Tishrei and Ramadan are here. On this third day of the month, as we glimpse only a sliver of the new moon, I pray that our lives are waxing as well. Waxing, growing and filling with hope, health, joy, learning and faith.
May the Eternal Wellspring of life grant those celebrating the New Year blessings, hope, joy, health in this New Year.
May the One of Blessing bring depth and meaning to all living the daily fast/feast cycle of Ramadan.
May all of us and the world soon know peace.
This morning as I awoke I was greated with the news that one of the heroes of our time, Simon Wiesenthal, died overnight. Wiesenthal was a survivor of the Holocaust who spent his life in search of truth and through that truth, freedom. His search for Nazis hidding from their past inspired a center named for him, The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC).
Rabbi Marvin Hier, Dean and Founder of the Center, said,
“I think he’ll be remembered as the conscience of the Holocaust. In a way he became the permanent representative of the victims of the Holocaust, determined to bring the perpetrators of the greatest crime to justice,”. (Quotation from Ha’aretz.)
Many have written about his life much better than I can. Some links include:
Simon Wiesenthal Center Obituary
Ha’aretz Obituary
Biography of Wiesenthal’s life (by the SWC)
Jerusalem Post Obituary
Comments by general people on Wiesenthal’s life and death
Ynet Obituary
[By the way, if you are unfamiliar with the phrase “baruch dayan ha’emet” it means “blessed is the true Judge” and is a phrase which many Jews say when they hear of a death.]
May his family find comfort in this difficult time.
May his soul rest with the Divine Holy One.
Greetings again.
Hodesh tov. (Happy new month of Elul.)
Today the month of Elul beings, our month of preparation for the High Holy Days. Each day we build and progress towards the days of awe.
This year, the immense tragedies of the world make this time seem especially poignant and meaningful. So many lives have been devastated, so many now homeless. Elul and the holy days are times of reflection on the meaning of our lives and our daily choices. Many of us have been engaging in such reflection as we try to process the horror of Katrina and try to find a way to help. Perhaps this Elul will be a time of help and a time when hope can grow day by day.
Want some information about Rosh Hodesh and Elul?
My Jewish Learning on Rosh Hodesh Elul
Ritual Well on Elul
Go, study and help the hurricane victims!
Estimates suggest that some 36 million people are in danger of starving in Niger and other wide sections of Africa. Below are some ways to do something about it and help out, even if only a little bit.
What a way to frame shabbat, helping the hungry at home and abroad.
American Jewish World Service (www.ajws.org)
In response to a food crisis in Niger, AJWS, with whom we work very
closely, is working to identify local grassroots organizations that can
help feed people facing starvation, and to ensure that those most
vulnerable to life-threatening conditions will have access to medical
care.
Save the Children (www.savethechildren.org)
With more than 40 tons of essential supplies now on the ground, Save the
Children is working to provide nutritional assistance to children under
5 who are facing severe food shortages following the lethal combination
of poor rainfall in 2005 and a locust infestation in the sub-Saharan
African country. Current activities are focused on assisting children in
the Maradi region of Niger, which is facing acute food shortages.
Critical supplies that Save the Children is providing include tents and
other essentials to set up therapeutic feeding centers for starving
children as well as emergency health kits, supplementary feeding kits,
20 tons of ready-to-eat food such as biscuits or porridge and 16 tons of
a new product called plumpy’nut
, a
read-to-eat food that tastes like peanut butter but is fortified with
all the nutrients a moderately malnourished child needs to avoid severe
malnutrition.
Catholic Relief Service (www.catholicrelief.org)
In collaboration with the World Food Programme, CRS is distributing
emergency food and seeds, and running food-for-work programs. CRS is
focusing its initial efforts in Niger on 150,000 critically food
insecure people, though the organization has planned a longer term
response that targets 320,000 extremely vulnerable individuals in
drought- and locust-affected regions. With its local partner, Caritas
Niger, CRS began responding to signs of a food shortage in late 2004
with seed fairs , which
have proven enormously valuable. Farmers who planted seeds from these
programs have been less affected by the crisis than others now
confronting starvation.
One of the difficult realities of the Jewish community is that some Jews (like all others) struggle with addictions to alcohol, drugs, hate and other things that damage their lives. The Central Conference of American Rabbis has prepared materials to help rabbis understand the realities and difficulties of addiction. Download and read the document Resources for Rabbis Dealing with Addiction and Recovery Issues.
Shavuah tov. I just returned home from a wedding and teaching – a day full of joy, love and the promise of goodness in what is often a challenging world. The chatan and kallah (groom and bride) beamed, soaked up the love and joy surrounding them and had a great time. The party is problably still going on at the house. (This chatan and kallah decided that after the formal reception, they would invite people back to her (now their) home and enjoy their out-of-town and in-town friends and family. A wonderful, beautiful, joyous day.
Then, I come home, turn on the computer and look at the New York Times for the first time all day. It is my custom to look at the obituaries and thus I learned of the death of a great scholar and teacher, Rabbi Dr. Nahum Sarna. He was a great man, a learned scholar and one whose mind, writings and teachings opened up worlds for many. Amongst his accomplishments is the Jewish Publication Society translation of the Tanach. What a loss for the world. The New York Times obituary includes the following:
Dr. Sarna’s writings, commentaries and translations sought to bring the meaning of ancient texts closer to today’s lay reader. Some of his most important contributions were made through the Jewish Publication Society, based in Philadelphia, for which he was principal translator and editor of “Torah (New Translation).” First published in 1985, it remains in print.
Some of his other books published by the society were “Genesis: The Traditional Hebrew Text with New JPS Translation” (1989); “JPS: The Americanization of Jewish Culture 1888-1988″ (1989); “Exodus: The Traditional Hebrew Text With the New JPS Translation” (1991); and “Studies in Biblical Interpretation” (2000).
Dr. Sarna’s work reflected a 19th-century movement devoted to the scientific study of Jewish civilization and a more accessible, modern approach to the Hebrew Bible. His commentaries sought to shed light on the narrative, give meaning to archeological finds, add historical and cultural background and present the Bible’s teachings in a spiritual and moral context.
Read the entire obituary here.
May his soul be with the Holy One of Blessing.
May G-d comfort his family among all who mourn.
My Jewish Learning has a main article this week on one of my favorite scholars, Abraham Joshua Heschel. Read about his life and his views on: sacred time, Judaism as a Way of Life and the Sabbath.
Go and Learn!
Hag Shavuot Sameach – Happy Shavuot. May this z’man torateinu, z’man simchateinu (time of joyous receiving of the Torah) be filled with joy, learning and laughter for you and yours.
Shavuah tov. May this be a week of remembrance, blessing and success.
Today the Baltimore Jewish Times published the following inspiring story of individual and communal courage in fighting the scourge of domestic violence. Yes, this problem does happen in the Jewish community. It happens to women regardless of their affiliation (very religious to secular to unaffiliated), their education and their socio-economic status. Yes abuse happens in the Jewish community.
CHANA, an organization working in support of women abused by their husbands, marked their 10th anniversary with a keynote address by Dr. Amy Robbins Ellison. You can read about her story and the anniversary at the Baltimore Jewish Times site.
Let’s hope and pray that Rabbi Weinreb’s words which close the article will soon be true – that soon their will be no more abuse and no more need for organizations like CHANA.