Singing Torah

There's a lot of questions lately within the field of Jewish education. What is our ultimate goal? Do we care about details and facts, or are we concerned about belonging and connection? I think that relational connections are crucial and seeking them out is a very important goal of Jewish education.

And yet it totally warms my heart when my kids can demonstrate something that they have learned in Religious School....something concrete, specific, and delivered with pride and enthusiasm....



I do believe that our children learn to value what we value.
A little knowledge goes a long way....

We're Tweeting #Torah to the Top all day Friday in preparation for standing at Sinai. Join us!

Carrying the Torah with Pride

Today, I was greeted with this news about the arrest of Anat Hoffman, one of the leaders of Women of the Wall and the Reform movement in Israel.

From the Facebook page of Women of the Wall, this press release:

ANAT HOFFMAN TAKEN INTO POLICE CUSTODY FOR CARRYING TORAH
Chairperson forcefully removed by police for carrying Torah

Jerusalem, Israel – One of the leaders of the Reform movement in Israel and Women of the Wall (WOW) was arrested for holding a sefer Torah during a Rosh Chodesh celebration at the Western Wall.

Women of the Wall (WOW) gathered this morning for their monthly Rosh Chodesh services at 7 a.m. on the women's side of the Kotel. Anat Hoffman, with a sefer Torah in her arms, led the 150 women strong prayer group in song as it continued its celebration in a procession toward Robinson's Arch.

Moments after leaving the Wall, police confronted and blocked the procession and began menacingly to attempt to remove the Torah from Hoffman's arms. Hundreds of participants watched in shock and distress as the Torah was jostled by police.

Hoffman was detained under the pretext that she was not praying according to the traditional customs of the Kotel. Hoffman was taken into police custody and interrogated for five hours. Police claim that holding the sefer Torah is against the Supreme Court ruling. Police are currently consulting with Attorney General to determine her charges.

Anat and her lawyer stated that the act of carrying a Torah is not mentioned in the Supreme Court ruling. Women of the Wall stood in solidarity with Anat outside of the Kishle Police Station near Jaffa Gate. Hoffman was released from police custody and banned from the Kotel for 30 days.

The arrest of a woman on the first day of the month of Av is a harsh reminder of the price that Israeli society may pay for its religious intolerance and fanaticism. Tomorrow at 13:30, WOW will lobby at the Knesset for civil equality and pluralism at the Kotel, emphasizing the Wall as a holy site for all streams of Judaism and advocating for equal rights of women at the Wall. 

This morning at OSRUI, Torah was read all over camp. Our readers were women and men. The Torah was carried by rabbis and teachers, counselors and staff - male and female. The Torah for which Anat was arrested is the Torah from which we teach and learn each and every day. The country that allowed for the arrest of a woman carrying the Torah is the country for which we pray for peace and safety each and every day.

I'm torn, truthfully. I consider myself an ohevet Tzion, a lover of Zion. But I am intensely and incredibly hurt by this action taken by the police in Jerusalem. (I do, however, smile a little at the 30-day ban from the Kotel proscribed for Anat - which ends just in time for Rosh Chodesh Elul. Reminds me of the wise judge in the story of the sukkah who gave the owner 7 days to take it down...)

For now, I will continue to wait and see what happens in the land I love. I will fill my days and world with Torah and I will teach anyone who will listen about my own beliefs about equality and plurality and fairness and right.

And I will continue to carry the Torah with great pride.

Support Women of the Wall: on Facebook, or at their Website.

Wrestling with the Angel [Re-Post]

Re-posted from November 23, 2007

Vayishlach, this week's Torah portion...briefly...

Jacob stays alone
sends the family on ahead
scared of Esau's wrath

By himself at night
he wrestles with an angel
or was it a man?

The man could not win
so he pulled the leg muscle
and he cried "uncle"

but Jacob was wise
"I can't let you go until
a blessing you give."

and so he was blessed
his name changed to Israel
means "wrestler with God."

Jake renames the spot
Peni-el, face-to-God's-face
His life changed a lot!

Twitter #Torah

I've been on Twitter for a while now (since February of 2008, to be exact...way before Oprah) and I really like it. I know that the rest of the world was slow to pick up on it, but it has been a lot of fun for me for a while now. I've tweeted off and on...sometimes I go for a while without tweeting, but usually I have something to say.

And even though I'm not one of the JTA's most influential Jewish Twitterers, I still have been enjoying tweeting Torah for a while. Here is today's set of #Torah tweets, about this week's parasha. (while it doesn't matter much, you should read from the bottom up - that's the order in which I posted them.)

My other favorite #hashtag (that's how you sort tweets) is #whatrabbisdo - other rabbi friends are having fun posting what they do too!

Why do I like Twitter? It started out as a little bit of a private space for me, where no one really knew who I was. But that all changed when the whole world came on Twitter (and it's not like I was ever secretive about it) and now it seems to be the thing that the teenagers make fun of and the older folks are trying out. Now I like it because it seems to be the best way to keep up with whatever is going on in the world...faster than any other website to get me to all the news! Interestingly, however, most of the news lately has been about Twitter itself! Which seems silly and counterproductive. And today there was a whole piece on CNN about how maybe, just maybe, Twitter is "so 5 minutes ago." I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Do you Twitter? Why?

What's plaguing you?

This week's Torah portion, Va'era, is the beginning of the Plagues that God visits upon the Egyptians and their land.

The ones in this parasha are:
Blood
Frogs
Lice
Swarms of Insects
Cattle Diseases
Darkness
Hail

After the first two plagues, the Egyptian magicians demonstrate how they too can make these things happen.
But lice....ah, the lice. It is then that the magicians themselves declare "This is the finger of God."

In the fall, I had a personal encounter with lice. It became the topic of my Yom Kippur sermon, and it was quite an...um...experience for my family. (As I write this, my head is starting to itch....)

I know that reading this particular portion has new meaning for me and for my family. It's always amazing to me how each time I read the Torah, it can speak to me in totally new and different ways.

The text doesn't change. I do.

I am constantly awed by the power of Torah.

Shabbat Shalom!

Negotiating with God

This week's portion is
very very full of stuff.
A lot to speak of!

God told Abe, "it's time!"
"Those cities are really bad."
(Sodom, Gomorrah)

"It's time to wreck them,
destroy their outrage and sin.
I'll sweep them away."

"Um, God? Are you sure?"
Abe had the guts to argue.
"They've innocents there!"

A bargain was struck
as Abe negotiated,
"Let's see who is good!"

"Are there fifty good?
forty? thirty? twenty-ish?
Are there ten good folks?"

God said, "okay, yes,
if there are 10 good people
I'll spare the cities."

Jewish tradition teaches that one of the reasons Abraham is considered "the first Jew" and given the blessings of God rather than Noah is because of this interaction. Noah doesn't argue when God threatens to destroy the world, he basically just does as he is told. Abraham, on the other hand, has the chutzpah to negotiate and argue with God on behalf of the innocent.

A lesson for all of us to fight for the voiceless....

See more Haiku Friday here.

Shabbat Shalom y'all!

What do I do now?

As many of you know, I have been writing Torah Haikus for a year now.

In fact, this week is the anniversary, since my first Torah Haiku was for Parashat Lech L'cha last year.

I know I missed a few portions...but I'll eventually complete them all, I hope.

But now what do I do on Fridays? Certainly, I could write more haikus about each Torah portion. After all, "turn it and turn it and turn it for everything is within it"...there's always a new opportunity to learn from each bit of the Torah.

Perhaps, though, I've exhausted my haiku-ness...

What do you think? Should I keep writing haikus? Should I pick some new topics?

Tell me what to do, o wise Internet....

P.S. In case you missed it, I'm still flying high from BEING THERE.

Rules and More Rules in the Torah....

Here, seventy-two
is the number of mitzvot*
within this parsha.

Wow! That is a lot!
Captives and inheritance,
what to do with sons...

Property you find,
who can wear dresses or pants,
and don't wear shatnez**.

A famous command:
If you see a mother bird
sitting on her eggs

You may not take both
the mother and the babies -
it is not so nice.

There are many rules
as we come to the Book's end --
many reminders.

*Mitzvah = Commandment, Mitzvot = plural
**Shatnez = Jewish law that prohibits mixed fibers (wool and linen)

Shabbat Shalom!

See more about this week's Torah portion here.

See more Friday Haikus here!

Tzedek, Tzedek Tirdof*

Justice, O Justice,
you shall pursue her always.
It is a great goal.

This week's Torah portion, Shoftim, reminds us that justice is our highest goal, our loftiest aspiration. It is a Torah portion full of rules -- rules for judges, rules for kings, rules for Levites, rules for prophets, rules for witnesses, rules for war. Interesting, then, that the Wordle for this week's portion finds the word "shall" as its most common word.



And, of course, I made one of the famous verse: "Justice, justice shall you pursue."
*The title of this post is the Hebrew version of this phrase.



Read more Haikus here.
Read more about the Torah portion here.

Shabbat Shalom y'all!

Did you post about the Torah portion today or this week?
Leave me a link if you did! (And comments. I'm a fan of comments.)

Shall....

Quickly, before Shabbat!

This week's Torah portion, Re'eh, encapsulated in a Wordle:




Shabbat Shalom!

Seven Wonderful Species

All through the book of Deuteronomy, Moses is giving his final exhortations to the people as they prepare to enter the land.

If you keep God's laws
God will bring you to the Land,
and it's a Good Land.

There are seven things
that especially grow there
and make the Land great.

Wheat, barley and grapes,
Figs and pomegranates too.
olives and honey.

It's a Good Land.

Shabbat Shalom!

See more haikus here.

Another Step Back

A few weeks back, I spoke in glowing terms about the step forward that the daughters of Zelophechad represented.

Now here we go backwards, just a little bit.

The rest of the clan
was a bit worried themselves
that land would be lost.

If girls can get land
that was their father's holding,
that is fine with us.

But what if they get
husbands from outside our tribe?
Then we would all lose.

Eventually
their land would end up in hands
outside of our tribe.

Mo made a ruling:
Daughters that inherit land
must marry tribesmen.

Just one restriction.
Does it really seem so fair?
Land over freedom.

What do you think?

See more Haiku Friday here.
Read more about this week's Torah portion here and here.

Shabbat Shalom!

One step back, one step forward

in this week's Torah portion...

Last week things looked up.
Daughters got a few land rights.
Joy was premature.

Mo explains vow rules.
Men must hold the vows they make.
Not the same for girls.

The vows of women
can be rendered null and void
if the men say so.

Particularly
the girl's father or husband
can nullify her.

(There's much more to this week's Torah portion. Much of it is rather troublesome. That is part of the importance of reading ALL of the Torah -- even the parts that we don't agree with, that we don't like. But it's hard to write haiku about it!)

Shabbat Shalom, y'all!

Read other Torah thoughts here.

See more Haiku Friday here.

Daughters Unite!

in this week's Torah portion...

A man without sons
like our man Zelophechad
has a big problem.

Without any sons
who will inherit the land?
Daughters want to know!

Mahlah and Noa,
Hoglah, Milcha, and Tirtza
came before Moses.

"Our dad had no sons,
but we want to inherit!"
So Mo considered.

Moses took their case
and brought their pleas before God.
God made a judgment:

A man without sons
can pass on land to his girls -
the family plot!

A great victory
for feminists everywhere.
Equal rights - begin!

Read more about this week's Torah portion here.

See more Haiku Friday here.

Shabbat Shalom!

P.S. Today is Yom RJ.org (yom = day) so make sure to check out the Reform Blog today.

A Man, A Plan, A Donkey?

In this week's Torah portion....

Balak was afraid
He thought the Jews were too strong
he wanted a curse.

He summoned Balaam
a well-known prophet, to curse...
Balaam wasn't sure.

God said "don't curse them"
But after a lot of cash
God told him "go on."

Balaam rode his steed
(it was really a donkey)
an angel stopped him.

Finally Balaam
realized what was going on
and apologized.

But the angel said
"Go on, but say what I tell."
So Balaam went on.

Balaam overlooked
the tents of the Israelites,
he had to bless them.

"How fair are your tents,
O Jacob, your dwelling-spots!"
(It was a great line!)

Moral of the story: Always listen when your donkey speaks to you.

Shabbat Shalom from OSRUI!


See more Haiku Friday here.

Why the Red Heifer?

This week's Torah portion is Chukat...

Why the red heifer?
We don't know what it's all for
But the Torah says!

It's a sacrifice
and its ashes make a paste
that helps purify.

Touching a dead guy
(or gal for that same matter)
makes you real impure.

Only a red cow
can fix that impurity,
bring back a pure state.

--

They got to Kadesh.
That's where Miriam fell dead.
They buried her there.

--

They had no water
and the people moaned and whined.
Mo and Aaron cried.

God told them to ask
the rock for water, nicely.
But Mo hit the rock.

The water came forth
but Mo was in big trouble
and so was Aaron.

"You did not have faith!"
God was angry with them both.
A punishment came.

"You will not enter
into the Land I promised
to all the People."

--

Aaron died at Hor
and they mourned him 30 days
Things, they were changing...

(Stay tuned for next week, the Talking Donkey!)
Shabbat Shalom from OSRUI!

See more Haiku Friday here.

Blessings...Priestly and Otherwise

It's a famous line
"May God bless you and keep you."
the priests all said it.

"May the face of God
shine on you and be gracious
unto you and yours."

"May God's face lift up
to you and may you always
find completeness -- peace."

The Priestly Blessing is the centerpiece of this week's Torah portion, Naso.

The Hebrew root of the word "shalom," which means peace, is "shalem" -- which means wholeness or completeness. Only when we have completeness...in ourselves, in the world...can we truly find peace.

May you find blessings, completeness, and peace on this Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom!

See more haikus here.

Parashat Behar...Gimme a Break!

This week's Torah portion is Behar, from the book of Leviticus.

Sabbatical Year
comes after six years of work!
Year Seven: land rests.

The fiftieth year
is the most special of all
the Jubilee Year!

Everyone goes home,
the land reverts back to each
of its ancestors.

The land is all God's,
we are really just settlers,
using it for now.

(There's some more on reversion of land, debts, debt servitude, etc. But I have a lot to do before Shabbat!)

Shabbat Shalom!

See more Haiku Friday here.

You Shall Be Holy...

"The Holiness Code"
is what we call this portion.
"You shall be holy."

We are told to be
as holy as we can be
because God's holy.

Here are some methods
and rules for being holy...
God gives us a list:

Revere your parents,
observe Shabbat and keep it.
Don't bow to idols.

Don't harvest your fields
all the way to the edges -
leave it for the poor.

Don't steal or lie or
swear falsely or cheat others.
Pay workers on time.

Don't insult the deaf,
don't impede a blind person.
Judge everyone fair.

The most famous one:
Love your neighbor as yourself
and observe God's laws.

Don't mix up your cloths,
or cut the side-locks of beards.
Do not turn to ghosts.

Rise before the old
and show deference to them.
Treat strangers nicely.

Don't lie about weights
and measures in your business.
Ani Adonai.*

Don't sacrifice your
children to the god Molech --
you will be punished.

Don't insult your mom
or commit adultery
or consult spirits.

Ani Adonai.
If we do as God says to,
we will be holy.

God says: "I set you
apart from the other folks."
Ani Adonai.

Shabbat Shalom!

See more Haiku writers here.

*I am the Lord.

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The Yucky Stuff

This week's Torah portion is Metzora, but usually it is read along with last week's parasha, Tazria. Since I missed last week's haiku-ing (no good Internet hookup at camp), here are both portions together in one...in all their yucky fun!

When you have a boy
you have seven days unclean
after childbirth.

When you have a girl
it takes longer to regain
ritual pureness --

Fourteen days it is!
A sacrifice will suffice,
restore purity.

If you get a rash,
swelling, discoloration,
scaly affliction,

redness or burning,
you must report to the priest
to check it all out.

The priest will decide
if the disease or rashes
make you pure or not.

If you are unclean
you have to live outside camp
until you're better.

Wool, linen or skins
can also be affected
and have to be checked.

Priests decide: pure? not?
Wash the fabric, check again.
You want it all pure.

(Metzora starts here)

If you have skin-yuck
the priest has a whole process
to fix it right up.

Sacrifices and
spices and shaving are part
of the cure-it-all.

You might not know this
but a house can get sick too
and the priest can fix.

It's not just disease
that can make you impure.
Boys, girls...different ways.

For men, a discharge
from his genital area
makes him impure-ish.

It takes sacrifice
and/or a bath to fix it,
make him pure again.

That time of the month
for the gals makes them impure,
what she touches too.

Seven days for her
until she is clean again,
back to a pure state.

Shabbat Shalom!
See more (probably less gross) haikus here.