Indiana Jones and Jewish Life

So, I saw the final (?) installment of the Indiana Jones movie. I don't want to write a movie review, since that is not really what I do. Suffice to say that I enjoyed it, even if it rehashed some of the same themes and special effects of all the other Indiana Jones movies as well as E.T. But that is neither here nor there. What I found interesting is that there was a movie at all with Harrison Ford.

Last year 'Rocky Balboa' came out and was the sixth installment of the 'Rocky' franchise with Sylvester Stallone. He looked older, acted older and, of course, that was the main theme of the entire movie. The fight scenes in the last half hour were a culmination of the theme that expressed in the movie that the 'heart is the last thing to age.'

It was funny, because after 'Rocky Balboa' a few of us were listening to some younger kids who had no idea who Mickey was, or Adrian, or Paulie's story, etc. They just didn't get it. It was a movie that needed history.

The same is true for Indiana Jones. This, too, was a meditation on aging. And, in the same sense as 'Rocky Balboa' the search for the 'gold' in Crystal Skull really was the search for wisdom or treasure. The real search, the real goal, and one that can only be done in maturity and older age is to know what is really important. It is, quite often, the purusit of knowledge and of wanting to know 'why?'

The parallels in Jewish life are striking. Jewish culture has always treasured knowledge and considered the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake a great good. This is called 'Torah lishma' - learning Torah just because. Our tradition has never subscribed to the notion that Jews should only learn Jewish things. And so the pursuit of knowledge extends to the four corners of the universe. If something can be studied, it ought to be.

Maimonides knew Islamic law and culture. The rabbis of the Talmud studied the stars. Ibn Ezra wrote a treatise on chess. The mystics were fascinated by mathematics. And so on, and so on. The descriptions and fascination with the world of creation was to be found in more than Jewish books.

'Rocky Balboa' and 'The Crystal Skull' were meditations on knowledge and wisdom, of revelation and priority, of courage and determination. In other words, these two movies may have been entertaining, but they were really about what someone truly acquires in life. The answer to that question for the producers of these two movies was wisdom. It's the Jewish answer, too.

Nearing School's End

Being able to look back over the year, as one looks back over a journey just ended, is an exhilarting experience. Just as there are stories about places and people that we have met, the end of the academic year brings with it reminicences and reflections, memories and a certain soulfullness. This year has been no different.

Since August, things have been moving full speed ahead at the temple. Talmud study resumed and we have almost completed the Shottstein masechet Brachot II. The Theology class is moving ahead every Wednesday and we have tackled Maimonides, Strauss and, now, Borowitz. The question I have been waiting for finally came recently when one of the students asked, "Can we have an opportunity to articulate our own theology?" I was most pleased. And, our wonderful group of B'not Mitzvah women who have been working for two full years are learning and getting ready for the bat mitzvah in November. The Teen Academy has been a huge success, as well and I congratulate those students who studied and learned with me. It was a total joy. Of course, the Religious School had its best year, ever. Under the tutelage of Stella, our kids have thrived in a safe and embracing environment. There were so many incredible projects and so much positive energy generated that we are bracing for next year when the school, I anticipate, will be even bigger.

So where do we go from here? Well, now that the academic year is over, you can rest. We will pick up in the fall and head down the track full steam ahead. In the meantime, I will be getting ready for Camp Harlam where I will be a camp rabbi for a couple of weeks. And I am thinking of doing a mini-versity taking a small study idea for 4 or 5 weeks and studying in a havurach style. It is still in the works but it will be terrific, I am sure.

I will be posting during the summer and will keep you up to date from camp and, maybe, while I am on vacation when I am doing Jewish things. Have a great and safe summer and don't be a stranger at the temple from June to August!

After Passover

Now that Pesach is over, I can give a bit of time for reflection.

Do you notice that right after Passover, the 'year' seems to be coming to an end. I was in class the other day and we were putting our calendar together, going over what classes we have yet to cover. It suddenly hit me how little time we have before we go out in all different directions and rev up for the summer.

Although I am sad to see the year end and realize how much more I wanted to teach,I think back to the beginning of the year and realize how much we have accomplished. The Theology students delved deeply into Maimonides and Borowitz, the Talmud students had a wonderful time swimming in Brachot, the Teen Academy kids were challenged by provocative discussions, the B'not Mitzvah class has almost finished up their second year of study in preparation for the ceremony in November, and the Intro to Judaism class is starting to wrap up with three scheduled conversions. Wheww!

Pirke Avot was right, "The task is long and the Master of the House is impatient." But, I am happy to say that this was a most productive year. I hope the Master of the House forgives me for not teaching it all but gives credit to the many, many students, adults and kids at TBM, who learned so much this year and have a great deal to be proud of.

Excitement of being a kid at TBM

When I was in Religious School it was always a treat for me. I know that is not the usual response to Religious School but it is true. I really liked my teachers, my classes, the cantors and the rabbis. I knew that the temple was a special place although I could not readily identify why that was.

As I grew and became a teacher and a rabbi, I understood those feelings. There is something special and also important about community and being part of something where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. That is what I experienced and that is what I try to inspire in the children at Beth Miriam.

Our school is, of course, one of our crown jewels. But before the children even get to school they can experience Beth Miriam through our worship services, our Tot Shabbat, our family experiences, and so forth. Beth Miriam need not be a place where a child is shy on the first day of school since they have been part of the community as an infant.

The SALTY and SATLTeens Youth Groups are both incredible and, if you or your teen has not experienced them, you really ought to. There are unbelievable opportunties for deepening friendships and making those formative teenage years infused with something Jewish, something special and something unique.

Why is this blog sounding like an ad? I guess it's because I want to impart that I have been very fortunate: I have the chance to help make a child's Jewish experience the same positive and fulfilling experience I had as a kid. For that, it's worth writing about...even if it does sound like an ad!

Big Things at TBM

It is now several days after a week of Outreach and community here at Beth Miriam. Sometimes there are events that all coincide and have an incredible influence for positive change here at the temple.

We started out last week with our Trip to Israel orientation. Some 36 of us will be traveling to Israel where we will tour, share and enjoy 11 days of eye-opening and jaw-dropping (not to mention feet-hurting) touring. The group is excited, to say the least.

Last Sunday, the new Renaissance Group, the empty-nester group got started. The planning meeting was open to all TBM members and some 25 people showed up, shared ideas and have created a committee that will meet the needs and wants of this important group of congregants. Of course, the programs will be open to everyone, including non-members and you will be welcome to join this dynamic group.

Also on Sunday, the Men's Club has been revivified. Over time, the Men's Club has not been as active as it wanted to be. There were programs that it customarily did and they do them very, very well. However, instead of being reactive to the calendar and doing what is customary, the Men's Club wants to be pro-active and create things by, for, and of men of our temple who want to experience brotherhood, shared programs, family time, and so forth. The anchor committee has been put together and the new Men's Club idea meeting will be coming together in February for a branstorming idea. In other words, the Men's Club is alive again and ready to become an inspirational force in the temple.

These events show how active TBM is and how much of a participatory congregation we have. If you want to get involved, now is the time.

Rabbi's Reflections for February

When I was growing up in Toronto, Tu Bishvat was a cute little holiday. It's basic message was 'Plant a Tree' and 'Be Nice to the Earth.' It was hardly serious, hardly very meaningful and who could argue with planting a tree? We would learn neat little tidbits of Torah such as this one: "Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai ... used to say: if you have a sapling in your hand, and someone should say to you that the Messiah has come, stay and complete the planting, and then go to greet the Messiah (Avot de Rabbi Nathan, 31b)." Tu Bishvat was fun and lighthearted. In fact, I looked forward to Tu Bishvat because I would get a little certificate saying that I bought my tree with 18 leaves at 10 cents each. That was some accomplishment for me back then.

But things have changed, haven't they? The world is different and all of a sudden, Tu Bishvat is not a meaningless holiday where we are all encouraged to go and hug a tree. I learned another midrash when I was a child and nodded my head in agreement. It went like this:

When God created the first couple, he blessed them, "Fill the world and conquer it4." Conquest can be for the purpose of exploitation, or for the sake of development. Which did the Creator intend? Our Sages answer this question in a midrash:
When God created the first man, he took him around to all the trees in the Garden of Eden and said to him, "See my handiwork, how beautiful and choice they are... Be careful not to ruin and destroy my world, for if you do ruin it, there is no one to repair it after you."

Who would argue with that? But, in the past few years, this midrash is not just Rabbinic hyperbole. They knew nothing about global pollution or warming or depletion of species. Their world was small but, still, they were insightful. They knew how delicate the world was and how, if we blow it, we don't get another chance. Tu Bishvat is not just for kids, anymore. It has been elevated from the simple 'birthday of the trees' as it is described in the Mishnah to a symbol of our very survival.

We consume too much. We waste too much. We damage property, including our own forgetting that what we have and are is still part of the world. And the worst part is that we think we are entitled to it. Not from any Jewish point of view, we aren't.

Jewish tradition is filled with warnings about damage, pollution, property, trees, environmental protection, and so forth. Its message is very simple; if we stop looking at the world as our private trough and start looking at it as something that God has given to us to protect and take care of, then our outlook changes. No longer are we the king and queens who deserve to exploit whatever we want. Rather we are servants of God and to each other to keep it clean and ready for whomever comes after us.

Perhaps this is the message of Ezekiel's vision24 when he was shown a polluted ocean, with all its fish about to die. He sees a small rivulet of water emerged from under the threshold of the Temple -- something pure coming out of something that was defiled. Hope emerging from despair. Gradually the water grew to a great stream, on whose shore grew all manner of fruit trees, whose leaves do not wither and whose fruits never cease. When these waters reach the ocean, the polluted ocean waters became clean again and all was returned to what it originally was. And all it took was a little river of hope emanating from what is good and right and that could change the world.

Ezekiel's vision ought to be our own this Tu Bishvat and we ought to be those small rivers of hope. With enough of us living as servants and not as masters, we could literally change the world for the better. And that, my friends, is what being Jewish is all about.

Back at Home

Well, the Biennial is over and now I am ready to do the hands-on work of building up Temple Beth Miriam with even more programs. First on my list is the Shabbat Initiative, introduced by Rabbi Yoffie at the URJ Biennial. This is a reclamation of Shabbat stressing not what we CAN'T do on Shabbat, but what we CAN and OUGHT to do on Shabbat to truly make it a "day of rest and joy." In a few weeks, the Religious Practices committee will be getting together and helping to determine the direction of this intiative. I will, of course, keep you all posted.