Author: Rabbi Michael Farbman

iEngage at Temple Emanuel: Jewish Values and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

A Shalom Hartman Institute Lecture and Study Series led by Rabbi Michael Farbman

Through video lectures, text study, and lively group discussion, we are pleased to bring the world-renowned faculty of the Shalom Hartman Institute into the Temple Emanuel community this fall.

The Video Lecture Series Jewish Values and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict explores one of the most divisive issues affecting the Jewish people today. Through the study of Jewish narratives about Israel and the unpacking of the complex meanings of peace in Jewish tradition, participants are invited to explore the ideas and values that animate different attitudes toward the conflict and how these values shape their own political understandings. Though a common political platform may not be attainable, this course strives to achieve a shared respect for our differences.

Each session includes text study and discussion led by Rabbi Michael Farbman, and video lectures and roundtable discussions with leading Hartman scholars.

Sundays | 10:15 – 11:45 am

Nov 11 & 18, Dec 2 & 9, Jan 6, Feb 3, 10 & 24, Mar 3 & 31, April 28, May 5 

 $36.00 per person. Registration is required. To register for class, please follow this link.

It is Temple Emanuel policy not to prevent any of our members from participating for financial reasons. Please speak to Rabbi Farbman confidentially.

 

President’s column (September)

A small but hearty group of TE members, along with Rabbi Michael Farbman, visited Israel in July. Our guide was an Israeli kibbutznick, originally from South Africa, who immigrated to Israel in the Apartheid era to seek a more morally balanced Jewish life. Julian Resnick took us to many common tourist sites in Israel, and also to several West Bank locations, where we met and spoke with several Palestinians of various backgrounds – including a reporter for Time magazine, a Palestinian policeman, and a Palestinian billionaire developer. This remarkable man has built a city near Ramallah for upper middle class living, which looks like planned cities in the US including modern apartments, shopping areas, playgrounds, pools, theater. There are already 4,000 people living there, and clearly a growing market for this life. His vision is to help resolve Palestine’s current dilemma of victimhood by looking forward with more jobs, more financial success and more stability for Palestinians and Israelis.

It became clear to us that nobody wants continued Occupation – -often victimizing Palestinians and forcing Israelis into uncomfortable moral positions. However we learned that the situation is very complex – – Israel must defend itself, as Hamas encourages destitute Palestinians to confront and attack Israel. It is in Hamas’ interest to maintain the desperate condition of many destitute, displaced Palestinians, who blame not Hamas, but Israel.    What is the way out? Helping develop a Palestinian infrastructure, and a vision of hope as the developer is doing, may be one such creative solution.

We then all heard of the Palestinian teen Ahed Tamimi, who as AP reported “became an international symbol of resistance to Israeli occupation after slapping two soldiers.” The soldiers initially walked away, not causing an incident. However after a video of the encounter “went viral,” and strong voices in Israel, like Cabinet minister Uri Ariel said “I think Israel acts too mercifully with these types of terrorists,” the girl and her mother were arrested and jailed. After an international outcry, they were released, and hailed as heroes in their West Bank home.

Such a complex problem – each day the IDF and Israeli leadership make decisions that are based on Jewish morality and law, and also on a commitment to preserve the safety of Israel. Israel provides electricity to Gaza, even as their citizens send flaming balloons and kites into Israeli lands to burn their crops and possibly their homes. Israel sends humanitarian supplies across to Gaza, even as Hamas will not recognize that these life-saving supplies come from Israel.

It seems to me that the more secure and successful Palestinians can be in creating a successful Palestine, the more secure Israel can be with their neighbors in the West Bank. As long as people look back and maintain the cycle of domination and victimhood, there will be only anger, violence and sympathetic figures like the teenage Ahed Tamini. When Palestinians and Israelis look to the future and not the past, with efforts to support Palestinian autonomy, security and economic success, the space for a way out of this longtime tragedy may appear.

The month of Elul as the doorway to the High Holy Day Season…

The arrival of the month of Elul in the Jewish calendar is always tinged with both excitement and sadness. The summer is beginning to wind down, and even though we may still have a few weeks of summer weather, fall is on the horizon, and with it the return of a ‘regular’ routine for many of us. Kids go back to school, commuters go back to battling the usual traffic volumes, and sooner or later the evenings become cooler as well.

In the Jewish calendar, the arrival of the month of Elul is a signal to switch spiritual gears. It reminds us that Rosh Hashanah is on its way, followed closely by Yom Kippur – and thus, there’s no better time to begin the process of introspection, also known as ‘heshbon hanefesh’ –  accounting of the soul. How was my last year? Did I reach the goals I set out for myself? Did I remember to be kinder, to act justly, to color my actions in this world with Jewish values?

Did I fail? (I know I failed – I am a flawed human being!) And more importantly, when I did fail, how did I respond? Did I seek to fix my own mistakes? Did I acknowledge my failures and look for ways not to repeat them? One of the fundamental ideas we begin to consider with the arrival of Elul is how we can strive to rise above our flawed human nature;  to become a better version of ourselves. We begin this spiritual work ahead of time, and we continue throughout the festive season of High Holy Days, culminating in a day-long observance of Yom Kippur.

I always look forward to the High Holy Days with excitement. This year especially I look forward to seeing so many TE members together in one room, celebrating our ancient traditions with a brand new Machzor (prayerbook) for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. May our journey of introspection this year bring us new insights into our own lives. May our holy day celebration be filled with meaning and joy.

Shanah Tovah, a sweet, happy and joyous 5779 to you all!

High Holy Days 5779 (2018)

High Holy Days 5779 (2018) 

Schedule of Services

SELICHOT SERVICE

Joint URJ Selichot service@ Congregation Mishkan Israel, Saturday, Sept 1st @ 7.00pm

EREV ROSH HASHANAH

Sunday, September 9, 8pm

Oneg to follow

ROSH HASHANAH FIRST DAY SERVICE

Monday, September 10, 10am

Children’s Service 9.45 am

Kiddush and Tashlich to follow

ROSH HASHANAH SECOND DAY SERVICE

Tuesday, September 11 @ 10 am

EREV YOM KIPPUR SERVICE (KOL NIDREI)

Tuesday, September 18 @ 8pm

YOM KIPPUR MORNING SERVICE

Wednesday, September 19 @ 10 am

Children’s Service – 9:45 am

YK Study Session: The Book of Jonah with Bennett Graff @ 1 pm (approx)

YOM KIPPUR AFTERNOON SERVICE (MINCHA)

Wednesday, September 19 –  4:15 pm

Followed by Yizkor (approximately 5:45 pm), Neila, and Havdalah

Break-the-Fast to follow

EREV SUKKOT

Sunday, September 23

9:30 am – Sukkah build and Sukkot Family Program, Potluck Lunch in the Sukkah

6:30 pm – Erev Sukkot Service

SUKKOT

Monday, September 24 (office will be closed)

EREV SIMCHAT TORAH

Sunday, September 30  – 6:00 PM

SIMCHAT TORAH

Monday, October 1 (office will be closed)

The Annual Meeting of Temple Emanuel Members June 3, 2018 at 10 am.

Please Join Us for:
The Annual Meeting of Members
Sunday, June 3, 2018
9:30 am – Coffee & bagels: Schmooze and catch up with friends
10:00 am – Meeting and voting
In the Social Hall
The Annual Meeting Notice, the Board Slate and Proposed Budget have been sent to all the members of the congregation via email last week. If you did NOT receive a notice, or if you would like a paper copy, please let Ruth know ASAP.

Tot Shabbat service on Friday, June 15 at 5:30 pm

Come celebrate Shabbat with Rabbi Michael in the beautiful TE sanctuary with songs and stories! Perfect for children under 5 and their families. Members and non-members welcome!
The Tot Shabbat service on Friday, June 15 at 5:30 pm will be followed by a Shabbat reception and dinner (in honor of our Temple Board), allowing congregants of all ages to interact and enjoy the meal! We will have some teens to help out during dinner, allowing parents a chance to get to know more adults at TE.
To register for dinner, please follow this link.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

In the seven weeks between Pesach and Shavuot, we count the Omer – – each day counting the days with a ritual prayer. The Omer was an ancient measure of grain. In the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, Jews brought a barley offering to the Temple on the second day of Passover. The Torah commands that after that day of offering the grain, “you shall count off seven weeks.” It is interpreted as a period of growth and introspection in preparation for Shavuot.

These seven weeks are a bridge between Pesach, where we retell the Exodus from Egypt, to Shavuot, when we celebrate the giving of the Torah at Sinai. As described by Rabbi Daniel Syme, Jewish mystics see this period as joining the Jewish people’s physical (Pesach) and spiritual (Shavuot) redemption.

I have an easier time thinking about the physical part – – freedom from slavery, freedom from want, and freedom from persecution, that many of us discussed at our Seder tables. In our modern American lives, our constitution says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

 

So we believe our right is to pursue happiness. It is clear how we pursue physical happiness: models of the wonderful life abound, from TV ads, to electronic media. What shoes do our superstars wear? What suits do our president and his cabinet buy? Seaside homes, fast cars, vacations abroad.

 

I understand less well the spiritual part – – our American vision to pursue happiness is different than perhaps a vision to pursue fulfillment. Does happiness include spiritual growth and fulfillment?

 

One of the meanings of Shavuot is “oaths.” The day God gave us the Torah, God swore eternal devotion to us, and we in turn pledged everlasting loyalty to God. Unlike our constitution’s guarantee to pursue happiness, the Torah commands us to be holy – – to live by God’s laws, and thereby find spiritual fulfillment. If there is a spirit, and developing that spiritual life to fulfillment is spirituality, I find my spiritual life more ephemeral and challenging. I am working to help understand the meaning of my loyalty to God and God’s devotion to me.

In the period between Pesach and Shavuot, connecting the physical to the spiritual, I wish each of you a fulfilling journey.

Israel is 70!

Some of us may remember the world BEFORE Israel came into being. Some of us remember when Israel became a fragile reality. Many, if not most of today’s Jews live in a world where Israel has always been there. What a powerful statement it is: for nearly two thousand years, for the first time Israel is not just a dream, but also a reality for the majority of Jews living today!

Sure, Israel continues to live in a complex reality and a tough neighborhood, and much as we would like it to be otherwise, its existence continues to be threatened by those seeking to destroy the Jewish state. While it has managed to make peace with most of its immediate neighbors, Iran continues to wage proxy war against Israel from afar. It is also true that Israel continues to struggle with internal complexities: secular vs. religious identity; multiple and varied communities, including Israeli Arabs and other minorities and how they fit into the picture of the Jewish State; pluralism of Jewish religious expression; growing income inequality; social justice, gender equality – these are just the tip of the iceberg, questions that most modern democratic societies need to tackle, as does Israel. And of course, the unresolved complexity of the Palestinian narrative, as well as Israel’s continued presence in the areas of the West Bank that everyone, including the majority of Israelis, would like to see as a peaceful and independent neighbor someday.

Talking about Israel is not easy. It evokes passion in all of us, and we have a variety of different opinions, formed by our personal history and our individual politics. I feel like this year we have made a huge leap forward at Temple Emanuel – with the help of iEngage curriculum we began to learn not just the facts, but also how to engage those facts in an honest way that acknowledges the complexity, while allowing all of us to have and share our personal opinions without insisting that only we know the ultimate truth. Our Scholar in Residence has allowed us to continue the conversations, and I know this is just a beginning. And of course, we look forward to this year’s TE trip to Israel, which will take our learning and our engagement with all of its complexity to a completely new level.

This year we also celebrated Israel at 70 with a wonderful Shabbat service, Israeli dinner, and Israeli dancing – what a wonderful way to round up the special year! Something tells me this will become an annual tradition 🙂

Happy birthday, Israel – chazak chazak, v’nitchazek!