Category Archives: Talmud

Medieval Europe was almost constantly at war. The Wikipedia page listing conflicts in Europe has over 50 battles fought in the 14th century alone. Many of these were part of the Hundred Years War, between England and France. This war nominally began in 1337 when King Edward IIIs claim to the throne of France was rejected, and didnt end until 116 years later with the Battle of Castillon on July 17, 1453.

Battle in the 14th century had strict rules and customs. There was a hierarchy among the soldiers. The main fighters would be the knights, with their horses, armor and a retinue of foot soldiers to support them. Due to the cost, knights were mainly from the nobility (and conversely, those who were not of high birth but managed to become knights joined the ranks of the nobility later on). The knights were supported by light cavalry wealthy commoners protected by lighter armor carrying lances, javelins, bows or crossbows. The lowest class of soldiers was the infantry. These foot soldiers were often serfs, recruited by the landowning knights, or mercenaries from all over Europe. The infantry was by far the most numerous part of the medieval army, but often considered the most disposable.

With their sense of chivalry, tradition and hierarchy, the knights looked down on the infantry as unimportant. But they also considered them insignificant in battle. Often, the knights would charge headlong to fight one another, focusing solely on their social counterparts, and virtually ignore the infantrymen.

Edward III of England. (Public Domain/ Wikimedia Commons)

But King Edward III realized that the traditional hierarchy with its battle tactics wasnt the best way of winning wars. His grandfather, Edward I had defeated William Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk largely due to his reliance on the longbow. Although a longbow looks like a simple piece of wood preferably yew it took years of training and practice to master the weapon. But what a powerful weapon it was. A skilled man could shoot half a dozen arrows a minute and each arrow was capable of killing a man at over 200 yards. It could penetrate armor and bring down the horses upon which the knights rode.

So, in 1363, Edward III mandated that every adult man practice archery on every feast day, Sunday and holiday (and at the same time banned soccer and other sports):

The King to the Lord-lieutenant of Kent, greeting: Whereas the people of our realm rich and poor alike, were accustomed formerly in their games to practice archery whence by Gods help, it is well known that high honour and profit came to our realm, and no small advantage to ourselves in our warlike enterprises and that now skill in the use of the bow having fallen almost wholly into disrepute, our subjects give themselves up to the throwing of stones and of wood and of iron; and some to handball and football and hockey; and others even to other unseemly sports less useful and manly; whereby our realm which God forbid will soon, it would appear, be void of archers.

We, wishing that a fitting remedy be found in this matter, do hereby ordain, that in all places in your country a proclamation be made to this effect: that every man if he be able-bodied, shall, upon holidays, make use, in his games, of bows and arrows and so learn and practise archery.

Moreover we ordain that you prohibit under penalty of imprisonment all and sundry from such stone, wood and iron throwing; handball, football or hockey or other such idle games.

With this decree, not only did he ensure he would have a well-regulated militia of longbowmen he could call up when necessary, but also elevated the role of the archer to become an important part of the army and strategy. And the requirement for every adult man to practice shooting closed the gap somewhat between the cavalry of nobles and the infantry of commoners. They were all united in their knowledge of archery.

English longbow made of yew, 1.98m (6 6 long, with 470 N (105 lbf) draw force. (Public Domain, Hitchhiker89/ Wikimedia Commons)

Edward had upended tradition of reliance mainly on the mounted knights by recognizing the importance of the longbow. And this led him to some stunning victories.

Just 13 years after his archery decree, Edward fought the French in the Battle of Crcy. On July 12th, 1346 , Edward and his army, transported on more than 700 boats, landed in the Contentin Peninsula to claim the Kingdom of France that he believed was rightly his (he was the nephew of the previous king). His men began fighting their way along the Seine, towards Paris sacking towns on their way. By August 12th, the English were encamped only 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the French capital.

There were somewhere between 7,000 and 15,000 English and Welsh soldiers on the outskirts of Paris. The French King Philip VI had at least twice as many men, and according to some estimates as many as 120,000. His troops were supported by Genoese crossbowmen. This Italian elite corps of professional soldiers would go into battle protected by pavises large shields carried by a soldier behind which three crossbowmen could shelter to protect themselves from enemy arrows. These well-trained Genoese soldiers could fire only two arrows a minute, and their range was shorter than that of the English and Welsh longbowmen.

Despite superior numbers, the French were decimated at the Battle of Crcy. The English had time to rest and encamp, digging pits before their positions to halt any cavalry charge. They had set their position at the top of a hill and were well rested, having been there since dawn.

Philips men were spotted by the English around noon. Philip set up a council of war where the French officials were confident of victory but advised waiting until the next day before attacking. However, the soldiers whether at Philips command or out of simple confusion and chaos began the battle immediately.

As the Genoese crossbowmen moved forward, a sudden rainstorm broke over the field. The English longbowmen removed the strings from their bows and placed them under their hats to keep them dry and prevent them from becoming slack. The Genoese had leather strings in their bows so could not protect them from becoming wet. They were also without their protective pavises which had been left behind in the chaos with the baggage along with their reserve ammunition. They quickly shot no more than two volleys and turned to flee from the rain of arrows coming from English archers.

But Philips knights following behind hacked the crossbowmen down as they ran. The nobles didnt think much of the archers at the best of times, didnt bother to wait for them to be prepared or properly armed, and now viewed them as cowards. Because they thought that the real fighting was for the mounted knights.

King Johns tomb in the crypt of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City. (CC BY-SA, Dozura/ Wikimedia Commons)

The English longbowmen continued firing into the carnage of the French killing, their own archers. The ground was now muddy, slippery and treacherous, especially for the horses. And the English, standing at the top of the hill, continued to unleash volley after volley at the French.

Time after time the French charged towards the English. Each time the soldiers and their horses were met with a barrage of arrows, which could penetrate armor and bring down the unprotected horses. Yet they continued charging late into the night. In a tremendous display of bravery, John of Bohemia rode out towards the English intending to bring them down with his sword, despite the fact that he was 50-years-old and completely blind. The medieval chronicler Jean Froissart described the event:

for all that he was nigh blind, when he understood the order of the battle, he said to them about him: Where is the lord Charles my son? His men said: Sir, we cannot tell; we think he be fighting. Then he said: Sirs, ye are my men, my companions and friends in this journey: I require you bring me so far forward, that I may strike one stroke with my sword. They said they would do his commandment, and to the intent that they should not lose him in the press, they tied all their reins of their bridles each to other and set the king before to accomplish his desire, and so they went on their enemies.

The lord Charles of Bohemia his son, who wrote himself king of Almaine and bare the arms, he came in good order to the battle; but when he saw that the matter went awry on their party, he departed, I cannot tell you which way. The king his father was so far forward that he strake a stroke with his sword, yea and more than four, and fought valiantly and so did his company; and they adventured themselves so forward, that they were there all slain, and the next day they were found in the place about the king, and all their horses tied each to other.

Eventually, Philip abandoned the battle. Thousands of nobles had been killed more than 2,200 heraldic coats were taken from the field as war booty by the English and well over 10,000 lower-born foot soldiers. The French losses included one king (John of Bohemia), nine princes, ten counts, a duke, and archbishop and a bishop. This was in keeping with the prevailing chivalric ideals that it is better to die in battle than to dishonorably flee the field.

Edward III counting the dead on the battlefield of Crcy. (Public Domain/ Wikimedia Commons)

Meanwhile, the English, who had upended the traditional rules of chivalry with their reliance on archers, suffered only about 40 casualties (though some historians think it may have been about 300).

Edward went on to conquer Calais which the British held on to for the next two centuries.

King Philip and his army had tradition on their side. They held firm to the hierarchy of battle and the noble goal of dying honorably in battle. Meanwhile, Edward had realized more than a decade earlier that the way to win wars was to rethink the battle strategy and rely heavily on his archers, though they were not high-born or even wealthy. From then on, the longbow became a dominant weapon in the battlefields of Western Europe and English and Welsh archers were highly prized mercenaries.

Time and again, battles and wars were won by one army using new tactics and weaponry while their opponents clung fast to tradition and honor. In the struggle of tradition against innovation, often the traditionalists are forced to rethink.

It is not only in war that traditionalists are left behind as the reality evolves around them. One area where this concept is clear is in religion. Many religions adapt with time, due to new realities or a change in social values. In doing so, they leave behind those who are still wedded to the old order of things.

The destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70 CE was a time of great upheaval for the Jewish community in Israel. The priestly-led, Jerusalem-based religion was forced to adapt into a rabbinic-led faith centered around the synagogue and the study hall. Many were unable to adapt and disappeared from the tradition.

But an equally important change happened in the process of halacha.

But first, lets talk about the weekly Torah portion, Hukat. The portion begins with the laws of the red heifer. The ashes of the red heifer were used to purify people who had come into contact with a corpse. It was essential for the functioning of the Temple, because everyone who came there (and everyone had to come three times a year) had to be ritually pure to partake of the sacrifices.

Yet the laws of the red heifer were full of contradictions. For example, when sprinkled on someone who was ritually impure, the ashes made that person pure. Yet at the same time, the person who did the sprinkling became impure, and had to immerse in a mikva before partaking in anything holy.

The laws of the red heifer are so difficult that even King Solomon, the wisest of all men, was unable to fathom the reasoning behind them. Bamidbar Rabba 19:3 says:

King Solomon said: All these I explained. But the section of the red heifer, I investigated and asked and examined, but I said will get wisdom, yet it was far from me, (Ecclesiastes 7:23).

The red heifer is considered the ultimate statute, beyond human logic and reason. However, the midrash (Pesikta de-Rav Kehana: Para) associates the laws of the red heifer with one particular rabbi:

Rabbi Acha said in the name of Rabbi Yossi bar Chanina: When Moses went up to Heaven, he heard the Voice of the Holy One, blessed is He, who was sitting and learning the section of the Red Heifer. He was saying the halakha in the name of the one who said it: Rabbi Eliezer says, A heifer is one year old and a cow is two years old (Mishna Para 1:1). Moses said before the Holy One, blessed is He, Master of the Universe, the upper and lower [worlds] are in Your dominion yet You sit and say the halakha in the name of [a creature of] flesh and blood?

The Holy One, blessed is He said to him, Moses, in the future there will be one righteous man who will stand in my world, and he will begin with the section about the Red Heifer first [Moses] said before Him, Master of the Universe, may it be Your will that he should be a descendant of mine. The Holy One, blessed is He, said, By your life he is a descendant of yours, for the verse says, The name of the one was Eliezer (Shemot 18:4). This means that the name of that unique [righteous person] is Eliezer.

Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrkanos was the ultimate traditionalist. He was described by his teacher, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, as A plastered cistern which does not lose a drop, (Avot 2:8). He retained everything he was taught and boasted (Nida 7b) that he only ruled in accordance with what he had learned.

It was taught: R. Eliezer said to R. Joshua, You have not heard but I have heard; you have only heard one tradition but I have heard many; people do not ask him who has not seen the new moon to come and tender evidence but only him who has seen it.

Rabbi Eliezer was the standard-bearer of the tradition. In fact, his contemporary, Rabbi Yehoshua compared him to the Torah that Moses received at Sinai (Shir Hashirim Rabba 1:3):

Rabbi Eliezers Yeshiva was shaped like an arena, and in it there was a stone reserved for him to sit upon. Once, Rabbi Yehoshua entered [Rabbi Eliezers Yeshiva]. He began kissing the stone [upon which Rabbi Eliezer had sat] and said, This stone is like Mount Sinai, and the one who sat upon it is like the Ark of the Covenant.

Both Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua had seen the Temple. They had lived in Jerusalem until just before its destruction. But in the post-Temple era, Judaism needed to evolve and change. It was a new world and innovation would be the only way to survive.

Rabbi Yehoshua embodied the new Judaism, which would be based on reasoned argument and majority rule. Rabbi Eliezer held fast to the old-world order, where everything was in accordance with Gods will. This dispute came to a head in an incident described by the Talmud in Bava Metzia 59b.

[Rabbi Eliezer] replied, If the halacha is like me let the Heavens prove it. A voice came out of heaven and said, Why are you arguing with Rabbi Eliezer for the halacha is like him in every case? Rabbi Joshua stood up on his feet and said, It is not in Heaven.

The Talmud goes on to tell that many years later, Rabbi Natan met Elijah the prophet and asked him what God did at that time. Elijah said, God smiled and said, My children have defeated Me, My children have defeated Me.

According to the rabbis of the Talmud, God Himself agreed to the new system of halachic decision-making. Which then became the basis of all future Judaism. This is why the Talmud (Menachot 29b) tells of Moses traveling through time to visit Rabbi Akivas study hall and being unable to understand anything being said there.

Moses prayed that Rabbi Eliezer should be one of his descendants. And like Moses, Rabbi Eliezer was unable to adapt to the new halachic process. Although his views are recorded throughout the Mishna, the halacha is almost never in accordance with his opinion.

But his traditionalist approach is why God invoked Rabbi Eliezers name and teachings in connection to the red heifer. In the new system of logic, argument and reasoned decision making, the red heifer was an enigma. But it fit in perfectly to the worldview of Rabbi Eliezer, where the word of God was all that mattered. No matter how much things changed, regardless of the new reality of a post-Temple Judaism, Rabbi Eliezers views remained fixed at Sinai. He was the ultimate originalist.

King Philip clung to tradition, but lost the battle to King Edward who upended the heraldic codes of war. Rabbi Eliezer continued the traditions of Moses, but his views were written out of the later halachic books.

As society evolves, the originalists cling to the past. But ultimately they are swept away by the new reality and the world moves on without them.

Thanks to Tim Harford, who spoke about the Battle of Crecy on his Cautionary Tales podcast.

My current series on WebYeshiva is entitled, Rebuilding After Destruction Through Text and islive every Tuesday. I spoke last week about Rabbi Eliezer and the other students of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, most of whom were unable to adapt to the new reality. You can listen to the live or recorded Torah classes on WebYeshiva. Ive also started sharing more of my Torah thoughts on Facebook. Follow my page,Rabbi Sedley.

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New traditionalists - Parshat Hukat | David Sedley | The Blogs - The Times of Israel

Polytheists have many names for God because they have many Gods; just as every human has many names for his or her many relatives and friends.

But how can monotheistic religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam have many names for the One and only God in whom they deeply believe?

The explanation is that only one of the One Gods names, is an unique personal name; all the other names are appellations or titles that refer to one of One Gods many attributes (creator, ruler or redeemer) or Gods character traits (merciful, just or forgiving).For those religions that trace their prophets back to Prophet Abraham; the many names or appellations (titles and descriptions) of God simply describe different aspects or attributes of the one Gods multifaceted personality.

Thus to say that God is a King, a Judge, or a Savior describes one of many ways God acts and relates. To say that God is a Creator, a Lover or the Compassionate One is to describe one of many character or personality traits of the one and only God.

While each name is only one of the many appellations of the One universal creator of space and time; Christianity, Islam and Judaism each have one Divine personal name that is always in the believers heart and soul.

In English the word God is not the name of the one and only God. It is the generic term for any and every deity, similar to the West Semitic root word EL as it is found in Sumerian and Akkadian, Ellil-Enlil, in Hittite and Hurrian as Ellel, in Hebrew El-Elohim in Arabic as Al-Ilahi, the God or Allat, a pre Islamic Goddess, one of three daughters of Al-Ilah worshiped in Palmyra as Allat and referred to by Herodotus as Alilat, and worshiped as Allatu by North African Carthaginians.

This name Jesus for Christians, Allah for Muslims and YHVH for Jews, differs from all the other names that are just philosophical terms for various universal aspects or roles of God. This Divine name has a very intimate special meaning for each of the three religious communities of believers that is lacking in all the other names.

This personal name is connected to the covenant the One God YHVH made with Moses (Exodus 3:13-15) with Jesus (Matthew 3:16-17), and with Muhammad (Quran 33:7)

Yet, because all the many names of God, call upon the same One God, it is not surprising that some of the 99 beautiful names of God in Muslim tradition, also appear in Jewish tradition, which sometimes refers to the 70 names of God (Midrash Shir HaShirim and Midrash Otiot Rabbi Akiba).

Since Arabic and Hebrew are brother languages; in some cases the names even sound alike:Arabic Hebrew EnglishAr-Rahman, Ha Rakhaman, The Compassionate One;Ar-Rahim. El Rakhum, The Merciful One;Al-Quddus, Ha Kadosh, The Holy One;Al-Bari, Ha Boray, The Creator;Al-Aliyy, El Elyon, The Most High;As-Salam, Oseh Shalom, The Peacemaker,Malik ul Mulk, Melek Malkay Melakim, The king/ruler over all the kingdom/kings;Al-Muhyi, Ha Michayah, The Giver of Life;and Al-Mumit, Ha Maymeet, The Taker of Life.

Although in every generation there could have been many individuals who worshipped the One God, who was indeed the God of all humans; yet for more than 40 generations only one group of people maintained an ongoing monotheistic community.

This is why all the Biblical prophets connect the generic name of God Elohim to the only religious community in Biblical days who worshipped the One God: Elohei Yisrael- the God of Israel, or Elohei-God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So Ezra, the most narrowly focused of prophets, uses both Elah Yisrael-God of Israel (Ezra 5:1) and Elah Shmaya VArah- God of Heaven and Earth (Ezra 5:11).

Christians personalized the name of God by connecting it with the name of a very special person, whose message and passion inspired them to transform their lives. The Quran, true to its universalizing perspective uses the generic name Allah; but with intense presence that Allah became personalized in the Muslim communitys experience.

The words El, Elah, Elohei and Elohim are all pre Abrahamic west Semitic generic terms for a God or for many Gods. In these various forms they appear almost 3,000 times in the Hebrew Bible.

But the most important name of the one God, the name that God himself reveals to Moses at the burning bush, is YHVH: which appears more than 6,800 times in the Hebrew Bible.

In Exodus 3:13-15, Moses said to God, If I go to the Israelites and tell them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, What is his name?what should I say to them? And God said to Moses, Ehyeh asher Ehyeh.

Ehyeh is the verb to be future tense singular and means I will/could/might/may be/become Who I may/could/will/might be/become i.e. Ehyeh is The God of Potentialities, The God of Possibilities, The Living God of Becoming and Transforming, the One who can liberate Israel from bondage in Egypt.

Unfortunately, the Greek and Latin translations of this verse were influenced by the Greek philosophical idea that God was similar to a permanent ideal form (like an equilateral triangle) or an unmoved mover, and is not like a living personality.

Since they thought God must be a static unchanging being. they mistranslated Ehyeh asher Ehyeh as I am who I am rather than its plain meaning of I can be whatever I should be to redeem you i.e. God Almighty

The Torah continues, And God said, You must say this to the Israelites, I am (the usual false translation for Gods self revealed name) has sent me to you.' God also said to Moses, You must say this to the Israelites, Ehyeh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacobhas sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation. (Exodus 3:13-15)

When Jews speak of God in the third person, Gods name is YHVH the One who causes being and becoming, the One who brings potentials into existence.

This name (YHVH) was spoken publicly from the time of Moses and throughout the 3 centuries of the 1st Temple of Solomon. But during the period of the 2nd Temple it was pronounced as Adonai (Lord) because of the feeling that Gods actual Holy name was too holy to utter audibly.

In later centuries even the substitution was considered too holy to utter; and the custom among pious Jews till this day is not to use any name for God at all (except in prayer); but to say HaShemthe name (of God) when speaking about God. Thus, while Christians and Muslims love to voice their special personal name for God, Jews avoid voicing Gods name (YHVH) even in prayer.

YHVH replaced a much older name of God: El Shaddai. Exodus (6:2-3) relates: God also said to Moses, I am YHVH. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as El Shaddai, but by my name YHVH I did not make myself fully known to them.

In the whole Hebrew Bible the full appellation El Shaddai is used only in connection with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Shaddai by itself appears 31 times in the ancient book of Prophet Job, who was not Jewish, and in a few other poetic passages.

In the Greek translation of the Torah, El Shaddai was erroneously translated Pantokrator, all powerful or omnipotent, instead of The God who is sufficient. The Greek philosophical idea of omnipotence leads to the false contradiction between Gods power and human free will.

But God is indeed, more than sufficient. God is and will always be YHVH, the God who enables human hopes of future possibilities of improvement to become realized.

El Shaddai con also be translated as the Nourishing or Nursing God because in Hebrew Shaddaim means female breasts. This feminine image may help many women today replace the ancient image of God as an old man with a long beard; with something more representative of Gods classical attribute of loving concern for His children.

One name of God that few Christians and Jews know or use today, is a name that I believe will become more important in the future as Christians, Jews and Muslims learn more about each others religions.

This special name, El Roee, only appears twice in the Hebrew Bible and, as far as I know, is not used as a Divine at all in the rabbinic Talmud.

Abrahams wife Hagars name for God is El-Roee. El Roee means A Self-reflecting God or A God Who Sees (literally mirrors) Me. Then she (Hagar) called the name of YHVH, who spoke to her, El Roee, You are a God who sees me; for she said, Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him? Therefore the well was called Beer-laHai-roee; the well of the Living One (Al-Hayy) who sees me. (Genesis 16:13-14)

Neither Sarah nor Hagar/Ha-jar are mentioned by name in the Quran, but the story of Ha-jars exile from Abrahams home is traditionally understood to be referred to in a line from Ibrhms prayer in the Quran (14:37): I have settled some of my family in a barren valley near your Sacred House.

Muslim tradition relates that when H-jar ran out of water, and Isml, an infant at that time, began to die; H-jar panicked and ran between two nearby hills, Al-Safa and Al-Marwah repeatedly searching for water.

After her seventh run, Isml hit the ground with his heel and caused a miraculous well to spring out of the ground called Zamzum Well. It is located a few meters from the Kaaba in Mecca.

Perhaps this previously unique Torah name of God, El Roee or Hai Roee; which are Hagars names for God, meaning A Self-reflecting God or A God Who Sees Me, and the name for the well Beer-laHai-roee the well of the Self-reflecting God; can help bring Christians, Jews and Muslims to see themselves in the eyes of each other better, and thus come closer together in the future.

That would be an excellent example of the power of just one of the many names of the One God to make us better lovers of the One God; and better lovers of the many different religions that the One Gods Prophets have inspired.

Thus if Hagars name for God leads both Arabs and Jews to live up to the ideal that the descendants of Abrahams sons should never make war against each other we will help fulfill the 2700 year old vision of Prophet Isaiah:

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will join a three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing upon the heart. The LORD of Hosts will bless them saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.(Isaiah 19:23-5)

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Loving One Name Of God Above All Others OpEd - Eurasia Review

Browse > Home / News / Two new Jewish chaplains appointed to the ADF

July 3, 2022 by J-Wire Newsdesk

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Sydneys Rabbanit Judith Levitan and Rabbi Ari Rubin of Chabad House in Cairns have been Jewish chaplains to the Australian Defence Force.

Rabbi Ralph Genende, Senior Rabbi to the ADF and member of the Religious Advisory Committee to the Services (RACS) said: In the demanding and challenging ADF selection process the two new chaplains were both found to be exceptionally worthy candidates by the ADF. I am particularly pleased and privileged to welcome the first woman to this role. This is thanks to the ADFs deliberate policy of inclusion and diversity.

Rabbanit Levitan is a community educator and lawyer who works at Legal Aid NSW improving legal services for disadvantaged people. She is the Religious Program Coordinator at Maroubra Synagogue in Sydney and also works with Mount Sinai College primary school. She received semicha (rabbinic ordination) from Yeshivat Maharat, an Orthodox institution in New York and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Council of Jewish Women Australia.

Rabbanit Levitan said: I believe I can provide a diverse perspective and an additional point of access for army women and men to chaplaincy services. I see my role primarily as providing a comforting and empathic presence to army personnel on their life journeys and offering support in times of crisis, challenge and celebration.

Rabbi Ari Rubin, who runs the Chabad Centre for Jewish Life in North Queensland, undertook Talmudic studies at the Rabbinical College of Australia and New Zealand and was ordained at the Rabbinical College of America. He also has a Bachelor of Liberal Arts. Rabbi Rubin has undertaken Rabbinical apprenticeships in Pittsburgh, Venice and Jerusalem and has taught at the Kollel Menachem Institute of Jewish Adult Education in Melbourne.

The chaplaincy is a natural extension of a rabbis role, he says. Visits to hospitals, universities, old age homes and defence bases are all part of the pastoral care services he offers.

He added: I am so excited to be a part of the defence family representing our religious values to the men and women. I am proud to be able to give back to the country that has given us so much.

The achievement of the two new chaplains will be marked at an event in Sydney on July 19 hosted by Jewish Chaplaincy, the NSW Association of Jewish Service & Ex-Service Men & Women and the NSW Jewish War Memorial.

The ADF is now served by four Jewish chaplains.

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Two new Jewish chaplains appointed to the ADF - J-Wire Jewish Australian News Service

This weekend leads us into July, and Independence Day celebrations will be aplenty! While all branches of the Delaware County District Library will be closed Sunday and Monday for the holiday, well still be out and about in the community. Look for the annual appearance of the Book Cart Brigade going through downtown Ostrander during its Independence Day parade. The drill team always has a fun time and shows off their coordinated moves.

Another celebration that is recognized in the month of July that you may not know about is Muslim-American Heritage Month. States, counties, and local municipalities across the United States celebrate and honor the contributions and integral role of Muslim Americans in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.

For several years now, a local patron to the Delaware County District Library has offered a program to teens in the area called The Art of Henna. Delaware County resident Renuka Bhatt invites teens to casually drop in during the program to have a special henna design drawn on their hand while Renuka shares how and why henna body art is used around the world.

As explained by the International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI), henna is one of the oldest cosmetic ingredients in the world and can be traced with written records as far back as 2,500 years. Its an important part of Islam as it is used in various events, especially weddings, with the leaves used to dye finger nails, make drawings or decorations on the palms and soles of the feet, and dye hair. The use of henna has also been adopted by Hindus and Buddhists, with the use of henna for decorations spreading to most parts of the Muslim world and India.

Come and visit with Renuka on Wednesday, July 6, at 4 p.m. in the Orange Branch Library Teen Zone, and on Thursday, July 14, at 2 p.m. in the Delaware Main Library Community Room. Each program lasts 90 minutes, and teens are welcome to stop in at any point during the session. No reservations are required. Were excited to have the community learn a bit more about our nextdoor neighbors as well as our global neighbors.

This week, lets take a look at some of the biographies and memoirs of the religious communities from around the world that you may have missed.

The Spiritual Mandela: Faith and Religion in the Life of Nelson Mandela by Dennis Cruywagen. A richly detailed and thought-provoking exploration of Nelson Mandelas spiritual life and the relationship between his religious experiences and his politics. This story shows a personal, relatably human side of a revered figure searching for meaning just like the rest of us.

If All the Seas Were Ink by Ilana Kurshan. A reflective and engaging description of author Ilana Kurshans experiences with daf yomi, a multi-year commitment to daily Talmud study, and how it serves as a grounding ritual during chaotic times. Explore the moving portrait Kurshan paints of belonging to a worldwide network of fellow readers who read the same page every day. For the unfamiliar, each new daf yomi cycle takes more than seven years to complete, with the next cycle set to begin on June 8, 2027.

Unashamed: Musings of a Fat, Black Muslim by Leah Vernon. The moving and candid memoir of social media influencer Leah Vernon, where she reflects on her relationship with her Muslim identity and the ways it intersects with self-image, self-expression, racism, sexism, and trauma. Youll find it has a comfortable, conversational tone alongside a unique perspective Vernon provides at the intersections of her multitude of identities.

Stranger in a Strange Land: Searching for Gershom Scholem and Jerusalem by George Prochnik. A compelling reappraisal of the life and work of Jewish philosopher and historian Gershom Scholem, who is best known for pioneering the academic study of kabbalah in a secular context. Author George Prochnik displays a deep appreciation for the philosophical and personal reflections that can be drawn from engaging with Scholems work, and does not hesitate to explore them in the context of his own relationship with Judaism.

The Very Worst Missionary: A Memoir or Whatever by Jamie Wright. The ups and downs of author Jamie Wrights efforts to reconcile her individual Christian faith with institutional problems that can surround organized religion, especially around missionary work. Her topics include how missionary presence can disrupt local economies; financial irregularities in fundraising; manipulative recruitment tactics to encourage conversions. Readers who welcome tough conversations about the gaps between their relationships with God and the structural obstacles that prevent many faith communities from practicing what they preach may reach for this title.

If you have a question that you would like to see answered in this column, mail it to Nicole Fowles, Delaware County District Library, 84 E. Winter St., Delaware, OH 43015, or call us at 740-362-3861. You can also email your questions by visiting the librarys web site at http://www.delawarelibrary.org or directly to Nicole at [emailprotected] No matter how you contact us, were always glad you asked!

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Library event to focus on art of henna - Delaware Gazette

Four decades ago, Israel learned that Uri Zohar, its best known comedian, was abandoning bohemia for the Haredi world. About that time, I was writing an article for The Jerusalem Post in which Zohars name came up. A private postal service was facing closure. Its head well call him Haim mentioned in passing during an interview that Zohar was one of his customers and a friend, which I noted in the article. A few weeks later Haim, himself Haredi, called me. He was exultant. The authorities had reconsidered and his service would not be shut down. The article had done it, he said. He couldnt thank me enough. Is there anything I can do for you? Anything.

I was not doing anybody a favor and in truth it was a very dull article. But as Haim talked, it occurred to me that there WAS something he might do for me. He and no other.

Could you arrange for me to study Talmud with Uri Zohar for half an hour?

He hesitated. I m not sure he would agree to that, but I can ask him.

I wont write about it, I assured him. Im just interested personally, not as a journalist.

Ill try, he said.

The news that Zohar was quitting comedy for religion had stunned me. He was, for me, a national treasure - funny, bawdy, hilarious. We seculars thirsted for wild humor like his to brighten our livesa diversion from all the bad actors strutting the political stage. It was as if Bob Hope - the American comedian who came to mind then - had abandoned his radio show and taken a vow of silence in a remote monastery, never to be heard from again.

Zohars move was a dissonance that baffled me. Was it real? A middle-aged man making a move like that? Why? Or was it a schtick, like Madonnas hyped-up flirtation with kabbalah, a pathetic lunge for publicity. If I could watch him close-up studying Talmud, I thought, it might tell me something.

Growing up on New Yorks Lower East Side, I had gone to Yeshiva Shlomo Kluger till 10th grade. Very little of my learning there stuck, but at least I could read a page of Talmud even if I didnt get the meaning unless the rabbi explained it.

Two days after my request to Haim, the phone rang at my desk. A deep, vaguely familiar voice said Mr. Rabinovich? This is Uri Zohar. I dont recall him asking any questions, although his tone seemed to carry one - is this journalist just looking for a scoop? I hastened to assure him that I would not be writing an article about him, but that I would like to share a study session with him if possible.

He agreed that I come the next morning at 10 a.m. to an address in Geula, a Haredi neighborhood in Jerusalem. Ground floor. Short flight of stairs. Door to the right. He himself responded to the doorbell. He had a beard, but the face was his. He led me into the salon where two men were sitting at a table, a Talmud tractate open before each. One was a former entertainer, born-again like Zohar, but his name was unfamiliar to me. The other was the Haredi teacher, an intelligent looking young man. Zohar gestured to a seat next to his. He didnt immediately offer me a volume, perhaps not to embarrass me if I could not follow. I asked for one and he readily took one down from a shelf, opened it to the page they were studying and placed his finger on the line they were at. That took me straight back to my yeshiva days when, it seemed, we were constantly asking each other what line we were at.

The subject, as best I recall, concerned someone finding a prayer book or another holy book on the Sabbath in a public space: can he pick it up and bring it into a private space, like his home, to save it from further desecration? Or not? Normally, it is forbidden to carry even a handkerchief in a public space on the Sabbath.

The room faced onto an inner courtyard. At one point, the rabbi placed an object on the sill of the open courtyard door to discuss the boundary between private and public spaces.

As the rabbis reading proceeded, Zohar and the other penitent offered questions and comments. I asked whether I could participate. I was urged to do so and did. The give-and-take was familiar, even fun. I could have continued, but after a while I begged leave to go. Zohar escorted me to the door. As I started down the short flight, I glanced back. He was still at the half-open door, as if poised for a question from me, so I thought, about continuing my studies. Neither of us said anything and I continued out the front door. I already had the answer to the question that had brought me there; to my dismay, Uri Zohar was not kidding about becoming a Haredi. He had passed from the public space to the private. He would remain there, except for scattered contacts with seculars, until he died this month, at age 86.

Uri Zohar (left) and Arik Einstein in Peeping Toms, Zohars 1972 film about an aging hippie. (YouTube screengrab)

ADDENDUM:

Despite my assurance to Haim and to Zohar himself that I would not write about the episode, I did write about it. I felt that the articles conclusion that Zohars conversion was sincere, was not something he could object to. The publicity might even enhance his personal agenda if it aimed at encouraging secular searchers to follow in his path.

In so deciding, I may have inadvertently stumbled on a Talmud-worthy conundrum. Although my pledge to Haim and Uri Zohar not to write about the episode ended up being false, it was not false when I made it. It became a lie only post-facto. Is that less egregious than an intentional, up-front lie? Or not?

Abraham Rabinovich is a historian and journalist who has published several books including "The Yom Kippur War," "The Boats of Cherbourg" and "The Battle For Jerusalem." As a reporter, his work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The New Republic, and the Christian Science Monitor. Before becoming a writer full-time, he was employed as a staff journalist for Newsday and the Jerusalem Post.

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The time I studied Talmud with Uri Zohar - The Times of Israel

Abortion rights demonstrators outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Friday, June 24, 2022, after it overturned Roe v. Wade, ending constitutional protections for the right to an abortion. Photo by Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images

By Beth HarpazJune 24, 2022

The U.S. Supreme Courton Friday overturned Roe v. Wade. The decision ended constitutional protections for the right to an abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years. Abortion opponents have fought for decades to outlaw the procedure. Abortion will now likely be banned in about half of the states.

Here is a sampling of reaction from the Jewish community.

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs: Prohibiting abortion access is contrary to Jewish law, traditions, and our principal value of saving a life; it enshrines specific religious imperatives in American law. Judaism compels us to stand for all life, and we prioritize the life and health of a pregnant person.

Hadassah: Hadassah, The Womens Zionist Organization of America, reaffirms its unwavering support for full and complete access to reproductive health services and the right to make decisions based on each womans religious, moral and ethical values. Hadassah will continue to fight for federal and state legislation affirming and protecting reproductive rights.

U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY): Today is a victory for life, for family, for the constitution, and for federalism. When my daughters, Mikayla and Arianna, were born 14.5 weeks early, I had the opportunity to witness life in the second trimester and it was absolutely beautiful. In a state that has legalized late term partial birth abortion and non-doctors performing abortion, in a state that refuses to advance informed consent and parental consent, and where not enough is being done to promote adoption and support mothers, today is yet another reminder that New York clearly needs to do a much better job to promote, respect and defend life.

Keshet(LGBTQ rights): This Supreme Court decision is the culmination of a decades-long campaign by an extremist, predominantly white Christian minority to impose their religious and cultural beliefs on the majority of Americans who support abortion rights. Keshet, and the Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities, will fight to reverse this court decision and ensure abortion access for all.

Rabbinical Assembly (representing Conservative rabbis): The RA is outraged by the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to end the Constitutional right to abortion and deny access to lifesaving medical procedures for millions of individuals in the U.S., in what will be regarded as one of the most extreme instances of governmental overreach in our lifetime.

Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America: The Orthodox Union is unable to either mourn or celebrate the U.S. Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v Wade. We cannot support absolute bans on abortionat any time point in a pregnancythat would not allow access to abortion in life-saving situations. Similarly, we cannot support legislation that does not limit abortion to situations in which medical (including mental health) professionals affirm that carrying the pregnancy to term poses real risk to the life of the mother. The right to choose (as well as the right to die) are thus completely at odds with our religious and halachic values. Legislation and court rulings that enshrine such rights concern us deeply on a societal level.Yet, that same mandate to preserve life requires us to be concerned for the life of the mother.

Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (Jofa): As a matter of faith, Jofa supports every womans legal right to make decisions about, and have control over, her own body, without the involvement of the government or any other entity.

Womens Rabbinic Network: The Torah, the Mishnah, and the Talmud Judaisms most sacred and authoritative texts do not view a fetus as a soul until it is born. Rather, a fetus is considered part of the parents body until delivery. Indeed, the word for soul neshama also means breath, because Judaism teaches that life begins not at conception or with a heartbeat but with the first breath. Therefore, forcing someone to carry a pregnancy that they do not want or that endangers their life is a violation of Jewish law because it prioritizes a fetus over the living adult who is pregnant. This must be understood as a violation of the United States Constitution which guarantees our freedom to practice our religion and also our freedom from the dictates of other religions.

Hillel International: Our tradition teaches that our most sacred obligation is the preservation of human life, and were dismayed that this ruling will make it more challenging to fulfill that promise for the students, professionals, and community members we serve.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of Truah: Todays ruling ignores the First Amendment right for Jews to practice their religion without government interference, and will also have life threatening implications for millions of Americans, primarily low-income people of color, by giving states the power to revoke essential health care from nearly half the population.

Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington:Even under its strictest, most traditional interpretation, Jewish law mandates the termination of a pregnancy in certain circumstances involving the life or health of the mother. While we respect other religions belief that life begins at conception, Jewish law has no such dictate. Accordingly, a ruling holding that a fetus is a person effectively elevates one religious viewpoint over others and infringes upon Jewish pregnant individuals right to follow the tenets of their faith.

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Abortion access is a Jewish value: Reaction to Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade - Forward

Honors

Two Bay Area natives, both students at Stanford University are among 60 students from around the world who have been selected for the 10-week Birthright Israel Excel, a business internship in Israel this summer. They are Ari Glenn, 20, of Palo Alto and Caroline Schurz, 20, of San Francisco.

Congregation Bnai Tikvah celebrated Rabbi Jennie Chabons 18th year with the Walnut Creek synagogue at its LChaim Gala in May. In an email to the community, executive director Keren Smith called the gala a wonderful community-building event, a fancy evening filled with joy and friendship and announced that, with proceeds from the event, Bnai Tikvah has exceeded its fundraising goal for the year.

Rabbi Dorothy Richman has been named rabbi emerita of Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco. The title rabbi emerita typically goes to a congregations retired rabbi, or an honorary rabbi. In this case, it goes to a rabbi who has been involved with Beth Sholom in many capacities over the years who will lend extra support ritual, pastoral, educational as the synagogue transitions from the leadership of Rabbi Dan Ain, who abruptly left the senior rabbi position earlier this year, to Rabbi Amanda Russell, the associate rabbi who was elevated to replace him.

Jim Heeger of Palo Alto is the new board chair of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, the national organization that supports Jewish summer camps across North America. A former Silicon Valley CEO and active Jewish community lay leader, he brings a wealth of experience in financial and administrative strategy from both the corporate and nonprofit spaces, FJC said in a press release. As a youth, Heeger spent time at Shwayder Camp in Colorado and his sons have attended URJ Camp Eisner in Massachusetts and URJ Camp Newman in Santa Rosa. Camp is the greatest vehicle for joyful engaged Judaism, and working to lead its expansion and growth is a thrill for me, he said in the press release. The world needs camp now more than ever, and I am confident that FJCs strategic plan will strengthen Jewish camps to lead the way during these uncertain times. Heeger has served on the boards of Moishe House, the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation, the World Union for Progressive Judaism and others.

Temple Israel of Alameda has hired Rabbi Cynthia Minster as its new spiritual leader on a three-year, part-time contract. Minster will work four days a week for the Reform synagogue. I truly believe we have found what we, as a congregation, need in a Rabbi, temple president Eric Strimling wrote in an email to the congregation.

Frances Dinkelspiel, executive editor of Cityside, has stepped down from the nonprofit media organization to focus on writing her next book. She helped found Berkeleyside in 2009, concerned with the ebbing of local news. Berkeleyside has grown into a nationally recognized news provider with three editors and six reporters, 519,000 monthly readers, 70,000 Twitter followers and newsletters read by tens of thousands of people, the publication wrote in an article announcing Dinkelspiels departure. In 2019, Dinkelspiel co-founded Cityside, which launched Oaklandside in 2020.

Sarah Cohen Domont will step down after six years as executive director of Santa Cruz Hillel at the end of June. She will be moving to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to be director of lifelong learning at Kehillah Synagogue. This is a return for Cohen Domont, who previously served as associate director of North Carolina Hillel. Over the course of her tenure, Santa Cruz Hillel has become an outstanding Hillel, board president Chuck Smith said in an email to the community. Our Hillel has focused on engaging Jewish students wherever they are, through programming and engagement focused on Israel, Jewish life and learning, student leadership and community. As Sarahs time with us comes to a close, we are in a place of strength.

Rabbanit Meira Wolkenfeld is taking over the position of director of education and community engagement at Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley. Wolkenfeld recently completed a Ph.D. in Talmud at Yeshiva University and is currently enrolled in an online ordination program at Yeshivat Maharat, which trains women as Orthodox clergy. Wolkenfeld will arrive in Berkeley in August with husband Ezra Wolkenfeld and their children, Shalev, 5, and Yakir, 3. She was born in Sacramento and spent her early years in Berkeley. Wolkenfeld is the granddaughter of longtime Beth Israel members. Throughout this process, the search committee was impressed by Rabbanit Wolkenfelds deep thoughtfulness and attentive pastoral skills, her curiosity and incisive questions, as well as by her scholarship and insightful teachings, leaders of the Modern Orthodox congregation wrote in an email to its community.

Wolkenfeld is taking over for Maharat Victoria Sutton, who is leaving at the end of July, it was previously announced. Her new position will be as a Jewish studies teacher at the Abraham Joshua Heschel School, a nursery schoolthrough12th grade Jewish day school in New York City. She and her family are moving to Brooklyn.

Congregation Beth David in Saratoga has been awarded a Scientists in the Synagogue grant from the organization Sinai and Synapses, which promotes connections between Judaism and science. The grant will fund a yearlong series of events called Judaism and Science in Conversation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Together we will explore the history of the relationship between Judaism and science and dive deeply into what Judaism and science have to say about some current issues like lab grown meat and kashrut, and what we pass on to our children biologically, socially, and spiritually, Rabbi Nathan Roller told the community in an email.

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Honors, happenings, comings & goings, philanthropy June 2022 J. - The Jewish News of Northern California

They shall make themselves tzitzis on the corners of their garments and they shall place upon the tzitzis of each corner a thread of turquoise wool. (Bamidbar 15:38)

Expounding on the intent of the mitzvah of tzitizis, our Sages say we should identify as servants of Hashem.

The Talmud (Menachos 43b) cites R Meir, who said that the punishment for not attaching white strings is greater than the punishment for not attaching techeles (blue strings). He compares it to a king of flesh and blood who ordered two of his servants to bring him a seal. Of one he requested a seal of clay, and of the other he requested a seal of gold. Both failed to bring the seals as requested. Who will have a greater punishment? R Meir says it is the one who did not bring the seal of clay.

Tosfos explains that just as a slave would have a seal on his clothing identifying him as such, the tzitzis distinguish us as servants of Hashem. When a person realizes that he is a servant of Hashem, he fulfills His mitzvos, whether he does it for love, like a faithful servant, or because he is fearful, like a servant who is not as loyal.

The Divrei Mordechai cites the Even Ezra in Bamidbar that although one prays with his tallis to fulfill the requirement in Krias Shema (they are to make themselves tzitzis on the corners of their garments ) there is a greater obligation to wear tzitzis throughout all the hours of the day so that ones servitude to Hashem should be foremost in his mind and he will not sin. During the time of prayer, there is little possibility that one will transgress.

The tzitzis alert the individual and remind him that he is a servant of Hashem who would not disobey his master. The Talmud (Menachos 44a) tells of an individual who was very conscientious about the mitzvah of tzitzis. As he readied to violate a severe Torah prohibition his tzitzis slapped him in the face and he pulled back because the four corners of tzitzis appeared to him like four witnesses.

The Sifsei Tzaddik comments that when one dons his tzitzis he should appreciate the preciousness of this mitzvah and cling to them, for they have the power to save him from sin.

The Divrei Mordechai adds here that we tie the tzitzis 39 times, equivalent to the gematria (numerical value) of the words Hashem echad Hashem is one. Thus our seal is now engraved with the name of our master, Hashem. This is an additional sign that we carry the name of Hashem with us, to maintain our Torah view and guard us from all sin.

Because of the great importance of this mitzvah, the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim (24) states: Great is the punishment of a person who nullifies the mitzvah of tzitzis. Of him it is said (Iyov 38:13), To grasp the edges of the earth and shake the wicked from it.

* * *

Why the Tzaddik Fell Ill

The great tzaddik R Moshe Pardo once became ill on his travels outside Eretz Yisrael. He had a severe headache, which was then followed by overall weakness in his entire body. His host called the doctor, who requested R Moshe open his shirt so that he could listen to his heart. When the doctor saw R Moshes tallis katan, he was very moved, as it evoked forgotten childhood memories.

Are there still Jews who wear these garments? he asked emotionally.

R Moshe was momentarily distracted from his pain as he described to the physician the splendor of Eretz Yisrael, the world of Torah, and how many were returning to their Jewish roots. He also told the doctor about Ohr HaChaim the educational institutions he had established in Eretz Yisrael. He gently guided the physician to connect to his Jewish ancestry and gave him one of the very special pair of tefillin that he usually gifted to rich donors.

The doctor prescribed a protocol of treatment and medications for R Moshes recovery. He also promised that he would wear the tefillin every day and, at his first opportunity, would come to visit Eretz Yisrael. He expressed a strong interest in seeing the institutions that R Moshe Pardo had established.

R Moshe recovered and continued traveling, his meeting with the doctor soon forgotten.

Many years later, R Moshe received a phone call from an elderly man who wished to see him. When R Moshe Pardo welcomed the visitor he recognized the elderly physician, and immediately rose to happily welcome him.

The doctor related that he had kept his promise to R Moshe. He davened in shul every day and wore his tefillin, and he now wanted to support the educational institutions of R Moshe.

R Moshe gave the doctor a tour of the various buildings the school buildings, the library, the dormitory and the physician was overwhelmed. I thought you were speaking of a small school, and here I see castles. I have no family, and I want you to know that I have resolved at this moment that I am a Jew. I have accrued a large amount of money over my lifetime, and I would like to leave the sum to your institutions. R Moshe praised the doctors great zechus and observed how this one gesture was one of the greatest achievements of his life.

R Moshe would recount that when he fell ill, he was bothered slightly because our Sages tell us (Pesachim 8a), Those on the path to perform a mitzvah are not susceptible to harm. How was it possible that he fell ill? When he was able to reignite the spark of Yiddishkeit within the physician he comprehended the possible reason why he had taken ill far from home. I didnt realize at the time that this illness would later build Torah in the world. One can never predict the results of a days events.

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Ties That Bind - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com

There comes a time in every thoughtful sports fans life when he gazes at absurdly proportioned men bouncing rubber balls on wooden floors and asks himself: How much does this matter, really? These long, Talmudic inquiries into the meaning of words such as catch or throw or knee, carried live on national television before tens of millions of people, conducted amid fields of impatient millionaires dressed in body armor isnt it all a little much, if were being honest?

And if were being a little more honest, we would decide that no, it isnt all a little much.

There is a sublime unity in a Steph Curry step-back shot that exists almost nowhere else in the work of man or God. Football is its own exalted category of human affairs, the one and only plane where every phase of existence is smashed together in public, in real time. In a memorable episode of the ESPN documentary series 30 for 30, we learn that Pablo Escobar would kill anyone if it meant that the team he supported would win even a single additional soccer game, a sentiment with which even Ottawa Senators fans were once able to identify. We watch sports as a frivolous distraction and also because theyre better than everything else, profound and important unto themselves.

This idea that spectator sports have intrinsic value is under unprecedented attack, mostly from within the sports industry, which now loudly and repeatedly insists that the games dont mean much. The nationwide proliferation of app-based sports betting, a bipartisan policy innovation encouraged by every league and cheered on by ESPN and other leading broadcasters, has been a revolution in many fans relationships with the games themselves, turning them from a source of entertainment or a focus of emotional investment into a weeknight gambling opportunity.

Sports have also been vulgarized by something worse than money, as fans of the football team now called the Washington Commanders have discovered over the past couple of weeks. Look at the controversy that nearly cost defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio his job and its clear sports are now widely treated as a mere subset of the political ephemera theyd once been able to transcend.

On June 8, Del Rio responded to a question at a press conference about his reliably unhinged right-wing tweets, something that most mature adults who dont work in sports media can easily recognize as the eccentricities of a man who has spent much of his life designing blitz packages. Del Rios response was no more debatable, and no less reflective of public opinion, than, say, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerrs widely celebrated postgame sermons about gun control or San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovichs attacks on Columbus Day. Jan. 6 had been a dust-up compared to the dozens of people killed and hundreds of businesses burned, largely in low-income areas, during the racial justice protests of 2020, Del Rio said. Why hadnt that warranted a select committee in Congress, like Jan. 6 had? the coach wondered.

The backlash was swift: Del Rios job was suddenly in danger. A Democratic state senator in Virginia used Dustupgate as a pretext for killing the latest effort to build a publicly funded stadium for the Washington areas NFL team. In a statement issued in the name of head coach Ron Rivera under the rainbow Twitter avatar of the Commanders Pentagon contractorlike logo, the team announced that words have consequences, and [Del Rios] words hurt a lot of people in our community. He was fined $100,000.

A few days later, Rivera assured everyone that he closely reviewed the text of the First Amendment before fining Del Rio, a text that Rivera said he holds sacred and thinks about constantly. This was like the patterned blinking in a hostage video. What Rivera really was saying is that owner Dan Snyder is now under investigation by Congress over claims he embezzled money meant for the other 31 NFL owners and that he was instructed that a prominent coach openly questioning the Jan. 6 committee's very existence during its opening week debut was likely to make the bosss legal situation even more difficult. At least, I think thats what Rivera meant.

NFL teams, and even entire sports leagues, now behave as if theyre in thrall to a larger apparatus, one whose demands are capricious, inconsistent, and very often partisan. Witness the MLBs cancellation of last years All-Star Game in Atlanta over Georgias election law, which was enacted prior to the states record early voting turnout this year. The episode brought on a sadness not for the fans in Atlanta but for the game of baseball itself. Once again, the people who administrate sports at the highest level had demonstrated that the game itself wasn't enough, that some higher purpose than sports needed to be served in order for the games to have any real meaning or legitimacy. Turn off this Tuesday night Pirates-Marlins matchup, the league seemed to say, and watch MSNBC instead.

Sports are political, were now often reminded to deny that sports are but an especially high-profile subsidiary in the struggle for a perfected world is to deny athletes their agency as political actors, akin to demanding that they shut up and dribble. But the sports are political formulation does not empower athletes so much as drag them down to the level of technocratic managerial policymaking types, who are the practical beneficiaries of the ascension of politics to the apex of American life. Titan-like coaches and athletes must participate in the nerdy and annoying political classs self-aggrandizement. Any deviation must be punished. The sports are politics ideology exposes a basic insecurity, a noxious idea that no life should be permitted beyond politics or lived beyond the parameters of what a Washington, D.C., consultant or a Capitol Hill legislative aide might want and care about.

Sports have always shown us that theres another, better way. They presented an image of a public life largely free of factional struggle, where everyones differences of race, of religion, of basic fundamental outlook could be subsumed into a larger goal, such as the defeat of the Philadelphia Eagles. The beliefs of Michael Jordan were famously inscrutable, and the fact that he had cooler and better things to worry about than satisfying someone elses dumb ideological test ended up being crucial to his mystique. Bear Bryant eschewed a career in politics because he knew he had a job much more important than governor of Alabama. Sports were always crucial not as a distraction from politics but as proof that society could sustain a meaningful civic existence in a space beyond politics. Of course, today, that cant be allowed to survive.

Armin Rosen is a New York-based reporter at large forTablet.

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The cheapening of sports - Washington Examiner

By Rabbi Alicia Magal

Sedona News Shalom and greetings from the Rabbi, Board of Directors, and congregation of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley.

All the services, classes, and programs are listed on the synagogue website.

Come join us either in person or online. Seejcsvv.orgfor instructions to register for in-person services or online links. Visitors are welcome to attend services.

On Friday, July 1, a Friday evening Erev Shabbat service, led by Rabbi Alicia Magal, begins at 5:30 pm both in person and on Zoom, and livestreamed for members and their invitees. Congregants participate by lighting candles, doing a reading, or having an Aliyah for the Torah service. Verses from the Torah portion will be chanted:Korach (Numbers 16:1 18:32) telling of an uprising against Moses by Korach, a cousin of Moses who gathered supporters to challenge Moses leadership. The Talmud offers commentary to distinguish arguments that are for the sake of heaven vs. arguments that are NOT for the sake of heaven but are based in ego and pride, such as the manipulative words of Korach. Blessings for those who are ill and a Mazal Tov for those celebrating a birthday or anniversary will be offered. Kaddish, the Mourners prayer, will be recited in memory of those who passed away either recently or at this time in past years. Shabbat offers a time out from work and worry, an opportunity to be grateful for our lives and the bounty with which we are blessed.

Wednesday morning minyan begins at 8:30 a.m. on July 6 on zoom. Join the group to offer healing prayers, and to support those saying the mourners prayer, Kaddish, for a loved one who has passed away. Every person counts and is needed!

On Wednesday at 4:00 pm Rosalie Malter will lead a class on Jewish meditation on Zoom. Each session focuses on a different tool or aspect of Jewish meditation practices.

On Thursday, July 7, at 4:00 pm, Torah study, led by Anita Rosenfield, will be held on Zoom. The Torah portion for that week is Hukkat (Numbers 19:1 22:1) telling of the death of Miriam and Aaron, Moses sister and brother. Moses receives the answer to his plea to be able to enter the promised Land. He would not lead the people into the land, but rather Joshua would be his successor. The mysterious ceremony of the red heifer is also part of this weeks portion dealing with ritual impurity and the procedure for regaining ritual purity. Issues of leadership, patience, and faith are themes in this weeks Torah portion.

The Social Action Committee is continuing to collect food for the local Sedona food pantry. Please drop of cans or boxes of non-perishable foods in the bin outside thelower level parking lot entranceto the synagogue.

The Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, located at 100 Meadow Lark Drive off Route 179 in Sedona, is a welcoming, egalitarian, inclusive congregation dedicated to building a link from the past to the future by providing religious, educational, social and cultural experiences. Messages to the office telephone at 928 204-1286 will be answered during the week. Updated information is available on the synagogue website http://www.jcsvv.org.

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Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley: July 1-7 - Sedona.Biz - The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley - Sedona.biz