From the Bimah: Jewish Lessons for Life

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**From the Bimah: Jewish Lessons for Life**

Bringing weekly Jewish insights into your life. Join Rabbi Wes Gardenswartz, Rabbi Michelle Robinson and Rav-Hazzan Aliza Berger of Temple Emanuel in Newton, MA as they share modern ancient wisdom.

Latest Episodes:

Shabbat Sermon: Maestro with Rabbi Michelle Robinson Dec 16, 2023

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With Rabbi Michelle Robinson

Talmud Class: The October 7 Kaddish, the Holocaust Kaddish, and Hallel Dec 16, 2023

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The prayer life of the Jewish people gives voice to contradiction and dissonance. On the one hand, all week long we have been singing Hallel, in which we acclaim how God saves us: I called on Adonai; I prayed that God would save me.... God has delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I shall walk before Adonai in the land of the living. On the other hand, a poem by Israeli Asaf Gur, called Kadish, offers a different reality. Yisgadal V'yiskadash Shmei Raba And no one came Many thousands called Him on Shabbat morning Crying His name out loud Begging Him with tears just to come But He ceased from all His work No God came And no God calmed Only Satan celebrated uninterrupted Dancing between Kibbutzim and the slaughter festival... This poem evokes the spirit of the Kaddish we recite on Yom Hashoah: Yitgadal Auschwitz Vyitkadash Lodz Sh'mei raba Ponar... What do we do with this dissonance? Is the Joseph story helpful? When Joseph is sold into slavery, when he is unjustly sent to prison for a crime he did not commit, when he lives as a prisoner, three times the Torah says "The Lord was with Joseph." What does that mean, and what does that mean to us?

Shabbat Sermon: Fight for your Heart with Rav Hazzan Aliza Berger Dec 09, 2023

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Ever since October 7, I have been living in an anxiety-filled, doom-driven stupor. All day, from the moment I wake up until I go to bed at night, I check my news apps compulsively and obsessively, worried that there will be some new development that will rock my world the way that horrible attack did. At night, I delve deeper. I doom scroll. I read every new article I can find. I search for stories and testimonies I haven’t read yet. We sleep-trained the baby, so now he mostly sleeps through the night (thank goodness), but I’m still waking up every few hours just to check, to make sure nothing has drastically changed.

In the morning, every morning, Solomon and I have the same conversation. Solomon shares his concern about how much I am marinating in all of this. I share how essential it feels to know what is happening. After all, if I don’t read the paper, how would I know that Oakland is having a teach-in where teachers have been given lesson plans that include books for kindergarteners with pages like “I is for Intifada, Intifada is Arabic for rising up for what is right, if you are a kid or a grown-up! ” How would I know that 93 members of the House refused to acknowledge that anti-Zionism is Antisemitism . If I am not up to speed with what is happening in the world and what is being said about it, how will I possibly engage with young adults who write to me that they aren’t sure they can come to Yisod anymore because they are decidedly pro-Palestine. How will I help young adults to process what is happening and to maintain their connection to Israel if I don’t know what they’re reading and seeing and responding to?

Talmud Class: How Has October 7 Changed the Project of Jewish Education? Dec 09, 2023

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Before October 7, our children were blessed to live in a world where their Jewish commitments were not an obstacle to making friends or fulfilling their dreams. Yes, there has always been some anti-Semitism. But for the most part, our kids could be who they were, without hiding anything. Our job was to inspire them to give voice to all parts of themselves: their love of sports; music; drama; dance; and their Jewish lives. You can do soccer and you can do Judaism. It’s an and. That task now feels quaint. To the extent that our children love Israel, and the Zionism that made Israel possible (which is how we have educated them), they will face a world in college that is explicitly hostile to those commitments. Some might be tempted to disconnect from the hot mess, too depressing and complicated. Some might be bullied into silence. If they still love Israel, they become at best Marrano Zionists. Still others might be tempted to turn on Israel and claim that it is an illegitimate state. But in the bullying anti-Israel climate of today’s college campus, among universities whose presidents cannot condemn genocide against the Jewish people as against their university’s code of conduct, who among our 18–22-year-olds would have the moral courage to stand against the tide and say: I stand with Israel. I am a proud Zionist. Yes, there surely are Jewish students who are out as Israel supporters even today, and we are proud of their moral courage. But it is not easy. How do we help them? We will examine texts about Joseph in Egypt in the Torah and in the midrash; Robert Putnam’s classic American Grace; and Dara Horn’s People Love Dead Jews to talk about how the challenge of educating our children Jewishly has changed dramatically as a result of October 7. How do we prepare our children for the world they now face?

Shabbat Sermon: Engaging the Darkness Without Becoming Dark with Rabbi Wes Gardenswartz Dec 02, 2023

Show notes

This morning has been so beautiful, so joyful, just what we needed. Daniel’s Bar Mitzvah. Eli’s Bar Mitzvah. Ronna’s birthday. Elizabeth’s naming, three generations of love.

And the reason it is especially joyful is that things have been so dark. Eight weeks of war later, with no clear end in sight, we don’t know when it’s going to end, we don’t know how it’s going to end, it’s dark. What the hostages who have been freed have reported about their captivity, what they had to endure, is dark. The hostages who have not been freed, what they and their families are going through, is dark. The hostages who have been murdered, dark. The resumption of war, and what that means for Israelis who are now in battle, and for Gazans who are caught in the crossfire, who have been so ill served by Hamas, is dark. What do with do with all this darkness?

I have wrestled with this darkness. I have found two positions that are not helpful.

I have tried disconnecting from the heartbreak. Not reading the news. Following only sports stories. But I know that is not okay.

And I have fallen into a rabbit hole, following the news obsessively, worrying all the time, not sleeping through the night. That doesn’t help anybody.

Is there a way to engage the darkness without becoming dark? Is there a way to engage this depressing reality without becoming depressed? Is there a way to follow a story that generates heart ache and heart break every day without falling into a rabbit hole?

The holiday of Hanukkah offers us some helpful insight here.

Talmud Class: Jacob's Tattered Envelope - and Our Own Dec 02, 2023

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An envelope structure is a great way to tell a story. The story begins with a place, an event, a memorable moment. Stuff happens. The plot unfolds. And the story ends back at the same place or a newer, deeper version of the same event or memorable moment. A classic example of an envelope structure is God, Jacob, and Bethel. Last week’s reading: At the beginning of Jacob’s dangerous journey, when he is alone and vulnerable, God promises to be with him, to protect him, and not to leave him until he comes safely back home. Jacob pours oil upon a stone, creating a pillar at a place called Bethel, which the Torah notes used to be called Luz. (Genesis 28: 13-19) This week’s reading: Many years later, Jacob now has four wives, eleven sons and his daughter Dinah. He and his large family have made it back home to Canaan and survived his reunion with Esau. It seems like God has fulfilled God’s promises. The Torah self-consciously and intentionally creates an envelope structure: God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and remain there; and build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau. (Genesis 35:1) Thus, Jacob came to Luz—that is, Bethel—in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. There he built an altar and named the site El-bethel, for it was there that God had revealed Himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother. (Genesis 35: 6-7) God parted from him at the spot where He had spoken to him; and Jacob set up a pillar at the site where He had spoken to him, a pillar of stone, and he offered a libation on it and poured oil upon it. Jacob gave the site, where God had spoken to him, the name of Bethel. (Genesis 35: 13-14) Promises made at Bethel. Promises fulfilled, duly noted, and celebrated, at Bethel. Clean. Neat. Tidy. Or not? What do we learn about the apparent envelope of Jacob’s story that can help us make sense of our own reality that is not clean, not neat, not tidy?

Shabbat Sermon with Lishi Baker Nov 25, 2023

Show notes

We hear a lot these days about “the college campus,” and I just want to note, it is important to remember that every student is different and every student is experiencing his or her campus differently. I don’t speak for all college students, perhaps not even most, and what I’ll share today is my perspective based on my experience. I strongly encourage you to continue to talk to other college students you know – ask them how they have responded to their unique campus climates, and what they have been thinking about over the last 7 weeks.

In that spirit, when I think about my Jewish peers on the Columbia campus, here are a few types that come to mind.

Talmud Class: Is God Relevant? Nov 25, 2023

Show notes

How do we understand the double absence of God since October 7? The first absence is obvious: where was God when Hamas butchered, maimed, kidnapped, and performed unspeakable atrocities upon the innocent? Not there. The second absence is less obvious but still noteworthy: in the countless articles, podcasts, and conversations, we hear very little about God. Yes, we recite psalms every day. Psalms are poetry about God. Yes, we recite a prayer for the IDF and for the hostages every day, and we pray that God will protect the IDF and rescue the hostages. But for all of our daily prayers, how relevant is God to this moment? Winning the war is relevant. Destroying Hamas is relevant. The courage of IDF soldiers is relevant. Maintaining America’s support for Israel’s war effort is relevant. Maintaining awareness of the hostages (see the unbearably painful exhibit outside the State House of 240 empty chairs at a holiday table) is relevant, the posters are relevant, and the blue ribbons are relevant. Rallies like last week’s in Washington are relevant. Raising millions upon millions of dollars for Israel continues to be hugely relevant. But God? Is God relevant? Our text will be Jacob’s vows in this week’s portion: If God is with him in certain ways, he is with God. The implication is clear. If God is not with him, he is not with God. Is that us, now?

Shabbat Sermon: What to do about the State of Judaism in the Jewish State? with Rabbi David Golinkin Nov 18, 2023

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The State of Israel has a religious establishment that is totally out of touch with most Israelis and a school system which does not teach Judaism. What can be done about this dual problem?

Talmud Class: Rabbi David Golinkin on Israel at War Nov 18, 2023

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This is a Talmud class like no other for a moment like no other. One short story encapsulates the moment. There are tragically so many moments like it. On Sunday, Shira was speaking with her brother Ari and sister-in-law Tziporit who live in Jerusalem. They had just returned from the funeral of a close friend who was a member of their shul in Jerusalem. This man was 44. He had aged out of being required to do miluim. He could have taken a pass. He could have opted out. He is married and has five children. But he, and 360,000 others, believe that Israel’s very existence is at stake. This is Israel’s Second War of Independence. So, he volunteered to fight even though he did not have to fight. His life is about something larger than his life. He died in battle, leaving a widow, five fatherless children, and a grieving nation. My siblings had no words for their heartbreak. Funerals, shivas, sleepless nights (their children are in harm’s way) are how they are spending this war. How are Israelis living through this? They can never press pause. Rabbi David Golinkin, who lives in Jerusalem, shares his reflections. The rest of his teaching on Shabbat, as the Scholar in Residence for the Rabbi Samuel Chiel Kallah, is replete with sources, texts, precedents. Talmud class is from his heart.

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