a general statement about his integrity and honesty.

I would go further. We are dealing with powerful men. There is a reason that you and I are not the Chief of Staff. The sense of responsibility, the willingness to take chances, the tenacity to rise to the top – these are things that are essential if one is to rise to the top of an organization like Tzahal. Like in the case of Police Chief Danino, (link) anyone who thinks that you can get there without putting a foot wrong here or there, is mistaken. He who dares wins, but in that daring, you sometimes do create enemies, and make errors. So in this case, from what we know, I still think he would have done a good, honest job.

Lastly - I believe that the way that this has been publically juggled between the government, the State Comptroller, Attorney General, and Supreme Court, and inflated by a sensatialist media is outrageous. It should have been dealt with in a simpler and more discreet fashion. I also wonder whether someone is targeting Galant. After the forged letter, and now this episode, does someone have an inappropriate interest to see Galant outside the position of Chief of Staff?

Parshat Vaeyra - Pharaoh's heavy heart and the Book of the Dead

Any reader of Sefer Shemot will be familiar with the concept of the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. Now, I know that many philosophical questions have been asked about this issue, but I would like to address this concept from the perspective of Egyptology.

Our classic commentators were fully aware of the place of Egyption beliefs and the Egyptian pantheon of gods at the epicentre of the plague drama. Rashi, for example refers to the Nile as the god of Egypt (see comments to 7:17) or the god Ra - the sun god (comments to 10:10). Lesser known is the fact that the god of the midwives took the form of a frog (link). Not only does the plague of frogs now reverberate with deep irony (echoing Pharaoh's evil abuse of the midwives), but when God proclaims, "I will execute judgement over all the gods of Egypt," (12:12) his retribution via frogs or the eclipse of the sun in the plague of darkness were a sign of God's mastery over the gods of Egypt. An in depth knowledge of Egyptology would, I imagine, reveal yet more points of contact.


In a current exhibition at the British Musum, a papyrus from the "Book of the Dead" is exhibited (link). It shows a ceremony of the "weighing of the heart," from Thebes, and dated at around 1275 BC, not distant from the period of the Exodus from Egypt.

The Book of the Dead is full of spells and rules to help a person travel safely on his journey through the Afterlife. Above, you see the king facing his last and most important test – the weighing of the heart. On the left, he and his wife enter the area where he is to be judged. The Egyptians thought that a person’s heart showed all their good and bad deeds. Any’s heart is placed on some scales and weighed by the god Anubis (with the black jackal head) against the feather of truth. If it is lighter than the feather he will survive and continue into the next world. If it is heavier then he will be eaten by the Devourer, the monster on the right who is part-lion, part-hippopotamus and part-crocodile. Next to the Devourer stands Thoth, the god of truth (with an ibis head). He is checking that the weighing is fair.


Now we understand the Torah in an entirely new context. When the Torah tells us that "I will make Pharaoh's heart heavy" (7:14, 9:7,) and similar meptaphors, it speaks to the Egyptian psyche and tells us unequivocally, in their language and belief system, that Pharaoh is evil and unworthy of entering the Afterlife. He will be fed to the Devourer.


Amazing what Egyptology can teach us about our Torah!

On the Street #1 - A secular learning party

This poster caught my eye as I walked through Jerusalem this week.

It is an event on Sunday evening , a "learning party," run by "The Secular Yeshiva in Jerusalem." The big יז at the top of the poster represents the number 17, because the evening will take place at Jerusalem's leading nightclub and party venue, HaOman 17!

What is on the bill for the evening?

- A "session limmud" on Channuka: Judaism and foreign culture

- A talk by Dr. Ariel Hirschfeld "The Tanakh in the eyes of the secular reader"

- and then DJ Barry Saharoff will lead the rave into the night.

One should note how the poster (uncharacteristically for a secular crowd,) has the Hebrew date prominently displayed. Oh ... and all proceeds are "kodesh" to the Secular Yeshiva of Jerusalem.

The secular Yeshiva first opened in Tel Aviv (link) and apparently there is now one in Jerusalem. It represents a wider reconnection between elements who define themselves as ideological, zionist and secular to rediscover and reconnect with their Judaism (see here and here.)

I LOVE this type of engagement between Judaism and the young "secular" crowd. It is vibrant, contemporary, and shows a genuine thirst on the part of young Israelis to revitalise the relationship with their Jewish heritage.

כן ירבו! Let it grow!

An encounter at the mall: "I would really like to study Tefilla!"

I went to buy a coffee at Kanyon Hadar at lunchtime today. As usual, the security guard, a sweet Ethiopian man with a small knitted kippa, stopped me to check my bag. He ruffled through the contents, mainly sifrei kodesh. So I said to him:

"Which one would you like to study?"

To which he replied:

"I would really like to study about Tefilla."

I was unsure that I had heard him correctly, so I asked him what he had said.

"Tefilla, y'know - like the Tefillot of Shabbat. I'd love to understand them better."

He then told me that he'd love to get to a shiur but he also has an evening job, and he gets home too exhausted in the evenings.

Well, this encounter just put a big smile of my face. It's amazing how the security guard who you see every day is just such a special soul. We must never forget to value every person. And I was just filled with the feeling of how wonderful it is to live amongst our people, and just what incredible people we have.

Bike Riding, Juvenile Offenders and the Land of Israel

Parashat Vayishlach. Two Camps

Some questions for the parsha. Please feel free to add answers in the comments section.

We all know the story. Yaakov prepares for his encounter with Esav by means of "prayer, war preparations, and gifts." (see Rashi 32:9)

And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying: 'We came to thy brother Esau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.' 8 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed. And he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two camps. 9 And he said: 'If Esau come to the one camp, and smite it, then the camp which is left shall escape.' (32:7-9)

· How does this "splitting" or "halving" the people help Yaakov? He says that if one camp is killed, then the other will escape. But, how does Yaakov know in which camp to place himself? How is he sure that he will be in the camp that will get away? And what is to say that Esav will not hunt down the second camp?

· Interestingly, the Rashbam suggests (see 32:23) that when Yaakov gets up in the middle of the night and crosses his family over the river, he is escaping to avoid a confrontation with Esav. Is this the "two camp" thing? Yaakov leaves everyone else in the camp, and runs off with his family!

· And then the mysterious angel fights with him all night. He emerges bruised and limping in the morning and is immediately confronted unawares by Esav:

"And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. (33:1)"

This seems like an attempt to follow the original plan of "splitting the camp." But what effect does it have here? Is it merely a feeble attempt to follow the planned choreography? Why use the same word - ויחץ?

· One further point here regarding the splitting into "two camps." Halving the camps would appear top be a bad thing… due to Esav's impending attack and bloodbath ("women and children" - 32:10) Yaakov divides his camp into two as an act of defense. And yet, in his prayer (32:11) Yaakov expresses God's extensive kindness –chesed – in that "now I have become two camps," as if it were a good thing! (And see the end of last week's parasha - מחניים) So... two camps – good or bad?

Parashat Vayetze. Which Yeshiva did Yaakov attend?

Our parsha opens with Yaakov's travels to Haran. For the reader of peshat, the notable event interrupting his journey is the dream at Beit-El, otherwise his journey would seem smooth and relatively uneventful. But Rashi, suggests a rather that his journey to Haran was extended by 14 years:

וישכב במקום ההוא - לשון מיעוט באותו מקום שכב, אבל ארבע עשרה שנים ששמש בבית עבר לא שכב בלילה, שהיה עוסק בתורה: רש"י בראשית פרק כח

In other words, Yaakov had spent 14 years in the "House of Ever" learning Torah. Rashi is drawing upon a Midrashic tradition that there was a Yeshivat שם ועבר, an institution in which the Avot (and, it would seem, their contemporaries) would study "Torah."[1]

And this is fascinating. What did they study in Yeshivat Shem V'Ever? Why does Yaakov need to spend 14 years there? - After all, did he not have the best education at home? He would have studied with Avraham and Yitzchak!

Let us articulate a few reflections upon this Midrashic tradition:

Of course, homiletically, the Midrash seeks to view the Avot engaged in a classic religious act – sitting in the Beit Hamidrash over a Gemara and learning Rashi and Tosefot! However if we can be less literal about this Midrash, we may suggest the following.

1. Even if a person has a solid religious tradition from home, as a young person seeks to build his own independent life (Yaakov is leaving home and setting up his own family) he needs to develop an independent, personal religious direction. And that involves seeking other teachers, alternative spiritual models. We can build upon our parents' Judaism but it isn't sufficient. We need to move away, to reexamine and to reconstruct our own personal Judaism on our terms. This needs to be done by studying and experiencing fresh and different religious environments.

2. It is fascinating that there seems to be a Torah of the Avot, and then a Torah of Shem V'Ever which quite evidently represents a non-Jewish, universal monotheistic moral tradition. It is challenging to contemplate the thought that Yitzchak would need to study at this institute of universal wisdom. Does this mean that our parochial Judaism does not suffice as a preparation for the outside world? Or maybe along with our Judaism, we need to study other wisdom? Or was Yaakov – on the way to Mesopotamia – seeking to ally himself with local monotheists? Or possibly, in seeking a better preparation to confront the local challenges of Haran, he needed to study with people who had already contemplated and grappled with the local philosophies, and Yaakov needed their guidance.

Much to think about...

Shabbat Shalom

[1] Rashi's source is the Midrash in BR 68:11, (a tradition also mentioned by Seder Olam). For other references to Yeshivat Shem VaEver, see BR 52:11, 56:11 that Yitzchak studied there after the Akeida, 63:6 that Rivka consulted with Shem about her pregnancy, 63:10 that Yaakov studied there, 84:8, Shir Hashirim Rabba 6/6.

Parashat Vayera: Hospitality - A Family Project

Hospitality – A Family Project.
Rav Alex Israel

Our Parsha opens with the image of Avraham Avinu sitting at the entrance to his tent. Almost immediately, a small group of wayfarers enter the scene and we witness an account of Avraham’s overwhelming hospitality to them. Avraham Avinu, recovering from surgery runs to draw guests into his home. The words “run”, “quick” are repeated over and over as Avraham hurries to attend to the strangers' every need. He personally supervises the kitchens; he acts as a waiter serving their food. He also accompanies them on their way, not letting them leave without an escort.

The Halakha sees Avraham as a paradigm of Chessed. It uses Avraham as a Halakhic role model:

"Charity and Giving are traits of the Tzaddik, of the offspring of Avraham Avinu" (Mishna Torah, Laws of Gifts to Poor 10:1)

“The reward of escorting a visitor from one’s home is the greatest of all rewards for hospitality. This is a law set in place by Avraham Avinu and the charitable ways that he made his lifestyle. He would give wayfarers food and drink and would escort them on their way. “ (Mishne Torah. Hilchot Evel . 14:2)

These values are seen to override even the concerns of God Himself! The Halacha continues (based on Gemara Shabbat 127a):

“Hospitality is of greater worth than receiving the Divine Presence itself. This we learn from Genesis 18:2: ‘And he looked up and saw three men (and ran towards them)’.” (ibid – and see Rashi's reading of the opening passuk)


THE HOSPITALITY OF LOT

In another scene of the Parsha, we witness Lot's hospitality.

"1 And the two angels arrived in Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to greet them; and bowed low with his face to the ground. 2 He said: 'Please, my lords, turn, I pray you, to your servant's house, and spend the night, and wash your feet, and you shall rise up early, and go on your way.' And they said: 'No; we shall spend the night in the square.' 3 And he urged them strongly; and they turned his way, and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, baking unleavened bread, and they ate." (19:1-3)

This account of Lot's hospitality mirrors that of Avraham. He sees them, greets them, bows down to them imploring them to join him at his home, and he offers them a place to sleep the night. Like Avraham, he prepares a meal especially for them. Clearly Lot has learnt a considerable amount from Avraham.

DIFFERENCES

But there is one striking difference. Avraham involves his entire family:

"6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said: 'Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.' 7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto the boy (Rashi – Yishmael) …" (18:6-7)

Avraham involves his wife, his son. This is not his own personal project; it is a family agenda. This family agenda becomes our NATIONAL legacy:

“... for I have singled him (Avraham) out that he may instruct his children ... to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is just (Tzedaka) and right (Mishpat) ...” (18:16-20)

Avraham is not simply a man of personal ethical standards. He teaches his children to do that which is “just and right.” He establishes a family TRADITION of Chesed that needs instruction, teaching, cultivation. It doesn't just come naturally, it must be taught, inculcated not merely by example, but rather by practice and training.

LOT

And what of Lot's family? We do not hear of his daughters waiting upon the visitors at the table. Even his wife is absent as he entertains the two angelic messengers in his home. Lot has to bake the bread himself, it was Lot who personally prepared the food. His family was uninvolved.

Maybe it is not surprising then, that sons-in-law desire to remain in Sedom, his wife, so distressed at the destruction of her hometown, looks back and is turned into lifeless unproductive salt. And what of Lot's two daughters? They end up in an act of incest with their father. Lot's family do not join the community of Chessed, of that which is Just and Right, Tzedek and Mishpat. They live for themselves. Despite the example of their father, the value of Chessed failed to pass over the generational divide.

LESSONS FOR OURSELVES

And for us, who are part of the legacy of Avraham Avinu, we should appreciate the central role of Chessed. And that the only way to pass on this vital tradition is by transforming our entire home into a welcoming place, a tent of Abraham, involving our entire family in the project of Hachnassat Orchim.

In Pirkei Avot (1:5), Rabbi Yose ben Yochanan talks about our "home" being open. Chessed is not simply a trait adopted by individuals; it must permeate families, homes and communities. Then we can ensure that our children too will cherish their legacy and continue it always.

Shabbat Shalom.

Parashat Vayera - Welcoming Outsiders...or, musings on Orthodox tolerance.

Parashat Vayera opens with a scene that lies at the heart of Jewish ethic of hospitality. In the heat of the day, three strangers pass by Avraham's tent, and in flurry of activity Avraham welcomes them in , offers them food, slaughters an animal, bakes bread, and serves them a sumptuous meal.

We, the readers (and products of elementary Jewish day school education) all know that these are angels, divine messengers, but Avraham thinks they are merely three strangers. Avraham's hospitality is astounding in its energy, its sincerity and depth. Would we ever beg three homeless individuals to have a huge meal at our home?

I found myself using Avraham as a paradigm of openeness and acceptance in a recent conversation when I remarked how we in the Orthodox Jewish community are frequently inward looking, leaving outsiders - visitors and newly-religious people - feeling unwelcome, whether inadvertantly, or deliberately. The Orthodox world can often be wary and judgmental to Jews from other denominations, as with those whose actions, dress, or body language communicate the fact that they are non-observant. We have subtle codes that help us identify the members of our sub-group, and we frequently do not realise the degree to which our uniformity is off-putting and unwelcoming. When one encounters the rare Orthodox environment which is genuinely welcoming to ALL Jews, one realises how much effort and thoughtfulness needs to be invested to ensure that visitors feel fully comfortable in our communities.
(For an interesting piece about the Orthodox world in this regard, see Allan Nadler's article here.)

So as I said, I was talking about how Avraham just welcomes strangers to his home without any entrance requirements - no kippa, no Shabbat, no dress code - just a warm welcome.

and then I recalled this Rashi:

רש"י בראשית פרק יח
ורחצו רגליכם - כסבור שהם ערביים שמשתחוים לאבק רגליהם והקפיד שלא להכניס עבודה זרה לביתו.
"Wash your feet: He thought that they were arabs who worshipped the dust on their feet. Since he was particular not to admit idolatry to his house ( he asked them to wash off the dust."

In other words, the Midrash inserts that Avraham DOES have entry restrictions and particular standards of conduct for one to be admitted. Idolaters are not welcome unless they divest themselves of their idolatry!

It is amazing that a simple Rashi like this makes a huge difference in perspective. Do we welcome outsiders warmly, without question, or do we insist that in some manner or form, they conform to our modes of behaviour and belief, that they not interupt and obstruct our world, our value system?

Rabin Memorial Day - 15 years on

Today is the 15th anniversary of Yitzchak Rabin's assassination. Anyone who remembers that dreadful night and the shock filled days that followed remembers the overwhelming sense of pain, the confusion and bewilderment, the sadness, the trauma, the shame. It was an upheaval of the deepest and widest proportions as if an earthquake had transpired within our country.

15 years on, I want to share two thoughts that I had this year.

First, is the fact that even though the radio and TV have dedicated some time to Rabin today, it is not the first item on any of the news channels or websites. In contrast to the initial years following Rabin's murder when the awareness of Rabin's memory and the violence of the assassination was a palpable presence that could be sensed on the streets, in the air, on this day, this year I feel it is in the background. Yes, it is on the calendar, there will be a state ceremony, but the routine continues, life moves on, and everyone is functioning normally.

Is that bad? Is Rabin being forgotten? No! I actually think that it is a sign of the maturity and resilience of Israeli society that we have managed to emerge from those dark days and to move beyond the mourning and the pain. It is evidence of a healthy society that this has moved from the foreground to a quieter place, where it is noted but it doesn't dominate.

Don't get me wrong. I think we need to teach the lessons of Rabin's murder, about the need for care in our public discourse, of red lines that may never be crossed even in passionate public conflicts, and of the importance of tolerance, and an understanding that one must coexist with people with whom you passionately disagree. Nonetheless, the fact that this is less intense, is I believe a healthy sign.

My second point relates to the commemoration and grappling with the assassination within Religious-Zionist (Right-Wing) circles.

With Yigal Amir coming from Religious Zionist institutions, and with the Right wing the most vocal denouncers of Rabin, the Religious Zionist community was under harsh attack in the days, months and years following the assassination. By the Left-wing and media, the entire Right-Wing were labeled as pariahs and murderers in a harsh and unfair stereotyping. This lead to a situation in which the Religious Zionist communities had no way to mark or talk about Rabin's murder. After all, they disagreed with and fought his Peace process. And as for talk about tolerance and the danger of violent rhetoric, the Right Wing was too bruised to express themselves. (see for example, this article - link) For years, I was distressed that Rabin's assassination was barely mentioned in my kids' school.

And to my surprise, this year in Efrat, my daughter's school did organise an extensive program about tolerance to mark Rabin's assassination.

Maybe this also takes 15 years. For the Right wing community to feel that they are not under such harsh accusation, they too can now begin to grapple with aspects of this terrible crime.

One last thought. Yuli Tamir (a former Labour education minister) was quoted today (link) as saying that we need to educate more about the dangers of incitement within the Israeli public discourse. Well, I have one thing to say to Yuli Tamir. The public, just like kids, learn by example. If we wish to lower the excessive, harmful, levels of incitement within the Israeli political discourse, then the MK's should be the first group to tone down their harsh rhetoric, their labeling and their acrimonious speech. Then possibly we will have role models of tolerance and mutual respect in our midst.

If only!

Parashat Bereshit. Zionist inspiration from Rabbi Sacks