Atheist Military Chaplains

April 29, 2011 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · 2 Comments 

As a new iPhone convert, the most exciting article in the New York Times this week was the one with 16 steps to bring your iPhone to the next level.  As a rabbi, the most interesting article to me was “Atheists Seek Chaplain Role in the Military.”

The article talks about the 3,000 military chaplains currently serving.  The majority are Christians, a few are Muslims or Jews, and one is Buddhist.

Now there’s a group lobbying to appoint a humanist chaplain.  While this may seem like an oxymoron to some people, I believe the answer is affirmative to the question the Times proposes: “Can they provide support to religious troops of all faiths, a fundamental responsibility for chaplains?”

Humanism means focusing on personal responsibility.  It recognizes that the laws of nature follow the laws of nature.  Humanism values reason and intellectual honesty.  Humanism has a respect for ethics and values.

It is very possible to be a humanist member of the military services – and to seek a chaplain who understands this perspective.

Do I think that a humanist chaplain could serve the 9,400 active-duty military personnel who identify themselves as atheists or agnostics?  Absolutely.  Do I think that a humanist chaplain could also be part of a team that serves those who identify with specific religious backgrounds?  Absolutely.

Our military has come a long way this year with the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.  I hope that the military will continue to appreciate the diversity of its personnel.

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Prince William to Break a Glass at Royal Wedding

April 28, 2011 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · Comment 

I have to say, I’m just not that into this whole Royal Wedding thing.  Even though I usually turn on the morning news shows each day, this week I’ve not done that since I’ve had enough of the coverage from England.  I’m pretty sure this whole American Revolution thing in the 1700s was about giving us permission not to care about the British monarchy.

That said, I couldn’t help but hear about one custom at the Royal Wedding that I find fascinating.  Sources say that Prince William and Kate Middleton will be incorporating a Jewish custom into their wedding: the breaking of the glass.

Although this will be an Anglican wedding, it will include Muslim, Hindu, and Jewish traditions.  The concept of blending different religions doesn’t surprise me as I think this is a key factory in 21st century religious identity: more and more people don’t feel constrained to stay within one denomination – or even one religion.

Back to the glass.  If you ask 2 rabbis why you break a glass at a wedding, you’ll probably get at least 7 answers.  Here are a few of my favorites:

  • it may have started as a way of toning down a particularly raucous wedding party
  • it’s a reminder of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem; even at our happiest moments, we recall the challenges of our collective history
  • shattered glass is a reminder that the world is still broken in some ways, and so we express our hope for a more intact future
  • the fragility of the glass suggests the frailty of human relationships, and the importance of focusing on moments like this wedding

I once heard about a rabbi who had said at weddings that “as many pieces as this glass breaks into, so will be the years of your marriage.”  That worked well, as the glass generally broke into what seemed like infinite pieces.  Then, one groom stepped on the glass and it broke into only two pieces; that rabbi, I am told, never used that line again!

So, I’m glad that Prince William and Kate Middleton are incorporating diverse traditions into their wedding. And as much as I said I’m not terribly interested in what’s going on with their wedding, if they need an officiant – I still have time to board the plane.

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Online Seder, Passover iPhone App, and Elijah Tracker

April 19, 2011 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · Comment 

Happy Passover!  Last night was a fun seder with good friends, and I tweeted highlights of it (from @JewsOnline).

Tonight, I’ll join with hundreds of people for our 2nd Annual Online Passover Seder Around the World.  We already have 900+ participants signed up from over 65 countries.  We’re so excited about using new technology this year – you’ll be able to see live video of us rabbis and recorded videos from people around the world.  We’ll use Beth Adam’s award-winning Haggadah and it’s sure to be a fun evening.  See you at www.WorldSeder.com at 5 PM EDT.  We’ll also post a video of it there afterward in case you miss it live.

This year we are also so excited to have released the world’s first Elijah Tracker.  Go to www.ElijahTracker.com throughout the week of Passover to see where the mystical and magical character is.  Today he’s already been to Cotswolds, Great Britain’s smallest house, Conwy Castle, and Wales.  You can follow him on Twitter too at www.Twitter.com/ElijahTracker.

And if you haven’t yet checked out our new iPhone app, you won’t want to miss it.  Learn more at www.iMatzahBall.com.  You can build your own matzah ball character and either post it to Facebook or email it to friends.

Hope you all have a great Passover – comment away and let us know how your Passover was.  Any creative new traditions?

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Crumbs Cupcakes – Are they Kosher for Passover?

April 2, 2011 · Filed Under Baum's Blog · 3 Comments 

I’ll be traveling to the East Coast this month, which means I’ll be able to get some really good cupcakes. After all, we should never be far from a good cupcake.

Crumbs Bake Shop is one of those yummy cupcake bakeries.  I recently started following Crumbs on Facebook when I got a tip from a friend that there was a bit of controversy about their Passover cupcakes – and whether they are “really” Kosher for Passover.

Kosher or not, there’s no question their cupcakes will be creatively delicious.  With names like “Holy Moses,” “Chocolate and Vanilla Commandments,” “Raspberry Red Sea,” and “Elijah’s Delight,” I find these cupcakes to be among the most witty I’ve seen.  I would definitely make a teachable moment out of it and volunteer to take any child I know to learn more about these cupcakes.  I mean, eating a delicious cupcake is not exactly a huge sacrifice.

So, here’s the deal.  Crumbs Bake Shop happens to be kosher year-round.  Their Passover cupcakes are not technically kosher for Passover because they are baked in the bake shop alongside products that are not kosher for Passover.  For those who keep strictly kosher for Passover, these cupcakes are not an option.

But for me, and I suspect the majority of Jews who keep kosher for Passover (for the record, plenty of Jews don’t keep kosher for Passover at all – and that’s cool too!), keeping kosher for Passover means we follow the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law.  Thus, I would happily eat these cupcakes during Passover.  They don’t have flour in them, and since I would eat a cupcake with flour during the rest of the year but not during Passover, this cupcake is indeed different from all other cupcakes.

For those criticizing Crumbs for not being kosher enough, I would urge you to quiet down.  They’re making an effort to provide Passover cupcakes with fun themes – and the majority of American Jews can eat them.  For those who keep strictly kosher, they can get their cupcakes elsewhere during the week of Passover.

For the record, I would like you all to know that I’m not quite as cupcake-obsessed as this blog may suggest.  And I’m not concerned with strict standards of keeping kosher – for I am proud to be a liberal Jew.

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