Energizing books

The holidays are also a good occasion to spend time with good books, related to the festivals or simply dealing with Judaism and Jewish questions. Some of them we are studying together, or we use it as good and trustful company for the hours between meals and our long walks to the shul.

The last week was as usual very busy discovering and discussing new interesting thoughts. While waiting for the meals to get ready I had an extensive look at the Jewish Teenagers. Guide to Life, offering the Jewish perspectives on the various issues faced by teenagers nowadays. The ways in which we should address the "free will", the relationships, "real happiness", definition of the role in life are few of the chapters of the book. By offering to our children a strong Jewish education and adequate resources we help them to use the correct compass in a difficult world.

Shortly before the yom tov, I was busy reading about Halacha, a very strict book about what and how to do correctly our daily mitzvot. Not extremely exciting and wonderfully written, but very correct and useful for the general guidance.

The same guidance role is played by the information from this collection of articles dedicated to Rosh Chodesh, that we are ready to celebrate at the end of this week. You will find here several information regarding the history and the practice, the halachic observation and some interpretation given in various mainstreams of Judaism.

For a long time I was looking to read something by Anita Diamant but I found this book about Living a Jewish Life completely by accident. I spent the yom tov thinking and pondering the perspectives offered in this almost a handbook, written from the liberal perspective but very honest in what concerns the basis of our choices and some modern interpretations of the practical faith. When you want to change your status from a non-observant to daily practicant status it is sometimes useful - at least for those around you, to proceed gradually, tempering the radical temptation of declaring immediately your new identity. It might be a feeling of guilt behind this hurry, but in practice, sudden changes aren't healthy and the step-by-step options - for the kosher and Shabbat practice, for example - are advisable. With a good guidance and a supportive community we can make big steps, but if we don't have it, we should follow our rhythm and proceed in the (only) right direction.

At the end of the festival, I experienced an enormous happiness through the wonderful stories of faith, love and kidness by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis. A Shoah survivor and founder of Hineni International, she is sharing a precious experience of translating Judaism for the modern world and supporting the Jewish tradition through direct support for specific problematic situations. The main aim is to support the Jewish values reflected in the individual behavior and the family life. Each story is a precious drop of Torah thinking and Halacha. The simplicity of wisdom made me wonder why I wasn't able to realize some things before, but this is how things are and the lessons learned are important insights for a change. In a wonderful way, this books ended my list of lectures during the holidays. More specific study and books are waiting for me in less than 6 hours.

Post-chagim traumatic simcha

How do you expect to feel after 10 days of holidays - although not fully, at least 6 full completely free days - following other holidays and warm preparations of the mind and soul?...This month was amazing and after being at one of the highest levels of happiness in my life, landing in the raw world of realities when you should work and work and work and take care of the daily chores won't be easy. All I have is to hope for the coming Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh but I am sure that till then I will change a lot and I have an impressive amount of priorities on my to-do-list. As usual, I am trying to do my best in looking for compensations and a balance.

When I woke up early this morning I felt the deep sea of unhappiness of not having any occasion to celebrating, shul going and spending quality time with my family and my close friends. In the last two weeks, more than ever I felt the shadow of a completely different and special new beginning of the year, a long process that ended up yesterday with the beginning of a new cycle of Torah reading. In less than a month we succeeded to do many changes into our lifes, and to start anew many chapters. My soul is longing for the quiet perfect time of Shabbos, but my mind is aware that it's enough for now and all we have to do is to enter into the rhtythm of the daily actions and put into practice all our learning and insights. Otherwise, how we can evaluate the degree of change? In a way, I was feeling that enough is enough but are we ever having enough of Paradise? I'd read yesterday about how hard is to start davening after years of staying away of the siddur (an experience I know very well) but once you re-enter the path, how difficult is to stop.

Fighting the sadness of going back to reality, I already started a new writing project and set up some new professional and personal objectives. The progress I made in the last hours is good and I am looking forward to new achievements and reading. It will not be an easy period of time, but I am ready to do my schedule and to welcome Chanukkah with a completely new perspective in a new place. Of course, nobody stops me to fully enjoy the time with my family and to celebrate life, after early mornings started with Modeh Ani.

b''h

Shavua tov!

Different versions of Zionism

Image via Wikipedia//David ben Gurion, the "founding father"

An interesting article, by Dr. Offer Shiff, on the different interpretations of Zionism- and frictions - between David ben Gurion and Abba Hillel Silver, before but mostly after the creation of the state of Israel. A good lecture outlining the identity discussions and eventual controversies that set the terms of the dialogue between the state of Israel and its diaspora, mainly the American one.

Seminary refuses to admit Sephardi girls

This is the kind of news I don't like to read at all. As somebody used with both traditions and happy with this rewarding situation, selecting the best from each - and I am not talking only about the gorgeous Sephardi meals, even though meals also are sending an important identity message, but also about music, literature and talmudic traditions - I can't stand the narrowmindness of rejecting another person, especially children, because of the color of their skin of the place of birth of their parents.

I dare to say that the problems are faced not only by the Sephardi girls, but also by Sephardi boys looking to enrol in some yeshivas. And the examples could continue.

However, I consider that it is also a good message in this story: the Separdis should mobilize more resources - including of financial nature - and more energies to create their own elites, to outline their traditions and, of course, to learn more in order of being able to create their own institutions and educational systems. I wish the final result will not be the exclusion of Askenazim.

Seeing the high number of young Sephardi eager to learn more Torah in the yeshivas from Jerusalem or elsewhere, I am optimistic and I trust their open mind and humour. Mistakes are human.

Shmini Azeret and Simchat Torah

Shmini Azeret and Simchat Torah - The meanings of the celebrations.

Gilad Shalit is heading home!

He will be back soon and alive!

Watch the live blog from Haaretz for more news. Let's hope that everything will be fine, at least for today, and he will be soon with his family. Soon, it will be time again for reconsideration and evaluation and time to pay the price. Let's hope that after 1940 days in captivity, Gilad Shalit will enjoy the freedom! Let's hope and pray as we did a lot in the last five years!

PS

1. I can't stop my appreciation for the way in which Israeli media prepared to address the report on the release of Gilad Shalit.

2. My big misunderstanding regarding the swap is the following: where in this world, when you made something wrong or terribly wrong (as killing for instance), instead of spending the much deserved time in prison (perhaps for the rest of their life) you are called prisoner, freed and exchanged for a young innocent man? Where?

Related articles

• Gilad Shalit release: Timetable (telegraph.co.uk)
• Shalit Captors to Enter Limelight (israelnationalnews.com)
• Noam Shalit: It's not over until Gilad is home - Ha'aretz (news.google.com)
• Court Names Shalit Family as Respondents (israelnationalnews.com)

Portrait of the Palestinian at a young age

Every time I hear or read stories about the issue of the "Palestinian" statehood I am trying to imagine how a Palestinian (competent) government will look like. Or at least I am making various imagination efforts to understand what elites would represent the image of this state abroad: the writers, scientists, artists, historians, journalists.

As I didn't have too much direct contact with educated people belonging to the Palestinian community, I was curious yesterday to take part to an event where an intellectual young lady in whose CV was mention that she is from "Palestine" was invited. Dressed very creatively, in a way that will make her a lot of troubles in the Hamas-controlled territories (democratically elected) she recited a long poem, with many 4-letter words, about..."Palestine". I will not enter into too many poetical details, but I will mention only that the 10 minutes work was written in the Third World rhetoric with the compulsory lines of hate against the IDF and Israel and (poetic) stories about children killed in the street (wait, wasn't it about the Israelis killed by the Palestinian terrorists??? Maybe I was too bored and tired to graps the message). The young lady, whose Palestinian identity is part of her personal and professional brand, is speaking a very good English (better than her Arabic) that she acquired in the American schools in the Middle East. She belongs to a Christian family, with a high political profile, but assumes an non-religious identity and dreams on (and on and on) a secular "Palestine".

In her glamorous interventions she wanted to mention how the political regimes in the Middle East (including the Arab League!) were set up by the regimes that recognized the state of Israel. And I realized again how idiotic such claims could be and how thinking about this is an excuse for underdevelopment that apparently they love to enjoy as an excuse to accuse the others (mainly Israel as an image of the West they deeply hate although they fully benefited of its advantages).

In many respects, I was sorry for her, for her denial and enthusiasm wasted for showing off and literary exhibitionisms. Beyond the ridiculous and colourful aspect, it is a sad reality that all those pathetic supporters that were nodding in a Pavlovian way every time they were hearing the word "Palestine" don't understand an inch. Probably, to be continued...

1 to 1,000

Image via Wikipedia

I'd spent last evening watching the news about the imminent release of Gilad Shalit. 1 Israeli soldier was held in captivity for 5 years by Hamas without allowing the family to have any contact with him. In exchange for his freedom, a total of 1,000 Palestinian inmates (including women) will be soon free and probably back in the business of terror, the biggest prisoner exchange since 1956.

Watching the faces of Gilad's parents and knowing their fight to bring their son back I couldn't stop thinking it is a good news and thanks G-d (important rabbinical figures were involved in the negotiations as well) we hope to see him back home safe and alive. Beyond the human success it is an important political momentum as well.

On other news channels I was also watching the "victory" proclaimed by Hamas following this deal and the warnings that I am sure we should take it seriously: the door for the precedent is open and the Israeli soldiers are in danger more than ever. Anyway, it is what the Hamas terrorists wanted to do when they attacked in Eilat. There will be more high alerts and more specific trainings for the military.

I still hope - although given the lack of reliability of the Hamas representatives, isn't easy to be optimistic - that Gilad will be soon with his family. After observing the last 5 years world reaction to the situation of the young Israeli soldier, I continue to be worried for what it and who will be next. Instead of solidarity and unanimous condamnation of the Hamas terrorists most part of the international organizations and actors refused a consistent support. And, at least, if we are alone, we should realize that we should be united, more united than ever.

The joyous festival of Sukkot is about to start and we should enjoy doing our mitzvot. Time for reflection and more hopes.

Related articles

• Israel and Hamas agree deal to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit (telegraph.co.uk)
• Mid-East prisoner swap welcomed (bbc.co.uk)

First meeting with Barbara Honigmann

My first meeting with this German writer wasn't spectacular at all. The book that I read in the German version made me optimistically thinking about how easy is to write books about almost everything, without paying attention to the possible reaction of the public. It was written on the occasion of a 10-week scholarship for writers, in New York and Honigmann, a German Jew, is writing about her daily schedule, the meetings with the friend Sanda (Weigl), the interactions with the Jewish life in the city. A couple of descriptions of New York corners, the busy life and the busy and strange people, the kosher offer and other episodic experiences in the stereotypically described Big Apple.

Overall, it is not a travel book or a literary book/diary, but mostly a book that an author enjoying a relative success could write because doesn't care about fame and the bad reviews couldn't change anything from the general perception.

Preparing Sukkot

The joyous festival of Sukkot is almost two days away and, as usual, a lot of preparations in sight. I must recognize that the menu isn't ready yet, but as a whole bunch of people are expecting something good and tasty for me I should hurry up (at first, with the shopping list). The pitch that my wonderful people gave me was: many fruits (salad included), interesting cooked vegetables and "you will include some 2-3 dishes with meat, isn't it?" (his desperate smile told me that some people need to live more than 2-3 leaves of vegetables).

But, before the proper practical preparations, I had some books to finish preparing the spiritual ambiance of the holiday. First, I started with a very comprehensive book, from the ArtScroll Mesorah Series, about the significance, laws and prayers. After, I followed a more specific lecture about the Halachos of the Four Species, an English and Hebrew versions, when I realized how complicate is the identification process of the kosher species. Some of the information was completely new for me. The little ones were delighted to fine out more about the coming holidays from Yaffa Ganz book on the adventures of Bina, Benny and Chaggai Hayonah.

For the whole family, the Ha-Ushpizin movie offered a lot of food for thought about faith, trust and the trials of being baal teshuva. And I randomly reminded a Rambam saying according to which a real baal teshuva is the one who when reaching the old level is not doing any sin.

Difficult Freedom

From Emmanuel Levinas, Difficult Freedom. Essays on Judaism:

"Belonging to Judaism presupposes a ritual and a science. Justice is impossible to the ignorant man. Judaism is an extreme consciousness". (p. 6)

"For Judaism, the goal of education consists in instituting a link between man and the saintliness of G-d and in maintaining man in this relationship". (p. 14)

"(...) education for the Jew merges with instruction and (...) the ignorant man can never really be pious". (p.15)

"The knowledge of G-d comes to us like a commandment, like a Mitzvah. To know G-d is to know what must be done". (p.17)

"Judaims believes in this regeneration of man without the intervention of extrahuman factors other than the consciousness of G-d, and the Law: 'Everything lies in the hands of G-d, except for the very fear of G-d'. Human effort has unlimited possibilities. There is finally the help given by a just society from which the unjust person may benefit". (p.20)

"Jewish wisdom is inseparable from a knowledge of the biblical and rabbinical texts; the Hebrew language directs the reader's attention towards the true level of these texts, which is the most profound level of being. In an increasingly homogenous world, nothing can oppose the pressure on us to be brought outside, out of our knowledge; knowledge as an unique power of reversion. Judaism can survive only if it is recognized and propagated by lay people who, outside all Judaism, are the promoters of the common life of men". (p.250)

Post-Yom Kippur

Image via Wikipedia//Blowing the shofar marks the end of the Yom Kippur

The last 26 hours were extremely inspiring and interesting, a clear delimitation between the time dedicated to spiritual development to the time dedicated to the daily mundane activities. By definition, I designate all my daily activities as spiritual but, inevitably this is always some small connection to the body - the food or the unknown number of coffee I am drinking daily. This time, the Shabbat on Yom Kippur, it was completely different. I spent a lot of time at the shul fighting a confusing headache - I always thought about finding a remedy to my dependence on coffeine - sleeping one-two hours in between and thinking a lot about the next year and our personal and family resolutions.

As usual, there are many books to be read, classes to be attended and trips, lots to learn about Judaism and interesting people to find. For each member of my family, including myself, the last year was extremely challenging and complicated. I wish the new year to be a continuation of some good path that we, as a family, are following for a couple of months already. We are not sure where we'll be in the next months, but we are sure that all of us we'll be together, united and helping and reconforting each other. This positive energy was the main achievements of the Yom Kippur and we are grateful for the last 26 hours of joy and happiness.

Time now for a good sleep a day of break - and a nice family breakfast tomorrow. Sukkot is next - and we should start a lot of preparations!

Jewish life on High Holy Days all over the world

I found today early in the morning a couple of articles about Jewish life in far away places, I would be happy to share. It is an important lesson about fighting to keep the tradition and the identity and doing mitzvot:

Almost incredible: Jewish Celebrations in Afghanistan

Jewish life in Iceland (again incredible, isn't it?)

Recovering Jewish life in Libya will not be an easy task

At the end of the e-tour, I found also a news that worried me, given also the high interest of many Jewish and Israeli tourists in visiting Thailand. As usual, we should be always careful. We never have to forget the heavy burden of persecution and massacres, as it was the case of Babi Yar.

Preparing for Yom Kippur

A Few Fasting Fixes By Shira Isenberg - Jewish Action - OU.ORG

Browsing my bookshelf (again and again)

The last two weeks were extremely rich in terms of reading and although the time was extremely busy given various home and spiritual activities - equally important - and various preparations, there were an impressive amount of books I enjoyed and will fully recommend for further consideration and lecture(s).

I refreshed and add more information to my historical background through the lecture of this "Concise History of the Rabbinate". Among others, it was interesting to find more about French and Germany's official positions from the 19th century on, regarding the Jewish communities.

In preparation for Rosh Hashanah, I've found several inspiring books:

Judaism as a Religion, by Rabbi Leon Stitskin, published in 1937 in America, consisting of a series of holiday sermons delivered between 1932 and 1936. In a time of terrible tragedy for the Jewish people - a situation mentioned in several interventions - R' Leon Stitskin was explaining to the American Jews about the symbols of the holidays, the importance of resisting assimilation and the importance of good deeds.

An older book, from 1915, The Orthodox Position, by HMJ Loewe, clarifies main points of Orthodox Judaism and the justification for the belief in Orhodoxy.

I've read many stories about people imprisoned in Russia, but rarely I had the occasion to see so much beauty and forgiveness as in A Prince in Prison. The Previous Lubavither Rebbe's Account of His Incarceration in Stalinist Russia in 1927. Humanly speaking you can't stop being angry against those who accepted to be the instruments of the enemy against fellow Jews, but after reading these accounts I started to understand more about teshuva and the power of inner change.

I prepared my spiritual journey though the New Year with the help of R' Dovid D. Meisels' book The Radiance of Rosh Hashanah, where I found this quote: "How does a person know that the gates of Heaven have opened to allow his prayers to enter? When he feels his heart opening up and a fountain of faith surging up from below, it is a sign that, in the same way, the gates of Heaven above have opened up".

This year, I dedicated a fair amount of time at the book of Yonah and Rabbi Ilan Ginian's book, The Navi Journey. Sefer Yonah opened my eyes to a better and halachic understanding of this story that we traditionally read on Yom Kippur.

For all those interested in Talmudic studies and lecture, two basic books opening the gates to understanding the various interpretations and explanations: Tools for Tosafos, by Haim Perlmutter, and Understanding the Talmud. A Systematic Guide to Talmudic Structure and Methodology. It is how I realized how much I should learn and learn to improve my time management, including by avoiding to waste my time procrastinating. More learning is part of my resolution package for the New Year.

One of the books I longed for from the first moment I found out about the publication was Jerusalem, by Simon Sebag Montefiore, whose historical writings I was familiar with for a long time. For one day and a half I stayed glued reading this wonderful biography, an impressive and extermely diplomatic account of the history of a city with a terrible and overwhelming history.

History is addressed again in another difficult book: Judenrat, by Isaiah Trunk, dissecting the Jewish Councils in Eastern Europe under Nazi Occupation. A painful episode shedding a different light on the history of Jews from Poland, the Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) and the occupied areas of USSR (Byelorussia and Ukraine) when "for the first time in Jewish history, a Jewish organ was forced to help a foreign, criminal regime to destroy coreligionists".

Last on the latest list, a book I read together with kids, simple and offering food for thought for the little ones: Yom Kippur with Bina, Benny and Chaggai Hayonah.

That's all by now, but new books are already waiting for me. Happy reading!

Untangling the Web: Newsaholics anonymous

Untangling the Web: Newsaholics a... JPost - Opinion - Columnists

At least once during the last holidays I asked myself: what if...something happened with somebody from my family, or an attack took place somewhere, or somebody is looking for me, including for offering me a wonderful job offer or a holiday deal? I finally resisted the temptation(s) after realizing that procrastinating in the front of the computer only because something might happen, something I can't stop or prevent, it's pure insanity. At the end of the break, it took me maximum 30 minutes to check my inbox, social media accounts and cell phone. Nothing worth to bother the quiet time of Rosh Hashanah and Shabbat!

Understading Genizah

A genizah (or geniza; Hebrew: גניזה "storage"; plural: genizot or genizoth or genizahs) is the store-room or depository in a Jewish synagogue (or cemetery), usually specifically for worn-out Hebrew-language books and papers on religious topics that were stored there before they could receive a proper cemetery burial, as being forbidden to throw away writings containing the name of G-d (even personal letters and legal contracts could open with an invocation of G-d). The word genizah come from the Hebrew root g-n-z, which means hiding, and originally meant "to hide" or "to put away". Later, it became a noun for a place where one put things, and is perhaps best translated as "archive" or "repository".

In practice, genizot also contained writings of a secular nature, with or without the customary opening invocation, and also contained writings in other Jewish languages that use the Hebrew alphabet (Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-Persian, Judeo-Spanish, Yiddish).

This custom also included the periodic solemn gathering of the contents of the geniza, which were then buried in the cemetery or "bet ḥayyim." Synagogues in Jerusalem buried the contents of their genizot every seventh year, as well as during a year of drought, believing that this would bring rain. This custom is associated with the far older practice of burying a great or good man with a "sefer" which has become "pasul" (unfit for use through illegibility or old age). In Morocco, in Algiers, in Turkey, and even in Egypt, such paper-interments had been practiced.

Talmudic references

The Talmud (Tractate Shabbat 115a) directs that holy writings in other than the Hebrew language require "genizah," that is, preservation. In Pesachim 118b, "bet genizah" is equivalated to "treasury." In Pesachim 56a Hezekiah hides ("ganaz") a medical work; in Shabbat 115a R. Gamaliel orders that the Targum to the Book of Job should be hidden ("yigganez") under the "nidbak" (layer of stones). In Shabbat 30b, there is a reference to those rabbis who sought to categorize the books of Ecclesiastes and Proverbs as heretical; this occurred before the canonization of the Hebrew Bible, when disputes flared over which books should be considered Biblical. The same thing occurs in Shabbat 13b in regard to the Book of Ezekiel, and in Pesachim 62 in regard to the Book of Genealogies.

Historical use

In medieval times, Hebrew scraps and papers that were relegated to the genizah were known as shemot or "names," because their sanctity and consequent claim to preservation were held to depend on their containing the "names" of G-d. In addition to papers, objects connected with the ritual, such as tzitzit, lulavim, and sprigs of myrtle, are similarly stored.

According to folklore, these scraps were used to hide the famed Golem of Prague, whose body is claimed to lie in the genizah of the Altneushul in Prague

The Cairo Geniza, which was discovered in 1864 in old Cairo, had an accumulation of almost 280,000 Jewish manuscript fragments, which were written from about 870 to the 19th century. These materials were important for reconstructing the religious, social and economic history of Jews, especially in the middle ages.

Sources:

Princeton University Geniza Project http://www.princeton.edu/~geniza/

http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=139&letter=G&search=Genizah

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Genizah.html

Lessons of fasting

The fast is almost done and given the short time till Yom Kippur I think it was a good experience, including from the point of view of what should be corrected for being able to resist for 25 hours (this time).

Here are a couple of considerations of my lessons learned:

- Be sure that one night/day before you drink enough liquids. Deshidratation could create serious and annoying problems, including nasty migraines.

- Fresh juices and vegetables are a good preparation as rich in vitamins.

- Try to avoid as much as possible going out and sleep as much as possible. (Something I didn't hence my feeling of a lonely zombie.)

- Spend as much time as possible with people fasting. Staying alone could push you to find 1000+ reasons to give up.

The experience in itself could be very bad: beyond the feeling of physical weakness, your whole body is against the shortages. You feel sad, at the limit of depression, in the impossibility to think coherently and with sense. Is not easy and sometimes you feel that the whole world is against you. From the deep ends of your desperation, you need to swim back to the real life and to survive your new beginnings. You are disoriented by the perfect silence to your questions and you almost lost the sense of the right direction. But if you look correctly, you will see the light and you are saved. Five more days for teshuva and reflection.

A few things in my mind after the long holiday

The holiday was wanderful and the yom really tov: lots of good food - including mine - new and old friends, continous personal discoveries, good books and a couple of personal and professional resolutions (I still can't discern the difference between the two).

After so many quiet and highly spiritual days, it's very hard to return back on track - facing the flow of e-mails, for example) but I should be ready for another experience soon, as the Sukkot is also starting on a Wednesday.

Now, Tzom Gedalia started, I woke up later than expected so no time to eat early in the morning and I wish to spent my whole day writing, finishing some books and doing some professional schmoozing.

Before that, let's start this writing year with a couple of observations (tried to avoid as much as possible lashon hara of any kind).

- Definitely, it should be found a solution for blocking the use of cell phones in the shul. It should be blocked somehow, otherwise I am getting crazy.

- Nothing compares with the men's voices singing. Listening the ascending tremolo of the voices drives you far away in the sunny sky.

- After three days and a little half of disconnection with the outer world, it was very hard to accept that I am out of the paradise. From the linguistic point of view, I had some blank seconds where I was unable to switch automatically to the language used. Overall, I spoke at least five languages and listen to six. Anyway, I still feel like linguistically jet-lagged...

- We have wonderful prayers, and knowing how to pronounce the words and their meanings adds a lot of deep understanding of who we are. A very significant part of me can't wait the next yom tov - I don't have to wait too long and meanwhile I should organize my time as efficient as possible (sometimes we need to make some money, at least for the nice dresses and the good food and the present for the lovely people of our lives).

Back on the track and wishing again to my readers Shana Tova!