Last week's Torah reading dealt with Moses doubting his ability to face Pharoah and Egypt, which was then a world Superpower. This is the portion that says that God hardened Pharoah's heart against freeing the Hebrew slaves. Many of us have wondered why Egypt would be punished, if it was God causing Pharoah to refuse the freedom of the Hebrews. At last Friday's Shabbat service, I learned an answer from my Rabbi's sermon that I wanted to share with you.
Apparently, Pharoah was stubborn and refused six times himself before the original Hebrew says that God hardened it for him. In essence, this is a case of be careful what you wish for. Because the Pharoah refused to show mercy so many times, his heart was unable to receive God's mercy. That's why it says that God hardened his heart.
My Rabbi gave a very good analogy that most of us can relate to from our childhood. In summary, it's about getting in trouble with your parents and refusing to apologize, or admit that you were wrong. You suffer punishment rather than apologize, or ask forgiveness. It goes something like this:
"Go to your room and don't come out until you apologize," Mom says.
"Fine," you reply.
She then checks on you later.
"Are you going to apologize?"
"No," you respond.
"Fine...then stay in there!"
You'd rather suffer than admit your fault. It's like you want to say "I'll show you by suffering and making you feel bad. I don't care what you do to me."
Your heart has been hardened by your own stubborn attitude and you are unable to hear the still small voice of God saying "Say your sorry. She's your mother and is only trying to guide and help you."
This is the lesson of Pharoah's hardened heart. Humility is always better than pride and healing cannot happen until you have the courage to admit your wrongdoing. Who would think that such a moral lesson was contained it what seems just to be a historic passage.
Thanks, Shmuel....
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
My Personal Journey
The purpose of this site is to discover a meaningful Judaism for those born into the faith and those considering making it their own. To understand my approach to this discussion, I thought it would be helpful to understand a little of my own spiritual journey and the events that lead me to where I am.
I was born into and raised within a Jewish family. My father was born Jewish and taught the faith by his grandparents who raised him on their farm during the Depression. My mother chose Judaism upon marrying my father, but believes there's evidence of Jewish ancestry in her family. Perhaps one day she'll know for sure upon completing a genealogical study of her family tree. Like most converts, she is the more zealous of the two in her faith.
My story differs from many Jews though in that I was not raised in New York, Cleveland, or San Francisco. My early childhood was spent in North Pole, Alaska...the home of Santa Claus. I learned early on that I was somehow different, but also learned that there was much that drew us together in a shared feeling of faith.
When I was eight years old, we moved to Mountain Home, Idaho, a little town outside of Boise. Other than potatoes and the Air Force base, there was little to draw people to stay. Like most small towns, it had it's friendly attitude, but also some distrust for those that were different. As the population was split equally between Mormons and Basque Catholics who'd been there for generations, we were the ones that were different in being from Alaska and Jewish. It was here that I was first called a "Canaanite," meaning that I was not Mormon. I remember being puzzled as I'd been taught that Canaanites were the enemies of the ancient Hebrews and thus Jews.
Probably the major catalyst for my spiritual journey happened when I was thirteen. It was then that I suffered spinal and vertebrae damage caused by an improper wrestling maneuver in a school physical education class. Prior to that, I'd planned to attend the Air Force Academy and to become a jet fighter pilot. I saw myself as living the life of Maverick in "Top Gun." But my injury changed all of that in an instant, as I was no longer able to pass the physical to get into any branch of the military.
I went through about three years of being depressed and angry at the my family, the world and especially God. At other times I even doubted the existence of God, as I couldn't understand how he could have let this happen to me. Trying to find myself again, I sought answers in all of the major world religions, as I didn't believe Judaism had any to offer. I was especially drawn to the Eastern faiths of Taoism and Buddhism...the latter of which was born of a search for an end to suffering by its founder, Siddhartha Gautama. At my deepest core, I somehow knew their to be truth in the concepts of Karma and reincarnation and that did not seem to be part of Judaism. But then I discovered Kabbalah and realized how wrong I'd been. For there was Jewish meditation and Gilgulim, or reincarnation.
We moved back to Alaska when I was sixteen and I was again living in the town that Santa built. Christmas surrounded me 365 days a year and it became a part of my identity, not in a religious way, but as a cultural aspect. Having been the only Jews in Mountain Home, I had not been a Bar Mitzvah and now completed that ceremony as a Bnai Mitzvah with my younger brother and sister. I was inspired by the Rabbi who officiated at our ceremony and for the next three to four years served as lay-leader of the Jewish community in Fairbanks.
Looking for a change, I moved out of Alaska in 2000 and ended up in St. Augustine, Florida. There I met my wife and we had our son. As she was raised Catholic, I was now part of an intermarried family, although we agreed to raise our son Jewish. This exposed me to a whole other side of what being Jewish meant, especially as it related to other faiths. I never expected this experience, but have found it enlightening. I looked anew at my faith and the issue of conversion for both myself and perhaps someday my wife. You see, my mother chose a Jewish life, but never went through the official ceremony, as she believed she had Jewish ancestors. So was I really Jewish?
I've now entered a new phase of my spiritual journey and will likely someday go through the official conversion ceremony, just in case. I hope it'll be a shared ceremony with my wife, but want her to decide for herself. Raising my son Jewish is also giving me a new perspective that I cherish. I want to share this journey with you as I search for a meaningful Judaism that will inspire both Jews and those considering Judaism.
Thanks, Shmuel
I was born into and raised within a Jewish family. My father was born Jewish and taught the faith by his grandparents who raised him on their farm during the Depression. My mother chose Judaism upon marrying my father, but believes there's evidence of Jewish ancestry in her family. Perhaps one day she'll know for sure upon completing a genealogical study of her family tree. Like most converts, she is the more zealous of the two in her faith.
My story differs from many Jews though in that I was not raised in New York, Cleveland, or San Francisco. My early childhood was spent in North Pole, Alaska...the home of Santa Claus. I learned early on that I was somehow different, but also learned that there was much that drew us together in a shared feeling of faith.
When I was eight years old, we moved to Mountain Home, Idaho, a little town outside of Boise. Other than potatoes and the Air Force base, there was little to draw people to stay. Like most small towns, it had it's friendly attitude, but also some distrust for those that were different. As the population was split equally between Mormons and Basque Catholics who'd been there for generations, we were the ones that were different in being from Alaska and Jewish. It was here that I was first called a "Canaanite," meaning that I was not Mormon. I remember being puzzled as I'd been taught that Canaanites were the enemies of the ancient Hebrews and thus Jews.
Probably the major catalyst for my spiritual journey happened when I was thirteen. It was then that I suffered spinal and vertebrae damage caused by an improper wrestling maneuver in a school physical education class. Prior to that, I'd planned to attend the Air Force Academy and to become a jet fighter pilot. I saw myself as living the life of Maverick in "Top Gun." But my injury changed all of that in an instant, as I was no longer able to pass the physical to get into any branch of the military.
I went through about three years of being depressed and angry at the my family, the world and especially God. At other times I even doubted the existence of God, as I couldn't understand how he could have let this happen to me. Trying to find myself again, I sought answers in all of the major world religions, as I didn't believe Judaism had any to offer. I was especially drawn to the Eastern faiths of Taoism and Buddhism...the latter of which was born of a search for an end to suffering by its founder, Siddhartha Gautama. At my deepest core, I somehow knew their to be truth in the concepts of Karma and reincarnation and that did not seem to be part of Judaism. But then I discovered Kabbalah and realized how wrong I'd been. For there was Jewish meditation and Gilgulim, or reincarnation.
We moved back to Alaska when I was sixteen and I was again living in the town that Santa built. Christmas surrounded me 365 days a year and it became a part of my identity, not in a religious way, but as a cultural aspect. Having been the only Jews in Mountain Home, I had not been a Bar Mitzvah and now completed that ceremony as a Bnai Mitzvah with my younger brother and sister. I was inspired by the Rabbi who officiated at our ceremony and for the next three to four years served as lay-leader of the Jewish community in Fairbanks.
Looking for a change, I moved out of Alaska in 2000 and ended up in St. Augustine, Florida. There I met my wife and we had our son. As she was raised Catholic, I was now part of an intermarried family, although we agreed to raise our son Jewish. This exposed me to a whole other side of what being Jewish meant, especially as it related to other faiths. I never expected this experience, but have found it enlightening. I looked anew at my faith and the issue of conversion for both myself and perhaps someday my wife. You see, my mother chose a Jewish life, but never went through the official ceremony, as she believed she had Jewish ancestors. So was I really Jewish?
I've now entered a new phase of my spiritual journey and will likely someday go through the official conversion ceremony, just in case. I hope it'll be a shared ceremony with my wife, but want her to decide for herself. Raising my son Jewish is also giving me a new perspective that I cherish. I want to share this journey with you as I search for a meaningful Judaism that will inspire both Jews and those considering Judaism.
Thanks, Shmuel
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Who is a Jew? Race, or converts?
Who is a Jew? Are we an ethnic group like the British, or Italians, who should strive to maintain our purity and exclusiveness? Or are we converts and followers to a faith community? This is a question that has troubled me personally and one that has caused great harm to our people in the forms of anti-semitism, pogroms and the Holocaust. It is also one that today causes division within the Jewish community when considering issues such as conversion, intermarriage and the survival of the Jewish people.
I used to lean more towards the belief of Jews as an ethnic group. My mother was a convert herself, but believes she has Jewish ancestry in her family. Following a spinal injury when I was thirteen years old that completely overturned my life plans and dreams, I went through a period of being angry and questioning God. I referred to myself as a secular Jew and Zionist, but faith had very little to do with my Jewish identity. After searching other faiths for answers and then finding them in Judaism, I returned with a new spiritual sense of being Jewish. I realized that it really was faith and not blood that held us together and that Jews were historically a mixed people from the beginning. Let's take a look at this further.
Right within the Torah itself we see evidence of our mixed ethnicity.
1) Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees in what is now Iraq and traveled to Haran in Syria where he began to find followers who joined his new faith. His most trusted supporter was Eleazar of Damascus. He then traveled south and intermingled with the Egyptians and Philistines.
2) Joseph married an Egyptian wife who is ancestor of two of the twelve tribes of Israel. With the rapid growth of the Hebrews in Egypt, it is very likely that others intermarried as well.
3) By the Roman Period (First Century A.D.), it is estimated that 10%, or about 4 million citizens throughout the empire practiced Judaism. As it is estimated that there were only 150,000 Jews prior living in Judea. This shows the attraction non-Jews had to the faith and the proselytizing efforts of the Jews themselves.
4) In the 7th Century, Judaism became the official religion of the Kingdom of Khazaria in what is now the Ukraine, reportedly after a presentation and comparison between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is very likely that many of today's Russian Jews are descendants of this ancient kingdom.
5) In more modern times, as ghetto walls fell and Jews joined their countrymen, Judaism has attracted new adherents from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds who've chosen the faith of Israel for themselves. In America today, it is estimated that an average of 4000 people each year choose to join the ranks of the "Chosen" each year.
There are many more examples that illustrate the mixed ethnicity of the Jewish people and the myth of a Jewish race. We could write pages to try to cover them all. The point is that it is the Jewish faith that binds Jews of mixed backgrounds together in a cohesive community. We are enriched when others choose to join our faith and contribute to it's future. But to attract newcomers and even to maintain those born into the faith as active, we must find what makes it meaningful and inspiring. We must realize why our ancestors were willing to forfeit their life before giving up their faith. We have a rich heritage to draw upon, much of it that most of us are unaware of. Let's explore together the merits of Judaism. It is a truly universal faith that has much to offer the world and our individual lives.
Thanks, Shmuel....
I used to lean more towards the belief of Jews as an ethnic group. My mother was a convert herself, but believes she has Jewish ancestry in her family. Following a spinal injury when I was thirteen years old that completely overturned my life plans and dreams, I went through a period of being angry and questioning God. I referred to myself as a secular Jew and Zionist, but faith had very little to do with my Jewish identity. After searching other faiths for answers and then finding them in Judaism, I returned with a new spiritual sense of being Jewish. I realized that it really was faith and not blood that held us together and that Jews were historically a mixed people from the beginning. Let's take a look at this further.
Right within the Torah itself we see evidence of our mixed ethnicity.
1) Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees in what is now Iraq and traveled to Haran in Syria where he began to find followers who joined his new faith. His most trusted supporter was Eleazar of Damascus. He then traveled south and intermingled with the Egyptians and Philistines.
2) Joseph married an Egyptian wife who is ancestor of two of the twelve tribes of Israel. With the rapid growth of the Hebrews in Egypt, it is very likely that others intermarried as well.
3) By the Roman Period (First Century A.D.), it is estimated that 10%, or about 4 million citizens throughout the empire practiced Judaism. As it is estimated that there were only 150,000 Jews prior living in Judea. This shows the attraction non-Jews had to the faith and the proselytizing efforts of the Jews themselves.
4) In the 7th Century, Judaism became the official religion of the Kingdom of Khazaria in what is now the Ukraine, reportedly after a presentation and comparison between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is very likely that many of today's Russian Jews are descendants of this ancient kingdom.
5) In more modern times, as ghetto walls fell and Jews joined their countrymen, Judaism has attracted new adherents from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds who've chosen the faith of Israel for themselves. In America today, it is estimated that an average of 4000 people each year choose to join the ranks of the "Chosen" each year.
There are many more examples that illustrate the mixed ethnicity of the Jewish people and the myth of a Jewish race. We could write pages to try to cover them all. The point is that it is the Jewish faith that binds Jews of mixed backgrounds together in a cohesive community. We are enriched when others choose to join our faith and contribute to it's future. But to attract newcomers and even to maintain those born into the faith as active, we must find what makes it meaningful and inspiring. We must realize why our ancestors were willing to forfeit their life before giving up their faith. We have a rich heritage to draw upon, much of it that most of us are unaware of. Let's explore together the merits of Judaism. It is a truly universal faith that has much to offer the world and our individual lives.
Thanks, Shmuel....
Friday, January 23, 2009
Why Be Jewish?
Why be Jewish? That is the question being asked by approximately 4000 people who choose Judaism and convert each year in the United States. It is also a question that should be asked by those born Jewish in order to find meaning and inspiration in the faith of their fathers. In essence, if they can sell others on Judaism, they can sell themselves on it also. So what are the some of the strengths and benefits of being Jewish? Why would someone choose to live a Jewish life?
Today's Jews are the latest generation of what many consider to be the oldest civilization on earth. Due to years of persecution and exile, it is not a civilization known for monuments and buildings, but for its faith and ideals. These ideas have attracted many for centuries (actually 4000 years), who found something special in them. The Patriarch, Abraham, was the first convert and lead many to follow his new faith from all along the caravan routes that went between ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. When the Hebrews left Egypt under Moses, they took with them the "mixed multitudes" that traveled with them. What is important here is that those who chose the faith of Israel came from many original cultures, but chose to leave their homelands behind to lead a new lifestyle they found inspirational. If today's Jews could remember what inspired their ancestors, I believe the the faith could find a renewed vibrancy that is missing for many currently because they just don't know how rich their heritage is. And if we could present our faith properly to others who are seeking spiritual inspiration themselves, we could find many who like the original followers of Abraham would choose the path of Judaism. Together, we'd grow in both physical population and spiritual vitality.
That is the the purpose of this blog...to find a meaningful and inspiring Judaism that renews the spirit of present Jews and attracts those who are curious to consider conversion. I hope it'll be an informed discussion that covers the full spectrum of Judaism including history, ritual, Torah, politics and mysticism. I want to ask the question of who is a Jew and why some should consider becoming one. And I want to sift through this rich heritage to find a meaningful path for contemporary life. I hope you join me on this journey and that together we are able to accomplish a spiritual healing, or Tikkun, in our lives and the world. Please come join me.
Thanks, Shmuel....
Today's Jews are the latest generation of what many consider to be the oldest civilization on earth. Due to years of persecution and exile, it is not a civilization known for monuments and buildings, but for its faith and ideals. These ideas have attracted many for centuries (actually 4000 years), who found something special in them. The Patriarch, Abraham, was the first convert and lead many to follow his new faith from all along the caravan routes that went between ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. When the Hebrews left Egypt under Moses, they took with them the "mixed multitudes" that traveled with them. What is important here is that those who chose the faith of Israel came from many original cultures, but chose to leave their homelands behind to lead a new lifestyle they found inspirational. If today's Jews could remember what inspired their ancestors, I believe the the faith could find a renewed vibrancy that is missing for many currently because they just don't know how rich their heritage is. And if we could present our faith properly to others who are seeking spiritual inspiration themselves, we could find many who like the original followers of Abraham would choose the path of Judaism. Together, we'd grow in both physical population and spiritual vitality.
That is the the purpose of this blog...to find a meaningful and inspiring Judaism that renews the spirit of present Jews and attracts those who are curious to consider conversion. I hope it'll be an informed discussion that covers the full spectrum of Judaism including history, ritual, Torah, politics and mysticism. I want to ask the question of who is a Jew and why some should consider becoming one. And I want to sift through this rich heritage to find a meaningful path for contemporary life. I hope you join me on this journey and that together we are able to accomplish a spiritual healing, or Tikkun, in our lives and the world. Please come join me.
Thanks, Shmuel....
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