Archive of Messages from Rabbi Rosenthal

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High Holy Day Sermons, 5770:

Erev Rosh Hashana: “Mitzvah and Meaning”

First Day Rosh Hashana: “Mitzvah and Mikvah”

To learn more about Waters of Eden , San Diegos upcoming Community Mikvah and Education Center, click here...

To learn more about Boston's Mayyim Hayyim, click here...

To purchase The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs from Amazon, click here...

Kol Nidre: “Why I Am Not Talking About Healthcare This Year”

Yom Kippur-Yizkor: “Justice, Divine and Human”

To purchase Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom from Amazon, click here...

 

 

 

March 3, 2010 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Ki Tisa - Parah
Re-Souling on Shabbat

Dear Friends:            

I love Friday nights. Friday night is Shabbat. It is the one evening of the week that neither Judy nor I have anything to do but be with each other, family, and friends. On the other nights of the week dinner is usually a rushed affair, a prelude to the meetings or housework that follows. On Shabbat our wedding china and silver come out and dinner is relaxed and leisurely. We do not allow our dining to be interrupted by telephones ringing or email chirping. On Friday nights we savor the neshama yeteira, the extra soul that our sages say enters the body on Shabbat.

When speaking about the festivals of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot the Torah says, "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel." (34:23) The literal meaning of this verse is that on these three festivals every Israelite was supposed to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem and celebrate there. That is why Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot are referred to as the "three pilgrimage festivals."

Rabbi Moses Alsheikh interpreted the Hebrew midrashically. He wrote that the image of God (tzelem Elohim) is found withing every human being. However, the drudgery and anxiety of daily living often cloud that divine image and we do not always see it. On Shabbat and holidays, labor and exertion give way to rest and celebration and this allows the divine spark in each of us to shine through.

We can, Rabbi Alsheikh writes, read the verse from parashat Ki Tissa in the following way: on the Shabbatot and Festivals of Israel "all your males shall appear [to bear the face of] the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel." It is only on Shabbatot and holidays that our true divine nature shines forth.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

February 26, 2010 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Tetzaveh-Shabbat Zachor
As American as Bagels and Lox

Dear Friends:

When the singer Madonna, who is a disciple of the Kabbalah Center, decided that she wanted a Hebrew name, I found it ironic that she chose "Esther." Esther is not a Hebrew name. Megillat Esther, the Scroll of Esther in the Bible, informs us that Esther's Hebrew name was Hadassah, which means "myrtle." Esther was her Persian name and is derived from the goddess Ishtar. So Madonna choose a Hebrew name which is really a Persian name which means "Ishtar, the pagan goddess."

But one can hardly blame Madonna because the truth is that Esther is commonly used as a "Hebrew" or "Jewish" name. In fact there are many Hebrew names which were adopted from other cultures and languages, including Mordechai, Alexander, and Moses (an Egyptian name.) The adoption of such names into Jewish culture indicates that Judaism has always been open to outside cultural influences, sometimes to a greater and sometimes to a lesser degree.

But the division between Jewish and non-Jewish is permeable in both directions. Especially in the United States we find many influences of Jews and Jewish tradition on American culture.

One example: I stopped at a local coffee cart this week and prominently displayed on the pastry shelf was a jar filled with hamantaschen and labeled as such. Yiddishisms have crept into the American vocabulary (kosher, shmooze, shlep, etc.), and bagels and lox have become as American as hot dogs and apple pie.

When Haman approached the king and asked permission to kill the Jews, one of his arguments was: "There is a certain people, scattered and dispersed among the other peoples in all the provinces of your realm, whose laws are different from those of any other people, and who do not obey the king's laws; and it is not in Your Majesty's interest to tolerate them." (Esther 3:8)  That is, Haman's strongest argument against the Jews of Persia was that they were different.

That argument would be difficult to make in America for while we Jews still are a unique cultural and religious slice of the American population, we certainly fit in. Not only have we wholeheartedly bought into the American dream and American culture, many aspects of Jewish culture have become American as well.

The positive of this is diminished anti-Semitism and widespread acceptance of Jews by most Americans. The downside is our concern that one day the barrier between Jew and non-Jew will become so permeable that the former will simply osmose into the latter. Such is the challenge to Jews and Judaism in an open and tolerant society.

Shabbat Shalom & Happy Purim!
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

February 19, 2010 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Terumah
Clowning Around

Dear Friends:

A few weeks ago I was visiting a congregant at Sharp Grossmont Hospital when someone knocked on the door. A clown and his dog asked they could come in (actually, it was only the clown who made the request). Although the family was surprised, they did invite him in and we spent several minutes chatting, smiling, and joking until he took his leave. He also left us with souvenirs. Each of us was awarded a "I hugged a clown today" sticker.

He was not an ordinary clown, if there is such a thing, but a "therapy clown." The clown was a specially trained volunteer who spent much of his free time visiting and lifting the spirits of patients who are often suffering spiritually as well as physically.

Lest you think that a "therapy clown" is a far-fetched idea, the University of Haifa  Medical School recently opened the first official program for "Medical Clowning." Herzel Ziyoni, one of the 19 students in the pilot program said: "Clowning enables us to open up avenues of communication with patients that the medical staff doesn't succeed with or doesn't know how to connect with. We create experiences, we create distractions, so the patient won't feel his or her pain and can fly with us to fantasy lands. Or allow a kid to undergo a CT without the need for an injection or pill to first calm him down." (http://www.israel21c.org/health/israeli-degree-in-medical-clowning-a-prescription-for-health)

I thought about the Sharp Grossmont Hospital clown when I read the recent obituary of Dr. Michael Musicant. The Union Tribune reported that Dr. Musicant was met with derision when he said, as the hospital's chief of staff, that he wanted to focus on "happiness" during his tenure. The laughing stopped when Dr. Musicant's emphasis on the whole human experience in medicine resulted in improved morale and greater job satisfaction among the hospital staff. One must assume that this also led to a more pleasant experience for the patient as well, and perhaps, the hospital clown. (http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/16/michael-musicant-sharp-grossmont-chief-staff-surge/)

Many years before, Jewish tradition recognized the importance of human beings living integrated rather than compartmentalized lives, and of the spiritual complimenting the practical.
When God directed the Children of Israel to build the first Aron Kodesh, Holy Ark, to house the Ten Commandments received at Mt. Sinai, God told them: "Make two cherubim [a mythical creature with human, animal, and bird-like features] of gold...[and place them on top of the Ark]...The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, shielding the cover with their wings. They shall confront each other, the faces of the cherubim being turned toward the cover." (Ex. 25:18-20)

A great rabbi explained: Jews must live their lives through integrating the two directions symbolized by the cherubim. On one hand, "The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above" - they must continually be meditating upon and being attentive to the Will of their Heavenly Parent. But on the other hand, they must also "confront each other, the faces of the cherubim being turned toward the cover" - they must at the same time be concerned with the needs of their fellow human beings. Allegiance to God and allegiance to human beings cannot be separated or prioritized.

The rabbi continued that one can learn this same lesson from the tablets of the Ten Commandments themselves. It is well known that commandments 1 through 5 on the right tablet contain mitzvot between God and humanity (such as observing the Shabbat) and 6 through 10 on the left tablet contain mitzvot between one human being and another ("thou shalt not murder"). However, despite their different content, these two tablets are never displayed separately. They always appear together. Why? To teach us that one must never distinguish between love of God and love of humanity. Both are essential to human happiness and fulfillment.

Although it is tempting to compartmentalize our lives and divide between the sacred and the secular, the body and the mind, we are happier and more fulfilled human beings when we recognize, cultivate, and celebrate the wholeness of human existence.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

February 12, 2010 Parashat Mishpatim
Poof! You've Just Been Bar Mitzvahed!

Dear Friends:

I usually offer a wane smile to anyone who tells me that I am the rabbi that "Bar Mitzvahed" them. It's not that I am not happy to renew old acquaintances, it is because of their use of "Bar Mitzvah" as a verb. Bar Mitzvah is a noun, not a verb. Bar Mitzvah refers to the obligations of a child of thirteen to observe mitzvot. Bar Mitzvah literally means "responsible for the mitzvot."

This responsibility is inherited automatically when a child reaches the age of thirteen, it has nothing to do with any action on my part. I do not wave a chumash over their head and say "Poof! You are now Bar Mitzvahed!" We always say that child becomes a Bar Mitzvah (responsible for the commandments) as opposed to becoming "Bar Mitzvahed."

Parashat Mishpatim contains many mitzvot, including laws pertaining to commerce, murder, manslaughter, and theft. Rabbi Mordechai HaKohen notes that the Torah refers to one who is responsible for committing an evil deed as a "ba'al aveirah," the master of a sin. He compares this term to the one we use for a child who is responsible for performing mitzvot, a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

Rabbi HaKohen writes that when someone becomes a "master" of something, it is out of choice. One can choose to be an honest person or a thief, one can choose to do good or do evil. The choice is completely in the hands of the individual.

The same is not the case for someone who becomes a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. A Bar/Bat Mitzvah cannot run from their sacred obligation, but for the rest of their lives the obligation to perform mitzvot is in their hands. Whether or not one performs the mitzvot is a matter of choice but the obligation remains, regardless.

In other words, a Jew can decide whether or not to be a good human being, but regardless of that choice, the obligation to flee from evil and seek good never goes away.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

February 5, 2010 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Yitro
A Tapestry of Love

Dear Friends:

I meet with our Abraham Ratner Torah School students one Wednesday a month. We usually meet in our Goodman Chapel. This month I introduced them to a new addition to our chapel, the Mishebeirach tapestry that was fashioned from the creative contributions of many members of our Sisterhood and congregation.

This fabrication of this tapestry was the brainchild and labor of love of Sharyl Snyder. Sharyl had seen a similar tapestry on display on Temple Emanu-El and thought we should have one as well. Our Mishebeirach tapestry enlivens our chapel with its very personal artwork and stands as a reminder to all who are ill or in pain that they are not alone. At Tifereth Israel Synagogue they are a member of a community that cares and prays for them.

I asked the students to find the multiplicity of Jewish symbols on the tapestry. They correctly identified many of them and shared how they thought creators of each square expressed their care and concern for those who are ill.

I also used the introduction of the Mishebeirach tapestry to explain to our students the Mishebeirach prayer we say each morning at our daily minyan and on Shabbat ("May the One who blessed our ancestors...send healing to...").

On the spur of the moment I also said the prayer with them and asked them to share the names of their relatives and friends who were ill and pray for their recovery. It was very quiet during our prayer and I found myself surprised by how it had turned our learning into a spiritual and sacred experience.

That same evening we talked about the Mishebeirach prayer at a meeting of our Ritual Committee. We all expressed the same thought: we all believed that our communal prayers for those who are ill are efficacious and powerful even though we are not sure how they work.

The next time you are in the synagogue, please stop by the chapel to see the new Mishebeirach tapestry. I also invite you to find as many Jewish symbols as you can and try to discover their relationship to Jewish healing and life. You may also want to use the opportunity to say your own prayer for those you love who are suffering or in pain.

Even though your prayer does not guarantee that those who are suffering will be healed, I am confident that their burden will be eased by your caring.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

January 29, 2010 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat B'Shellach
Not by Messenger

Dear Friends:

Despite his role as the rescuer of Israel, the Torah takes great pain to de-emphasize the role of Moses in the Exodus. Credit for the miracles is given to God alone, Moses dies without entering the Promised Land, and no one knows where he is buried.

This tradition is carried forward by the rabbis of the Talmudic period. One famous example is the exclusion of Moses from the Passover Haggadah. Not only is Moses not mentioned but the rabbis made clear in the Haggadah's text that the Children of Israel left Egypt, "Not by the hands of an angel, Not by the hands of a messenger, But the Holy One Blessed be Himself in His own Glory [took the Israelites out of Egypt]."

Moses was not a magician. He could not perform miracles or manipulate the natural world. He was a prophet. A prophet's job was to communicate the word of God, nothing more and nothing less. God is the Source of all power and glory in the universe.
A midrash in the Mechilta (a collection of midrashim based on the book of Exodus) makes the same point dramatically through a parable.

When the Children of Israel were trapped at the edge of the Red Sea, "Moses held out his arm over the sea." (Ex. 14:2) According to the Mechilta, the sea defied Moses and stood fast. Moses said to the sea, "Split!" but the sea remained as it was. Moses then lifted his staff. The sea was unconvinced.

To what may this be compared? To a human king who had two gardens, one in front of the other. The king sold the inner garden but when the purchaser tried to enter it through the front garden, the king's guard blocked his path. The purchaser told the guard that he had the king's permission. The guard stood fast. The purchaser showed the guard the contract. The guard stood fast.

Finally the king came to the garden and guard finally allowed the purchaser passage to his garden.

The buyer was perplexed. "I told you that I had the king's authority to enter but you refused to let me in. Now you can't do enough to hurry me in."

The guard replied, "It is not because of anything you have done that I let you in. It is the king I fear!"

Thus it was with Moses. When Moses commanded the sea in God's name, the sea ignored him. It was only when God revealed God's Presence that the sea split, as it says in the book of Psalms "The sea saw and fled...Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord." (Psalm 114:3-7)

The midrash may also be making two additional points about the nature of prophecy. The first is that human beings must be cautious about believing those who speak in the name of God. Just because they use God's name does not mean that God sent them. The only way to decide whether a prophet is a true or false prophet is by seeing if their words come true: "I will raise up a prophet for them from among their own people, like yourself [Moses]: I will put My words in his mouth and he will speak to them all that I command him; ...But any prophet who presumes to speak in My name an oracle that I did not command him to utter, or who speaks in the name of other gods-that prophet shall die.

"And should you ask yourselves, "How can we know that the oracle was not spoken by the Lord?"-if the prophet speaks in the name of the Lord and the oracle does not come true, that oracle was not spoken by the Lord; the prophet has uttered it presumptuously: do not stand in dread of him." (Deut. 18:15-22)

According the midrash, the Red Sea refused to believe Moses until God revealed Godself directly. The proof of Moses' words were in the miracle itself.

The second point the midrash makes may be a polemic against the miracles of Jesus as found in the Christian Bible. According to the Christian Bible Jesus performed many miracles in his lifetime. The rabbis reject these reports and teach us that only God can perform miracles, and not human beings.

Although Christians may answer that Jesus and God are one, for the Rabbis this impossibility goes without saying. "Hear, O Israel, Adonai is our God and Adonai is One!"

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

January 2, 2010 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Bo
Israeli Heroes in Haiti

Dear Friends:

Considering all of the bad press Israel receives, I was thrilled to see the NBC Nightly News positive coverage of the field hospital set up by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) following the earthquake in Haiti. If you did not see the NBC broadcast last Tuesday, you can watch the clip on YouTube by clicking here.

You can also read an article about Israel's response to the disaster in the Haaretz newspaper by clicking here.

Even before the scope of the disaster was known, Israel flew in two 747's loaded with medical equipment and personnel and set up a complete field hospital near the airport. The hospital included advanced medical diagnostic equipment and a well-trained staff. The Israelis immediately began treating earthquake victims with expertise and compassion. As IDF Colonel Dr. Ariel Bar, interviewed in the NBC video said, "When we save the life of one person we feel that we have saved the world, so we saved the world several times in this mission."

I could not help but reflect on the attitudes of those individuals who do not think Israel has the right to exist. Without Israel, not only would the survivors in Haiti endure greater suffering, but so would the millions of people who benefit from Israel's technological, agricultural, biological, and medical advances (yes, I do mean millions!).

Even the Egyptian Pharaoh at the time of the Exodus understood the value of the contribution of the Israelites to his country. One of the reasons Pharaoh did not want to let the Israelites go was philosophical: Pharaoh thought he was a god and refused to acknowledge God's sovereignty over him and his land. But the second reason was practical: Pharaoh knew that the Israelite slaves had contributed a great deal to the infrastructure of his country. They had built his store houses and completed other projects. Without the Israelite slaves' construction, Egypt would come to a near standstill. His country had greatly benefitted from their servitude.

Pharaoh even acknowledges their contribution explicitly after he finally allows the Israelites to leave. As they approach the Red Sea, Pharaoh has a change of heart and says: "What is this we have done, releasing Israel from our service?" (Ex. 14:5) We know what happens next when he chases them and pursues them through the divided sea.

The Israelis serving in Haiti should be a reminder to the world of all the good that this tiny country does. Her enemies should consider what they personally would lose before they renew their calls for the decedents of the ancient Israelites to be cast into the sea.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

January 15, 2010 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Va-era
Worth Working For

Dear Friends:

For late night edification and amusement, there is nothing I love better than watching infomercials. ("But wait! There's more!") Some of my favorites are those extolling the virtues of $19.99 exercise machines. The ads feature athletic men and women effortlessly going through their paces while the announcer informs us that we, too, can look just as good by using their equipment for only 7½ minutes a week!

I am always tempted to rush to the phone with my credit card ("in the next 20 minutes!") when I remember that the last time I got off the couch to get a snack Judy had to administer oxygen.

She also told me the horrible truth: the buff young models in those infomercials did not really tone their bodies by exercising 7½ minutes a day on a $19.99 plastic machine. They spend half or more of each day working up a sweat in a gym. As I put my credit card back in my wallet I remembered: anything worth having always come at a price.

It took our ancestors, the Israelites, a long time to learn this lesson. In parashat Va-era Moses tells the people that God is going to redeem them from Egypt. He shared with them the word of God: "I have not heard the moaning of the Israelites...and I have remembered My covenant. Say, therefore, to the Israelite people: I am the Lord. I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians.

"...But when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses, their spirits crushed by cruel bondage." (Ex. 6:2-9)

The Torah tells us that the Israelites rejected Moses' good tidings because slavery had dulled their spirits. They were overworked and depressed and refused to recognize the possibility of a brighter future. This is puzzling because the first time Moses had spoken to the Israelites of the upcoming redemption they believed him, were awestruck, and "bowed low in homage." (Ex. 4:31) What happened to change their mind?

Rabbi Y. Nissenboim explains that when Moses first told the Israelites about the upcoming Exodus, he simply stated the fact and did not go into details. Several pages later, by the time he told them again in our parasha, many details had come out. The process from slavery to freedom would not be an easy one.

Moses had explained that Pharaoh would not make things easy and life for the Israelites would become more difficult before it became easier. Pharaoh would not listen to Moses and would give the Israelites more work to do. Plagues would then fill the land, causing damage and loss for the Israelites as well as the Egyptians. After the Israelites left Egypt they would narrowly escape death at the Red Sea. Finally, they would be given the Torah and the responsibilities that come with it on Mt. Sinai, so they wouldn't be totally free after all.

The Israelites were not happy about all of the effort and suffering they would go through in order to leave Egypt. They wanted an instant miracle, something for nothing. But life does not work that way even when God helps us. We have to labor and invest time and energy to achieve our goals in life. The Israelites preferred staying where they were to exerting themselves.

It took the next generation to understand that anything worth having always comes at a price.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

January 8, 2020 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Shemot
Seeking Consensus

Dear Friends:

Although I admire Abba Eban, z"l, I do not agree with his view on governing by consensus. Eban wrote: "A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually."

I have the opposite opinion: a consensus means that everyone has put aside their personal reservations and interests in order to come to a conclusion that everyone can live with.

As a participant or observer on many different non-profit boards, I have often felt that close votes make bad policy. I often advise that votes on controversial and divisive issues be tabled until everyone has time to think and reflect and come back to make a decision that the overwhelming majority can live with.

Consensus does not often occur on its own. It needs to be built. In order to build a consensus one or two people in positions of leadership need to speak with others and encourage their agreement and "buy in."

Moshe Rabbeinu understood the importance of building consensus. Even when he did not need agreement he went out of his way to solicit support. One example of his leadership skills is found in Parashat Shemot. After God appears to Moses in Midian and orders him to return to Egypt and demand that Pharaoh release the Israelites, the Torah reports: "Moses went back to his father-in-law Jether (Jethro) and said to him, 'Let me go back to my kinsmen in Egypt and see how they are faring.'
And Jethro said to Moses, 'Go in peace.'" (Ex. 4:18)

Rabbi Natan Tzvi Finkel, the "Grandfather of Slobodka" (1849-1927) wrote that some might find Moses seeking permission from his father-in-law to leave for his mission to be puzzling. After all, Moses was going at God's bidding! Why did he need Jethro's assent?

Rabbi Finkel was not puzzled by Moses' actions, he praised them. Perhaps, he wrote, it was because Moses went out of his way to honor his father-in-law and other human beings that God found him worthy of leadership to begin with. (Iturei Torah, Shemot, p. 39)

There is nothing shameful or weak about compromising and seeking the agreement of others, especially of those whom might initially disagree with you. It is rather a sign of confidence, strength, and decency.

As I wrote above, I do not agree with Abba Eban that consensus is wallpaper for bad decisions. I agree, rather, with Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we commemorate next week, who said, "A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus."

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

December 25, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Vayigash
Jewish Gastronomy

Dear Friends:

One of the creepiest television programs on cable is "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern." Andrew (who is Jewish, of course) tours the world sampling unusual local cuisine. Some of his favorite dishes have been roasted Wallaby tail, raw crocodile eggs, and juicy cheese worms.

While all of these foods are local delicacies, most Americans would never dream of sampling them. I, for one, can barely tolerate watching Andrew eat them on television. When I watch his show most of my out loud comments are"ick!", "that's disgusting!", and "gross!".

However, when you think about it, there is no reason why we should react so viscerally to these unusual foods. Is it less reasonable, for example, for people to eat roaches than to eat shrimp (which Judy calls "bugs of the sea")? or dogs rather than sheep? or spleen rather than liver?

Clearly, "no." The only reason we lust after some foods and flee from others is our cultural conditioning. They are what we are used to. It is what everyone around us enjoys. This is why Americans chomp on hotdogs, peanuts, and Crackerjacks at baseball games while Japanese dine on Udon soup, gyoza, and yakisoba.

Lest you think that I have strayed too far from topic, please allow me to bring us back to this week's parasha, Vayigash. After bringing his father, brothers, and all of the Israelites to Egypt, Joseph instructs them to tell Pharoah, "'Your servants have been breeders of livestock from the start until now, both we and our fathers-so that you may stay in the region of Goshen.' For all shepherds are abhorrent to Egyptians." (Gen. 26:24)

Onkelos, who translated the Torah into Aramaic, commented that shepherds were abhorrent to Egyptians because they raised sheep, which the Egyptians worshiped as gods. In other words, the Israelites settled far from the Egyptian mainstream because they herded sheep, which the Egyptians refused to eat. It was not that there was something about sheep that made them inherently inedible for Egyptians. It was rather that they were taboo and culturally and religiously forbidden.

It is the same reason that Jews do not eat pork or seafood. It is not that there is anything inherently bad about these foods, but they are religiously and culturally forbidden to us. Limiting our dining choices leads us a greater awareness of God and God's commanding Presence in our lives. Every time we refuse to eat a cheeseburger or shrimp cocktail we remind ourselves that God makes demands upon us and of our obligation to bring more holiness and sanctity to the world.
The observance of Kashrut serves as a culinary string around our finger.

However, the observance of Kashrut also distinguishes us as members of the Jewish community. The foods we eat and do not eat help form our group identity and tie us with each other, as well as our shared past. Abstaining from treif while eating bagels and lox (or falafel and hummus) is as much a hallmark of being Jewish as eating turkey and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving Day is American.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

December 18, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Miketz-Shabbat Chanukah II
The "Upside-Down" Teacher

Dear Friends:

In Parashat Miketz we learn that when Joseph's brothers first appeared before him in Egypt: "Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize Joseph." (Gen. 42: 8)

How was this possible? The Talmud explains that Joseph was sold into slavery he was young and did not have a beard. Now that he was older and had grown a full beard they did not know who he was. Joseph's brothers, on the other hand, had beards when they sold Joseph into slavery so they looked the same.

In the European town of Radzin a young man once set out to make his mark on the world. He traveled to Berlin and other cities but did not meet with success. He did, however, adopt the customs, manners, and dress of the places he visited. He eventually returned to Radzin but wore modern clothing and had shaved his beard and peyot (forelocks).

Having failed at everything else, he applied for a teaching job with Rabbi Gershon Henich of Radzin. Rabbi Henich declined to hire him because he would be an "upside down" teacher. The young man did not understand what he meant and asked Rabbi Henich to explain.

Rabbi Henich told him: "The Talmud says that when Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers he did not have a beard and so they did not recognize him when he had grown one. With you, it is the reverse! You left your brothers with a beard, and returned without one...and that's why we do not "recognize" you, and that's why you would be an "upside down" teacher.

Rabbi Henich was not subtle! He believed that to be a good Jew one must reject modernity and refuse to change with the times. One must remain frozen in time. The holiday of Chanukah, which concludes at the end of Shabbat, teaches a much different story about Jewish history.

The war of the Maccabees was as much a civil war between Jews as it was between Jews and Greeks. The Jewish community was far from unanimous in its rejection of Hellenism, the adoption of Greek culture, customs, and religion. Many Jews supported Antiochus and were glad to see the ancient rituals and outmoded ideas replaced by the new, modern, and more up to date Greek philosophy, arts, and science. They were glad to give up the worship of the God of Israel in order to embrace the "modern world."

The Maccabees and their followers rejected the path of assimilation. They clung to the Torah, observed Jewish holidays, and performed mitzvot. They defied Antiochus' attempt to extinguish Jewish life and battled their countrymen who had betrayed the faith, as well as the Greeks.

It would be a mistake, however, to believe that even those Jews who rejected Hellenism were not influenced by it. When we read the Talmud and other ancient sources, we see many Greek ideas, laws, and even language reflected in our sacred texts. The Maccabees and their followers clearly learned much from the Greeks. But the Maccabees were not assimilationists. They knew where to draw the line. They adopted and adapted those parts of Greek culture which would improve their lives and expand their world view, but stopped short of giving up the essential Jewish principles they held dear.

Some Jews today, like the Rabbi of Radzin may condemn the modern world, but even the most extreme Orthodox Jews still take advantage of its benefits. Even in Meah Shearim you find automobiles, computers, and modern appliances.

But because of their isolation and the point at which they draw the line, there is no question that they will remain Jews. The choices and opportunities they allow themselves and their families are extremely circumscribed and limited.

For most of us the problem is the opposite: after opening our lives to all that the modern world offers, the concern is that we will soon forget how to "draw the line." For most of us the question is not how much modernity we embrace, but how do we remain Jews?

If Judaism is to survive, those of us who are committed must continue to make those choices that enhance Jewish observance, learning, and life. We need not reject modernity, but must not allow modernity to overwhelm a faith which gives meaning and purpose to our lives. We need to strike a balance between tradition and change.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah!
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

December 11, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Vayeshev-Chanukah
A Chanukah Gift that Lasts

Dear Friends:

This week I was honored to be a member of San Diego's delegation to the "First Ever Jewish Legacy Forum" in Tucson, Arizona. San Diego's Jewish Community Foundation has been a pioneer in helping local synagogues and agencies promote legacy giving and the establishment of endowment funds.

Tifereth Israel Synagogue was selected to participate in the Foundation's first Endowment Leadership Institute (ELI), and I am proud that our congregation has fifty-two members and friends who have either made significant contributions to our endowment funds or promised to leave a gift to the synagogue in their will or trust. All of our legacy givers are members of Chevrat Bonim, Tifereth Israel's Legacy Honor Society.

As of a member of San Diego's delegation to the Legacy Forum in Tucson, it was my duty and pleasure to report on the success of our congregation in "Creating Jewish Legacies" and growing our endowment funds.

But that is beside the point.....!

What I really want to share with you is that one of the participants in the Tucson Legacy Forum was Harold Grinspoon. Harold Grinspoon is a philanthropist from Springfield, Massachusetts who has made many contributions to the Jewish community and Israel. You can read more about the mitzvot he performs at http://www.pjlibrary.org/aboutus/hgdt .

Mr. Grinspoon has a direct connection with San Diego because our community is a "PJ Community," that is, we participate in the PJ Library program. According to its website, "The PJ Library® program supports families in their Jewish journey by sending Jewish-content books and music on a monthly basis to children from age six months to five, six, seven or eight years depending on the community.

Created by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, The PJ Library is funded nationally in partnership with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, local philanthropists, and Jewish organizations." In San Diego, the local partner is the Viterbi Family Foundation of the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego.

Children who are signed up for the PJ Library program receive inspiring and uplifting Jewish books for a full year at no cost.

If you were at Simcha Shabbat services last Friday night, you would have been as delighted as I to be the partial recipient of Mr. Grinspoon and the Viterbi Family's generosity. During services, Desiree Lange, this month's special Shabbat Guest, read "Mrs. Greenberg's Messy Chanukah," a delightful tale of a little girl who "assists" a senior citizen in celebrating Chanukah. Everyone present, adults and kids alike, listened attentively to this wonderful story.

Membership in the PJ Library is free and open to all children who live within a PJ Library community. If your child or grandchild has not been signed up, you can do so at http://pjlibrary.org/signup.php. If your child or grandchild already has completed their free membership year or does not live in a PJ Library community, you can still find many excellent suggestions of Jewish books you can give them for Chanukah and throughout the year by looking at the website (http://pjlibrary.org/booksandmusic).

As we light the first Chanukah candle tonight, I can think of
no better gift to bestow upon the children we love than the gift of the exciting and joyful Jewish memories they will receive from reading the creative and inventive Jewish children's books being written today.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah!
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

December 4, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Vayishlach
The Jacob Within

Dear Friends:

Judaism believes in teshuva, the human capacity for change. We are not the same human beings we were yesterday and tomorrow we will be different still. Judaism believes that human beings can grow and progress, and that today's sinner may become tomorrow's saint.

Yet is absolute change ever possible? Can one ever erase the past? Even in tomorrow's saint isn't there a remnant of the sinner past?

During the High Holy Days I spoke about Pastor Henry Covington, one of the two main characters of Mitch Albom's new book, "Have a Little Faith." Henry Covington was a criminal in his youth and early adulthood. After a near brush with death at the hands of drug dealers from whom he stole, he turned his life around and now devotes himself to serving the poor, hungry, and homeless in Detroit.

Although Henry had become a new man, deep inside of him some of the "old" Henry remained. He could not escape his past. It always haunted him. His present good deeds did not erase his former sins. Although he had changed, his old inner core remained the same. The difference was that he had learned to control his yetzer hara (evil inclination) instead of allowing it to control him. He knows that he is facing a life long battle.

In Parashat Vayishlach Jacob wrestles with a Divine Being. At dawn the Being demands that Jacob release him. Jacob will do so only in exchange for a blessing: "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed." (Gen. 32:29) The change from "Jacob" to "Israel" symbolizes Jacob's coming of age, giving up his youthful life of deception and trickery, and becoming morally fit to be leader of the Jewish people.

The commentator known as Degel Machane Efraim wrote that the Talmud (Masechet Berachot) observes that when the Divine Being changed Jacob's name to Israel, he did not erase the name Jacob but only added to it. In fact, when we speak of the patriarch today we usually refer to him as Jacob and not Israel! When the divine being called him "Israel" he did not take the name Jacob away but only made it subordinate to the new one.

In other words, when Jacob became Israel, his old personality was not erased but was rather modified by his new one. "Israel" still had the potential to be the tricky scoundrel "Jacob," but he had learned to keep his negative impulses at bay. Israel learned how to channel Jacob's  talents and skills into positive instead of negative endeavors. Israel became a new man, but the old one still lay underneath.

Judaism believes firmly in change, but change does not mean erasure of the past. Change means growth. Growth is a process in which something new develops from what comes before. A beautiful flower does not suddenly appear out of thin air, but evolves from a simple seed planted in the ground, provided, of course, that it receives the proper nourishment and environment it needs to thrive.

So will the human beings we become tomorrow evolve from whom we were yesterday and who we are today, provided, of course, that we receive the proper religious, moral, and spiritual nourishment and environment we need to thrive.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

November 28, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Vayetze
Stagnate or Grow.

Dear Friends:

After Jacob leaves Laban and begins his journey back to Eretz Yisrael, Laban chases after him and accuses him of deserting him. Jacob explains his actions and Laban eventually decides to leave Jacob alone and returns to his own home.

The Torah puts it this way: "Laban returned to his place and Jacob continued on his journey." (Gen. 22:1-2)

The commentator Mashach Chochma illuminates the Torah's words. He writes that when the Torah says that "Laban returned to his place" it was not referring to his home or anything physical. Rather, the Torah was telling us that after leaving Jacob, Laban returned to being a deceiver, money lover, and all around bad guy. While Jacob grew and matured during his years with Laban, Laban stayed the same. He refused to grow or to allow any of Jacob's growth to rub off on him.

Jacob, on the other hand, "continued on his journey." He went from to step to step, ever upwards, in his quest to become a good, loving, and Godly human being. As the Talmud says, "Talmidei Chachamim (scholars) have no rest, neither in this world nor the next. They never stand but are always moving." That is, they never stay in one place, they are always learning, growing, and expanding their knowledge and opening their souls.

So may all of us journey each day in our quest to bring holiness into our lives and into the world.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego CA

November 20, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Toldot
Wisdom From a Thief.

Dear Friends:

Although the Torah records many details of the lives of Abraham and Jacob, not much is known about Isaac. Isaac seems to be a transitional figure whose exploits largely duplicate those of his father, Abraham.

In Gen. 26:17 we learn that Isaac "dug anew the wells which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham and which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham's death; and he gave them the same names his father had given them." Isaac's servants then went on to dig two more wells. The water from each, however, was claimed by local tribesmen. Finally, they dug a third well and it was not disputed. Isaac "called it [the well] Rehoboth, saying, 'Now at last the Lord has granted us ample space to increase in the land." (Gen. 26:22)

Rabbi Simcha Raz says that we can learn an important lesson from this episode. Although Isaac dug two wells that were taken away from him, he did not give up looking for water. He continued digging until he succeeded in claiming his own well.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev once set off on a trip through nearby villages to collect tzedakah to rescue captive Jews. He traveled from place to place without success. He became discouraged and decided: "I have set aside my study and prayer time for nothing. I would be better off going home and studying and davening."

He was about to turn around when someone told him about a Jew who had been caught breaking into a home and was arrested and thrown in jail.

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak visited the thief in prison. "My son," he said to him, "Look what you have accomplished for all of your work! Absolutely nothing. Remember this and don't ever steal again."
The thief was recalcitrant. "Rabbi," he said. "I'll think about it but I'm not really worried about my failures. Even if I didn't succeed this time, next time I will!"

The thief's answer inspired Rabbi Levi Yitzchak. As he left the jail he thought to himself: "If this sinner is not worried about his failed attempt at illicit gain and plans to steal again, how much more should I not allow my failures to slow me down as I try to do a mitzvah!"

With that, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak set off on the road again until he collected enough money to fulfill his mission.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

November 13, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Chayei Sarah
All You Need is Love?

Dear Friends:

The great opera diva Maria Callas once famously said: "Love is so much better when you're not married."

Our patriarch, Isaac, would not have agreed! The Torah tells us that Isaac was taking a walk in a field when Eliezer returned from Aram-naharaim with Rebecca: "...looking up he saw the camels approaching...Isaac then brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he took Rebekah as his wife. Isaac loved her, and thus found comfort after his mother's death." (Gen. 24:64-67)

Rabbi Menachem Beker writes that many Jewish sages noted the superiority of early Jewish culture to contemporary mores in matters of love and marriage. Today most people think that a couple should fall in love before they decide to marry. The result is that this type of love, which is more infatuation, soon fades and couples may argue or split up if this is all that bound them.

Rabbi Beker continues that our ancestors, 'from whose wells of wisdom we drink and through whose lives we are blessed," thought differently. The Torah tell us that Isaac acted directly opposite of today's  custom. First Isaac married Rebecca and then only afterward did he come to love her.  

I do not belittle romantic love, but the excited infatuation that one feels at the beginning of a relationship usually cannot sustain it for long.  Romantic love must evolve into a long and faithful commitment to one's partner and marriage.

Dr. Morris Mandel, a columnist in The Jewish Press, wrote in his column: "Fidelity is rooted in love. The object of love is not only "union" but unity. It represents a life of truth, such as loving husbands and wives can perceive and share. It is unity in the full sense of the word. To reach that stage of complete oneness calls for unreserved absorption, both physical and spiritual. It is the job of a lifetime." (May 23, 1977)

Golde put it even more plainly, though less poetically, when she sang to Tevye: "For twenty-five years I've lived with him, fought with him, starved with him. Twenty-five years my bed is his. If that's not love, what is?"

Perhaps John Lennon wasn't completely right when he sang: "All you need is love." To sustain a marriage you do need love, but also a lot of hard work and compromise.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

November 6, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Vayera
Today and not Tomorrow

Dear Friends:

After the miraculous birth of Isaac, Sarah worried about his half-brother Ishmael's negative influence upon him. She was so concerned that she asked Abraham to banish Ishmael and his mother, Hagar, from her household and the tribe. Although Abraham is horrified at the thought of sending his son away, God reassures him that Ishmael and Hagar will be protected: "As for the son of the slave-woman, I will make a nation of him, for he is your seed." (Gen. 21:13)

Hagar and Ishmael wander in the wilderness. When their water is used up Hagar bursts into tears: "Let me not look on as the child dies." (Gen. 21:16)

The Torah tell us: "God heard the cry of the boy, and an angel of God called to Hagar and said to her,'What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heeded the cry of the boy where he is.'...Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water, and let the boy drink." (Gen. 21:17-19)

Rashi cites a Midrashic text in which the angels are disturbed that God saved Ishmael. "Master of the Universe! The decedents of the one that you are saving will one day try to kill the Children of Israel by denying them water! How can you now save Ishmael by providing him with a well filled with sweet water?"

God asked them, "Is this child before you innocent or guilty?"
They replied, "At the moment he is righteous!"
God said, "Then I will judge him on his merits today, not on what he might do tomorrow."

This is what the Torah means when it says, " God has heeded the cry of the boy where he is." Where he is today and not tomorrow.

Based on this verse, Rabbi Yitzchak said that one should only judge a person on his current deeds, not on what you think he might do in the future. (Da'at Chachamim, p. 71)

Rashi's comment led me to consider one of the outcomes of prejudice. A dictionary definition of prejudice is "an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason." Prejudice is forming an opinion about someone without the benefit of knowing anything about them. It is pre-judging someone based not on their present or future deeds, but rather on their ethnicity, race, or religion.

Rabbi Yitzchak cautions us not to judge someone on what they might do or who they might be, but rather on who they are today. We must not make quick or snap decisions about people we meet and learn what makes them tick as human beings and children of God. We must not prejudge them and learn to accept them "where they are."

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

October 23, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Lech-Lecha
At Home in a Strange Land

Dear Friends:

Although Abraham journeyed to Eretz Yisrael, God did not gift him the land. Instead, God promised that Abraham's descendants would inherit it. Upon hearing God's promise, Abraham responded: "How shall I know that I [my descendants] am to possess it?" (Genesis 15:8)

Abraham's question and God's answer puzzled our sages. First, Abraham is considered a man of great faith. If so, why is he questioning God's word? Second, how does God's reply, "Know well that your offspring shall be strangers in a land not their own," (Gen. 15:13 ) answer Abraham's question?

Rabbi Elimelech of Grodzisk proposed an answer to the first problem. There is no question that Abraham was a man of great faith. However, Abraham wondered whether his children would be as faithful as he. The question that Abraham asked God is not about the land but about his progeny: "How shall I know that they [my descendants] will inherit it [my faith in You]?"

Rabbi Shmuel Mohliver (1824-1891) explained the second problem. Rabbi Moliver lived during a horrible time in which the Jews of Russia wanted to flee to Eretz Yisrael to escape the violence and pogroms. He said that Abraham's concern was not God fulfilling the promise about the land, but rather Abraham worried that the time would come when Jews would become so comfortable in the lands of their exile that they would no longer desire to make aliyah to eretz yisrael.

Therefore God assured Abraham, "Know well that your offspring shall be strangers in a land not their own." That is, know that in the future your ancestors will find themselves all over the world but life for them will never be easy. They will never be accepted by the nations and cultures in which they live and will always long to return to their ancestral homeland.

Despite these divine assurances, if Abraham knew what would happen to his descendants living in the United States he should have been very worried! The Jews of America increasingly exhibit a lack of faith, observance, and Jewish commitment. They often are only Jewish in name and not values or lifestyle.

We also live in a country in which anti-Semitism has been held
in check and perhaps because of it, aliyah to Israel continues to decline.

Our challenge as American Jews is to adhere to Jewish values, Jewish religion, and commitment to Israel, despite our feeling at ease and at home here. While we received the gift of Judaism and our Jewish heritage as an unearned benefit; preserving, strengthening, and passing it onto future generations is completely within our hands.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

October 23, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat No-ach

Dear Friends:

When my daughter, Margalit, was in High School she found an injured bird in the street. She called Animal Control and was instructed to "catch it." She had no idea how to catch the bird and wisely captured it under an empty laundry basket until an Animal Control officer arrived. The officer took one look at the bird and said: "That's a raven! They are very dangerous!"

It is a good thing that Margalit ignored the initial advice.
Ravens are large omnivorous birds. You often see them circling Cowles Mountain and perched in the synagogue's trees. In recent years they have become agricultural pests and have long been associated with bad tidings. (Cf. Edgar Allan Poe: "Quoth the raven 'nevermore.'") It is not a bird for a novice to catch or tangle with!

Given the bird's bad reputation, it is not surprising that it failed to find dry land when Noah sent it forth from the ark. Perhaps the waters of the flood still covered the land, but it is also possible that this bird acted in accordance with its foul reputation and was simply too lazy to try to find dry earth.

Noah gave up on the raven and sent out a dove. The dove searched diligently and finding dry land, returned to Noah with an olive branch in its beak. Noah knew his long voyage had ended and from that day on the dove and olive branch have been symbols of peace.

There is a clear lesson for us in the failure of the raven and the success of the dove. God wanted to destroy the world because it had become corrupt and violent. He changed his mind and saved Noah to start creation anew. For God to have allowed a raven, a creature of darkness, violence, and contention, announce a new beginning for humanity would have gotten Noah and his brood off on the wrong foot with the wrong message. The dove, however, with its message of consolation and peace was a preferable fowl with which to begin creation all over again.

In our life we meet both ravens and doves. Let us flee from darkness and embrace light, life, and peace.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

October 9, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Shemini Atzeret - Simchat Torah
A Shelter of Peace and Quiet

Dear Friends:

A couple of weeks ago I was invited by Hillel at UCSD to teach a gathering of students in their campus Sukkah. I was delighted to accept and met with about 15 students last Wednesday for lunch. It brought back memories of my UCSD days. I remember borrowing a truck and following city workers through the streets of Kensington as they trimmed the palm trees. I and a friend gathered the fronds to top the Sukkah we were building on campus.

What neither I nor the Hillel students knew was that we would have a little competition during our study session. The Sukkah stands on "Sun God Lawn."  Sun God Lawn is a central gathering place for students. This consideration overrides the concern of celebrating a Jewish holiday in the presence of avodah zarah (the Sun God - a "pagan" idol)!

As we gathered in the Sukkah to study, a campus fraternity (which were nonexistent in my UCSD years) had set up near by. They were hosting an activity which consisted of a barbecue, trampoline, and loud rap and hip hop music! We tried valiantly to compete but eventually had to move out of the Sukkah to quieter ground.

At the time, the loud music was an annoyance but in retrospect it helped me better understand the importance of the holiday of Sukkot. Sukkot is a holiday which serves as a counterpoint to technology. We spend most of our days indoors surrounded by "labor saving" devices which often add more labor to our lives. We are constantly bombarded by loud sounds and noisy images. We are always on the rush and on the go. We never seem to be able to slow down and take the time to meditate, reflect, and appreciate.

The Sukkah reminds us that, in our haste to accomplish and accumulate, we sometimes forget to savor the beauty of the natural world and the simple pleasures of life. There is something stunningly refreshing about sitting beneath the roof of green palm branches, admiring the decorations on the wall, and enjoying the fresh air and sunlight without doing anything else.

The students and I were disappointed when we had to move out of the Sukkah in order to escape the fraternity's event next door. But in the end, their noise and ruckus helped remind us why we celebrate Sukkot to begin with.

I look forward to seeing you on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.

Please note: I will be on vacation next week and will not be emailing a D'var Torah.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

October 2, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Sukkot
"You Shall Rejoice"

Dear Friends:

In the evening festival kiddush each holiday is accorded its own unique descriptive phrase. Pesach is called "the season of our freedom," Shavuot is called "the season of the giving of the Torah," and Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret, "the season of our rejoicing."

This definition of Sukkot as "the season of our rejoicing" comes directly from the Torah: "On the first day you shall take the product of hadar (citron) trees, boughs of leafy trees, and  willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days." (Lev. 24:40)

Sukkot is most appropriate successor and one might even say antidote (!) to Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is one of the most solemn days on the Jewish calendar, a day dedicated to prayer, fasting, and introspection. Sukkot, on the other hand, is a holiday dedicated to celebration, laughter, thanksgiving, and enjoyment of the world which God has given us.

Living in modern western society, it is easy to become disconnected from the world of nature. We buy our fruits and vegetables wax coated and in sealed containers, and a lot of that which we eat is processed beyond recognition. (I, for one, have never seen a tater-tot tree!) We spend most of our days and nights in side climate controlled permanent structures.  Sukkot helps us to become more connected to nature and reminds us our world's beauty and fragility.

Not everyone is able to build a sukkah so we invite you to use our synagogue sukkah. We hope that you will feel free to visit often during the week and you are welcome to bring your own dairy meals and snacks to enjoy inside. We, of course, have our scheduled Sukkot dinners for those who have made reservations.

I look forward to seeing you at services and in our sukkah during the holiday.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

September 11, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Nitzavim-Vayelech
I forgive them as you have asked

Dear Friends:

When we chant the Torah aloud during services there is a general rule that neither an aliya nor a parasha can conclude with a negative thought. An aliya and parasha may conclude with a positive or neutral verse; concluding with sad or angry words would leave congregants feeling depressed!

It is therefore difficult to understand the very last words of this week's parasha, Nitzavim-Vayelech. Moses tells the Israelites that soon they will be crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land but he will not be joining them. What are his final words to them? The are found in an epic poem found in parashat Ha'azinu which we will read the week after Rosh Hashana. This week's parasha, however, closes with Moses' introduction to the poem:

"Gather to me all the elders of your tribes and your officials, that I may speak all these words to them and that I may call heaven and earth to witness against them. For I know that, when I am dead, you will act wickedly and turn away from the path that I enjoined upon you, and that in time to come misfortune will befall you for having done evil in the sight of the Lord and vexed Him by your deeds." (Deut. 31:28-29)

If that's not a depressing ending to a parasha, I don't know what is! After we hear it in the synagogue won't we walk away feeling that all change is futile since in the end we are destined to stray from God? Yes, but only if we believe that we once we move away from God we can never come back!

In addition to telling us about the inevitability of human failure in parashat Nitzavim-Vayelech, Moses also tells why we must remain optimistic:

"When all these things befall you...and you return to the Lord your God, and you and your children heed His command with all your heart and soul... then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and take you back in love." (Deut. 30:1-2)

This is also the central message of the High Holy Days which begin next Friday night: "...and you return to the Lord your God, and you and your children heed His command with all your heart and soul... then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and take you back in love." No matter how wrongly our lives have turned, we can decide to right our wrongs and beg forgiveness from those we have hurt and from God above.

We enter this period with trepidation but exit it in exaltation knowing that God will forgive us. As God told Moses in the Torah: "I have pardoned them as you have asked." (Num. 14:20) We have God's promise of forgiveness of the truly penitent in advance! Our obligation and task is to be worthy of it.

Judy and I wish you a healthy, happy, and fulfilling New Year. May God bless you and all those you love in this New Year and in all the years to come.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

September 4, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Ki Tavo
Reading Aloud

Dear Friends:

Reading from a Torah scroll is a skill and art which needs to be carefully cultivated. Since a Torah scroll has no vowels, punctuation, or trope (musical notation) marks, the Ba'al Koreh, the reader, has to practice and review many hours each week.

When the practice began of aliyah l'Torah, going up to the Torah, there were no professional Torah readers. Rather, each person read their own section. It was only after Jews could not easily read the unpointed Hebrew text in the scrolls that the practice of using a Ba'al Koreh began.

The rabbis found historical precedent for this practice in parashat Ki Tavo. Ki Tavo begins with Moses telling the Israelites that after settling the land of Canaan the first fruits (bikurim) of their harvest should be dedicated to God. They are to take the bikurim, place them in a basket, go up to Jerusalem, and say to the Kohen: "I acknowledge this day before the Lord your God that we have entered the land that the Lord swore to our fathers to assign us." (Deut. 26:3)

The Torah continues: "You shall then recite before the Lord your God: 'My father was a fugitive Aramean . He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there...." (Deut. 26:5)

The Mishna comments: "At first, anyone who knew how to recite this passage from the Torah did so, but those who did not had the passage read to them. But soon those who did not know how to recite stopped bringing their bikurim to Jerusalem. (They were too embarrassed.)

"The sages then ordained that everyone who brought bikurim would have the passage read to them [so as to embarrass the others]. (Bikurim 63:47)

This section from the Mishna reminds us of the importance of not embarrassing our fellow human beings. Not only is it hurtful, but it could lead them to absent themselves from situations they find embarrassing.

All of us have been in situations in which we refrained from doing something we wanted to do or needed to do because we did not want to appear weak or incompetent. We sat on the sidelines instead. The Mishna reminds us that we need to go out of our way to make those who attempt to do something out of their comfort zone feel that we welcome their willingness to take risks by trying something new.

It is no more or less than we want for ourselves.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

August 28, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Ki Teitzei
Behaving Religiously

Dear Friends:

Last year I was asked to comment on the Israeli film "My Father, My Lord" that was shown during San Diego's Jewish Film Festival. It was a very difficult film to watch. It is about a Chassidic Rebbe's need to serve God overshadowing his obligation to protect his son. This leads to disastrous results.

I found one of the scenes in the movie completely unbelievable. The Rebbe's young son discovers a bird nesting on one of the yeshiva window sills. After it is shown to the Rebbe, he eagerly shoos the mother bird away from her eggs. He does this in fulfillment of the Torah's mitzvah of kan tzipor: "If, along the road, you chance upon a bird's nest, in any tree or on the ground, with fledglings or eggs and the mother sitting over the fledglings or on the eggs, do not take the mother together with her young. Let the mother go, and take only the young, in order that you may fare well and have a long life." (Deut. 22:6-7)

I did not believe the scene in the movie because what the Rebbe did was completely contradictory to the Torah's intent. In the mitzvah of kan tzipor the Torah is trying to protect the mother bird. According to our Etz Hayim Torah commentary: "...taking a mother bird with its offspring would mark one as ruthless." In "My Father, My Lord" shooing away the bird is an act of cruelty and ruthlessness because there is never any intent on eating the eggs and the mother bird may now never return to the disturbed nest.

I was therefore surprised to learn that the mitzvah of kan tzipor is indeed practiced today by some Orthodox Jews. They believe that fulfilling the mitzvah is a cure for infertility. In A.J. Jacob's book, The Year of Living Biblically, he writes of his mixed feelings after watching the ritual being performed:

"On the subway home, I'm euphoric. I just followed a rule that maybe a few dozen people in America have followed. I'm one of the faithful elite. But that feeling soon fades to worry. If there is a God, did I just please Him? Or did I maybe get Him angry? If His nest egg rule is meant to teach compassion, wouldn't it have been compassionate not to pester the pigeons with a high-wattage flashlight and a crazy dance?" (p. 188)

I am a firm believer in the importance of performing mitzvot, but there is a danger when one performs mitzvot as a type of rote Jewish behaviorism. This is especially so when performing a mitzvah perverts its original intent.

The mitzvah of kan tzipor is not a magical rite to insure the birth of babies but an expression of compassion, Shechita (the ritual slaughter of animals for consumption) should lead us to be sensitive and respectful when taking of life, even for food, and this sensitivity should lead us to respect and deal ethically with those who labor to produce that food. (For information about the Conservative Movement's Hekhsher Tzedek program click here: http://www.uscj.org/Hekhsher_Tzedek7413.html )

There is a danger of perverting Judaism when the minutiae of religious observance are performed as ends in themselves and not for a higher purpose. We should not perform mitzvot because we think doing so will help us rack up points on a heavenly scoreboard, but because doing so leads us to living holy, Godly, and compassionate lives.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

August 21, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Shoftim
Running for Justice

Dear Friends:

One of the tensions in a democracy is elected officials feeling torn between doing what they think is right as opposed to obeying the will of their constituents. This tension is even more egregious when it comes to elected judges. We expect judges to be impartial, yet in a system in which judges run for office, it is difficult for judges to prevent themselves from being swayed by public opinion

The Torah is very strict when it comes to demanding impartiality of judges: "...they shall govern the people with due justice. You shall not judge unfairly; you shall show no partiality; you shall not take bribes, for bribes blind the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just. Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you." (Deut. 16:18-20)

Since following the will of the people, as opposed to following the restrictions of the law, is a temptation for elected judges, perhaps they should follow the lead of the Rabbi of Nickelsburg and mount a knapsack on their walls.

The Rabbi of Nickelsburg always had a knapsack placed on the wall of the room in which he and other rabbis held court. Before hearing any cases he announced: "I want all petitioners to know that I will not pervert justice or favor one party over the other, no matter who they are, whether they are rich or poor, or powerful or weak. Whatever verdict I decree must stand and you must follow it and not try to pressure me to change my mind because of who you are.

"Nothing is more sacred to me than a just and impartial verdict, and I will not compromise my principles. Do you see that knapsack hanging on the wall? That is to remind you that if you try to force me to show deference to one party over another, I will resign my rabbinate and leave Nickelsburg, even if it means spending the rest of my life as a beggar!" (Shivim Panim l'Torah, Devarim, p. 130)

Perhaps one day we will reconsider our system of electing judges, but until that day, those we elect must do their utmost to follow the law as they see it rather than public sentiment.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

August 14, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat R'eih
A Modest Proposal

Dear Friends:

One of the classes I taught during my week as Camp Ramah's Rabbi in Residence was on Judaism's position on tattooing and body piercing. While dispelling the popular myth that someone with a tattoo cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery (sorry, parents!), I affirmed that Jewish law and tradition forbid tattooing.

One of the Torah's primary references to body piercing appears in this week's parasha, R'eih. If a Hebrew slave chose to remain the property of his master after his time of servitude, "...you shall take an awl and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall become your slave in perpetuity." (Deut. 15:17) Ear piercing in this context has a negative connotation: it indicates an Israelite's rejection of freedom in favor of servitude.

However, when it comes to body piercing for decorative purposes, the Torah and Talmud are much more accepting. We know that the Israelites wore earrings because these were contributed toward the building of the Golden Calf. (Ex. 32:2-3) The Talmud explicitly allows women and men to wear jewelry or other ornamentation in pierced ears. (Mishna, Shabbat 6:5-7, Gemara, Shabbat 11b)

I asked my campers how Camp Ramah feels about body piercing. They told me that Camp Ramah permits staff members to have pierced ears but any other type of body piercing (i.e., nose and navel) may not be publicly displayed.

I then asked them what was the difference between pierced ears, on one hand, and pierced eyebrows, lips, tongue, nose, navel, etc., on the other.

From a physiological point of view, there is no difference. The difference is one of tzniyut, modesty. While pierced ears (for women and men) are largely accepted today as appropriately decorative, other body piercings are unusual and call inappropriate attention to one's body. Piercings in unusual places cause others to focus on those parts of the body rather than on the person in front of them.

In a society which glorifies certain body types and denigrates others, camp should be a place where a camper's tzelem Elokim, spark of divinity, is celebrated and not their "looks." At camp attention is focused on internal rather than external beauty.

Tzniyut, modesty, is an important Jewish value, one that is often undervalued. One of the ways the Camp Ramah staff members model the value of tzniyut is through their public display of only ear piercings and by female staff wearing one piece swim suits.

While camp emphasizes the importance of a healthy body (through sports and appropriate diet) it also emphasizes the importance of a healthy neshama (soul.) Hopefully, this summer the campers will learn that tzniyut is one of the ways in which Jews feed their souls.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

July 31, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Ve-Etchannan
Shabbat Nachamu
You Shall Love

Dear Friends:

Distress over the recent arrest of prominent rabbis in New Jersey for alleged sales of human kidneys and money laundering continues to percolate in the Jewish community. A member of our congregation recently asked me how self proclaimed "religious Jews" could behave so immorally?

One reason is that some Orthodox Jews twist the meaning of the Torah's verse: "Love your fellow as yourself." (Lev. 19:18) They interpret the word "fellow" (Heb: reiecha) to mean: "Your fellow in Torah and That is, if your neighbor observes the Torah and mitzvot in the same way as you do, you should consider them your "fellow" and treat them accordingly. However, if your neighbor does not believe and practice as do you, you are not obligated to treat them morally.

The arrested rabbis have not made any public comments about their alleged illegal activities. I would venture, that in their hearts, they justify their actions based on their belief that they only have to treat members of their own religious communities with love and respect. Anyone else was "fair game." Furthermore, the money they were raising from nonbelievers was being put to a "good" use: supporting their yeshivas and other religious institutions. The ends justified the means.

Applying the Torah's commandment to "Love your neighbor as yourself" only to Orthodox Jews is a clear perversion of the Torah's meaning and intent. While many of the Torah's mitzvot apply exclusively to Jews (e.g., wearing a Tallit), many also apply to all human beings (e.g., you shall not murder). Over and over again the Torah states that Adonai is not only the God of Israel, Adonai is the lord of the entire universe.

Rabbi Ben-Yair Hakohein is it writes that the word v'ahavta, you shall love, appears three times in the Torah: 1. "Love your fellow as yourself" (Lev. 19:18), 2. "You shall love him as yourself" (referring to the strangers among you) (Lev. 19:34) and in parashat Ve-etchannan: 3. "You shall love the Lord your God" (Deut. 6:5)

He notes that the obligation to love one's neighbor in the book of Leviticus precedes the obligation to love God in Deuteronomy*. One cannot hate one's neighbor and love God at the same time.

This, he continues, is why the Holy Ari (Rabbi Yitzchak Luria) wrote : "Before praying one must first take upon oneself the mitzvah of "Love your fellow as yourself. You must fill your heart with love of humanity before being worthy of standing before God." (Iturei Torah, Devarim, p. 48)

* In the interest of "full disclosure," Rabbi Ben-Yair Hakohein actually wrote that the obligation to love one's fellow Jew precedes the obligation to love God, but I "adapted" his words!

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

July 24, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Devarim
Judging Neutrality

Dear Friends:

One of the less laudatory traditions of our political system is that of elected officials "rewarding" their friends and supporters with appointments to positions such as ambassador, judge, and other offices. While the appointees may be well qualified, they are not always the most qualified people for that position.

In parashat Devarim Moses tells the Israelites that he instructed those he appointed as judges: "You shall not be partial in judgment: hear out low and high alike. Fear no man, for judgment is God's..." (Deut. 1:17)

From these words Midrash teaches that the words: "You shall not be partial in judgment" even applies to those who appoint judges. Their personal feelings should be left out of the process. Those who appoint judges should not say: "This person is nice, so I will make them a judge" or "That person is a hero, so I will make them a judge" or "That person lent me money, so I will make them a judge" or "That person can speak many languages, so I will make them a judge" - not because they may be evil people, but because they are not experts in the Torah's laws.

So what might we surmise the opinion of the Midrash to be regarding President Obama nominating Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court and the recent Senate confirmation hearings?

I think it is safe to say that Midrash would suggest that those who are appointed to the highest court of our country should not have overt political or social biases, but more important than anything else should be their knowledge of and willingness to apply the law.

This should be the criterion upon which all our judicial nominees and appointees should be judged.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

July 17, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Mattot-Mas'ei
Jews without Judaism

Dear Friends:

Early Wednesday morning I prepared for my monthly class at La Vida Real only to set aside the material once I arrived. A Christian woman who attends the class asked me to explain why some Jews she knows say they do not believe in God. She did not understand how someone could claim to be a Jew and even attend synagogue services, and at the same time declare themselves an atheist. Why would someone belong to or attend a synagogue if they don't believe in God and how do they explain all of the miracles and commandments found in the Hebrew Bible?

The members of my class discussed her questions for the next hour. The answers were complex, but in a nutshell, we told her that while Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people, not all Jews practice Judaism. Many Jews identify as Jews and attend synagogues for reasons other than prayer and worship. Jews also belong to synagogues because of a shared history, culture, heritage, corporate memory, or feelings of responsibility toward other Jews.

Historically synagogues have had three functions. They are: beit knesset, house of assembly, beit midrash, house of study, and beit tefillah, house of prayer. Some Jews participate in synagogues not so much for the latter, but for the former reasons.

I also pointed out that many Jews who claim to be atheists are in fact not atheists. They may reject the image of God as the old bearded man in heaven who passes judgement on those of us below but they do admit to believing in some "Higher Power." "Higher Power" is simply another name for God.

Finally, this student was looking at the Bible literally. Most Jews do not take the Bible literally, that is, as the direct and exact communication of God. We believe it is Divinely Inspired but it is nevertheless the product of human beings and, therefore, subject to interpretation and error.

Even those on the extreme right don't always take the Torah literally such as Genesis' claim that Adam and Even heard the sound of the "Lord God moving about in the garden in the breezy time of the day." (Gen. 3:8) The Bible speaks in metaphor and poetry, not with scientific accuracy.

A traditional commentator noted that the Torah has at least one human mediator: Moses! In Lev. 27:34 the Torah says: "These are the commandments that the Lord gave Moses for the Israelite people on Mount Sinai," but in parashat Masei, the Torah says: "These are the commandments and regulations that the Lord enjoined upon the Israelites, through Moses...." (Num. 36:13)

Why the difference in wording? To teach us that on Mt Sinai while God gave Moses the commandments, the entire nation of Israel was present and experienced God's revelation first hand. However, after the moment of revelation passed, subsequent generations could only come to know the commandments through the teachings of Moses and not through direct knowledge of God.

As I indicated above, the discussion at La Vida Real was broad and far reaching. There was a lot to digest but, minimally, I hope the participants in my class walked away knowing that there are many ways to identify as a Jew and that our obligation as Jews is to continue seeking God's Will in our sacred texts and from the world around us.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

July 10, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Return from Israel:
TIS Tour - San Diego

Dear Friends:

A few days after we returned from Israel I stopped at Jamba Juice for lunch. A lot had changed since I left! In addition to smoothies, Jamba Juice is now selling wraps and sandwiches. I could not help but smile when I looked in the display case at the ingredients for their "Couscous and Produce Salad." The first ingredient was "Israeli Coucous."

I thought about sthe threatened boycott of Trader Joes I shared with you before I left. An anti-Israel group had threatened to pull Israeli products off Trader Joes shelves if they did not stop selling products made in Israel. If this group was true to its ideals it would also boycott Home Depot, Costco, Vons, Ralphs, and now Jamba Juice, all of whom carry Israeli products.

They would have to quit using their computers because Intel does a lot of product development and engineering in Israel. They would also have to stop using instant messenger, cell phones, eating Galia melons, etc., and the list goes on and on. Israel has made innumerable contributions to the world's technology and economy in recent years. Her enemies should consider what they would need to live without if Israel did not exist.

It is hard to believe how much we crammed into our last few days in Israel. Last Friday we woke up early to travel to Masada to see the ruins of Herod's palace and learn the stories of the Jewish zealots' heroic stand off against the Roman Legion. When a Roman victory became clear, the zealots took their own lives rather than fall into the hands of their enemies.

When I was a college student the only way to ascend Masada was by foot along the "snake path." Now there is an ultra modern cable car that takes visitors to the top, but some of our more intrepid families decided to walk down instead.

The next stop was the Dead Sea. We floated in the mineral-filled waters and almost everyone (except yours truly) covered their body in the Dead Sea's therapeutic mud before rinsing off and dipping in the sulphur pool.

After returning to our hotel we went to the Kotel plaza with hundreds of others to welcome Shabbat and held our own Kabbalat Shabbat service before sharing a festive Shabbat Dinner.

The next morning many of us went to local synagogues before Shabbat lunch at the Conservative Movement's Fuchsberg Center. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking, pool side, or sleeping!

Before we left for Israel we had asked all of our travelers to bring small gifts and toiletries to be distributed to needy families, soldiers, and victims of terror. This collection and distribution is one of the mitzvah projects sponsored by the Fuchsberg Center. On Sunday we dropped off our contributions and took a short tour of the center and the Conservative Yeshiva with an old friend, Rabbi Ed Romm.

We stopped at the Menorah in front of Knesset building for a group photo before a somber visit to Yad Vashem and Mt. Herzl, where we paid our respects at the grave of Yonatan Netanyahu, brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who lost his life during Israel's daring rescue at Entebbe airport on July 4, 1976.

That evening we shared many happy memories during our Farewell Dinner. We were exhausted but were revived thinking about all of the things we had experienced together. Everyone said that they can't wait for their next trip to our Jewish Homeland.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

July 3, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Letter from Israel:
TIS Tour - Jerusalem

Dear Friends:

On Thursday morning we celebrated the B'nai Mitzvah of three of our travelers at the "Conservative Kotel" where egalitarian services are permitted. The three young adults were Jordan Jacobson, son of our members Ruth and David Jacobson, and Arielle and Danna Creager, daughters of our long time personal friends, Cherie and Todd Creager. The service was especially meaningful for me as I had married both sets of parents and named all of the kids.

Although the service warranted an especially early "wake up call," we were amply rewarded with celebrating together at this special place. Before us was not only the continuation of the western wall of the Temple Mount, but the blocks the Romans had thrown to the ground when they destroyed the Temple itself in 70 C.E. The Romans are long gone but we have returned to our holy land and once again celebrate at our holy sites.

After the B'nai Mitzvah service we toured the underground "Rabbis' Tunnel" that follows the continuation of the western wall of the Temple Mount, prayed and left notes at the Kotel, and visited the Jewish Quarter of the Old City.

Previously, on Monday, we left Haifa to visit the Crusader Fortress at Akko, walked through the shuk (open air market), and along the the sea walls of Akko's small harbor.

One of our travelers, Jacob Bercovitz, grew up in Akko and it seems as if every other person he ran into recognized him from childhood! Jacob also showed us the home he had grown up in, just a couple of blocks from the beach, and shared his memories with us.

Afterwards we continued up to the natural grottos of Rosh Hanikra before making our way to Kibbutz Hagoshrim for a delicious dinner and well deserved rest after a long day.

On Tuesday we traveled to the sacred city of Tzfat, visited its ancient Kabbalistic synagogues and toured its shops and artist colony. Everyone especially loved stopping at the famed Tzfat Candle Factory, whose brightly colored Havdallah and Chanukah candles most of us recognize.

From Tzfat we went to the Golan Heights and after an inspiring visit at the Golan Heights Winery we made our way up onto the Heights themselves. From one of Israel's active bunkers we saw the borders of Israel with Lebanon and Syria. It was surprising to some to recognized how truly small this country is and the dangers it is constantly exposed to from its hostile neighbors.

We ended the day with rafting down the Jordan, which many are surprised to learn is more a stream than a mighty river. It was a leisurely float instead of white water rapids, but a good time was had by all. Unfortunately, no one had a waterproof camera so we have no embarrassing pictures to share.

Wednesday we saw a synagogue from the Byzantine period that surprised not only us, but also archeologists and scholars when it was uncovered. It included not only Jewish symbols, such as a Shofar, but a zodiac and pagan images as well. These images raise many questions about Jews co-opting symbols from other cultures and how they understood them in relationship to our own.

We also planted trees to help rebuild the land. Some of our travelers tried to mark the spot in hopes of finding them when they return!

We traveled down the country visiting ancient Roman city of Scyhtopolis at modern day Beit Shean before ascending to Jerusalem. We raised our glasses for a l'chaim and shehechiyanu as we took our first look at the magnificent view of old and new Jerusalem from the Haas Promenade.

Today (Friday), we begin the day early in the morning again as we leave for Masada and a leisurely float in the Dead Sea. It will be a inspirational, fun-filled, and exhausting day. In the past everyone has fallen asleep on the ride back to Jerusalem and we expect the same today.

Tonight we visit the Kotel to welcome Shabbat and see the thousands who gather there to do the same, followed by a Shabbat dinner and a well deserved day of rest before the last day of our tour.

The next time I write it will be from San Diego. I look forward to
seeing you when we return. In the meantime, please keep Israel in your hearts, thoughts, actions, and prayers.

Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA

June 26, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Letter from Israel:
TIS Tour - Tel Aviv

Dear Friends:

Although my home in San Diego has lovely views they do not compare to looking out the window and seeing the beaches of Tel Aviv kissing the Mediterranean Ocean! Breathing the fresh sea air was a wonderful way to begin our second full day in Israel.

Our group of 29 travelers arrived late Wednesday afternoon. We had just enough time to freshen up before walking to Maganda, one of my favorite restaurants. Maganda is owned by a Yemenite Jew whose great-grandfather many years ago opened a small kiosk in the same neighborhood to serve the needs of early immigrants. As in many traditional Mizrachi (Middle Eastern) restaurants, the feast began with never ending plates of salads followed by Moroccan "cigars" (meat stuffed tubular pastries), felafel, kabob, grilled pieces of chicken on skewers, watermelon, baklava, and mint tea. No one left hungry.

On Thursday we visited the "Ayalon Institute." Anticipating the upcoming war of Independence, the leaders of the Haganah (the precursor to today's Israel Defense Force) had sufficient weapons but little ammunition. They secretly imported vintage bullet manufacturing equipment from Poland and built an underground munitions factory on a kibbutz right under the nose of the British. They disguised the opening to the underground factory by placing it under a huge commercial washing machine that slid aside to reveal the entrance.

Manufacturing ammunition was extremely dangerous work. Not only was the process inherently dangerous but so was the potential for discovery by the British. Nevertheless, in the three years before the 1948 War of Independence this small factory managed to turn out two and one half million bullets.

Switching gears and going back centuries, we continued to Tel Maresha at Beit Guvrin. A tel is a hill that was constructed by new civilizations building on top of older ones. Tel Maresha is an active archeological site in which amateurs are invited to participate. We climbed down to hollowed out caves which were used as storage shelters by the inhabitants above. We dug into the soft dirt to expose pottery shards, animal bones, and other remains.

These "finds," which go back to the time of the Maccabees, will later be cleaned, recorded, and catalogued by professional archeologists who are attempting to learn more above the history and culture of Tel Maresha's former inhabitants.

Today (Friday) we woke up early to visit the Palmach Museum, Kikar Rabin, to say a prayer for the fallen prime minister, and the home of Yossi Lugasi, a unique self trained mosaic artist.  We ended our formal day of touring at Nachalat Binyamin, Tel Aviv's famous outdoor arts and crafts market. On Fridays the area known as Nachalat Binyamin is sealed off to vehicular traffic and turned into a giant market place.

Hundreds of vendors line the street and sell everything from jewelry to pottery to stained glass.  Religious and nonreligious themes are equally represented and the street is filled with people buying their last minute gifts before Shabbat arrives.

This evening we will have our own version of "Pray at the Beach" as we walk across the street to hold informal Kabbalat Shabbat services on the shore of the Mediterranean. We will join for kiddush, motzi, and a festive Shabbat meal before entering a much needed day of rest.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

June 19, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Shelach Lecha
A Journey of Ascents

Dear Friends:

I had planned to write about the Jewish Theological Seminary's conference about the "Mitzvah Initiative" that I attended this week, but since we are leaving for Israel on Tuesday I will leave that for a future date.

This week's parasha, Shelach Lecha, helps set the stage for our congregational tour which has twenty-nine participants! In Shelach Lecha Moses sends out twelve scouts to tour Eretz Yisrael in preparation for the Israelite conquest. All of the scouts agree that Israel is an eretz zevat chalav u'dvash, a land flowing with milk and honey, but ten of the scouts say the land is unconquerable. Only two of the scouts, Joshua and Caleb, have sufficient faith in God to affirm, "Let us by all means go up, and we shall gain possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it." (Nub. 13:30)

When the Torah speaks of the spies entering Eretz Yisrael it does not use the word "travel" or "walk" but instead verb oleh, which means to "go up." It is the same word we use when we call someone to the Torah; we say they have an aliyah, literally, a "going up."

Although we use the same word, aliyah, to refer immigration to Israel, as our Torah commentary Etz Chaim points out: "No matter where one comes from, going to Israel is referred to as aliyah, 'going up.'" In reference to the scouts Etz Chaim adds: "They went up-not only geographically but to a higher spiritual level."

As we tour Israel this summer I am confident that all of our travelers will share similar spiritual journeys. It is only after experiencing Israel in person that one understands its unique place in the history, psyche, and heart of the Jewish People.

As the poet Yitzhak Yasinowitz expressed it in his poem "To Jerusalem":

I look forward to sharing our travels with you over the next two weeks. We will bring your prayers of blessing, prosperity, and peace with us.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA

June 12, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Naso
Lighting up your Life

Dear Friends:

After God tells Moshe to tell Aaron how to set up the seven branched Menorah (Lampstand) in the Mishkan, the Torah continues:

"Aaron did so; he mounted the lamps at the front of the Lampstand, as the LORD had commanded Moses."

The medieval commentator Rashi explains that with these words the Torah commends Aaron for doing exactly as God had instructed.

Rabbi Mordechai Katz was puzzled by Rashi's comment. Why would the Torah praise Aaron for doing exactly as God had commanded? Aaron was the Kohen Gadol and a God-fearing Jew. Who would have expected him to do anything else?!

Rabbi Katz explains that when human beings begin long, difficult, and challenging tasks they often do so with excitement, enthusiasm, and fervor. However, as time goes on, people get tired or bored and their enthusiasm and commitment waiver.

What at first was a delight may become a burden.
Aaron, the High Priest, was different. Even though the Menorah had to be lit each evening at exactly the same time and in exactly the same way, Aaron was never bored. His devotion never wavered. He approached this mitzvah each day as if it were something completely new, novel, and exciting. When Aaron lit the Menorah he was filled with joy, reverence, and the love of God.

From our own experiences we understand the truth of Rabbi Katz's words. It is very difficult to retain our enthusiasm for something we do all of the time. There is even a phrase that has been coined for people who get tired of doing their jobs or tasks. We say they are "burned out." They not only cannot sustain the initial excitement and enthusiasm they once had, but over time they become bored and frustrated.

We all know many Jews who have become "burned out" on Judaism. They think that Judaism is just one big drag. They don't see the need to study Torah and Mitzvot. Because they do not understand Judaism as serving a higher spiritual and human purpose, they find it dull, superficial, and redundant.

But if we see what we study and practice as serving a higher purpose, as serving God and humanity, we can approach our tradition with wonder and excitement each day. When we do a Mitzvah we not only walk in God's ways but help God bring about Tikun Ha-Olam, the perfection of the world. When we study Torah, we bring heaven closer to earth. We keep not only Judaism but our daily lives fresh when we understand that everything we do has eternal significance.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

June 5, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Naso

Peace Begins at Home

Dear Friends:

Parashat Naso contains one of the most beautiful blessings in the Torah: Birkat Kohanim:

"May Adonai bless you and protect you!
May Adonai deal kindly and graciously with you!
May Adonai bestow favor upon you and grant you peace!"

This three-fold blessing is used on many special occasions, but never more often than on Fridays evenings when parents bless their children before Kiddush.

Midrash Rabbah on the book of Numbers says that the last verse of the blessing, the blessing of peace, is a three-fold blessing in and of itself: "Peace when you enter, peace when you depart, peace with every human being." (Midrash Rabbah Chapter 11).

The Ketav Sofer (Rabbi Abraham Samuel Benjamin Sofer, 1815-1871) wrote that it is possible to understand Midrash Rabbah in light of the Talmud. The Talmud says there are three types of peace: "The one who dreams of a dish sees peace. The one who dreams of a river sees peace. The one who dreams of a bird sees peace." (T.B. Berachot, Perek Haroeh)

The Talmud tells us that there are three types of peace: household peace, national peace, and international peace.

The dish is a symbol of household peace because everyone in the home serves themselves from the same dish. The river is a symbol of national peace because rivers travel through countries but not the entire world. A bird, however, can fly all over the world and therefore symbolizes international peace.

Midrash Rabbah alludes to these three types of peace: "Peace when you enter" - this is household peace. "Peace when you depart" - this is national peace. "Peace with every human being" - this is international peace.

I would like to add an additional lesson that we can learn from our sages: peace is not only a goal but a process. When we strive for peace the place to begin is in our homes and then our country. Only after we accomplish these goals should we turn our attention to the rest of the world.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

May 22, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Bamidbar

Friday Night's Really Big Shewbread

Dear Friends:

During morning minyan Sol Minsberg said to me, "Just think how organized those Israelites had to be! Can you imagine how difficult coordinating over 600,000 people must have been?"

Sol was referring to Thursday morning's Torah reading. The book of Bamidbar (Numbers) begins with a census of the Israelites and then goes on to elaborately describe the logistics of their encampment in the Sinai dessert. The parasha also depicts how they broke camp and the assignments of Kohanim and Levi'im in transporting the Mishkan and its sacred objects and furnishings.

Although not completely analogous, one sees a similar type of ritual geography and choreography when we remove and return the Torah to the Ark. Everyone on the Bimah and in the congregation knows exactly what to do as the Ark doors open, the Torah is removed, and presented before and paraded through the congregation. (I have strong memories of how jolted we were when, during a Bar Mitzvah, family members came up to open the Ark only to discover it was still locked!)

I remarked to Sol that it is a good thing that the Israelites were better organized and unified than the Jewish community today! If the Israelites had been as disjointed and polarized as Jews today, we would still be wandering in the desert!

Many people have suggested that the economic downturn may provide blessings as well as curses for businesses and institutions. The challenge may compel them to review their missions and goals, and become more responsible, responsive, and accountable.

Perhaps the challenge of fewer donations and less capital will also inspire Jewish institutions to do the same. Perhaps we will be inspired and motivated to eliminate some of the duplications of services that exist and to work more cooperatively with each other.

By working together our Israelite ancestors were able to withstand the challenges of their forty year desert sojourn. By working together today, not only will the Jewish community survive these difficult times, but benefit from them.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

May 15, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Behar-Bechukotai

What Does Judaism Say About Slavery?

Dear Friends:

Although ongoing adult learning is incumbent upon all Jews, in today's society long working hours makes it difficult to find time to study. For this reason I am considering teaching a midweek off-site monthly class as part of our Rabbi Aaron S. Gold Adult Education Institute.

To help me better plan for this class I am asking anyone who is interested to take a survey to help me clarify the best time, location, and subject matter for the class. The survey is for data gathering purposes only. Responding does not obligate you to attend the class.

If you would like to take the survey now, please click here.

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During Thursday's morning minyan Norm Katz commented that some of this week's Torah portion, Behar-Bechukotai, made him very uncomfortable. This week's Torah portion discusses and sanctions the institution of slavery. While an Eved Ivri, an Israelite slave was more an indentured servant than the chattel of his master and had to be freed after working for a specified number of years, non-Israelite slaves were the property of their owners in perpetuity.

In our time slavery is considered an unspeakable evil and we may well be horrified by the Torah's sanctioning of it. However, we must remember that while the Torah is divinely inspired, its composition is human and reflects the mores of its time. In the days the Torah was written slavery was considered not only lawful, but moral. However, that was well over 2,000 years ago. Our thoughts about slavery have changed since than.

When reflecting on Judaism's attitude towards slavery we would do well to keep in mind that in 1776 Thomas Jefferson wrote in the United States Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

Yet despite these words, slavery was permitted in the new American nation and  Jefferson himself owned slaves. Slavery was only abolished in 1865 with the adoption of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. constitution. Slavery was still legal in the United States less than 150 years ago. We have all grown since then.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

May 8, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Emor

Friday Night's Really Big Shewbread

Dear Friends:

On Shabbat it is customary to say motzi over two challot. Several reasons have been given for this practice. Some say it is in remembrance of the double portion of manna that God gave the Israelites every Friday so that they would not have to gather food on Shabbat. Others suggest that each challah corresponds to one of the two verbs used to describe our obligations toward Shabbat in the Ten Commandments as found in their two different iterations in the Torah. In Exodus 20:8 the Torah says "Remember (zachor) the Sabbath day and keep it holy and in Deuteronomy 5:13 we read: "Observe (shamor) the Sabbath day and keep it holy."

Some moderns suggest that the reason we have two loaves of challah on Shabbat is because we eat a large meal which requires a lot of bread!

It is the custom of some Chassidic families to begin their Shabbat meals with twelve loaves of bread. Although one might be tempted to think it is because they usually have large numbers of children, their tradition goes directly back to the Torah's description of the offerings placed in the Mishkan (traveling Tent of worship) and Jerusalem Temple every Shabbat.

"You shall take choice flour and bake of it twelve loaves...Place them on the pure table before the Lord in two rows, six to a row... He shall arrange them before the Lord regularly every Sabbath day... They shall belong to Aaron and his sons, who shall eat them in the sacred precinct...." (Lev. 24:5-9)

In some older translations this offering was called "shewbread" which is one way to translate the Hebrew lechem hapanim, literally "the bread of the face." Some translators suggest that it is better called "the bread of the presence" since it was to be constantly in God's presence.

The twelve loaves of the lechem hapanim were displayed in two rows on top of a special table fashioned exclusively for their display in the Mishkan and Temple. The loaves were unleavened, like matza, and frankincense was poured on them. They would be left on the table for the entire week and replaced with fresh loaves on Shabbat. The Kohanim (Priests) ate the older loaves in a "holy place."

In Leviticus these loaves are called  challot. Today we use the word challah to specify the especially fine and braided loaves of egg bread we eat on Shabbat and holidays.  

Every Friday morning the delicious aroma of freshly baked challah fills our Silverman Preschool office. They are delivered in the early morning by The Place, San Diego's only Kosher market and restaurant. Preschool parents and synagogue members who have placed orders in advance pick them up for their Shabbat table. I am pleased to see that so many of our families honor Shabbat in this way. Saying motzi over fresh challah every Friday night is an easy way to introduce Shabbat customs and observance into one's life.

Some may think that the custom of lechem mishne, two loaves of Shabbat challah, is extravagant and potentially wasteful since many families will not be able to finish both loaves.

However, I have it on excellent authority that not only do the leftovers freeze well, they also make excellent french toast!

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

May 1, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Acharei Mot - Kedoshim
The Righteous of all Nations

Dear Friends:

On Wednesday afternoon I had my annual visit from students studying at Christian High School in El Cajon. I gave them a tour of our sanctuary, showed them the Torah, explained our rituals, and answered their questions.

One of the most difficult things for these students to grasp is that Judaism does not have a definitive view on the afterlife. There is, however, is a definite view on hell. Jews do not believe in eternal damnation. Some sources suggest that there is a purgatory where people suffer after death to make up for their sins, with rare exception, they go to heaven after no more than one year. But when it comes to heaven and questions about the afterlife in general, there are many theories that Jews can accept or reject.

When the students asked me what I thought would happen to me after I died I replied that I did not know and it did not concern me. My concern was this world. I would leave it to God to take care of anything that comes afterwards.

"Then why," they pressed me, "should you observe all of the commandments in the Torah if you will not be rewarded?"

"I follow the Torah," I replied, "because it reflects the will of God and following God's will is reward enough for me. Furthermore, following the Torah helps me become not only a godlier, but a better human being."

I was glad when the class' teacher added that Christians believe the same. Christians should also walk in God's footsteps to bring themselves closer to God and closer to humanity rather than to earn a place in heaven.

One of the sharpest divisions between Judaism and Christianity, however, is the question of salvation. Whereas these Evangelical Christian students believe that only people who believe that Jesus died for their sins will get into heaven, Judaism believes that "the righteous of all nations have a share in the world to come." We do not believe that one has to be Jewish to be acceptable to God. We instead believe that one has to act in a Godly manner to please God.

This open and pluralistic understanding of Judaism's acceptance of others is not a function of modernity, but rather can be found far back in Jewish tradition.

In Parashat Acharei Mot God told the Israelites: "You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which man shall life: I am the Lord." (Lev. 18:5)

Rabbi Meir said: "How do we know that a non-Jew who studies Torah is deemed of equal status to the Kohen Gadol (High Priest)? Because the Torah says: 'You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which man shall live...' The Torah does not specify Kohanim, Levi'im (Levites) and Yisraelim (other Israelites) but rather it says "man." From this we learn that a non-Jew who studies Torah is deemed of equal status to the High Priest."

Thus we see that even the sages of Israel were more concerned with non-Jews following God's laws and rules rather than with their ethnic origins or personal beliefs. As long as non-Jews act in open, loving, tolerant, and generous ways, we believe they are doing God's will.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

April 24, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Tazria-Metzora
When Help is Needed

Dear Friends:

Rabbi Mordechai of Pitatshuv was a student of the renown Seer of Lublin (Rabbi Yakov Yitzchak of Lublin, 1745-July 15, 1815). Rabbi Mordechai was very poor. He had three daughters who had not married because he could not provide their dowries or their weddings.

Every few weeks Rabbi Mordechai would travel to Lublin to see his mentor, the holy Seer. Every time he left home his wife urged him to tell the great tzaddik about their problems and ask for his blessing and advice. However, as soon as Rabbi Mordechai entered the Seer's presence he would forget about his material needs and never asked for the rabbi's help.

After several years his wife grew frustrated and decided that she, too, would travel to Lublin. She did not tell her husband that she was going and arrived before he did. When Rabbi Mordechai saw his wife standing in the Seer's home he immediately knew why she had come. He told his Rebbe about his family's financial straits.

The Seer was surprised. "Why have you waited until now to tell me?" he asked.

Rabbi Mordechai answered: "I didn't say anything because I thought that you, who is such a great rabbi, would know about my situation through ruach hakodesh (Divine inspiration)."

"No,"replied the Seer. "Let's study what the Torah says about personal (spiritual) afflictions (Heb: negah): 'When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling...and it develops into a scaly affliction (negah) on the skin...it shall be reported to Aaron the priest....' (Lev. 13:2-3) What this means is that when a person has a spiritual affliction (negah) he comes before the priest, and the priest on his own is able to see the problem. The sufferer does not have to say a word.

"However, about scaly afflictions (negah) found in his home the Torah says: 'the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, "Something like a plague has appeared on my house."' (Lev. 14:35) That is, when it comes to material afflictions or needs the priest cannot recognize them on his own, but needs to be informed by the bearer. You should have told me what you needed and not made me guess!"

We are living through difficult times. Synagogue boards knows that many members who were once financially secure now worry about their future. They also know that full synagogue dues are beyond the capacity of some. However, congregational officers are not blessed with ruach hakodesh and are unable to guess who is especially afflicted by the downturn.

If you need help in meeting your congregational obligations, please come forward and inform the appropriate officers. Don't just abandon the congregation. Just as  synagogues expect their members to take care of its institutional needs, so do synagogues need to take of their members, especially in challenging times.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

April 17, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Shemini
Tears in Heaven

Dear Friends:

We have all heard the expression: "You are what you eat." Many people like to apply it to the prohibition of Jews eating pork: if you eat a pig, you will act like a pig! But what, exactly, is "acting like a pig?"

People usually think of pigs as being big, sloppy, ill mannered creatures who roll in the mud and snort all day. In reality, pigs are highly intelligent and social creatures. Being told that one is acting like a pig may be more of a compliment than an insult!

Jewish tradition, however, has a different view of piggish behavior. Rabbis see the pig not as a model of slovenliness but rather selfishness. When one is greedy, miserly, or selfish, one is acting like a pig. How do the rabbis arrive at this conclusion? From the Torah's evaluation of the pig meeting the two necessary characteristics of Kosher animals. To be Kosher an animal must have split hooves and chew its cud. This is why cows are Kosher animals. However, the lack of either or both of these characteristics renders an animal treif. What does the Torah say about the pig? Since the pig has split hooves but does not  chew its cud it is not Kosher.

Rabbi Emanuel of Rome explains why the pig is the paradigm of selfishness: "A miser is comparable to a pig. How so?  While the pig can walk on its hooves it does not give out a geirah to tzedakah (the Hebrew word geirah can either mean cud or a certain type of coin). So, too, a miser goes his own self-centered way without paying attention to those in need.

Rabbi Meir of Kosov once traveled to Kolmai to visit his uncle who was very wealthy and very miserly. Rabbi Meir's uncle was knowledgeable and scholarly. He sat and studied Torah all day, yet refused every opportunity to give tzedakah.

Rabbi Meir said to him: "Since you are so knowledgeable I would like to teach you some Talmud. The Talmud says that God weeps daily for one who cannot afford to study Torah but does so anyway, as well as for the one who can afford to study Torah but does not. (T.B. Chagigah 5b)

"The following question was raised about this passage: it is clear why God cries about the person who is able to study Torah and does not, but why would God cry about the person who is not able to study Torah and does? Shouldn't God rejoice at such dedication?

"Of course God does, so this is what the Talmud really means: when it describes the person who is not afford to study Torah but does it is referring to a wealthy person who is not able to study Torah because he spends all of his time making and hoarding money rather than using some of his time to distribute tzedakah to the poor. When this kind of person does manage to find some time to study, it is not for the purpose of studying Torah for its own sake, but rather as an excuse for not giving tzedakah and performing good deeds. This is the kind of person over whom God weeps."

While the story does not say, we can assume that his uncle understood Rabbi Meir and changed his behavior.

This story reminds me of another passage from the Talmud in which the rabbis were arguing about which was more important: the study of Torah or the performance of good deeds? They concluded that Torah study is more important, but only because it will lead to the doing of good deeds.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

April 3, 2009 Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Tzav-Shabbat HaGadol
Here Comes the Sun

Dear Friends:

As has been well documented and often observed, I am not a morning person. This coming Wednesday, however, I have no choice but to greet the dawning of the new day with eager anticipation. In addition to being Erev Pesach, the morning of the Passover Seder, it is also the day upon which the sun is in exactly the same position it was when God created the world.

How do we know? We have to trust an extremely complicated mathematical formula that was developed by the Rabbis around 2,000 years ago. According to rabbinic calculation, on Wednesday we complete the 206th twenty-eight year solar cycle since creation and begin the 207th. This momentous event calls for...not a celebration...but, a bracha, a blessing. The ritual is called Birkat HaChamah, the "blessing of the sun."

On Wednesday morning we are supposed to wake up early and greet the rising sun with the words: "Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe who makes the Act of Creation." Fortunately for me, if one is "detained," one has until noon to say the bracha. Here at the synagogue we will gather outside the Goodman Chapel at 7:30 a.m., right before morning minyan, to pronounce the bracha. You are invited to join us.

If one reads the bracha above carefully one notes that the blessing does not thank God who made (past tense) the Act of Creation, but rather who makes (present tense) the Act of Creation. Similarly, in the weekday morning service we pray to God: "In your goodness, day after day You renew creation."

Jews do not believe that creation was a one time unchanging event, but is an ongoing process. As Rabbi Reuven Hammer writes in "Or Hadash," the commentary on the daily siddur: "...this affirms that creation is ongoing. The universe evolves and it is the power of God that sustains and renews it daily." (Or Hadash, p. 30)

We do not live in a static world. Every day brings biological evolution and geological change. God did not create the world and walk away. God breathes new life into it each day. Being mindful of this should not only help us become more grateful for all the blessings we enjoy, but of our responsibility to sustain and enhance the world that God created as well.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

March 27, 2009: Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Vayikra
Hearing Voices

Dear Friends:

The Talmud teaches that, after the destruction of the Temple, revelation was taken from the prophets and given to children and fools. Jews do not believe that God talks directly to any human being. If Jews want to know what God "thinks" about any given subject today, we turn to our holy books and religious authorities for answers.

In the Torah, however, several conversations between God and human beings are recorded. For example, the Torah says that when Moses entered the Mishkan: "The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another...." (Ex. 33:11)

This verse raises at least two difficulties. First, if God spoke to Moses "as one man speaks to another," why didn't the Israelites also hear what God was saying? Why did they need Moses to pass God's word onto them? Second, how is it possible for God to "speak" to Moses when speaking is a human activity? Isn't the Torah anthropomorphizing God?

There are those commentators who answer the first question by claiming that, while Moses clearly heard God's voice inside the Mishkan, the sound did not extend beyond its borders. That's why the Israelites couldn't eavesdrop! However, one commentator basing himself on Rashi solves both problems in one fell swoop: "God's voice would be heard by Moses but the Israelites would not hear (Rashi) because the voice came to him in the "world of thought" and not through vocalized speech." (Beshem Amru, Vayikra, p.1) In other words, Moses did not hear God "as one man speaks to another" but in his own mind. Moses perceived God's voice. He did not actually hear it.

But the solution to one problem raises another: If Moses only heard God in his head, did Moses really hear God or was the divine voice in his head a figment of his imagination? For that matter, how is anyone to judge whether people who say that God speaks to them are especially receptive to revelation or emotionally disturbed?

It is because it is impossible to distinguish between genuine revelation and hallucination that our tradition teaches that God needed a more effective way to communicate with humans than to communicate directly with them. Jews do not rely on heavenly voices, but rather seek God's will in the Torah and the process of interpretation which informs it.

Is it a perfect system in which it is always clear what God wants us to do? No, but it is preferable to having to decide whether someone who speaks in God's name is a true or false prophet.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

March 20, 2009: Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei-HaChodesh
Some Timely Advice

Dear Friends:

Pesach is celebrated in the month of Nisan, which begins on Thursday. While it is customary to announce the upcoming Rosh Chosdesh (new month) in the synagogue on the preceding Shabbat, the month of Nisan receives special acknowledgment. On the Shabbat before Nisan we read a special maftir which contains the instructions to the Israelites to select their lamb for the Passover offering on the tenth of the month and protect it from harm until it is offered at the beginning of the festival on the evening of fourteenth of the month.

Our maftir begins: "The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you." (Ex. 12:1-2) As I have noted before, the Biblical calendaring system is different from the Jewish calendar we use today, which was adopted in Babylonia. The Biblical calendar year begins in the spring (with Pesach) while our current Jewish calendar year begins in the fall (with Rosh Hashana.) That is one reason why the Torah says: "This month [the month of Passover] shall mark for you the beginning of the months."

The commentators Bekhor Shor and Sforno, however, suggest that we understand this verse not as referring to our place in time but to our spiritual existence. Up until the exodus the Israelites' lives were not their own, but subject to the needs and whims of their taskmasters. When God took them out of Egypt, the month of Nisan marked for them the beginning of their freedom (Bekhor Shor). Sforno adds: "While you were enslaved your days were not your own; now the months shall be 'for you.'

A very common complaint I hear today is that people feel that their "time is not their own." They have so many commitments and obligations that they feel torn apart, frustrated, and exhausted. It is if someone else owns their lives.

The Torah reminds us that we can only be free when we control our time rather than time controlling us. That is one reason that Shabbat is not only an important day. It is the one day of the week when we do not permit ourselves the luxury of turning away from those things which control our lives, and allow ourselves the time to rest, relax, study, feast, and enjoy the company of those we love.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

March 12, 2009: Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Ki Tisa-Parah
The Red Heifer

Dear Friends:

Not long after our hearing has returned to normal (having survived the din of Purim!) do our thoughts turn to the upcoming festival of Pesach. This Shabbat we read parashat Parah, the rite of the Red Heifer, as the maftir portion of the weekly reading Ki Tisa.

When the Temple was in existence, the Red Heifer, a cow with perfectly non-blemished red hair, was sacrificed and used in purification rites. If someone became ritually impure through contact with a dead body, the ashes of the Red Heifer mixed in water was sprinkled over them as part of the purification process. We read of the rite before the month of Nisan to remind us that only the ritually pure could eat the special Passover offering during the holiday.

After the destruction of the Temple the rite of the Red Heifer halted. Not only did all animal sacrifices cease but so did the practical applications of most laws of tumah and tahara, ritual impurity and purity. For example, since the Passover lamb was not longer slaughtered and consumed, there was no need for ritual purification before Pesach.

Some of the laws of tumah and tahara not connected to the sacrificial system are still observed (at least by some Jews!). One example is a Cohen being forbidden to come in contact with the dead and therefore is prohibited from visiting cemeteries (with some exceptions). Another example is a woman being in a state of ritual impurity during her monthly period and after giving birth. She becomes ritually pure again, and thus permitted to resume sexual relations with her husband, only after visiting a mikva (ritual bath).

The categories of tumah and tahara are very difficult for moderns to understand. They have nothing to do with "dirty" and "clean" but rather with states of physicality which are acceptable and not acceptable to God. In broad strokes, contact with those things which have to do with death (i.e., dead bodies, menstrual blood, venereal emissions, certain molds, rot and spoilage) make one ritually impure. One becomes ritually pure again by going through certain cleansing rites, primary of which is immersion in a mikva.

Even those Jews who do not follow the laws of tumah and tahara today do so at least one time a year: at their Passover sedarim. Jews are supposed to dine in a state of at least symbolic ritual purity. Thus, traditional Jews ritually wash their hands before eating bread and say the blessing: "Praised are You Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who shows us the way of holiness through mitzvot, and commands us to wash (literally: "raise up") our hands. You may have noticed or participated in this ritual before communal meals at the synagogue where we customarily set up "hand washing stations." At the Passover seder we all (not just the leader!) wash our hands twice: without the above blessing before we eat the karpas (the green vegetable) and with the blessing before we eat the matza.

Admittedly, the laws of tumah and tahara are foreign to most Jews today. However, as with all mitzvot, what is not meaningful today may become central to one's life tomorrow. For example, in the synagogue I see more and more people lining up to ritually wash their hands before saying motzi at communal meals. I will even go so far as to predict that once San Diego's communal mikva is built, traditional and liberal Jews may find new relevancy in the traditions of taharat hamishpacha, family purity.

Today, reading about the Red Heifer reminds us that Passover is fast approaching (as if we didn't know!), but it also reminds us that not all Jewish rituals have rationales which we understand.

Nevertheless, that should not stop us from incorporating them into our lives and finding new ways for them to speak to us.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego CA 92119
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

March 6, 2009: Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Vatezaveh-Shabbat Zachor
Bad Things do Happen to Good People

Dear Friends:

For several weeks my Basic Judaism students have been involved in heated theological discussions about the existence of God and the nature of evil. The basic problem: if God is all good and all powerful, then why does evil exist? Or, as Rabbi Harold Kushner asked in his well known book on the subject: "Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?"

One response that I unequivocally reject is that the pain and suffering that people experience in life is punishment from God for their bad behavior. This is the theology of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel and the current spiritual leader of the Shas party. Rabbi Yosef once announced on Israel radio that the Shoah (Holocaust) was God's punishment for the sins of the secularized Jews of Europe.

Although condemned by many other rabbis, including Orthodox rabbis, Rabbi Yosef was not innovating, but rather reiterating a well established Jewish approach to evil: bad things happen to good people to punish them for their sins.

Many years before the Shoah the Ketav Sofer (Abraham Samuel Benjamin Schreiber of Pressburg, 1815-1879) gave the same response in commenting on this week's special maftir, Zachor. On the Shabbat before Purim we read the Torah's account of the tribe of  Amalek's attack on the Israelites in the desert. Amalek attacked Israel from the rear, assaulting the weakest and weariest members of the people first. Haman is a descendant of Amalek, and his death is seen by our tradition as retribution for the vicious attack of his ancestors, as well as his own misdeeds.

The Ketav Sofer asks the theological question, which he says is well known: "Why were Pharaoh, Amalek, Haman, etc., punished? How could they be held responsible for their actions? Weren't they all agents of God sent to punish the Israelites for their transgressions?"
His answer? Although they were agents of God, they were motivated by their own desire to attack Jews. Here is how he parses Deuteronomy 25:17-19:

"Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt-how, undeterred by God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear....you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heaven. Do not forget!"

(The Ketav Sofer's following interpretations are in bold)

"Remember what Amalek did to you..." even though "you were famished and weary and [you, the Israelites] did not fear God" and therefore were deserving of Divine punishment, despite this "you shall blot out the memory of Amalek"  what he intended to do you, that he wanted to cause you harm. What you should not forget (i.e., remember) is that even when you battle Amalek today you should not do it out of anger and vengeance but rather to fulfill the will of God.

In this rather convoluted way, the Ketav Sofer was teaching that a) the Israelites were attacked by Amalek as punishment for their sins, and b) everything that happens is the will of God, and that human feelings and emotions should be sublimated to doing God's will.

Needless to say, I have a problem with both of his conclusions! I do not believe in a God who punishes people for their bad behavior through illness, pain, or death. I also do not believe that is possible to completely sublimate human emotion and personality in taking any action, including the performance of mitzvot. I believe that God recognizes our humanity and makes allowances for our failures, shortcomings, and feelings. I find such beliefs masochistic and "blame the victims" for their suffering.

How, then, does one adequately explain the existence of pain and suffering in the world in the presence of an all-powerful and all-good God? Unfortunately, at this point in my life, I cannot. I am still searching for an adequate theological response. But I know what I do not believe, which includes claiming to know what is in God's Mind.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

January 30, 2009: Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Bo
Empty Symbols

Dear Friends:

In preparation for the Exodus from Egypt, Moses tells the Israelites how to explain the Passover rituals and the miraculous events to future generations:

"And when your children ask you, 'What do you mean by this rite?' you shall say, 'It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord, because he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when he smote the Egyptians, but saved our houses." (Ex. 12:26-27)

The Mechilta, one of the classic collections of midrashim, explains that the verses above can be interpreted positively or negatively. Affirmatively, the Torah could be reassuring the Israelites that there would be future generations asking about and celebrating the Passover. Conversely, it could be predicting that, in the future, even as basic and formative event as the Passover would be forgotten and require explanation.

The commentator Raiyonot Hadrosh incorporates both perspectives into his comments. He writes that during their years of exile and wandering, Jews may forget the Torah and its meaning and significance to our people  However, they may still observe the most well known Jewish rituals, such as the Passover Seder, without
knowing what they are about.

Even if Jews fall to such a sorrowful state, says Raiyonot Hadrosh, we can still find hope for the future. As long as Jews continue to preserve even small elements of Jewish religion and culture, it will be refutation to our enemies, such as Pharaoh and Hitler, who wanted to destroy us. (Meorah shel Torah, Shemot, p. 44)

I humbly beg to differ with this commentator's conclusion. Jewish form independent of Jewish substance is not meaningful nor a guarantee of a Jewish future. There are abundant stories of devout Catholic women of Spanish descent who light candles on Friday nights without knowing that their rite is a remnant of the celebration of Shabbat in their families. There are countless families who light candles on Chanukah without saying the blessings or telling the story, or who come together on Passover for an elaborate family dinner but do not read the Haggadah or recount the Exodus.

While these individuals and families retain Jewish forms, the forms are bereft of Jewish meaning. Their rituals contain no narrative from which to derive hope and meaning for one's life and future, nor expression of yearning or hope for a better world.  Statistically we know that there is scant hope that these remnants of Jewish life will be appreciated and preserved by future generations.

The future of our Judaism, the Jewish People, and Israel does not lie in those who preserve Jewish form but not content. Our future lies in those who infuse their lives with knowledge, and whose celebration of Jewish holidays and rituals reflect their love and understanding of Torah. As the Midrash teaches, if the Torah becomes an empty vessel we have only ourselves to blame.

I leave for the International Rabbinical Assembly Convention in Israel next week. I look forward to emailing you from Jerusalem!

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA

January 23, 2009: Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Vaera
"Defiance"

Dear Friends:
About a month ago I received a package of educational material based on the recently released movie "Defiance."  According to the lesson plan, "Defiance is the epic tale of three brothers-Tuvia, Zus, and Asael Bielski-who risked their lives and rose up against Nazi tyranny and seemingly insurmountable odds...Unlike most other resistance groups, who welcomed only young, able-bodied men and women who could fight, the Bielskis welcomed all, conducting what would become the largest rescue of Jews by Jews during World War II, ultimately saving some 1,200 Jewish men, women, and children."

I took my 10th grade Hebrew High class to see the film on Tuesday, hoping to be inspired, and instead, was sadly disappointed. What should have been a thoughtful challenge to our notions of right and wrong, good and bad, victim and aggressor, turned out to be a typical Hollywood "shoot 'em up" of good guys with lots of guns versus bad guys with lots of guns.  To be fair, the movie is rated "R" for violence and language, but the numerous battle scenes so assaulted our senses that we left the theater in shell shock rather than reflection.

The movie did ask such questions as: is it moral to steal food to stay alive? and how should one deal with a captured soldier who murdered your family? However, it did not explore how these actions affected the partisans. The various responses of Jews to the Nazis were raised (flee? fight? wait for the terror to pass?) but not developed. Too much of the movie was about Jews fighting with other Jews as well as Jews fighting with their enemies rather than about the heroic, human, and moral elements. Overall "Defiance" is melodramatic and superficial.

I will have to wait until next week to discuss the film with my Hebrew High students. As much as I am looking forward to that conversation, I would be more interested in speaking with non-Jews who saw the movie. The theater was filled, rather surprising for a Tuesday evening.

"Defiance" is unlike other Holocaust movies in one specific way: while showing the horrors of the Holocaust, it does not dwell on them. Rather, the movie portrays the Jew as brave, strong, and heroic. The Bielski brothers and their followers acquire weapons and use them. They defend themselves and at times initiate attacks. They are prepared to die rather than be captured. The last place one would think of them is standing complacently in a line to the gas chambers.

As a Jew who has studied the Holocaust and the varied responses of Jews to the Nazis, I am familiar with the role of Jewish partisans and ghetto fighters in the war. Non-Jews may not be as familiar. I wonder what they made of this portrayal of Jews as fighters, warriors, and heroes who not only fought back, but aggressively attacked their enemies. I also wonder if the depiction of Jews in this movie, who met aggression with aggression, helps them better understand the psyche of modern Israelis, who, when confronting Arab hostility, are informed by the painful realities of Jewish history?

As I said, I do not recommend the movie. Its positives do not redeem its negatives.  But it is refreshing to see a Holocaust movie which shows the important role that Jewish resistance played in our people surviving the Shoah.

Finally, for those of you who are interested in an excellent book about Jewish resistance during World War II, I suggest you read "Until Our Last Breath" by Michael Bart. "Until Our Last Breath" tells the story of Michael's parents, Leo and Zenia Bart, z"l, who were members of Tifereth Israel Synagogue and members of Abba Kovner's resistance group Nekama during the war.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

January 16, 2009: Shabbat Shalom! Parashat Shemot
Meaningful Labor

Dear Friends:

A story is told about factory workers who manufactured parachutes during World War II. Their job was tedious and boring. Every day the workers performed the exact same task as the day before.

One morning the factory owner began telling his employees about the importance of  their task. The parachutes they were making might one day save the lives of their husbands, brothers, and sons. The workers' attitudes improved considerably. Even though the work was still boring, they knew they were performing a noble deed.

Whether a task is ennobling or punitive often depends less on the work than on the reason for it. When people feel they are doing something worthwhile and productive they are happier than when they believe they are doing busy work or trying to look busy.

The Pharaoh of the Exodus recognized this truth about human nature. The Torah says: "The Egyptians ruthlessly imposed upon the Israelites the various labors that they made them perform. Ruthlessly they made life bitter for them with harsh labor at mortar and bricks and with all sorts of tasks in the field." (Ex. 1:13-14)

The commentator Sha'ar Simcha noticed that the Torah emphasized the ruthlessness (Hebrew: ferach) of the Egyptians in making the Israelites work. He claims that although one might think that it was the harshness of the labor that made it so ruthless, this is not the case. The work was hard, but not impossible. What made it inhumane was that it was purposeless. The Egyptians made the Israelites build buildings, then tore them down, and made the Israelites build them again. The Israelites became overwhelmed with the pointlessness of their efforts. Soon the Egyptians broke not only their bodies, but their souls as well.

Human beings need to feel purposeful about our lives and our work. We hate to feel that we are meaningless cogs in a big machine. If we don't feel what we do has value even though we are free, we are still enslaved.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

January 9, 2009: Shabbat Shalom! Vayechi
Showing Their True Colors in the Park

Dear Friends:

Last Saturday night I received an email from someone I knew and trusted about a pro-Hamas demonstration taking place in Balboa Park last Sunday. The email contained a forward from someone I did not know, asking friends of Israel to participate in a counter-demonstration at the same time. I did not email the information to our congregation since I was not sure if it was legitimate, but decided to head to the park after I finished my Sunday morning teaching.

The email was legitimate. I joined about 100 friends of Israel who faced off with about the same number of pro-Hamas demonstrators. Even though they had a loudspeaker (I assume because they had a permit) and we did not, we raised our voices loudly enough to make our case heard by onlookers. It was a peaceful gathering, though several police officers eventually appeared to make sure there was no violence or physical contact between the demonstrators.

While we shouted "No more rockets and no more Haas!" primarily, but not completely, Muslim demonstrators railed against the "occupation" and "Israeli aggression." We asked for peace and security for Israel's citizens. They shouted, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!" placing their true intentions on the table: the destruction of the State of Israel. One speaker even went so far as to say that the Jews should return to Russia, Eastern Europe, and the other places from which they fled.

(When I shared this with my wife, Judy, she said we should have told them that we have already gone back to where we came from: the Land of Israel!)

In this most recent war, Haas and their terrorists are doing what they do best: attacking Israeli civilians as a "justified" response to the "occupation" and crying out in dismay when they cause civilian deaths by hiding rocket launchers, munitions, and terrorists amidst the Palestinian population.

I am outraged by those who are decry Israel's "aggression." Protecting one's citizens is not aggression. It is not only legitimate, but obligatory self defense. Does anyone think that the government of the United States would sit on its hands if rockets were being launched at San Diego from Tijuana? Also, bear in mind: we are currently engaged in a war in Afghanistan because Bin Laden planned his attacks against the United States from there.

This Shabbat (Jan. 9-10, 2009) has been designated as "Solidarity Shabbat."  During Shabbat services we will pray for the security and well being of Israel and her citizens, and a cessation of violence. I will also share the most recent background information I have received.

I have received several requests for information about the current war that can be shared to explain the facts. Here are three worthwhile links to follow:

    1. The following is an excellent article about the current situation and the events leading up to it:

http://www.jewishagency.org/NR/rdonlyres/77BA316A-254E-4D83-A995-0571DB8AC8A4/67408/castleadweek2new.pdf

    2. This is an excellent commentary from the Wall Street Journal by Alan Dershowitz explaining that Israel's self defensive actions do not violate International Law.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123085925621747981.html

    3. This YouTube video shows clearly how the almost daily rocket barrage has terrorized Israel's citizens:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5eKXOBf5_w

    We all hope that the war will be over soon, but it can only end when Hamas decides that launching rockets and committing terrorist acts against Israel are counterproductive, and to no longer put Palestinians, as well as Israelis in harm's way.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

January 2, 2009: Shabbat Shalom! Vayigash
The Almighty Dollar

Dear Friends:

There are many words in the Hebrew language which sound and are spelled alike but have different meanings. One such word is etzev. Etzev normally means "sorrow" but it can also mean "idol," as in Psalms 115:4: "Their idols (atzabeihem) are silver and gold made by human hands."

When Joseph revealed himself to his brothers in Egypt, he reassured them that he did not wish to seek revenge. He told them: "Now, do not be distressed (ta-atzvu) or reproach yourselves because you sold me hither; it was to save life that God sent me ahead of you." (Gen. 45:6)

When the founder of Chabad, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi's son was a little boy, he wandered into the room where three of his father's chassidim were waiting to meet with the Rebbe: Rabbi Shmuel Monkis, Rabbi Shlomo Raflis from Vilna, and Rabbi Joseph of Soklov. All three of these men were not only great scholars, but wealthy and generous businessmen as well.

Rabbi Monkis loved to play with the Rebbe's son, so as soon as the little boy saw him he ran over and sat on his lap. He noticed that the other two men were engaged in quiet and tense conversation and looked exhausted and weary.

"Why are you so sad?" Rabbi Monkis finally asked them.
"It is because," they replied as one, "we are living in difficult times and our businesses are suffering."

The Rebbe's son looked at Rabbi Monkis and said: "You didn't need to ask them why they are so sad. After all, you could have learned it from a verse from the Bible: "Atzabeihem -their sadness-is because of silver and gold made from human hands." (Sippur Chasidim)

In quoting this verse the Rebbe's son was showing great wit as well as wisdom. Not only was he playing with the meaning of the word etzev in the Bible, noting that the two rabbis' monetary problems were due to money, he was also reminding them of the primary meaning of etzev, that is, perhaps they were so troubled and distressed because they had allowed their gold and silver to become their gods and take over their lives.

Many people are also troubled and distressed today because of our country's financial woes. Our sadness and fears are real, but let us not allow them to consume our lives. Let us remember that the most important things in life, faith and love, are still free!

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

December 26, 2008: Shabbat Shalom! Miketz-Shabbat Chanukah
Let There be (energy efficient) Light!

Dear Friends:

Another name for Chanukah is Chag Ha-Orim, the "Festival of Lights."  A few days before this year's holiday we presented our sanctuary with an appropriately themed Chanukah gift: an LED light bulb for the Ner Tamid.

An LED (light-emitting-diode) is a semiconductor that emits light when a current is applied. LED bulbs use much less electricity than incandescent bulbs and are even more energy efficient than fluorescent bulbs. They have many applications, including illuminated information panels on electronic devices and red, yellow, and green traffic signals. LEDs are more expensive but can last up to ten times longer than incandescent bulbs.

Our Ner Tamid replacement LED bulb costs about $25.00. However, the Ner Tamid is on 24 hours a day. We calculated that the previously installed 45 watt bulb cost about $83.00 in electrical power per year. The new LED bulb provides the same amount of light using only 4 watts of power and costs $8.30 per year to run. Given the cost savings and longevity of the bulb, you can see we will reap substantial savings.

One of my favorite trick questions during Chanukah is to ask people how many candles the Maccabees kindled in the Menorah after they cleaned and reconsecrate the Temple. Some people say "eight." That answer is wrong because, although a Chanukah Menorah has eight branches plus a shamash, the Temple Menorah had only seven branches. If they answer "seven" they are still wrong. Our ancestors did not place candles in the Menorah, they used oil lamps. Why? Because the technology for manufacturing candles did not yet exist.

Why did candles eventually take the place of oil lamps? Because they were easier to store and burn than oil lamps. As long as they do not contravene Jewish law, Jews take advantage of technological advances as they become available.

A couple of years ago I gave a High Holy Day sermon about the importance of protecting the earth and conserving natural resources. At Tifereth Israel we have made a concerted effort to save energy and cut down on waste. It is not only good for the environment, but good for the budget as well!

As we near the end of the Festival of Lights, I suggest we all take stock of our energy consumption and do what we can to conserve. Although it is difficult to find a silver lining in last year's spiraling fuel prices, it did encourage people to drive less. It would be a shame now that prices have fallen, that we return to our wasteful ways.

Midrash Rabbah on Ecclesiastes describes God giving Adam, the first human being, a tour of the Garden of Eden. He shows Adam everything: the grass, the trees, the animals, fish, fowl, and insects. Then God says to Adam: "See how beautiful all My creations are, all This has been created for your sake. So reflect on this, and take care not to foul or destroy my world.

For if you do, there will be none to repair it after you."

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah!
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

December 19, 2008: Shabbat Shalom! Va-yeishev
When Silence Hurts

Dear Friends:

One of the most controversial campaign statements made by President-elect Barack Obama was that he would be willing to speak with the leaders of Iran and other enemies of the United States without preconditions. Many were horrified and argued that to enter into dialogue with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and others of his ilk would grant them legitimacy and prestige.

While I do not wish to debate the intricacies and nuances of Obama's subsequent interpretations of his position, it is worthwhile to note the famous words of Israeli General Moshe Dayan: "If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies."

Parashat Vayeishev tells us that Jacob favored his son, Joseph, above his brothers. This favoritism combined with Joseph's dreams of filial domination earned him their enmity. "And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of his brothers, they hated him so that they could not speak a friendly word to him." (Gen; 37:4)

Rabbi Yonatan Eibeshitz said that in this verse we find the reason for Joseph's brothers' eventual sorrow. Their hatred of Joseph was so great that they refused even to speak with him. Perhaps, Rabbi Eibeshitz observes, if, despite their jealously, they had continued to work at their relationship with him, they could have found a way to defuse their hatred instead of selling him into slavery.

Rabbi Eibeshitz adds, that in the brothers' response to Joseph, we find the root cause of the continued perpetuation of conflicts between people and nations: neither party is ready to listen to the other or understand the positions and beliefs of their opponent. If people entered into honest communication with their foes, they would discover that much less divided them than united them.

There have been countless times throughout my rabbinic career when I have felt and heard the pain of congregants who have family members who are not on speaking terms. Sometimes the pain is so great that it leads to the exclusion of family members at simchas and sorrows. There are many people who cannot "speak a friendly word" to those who should be the closest to them.

Sometimes it is not possible to heal old wounds, but that does not free us from the obligation of trying to renew paralyzed communication, lest we suffer the same sorrowful fate as Joseph and his brothers.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

December 11, 2008: Shabbat Shalom! Vayishlach

Part Of, or Apart From, America?

Dear Friends:

As Jews approach the end of December, Judaism's status as a minority religion is constantly on our minds. As we witness the joy and celebration of Christmas all around us, we are more keenly aware that we do not quite fit into mainstream American culture.

Most of us deal with this by proudly asserting our legitimate place on the American landscape. Although most of our neighbors are not Jewish, freedom of religion and protection of minority rights are among the most cherished underpinnings of American  society.

The vast majority of Americans respect our beliefs and practices and do not marginalize Jews. Witness, for example, the acknowledgment of Chanukah on television and in the print media, and Menorah lightings in public locations.

Not all Jews, however, want to fit into American society. There have always been Jews who isolate themselves and interact with their non-Jewish neighbors as little as possible. This reluctance to mix has historically been based on two assumptions: 1) mixing with non-Jews will lead to assimilation and a loss of Jewish identity, and 2) the non-Jewish world is
anti-Semitic and harmful to Jews.

This negative attitude toward cultural mixing is reflected in a Chassidic commentary on this week's parasha. In parashat Vayishlach Jacob returns to Canaan. He knows that before he can settle he must confront and make peace with his brother, Esau, whom he has wronged. Before Jacob meets Esau he prays to God: "Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau..." (Gen. 32:12)

Many commentators question the redundancy found in the verse. Why does Jacob have to say, "from the hand of my brother" and "from the hand of Esau" when one of these phrases would have sufficed? Obviously, the intention is to teach us an additional lesson.

The midrash tells a story of an ax head that was thrown into a forest. Knowing how much damage the ax could cause, the trees were terrified. A wise man passing through tried to calm down them down. He said to the trees, "You don't have to worry about the ax head. It can't do you any harm on its own.  It is only if one of your brothers gives it a handle that you need fear for your lives."

So it is with Jews and non-Jews, one Chassidic master said. If we continue to live in our separate worlds the non-Jews cannot harm us. It is only if when try to live with them that we give them the ammunition to cause us harm. That is what the Torah meant when it said: "from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau." It is only when your brother lends a hand to Esau that Esau is able to do you harm." (Maiyanot Hanetzach in Otzar Chaim)

I was greatly troubled when I read the Chassidic interpretation cited above. While I understand that these feelings against the non-Jewish world grew in nations and cultures which hated Jews, I reject applying the results of such fear in America today. It is not only a false and unfair conclusion about our neighbors, but it is harmful for Judaism as well. Judaism has always grown and evolved as a consequence of its exposure to new phenomena, insights, and cultures. Closing Judaism off from the world ossifies it and freezes it in time.

Additionally, if Jews do not interact with the non-Jewish world, we negate the commandment to spread Torah and the message of God's care and love throughout humanity.

I believe that it is a mitzvah to interact with all those around us. One cannot help perfect the world if one declines to be part of it.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

December 5, 2008: Shabbat Shalom! Vayeitzei

The Evil of Laban Still Exists

Dear Friends,                                

After marrying Rachel and Leah, fathering children, and acquiring wealth, Jacob decides to flee from his father-in-law, Laban.

In Genesis Laban is portrayed as a shady character. In Rabbinic literature he becomes the epitome of evil. So much did the rabbis despise Laban that they awarded him a greater place of dishonor in Jewish history than the Pharaoh of the Exodus. Every year during Pesach we read in the Haggadah: "While Pharaoh only intended to kill the boys, Laban sought to uproot the whole of Jacob's family, the Children of Israel."

For the rabbis, Laban represented the worst of the enemies of the Jewish people: those who sought not just to suppress them and their religion but to wipe them out of existence.

Sadly, Hitler was only one of the many Labans Jews have faced throughout our history. We witnessed that he and his vocation are alive and well last week in the murderous atrocities of the Islamic extremists who attacked India last week. They especially targeted Americans, Brits, and Jews.

What did Rabbi Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg and all of the other Chabad House victims in India have to do with the grievances of the terrorists? The only terrorist to survive, Azam Amir Kasab, was quoted in the Times of India as saying he and the other terrorists targeted the Chabad House to avenge the killing of Arabs in Israel.

Chabad Houses, which are located throughout the world, are religious and educational institutions, and not involved in political causes. The Holtzbergs were there to help Jews living in or visiting India to worship and learn and provided housing for travelers. But for anti-Semites. the distinction between Jews doing tzedaka versus political work is irrelevant (not that their attacks are justifiable in any case). As Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said: "The hatred of Jews, the State of Israel, and Jewish symbols are still a factor that spurs and encourages such murderous acts."

We join with our Jewish brothers and sisters around the world and all people of faith and good will in mourning the Holtzbergs and all those who were murdered.  We also pray for the quick and full recovery of those who were injured.

Once again we are totally baffled by those who believe acts of terror, murder, and violence are appropriate ways to teach the world about the righteousness of their cause. As Shimon Peres, the President of the State of Israel, said at the Holtzbergs' funeral, "If the entire world doesn't join together as one person and say, 'Enough,' then the world is in danger."

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
San Diego, CA
rabbi@tiferethisrael.com

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High Holy Day Sermons, 5769:    

Erev Rosh Hashana - Praised be the True Judge • First Day Rosh Hashana - Struggling With God • Kol Nidre - A Season of Change • Yom Kippur - Choose Life!

Archive, 5769:

• November / December 2008
• September / October 2008

Rabbi's Divrei Torah, 5768

 

High Holy Day Sermons, 5768:

Erev Rosh Hashana: Going Green • Rosh Hashana First Day: Israel • Kol Nidre: Religion and Politics • Yom Kippur: Posterity