Archive for November, 2007

Here I Am

22190899.jpgFrom this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Yayeshev:

One time, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flock at Shechem, Israel said to Joseph,” Your brothers are pasturing at Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” He answered, “Hineini.” (“Here I am.”)

Another one of those great “Hineini moments.” Hineini is the same word uttered by Abraham when God sends him to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22:1); by Jacob when he prepares to travel to Egypt (Genesis 46:2); by Moses when he responds to God at the burning bush (Exodus 2:4). Hineini is a word that represents a sense of inner immediacy and purpose, of spiritual openness: “Here I am. I am ready.”

Interestingly, Joseph’s use of the word is unique because he does not utter it as a response to a divine command, but rather to a seemingly innocuous request from his father Jacob. Unlike most of the Torah’s narratives, God is not really a main player in the Joseph story. It is a famously human account, with the divine plan unfolding in a more subtle, oblique fashion. In the Joseph narrative, God almost seems to be directing the action from “behind the curtain,” as it were.

That’s what makes Joseph’s “Hineini” all the more poignant. Though he has no way of knowing it consciously at the time, his father’s request will indeed set in motion a series of events that will have profound and wide ranging consequences: Joseph’s travail at the hands of his brother, his subsequent good fortune in Pharaoh’s court, the rescue of his family from famine and their relocation to Egypt, where they will eventually grow into a great nation. We might say that if Joseph had not been “ready” to do this simple chore for his father, none of us would even be around today to read the story.

Of course Joseph will eventually be able to put these pieces together when he is reunited with his brothers and explains to them: “Do not be distressed or reproach yourselves because you sold me hither: it was to save life that God sent me here.” (45:5) By the end of the narrative, he will no longer be the immature and somewhat self-centered youth that we met in this week’s portion. He will understand the method to the seeming madness of his world. He will be able, finally, to grasp the deeper meaning of his life, of the twisting path he has traveled.

Like so many of us, it is only at the end of a long and often difficult road that we are able to sense the inner purpose of our journey. I can think of no better reason for us to cultivate spiritual readiness: to be able to truly answer when we are called: “Hineini.”

Peace, Security, Justice, Dignity, Respect and Mutual Recognition…

33978800.jpg

An excerpt from today’s Israeli-Palestinian statement from Annapolis:

We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate a culture of peace and nonviolence; to confront terrorism and incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis.

In furtherance of the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, we agree to immediately launch good-faith bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception…

For a full text of the statement, click here.

Annapolis Underway

417.jpgThe Mideast peace summit in Annapolis is finally underway and not a moment too soon…

It would not be an exaggeration to say that over the past few weeks, expectations for this meeting have been significantly scaled back and skepticism has run rampant. I realize the temptation to give into cynicism is strong – Bush, Olmert and Abbas might well be called the” coalition of the weak” and Rice’s last minute efforts do smack of end-of-the-term desperation. (Why, oh why did this administration wait SEVEN YEARS before showing any sign of interest in the Mideast peace process?!)

Still, tempting as it might be to indulge our skepticism, we do so at our peril. Clearly Annapolis itself will not produce a comprehensive agreement, but it can and must be the opening to serious engagement by all who are committed to a two-state solution in Israel/Palestine. Yes, the work that lays ahead is daunting – but the prospect of failure is simply too terrible to contemplate.

Click here for further insights on the stakes of Annapolis, as well as specific steps you can take to help voice your support of this effort.

On Struggle and Blessing

jacob.jpg

Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.” (Genesis 32.25)

The identity of this “man” is one of our great Biblical mysteries. One famous midrash identifies him as Esau’s guardian angel; cultural anthropologists claim he bears striking similarities to the river demons of the ancient Near East. As for me, I sometimes feel as if this need to unmask the mysterious night wrestler sort of misses the point.

I’ve often been struck by the artful way the text blurs the identities of both Jacob and the “man.” It’s almost as if the language itself blends their personae together as they wrestle into the night:

Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” Said the other, “What is your name?” (32:27-28)

Upon first reading of these verses, it’s not immediately clear who is who – only after we go back and more carefully parse the verses are we able to deduce who is actually saying what. And maybe that’s just it: perhaps the wrestlers are, in a sense, mythic mirror images of each other. And perhaps the precise identity of the man is less important than the transformation that occurs to Jacob during the struggle itself.

I’m also struck by Jacob’s need to be blessed by the other before he will let him go. Why this demand? After all, didn’t Jacob already receive his father’s deathbed blessing? True, but Jacob received this particular blessing while consciously wearing the identity of another. On some level, perhaps Jacob knew he would never truly be blessed until he confronted the true divine image within himself honestly – face to face. (Why else would he name the site of this struggle Peniel – “Face of God?”)

More than anyone else in the book of Genesis, Jacob is a struggler. He’s born grasping at another’s heel and he spends more than half his life in masquerade – posing as another, deceiving others, deceiving himself. Finally, on this dark riverbank, he strips away his masks, his deception, his subterfuge. He uncovers his true identity and receives his true blessing. The poignant irony, of course, is that it appears that this blessing was within him all along.

But isn’t that the case for us all? We carry our true blessings, our true identities deep within – but alas, more often than not, they won’t reveal themselves without a fight…

Thanksgiving and the Farm Bill

farm_1116.jpgThis Thanksgiving season, I’ve been thinking more and more about the complicated ways in which our food reaches our tables. In particular, I’ve been paying increasing attention to the torturous course of the 2007 Farm Bill – a critical piece of legislation that has important implications for our nation and the world.

Like most Americans, my eyelids tend to droop when I hear words like “Farm Bill,” but I have slowly come to understand that it will have a profound and wide ranging impact upon us all. In the words of Time Magazine‘s Michael Grunwald, “If you eat, drink or pay taxes – or care about the economy, the environment or our global reputation – U.S. agricultural policy is a big deal.”

For its part, Jewish tradition teaches that the means by which we sustain ourselves is a mindful and sacred process. The Torah reminds us over and over laws that the land which produces its bounty (not to mention the bounty itself) is not a commodity that belongs to the farmer. God is the source of all sustenance and accordingly, the food we collect and consume must be understood to be a part of a greater, more transcendent good.

This past week it was reported that the Farm Bill stalled in the Senate for strictly political reasons. (What else is new?) This legislation is not likely to resurface for another year – in the meantime, anyone who eats food in this country would do well to educate themselves about the impact this bill will have on their lives.

So here’s a reading list for you this Thanksgiving. In addition to the fine, thorough Grunwald article linked above (“Why Our Farm Policy is Failing”), I recommend “Farm Bill 101,” from Food and Water Watch and this editorial by Michael Pollan, author of the GREAT book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and one of the most eloquent food advocates in our country.

Oh, and Happy Day to one and all…

Coexistence at Dunkin’ Donuts

donut600.jpg

Check out this great NY Times article about a Dunkin’ Donuts in Flatbush run by Sam Habib, a Muslim immigrant from Egypt and Mindy Gluck, an orthodox Jewish woman from Borough Park. I guess religious coexistence and cooperation can sometimes spring up in the unlikeliest of places!

Saudi Justice

_23109_saudi-woman.jpgThe term “perversion of justice” is not an exaggeration here: Human Rights Watch recently reported that a Saudi Arabian court has doubled its sentence of lashings for a rape victim who had spoken out in public about her case. The court also harassed her lawyer, banning him from the case and confiscating his professional license:

An official at the General Court of Qatif, which handed down the sentence on November 14, said the court had increased the woman’s sentence because of “her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media.” The court sentenced the rape victim to six months in prison and 200 lashes, more than double its October 2006 sentence after its earlier verdict was reviewed by Saudi Arabia’s highest court, the Supreme Council of the Judiciary.

Click here to read the full HRW report. Here is the contact info for the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington if you’re feeling like conveying your outrage.

Cyclone Sidr Relief

_44249113_aidqueue416_afp.jpg

From today’s New York Times:

The number of people left dead after the powerful cyclone that swept through Bangladesh on Thursday rose to more than 3,100 yesterday, the government said. The United Nations estimated that a million people had been left homeless, many of them in remote areas without predictable food supplies.

The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society warned Sunday that the number of dead could conceivably be 5,000 to 10,000, and the United Nations World Food Program said yesterday that it would not be surprised by such a tally.

To contribute to Cyclone Sidr relief efforts, contact:

American Red Cross

AmeriCares

Lutheran World Relief

Save the Children

Global Giving

If you are in need of sources for holiday gift giving or end-of-the year tzedakah, I’m recommending GlobalGiving- a terrific resource that describes itself as the eBay of online giving. Their concept is brilliant in its simplicity: over 450 pre-screened worldwide grassroots charity projects post their causes on their website. Givers can research causes by topic or geographic location and make a direct tax-deductible donation. GlobalGiving ensures that 85-90% of each donation is on-the-ground within 60 days and has an immediate impact. They also send out regular updates to givers to inform them what a difference their gifts are making and to demonstrate the results that have been achieved. (Click on the YouTube clip above for a quick GlobalGiving tutorial.)

Just scrolling through the NGOs listed on the site is an inspiration in itself – incredible organizations doing important, critical work in the areas of Human Rights, HIV/AIDS, the environment, Sustainability, Gender Equality, etc. I never fail to be amazed by the sheer number of good people doing great work in the world…

Tikkun New Orleans in the News

pa160138.jpg

The Chicago Jewish News just featured a great cover story on JRC’s service trip to New Orleans. Click here and read!

Next Page »


Welcome

Welcome to "Shalom Rav," a collection of posts that have nothing much in common other than my desire to share them with you.

While some of my posts are related to my day job (I serve as Rabbi of Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, IL), the opinions I express here are mine alone and do not reflect official stands of my congregation or any organization with which I'm affiliated.

Enter your email address to subscribe to Shalom Rav and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Follow Me on Twitter:

Categories