April 2020

judaism

Acharie Mot/Kedoshim – Lev. 16:1-18:30/19:1-20:27

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

Acharie Mot/Kedoshim  (Lev. 16:1-18:30/19:1-20:27)

This week’s Torah portion is another double portion – Acharie Mot/Kedoshim – Lev. 16:1-18:30/19:1-20:27.  Kedoshim – Leviticus 19 – is also referred to as The Holiness Code.  “You shall be holy, for I, the Eternal, am holy.”  It is a blueprint for a holy life in imitation of God’s holiness.  And… this directive is not just for the priests, not just for the leaders, not just for Moses… it is for all of us, as God tells Moses to tell this to the whole Israelite community.   What does it mean to be holy?  What does it mean to walk in Gods ways? We learn from the Midrash – As it is God’s way to be merciful and forgiving, so we should be merciful and forgiving to one another… As God is gracious and gives freely to all, so should we give freely to one another… As God is patient, so should we be patient with each other… It’s quite possible that as we have been making our way through these past seven weeks – living in close quarters, finding ourselves in challenging circumstances – the thought of holiness has not been uppermost on our minds.  And yet, each act of kindness, each step back to give space, each patient response, each smile… can be seen as an act of holiness. Forward!

From Previous Weeks


Shabbos Chol HaMoed

The special Torah reading for this Shabbat during Chol HaMo-eid Pesach, the intermediate days of Passover, is Exodus 33:12-34:26…

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May Jewish Learning

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May Jewish Learning

Zoom in for Jewish learning opportunities in May…

 YIVO’S SHINE ONLINE EDUCATIONAL SERIESA SEAT AT THE TABLE:A JOURNEY INTO JEWISH FOODBeginning May 1stFeaturing: Joan Nathan, Michael Twitty, Alice Feiring, Mitchell Davis (James Beard Foundation), Niki Russ Federman & Josh Russ Tupper (Russ & Daughters), Jake Dell (Katz’s Deli), Darra Goldstein, Liz Alpern & Jeffrey Yoskowitz (The Gefilteria), Lior Lev Sercarz (La Boite), Adeena Sussman, Ilan Stavans, Leah Koenig, Michael Wex and more!Yivo.org/food________________________________ BI-TWT’s Lifelong Learning Presents: “The Gospels Through Jewish Eyes”Beginning May 3rd 4 Sunday evenings, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Guest Speaker: Rabbi Dr. Jo DavidNew York rabbi, multi-faith facilitator, writer, and inspirational speaker

1. May 3rd – Introduction to the Gospels – how are they addressing the Jews of their time?

2. May 10th – Reviewing the Gospels in the order they were written, not the order they appear in the New Testament.  How can these writings be seen as a response to the destruction of the Second Temple?

3. May 17th – How the TaNakh (our Bible) is used in the writings of the Gospels?

4. May 24th – How have certain texts from the Gospels come to be used to lay the foundation for stereotypes and antisemitism? 

Topic: BI-TWT’s “The Gospels Through Jewish Eyes” – with Rabbi Dr. Jo DavidTime: May 17, 2020 07:30 PM       Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/94851648545?pwd=SjhMMUN3TjJtSjd3QXRZWm1FSGFNZz09 Meeting ID: 948 5164 8545Password: 871657 Dial in: 646 876 9923        Meeting ID: 948 5164 8545Password: 871657

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Lunch ‘n Learn with Rabbi Lader & Friends

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Lunch ‘n Learn with Rabbi Lader & Friends

Zoom and Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Lader & FriendsThursday, May 21stNoon What IS a Mentsch?Join us and found out… Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/98091492546?pwd=SmJrc1QzdDczeDltaHhySWxndndVQT09 Meeting ID: 980 9149 2546Password: 330313 Dial in:  646 876 9923Meeting ID: 980 9149 2546Password: 330313

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Lunch ‘n Learn with Rabbi Lader & Friends

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Lunch ‘n Learn with Rabbi Lader & Friends

Zoom in for…Lunch ‘n Learn with Rabbi Lader & FriendsNext Wednesday, Apr 29, 2020 12:00 PM  Get lunch ready…Get settled…Zoom in… or Call in…And let’s [virtually] visit Israel togetherand share memories from our own past visits…Israel Clip Art, Vector Images & Illustrations - iStock
Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/93621190267?pwd=L0tWU2Q5NFcxQm5kTWxxa1Z0OVhOZz09 Meeting ID: 936 2119 0267Password: 206596 Dial in by phone: 646 876 9923Meeting ID: 936 2119 0267Password: 206596

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Tazria and M’tzora (Lev. 12:1-15:33)

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

Tazria and M’tzora (Lev. 12:1-15:33)

This week, we have a double portion for our Torah reading:  Tazria and M’tzora (Lev. 12:1-15:33).  These portions have a reputation for inspiring fear and dread in many a bar or bat mitzvah student who receives it for their Shabbat service. These portions speak of bodily functions, illness, and quarantine, in relation to: Childbirth, Contact with bodily fluids, and Disease of the skin…  And the texts then go on to detail how, upon contracting these various conditions, individuals need to go through a series of separations, inspections, and ritual cleansings before they are allowed back into the community. In particular, the disease, called tzara’at, is not only a human disease; it can affect the walls of people’s homes, as well as fabric,  thereby extending the boundaries and scope of its effect. Rabbi Joe Black,  Senior Rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Denver, Colorado, recently suggested that these laws about tzara’at—which we translate as leprosy, but clearly is something else—are not included in the narrative to teach us solely about cleanliness, diagnosis or medical care. Rather, they are about our fears. Tzara’at, in our text, is a disease that clearly has a powerful impact on the Ancient Israelite community. It is not only experienced physically, but spiritually. The fact that houses can be infected, as well as humans, points to how scary this can be. And we, too, are in a very scary time.  Writes Rabbi Black: “This time of quarantine, illness, and loss has taken its toll on all of us. The facts that we cannot be physically close to one another; that our economy is suffering; that our national political discourse has become so toxic, are taking a toll on us physically, emotionally and spiritually. We do not know how long this will continue. We worry about our health and those of our loved ones—some of whom are dealing with the coronavirus, others who are vulnerable, and others who are on the front lines providing medical care, research, support, and other crucial services that allow us to function. We worry about how we will emerge from our isolation and what our world will look like once we do. In Tazaria and M’tzora, our ancestors had to deal with the unknown. They were afraid of something over which they had no control. The rituals of isolation, immersion (in the mikvah to achieve ritual purification), and re-entry were designed to provide a safe framework for the people – the afflicted and the larger community – to feel that they were not endangered by this unseen enemy…” Perhaps one of our key tasks at this time is to try to understand and anticipate our fear of the unknown and our reactions to it. As such, Rabbi Black proposes the following seven questions/encouragements for each of us to explore as we continue on our journey: 

1 – Research has shown that staying physically active during quarantine is an essential part of staying healthy.                Am I engaging in enough physical activity?2 – For those who are in quarantine with others:                Am I aware of the needs of others in my home?                Am I doing all that I can to understand what they are going through as well me?                Am I tolerant of my own missteps as well as those with whom I am living?3 – Am I doing all that I can to be productive during this time? Are there tasks that need to be completed? Do I have meaningful outlets for creativity other than television, the internet, and other passive activities?4 – Am I looking for ways to help others? Are there ways that I can volunteer my time or expertise as well as my financial resources?5 – Am I willing to receive help from others?6 – Psychologists teach us that it is important that we not dwell too long on the length of time that we have been—or will be—socially distant. We need to remind ourselves that this is a temporary situation that will be resolved someday. We also need to be “in the moment” as much as we can.7 – There will be times when our fears will get the best of us. No one can be strong all the time.                Have I been able to forgive myself for those moments when I don’t feel productive or give into the despair of the moment?

 These, indeed, are challenging times, and, like our ancestors wandering in the wilderness, there is much that we do not know. At the same time, however, we also have the blessing of being part of a sacred community that cares for one another.  Let us acknowledge our fears, and then step forward towards healing: … Spur us to take swift actionInspire us to do what we canfor those who are more vulnerable than usHelp us to transcend the false divisionsof clean and uncleansypmtom-free and symptomatichealthy and sickInside and outside the campMay we let this virus teach us Just how interconnectedWe all really are– excerpt from “Quarantine” by Cantor Abbe Lyons

From Previous Weeks


Shabbos Chol HaMoed

The special Torah reading for this Shabbat during Chol HaMo-eid Pesach, the intermediate days of Passover, is Exodus 33:12-34:26…

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Sh’imini – Lev. 9:1-11:47 (4/17-18)

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

Sh’imini – Lev. 9:1-11:47 (4/17-18)

This Shabbat, we return to our Torah readings as we make our way through Leviticus.  Our portion is Sh’imini – Lev. 9:1-11:47, and opens with the eighth (Sh’mini) day conclusion of the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests.  This is done very publicly, so that all could see and be a part of the ritual. There is a final burnt offering, which is consumed on the altar by fire from before the Eternal.  Eight days of pomp and circumstance, consecration and celebration.  The boundaries between the holy and the everyday are drawn and maintained… And then, Aaron’s sons – Nadav and Avihu – cross a line.  “Each took his fire pan, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered alien fire before the Eternal which God had not enjoined upon them. And fire came forth from before the Eternal and consumed them; thus they died before the Eternal…” (Lev. 10:1-2) And Aaron was silent. What could he say?  What words could he find at the loss of two [of his four] sons?  How much pain can one endure?  Rabbi Harold Kushner, in his book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, wrote: “Pain is the price we pay for being alive. Dead cells—our hair, our fingernails—can’t feel pain; they cannot feel anything. When we understand that, our question will change from, “Why do we have to feel pain?” to “What do we do with our pain so that it becomes meaningful and not just pointless empty suffering?” After the silence, Aaron rises and moves forward in his duties… in his life… step by step.  What did Aaron do with his pain?
Jewish tradition teaches us that Aaron was a peacemaker; when he heard that two people were arguing, he would go to each of them and tell them how much the other regretted his actions, until the two people agreed to face each other as friends.  Perhaps this was Aaron’s way of turning his grief, turning his suffering, into a meaningful tribute to the sons that he lost… and a loving model for his surviving sons. May we, too, find the courage and strength to move forward after suffering loss and grief in meaningful and loving ways.

From Previous Weeks


Shabbos Chol HaMoed

The special Torah reading for this Shabbat during Chol HaMo-eid Pesach, the intermediate days of Passover, is Exodus 33:12-34:26…

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Passover

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A Pesach Message from Peter Sackett, President of the BI-TWT Board

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A Pesach Message from Peter Sackett, President of the BI-TWT Board

A Pesach Message from Peter Sackett, President of the BI-TWT Board I suggest that as of 6 weeks ago I was prepared to state that never before in our selective lifetimes has the juxtaposition of our padded seats, in our comfortable chairs, with a glass of red wine surely at hand, with our family and friends abound at our well-dressed table vs. the Holy Hell of our forefathers, been so distinct and ever-present. All of a sudden, we are faced with the pendulum literally swinging just an inch or so back towards the time of Pharaoh.  Our perfectness has been tarnished.  Our neat and patterned lifestyles have been upset. Our daily lives are being drawn by an unseen virus and the parameters of a daily creed of new rules. We are slaves to the Pandemic that has entered our lives. And, so, like our Forefathers, we actually face one of the Plagues of our own Haggadah.  However, unlike the story we are about to read – our Judaism is not a protection on our doors or on our gates. I propose that we use our time this week to undertake an evaluation of the blessings we all have; to determine the source of our happiness; to spread our joy among those less blessed, regardless of their reasons. The words of Jack Johnson surely help. With my own two handsI can make peace on earthWith my own two handsI can clean up the earthWith my own two handsI can reach out to youWith my own two hands With my own two handsI’m going to make it a brighter placeWith my own two handsI’m going to make it a safer placeWith my own two handsI’m going to help the human raceWith my own two hands

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Yom HaShoah – Anne Frank’s Legacy

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Yom HaShoah – Anne Frank’s Legacy

Guest Speaker – Anthony Wexler, Ph. D., CASE Dept. of English
Anne Frank is the most famous Holocaust victim in America. The hugely popular Diary of Anne Frank, which was published in 1952, introduced Americans to a young, innocent victim of Nazi terror. As a result of its popularity, the Diary was adapted for the Broadway stage and the Hollywood screen. Yet for all its success, the Diary has also been criticized for contributing to what has been called the “Americanization of the Holocaust”: the process by which the terrifying events of the Holocaust have been sanitized for American audiences. This talk examines the Diary’s remarkable and enduring impact on American Jewish life, from its remarkable production history to the consequences of placing a young, victim-figure at the center of the American Jewish imagination of the Holocaust. Anthony Wexler teaches in the English Department at Case Western Reserve University. After receiving a B.A. from Yeshiva University, he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. His research and teaching focuses on Jewish American literature and the Holocaust in American life. He has held research fellowships at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, and Colby College. Anthony has also spent a number of years studying traditional Jewish texts at Yeshivas in Israel and New York.
 Zoom information: Apr 19, 2020 10:00 AM  – Anne Frank’s Lagacyor join us at 11:00 a.m. for the Family Yom HaShoah Memorial Service Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/487034961?pwd=VjdtenBtOTVVTk1PUzZDUXJlQ1hsdz09 Meeting ID: 487 034 961 Password: 002271 Dial in: 646 876 9923 US (New York)Meeting ID: 487 034 961 Password: 002271 

Join our community for Yom Hashoah V’Hagvurah, a virtual commemoration of the Holocaust and heroism. 

This year’s arts contest theme was “75 Years Since Liberation: What Have We Learned?”   FEATURING:

Remarks by Rabbi Joshua L. Caruso, Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple

A local survivor’s story

Kol Israel 75th anniversary of liberation video

And more

All are invited to light a memorial candle in their own homes in memory of those who perished in the Shoah. 

We must never forget.REGISTER HERE And… on WVIZ at 10:00 PM After Auschwitz PosterAfter Auschwitz is a “Post-Holocaust” documentary that follows six extraordinary women, capturing what it means to move from tragedy and trauma towards life. These women all moved to Los Angeles, married, raised children and became “Americans” but they never truly found a place to call home.

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Circle of Friends Women’s Seder

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Circle of Friends Women’s Seder

Bridget Mary's Blog: Three Women Priests Reflect on Miriam ...Women, Girls, Mothers, Daughters, Aunties, Nieces, Girlfriends….Join us next week for our 13th annualCircle of Friends Women’s SederWednesday, Apr 15, 2020 06:00 PM Follow this link for the haggadah:https://ajws.org/action/haggadah/ Follow this link to zoom in to our Women’s Seder:Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/338673199 Dial in: +1 646 876 9923Meeting ID: 338 673 199 Passover | ReformJudaism.org

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Shabbos Chol HaMoed

As the Torah Turns

Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah

Shabbos Chol HaMoed

The special Torah reading for this Shabbat during Chol HaMo-eid Pesach, the intermediate days of Passover, is Exodus 33:12-34:26, which includes the 13 “Attributes of God.” (Exodus 34:6-7)  Maimonides, following the early midrashic work, Sifrei, argued that the section would be better known as the 13 d’rachim, “ways” of God; or, better still, ways that we can embrace to be god-like… The place of the 13 Attributes in the text of the Torah is important. They appear just after the story of the Golden Calf. Seeing what the people have done in his absence, Moses smashes the first set of tablets. Punishment is then exacted upon the guilty Levites and a general plague serves as a further scourge among the people. Only then does Moses go back up Mt Sinai and cut a second set of tablets. The Eternal One, the Torah reports, passes before Moses and proclaims (according to the prayer book version of the passage): “Adonai, Adonai, a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and granting pardon” (Mishkan T’filah, [NY: CCAR, 2007], p. 496).   What is most remarkable about this passage are these attributes. God is not called holy or commanding or jealous. This is a God who self-describes as being “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and granting pardon…” In these days of sheltering in place, staying cooped up at home, in many cases with our family around us a bit more often than we are used to… there is much that we can learn from this passage. 

  • When it becomes a bit overwhelming, make an effort to stop… and remember to feel or show sympathy and concern for others. 
  • When we are ready to say something a bit too quickly, it might help to take a breath, and think about how we can be courteous, kind, and pleasant.
  • When we’re reacting too quickly in a negative way, perhaps we can s-l-o-w down, and temper our anger.
  • We can model for our children how to be generous, and considerate.
  • We can put loyalty into consistent practice regardless of extenuating circumstances.
  • And we can be kind… and forgiving… 

You get the picture.  These are challenging times. God’s list of attributes/ways can certainly be a list that we can post to help us navigate through the days and weeks… and time ahead.

From Previous Weeks

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