Shabbat Elevator Controversy

October 12, 2009 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · 12 Comments 

I’ve been slightly fascinated for the last few weeks with the recent Shabbat elevator controversy.  For those who may be unfamiliar with the concept, let me explain.  For traditional Jews, it would be a violation of the Sabbath to push an elevator button on Friday night or Saturday.  To circumvent this, there are Shabbat elevators - which are set to automatically stop at every floor.  That way, you are not actually doing the work of pushing the button - and you can feel good about not having violated the Sabbath.

However, I recently read (in Wikipedia, of all places) that “when a person descends an elevator, the person’s weight helps move the elevator in the downward direction, so the person is considered physically to cause the elevator to move down. Accordingly, some authorities permit ascending in an elevator but prohibit descending.”  These rabbis coming up with specific rules like these clearly have a lot of time on their hands.

In fact, on September 19, some rabbis issued a ruling banning Shabbat elevators.  According to the New York Times, this has caused a great deal of confusion.

Confusing?  I think so.  Silly?  I think so.  I want to know if (when making these kinds of decisions) they consider the elderly or handicapped people for whom taking the stairs is not an option.

Also, it seems to me that the concept of a Shabbat elevator is bizarre in the first place.  Having to create a system where you find legal fictions in order to determine your behavior does not seem particularly meaningful to me.  To go a step further, I am quite certain that not pushing a button on Shabbat would do nothing to enhance my Shabbat experience.

While I find the quibbling over whether to keep Shabbat elevators or not interesting, I must say that the concept of having a Shabbat elevator in the first place is not particularly meaningful for me.


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Remembering Captain Ben Sklaver

October 11, 2009 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · Comment 

It was a week ago yesterday that I heard some tragic news about a childhood friend.  Last Friday, Captain Ben Sklaver was killed in Afghanistan.

Ben and I grew up at the same synagogue and pool club and although I hadn’t talked to him in quite a few years, I received an email from Ben just days before his untimely death.

On September 19, Ben wrote thanking me for setting up the online congregation and indicating that he was looking forward to watching our High Holiday services online – it would be “a taste of home,” he wrote.   I was so touched to know that those serving our country would be watching.  Ben’s email inspired me to call a military chaplain so that he could spread the word about our videostreamed services and make them available to other soldiers.

In that email, Ben also asked me to include two names of fallen soldiers in our online Memorial Service.  We did, and seeing photos of their young faces in the service was extremely touching.  It breaks my heart to think that next Yom Kippur we’ll be remembering Ben during the service.

Ben was an extraordinary person.  He worked in the field of humanitarian work since 2003, and he was the founder of ClearWater Initiative – “charitable organization dedicated to providing clean water to populations affected by natural or man-made humanitarian emergencies.” There is no doubt that Ben’s memory will be a blessing to all those whose lives he touched.

Ben’s death last week is profoundly sad – to think of an extraordinary person whose life was taken so early.  I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about Ben and his incredible story this week.  Unfortunately, it took Ben’s story to remind me that there are dozens of fatalities in the military each month.  Each of those soldiers has a story.  Each one has family and friends.  Each one has made incredible sacrifices.  I hope the rest of them come home safely.

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Video of Sukkot Children’s Story

October 9, 2009 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · Comment 

I bet most of you have never heard a rabbi tell a Sukkot story about an Annual Pumpkin Convention. Well, it just so happens that Rabbi Barr tells this story - and it’s quite funny. The Sukkot children’s story is part of our short (16 minutes, I think) Sukkot Service for All Ages which we video-streamed on Wednesday night. If you missed it, there’s good news. You can catch the archive at any time by visiting the on-demand player in our video archive.

Sukkot is actually a fun holiday. The only problem with it is that it falls so soon after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur when I’m pretty exhausted - and many are synagogue-ed out.  Still, Sukkot has great messages and can be seen as a holiday that reminds us to appreciate nature, to invite guests and friends over for meals, and to revisit our ancestors’ roots (pun sort of intended).

For those who are less familiar with Sukkot, I explain all the symbols in our brief Sukkot service.

But, here’s the refresher course for Sukkot 101:

There’s a lulav (comprised of branches) and an etrog (citron; looks like a large lemon).

There are actually four species: willow, myrtle, palm, and etrog.

Some people build sukkahs… small huts in their backyards or on their porches.  They are covered in branches - but you should still be able to see the stars.  While some sleep and eat all meals in the sukkah, others just join there with friends for dinner.  The holiday lasts either 7 or 8 days, depending on your tradition.

Happy Sukkot everyone!

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Gilad Shalit Video

October 3, 2009 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · Comment 

You may have heard by now that on Friday, a video of Gilad Shalit was released.  For those who don’t know  (and may be wondering what all of the “free Gilad” messages on Twitter are), Gilad Shalit is the 23 year old Israeli soldier who has been held captive in Gaza for over three years.  This video, filmed on September 14, is the first sign of Gilad still being alive - since he last wrote his parents a letter in June of 2008.  Scroll down to watch it.

In exchange for the video, Israel has released 20 female prisoners.  Unfortunately, Hamas has demanded that 1,000 more Palestinian prisoners be released before they release Shalit.

According to Wikipedia, more than 69% of Israelis favor freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners if that means freeing Shalit.  Others, of course, are concerned that this will be a dangerous move for Israel.

It is complicated - and unfortunately, the  negotiations will probably continue to move slowly.  I do not want to get involved in a political debate here, but I do hope that there is a way for Gilad to return safely to his family - without Israel having to release dangerous prisoners who may continue to initiate acts of terrorism against Israelis.

Gilad’s birthday was August 28, and many people supported him on that day - in particular - on Twitter and elsewhere.  Friday, the video was released - and is quite touching.

Today, I heard of the death of a childhood friend who was killed in Afghanistan earlier this week. It is an indescribable tragedy.

So, today with both of these young soldiers in mind - and thinking about all of the others who defend our nations - I hope that peace comes soon and Gilad and all soldiers return home safely.

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