In the opening pages of his book “The Upright Thinkers,” Dr. Leonard Mlodinow reports an incident in his father’s life as an inmate in a Nazi concentration camp. The elder Mlodinow was then a young Polish Jew, who had not received formal education past seventh grade. In the camp, he met an older inmate, a mathematician, and they struck up a friendship.
The election season is filled with slogans, sound bites, campaign posturing. Candidates employ experts who can best market them. The candidates are instructed on what to say and what not to say; the tone of voice they should use; the type of clothes and makeup they should wear. The goal is to create an electable image. News items are subject to p.r. spins; polls are used as signs of gained or lost momentum and are interpreted by candidates in a way that most favors themselves.
Rabbi Harold Kushner told a story of a man who stopped attending his usual synagogue and was now frequenting another minyan. One day he happened to meet the rabbi of his previous synagogue, and the rabbi asked him where he was praying these days. The man answered: “I am praying at a small minyan led by Rabbi Cohen.”
The rabbi was stunned. “Why would you want to pray there with that rabbi. I am a much better orator, I am more famous, I have a much larger following.”
The man replied: “Yes, but in my new synagogue the rabbi has taught me to read minds.”
The rabbi was surprised. “Alright, then, read my mind.”
The man said: “You are thinking of the verse in Psalms, ‘I have set the Lord before me at all times.’”
The New York Times (July 15, 2012) included an important article by Ross Douthat entitled “Can Liberal Christianity be Saved?” He points out that the liberal denominations of Christianity have increasingly identified themselves with “progressive” causes--and in the process have experienced a drastic drop in membership and church attendance! He writes that “…liberal Christianity has simply collapsed. Practically every denomination…that has tried to adapt itself to contemporary liberal values has seen an Episcopal-style plunge in church attendance.”
In a recent lecture, Rabbi Hayyim Angel alluded to a remarkable passage in the Talmud (Sotah 13b), which seems to cast some criticism on Moses. When Korah and his associates arose against Moses, they argued that "all the congregation is holy, and why do you lord over the congregation of the Lord?" Although their motives were dubious, there was some justice in their claim. They purported to want a more democratic system that did not concentrate all power in the hands of Moses and Aaron. In rebuffing the critics, Moses said: rav lahem b'nai Levi, i.e. you have enough, children of Levi.
Instead of engaging the critics in conversation, Moses cut them off: Enough!
The essence of authentic religion is developing a deep spirituality, a feeling of God’s presence in one’s life. This spiritual sense not only imbues the individual with personal meaning, but also leads to living a moral, righteous life.
Our Bible presents the words and prophetic experiences of ancient Israelites, providing examples of religion at its highest spiritual moments. Yet, the Bible understands that our daily lives cannot maintain the highest level of spirituality at all times. We need rituals and rites that can serve to bring us into relationship with God on a daily basis, not only at moments of spiritual insight.
Shalom uvrakha, there's been a lot of discussion about how Jewish college students are dealing with anti-Semitism and anti-Israel activism. Prof. Howard Wettstein of the University of California, Riverside, has written an article on the topic. You can access it by going to the homepage at jewishideas.org The direct link is https://www.jewishideas.org/articles/being-jewish-campus.
"And Moses spoke before God saying: behold, the children of Israel did not listen to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me..."
Moses brought the children of Israel a tremendous message: God was ready to end their slavery in Egypt; God would bring them to the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. After generations of harsh servitude, the Israelites would now become free.
Shalom uvrakha, and best wishes for the New Year. As the academic year gets underway, please let us know if you've changed your mailing address since last year. We want to be sure that you are receiving our journal, Conversations, as well as other periodic mailings/publications that we send to members of the Universityl Network.
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1. The Koren Pirkei Avot, with commentary by Rabbi Marc D. Angel