Rav Nachman of Breslov - 8

Likkutei Eizot - Emet V'Emunah 4

"It is impossible to reach belief except through truth. The essence of belief is that which the mind doesn't understand, for if the mind understands, it is not belief. Of course, if the mind doesn't understand, how is it possible to believe what we are supposed to believe? To believe we need to look for truth, for then a person will understand. We need to believe in G-d, His righteous people and His Torah, even though it is impossible to fully understand them. The key is to look for truth, for through it we will strengthen our complete faith. "

Sometimes we need to be confident in what we think, even if we cannot prove its validity. While it is important to think and understand, we need to be careful not to lose sight of the simple experiences we face daily.

Laws of Shabbat - 8

A liquid item that was cooked completely and then cooled completely, or even if it was warmed a little on Shabbat, in an appropriate manner, and then you cool it down before it is complete, the transgression of cooking on Shabbat applies when you put it into a primary vessel (kli rishon). even it is not sitting on the fire. The same is true when you pour it from a primary vessel, even if it was not sitting on the fire. However, one does not trangress cooking by pouring it into a secondary vessel (kli sheni) or pouring it from a kli sheni.

This evening, while in Penn Station, I happened to glance at a copy of this week's Time Magazine. The cover story this week is about the physical and psychological effects of meditation. Meditation has the ability to slow down the body, relaxing a person. The main article discusses some of the scientific studies that have been done regarding the effects of meditation. Time magazine also includes a short how-to meditate section.

Rav Nachman of Breslov - 7

Sichot HaRan - 80
"People have the strength to weaken the resolve of another person, distancing the truly righteous from worshipping G-d. The strength is greater than the evil inclination's strength. The evil inclination's strength is limited to the level the person is on. Man, on the other hand, is more general, for he includes all the worlds (is not as limited)."

The evil inclination often works hard to harm us spiritually. However, the greater harm comes from other people. Peer pressure is one of the hardest things to combat because people like to feel part of a group, so often they will follow the crowd whether it is for the person's good or not. While I grant that we shouldn't always be leaders, we need to, at the very least, be in control of ourselves. We need to remember that we have the ability to make our own decisions and should not simply follow the whims of another.

Laws of Shabbat - 7

Regarding a liquid that was cooked completely and as of this point had not cooled down cannot transgress cooking even if it is not 45 degrees celcius. However, it is still forbidden to pour the liquid into some sort of vessel sitting on the fire. One reason it is forbidden is because of the problem of returning (chazara) [Mishnah Berurah].

The Jew in the Lotus - Part 7

Jonathan Omer-Man was the next person to present. He spoke about Jewish Mysticism, specifically focusing on meditation. He described two types of Jewish meditation, one opening a person up to greater insight and another being used for personal growth. Among the methods of meditation that Omer-Man describes are screaming and weeping. Screaming is not a method used by Buddhists. Weeping, however, is, and the purpose is to actualize the feelings of collective suffering.

Omer-Man concluded his formal presentation with the following observation from Rav Nachman of Breslov. Why wasn't Moses allowed to enter the land of Israel? Rav Nachman claims that Moses reached a level of existence where he was in constant contact with G-d. Unfortunately for him, this was not what the Children of Israel needed of a leader to lead them into the land of Canaan. They needed a leader who would be involved in this world. Omer-Man was trying to explain to the Dalai Lama through this story that a leader cannot be completely detached from the people.

Rav Nachman of Breslov - 6

Sichot HaRan - 172

"Rav Nachman gave his old tallit to someone important as a present. He told the person, 'Be very careful to honor this, because the strings of the tallit contain all the tears I spilled before I knew what a tallit really was.'"

The most important things in our lives are the things we earned. We cherish them and want others to as well. Whenever we borrow something of value from another person, whether it has monetary value or sentimental value, we need to be careful in how we treat it.

As a side point, for Rav Nachman, crying was a form of meditative prayer that allowed him to reach higher levels of understanding. He would often extol the virtues of crying during prayer, for through tears G-d would listen. He poured his heart and soul into talking/praying to G-d for everything. Eventually, when this blog begins its look at Rav Nachman's life, one of the things we will discuss is his notion of prayer.

Laws of Shabbat - 6

All food that is not completely cooked, whether it is a solid or a liquid, even if it is warm, when one places it into a the primary cooking vessel (kli rishon), even if it is not on the fire, it is a transgression of cooking. This applies both to foods needing to be cooked as well as foods that can be eaten raw. However, the trangression, as regards to foods that are eaten raw, is at the very least forbidden according to the Rabbis.

Jew in the Lotus - Part 6

The next set of dialogue with the Dalai Lama began with a small discussion of how Jews read the Bible. Moshe Waldoks spoke about the four different methods, known as PaRDeS. It stands for Pshat (literal), Remez (allegory), Drash (interpretative) and Sod (esoteric). Each method has been tried and tested during Jewish History. The Dalai Lama claimed that Buddhism also had four different methods of reading texts.

Waldoks specifically focused on the importance of non-literal interpretations for the modern/postmodern Jew. His claim is the Bible should be a living book. By constantly interpreting the text in light of the generation, we would be able to make the Bible relevant. The Bible should be a book that speaks to us all.

We should continue being creative in how we read the divine text. It is not enough just to rely on the past readings, though their insights often help us in our readings. We need to be conscious of the stories and lessons the text has to offer us.

I have been told to keep my posts shorter. Well, hopefully that will be possible, though I don't know if I can always do such a thing. See, I have this habit of talking too much, saying too much, and not being able to stop. Of course, this should come as no surprise to people who know me.

Rav Nachman of Breslov - 5

Sichot HaRan - 45
"After a broken heart comes happiness. It is a sign that you had a broken heart if afterwards you experience happiness."

Whenever we feel depressed, we always think that there is no hope in sight. This is not true. Just like everything up comes down, so too everything down rises again. Our emotions fluctuate. Of course, sometimes we don't perceive a major difference in ourselves. We merely go through the motions, including smiling and the like, preventing ourselves, as well as others, to recognize the truth. Hence, Rav Nachman claims that if a person experiences happiness, it might be that s/he was experiencing some sort of anguish beforehand.

Laws of Shabbat - 5

When cooking a liquid substance, it is enough to simply warm it up to approximately 45 degrees Celsius for it to be considered a violation of cooking on Shabbat. One transgresses cooking a solid substance when the food becomes 1/3 cooked (Maachal Ben Drusai. However, realize the violation of cooking continues after you have reached these levels. One will also transgress cooking by allowing the food/liquid to continue cooking to conclusion.

Time for something different. There is a poem that you should check out. A friend of mine first showed it to me a few weeks ago and I think it is really interesting. The most profound part is the last two sentences, but you will have to check it out yourself. The name of the poem is Invictus and the author is Willaim Henley.

I hope you all enjoy.

I recently began a class in meditation given by Rabbi Dr. Alan Brill. If you would like to get a taste of his methodology for meditation, check out a class he gave at last summer's CAJE conference.

I recommend, if you would like to try out meditation, that since it is broken into various small sections, sit with each part of the technique, learn it, practice it and then move on to the next one. However, let me leave you with a word of caution. If you have never done meditation before, you might not want to do this alone, with no one else around. At the same time, the technique is simple to pick up, though might be hard to master. I am still working on it, so all I can tell you is that practice is the key. Also, it will really help one's outlook, even temporarily. At the very least, it is a good method for relaxation, something we all need in life.

Rav Nachman of Breslov - 4

Sichot HaRan - 248

"It is good for a person to choose one place and sit there day and night absorbed in studying torah, praying and worshipping G-d. If the person needs to eat, he should run to whatever house and quickly take whatever slice of bread or any other item that will satisfy his hunger. After eating, he should return to his worship."

Very often, we easily get caught up in physical needs, whether it be eating or sleeping (I am definitely not an exception). While we might not be able to seclude ourselves and completely absorb ourselves in the spiritual, we should still strive to improve the proportion of spirituality in comparison to our physicality. Our goal should be, at the very least, to increase our spirituality by just a little and to have a little more self-control, thus centering our attention a little more when we learn and pray.

Laws of Shabbat - 4

The different types of cooking appliances (by fire) include:
1. Oil wicks
2. Gas stoves
3. Electric plates

It is irrelevant, for the most part, whether it is an open fire or not.

The Jew in the Lotus - Part 5

As mentioned in the previous entry on the book, one of the questions the Dalai Lama posed had to do with the Jewish view of the modern State of Israel. After Rabbi Greenberg finished, Paul Mendes-Flohr, the only one of the Jewish delegation from Israel, spoke about the state.

He saw the Jewish return to Israel as the Jewish return to political history. He believes in the land as a Zionist entity, but does not see the religious aspects of it. His primary concern is with the Arab-Israeli conflict and how that shapes Israeli culture. The Dalai Lama asked him how he views violence. Mendes-Flohr viewed violence as a necessary evil. Unfortunately, this thread of conversation did not go on for too long. The Dalai Lama, when asked about violence, said it is a method, not a goal.

I think, while this part of the dialogue was short and sort of an addendum to Rabbi Greenberg's talk, it is highly significant. The Buddhists seem to claim that violence and anger are not the true answer. They might be needed at times, but the reality is that other methods should be tried first. The one question I have is, when is enough, enough? I am not advocating the use of violence, but, and this seems to be something even the Dalai Lama alluded to, sometimes it is needed. Sometimes the option of violence might be the solution to prevent violence and actually bring about peace.

The Jew in the Lotus - Part 4

Rabbi Yitz Greenberg gave the next lecture to the Dalai Lama. He, unlike Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, did not speak about esotericism. He discussed G-d as the G-d who acts within Jewish history. His goal was to show how to survive outside of one's homeland. The event he chose to expound upon was the destruction of the second Temple in 70 CE. Kamenetz claims Rabbi Greenberg chose this event because he felt that the Tibetan exile might be long, so the most parallel event is the destruction and exile of Jews from Israel.

While he believes in the idea of a "voluntary" convenant, it is voluntary in the sense that human beings must take an active role in continuing the divine plan. We need to keep the covenant even if G-d did not appear to during the Holocaust. The covenant is the essence of Judaism. It has never been breached, even at Auschwitz (it is interesting to note that for some reason the Holocaust is associated specifically with Auschwitz when we discuss theology). It is human being's role, not G-d's, to perfect the world.

With the destruction of the Second Temple, the Jews, the covenantal people, lost their direct access to G-d, which was through the Temple and the sacrifices. If this wasn't bad enough, within a couple of centuries, we no longer had our homeland. Most Jews by 200 CE were living outside of Israel. Many Jews felt that the destruction was a breach in the covenant. They eventually either assimilated into the Pagan world or became part of the new religion of the time, Christianity. Others tried to recapture Jerusalem after its destruction in 70, but they failed.

A third approach was taken by Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai. He was able to convince Vespasian to allow the Jewish scholars to relocate to Yavneh. He believed that if we preserved the Torah, the tradition, Judaism would outlast the exile. He also placed a burden upon his fellow scholars. Judaism needed to be renewed for the world outside of Israel. It was humanity's job, and specifically the Jewish role, to continue raising the world to greater heights.

Rabbi Greenberg also stressed the need to educate everyone. In order to survive in exile, away from our direct access to G-d, everyone needed a method to communicate with the divine. Furthermore, the education, while coming from the Rabbis, was not completely removed from reality. Since the Rabbis also live in the world, they are better able to communicate with the masses. I think that this is something we need to remember today. While it is very important for our rabbinic leaders to be talmidei hakhamim (scholars), they also need to be able to relate to the world, understand the world and know how the average person lives.

Judaism changed after the exile. The Dalai Lama asked a very insightful question about this. If this is the case, has anything changed since the return to Israel in 1948? Rabbi Greenberg explained how there is a divide among the Orthodox about the status of the State, whether it represents the beginning of the redemption or not.

A second question posed by the Dalai Lama, and potentially the most important, theologically, within this dialogue, was; When did the idea of Jews being the chosen people become central? Rabbi Greenberg's response was that it always existed from the time of Abraham, but this chosenness doesn't exclude G-d having a special relationship with other groups. All people in the world have a role to play. The question is, what is that role? This is one of the unknowns, but ultimately, G-d loves all his creations. I would just like to add that there is a Midrash that also indicates this. When G-d destroyed the Egyptians at the Red Sea, the Israelites rejoiced. The angels wanted to sing praises but G-d did not like this. G-d said, "My creations are drowning and you are singing praises (BT Megillah 10b)." In G-d's eyes, at some level, we are all equal. It is simply our tasks that are different.

Rav Nachman of Breslov - 3

Sichot HaRan 274 -

"It is very good for a person to have a special, private room to worship G-d through learning and praying, specifically through seclusion and conversing with G-d."

While Judaism is a communal religion, there is also a need for private contemplation. This idea is not unique to Rav Nachman. We see this idea in Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed (3:51, P. 386 in the Friedlander translation). Seclusion for Maimonides is how we achieve some form of nearness with G-d.

Laws of Shabbat - 3

There are five different categories of food when it comes to cooking on Shabbat.

1. A liquid substance that is not completely cooked.
2. A liquid substance completely cooked but has already been left to cool down but is still warm.
3. A liquid substance completely cooked but has cooled down completely.
4. A dry item that is not completely cooked.
5. A dry item completely cooked, whether it is still warm or whether it has cooled down.

Holocaust Theology Part 2

Tonight I will begin discussing the next piece from Fackenheim's The Jewish Return into History, "Jewish Faith and the Holocaust: A Fragment." This article originally appeared in Commentary in August 1968.

He begins by claiming three events challenged Jewish faith, the Emancipation, the Holocaust, and the establishment of the State of Israel. Emancipation is an external challenge that can be overcome, both religiously and intellectually. The State of Israel is an internal challenge, though a positive challenge. The Holocaust, he believes, is the ultimate challenge. Therefore, the majority of this essay will deal with the Holocaust, which he associates specifically with Auschwitz.

He calls for Jews to remember Auschwitz. The memory seems needed for Jewish survival. Fackenheim complained that Jews simply attempted to ignore the real terror and issues resulting from Auschwitz. He wants Jews to say that our suffering at Auschwitz was greater than the death of a German child during the fire bombing of Dresden. He wants Jews to claim that we were the only victims, excluding everybody else.

This does not mean he is ignoring the actual historical facts. He is merely attempting to, I think, force Jews to engage themselves in their own suffering. We need to feel that we were the true victims. We are the prototypes for the "inferior" races talked about by Hitler. Therefore, Fackenheim feels this is enough for Jews to claim they were the sole victims.

Fackenheim then says that there is no rationalizing what happened at Auschwitz. However, he seems to want Auschwitz to be our rallying cry. It is the event to force Jews to keep surviving. There is no answer to why the Holocaust occurred. Instead, we need to find a response to the Holocaust. His idea of response is that Jews continue to survive, whether culturally or religiously. He doesn't distinguish between the Orthodox or the liberal Jew. The ultimate showing that Hitler loses is that Jews continue to exist and acknowledge themselves as Jewish. How is this possible? Fackenheim claims there is a voice that speaks from Auschwitz (this is a theme of his throughout much of his writing on the Holocaust). This voice is heard by Jews and tells them to continue struggling to survive.

This is only a synopsis of part of his article. The rest will be completed tomorrow afternoon when I have a chance to finish reading it.

Maharal of the week - 1

Parshiyot Matot and Masei

At the end of Masei, the second portion we read this week, we see the conclusion of the story of the daughters of Tzelafchad. Last week, we read about their request for a share in the land of Israel because their father had no sons, thus the property that would be inherited was lost. G-d granted their request. It is important to note that at the time of the request they were unmarried (Numbers, Chapter 27).

This week, we find out that they marry the sons of their uncle, keeping the land within the tribe of Menashe (Numbers 36:11-12). There is an interesting anomaly in the verse that informs of this decision. Rashi points out that the names of the daughters are not in the same order as they were in chapter 27. He explains that in 36:11 they are listed according to their age, while in 27:11 they are listed according to their wisdom. The common practice in scripture, according to Rashi, is to list people according to wisdom. He concludes by saying that this shows all five daughters are equal.

Maharal, commenting on the last part of Rashi, that they were equal, wonders about their equality as seen through the changing of the order of the names. If they really are not equals, why not simply use the same listing system in both cases? However, they are equal, then even though they are listed according to wisdom, we know that for different characteristics they are all on different levels, each one excelling at something else. This answer does not suffice, because barring this one place (36:11) where they are listed according to birth, they are always listed according to wisdom. Hence, in order to show they are equal, you would need to change the order of the listing. The best way to indicate the fact they are equal would not be to randomly change the order. It is to change the order based on birth, showing that while one might be older than the other, their characteristics are all equal. Without these two differing lists, we would not know they were equals.

Rav Nachman of Breslov - 2

Sichot HaRan 31:
"It is important to be zealous regarding prayer upon awakening in the morning. The power of prayer is very valuable. Who knows if one will merit to pray afterwards. Therefore, anything one is able to do earlier should be done with zealousness and should be done sooner."

One should not put off till later what can be done earlier. We need to be zealous in fulfilling all mitzvot earlier (BT Pesahim 4a). It is important never to allow ourselves to be lax in fulfilling commandments as soon as possible.

Jewish Apathy - Part 2

Elder Avraham at the Protocols blog provides a link to an editorial in the Jewish Press by Rebbetzin Jungreis. This editorial is a letter she received from the principle of a boys elementary school discussing the problems with frum girls falling off the path while in high school.

The following comments, while focusing on the female teenager, can very easily and should be considered for males as well.

I agree with Avraham's assessment that parents need to be more active and work a little harder to determine what school their daughter/s should attend. We should not be too concerned when a girl is 13 whether she will get the "appropriate" shidduch when she is 19. Parents need to simply make sure their daughter is in the right environment. Let's face it, we all rebel as teenagers. The question is to what extent. Now, the letter wants to claim that rebellion starts because of modern technology, like instant messenger. This might be true in some extreme cases, but I think the majority of rebellion is simply the result of the teenager wanting to assert his/her own autonomy. For those extreme cases, I am not sure there is much we can do.

In general, as the letter's author points out, maybe the education system needs changing. Teenage girls should not simply have to study and memorize multiple commentaries on a verse or some halachot. They should be taught how to think and question. I will even leave out the issue of learning Gemara, which personally I don't see as an issue. Girls should learn Gemara. I don't see any reason why they shouldn't. But even if the school does find problems with this, there are other things to teach. Teach them how to live in the world without feeling alienated for being Jewish. Teach them to wonder about why we practice the law (as I discuss in Jewish Apathy - Part 1). By not stressing thinking in Torah study, especially where they are exposed to other subjects, we will doom the teenager to the fate we are trying to prevent, apathy.

Furthermore, simply making more things taboo, like instant messenger, will not solve the problem. It will only cause more chaos and rebellion, especially if the parents do the things they say are forbidden. Parents need to be role models. If the parent doesn't think it is good, then they shouldn't do it. We need to get back to the system were parents are active. The school should even attempt to ascertain from the parent what they envision. If the school doesn't attempt to cater to the families, then they also fail. The two environments together need to work closely to improve the quantity, and with that hopefully increase the quality of the student.

Laws of Shabbat - 2

Different cooking vessels (the specific halachic ramifications will be discussed later on).

Any food in the primary vessel used for cooking, known as Kli Rishon, whether it is on the fire (stove,oven, coffee urn) or off it, is considered to be cooking the item. Others say that even if the temperature were below 45 degrees Celcius, it would be considered cooking (the stringency results from fear that people will leave the food on the fire until it cooks) [Mishnah Berurah].

The next level is pouring from the primary vessel (Erui Kli rishon), and it is the process of pouring the food or liquid onto another food or into another liquid.

Next, there is Kli Sheni, the secondary vessel. Something becomes a status of Kli Sheni when something from the primary vessel is poured into it, whether food or liquid.

Then we have the category of Erui Kli Sheni, pouring from the secondary vessel. This only exists for liquid, not for food.

Finally, there is a category of Kli shlishi, the third vessel, which is basically the vessel that one pours liquid from a kli sheni into.

Holocaust Theology Part 1

I have decided to survey the various literature about one of the most difficult theological subjects, the Holocaust. I have been reading about this subject for a while. The various opinions I have come across at this point are all disturbing in one way or another. I believe that people need to be informed about the philosophical difficulties of this subject. Therefore, this thread will survey these opinions. However, I will not present my personal opinions about these views other than to perhaps discuss something we can learn from the various opinions.

To start, I will discuss the lecture of Emil Fackenheim, "The 614th Commandment," presented in 1967. This lecture can be found in the book The Jewish Return into History. He calls for a collective commitment to keeping Judaism alive in the Post Holocaust world. Jews need to be united, not allowing the religious differences to interfere in our survival. Hence, he declares the existence of a new commandment, which he calls the 614th. It is the commandment to not hand Hitler another, posthumous victory. Of course, he does not attempt to actualize the institution of a new biblical commandment, for that would basically divide Jewry rather than unify it.

Fackenheim presents various ways in which to fulfill this commandment. First, we need to continue to exist as Jews, not allowing ourselves to disappear. Second, we need to keep the memory of the deceased alive inside of us. Third, we must not deny G-d. Finally, we must continue to see this world as the place where the kingdom of G-d will come to be. If we neglect any of these, Judaism might disappear, thus giving Hitler another victory.

For Fackenheim, at least in this article, the Jewish need to cope with the tragedy of the Holocaust is required, no matter the difficulty. We cannot simply allow our national tragedy to be an excuse to stop struggling spiritually. We need to continue striving for the end goal that Fackenheim says will prevent Hitler from having truly defeated us, bringing the kingdom of G-d into the world.

Rav Nachman of Breslov - 1

Sichot HaRan 90:
"Everything you see in this world and found in this world is all for choice and testing."

We need to realize that nothing exists because of chance. We are always being tested, thus showing that we have choice regarding our actions. We should keep this in mind in our daily lives. However, if we are overly conscious of this, we will never be able to accomplish anything.

Laws of Shabbat - Day one - (Disclaimer. As I do not have semicha (ordination) yet (hopefully I will in a couple more years) I am merely providing general information. All final halachic decisions should be determined by a Rabbi).

All forms of cooking, frying, baking, roasting, etc., are forbidden on Shabbat. Cooking is considered heating food at a temperature of approximately 45 degrees Celcius and above (113 degrees Fahrenheit) [Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata]. There are varying opinions ranging from 49 degrees celcius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) [R. Aharon Kotler] to 40 degrees Celcius (104 degrees celcius) [Kitzur hilchot Shabbat, R. Yechezkel Pozen]. I will assume the middle opinion as presented in Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata of 45 degrees Celcius. These are determined by whether one's hand would draw back (yad soledet bo) from touching the item.

OK, so by now you might be getting the idea that I have way too much time on my hands. You would be partially correct. I have much to say and now that I have a forum to say it in, I am taking advantage of it. Over the course of the next few days, I will be introducing a few daily entries. Currently, I am considering the following:
1. Thursday nights I will post a short piece on the Maharal on the weekly Torah reading.
2. A daily statement from the Hasidic master Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (everything will be cited accordingly).
3. Halacha of the day - I think it will focus on the laws of Shabbat, but we will see.
4. And of course, my primary purpose, the daily pieces on what I am reading, which as you can see I have already started.

Hopefully, the comments sections will exist once in a while, so feedback is always appreciated.

The Jews in the Lotus Part 3

Next up, Zalman Schachter Shalomi.

As mentioned in yesterday's blog, the first part of this long review, Zalman Schachter Shalomi gave a lecture on Jewish mysticism. Since one of the conference's goals was to the similarities between Tibetan Buddhism and Judaism, Schachter Shalomi began his lecture by contrasting the two mystical traditions. Buddhists have the goal of becoming a bodhisattva, a living buddha. For Judaism, the goal of mysticism and meditation is to come as close to G-d as possible. This is possible by knowing and practicing the right kavvanot (intentions - specific meditations) for each step of the process. Of course, Buddhists do not have the same goal because as is known, they do not believe in G-d, though they seem to believe like Jewish Qabbalists in the emptiness of this world. Also, it would appear that there is some sort of creative myth for the Tibetan Buddhists.

Of course, as with any good Jewish conversation, somewhere along the way a tangential discussion began. Schachter Shalomi, in trying to explain how angels dwell in the second of the four worlds, Beriah (asiyah, yetzirah and atzilut are the other three), used the word deva, a Sanskrit term for a Buddhist deity. This struck the Dalai Lama as strange, leading to a long discussion of angelology. However, the discussion was interrupted in the middle by a couple of the other Jewish delegates who told the Dalai Lama and the others present that this mystical tradition is not necessarily accepted by everyone, nor does it have to be accepted by anyone.

As an aside, perhaps this inability/lack of desire to accept the mystical as part of Judaism often leads to our spiritual struggles. Many of us do not have the proper outlet for our emotional ups and downs within Judaism. Life is not simply black and white, where everything fits within nice little categories. I believe that we need to emphasize at least a minimal amount of esotericism within Judaism in order to help create emotionally well-rounded, spiritual people.

The dialogue continued with a discussion of the Jewish law and its relationship to Jewish mysticism. He says following the 613 commandments lead to purification of the body, allowing the mind to reach higher levels. One's thoughts also need to be pure, for then the soul can also continue its ascent. He tries to explain to the Dalai Lama how negative thoughts are the result of impurities of the mind.

Jewish Apathy? Part 1

I just finished reading a debate between Rabbis Joseph A. Polak and Mayer Schiller about the current state of Jewish youth, specifically high school and college age students.

Rabbi Polak addresses the perceived increase in Jewish apathy. He claims, and I believe rightfully so, that many Orthodox students do not have the ability to relate Judaism to their own personal lives. His personal anecdote about the difference between reactions of Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews to a value question is frightening. Why is it that we are not able to think in terms of value judgements? Judaism is not supposed to be a religion of simply taking everything at face value. Yes, as an Orthodox Jew, I accept a tradition of thought, but I also recognize the ability for the system to adapt, with limitations, to the world we live in. We should be teaching this to our students. Oh, but wait, we are afraid of people thinking too much. The truth is that it is not the high schools so much that are the problem. Let's face it, many students in High school don't usually care so much about the social issues of the times. Of course, when we study in Israel, we are also not exposed to social issues so much. For the men (I dont know much about women's seminaries/yeshivot, so I am restricting my comment to the men's yeshivot), Israel is a year of immersing ourselves in Gemara, because we are told this is the essence of learning. For some of us, other areas were also important, whether they be Bible or philosophy. Nevertheless, we are not often asked what we think about something, why we cherish a certain law. Now granted, our primary goal in Israel is religious growth, but that cannot be internalized without recognizing our love for the system.

Why do we follow the law? Very often, people will be more religious due to social pressures. While this is not the worst method of promoting religious growth, it is often detrimental if the person is susceptible to peer pressure, especially when the person forgets that the social pressure should lead to following the law for its own sake (shelo lishmah bah lishmah). I think the issue Rabbi Polak is trying to explain is the need to ask the value question, the need to recognize why we do what we do. This is not a call for figuring out the purpose of each law (taamei hamitzvot). It is simply a call to change our education system ever so slightly. Give five minutes once a week to asking high schoolers these questions. Maybe a little thinking will be good.

Anyways, Rabbi Schiller responds and simply seems to not recognize the apathy that Rabbi Polak speaks about. I think part of why he doesn't see it is because he is only looking around at the tri-state area. Being an outsider to some extent (I have been in NY for a few years now), I can say that many people I know often feel this apathy. Judaism seems to be a religion of going through the motions. This is especially the case for those about to go to Israel. Now, maybe Rabbi Schiller is a phenomenal teacher whose students are excited about Judaism. However, barring his own classroom, I think he doesn't take into account what is happening with other kids. This might even be more of the case with out of town students. When we, who grew up in smaller Orthodox communities, leave home, often we are ill prepared for the world of the tri-state area. Many are ill-prepared for secular college, though this is often not because of a lack of contact with non-Jews. Of course, being ill-prepared is no excuse to simply hide behind the cushion of Yeshiva University, which is basically what Rabbi Schiller advocates. I think the answer is what Rabbi Polak is driving at. We need to present Judaism as a viable religion in the world, a religion that can handle all comers. A religion able to function in the Postmodern college environment, were many students are relativists and don't see a difference between one thing and another. We cannot ignore the personal aspect of Judaism. If we do that, we will suffer spiritually.

The Jew in the Lotus Part 2

One of my roommates recommended that I provide more specifics regarding the book. So what I am going to do is discuss each presenter's conversation with the Dalai Lama.

The first speaker was Dr. Nathan Katz. He discussed the issue of whether East and West had a common system. He claims Judaism and Buddhism had contact in the Ancient world. Among his proofs is that King Solomon and the Buddha appear to share legends. He showed how certain words in the Bible appear to be based on Sanskrit. While these might be true, he also points out how there is no word in Tibetan for Jew, arguing that there is no common recorded history between Jews and Tibetan Buddhists. However, his thesis is that the memory of contact between the two nations was lost.

As introductions go, his opening remarks are highly fascinating. I believe one thing we should take with us from this speculation is that people think they are the center of the universe when in reality they are fooling themselves. We have to remember that every religion, race, people and individual is a microcosm of the world. It is difficult to comprehend what it means to be merely a part of a whole, as opposed to being the focus of the world. Something so minor as the lack of the term Jew in a language should make us feel a certain humility.

For those few people who might actually read this, the inspiration for the title Bookkeeper is quite simple. I have accumulated a vast library over the past 5 years. My bookcases are overflowing. Hence, bookkeeper seemed to be the most logical option. Of course, once again, I was not the one to come up with something creative. That honor belongs to my roommate David, who also has a blog, called Peripheral Epiphanies.

Well, it seems that over the course of less than three hours, I have gone from being involved in 0 blogs to two blogs. My friend Yoel invited me to join his Torah V'Chokhmah blog. I now have multiple forums to offer my views of everything.

The Jew in the Lotus Part 1

I am currently reading The Jews in the Lotus by Rodger Kamenetz. It is the author's personal account of the first interfaith dialogue between the Dalai Lama, leader of the Tibetan Buddhists in exile, and various members of the greater Jewish community. This historic event took place in October 1990. Among the Jewish participants were Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, his wife Blu Greenberg, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Paul Mendes Flohr, editor of The Jew in the Modern World.

I will begin with some specific observations of the event from 13 years ago and then, in another post I will discuss some of what I believe to be relevant issues pertaining to the subject. The Dalai Lama's primary goal was to learn how to improve the chances of Tibetan Buddhist survival in exile.

Quick history lesson: In 1959 Communist China drove the Tibetan Buddhists out of their homeland, Tibet. For the past now 44 years, this religion has been trying to preserve its legacy. The Dalai Lama resides in the Indian city of Dharamsala. This is the current spiritual center of their exile.

Anyway, the Dalai Lama figured that the perfect people to ask about survival in exile are the Jews. Considering the 2000 years of being outside our homeland, it makes perfect sense. Of course, much of the dialogue, as with any good Jewish discussion, was tangential. Zalman Schachter-Shalomi presented his take on Jewish Spirituality, discussion Jewish mysticism and often comparing it to Buddhist doctrine. One should be aware that Buddhism does not have a concept of G-d like we do.

Yitz Greenberg, in his discussion of Judaism in exile, decides to emphasize the destruction of the Second Temple and the resulting religious changes that were implemented. He feels this will help the Buddhists understand how to survive. After explaining how Judaism adapted to being a religion without a country, he does slightly touch upon the post-Holocaust/establishment of the state of Israel world. However, he does not really touch upon how this era changes or doesn't change Judaism (He does discuss this in his essay "The Third Great Cycle of Jewish History [which will be discussed at a later time].")

Well, since I havent finished the book, i cannot comment on some of the other specific discussion between the two delegations. However, there is a second dimension of the book, the issue of how come so many Jews became Buddhists. Kamenetz interviews certain Jewish Buddhists currently residing in Dharamsala. As will be discussed over and over again in this blog, this results from the inability of people to find Judaism fulfilling. Why they don't find it fulfilling is multi-faceted and hence will not be dealt with at the moment.

OK, more will follow at some point in the very near future.

Well, I have finally decided to waste more time I don't have. I have decided that I want to disseminate the little bit (I think) I know. Very often, it will be about the latest material that I am reading. Other times, it will be my general rantings about the world.