Category Archives: Talmud

There is story that appears in the tractate of Taanit in the Talmud. It is a story that reflects our sages philosophy about the importance of inclusive education and meeting the needs of all students. One day the Talmudic sage, Rav, came to a town that had been experiencing a terrible drought. Rav immediately declared that the residents of the town begin a communal fast, however, this communal effort proved ineffective as no rain fell.

Then, after some time had elapsed, one day during the morning prayer service, a certain man ascended the bima and began to pray. When he came to the words, Who makes the wind blow and the rain to fall, the wind immediately started blowing and the rain began falling. Rav was astounded. Who was this person and how did he warrant such divine favor that he could cause the heavens to produce rain?

Rav asked him, What are your good deeds that you are able to merit such influence with the Creator?

The man answered, I am a teacher of children and I teach those who can afford the tuition and those who cannot. I also have a fishpond. And for those children who are distracted, anxious, or unable to learn, I send them to look at the fishpond until such time that they feel soothed and are able to return.

What a powerful story that displays the remarkable insights from the sages of the Talmud into the nature and essence of pedagogy, diversity, privilege, individuality, inclusivity and the inherent worth of every child. February is known as Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance &Inclusion Month. We celebrate differences in accordance with our Jewish values, honoring the gifts and strengths that each and every one of us possess.

As a Jewish community that embraces shared values, it is incumbent upon us to provide educational and other opportunities that address the needs of every child and adult, regardless of ones physical or mental differences. Every human being possesses a divine spark that requires a commitment to individualized nurturing, understanding, and compassion if he or she is to grow into a person who is able to achieve his or her potential. When we uphold the primacy of every individual in our schools and in our communities, we in essence change the world one person at a time.

In fact, there is a blessing one recites upon seeing another human being who might be different than us; be it skin color, race, or any physical disability. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who makes people different. At first, this blessing might seem strange to us. Why should we single out someone who is disabled or looks different for special attention?

For Jews, the reciting of a blessing contextualizes the manner in which we are to understand the world. We recite this blessing when seeing an individual who is different from us in order to appreciate all the differences among people. The Mishnah in the tractate of Sanhedrin brings an analogy that compares God to one who mints coins. While a person stamps many coins from a single die, and they are all alike, the King of kings has stamped every person with the die of Adam, yet not one of them is like any other. Every human being is unique and just because people with disabilities or skin color might be different from us, they are by no means inferior.

Ben Azzai taught in the Ethics of the Fathers, Do not disdain any person; do not underestimate the importance of anything for there is no person who does not have his hour, and there is no thing without its place in the sun. Although we dedicate the month of February to a greater awareness of people who are different than us our sacred texts provide us with an imperative to recognize the uniqueness of every individual, regardless of mental ability and or physical limitations throughout the year. We are given the challenge as a community to ensure that those among us who are different are never neglected, never sidelined, never underrated, and never underappreciated as human beings capable of giving back to our community in their own individualized ways.

We often hear the word inclusiveness when addressing how our communal and educational institutions should treat people with disabilities. As a head of school and veteran educator, I personally dislike the term inclusiveness as it implies that we have the option to be exclusive as well. I would like to suggest a different word belonging.

When you belong, you are an official member of the group, you fit in, regardless of any other limitations or disabilities. There exists no option to even consider exclusion. When one belongs, one is seen, valued and loved, without exception. By creating a deep sense of belonging within our communal institutions, we demonstrate that we have prioritized all of our community members as important and valued individuals. Or as one prominent educator recently expressed about the term, belonging, This seemingly small act demonstrates that youve taken the time to see the other person and value their presence.

But seeing is not enough. Motivations and sentiments alone are insufficient. Actions are required as well. Whereas Jewish communities throughout North America have come a long way in providing access to disabled individuals in the areas of education, employment, housing and other opportunities, there is still much more work that needs to be done and considerably more investment of dollars in order to create the resources necessary to meet the needs of all those who belong to our community.

This will only occur, however, when our attitudes toward the other who is different from the majority of us significantly shifts in the direction of equity and fairness. Its not just a question of providing access to opportunities, its also a matter of the manner in which we provide these opportunities and services to others with disabilities. Do we do so with dignity and respect? The famous Israeli-American violinist, Itzhak Perlman, who contracted polio as a child requires leg braces and crutches to walk and plays the violin while seated at concerts. He wrote the following once in an article in The New York Times, A lot of people think access means the ability to get into a building, no matter where or how you can get into it, whether you get into it through a back alley, or through an elevator that usually carries garbage or food. But shouldnt it mean that you can get into a building through the front door with everybody else?

Perhaps the Mishnaic analogy of the coins requires a different perspective. Instead of concentrating on our differences as individuals, we need to acquire a greater understanding of how we are all alike, all sharing the same basic needs, dreams and hopes for our present as well as for our future. Or in the sagely words of his holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, Whether one is rich or poor, educated or illiterate, religious or nonbelieving, man or woman, black, white, or brown, we are all the same. Physically, emotionally, and mentally, we are all equal. We all share basic needs for food, shelter, safety, and love. We all aspire to happiness and we all shun suffering. Each of us has hopes, worries, fears, and dreams. Each of us wants the best for our family and loved ones. We all experience pain when we suffer loss and joy when we achieve what we seek. On this fundamental level, religion, ethnicity, culture, and language make no difference.

May this February, also known as Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance & Inclusion Month, be the harbinger of a new era that actualizes this vision.

Jay Leberman is the head of school at the Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School in Beachwood.

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Time to shift attitude to one of belonging - Cleveland Jewish News

Title: Talmud on the Mind: Exploring Chazal and Practical Psychology to Lead a Better Life (Maseches Berachos) Author: Rabbi Dr. Ethan Eisen Publisher: Kodesh Press

Talmud on the Mind is an extremely enjoyable book that features 15 short essays on various ideas related to psychology and psychobiology, some of which are mentioned in Maseches Berachos.

Throughout the book, traditional Jewish sources and academic/popular medical sources are used side by side to present new ways of looking at various topics. The author, Rabbi Dr. Ethan Eisen, compares and contrasts how these two different types of sources address each given issue, and uses data from one corpus to fill in lacuna in the other. At the close of each chapter, Eisen offers practical Lessons for Today.

In his opening chapter, Eisen notes that the rabbis preferred antidote to the pox of procrastination echoes Nikes iconic slogan: Just do it. This simple, but effective advice encourages people to overcome their indolence and dithering.

Eisen further develops this idea by showing how the halachic principle of zerizim makdimim lmitzvos preempts mans dilly-dallying and allows a person the freedom to live a more productive and meaningful life. He also draws on various psychological studies to probe the cognitive and behavioral causes of procrastination.

In another chapter, Eisen discusses how consistent synagogue-attendance alleviates many of the problems associated with loneliness, and how studies even seem to support the Talmuds assertion that such regular attendance contributes to longevity. As Eisen so cleverly puts it, 80% of life is just showing up.

One of the books most creative and powerful essays discusses the so-called IKEA effect, which asserts that people value things in accordance with the amount of effort they put into getting or building them. Eisen uses this idea to explain why the Talmud assumes that Chana was so intent on Eli sparing the life of her son Shmuel when she could have just as easily allowed Eli to put Shmuel to death and prayed for her to be granted another son.

This reviewer was particularly interested in Eisens chapter on colors. He asks the age-old question of how a person can ever be certain that what he sees is the same thing someone else sees. This chapter uses the disagreement among halachic authorities over how to exactly define the color of techeles as a sort of case study to make generalizations on the question of color.

Another discussion relates to the cultural phenomenon of giving people a few seconds to confirm their statements and decisions. Chess players, for example, can take back a move as long as their fingers are still on the chess piece, and in halacha, a person can delay the effects of his speech until a period of time has time called toch kdei dibbur (roughly, the amount of time it takes to greet another person). This buffer zone doesnt exist in all cultures, but Eisen shows that it has some basis in neuroscience.

Another essay discusses the physiological effects of shame and humiliation, which lead to both blushing and turning white. Another chapter explores King Davids sleeping habits and considers the effects of a midnight candle on a persons circadian rhythm.

What is arguably the books most important chapter is the very last one. In it, Eisen demonstrates that sensitivity to so-called microaggressions is not post-modern silliness; it actually already exists in the Torah and Talmud, which command us to avoid even miniscule acts of aggression in relation to the downtrodden.

The topics discussed in this book are loosely arranged by their appearances in Maseches Berachos and this reviewer looks forward to seeing similar books by Rabbi Dr. Eisen on other parts of the Talmud.

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Procrastination, Colors, And The IKEA Effect - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com

The word nuance is more than a buzzword, but often it can feel like one. Nuance is the single most important element of a healthy educational experience. What is nuance, and how does using a nuanced approach to a difficult question lead to surprising outcomes and cause us to rethink our previously held assumptions? And why does it matter in education?

A nuanced approach breaks through echo chambers by exploring the wide contours of dispute that exist on any given issue. When we encounter diverse perspectives on any given issue, we gain a more complete understanding of the issue and people who are different from us.

This approach is needed now more than ever because it will counter the polarization in our politics, media and social lives. And bringing a nuanced approach into our classrooms is not only necessary if we want to break down the silos in the Jewish world and expand understanding of one another; this approach is also fundamental to Judaism and our responsibility as Jewish educators.

In the Talmud (Eruvin 13b), there is a well-known debate concerning whether the law ought to follow the opinion of Beit Hillel or Beit Shammai. For three years, this was debated. These two schools of thought had fundamentally different approaches to education and the law.

Beit Shammai was what the Talmud describes as charifei tuva, meaning they were significantly sharper than Beit Hillel. They knew the facts involved and had a clear answer to every legal question. In modern parlance, one might say they were adept at logical argumentation and analysis of an issue. Perhaps that is why there is a tradition of believing that in the Messianic era, the opinions of Shammai will prevail.

But until that Messianic Era, Beit Hillel is the victor for decision making in Jewish law. The Talmud provides three reasons for this:

Beit Shammai was also a deeply important part of the Jewish tradition, but they only engaged in their own positions. Micah Goodman, in his new book Chazara Bli Teshuva (The Wandering Jew), explains that Beit Shammai was an echo chamber. Beit Hillel,who we are the descendants of and whose legacy we inherited, behaved differently. They reached outside of their own school of thought and learned the positions of Beit Shammai as well as their own.

The two schools different behaviors likely stemmed from their radically different ideas about the goals of Jewish education. To quote the organizational psychologist Adam Grant in his recent book, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Dont Know, Beit Hillel understood that the purpose of learning isnt to affirm our beliefs; its to evolve our beliefs.

Beit Hillel understood that the purpose of learning isnt to affirm our beliefs; its to evolve our beliefs.

Beit Hillel was not merely interested in proving their existing views right. Rather, by including Beit Shammais views,they sought a complete understanding of the issue as well as the other. They viewed their intellectual and religious rival with respect, integrity and dignity. This approach is the Jewish peoples foundational narrative of what it means to engage in education.

Where the two schools differed was in how they arrived at those positions. Specifically, Beit Hillel considered diverse perspectives as part of their standard process of forming opinions and reaching conclusions. By proactively including Beit Shammais opinions and genuinely considering them, Beit Hillel was able to reduce the chance of falling into two common psychological traps Grant discusses in his book: confirmation bias (seeing what we expect to see) and desirability bias (seeing what we want to see).

We may have the impulse to follow the example of Beit Shammai and be right, but that is not our heritage as Jewish educators. So, how can we follow in the footsteps of Beit Hillel and bring a nuanced approach into our classrooms?

Two thousand years ago, Beit Hillel modeled a way to reach beyond the silos in the Jewish world, explore the perspectives of their religious counterparts and gain a more complete understanding of any given topic. As Jewish educators, lay leaders or parents, we are all descendants of Beit Hillel, and it is our responsibility to follow in their footsteps and break through the echo chambers and division that characterize our own times.

In a world in which too many people have huddled into their silos and taken hardline partisan positions, we need to make nuanced Jewish education accessible to everyone. As Beit Hillel demonstrated, nuance does not mean having less conviction; it means bringing more people into the discussion. Nuance does not mean being less passionate; it means being more compassionate.

The world has a population of almost eight billion people. Comparatively, the Jewish people are merely trying to crack the 15 million mark. Because of our relatively small population size, we simply do not have the luxury of shunning others within our Jewish family. By using nuanced educational approaches, we can help reverse polarization trends in our community and build a Jewish future that is more compassionate, empathetic, informed and connected to Judaism and each other. We have no time to waste.

Dr. Noam Weissman is senior vice president and head of content at OpenDor Media and Unpacked for Educators, a Jewish educational non-profit company that is creating videos, podcasts, articles and films that are animated by a nuanced educational approach.

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Adam Grant and The Case for Nuance in Jewish Education - Jewish Journal

What kind of Jew are you?Ask the question these days, and people are likely to answer it in one of three or four ways. They may tell you, for example, that they are religious Jews or secular Jews, making observance the focal point of their identity. Or they may apply politics as a yardstick instead, saying theyre conservative or liberal Jews. Some may self-identify as Zionists or anti-Zionists, and some as Reform or Conservative or Reconstructionist Jews. These answers all have one thing in common: Theyre all terrible.What, for example, can we learn about a person who tells you theyre secular? We could assume, of course, that he or she doesnt observe Shabbat and might not adhere to the laws of kashrut, but other than that, the definition tells us almost nothing about the human being in question. Even worse, because were so used to thinking in categories, weve grown accustomed to seeing ourselves and our community through these lenses, making assumptions and forming affiliations based on ideas and notions that are, at best, wildly inaccurate. We need to do better. We need new categories that faithfully reflect the way American Jewish life is actually lived. Luckily for us, theres only one such category: learning Jews.Who among us isnt learning? For some of us, this means engaging with Daf Yomi, the practice of studying just one page of Talmud a day. For some, this means reading a book or listening to a podcast. For others, it could mean signing up for a class at the local JCC or watching a show on Netflix or even just getting together with friends to talk about small frustrations and big ideas. We shouldnt dismiss any of these activities as banal. Seen correctly, they form the foundation of Jewish life, a foundation that invites each of us to build on it further. This is why, traditionally, the greatest compliment you could pay a fellow Jew was to call them a talmid hacham an excellent student not necessarily a genius who already knows everything, but a committed, lifelong pupil who is constantly eager to grow and know more, and is willing to adapt and change.

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What kind of Jew are you? - comment - The Jerusalem Post

Her motivations were corrupt!

The precocious student continued: Thats why she didnt get extra points for doing charity. Its like we read about the Shma if you dont say it with the right kavanah (intention), the mitzvah doesnt count.

We were in the middle of a discussion of NBCs The Good Place, which we had begun watching as part of a Jewish ethics elective I had created for my middle school students.

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As you may know, there is no program on television that covers moral philosophy quite as well as The Good Place. To quote a New York Times review, ethics is not some kind of moralistic byproduct; its baked into the premise. Specifically, the premise is that the protagonist, Eleanor, wakes up in the afterlife and finds herself in the proverbial Good Place. But it turns out that Eleanor was a comically awful person on earth, and is only in the Good Place due to a celestial mishap. Now she must learn to become a good person, or risk being expelled and moving downward.

In my elective class that day, the question was why Eleanors heavenly point total hadnt gone up, despite her having performed several generous acts. Was she acting with pure intentions, or was she motivated only by her own well-being? My students were catching on doing the right thing for the wrong reason doesnt always count.

Purity of motives is alluded to several times in Parshat Terumah. One example is the symbolism of the ark being constructed in the new tabernacle: Cover it with pure gold, from within and without you shall cover it. A question is raised in the Talmud about this seemingly innocuous detail of the Tabernacles construction why must the inside be inlaid with gold if it was to be closed shut and never seen by anyone? It seems unnecessary to cover the inside with gold; what can the Torah be teaching us? One interpretation is that this is a manifestation of the Talmudic dictum that one must be consistent inside and out (tocho kvaro). If the outer gold covering refers to those mitzvot or other deeds we perform publicly, then the inner gold covering signifies the acts we do in private, when no one else can see.

In our personal lives, we can probably think of a time when we or someone we know has engaged in virtue signaling, perhaps by sharing a post on social media about a trending topic or current cause, while remaining apathetic to the issue in private.

In the political arena, likewise, it is noteworthy to see the difference between what some officials say in front of the cameras versus how they vote in closed sessions. Our parsha, through the example of the golden ark, reminds us to act with integrity both privately and publicly.

A related idea is evident in the parshas opening verses: Take for me a contribution ( vyikchu li terumah)and I will dwell in their midst (Exodus 25:1-8).

Many commentators question the use of the word li (for me). What does Hashem mean by saying to take it for me? What could the worlds Creator possibly need?

According to Rashi, li should really be understood as for my sake (lishmi). That is to say, when giving a contribution, do it for Hashems sake, for something greater than yourself. A gift that is meant to burnish your reputation, or that comes as a result of some other external pressure, is not really the kind that Hashem is looking for.

On the other hand, it has always seemed to me that here is a case where a little bit of yetzer hara (the so-called evil impulse) might not be such a bad thing. After all, if my yetzer hara inclines me to desire fame or honor, why not attain it through giving tzedakah? As a result, I will receive the desired recognition, and the needy party will receive a vital donation; everybody wins! (It is also certainly the case that giving in a public manner, whatever ones motivations, can be very positive indeed, to the extent that it spreads awareness of a cause or inspires others to give as well). As the Talmud says, mitoch shelo lishma ba lishma doing a mitzvah with imperfect intentions can habituate us into doing it with appropriate intentions.

Still, while giving with less than perfect motives may be a positive stepping stone, it is not the highest level. Perhaps this is hinted at in the very name of our parsha, Terumah. Within this word we find the root for leharim, to lift up or elevate. As Eleanor sought to elevate her spiritual stature (no spoilers here), so can we. By checking our motivations, eschewing the egotistical incentives that so often drive our choices, and acting with true generosity of spirit, we can ultimately elevate both ourselves and those with whom we interact. It is in this elevated atmosphere where Gods presence will reside.

Originally posted here:

Terumah: Elevating our intentions - The Jewish Standard

I love you. You are my brothers. I am tied to you by history and covenant in the past and destiny in the future.

No matter how much we Modern Orthodox Jews and Religious Zionists write manifestos and hold conferences showing how our way of integration is superior to your Torah-only view, when we sit down with a pen and paper to draw a Jew, he isnt wearing jeans and T-shirt, but rather he is wearing a beard and peyos (hair sidelocks) and looks like you. When asked to imagine a rabbi, he isnt clean shaven with khaki pants; he looks like you. We still look over our shoulders to you as some sort of barometer that we havent gone too far with our embrace of secular culture, that we havent strayed too far from Yisrael Saba (the spirit of the Jewish people throughout their generations). Your commitment to Torah and Jewish continuity is unbounded.

When I was a kid in the 1980s, I needed tutoring in Talmud. My parents used to take me to the local haredi yeshiva, The Yeshiva of Staten Island, to learn with the boys there. I must have stuck out like a sore thumb, but I was welcomed by the students very warmly. Students went out of their way to introduce themselves to me and get to know me. These boys would walk miles to our small local synagogue to help boost our struggling minyan. There was a soda machine there that did not accept dollar bills at the time. In those days a can of Pepsi cost 50 cents. There was an empty coffee can there filled with quarters. You would put your dollar in the can and take out four quarters to make change to put in the machine. I remember being shocked that you can leave a can of money out and that there was no fear that someone would take it. But then I thought, Oh! This is a yeshiva! Of course everyone here is honest! That was what characterized a black hat or haredi yeshiva in my mind: integrity and love of their fellow Jews.

As a rabbi and educator myself, I can unequivocally state that I wouldnt be an observant Jew today if not for the haredi education and influence I received. They were quite literally the determining factor in my understanding of my place as a Jew in this world and my relationship with God. My own decision to be a rabbi and teacher was born out of the need to be the next link in the chain of Torah that you represented to me. Every student of mine is in debt to the haredi rabbis and institutions that have formed my soul.

But either I misunderstood you all these years or something has profoundly changed. I had thought that your commitment to Torah was to preserve Am Yisrael (the nation of Israel). I thought that your commitment to Jewish continuity was to the whole. I now understand during this terrible pandemic that your goal was not to keep Jews Jewish but to keep haredim haredi. You have demonstrated time and again by both your actions and inactions that you completely abandoned the idea of Klal Yisrael (the entire Jewish people). You are so afraid of losing your sons that you sacrificed your fathers.

Your actions have prolonged the lockdown which is killing businesses and destroying families. You have needlessly increased the load on the public health care system, endangering the lives of the entire country.

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Why do you not feel a responsibility to the nation as a whole? Why have you abdicated Am Yisrael in favor of your own communal needs? Your refusal to enlist in the army has already made you a target for not caring about the nation as a whole; why are you exacerbating the situation during this pandemic?

I just paused to reread my words and can see that they can be read with an angry and accusatory tone. I do not mean them that way. I offer them in soft sadness and with an offer to please correct my understanding if I am wrong. There are whole political parties here that refuse to sit in a government with you because they too see things this way. People see you on the streets and instead of getting a warm fuzzy feeling of meeting a beloved relative, they have fear and scorn for you. And because of your distinct look their scorn and fear is for Torah and Judaism as well. This cannot go on. I care too much about you and too much about Judaism to remain silent.

I am acutely aware that Modern Orthodoxy isnt perfect. I can point to many problems in our community that our embrace of secular culture has caused. I see our failures and can see how having televisions in our homes, going to the army and university alienate some of our youth from religion. But we believe the good far outweighs the bad. And our ability to admit to the problems allows us an avenue to address them.

Can you admit you have failures and that your way of life isnt perfect either? Can you honestly say that the good outweighs the bad? I am not asking you to answer me, I am only asking that you answer yourselves. But what I am asking is for you to please be more sensitive to the rest of us and start taking responsibility for others outside your camp as well.

The writer holds a doctorate in Jewish philosophy and teaches in post-high-school yeshivot and midrashot in Jerusalem.

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A rabbis open letter to his haredi brethren - The Jerusalem Post

Every generation has a responsibility to plan for the future, especially during precarious and chaotic times. Looking for leadership lessons in Achashveroshs slaphappy Shushan may seem misguided at best, but wisdom about mentoring can be found in his royal court.

Luck and chance may be perceived as playing a role in the outcome of this biblical satire, but the future then and now is secured by intentional planning and faith in others. While Achashverosh and Haman are despicable characters for myriad reasons that are not the focus of this piece, the formers royal administration provides us with one powerful lesson about how leaders can interact with their teams.

Frustration obviously colors Hamans view of Mordechai, the man waiting by the gate whose self-esteem and ethnic pride cannot be compromised. Towards that end, Haman, whom the rabbis in the Talmud compare to the manipulative snake in Eden, schemes of killing not just this single individual, but an entire people.

Clearly Achashverosh views loyalty and urgency through a different lens. On discovering that Mordechai helped save his life, the king seeks to thank publicly this loyal subject, who embodies these words from A Wrinkle in Time: Nothing deters a good man from doing what is honorable.

Spotting the potential in others can be a revelation, like on Ted Lasso when the new coach notices the strategic soccer acumen of the ignored sideline kit man. At the same time, some leaders regard talent and potential in others as a threat to their power and influence.

Realizing that Mordechai is a mover and shaker, both Haman and Achashverosh choose to elevate Mordechai, yet in radically different ways.

Openly committed to raising Mordechais profile, Achashverosh parades him around Shushan on a horse cloaked in the kings vestments. The kings very explicit message is that when we groom others to shine, their success is teamworks version of a rising tide lifting all boats. Evidence shows that new leaders thrive not only when they are invited to the table and encouraged to speak openly, but also where trust and common purpose reign supreme.

Such grace and humility are not the cornerstones of insecure and paranoid leaders, like Haman. According to Hamans school of management, potential rivals are led up to the gallows. Consequently, myopic leaders jeopardize their own success by following the Haman paradigm etched into the Megillah.

Knowing what it takes for leaders, boards and communities to thrive, Bob Leventhal affirms Achashveroshs approach in his new book Stepping Forward Together: By lifting up a vision of effective leadership we can role model the changes we seek.

Shushan is rightly associated on Purim and for all time with fears about the future due to xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and misogyny; and yet, as Elie Wiesel used to say about seeing the other side of any argument, this royal court surprisingly teaches us a timeless message about building stronger teams and purpose-driven communities.

Rabbi Charlie Savenor works at New York's Park Avenue Synagogue as the Director of Congregational Education. A graduate of Brandeis, JTS and Columbia University's Teachers College, he blogs on parenting, education, and leadership. In addition to supporting IDF Lone Soldiers, he serves on the International boards of Leket Israel and Gesher.

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Leadership Lessons from Shushan | Charles E. Savenor | The Blogs - The Times of Israel

Matthew Keene| Erie Times-News

Calls for unity and reconciliation have gone unanswered in the aftermath of the most contentious presidential election in living memory. What olive branch was extended to supporters of the loser of the 2016 election, some ask. Others counter that the thinly veiled disdain of the victors this time around give lie to the assertion that they are interested in finding common ground.

Both are right. The divisions are too deep, the wounds too painful and the environment too acidic for any reunification of the electorate at a political level.

What ails the U.S. is more than a clash of philosophies of governance, more the traditional battle between political parties in which power swings like a pendulum between the two. It is above all a consequence of the reality that basic human values no longer sufficiently inform our political discourse or social policies.

I am not speaking of the nations founding principles, to which many claim we need to return, nor concerned about reestablishing a commitment to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and property. None of these can be protected without unity on something even more fundamental: agreement on how people should treat one another.

The values at which we nod our heads in agreement at our churches, our synagogues and our mosques seem to remain in the sanctuary as we head out to work Monday morning. Generosity. Empathy. Compassion. Mercy. Self-sacrifice. Forgiveness. All virtues we claim should govern our lives. But in too many cases, we fall short in our thoughts, in our words, in what we have done, and what we have failed to do. Our examinations of conscience seem to be limited to our personal behavior and do not extend to the actions of our communities within society, concerned with the speck in our left eye while ignoring the log in the right.

The Talmud, the Bible and the Quran are filled with instructions on proper social relationships, both within our own community and with outsiders. Not to oppress strangers. To care for the poor and hungry. To treat others as we wish to be treated.

American individualism has created a tension between the deeply ingrained idea of self-sufficiency and the social responsibility we bear toward one another. Views that helping others creates a culture of dependency, that God helps those who help themselves, that the conditions in which we live are primarily due to our own effort and accomplishment all illustrate the conflict that animates our political debate.

We rage against each other with words that lack charity and reflect a lack of openness to true dialogue. We begrudge the successful their wealth and vilify the poor for failing to drag themselves out from under the circumstances of their suffering. When times are easy, we too often clutch tightly to our purses. When they are difficult and we find ourselves in need of assistance, we conveniently forget we failed to extend a helping hand when we had the opportunity. We act as did the unforgiving servant Jesus spoke of in the Book of Matthew, withholding the mercy and charity to others we have ourselves received without deserving it.

We must do what is right simply because it is right.

We must divorce ourselves from the notion that we are the arbiters of others' lives and dispense our love and aid only when we think they deserve it. Nothing in my moral instruction led me to conclude that the rules governing my behavior are limited to my interactions with those like me. What credit is it to you, Jesus said, when you love those who love you? Instead, love your enemies, he said, do good to them and lend to them when asked without expecting anything in return.

The healing of America will occur when we resume the pursuit of doing what is right for its own sake, recognizing that the health of the entire nation is a product of millions of daily acts of righteousness. In this way, we will discover that the problems of a civilization that once seemed so impossible begin to resolve themselves.

When to the hungry man we routinely give something to eat; when we as a matter of habit provide water to the thirsty woman; when we clothe the naked; tend to the sick; visit the prisoner; when we work to empathize with those of different skin colors, religions, sexual orientations and opinions; when we abandon the self-righteous idea that engaging with any of them equals tacit consent of something we may not agree with; when we at last remove ourselves from a throne we have no right to occupy and live strictly by the law of love andleave the moral interrogations and task of reward and punishment to the more qualified; then, and only then, will true unity reemerge.

Matthew Keene, a retired senior foreign service officer, lives in Windsor Township, York County.

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Matthew Keene: America can heal when it works to become righteous - GoErie.com

My dear son Mohammad El Halabi, who has been languishing in Ramon Prison since 2016, is innocent.

A parent knows the soul of the child. It is what parents give our lives to: to nourish and nurture our childrens bodies and souls. I know my son. He was innocent before the arrest and is still innocent.

How do I know? Why am I so certain? I know this with certainty because innocence is integral to integrity and truth, and my son is a good man, a man of integrity and truth. But he is accused of having diverted millions of dollars of humanitarian aid to Hamas. Yet no proof has been given.

Mohammad was offered a plea bargain of three years imprisonment and, of course, he refused. Why?

Why would he not grab the chance to accept, knowing that after three years he would be once again in the arms of his agonized mother, in the arms of his beloved wife, and be able to hold in his arms the treasures of his heart: his five children?

Why?

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Because he is an innocent man. Because as a man of integrity he would have to admit to the lie that said he was guilty. How then could he face his family as a liar? What great lesson of life would he be teaching his young children? That a lie has more power than the truth? That honor is a bargaining chip?

As my Jewish brothers and sisters are aware, the Talmud states, The Holy One, blessed be He, hates a person who says one thing with his mouth and another in his heart

And in my holy faith, we are warned, Avoid falsehood, for it may appear to be a way of salvation, whereas in reality it leads to destruction.

Better for Mohammad to suffer the torture and degradation of prison than to walk free suffering the degradation of his soul. I know that Jews understand the dilemma my son faced. His perseverance as well as all other facts show that he is innocent.

Surely, we Palestinians and Israelis share a common humanity that is held together by the principles of truth, compassion, justice and love. My son Mohammad lives by those principles in his personal and family life, and in his dedicated work for the most vulnerable, as the director of World Vision in the West Bank and Gaza. He should be freed on his terms, the truth of his innocence. The only thing holding back his release is the arrogance of those who made the false and unproven claim against him. They are ashamed to admit their mistake, ensure his immediate release and apologize to him and his family.

My son has been in jail for nearly five years and has suffered through a record 155 court appearances without any credible proof being presented. The Prophet Amos pleaded for justice, saying, Let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Mohammad El Halabi is an innocent man.

The writer is a retired chief of the field education program at UNRWA and a resident of Gaza.

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My son, Mohammed El Halabi, is innocent of funding Hamas - opinion - The Jerusalem Post

President Joe Biden engaged in a rare moment of kvelling during a live broadcast of a CNN town hall in Milwaukee on Tuesday night.

I actually know some Yiddish, Biden revealed during an exchange with a Jewish member of the audience.

The light remark came after the president was introduced to Joel Berkowitz, a foreign language professor and the director of the Stahl Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Im not bad at the literature part, but after five years of French, I still cant speak a word, so I apologize, Biden said.

Ill teach you some Yiddish sometime, Berkowitz responded.

To which Biden, perhaps thinking of his time spent with Jewish relatives, replied, I actually know some Yiddish.

CNN host Anderson Cooper then intervened and said to the president, It would be a shanda if you didnt.

In an interview with The Forward on Wednesday, Berkowitz said the moment wasnt scripted.

I did not expect that, Berkowitz, 55, said. It was kind of like the second that I had to kibbitz with the president of the United States and it just kind of came out.

Berkowitz, who spoke on the phone after teaching a Wednesday morning class on Jewish literature, said he wasnt particularly surprised by Bidens response because he expected the president to know some Yiddish words since hes been around Jewish people and has quoted the Talmud in past speeches.

He described it as a cute and fun exchange and insisted that the few seconds of fame and the spotlight didnt get to his head. I am the same person I was yesterday, Berkowitz said, adding that he will carry on with life unless I get a phone call from the president saying, I hope you were serious about those Yiddish lessons and get on Zoom with me for a few minutes a day.

Berkowitz, who moved to Milwaukee in 2010 after teaching at the University of Albany and at Oxford, said that he had originally submitted two questions to CNN, the other on higher education and that the network had confirmed earlier this week that he would participate to ask a question about white supremacy. This was his first public event since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and he was thrilled to have the opportunity to go out. It was Valentines Day when I got the invitation, he recalled, and I said to my wife, Can I invite you out on a date with the president and Anderson Cooper? Turns out he couldnt have asked for more.

During the commercial break before he got to ask the question, Berkowitz sat close to the stage and the moderator turned to him and inquired about his profession, knowing he teaches foreign language. When Cooper heard that he primarily teaches Yiddish, without missing a beat, he said he read Sholem Aleichem in 10th grade, Berkowitz said. I got a kick out of that.

Berkowitz added that Coopers use of the word shanda was super impressive.

Born in Philadelphia and later moving to Mamaroneck, Westchester County in New York, Berkowitz didnt grow up speaking Yiddish at home. His mother is a second-generation American and his father came to the U.S. at age 10 after his parents fled Poland early in World War II. But he heard bits and pieces of Yiddish when his extended paternal family got together. He joked that he probably learned more Spanish words watching Sesame Street than he learned Yiddish words at home. But the opportunity arose during graduate school when he was offered a course on Yiddish language one summer at Oxford University and I was completely bitten by the bug, he said. It felt like there was some kind of collective unconscious or something that I was tapping into. It just moved me on a really deep level. I was completely smitten with the language.

In 1995, Berkowitz spent a year on a postdoctoral fellowship at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, doing research on Yiddish theatre while also studying Hebrew. He then traveled to the U.K to teach Yiddish for four years, followed by a nine-year tenure at SUNY in Albany.

Berkowitz said that the Tuesday night exchange, the first of a kind hes ever had with a president, was an opportunity to get the leader of the free world to address the issue of white supremacy and conspiracy theories that is deep seated in society and that came out of the woodwork, particularly in the insurrection of the Capitol on Jan. 6. I expect there are people in the administration, in Congress and elsewhere in the halls of power who are talking to the people who understand how those kinds of ideologies come about and how to address them, he said.

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Yiddish professor goes viral in town hall with President Biden - Forward