Knesseth Israel Congregation

Knesseth Israel Congregation http://kicong.org Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:52:00 +0000 http://snappages.com en Conversations on Teshuvah http://kicong.org/blog/2011/09/08/conversations-on-teshuvah http://kicong.org/blog/2011/09/08/conversations-on-teshuvah Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:52:00 +0000 Eytan Yammer http://kicong.org/blog/2011/09/08/conversations-on-teshuvah Part 1
Par t 2 [...]]]> Part 1
Par t 2

]]> Military Ethics - Civillian Casualties http://kicong.org/blog/2011/06/19/military-ethics-civillian-casualties http://kicong.org/blog/2011/06/19/military-ethics-civillian-casualties Sun, 19 Jun 2011 10:12:00 +0000 http://kicong.org/blog/2011/06/19/military-ethics-civillian-casualties Sources
Recording [...]]]> Sources
Recording

]]> A Response to the President's Speech http://kicong.org/blog/2011/05/20/a-response-to-the-presidents-speech http://kicong.org/blog/2011/05/20/a-response-to-the-presidents-speech Fri, 20 May 2011 15:19:00 +0000 http://kicong.org/blog/2011/05/20/a-response-to-the-presidents-speech
As blessed as this first image is the contrary image is devastating. We will suffer famine [...]]]>
As blessed as this first image is the contrary image is devastating. We will suffer famine drought and war, plague and ultimately Hashem says:

ויקרא פרק כו, לג
וְאֶתְכֶם אֱזָרֶה בַגּוֹיִם וַהֲרִיקֹתִי אַחֲרֵיכֶם חָרֶב וְהָיְתָה אַרְצְכֶם שְׁמָמָה וְעָרֵיכֶם יִהְיוּ חָרְבָּה:

I will scatter you amongst the nations, and keep the sword drawn against you. Your land will remain desolate and your cities in ruins.

Exile; it is the final blow in the punishment of the Jewish people. Exile represents HKBH’s nuclear option. Why is exile the final blow? Why is it even a punishment there are those who claim that for Jews to be a light unto the nations to be the beacon of ethical monotheism that we are charged to be we must scattered each Jew presiding over a small piece of dirt guiding a small number of souls a light illuminating the path of the just and right.

The apologetic nature of the need for exile ignores the very verse which we are seeking to explain. To HKBH, the ultimate arbiter of justice in the world exile is the very gravest consequence for the Jewish people. Being scattered is in fact a terrible way for the Jewish people to live. Why?

Rav Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook the first chief rabbi of Israel spoke often about the significance of the land of Israel to the Jewish people. Says Rav Kook; the land is an integral tool in the Jewish People’s special mission in the world. When we dwell together as a people in the land in holiness, as we walk the Land of Israel upright with HKBH His honor rests upon us as a nation. Only then can we be the heralds of the divine morality which we are charged to teach. Only in the land of Israel are the Jewish people capable of being a light unto the nations only in the land of Israel can the people of Israel fulfill the mission which we are chosen.

In this context exile becomes not a punishment but natural consequence to losing our way, to forgetting our mission in the world. God responds to our forgetting by making us remember he says if you want to be just as the other nations I will make you just like the other nations until you remember your purpose. And so we sit in galut in the exile for thousands of years waiting for the light to come on, waiting for the realization that the land is an essential piece of what the Jewish people are fundamentally about.

We continue to sit. And we listen, we hear powerful people discussing out future, the future of our people in our land. And it is our land! By any just measure it is ours weather by force of war or by the power of possession or by the decree of divine promise the land belongs to the state of Israel and the children of Israel.

We sit in exile and hear powerful people speaking of our holy land these people refer derisively “settlers” who live hevron. It is bewildering that people who pray in a 500 year old synagogue, can be told that they have no historical or inherent claim to this place. How can someone claim that a place called Judea or Yehudah the same root word as Jew or Yehudi how can a person claim that we a Jews have no right to live in that place!

We must be obstinate we must revert to the stiff necked people we once were and decry the travesty that has been taken for granted by powerful people around the world that the Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel.

Because the land of Israel belongs to us many believe that we can do with it as we please. Many major poskim hold that the state of Israel may give land to other nations in exchange for a real peace however defined not that she must but that she may.

I don’t know the path to peace, I don’t know the way to alleviate the suffering and pain of our people nor do I know the path to protecting ourselves while maintaining the human dignity of our fellow human beings, fellow sons of Abraham our cousins and our neighbors the Palestinians.

What I do know is that even if land traded the treaty document must be stained with the tears of the Jews who signed it. The public mourning for each and every inch of the holy land ceded must rise to the heavens and come before the throne of God and a river of tears must be shed, even if ceding it was correct.

I pray that HKBH grants the leaders of the people of Israel and the State of Israel Solomonic wisdom. I pray that the decisions of our leaders the right ones, that their choices are guided by holiness and Godliness and nothing else, that they are able to have the strength to say to all who will listen the holy land is ours to covet or relinquish!

]]> Yom Hashoah 5771 http://kicong.org/blog/2011/05/02/yom-hashoah-5771 http://kicong.org/blog/2011/05/02/yom-hashoah-5771 Mon, 02 May 2011 17:29:00 +0000 http://kicong.org/blog/2011/05/02/yom-hashoah-5771
On one [...]]]>
On one Sunday morning says Wim, Frits arrived in our church in Eibergen and walked to the podium (the most important part of the Calvinist service was the sermon preached from the Bible).

Even though there were pro-Nazi Dutch officials sitting in the front row, he opened his Bible to Exodus 1:15-22 and read the story of the midwives in Egypt

“And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives whose names were shifra and puah: he said to them as you deliver the infants of the Hebrew women…if the child is a boy then kill him and if it is a girl than allow her to live. The midwives felt the awe God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them”.

Then Frits asked the congregation: “Who is the Pharaoh today?” “The Nazis!” replied the congregation “Who are the babies who have to be hidden?” “The Jews!” “Who are the midwives today? We are! It is our job to outsmart the Pharaohs, to have the courage of the midwives and to protect the Jews and all those being persecuted.” Then he got on his bicycle and went to the next village. The people were inspired by Frits de Zwerver. Many members of our church participated, and hid Jews in their houses said Wim.

Wim himself helped to hide a family of Jews.

Rabbi Yossef Soloveitchik often referred to as the Rov delivered a talk on Israel Independence Day in 1956. He spoke in Yiddish to a crowd of Jews who were scarcely more than a decade past liberation from the Nazi death camps. He spoke to Jews who themselves had experienced the atrocities of the Shoah. He spoke to people searching. He spoke to people who were gazing longingly with crying eyes starving for an answer to perhaps the most troubling religious question. WHY? People were asking and are still asking WHY?

The Rov answered their longing with a challenge. The Rov said, “There is evil, there is suffering, there are hellish torments in this world continues the Rov “We do not inquire about the hidden ways of the Almighty but, rather, about the path wherein man shall walk when suffering strikes. We ask neither about the cause of evil nor about its purpose, but, rather, about how it might be mended and elevated. How shall a person act in a time of trouble? What ought a man to do so that he not perish in his afflictions? The fundamental question is: What obligation does suffering impose upon man?

The Rov changes the question; he says: don’t ask why do bad things happen to good people rather he dares us to ask what do good people do when bad things happen? How do the righteous respond to the suffering of others? What should we do when we encounter evil? How do we answer the misery of our fellow man? In the words of Frits deZwerver the Rov demands that we call out: Who is the pharaoh today? Who are the babies who must be hidden? Who are we?

Yosselle Rakover in last will and testament found in the ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto writes: I believe in the sun even when it does not shine, I believe in love even when I am alone, and I believe in God even when he is silent.

In the moment of absent try not to lose belief we call these moments hastarat panim the hiddenness of God. It is like an eclipse during which all is dark. The Midrash Shemot Rabbah says that the Jewish people are likened to the moon. The moon vanishes from sight and then returns. There is waning, a diminution a disappearance and waxing, a growth, a rise, a reappearance and we must do our share to help it reappear.

]]> Tazriah 5771 (sorry for the Typos its been a long week) http://kicong.org/blog/2011/04/07/tazriah-5771-sorry-for-the-typos-its-been-a-long-week http://kicong.org/blog/2011/04/07/tazriah-5771-sorry-for-the-typos-its-been-a-long-week Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:17:00 +0000 Rabbi Eytan Yammer http://kicong.org/blog/2011/04/07/tazriah-5771-sorry-for-the-typos-its-been-a-long-week ויקרא פרק יג
(ב) אָדָם כִּי יִהְיֶה בְעוֹר בְּשָׂרוֹ שְׂאֵת אוֹ סַפַּחַת אוֹ בַהֶרֶת וְהָיָה [...]]]> ויקרא פרק יג
(ב) אָדָם כִּי יִהְיֶה בְעוֹר בְּשָׂרוֹ שְׂאֵת אוֹ סַפַּחַת אוֹ בַהֶרֶת וְהָיָה בְעוֹר בְּשָׂרוֹ לְנֶגַע צָרָעַת וְהוּבָא אֶל אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן אוֹ אֶל אַחַד מִבָּנָיו הַכֹּהֲנִים:
(ג) וְרָאָה הַכֹּהֵן אֶת הַנֶּגַע בְּעוֹר הַבָּשָׂר וְשֵׂעָר בַּנֶּגַע הָפַךְ לָבָן וּמַרְאֵה הַנֶּגַע עָמֹק מֵעוֹר בְּשָׂרוֹ נֶגַע צָרַעַת הוּא וְרָאָהוּ הַכֹּהֵן וְטִמֵּא אֹתוֹ:

If a person will have on the skin of his flesh a blemish…and it will become a Tzara’at, the man will bring it to Aharon the Cohen…
The priest has seen the blemish in the skin...and the cohen has seen the blemish and made it impure.

If we read the verse carefully we find that three things must occur in order for the blemish to become Tzara’at and therefore Tameh (ritually impure):

First there must be a physical manifestation of Tzara’at which fits the biblical description of this spiritual affliction.

Second; the person afflicted with these blemishes must recognize them as potential Tzara’at and act upon that recognition.

Third: The Cohen must see the blemishes, confirm the person’s suspicions only then is the mark determined to be Tzar’at and Tameh.

We can see this process in two ways; in our first model blemish arrives from some disease, the person sees the sore on his skin and goes to the Cohen the doctor for help. The Cohen is the diagnostician. The Person approaches with a physical malady and wants to know how to take care of it. The Cohen diagnoses the problem and gives a solution. “Here is a prescription for exile, follow up in 7 days” and the process repeats itself. In this model the person with the blemishes is not pushed towards introspection, the person is not driven to think about his identity and his actions.

There is another way of looking at this. Carefully read passuk ג it says that the Cohen will see the blemish and make it impure. The Or HaHaim says תלה הכתוב הטומאה בפה כהן, he points out that it is the declaration of the Cohen which creates the Tumah the impurity. In this case the Cohen is a creator of reality his words and observation takes a blemish which is otherwise just a sore which is prior to his declaration completely Tahor pure and makes it different.

The 3 stage process in this case is as follows: there is a mark on a person’s skin. The person through contemplation, introspection and self-awareness finds that he is lacking in some way has done things which have cause this spiritual malady and responds affirmatively by looking for help in finding a way of addressing the issue. The cohen looks at the Mark and says you’re right, it is Tzara’at. In that moment the skinned knee becomes tzaraat.

In our second model if our person sat at home and did not respond first see the mark as Tzara’at they would not be impure, they would not be exiled we could even presume that the mark would go away on its own. But the person here did not just ignore it, he looked inward and saw that he needed help, that there was something wrong that there was something that needed to be addressed and so he goes not to the doctor who can describe and prescribe but to the cohen who can create and reflect.

Our first model is a model of sympathy, the cohen feels bad for the guy.

Our second model conveys a sense of empathy. People who are empathic don’t feel bad for the person suffering they feel bad WITH the person suffering. Being empathic means that you take a moment and dwell in the emotional space of the other and feel their pain. In doing so you offer yourself as a mirror to help them understand themselves better.

People don’t like sympathy how often do we hear I’m so sorry for your loss and how often does that help? How many times have we heard the words, I don’t need your sympathy! No one ever said “I don’t need you empathy!”

My father says that when he and my mother were first married if my mother was upset about something he would try to help until one day my mother turned around and said angrily “You’re always trying to solve my problems!” What she wanted was empathy not sympathy not a prescription for happiness but a person to help her better understand the problem so she could solve it herself.

One of my rabbis told me that he used to go to shiva houses with a Torah though maybe some words to help alleviate a bit of the pain. Once he came straight from a very long plane trip directly to a shiva house, he was so exhausted that he didn’t prepare anything and he was just feeling like he couldn’t speak. He stayed for an hour nodding speaking seldomly sitting mostly quiet. Now and then he would say a few words mostly just restating what the AVel the mourner had just said. He left that day feeling very guilty for not giving more. After the shiva the mourner approached him after shul on Shabbat my rabbi was nervous and embarrassed and getting ready to apologize. The Mourner without a word gave him a hug and said, “you can’t imagine how much what you said meant to me”.

In a moment of deep sorrow and pain a person does not need your words of wisdom, they need your empathy.

I imagine the person coming to the cohen and saying I have Tzara’at and the cohen looking deeply into at the person takes a moment and says you have Tzara’at. The cohen gives him a gift, the declaration of allows the person to understand deeply that he really does have tzora’at. But even more so it gives the person the ability to go for a week outside the camp and to fix the problem all on his own.

When we confront pain, suffering, grief misery and anguish – please, don’t help them; be the cohen look depply at the other, sit for a moment in their emotion and give them the gift of being able to help themselves.

]]> Shemini 5771 - The glory of Hashem and the Peace of Jerusalem http://kicong.org/blog/2011/03/25/shemini-5771-the-glory-of-hashem-and-the-peace-of-jerusalem http://kicong.org/blog/2011/03/25/shemini-5771-the-glory-of-hashem-and-the-peace-of-jerusalem Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:20:00 +0000 Rabbi Eytan Yammer http://kicong.org/blog/2011/03/25/shemini-5771-the-glory-of-hashem-and-the-peace-of-jerusalem

ויקרא פרק ט

(ב) וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל אַהֲרֹן קַח לְךָ עֵגֶל בֶּן בָּקָר לְחַטָּאת וְאַיִל לְעֹלָה תְּמִימִם וְהַקְרֵב לִפְנֵי יְקֹוָק:

(ג) וְאֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּדַבֵּר לֵאמֹר קְחוּ שְׂעִיר עִזִּים לְחַטָּאת וְעֵגֶל וָכֶבֶשׂ בְּנֵי שָׁנָה תְּמִימִם לְעֹלָה:

(ד) וְשׁוֹר וָאַיִל לִשְׁלָמִים לִזְבֹּחַ לִפְנֵי יְקֹוָק וּמִנְחָה בְּלוּלָה בַשָּׁמֶן כִּי הַיּוֹם יְקֹוָק נִרְאָה אֲלֵיכֶם:

…

(ו) וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְקֹוָק תַּעֲשׂוּ וְיֵרָא אֲלֵיכֶם כְּבוֹד יְקֹוָק:

…

(כג) וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן אֶל אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיֵּצְאוּ וַיְבָרֲכוּ אֶת הָעָם וַיֵּרָא כְבוֹד יְקֹוָק אֶל כָּל הָעָם:

Leviticus 3-6,23-24
And he said to Aaron take for yourself a bull…and bring it close (sacrifice) it to Hashem.
And to the Jewish people speak saying: “take a lamb…as a peace offering before Hashem…
for today the glory of Hashem will be revealed to you
…
And Moshe said: “this is the this which Hashem has commanded, and the glory of Hasehm will be revealed to you”
…
And Moshe and Aaron came to the ohel moed and they exited and they blessed the nation and the glory of God was revealed to the nation…

This process had in it two steps the first was Aaron taking for himself an offering to Hashem bringing a personal Korban to God. The second was a communal Korban. A sacrifice of animals which the entire nation had gathered for this purpose gathered to represent them before Hashem. So Aaron brought his collected animals and preformed the sacrifice. And the Jewish people did exactly as moshe had commanded and assembled the correct animals and the sacrifice was performed by Aaron and his children.

And then…according to the Targum Yonatan nothing happened the entire nation Moses and Aaron stood waiting for Hashem’s Glory to be revealed, experienced. The entire nation like the hero of an action movie unsure if the bomb was truly defused waited for the ultimate moment to arrive, it didn’t.

Targum Yonatan say: after they brought the sacrifices and the glory of Hashem’s presence was not revealed Aharon was alarmed they went to tent and there they prayed for the Jewish people, upon their exit Moshe and Aharon blessed the people. At that moment the Shekhina descended and Hashem’s Glory was seen.

What was it that Aharon said which in a moment brought down the presence of Hashem? What was the content of his blessing to the Jewish people that caused Kevod Hashem to descend?

Perhaps the most intense communal experience occurred thrice yearly. At each of the 3 major festivals the entire nation would ascend to Jerusalem together each to bring their own Korban. The 122nd chapter of psalms is a poetic description of that ascent:

תהלים פרק קכב

(א) שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת לְדָוִד שָׂמַחְתִּי בְּאֹמְרִים לִי בֵּית יְקֹוָק נֵלֵךְ:

(ב) עֹמְדוֹת הָיוּ רַגְלֵינוּ בִּשְׁעָרַיִךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם:

(ג) יְרוּשָׁלִַם הַבְּנוּיָה כְּעִיר שֶׁחֻבְּרָה לָּהּ יַחְדָּו:

(ד) שֶׁשָּׁם עָלוּ שְׁבָטִים שִׁבְטֵי יָהּ עֵדוּת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְהֹדוֹת לְשֵׁם יְקֹוָק:

(ה) כִּי שָׁמָּה יָשְׁבוּ כִסְאוֹת לְמִשְׁפָּט כִּסְאוֹת לְבֵית דָּוִיד:

(ו) שַׁאֲלוּ שְׁלוֹם יְרוּשָׁלִָם יִשְׁלָיוּ אֹהֲבָיִךְ:

(ז) יְהִי שָׁלוֹם בְּחֵילֵךְ שַׁלְוָה בְּאַרְמְנוֹתָיִךְ:

(ח) לְמַעַן אַחַי וְרֵעָי אֲדַבְּרָה נָּא שָׁלוֹם בָּךְ:

(ט) לְמַעַן בֵּית יְקֹוָק אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֲבַקְשָׁה טוֹב לָךְ:

A psalm of ascents by David; I rejoiced as they told me: “to the house of Hashem we will go”.
Our feet were standing in your gates Jerusalem.
The constructed Jerusalem, a city unified within.
There went up tribes, the tribes of Hashem, a testimony for Israel, to praise the name of Hashem.
For there sat the thrones of justice the thrones of the house of David.
Ask for the peace of Jerusalem; those who love you will be tranquil.
May there be peace in your walls, serenity in your palaces.
For the sake of my brothers and friends I will speak peace in your midst.
For the sake of the house of Hashem I will request good for you.

The RaDa”K says that the tribes would gather to experience the “testimony for Israel” they would gather to behold the great miracles of Jerusalem. Wherever one would rest their head would be comfortable be it a rock in a court yard or palace of the king, upon the Temple Mount though packed close together when standing there was ample space when bowing. They gathered to behold the glory of HKBH to experience the presence of Hashem in much the same way the Jews in the desert were first preparing to do.

The gemara in Haggiga says that one of the purposes of the ascent to Yerushalayim was to see Hashem in the same way we were being seen. Again the reason to experience Hashem in a way one would not be capable of alone.

There is one verse in this Tehillah this psalm that doesn’t quite fit. The verse we are so familiar with from our prayers for the sake of my brothers and friends I speak Peace unto you.

The Malbim asks this question, why is this connected to the national sacrificial experience. Says the Malbim that not only is this connected but asking for peace for my brothers and sisters and friends is the entire purpose of ascent. Peace is the fundamental goal for the gathering.

With this I believe we can answer the question from our Parasha. What was the blessing what was said that brought about the revelation of Hashem’s glory? Thought the targum Yonatan proposes that it was one of forgiveness I believe that the blessing was the blessing Aharon always gives, the one that we give to our children every Friday night, the one which the cohanim bless us with each of the 3 major holidays.

וישם לך שלום and he should put you at peace, the priestly blessing of peace. Peace that is so much more than cessation of violence, peace shalom from the shaleim completeness a peace of deep tranquility, and hopefulness and completeness. This is the peace we wish for one another. This is the piece we pray to see in Jerusalem, this is what we look for.

In response to what must be the opposite of peace we look for peace completeness and tranquility. I don’t know how to achieve it, I do know that whether you feel that we must fight for this peace or that we talk to achieve this peace, or we pray, or study torah the ultimate goal is peace, when we lose sight of that we inhibit Hashem’s presence, I know that when we lose sight of this we are like that hero waiting for the bomb to go off.

We must in those moments remember what the purpose is the underlying motivation of our existence in Jerusalem that which enable Israel to be a place of revelation and holiness. It is the peace of our brethren the long lasting quietude that come in a community at peace. Let us ask for the peace of Jerusalem, let us pray for the peace of the house of God and let us bless each other וישם לך שלום that hashem would put us at peace at last.

]]> Remember Dont Forget: the light in the darkness http://kicong.org/blog/2011/03/18/remember-dont-forget-the-light-in-the-darkness http://kicong.org/blog/2011/03/18/remember-dont-forget-the-light-in-the-darkness Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:06:00 +0000 Rabbi Eytan Yammer http://kicong.org/blog/2011/03/18/remember-dont-forget-the-light-in-the-darkness
Each year we read the Torah in its entirety. Each year we complete the cycle and begin again from the beginning. The cycle of reading was mandated by Ezra upon the return of the Jews from the Persian exile. There is a single section of the Torah which is unique. Parashat Zakhor is the only section of the entire Torah which the Torah itself requires us to read.

I would like to share two explanations for Zakhor’s uniqueness. The first and most pshat based is right there in the content of the verses.

דברים פרק כה

יז) זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם

יח) אֲשֶׁר קָרְךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַיְזַנֵּב בְּךָ כָּל הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִים אַחֲרֶיךָ וְאַתָּה עָיֵף וְיָגֵעַ וְלֹא יָרֵא אֱלֹהִים

יט) וְהָיָה בְּהָנִיחַ יְקֹוָק אֱלֹהֶיךָ לְךָ מִכָּל אֹיְבֶיךָ מִסָּבִיב בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יְקֹוָק אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ נַחֲלָה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ תִּמְחֶה אֶת זֵכֶר עֲמָלֵק מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם לֹא תִּשְׁכָּח: פ

Deuteronomy 25

(17)Remember all that Amalek had done to you on the road as you left Egypt.
(18)They happened upon you on the road and they attacked all those who were lagging behind as you were tired and weary and not fearing of God.
(19)And it will be when Hashem Elokekha gives you rest from all of your enemies who surround you, in the land which Hashem Elokekha will give you as an inheritance to inherit, wipe out the memory of amalek from beneath the heavens – do not forget”

The pssukim command us to not forget the story of amalek, we are in those words commanded to read this portion of the Torah each year in order to fulfill the obligation not to forget.

There is a second reason for the singular nature of this passage. In this story is hidden one of the central messages of Torah.

We were attacked by amalek in a moment of weakness. We were attacked when we were “tired and weary and not fearing of God”. This makes perfect sense, Amalek being seasoned fighters waited to attack until we were exhausted from our travels, until we were too tired to bring those lagging behind into the pack, until our minds strayed from all the important things and could focus only on the ache in our legs the hunger in our bellies and the thirst in our lips. A wise army strikes when its enemy Amalek attacked wisely. The message to us is about how the state in which we found ourselves.

We as a people were Tired, Exhausted, Not fearing God. This is a state that I like most in this room can relate to. We have all been tired from a day’s work, a week’s worth of studying, years upon years’ worth of parenting. There are times we lag behind and there are times that we let our fear of heaven slip from our minds. These are the moments which in our exasperation we lose sight of the important things, we forget that there are people lagging behind who need our help, we forget that we are on the road traveling the path blazed by HKBH, and we forget God entirely. This can be at a time when we are overwhelmed by the enormity of the tasks which lay before us or the exhaustion from accomplishing what we have just overcome. At these times we are overcome by a sense of looming darkness.

This past week has certainly felt to me like one of darkness. The slaughtering of the Fogel family of Itamar darkened our week. The earthquake tsunami and nuclear disasters in Japan have darkened our week.

On purim despite the light which the Jews experienced at the moment of victory our people remained in the dusky shadows of servitude to a pagan king. Why then do we celebrate at all? Rav Tzadok Hacohen says that unlike pessach, Purim is an incomplete salvation the remnants of darkness still looming for the Jewish people. Says Rav Tzadok, we celebrate purim not despite the remaining darkness but because the gift of Purim is the ability to celebrate even when darkness remains.

Parashat Zkhor teaches us to Zakhor and Lo Tishkakh. “Remember” and “Do not forget”.

The gemara in Meggilah 18a asks about the difference between remembering and not forgetting.

“Remembering: maybe this refers to remembering in your heart? No: not forgetting is in your heart remembering is with your mouth I have a thought.”

The remembering and not forgetting are very different things. I don’t forget the Talmud and the math I have learned over the years. At all times these things are lying dormant in our minds. At all times we can search our memories for any of these things proving that we haven’t forgotten them.

Remembering is different. I remember to call someone who is sick, I remember to take out the trash, I remember to do. Remembering is active while not forgetting is passive.

If we look out to the world even in the grey darkness of this past week we can see people remembering. We find that there are people who have not let this moment of darkness force that which should be remembered onto the realm of simply not forgetting. These are the people who through the darkness have taken extraordinary actions.

Rami Levy many of you have heard is the owner of a large supermarket chain in Israel has been coming to the fogel shiva each day and stocking the pantry and fridge with food. He did this with no fanfare and without being asked. Someone thanked him for his actions. His response: you will get used to my face, as I will make sure that the cupboards are full until the youngest orphan turns 18. Rami Levy remembered “Nekheshalim Akharekha” those people who fell prey to amalek. He took action, Rami Levy understands Zakhor.

In Japan after the earthquake and the Tsunami killed ten thousand people and displaced tens of thousands more. One of the nuclear reactors in the area is threatening to melt down potentially killing thousands upon thousands more. There are 50 or so Japanese fire fighters who will face certain death entering areas of extreme radiation so that so many others can be spared that same fate. These people understand what it means to Remember to take action to see the light through the darkness.

We honor Rami and we honor the Firemen and we honor everyone in our lives that help us remember, who help us take to heart the central message which is articulated in Zakhor.

When faced with darkness, weakness and distance, alienation and pain we must stop for a moment, in that instance of pause we must remember. Remember what resulted from our passivity in the desert and remember what light can be shed by our actions right then and there.

This year parashat zakhor and Purim come at a time we need them most. I hope we can remember to see the light despite the darkness, and I pray that on purim we remember the Fogels and we remember all of those who lost their lives in Japan. I pray we remember and find a way to lift the cloud that is keeping the light from shining through.

Special thanks to Rabbi Barry Gelman for pointing me in the direction of the R Tzadok source

]]> Drasha - Vayikra 5771: A response to Missionaries in the public school http://kicong.org/blog/2011/03/11/drasha-vayikra-5771-a-response-to-missionaries-in-the-public-school http://kicong.org/blog/2011/03/11/drasha-vayikra-5771-a-response-to-missionaries-in-the-public-school Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:43:00 +0000 Rabbi Eytan Yammer http://kicong.org/blog/2011/03/11/drasha-vayikra-5771-a-response-to-missionaries-in-the-public-school
The uniqueness of this statement from the first amendment to our constitution is what has allowed our brothers and sisters to flourish and our communities to grow in the United States in such an astounding measure [...]]]>
The uniqueness of this statement from the first amendment to our constitution is what has allowed our brothers and sisters to flourish and our communities to grow in the United States in such an astounding measure over the past few hundred years. It is these words which make America a bastion of Jewish life outside of the land of Israel unequaled perhaps since the time of the Babylonian Rashei Galut exhilarchs. It is this amendment which provides us with the ability to live the Modern Orthodox lives we strive for.

Even with the constitution living a modern Orthodox life presents major challenges. We are involved in the public schools and support the Jewish day school. As modern orthodox Jews we must live with understand and respect the other, other religions other races other Jewish people we also must stay strongly and passionately committed to the core our Judaism. This conflict came to the forefront this past week at the Mountain Brook Jr. High School.

One of the major local churches has begun an intense missionary effort which targeted Jewish children attending the Jr. High. We are devastated to say that they have had some success enticing a group of them to look more deeply into the Christian faith. One girl has been baptized and three other children tragically, are in the process.

There were youth ministers in the school during lunch, there were bible verses written on blackboards before class, there have even been prayer groups for teachers during school hours. Rabbi Jonathan Miller, Rabbi Scott Hausman-Weiss, both of Temple Emanu-El as well as Joyce Spielberger of the Jewish Community Relations Council, met last Friday with representatives of the Mountain Brook School District including the principal of the Junior High School, Superintendent as well as other school board members. At this meeting the school promised to remove the presence of the pastors at lunch as well as address other potential first amendment violations. We are grateful to them for their cooperation. We look forward to having the opportunity to continue the productive nature of this relationship.

While the legal issues at the school have been largely addressed we remain concerned for the wellbeing of our children for two reasons. Jewish students at the school have been subjected to hostility, ridicule and humiliation because of their Judaism by a sizable vocal, minority of Christian students. This is being inflicted by those they perceive to be their friends and neighbors who are out to "save" their Jewish souls. If we think back to what it was like to be in middle school, we all remember that the most compelling issue during the tween years is to fit in and be accepted by your peer group. The exclusion, shunning and abject bullying which some of our children are being subjected to is incredibly painful and potentially harmful.
We also are worried about the wellbeing of our children's Jewish Neshamot - Souls. I feel and I know many of you share my feeling of a passionate commitment to the faith and culture which has guided our ancestors for millennia. It is imperative that we give our children the tools of that faith commitment and knowledge to our children as well.

What is the core? What is it that we are trying to preserve?

With the book of Vayikra the torah begins the institution of korbanot sacrifices and it does so with the following with the following words:

ויקרא פרק א

אָדָם כִּי יַקְרִיב מִכֶּם קָרְבָּן לַיקֹוָק
A person from amongst you who will bring a sacrifice…

The Midrash comments that the addition of the word Mikem “from you” tells us that the Torah itself gives honor to the Jewish people. The Torah is recognizing that the essence of what it means to be Jewish is Korban – Karov closeness.

Korbanot come in many shapes sizes and species. The laws for each are diverse and in some ways indicate some of the spiritual goals hoped from in the brining the sacrifice. The goal of some of Korbanot is to bring us Karov close to Hakadosh Barukh Hu (God). Some Korbanot have a dual purpose. To bring us close to Hakadosh Barukh Hu and to bring us close together as a people.

This points us to the Mikem the “from you” the essence which the Midrash is referring to. The essence is reflected beautifully in multifaceted nature of Korbanot. Our essence is having a personal relationship with God drawing close through the performance of mitzvoth and the study of Torah. Our essence is Communal relationship with God drawing close through communal prayer and observances. Our essence is having a familial relationship with one another caring for each other in times of struggle and hardship, celebrating with one another in times of joy.

The failure in this story in our public schools is not a constitutional one, nor is it a failure on the part of the school. The failure is ours. The failure the tragedy of children looking to leave the Abrahamic covenant is on our shoulders. The responsibility rests on our feet. We failed in our responsibility to communicate the Korbanot the closeness of Judaism to our children which led to their distancing themselves from it.

It is now upon us to do Teshuvah, to return and move forward with a new sense of purpose. This is why KI will be joining with other Jewish communal institutions to start addressing these issues.

We will be working with the Jewish Community Relations Committee to develop a broad based, interfaith coalition to address the emotional environment in our schools and community which allows for such assaults and pain.

Within the Birmingham Jewish community we are partnering with the Jewish Federation, Chabad and Temple Beth-El (Temple Emanu-El declined the invitation). We will work together to ensure that the religion of our grandparents remains the religion of our grandchildren. With that in mind we are in the process of creating a community wide initiative designed to equip our children and adults with the tools to respond with pride and knowledge to these situations. There will be meetings, classes and sessions led by experts in the field.

As with any moment of struggle it is also a moment of opportunity. We can use this as a tool to exress our commitment to Ahdut Jewish unity, we will use this as an opportunity to engage with those outside of our faith, and we will capitalize on this opportunity to show love to our fellow Jew and increase the study of Torah in our community. Most personally we will use this moment as to strengthen our commitment to the core of our Judaism reinforcing the modern orthodox values we hold so dear embodying the message of Korban – Karov - Closeness. In the end we will be stronger as a shul, more educated as a community and more unified as a nation.

Shabbat Shalom!

]]> Jewish Ethics - Abortion http://kicong.org/blog/2011/03/10/jewish-ethics-abortion http://kicong.org/blog/2011/03/10/jewish-ethics-abortion Thu, 10 Mar 2011 10:20:00 +0000 Rabbi Eytan Yammer http://kicong.org/blog/2011/03/10/jewish-ethics-abortion

Source Sheets PDF

Shiur Recording MP3 [...]]]>

Source Sheets PDF

Shiur Recording MP3

]]> Shiurim from the old site http://kicong.org/blog/2011/02/10/shiurim-from-the-old-site http://kicong.org/blog/2011/02/10/shiurim-from-the-old-site Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:22:00 +0000 Rabbi Eytan Yammer http://kicong.org/blog/2011/02/10/shiurim-from-the-old-site These are a bunch of backlog shiurim.

Electricity on Shabbat

Sources
Recording

Bankruptcy

Sources
Recording

Fiduciary and Social [...]]]> These are a bunch of backlog shiurim.

Electricity on Shabbat

Sources
Recording

Bankruptcy

Sources
Recording

Fiduciary and Social Responsibility

Sources
Recording

Competition in Judaism

Sources
Recording

]]> Charging Interest http://kicong.org/blog/2011/02/06/charging-interest http://kicong.org/blog/2011/02/06/charging-interest Sun, 06 Feb 2011 17:00:00 +0000 Rabbi Eytan Yammer http://kicong.org/blog/2011/02/06/charging-interest Charging Interest

[...]]]> Charging Interest

]]> Parashat Terumah - Fixing the Spiritual World http://kicong.org/blog/2011/02/06/parashat-terumah-fixing-the-spiritual-world http://kicong.org/blog/2011/02/06/parashat-terumah-fixing-the-spiritual-world Sun, 06 Feb 2011 15:34:46 +0000 Rabbi Eytan Yammer http://kicong.org/blog/2011/02/06/parashat-terumah-fixing-the-spiritual-world Mishkan.

The number ten has a special significance. Ten Commandments and ten plagues, he Or Hahaim teaches that the ten curtains are analogous to another ten; The ten words with which God created the world. That being the case continues the Or [...]]]> Mishkan.

The number ten has a special significance. Ten Commandments and ten plagues, he Or Hahaim teaches that the ten curtains are analogous to another ten; The ten words with which God created the world. That being the case continues the Or Hahaim it must be that the building of the mishkan is as significant as the rest of creation.

On its face this assertion is is somewhat surprising. How can it be that the construction of this single temporary structure can be as significant as the creation of the world?

Though as the Or HaHaim points out there are ten words of creation the word which appears most in this parasha is the word Aasah in fact the root of this word appears 62 times. The first use of this word is on the second day of creation. After Hashem created the rakiah the divider between the heavens and the earth hashem uses the word aasah with this he finished its creation. Assah in the six days of creation is not an act of ex nihilo, creation, creation from nothing. Assa is an act of putting that which was in existance inorder. The or HaHaim says that With the word aasah Hashem fixed in place ordered and arranged the heavens and earth in their proper places.

The aasah the six days of creation and that of the construction of the mishkan are the same. The substance of the mishkan already being in place needs ordering needs arranging. This is true of the construction of the mishkan but this is also what the mishkan once constructed does for the world.

We often speak about partnering with God. We work with God to perfect the human form in brit milah circumcision, we partner with hashem to make the plants grow, when we feed the hungry and give charity we partner to fulfill the verse which says "you open your hand and fulfill all life with sustenance"

But if that is where it ends it is not a complete partnership. Just like we work with God to fix the physical world the mishkan teaches us that we must partner with hashem to fix the world spiritually.

The building of the mishkan sets the world in order it brings the divine presence into the world. It is an act of creation equal to the value of the entire world as it gives purpose to the universe. The mishkan as symbol of the presence of God changes the endevour of all creations from the service of self to the service of the divine. Assa to order to set right to make sense of it all.

We as jews have a responsibility to be the be the mishkan wherever we go. We have been billions of people have rejected pagan practices by following the example of the Jewish people. Has anyone else encountered an individual who is holy? The type of person who enters a room and the room changes. People sit a bit straighter they are just that much more compassionate and the feeling of the presence of God permeates. This person is a mishkan. This is the job of each jewish person. This is what is as valuable as the entire world. This is what we should all strive for to embody assa.

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