-
Shop at Amazon?
Click the logo below and a percentage of your purchase will automatically help support our online congregation.
Rosh Hashanah Morning Services Videostreamed Live
From Congregation Beth Adam (Cincinnati, Ohio)
With Rabbi Robert Barr and Rabbi Laura Baum
Available at 10:30 AM E.S.T. on Tuesday, September 30
Come back on Yom Kippur to see our evening and morning services as well.
We are very excited about videostreaming our High Holiday services. As you may know, this is the first time we are doing this. So, we have no idea how many people will join us for services or what the experience will be like. Given our limited budget, we are also using free technology (ustream) - we do not necessarily endorse the rest of the site, but we do appreciate having the opportunity to use their technology to present our services to you. In the future, if this is successful, we hope to be able to afford high quality videostreaming.
Please let us know if you joined us for services – let us know how you heard about us – let us know how this experience could be improved. As you know, we are building OurJewishCommunity.org together. Your insights, suggestions, and support are deeply appreciated
Rosh Hashanah Evening Services
Rosh Hashanah Evening Services
Broadcast from Congregation Beth Adam
With Rabbi Robert Barr and Rabbi Laura Baum
Available: Monday, September 29th at 8:15 PM E.S.T.
We’ll also have our Rosh Hashanah morning services available on OurJewishCommunity.org on Tuesday, September 30th at 10:30 AM.
We are very excited about videostreaming our High Holiday services. As you may know, this is the first time we are doing this. So, we have no idea how many people will join us for services or what the experience will be like. Given our limited budget, we are also using free technology (ustream) - we do not necessarily endorse the rest of the site, but we do appreciate having the opportunity to use their technology to present our services to you. In the future, if this is successful, we hope to be able to afford high quality videostreaming.
Please let us know if you joined us for services – let us know how you heard about us – let us know how this experience could be improved. As you know, we are building OurJewishCommunity.org together. Your insights, suggestions, and support are deeply appreciated.
Honk if you have an opinion!
I wrote yesterday about not endorsing candidates publically. That probably means I shouldn’t have a bumper sticker on my car proclaiming my candidate of choice. That’s fine - I’ve never really been much of a bumper sticker person.
Except… I do enjoy Shirat HaSticker (”The Sticker Song”) by the Israeli group Hadag Nachash. Written by Israeli author David Grossman, the song includes 54 phrases from bumper stickers in Israel. The New York Times tells the story of how Grossman came up with the idea… Basically Grossman was driving and saw a car on the side of the road. The driver of that car was trying to remove his bumper sticker that said “Rabin is a Murderer.” It was 1995, and Rabin had been murdered a few days prior.
Grossman realized how significant bumper stickers are in Israel. Compiling 120 of them, Grossman seemed to be tapping into the contrasts and diversity of Israeli life - and the strong opinions of Israelis. I lived in Israel in 2003-2004, and it’s definitely a diverse country - where everyone has an opinion. I admire that.
You can watch a video of the song (with subtitles that have the translation) - it’s from YouTube.
It goes by quickly - so if you want, printed lyrics are here.
You’ll see the contrasts immediately - the first four stickers mention the desire for peace - but also for the army (IDF - the Israeli Defense Forces) to “mow them down.” Now that is not a very peaceful image. “Draft for All” is juxtaposed with “Exemption for All.” There are religious references (”The Holy One, Blessed Be He”), news media references (”CNN lies”), political references (”the Left Helps the Arabs”), violent references (”to Annihilate”), and much more.
Some of the images probably go over our heads if we are not Israelis - but the overall amalgamation of these images makes quite the statement. Israelis have a lot to say - and they can stick to their words.
On politics…
Wow! We haven’t even been up for a month - and we’ve had 400 different visitors. We couldn’t have done it without all of you (literally - because you are probably counted among the 400) - but also because many of you have helped us spread the word. Thank you!
And speaking of wow, we got an unsolicited call earlier this week from the Jewish Chronicle of Pittsburgh - they wanted to run a story about OurJewishCommunity.org. Very exciting - the story came out in their September 25th issue - and is unfortunately not online. But, if anyone out there is in Pittsburgh, hopefully you’ll see the article! And our article in PresenTense magazine is out as well - this is a short version from their hard copy - but a longer version should be on their website soon.
Unfortunately, our site was down for a few hours yesterday- network problems. For those who were wondering, it wasn’t that we decided to postpone our site until after the financial crisis was worked out…
Please don’t read into that - it is not an endorsement or a criticism of either candidate. I keep those views private - for lots of reasons - including the fact that as a congregational rabbi, I’m not allowed to use my pulpit (in this case, my cyber-pulpit) to endorse or oppose particular candidates.
The government has a policy not allowing non-profit (501c3) organizations like churches and synagogues to endorse particular political candidates. It makes a lot of sense.
Yet, this coming Sunday, a small group of clergy - sparked by the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative legal group, is encouraging clergy to endorse candidates from the pulpit. They are essentially breaking the law in hopes that the IRS will challenge them - so that they can then challenge the law back.
I’m no lawyer, and I’m sure I don’t understand all the nuances. But, it seems ridiculous to me that clergy would suggest that their right to free speech is being violated. Nobody is telling clergy they cannot support or endorse or speak out about a candidate - as private citizens. We just can’t use our pulpits to do so. I say, if you are clergy and you really want to endorse candidates from the pulpit, then just give up your tax-exempt status. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Beyond that, what I find particularly striking is a quotation from Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund. According to the New York Times, Stanley said: “We’re asking pastors to make specific recommendations based on Scripture as to how their congregations should vote.”
Hello!?! Does anyone out there really think that the Bible - a document authored hundreds of years ago - has specific recommendations about how to vote!?! The Bible is a fabulous compilation of legends - but if we are getting our political advice from there, I think we’re in big trouble.
I disagree with what the clergy who are endorsing candidates this Sunday are doing. I know which candidate is getting my vote - and I encourage you all to vote - for whomever you think the best candidate is.
I lived my dream!
It was a busy weekend. I should have been writing sermons and getting ready for the high holidays at Beth Adam, but working on OurJewishCommunity.org was more exciting. With the help of a volunteer extraordinaire, we spent Friday afternoon making sure we would be able to videostream our High Holiday services, and it worked! You’ll be able to see our services live - or even come back anytime afterward to watch them archived. High holiday services in your PJ’s - what more could you ask for?
Though that was exciting, it wasn’t a lifelong dream of mine. My dream - since childhood when my brother played hockey - was to drive a Zamboni. I even wrote a college admissions essay about wanting to drive a Zamboni, and at my rabbinical school interview when I was asked what I would do if I were not accepted, I said “drive a Zamboni!”
After many years of hoping for that moment - and after many empty promises from friends who said they would be able to get me a ride - a good friend came through last night. And, I rode a Zamboni. I may, in fact, be the only Zamboni driving rabbi - but I’m really not sure - so if you know another one, let me know.
And, yes, it was as exciting as I had hoped. Now I’ll have to dream my next dream. Or, maybe I should first write my Rosh Hashanah sermon.
Blog off…Sermon on
No real blog entry from me today. I’ve been meaning to write a Rosh Hashanah sermon all day - but haven’t gotten around to starting. So, even though the blog is more fun, it’s sermon time. Unless of course someone wants to help write my sermon, then I’d have time for a blog entry. Until then…
Excuse me, are you Jewish?
Cincinnati has a brand new Jewish Community Center (JCC) - and it had a grand opening last week. Though I was not there, I heard from reliable sources that Chabad was standing in the doorway trying to catch Jews, encouraging them to do mitzvot (commandments) like laying tefillin (phylacteries - a great word, btw). Fortunately, they were eventually asked to leave the doorway - and they did.
This reminds me of my days at Yale when I would walk around campus on Friday afternoons and a black-hatted man would inevitably say, “excuse me, are you Jewish?” I was trapped. I certainly didn’t want to lie. After all, I am proud of my Jewish identity and would not want to deny it. Yet, it was, as we used to say in middle school, none of his beeswax. Besides, I knew the consequences of saying I was Jewish. I would be encouraged to light Shabbat candles or do some other mitzvah - that Chabad says would help bring the messiah.
I’m all for lighting Shabbat candles if that’s your thing (personally, I don’t do it every week and I’m okay with that)…. but what I’m not okay with is the insinuation that performing this small act could make the world a better place. Perhaps if I volunteered at a soup kitchen, or fought for equal workers’ rights, or supported a friend in need - then I would help the world. But lighting Shabbat candles? Expecting a messiah? I think not.
Before I continue, I should say that I recently read The Rebbe’s Army: Inside the World of Chabad-Lubavitch by Susan Fishkoff. She presents a more balanced view of Chabad than I do here. Some of what I have to say about Chabad comes from reading her book. I don’t give Chabad as much credit as she does - but I do recommend Fishkoff’s book. (And all page numbers listed below are references to her work).
One more thing, for those of you who aren’t really clear on what Chabad is, let me save you a trip to Wikipedia. Chabad (AKA Lubavitcher-Hasidim) is an Orthodox sect of Judaism that seeks to make more people into observant Jews; they believe that each mitzvah brings the messianic age closer. That’s my unbiased definition. What follows is my strong opinion, summed up in one statement:
Chabad is bad for the Jewish people.
- They self-proclaim themselves as warm and welcoming - but they refuse to recognize Reform or Conservative Judaism as legitimate (pg. 23).
- Chabad teaches that Jews have good souls and that gentiles have “the souls of beasts.”
- Chabad wants to exclude non-Orthodox Jewish converts from the Law of Return in Israel.
- Chabad takes a very right wing political stand in Israel - and refuses to consider giving up some territory to the Palestinians (pg. 7).
- Chabad separates men and women - and treats women as inferior (pg. 7).
- Chabad blurs the separation of Church and State.
- Chabadniks provide little or no secular education for their children (pg. 27).
- Chabad refuses to have a dialogue with the larger Jewish community - their rabbis refuse to sit on local rabbinic councils - with people like me (p. 38).
- Chabad encourages drinking on college campus (p. 97).
- Chabad doesn’t require a serious commitment to Jewish learning - they provide the equivalent of drive-through Bar Mitzvahs where you don’t actually have to learn anything - other than how to recite some prayers.
- Chabad rabbis often give advice outside of their purview - on such things as medical care and financial planning (pg. 76).
That said, Chabad has succeeded in some ways - and I use the term succeeded loosely - meaning they’ve done what they set out to accomplish and have reached many Jews. Chabad is everywhere - their representatives are on street corners in most cities, their menorahs are on many town greens and outside the White House, they hold Passover seders throughout the world, they have fundraising telethons and the support of multiple big-names (Bob Dylan, Whoopi Goldberg, and Al Gore to name a few), they create and oversee adult classes, prayer services, holiday programs, schools, and camps. Chabad estimates they reach more than a million Jews worldwide. Given their history of dishonesty, I doubt that figure - but I do know they reach a lot of people.
And what really irks me is Chabad has gotten the attention and support of Reform and Conservative Jews. Why? You tell me. But here are some theories:
- Some people are impressed by the ability of Chabad to adhere strictly to Orthodox ritual. To quote a great Jewish source, Rabbi Jake in the movie Keeping the Faith said “Jews want their rabbis to be the kind of Jews they don’t have the time to be.” For some crazy reason, we admire in others something that we don’t seek for ourselves.
- Some feel accepted by Chabad and see them as open and non-judgmental (I beg to differ).
- Chabad has a lot of money and resources and can provide personal service.
- Chabad seems like ‘authentic’ Judaism to many - I would argue authentic Judaism is about adapting Judaism to modernity - not being frozen in the past.
- Chabad events are often joyful and passionate. Chabad also visits the sick (often to take advantage of people when they are vulnerable) and performs other good deeds; Chabad educates and charges little. So what? All great things - except that they do it with their narrow agenda of traditional Judaism - and are not honest about that. Let’s recreate all of the good stuff (joy, good deeds, education, etc.) in our liberal communities - to create a Judaism that speaks to us.
So, yeah, I think Chabad has succeeded in raising money, influencing people, and providing glitzy educational materials. But, I disagree with their content - and with their strategies. And that’s precisely one of the reasons that I am building OurJewishCommunity.org. I want there to be a progressive Jewish conversation in which we can all become engaged. I want to provide educational materials that speak to modern Jews with liberal sensitivities. If you Google a Jewish term you’re curious about (let’s take Passover, for example), eight of the first 10 sites that come up are traditional in orientation. That perspective does not appeal to many Jews. Let’s provide an alternative - together we will build it!
Israel
Jews, Israel…? Discuss amongst yourselves.
Whining about wine
This past weekend, thanks to effects of Hurricane Ike, many of us in Cincinnati (and lots of other places) were without power. Sitting in the dark with little to do, drinking wine seemed like a good option. Which, of course, got me thinking…
Wine plays an interesting role in Judaism. It was part of ritual (and sacrifices) in the ancient Temple. Wine is complimented in the Bible - it “cheers the heart of men” (Psalm 104:15)… and it’s also discouraged “drink no wine or other intoxicant, you or your sons, when you enter the Tent of Meeting…” (Lev. 10:9).
Traditionally, Jews drink wine on Shabbat and most Jewish holidays (4 cups on Passover - and enough on Purim so that we don’t know who is who!). There are two cups of wine at traditional Jewish weddings - and there traditional Jews bless God as they sip the intoxicating substance. (By the way, important secret we learn in Rabbi School - use white wine at weddings. It’s much better than red if it spills on a gown or tux).
In the early days, wine was associated with paganism - and the Torah worked hard to separate Jews from pagans. However, the Torah does not go with an all out ban of wine. Perhaps recognizing that when you forbid something it’s more tempting, Judaism allowed wine and told many stories involving it.
The Torah includes alcohol in the stories of: Noah, Lot’s daughters, Jacob and Rebecca tricking Isaac, Pharoah’s cup bearer, the Nazirites, Hannah accused of being drunk, David and Uriah, Song of Songs (with overt sexual overtones), Ruth, and Daniel - to name just some.
But, I’m more interested in modernity than the Bible on this issue. The question is what makes Israeli wine kosher. The answer is (and feel free to skip this paragraph if you’re not interested in details):
- When you plant grapes in Israel, you can’t use them until the fourth year. (For the record, this makes it rather expensive to start a winery in Israel)
- Nothing else can grow between vines. This is like Orthodox Jews who don’t mix wool and linen. For the record, this can hurt a vineyard since it can’t plan things (like mustard) to attract bugs so that they don’t eat the grapes.
- There need to be sabbaticals for the land - every seven years it has to lie fallow - as well as in the 50th year.
- There must only be kosher tools and storage facilities.
- Once the grapes are harvested and go to the winery, only Sabbath observant Jews can handle them.
- All materials (like yeast and fining agents) have to be certified kosher.
- A tithe needs to be poured out - 5-10% given to the Temple.
And, here’s the clincher. If you want non-Jews to be able to handle the wine (like waiters pouring it), then it has to be what’s called mevushal. Originally this referred to boiling, although today it’s flash pasteurized. Basically, Jews began boiling their wine to make sure that pagans wouldn’t want to use it (the pagans would assume it was ruined). The Jews were really trying to keep pagans away from their wine (and their daughters, I suspect). One reason is that the Bible prohibits benefitting from an item used for idolatrous purposes. So, the Jews wanted to do what they could to keep pagans from giving their wine to some deity.
Personally, I’ve got a problem with much of this. The kosher wine can only be handled by Sabbath observant Jews sounds a whole lot like a monopoly to me. After all, grapes are kosher… I don’t think having a non-Jew (or a Jew who doesn’t observe Shabbat by Orthodox standards) stay away accomplishes anything for the wine - it just puts more money in the pockets of kosher vineyards.
The mevushal issue suggests complete mistrust of non-Jews - and also discourages Jews from interacting with their neighbors (after all, they can’t even drink the same wine!). This may (and I emphasize may) have been a concern hundreds of years ago when there were pagans around, but I don’t think it applies today. I’m not concerned that a gentile waiter pouring my wine may offer some up to a deity. But, if he really wants to, I say go for it!
So, I’ve taken a stand. I try to avoid buying kosher wine - and when I lived in Israel I especially avoided wine labeled mevushal (AKA: non-Jews, stay away!).
Despite this, in the spring of 2007, Reform Judaism Magazine had a feature “Insider’s Guide to Kosher Wine.” Ridiculous. Why should Reform Jews support wine that is built around a system to keep Jews and non-Jews separate? Oh, I think I know why the magazine thinks so. It’s because the insert was “generously underwritten” by four institutions and companies with a vested interest in the kosher wine business (Royal Wine Corp, Golan Heights Winery, Palm Bay Imports/Recanati, and The Toby Press/Rogov’s Guide to Israeli Wines 2007). I guess Reform Judaism Magazine knows where it’s bread is buttered - or at least where its grapes are smashed.
And, one more thing. My blog entries are getting longer and longer and longer…. Nobody out there is responding (except my grandma) but I know we have hundreds of readers. So, comment away - you can even argue with me or tell me I’m writing too much!
Is there anyone out there?
Well, well, well. Here we are and still nobody has commented on a blog or forum. Why not? Of course, you probably won’t answer that because that would involve commenting- which doesn’t seem to be your thing.
Somehow, I was under the impression that there are lots of people out there who want an interactive Jewish experience - a conversation of sorts. Here’s your chance - so please comment away. And if there’s not something to which you want to react already (in the blog, forums, or some of the high holiday materials that have room for comment), then feel free to start a new post.
To comment, you just have to register (if you haven’t already), login, and then click where it says “comment” either on the top right or bottom of the page.
Don’t be shy - you could be a trendsetter!
-
- — Passover page is up!
- — Baum's Blog on Chelsea Clinton and a Possible Jewish Wedding
- — Join us for Streaming Shabbat 6 PM ET Friday
- — Barr's Banter on International Women's Day