Planning a trip to Poland

My mother is a Holocaust survivor.  I wrote a book about about her called From Miracle to Miracle.  It was recently published in Polish.  We are going to Poland in June to make presentations in Krakow and Warsaw.  very exciting, moving, and also stressful.  Not sure what to expect. A journey into the unknown, facing the past.

          Day of Sad Remembrance; Day of Joyous Celebration

Usually, I write in this column about JCSVV upcoming events and holidays in an upbeat manner. But, a week after our very moving Holocaust Remembrance ceremony, I find myself in a quiet and introspective mood. As I write today, April 15, in Israel it is a very somber day of national mourning, “Remembrance Day for Fallen of Israel’s Wars and Victims of Terrorism,” which is one of the contemporary holidays in the modern State of Israel, honoring the thousands of Israel’s soldiers who have been killed in the many wars since the declaration of the modern State of Israel in 1948, and remembering as well the thousands of ordinary citizens who were murdered in terrorist attacks. On Israeli TV, which we receive on satellite Dish, the entire day is dedicated to telling stories of those who died. The ceremony begins with the lighting of a torch at the Kotel – the Western Wall – by the President of Israel, Shimon Peres. Here I cite some of his touching words of comfort:

“Dear families,
We are here today to say to you that we know there is no comfort for someone
who lost a [loved one]. That we cannot replace those who have gone. But maybe it will comfort you, even a little, the knowledge that we, your family, your friends, we remember them and will always remember them. Their faces will never disappear from the images of our life….

Dear friends,
When you and I look out from within this deep mourning, at this historic
place called the State of Israel, at our victories on the battlefields and
in peace the vibrant pulse of creativity, the fantastic achievements that
place this country at the forefront of the world in so many fields, there is
no limit to our pride…. Israel's existence is no longer in question. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is ready for any scenario, against any enemy.

The courage and spirit of the soldiers of the IDF and their commanders,
their courage and faith in the righteousness of their path together with the
preservation of their morals and values are the guarantees that the IDF will
prevail. We know it. Our enemies have learnt it. May they not err again. We
have a duty to spare no effort and no cost to end the war and bring security
and peace to this country. Because even if the price of peace will be
heavy – we will always be able to bear it. Terror brings death. Peace brings
life. For us and our neighbours. We will not forget even for a moment and will always remember those for whom the survival of Israel and its glory are indebted. Those who over the 65 years of the state's existence, protected her with their bodies, their blood
and their lives, defended her borders and the security of her citizens, her
independence and her freedom. Israel is as dear to us as the bravery of her
fighters, and as dear as the depth of the sorrow for each fallen soldier.
Here, next to the sacred stones of the Western Wall, I say on behalf of all
of Israel, that you, the fallen of Israel's wars deserve eternal glory and
our ultimate gratitude."

(For a link to his full remarks to the families of the fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, see http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/04/14/full-transcript-shimon-peres-remarks-at-opening-remembrance-day-ceremony-2013/ ).

As Itzhak and I watched story after story, such as that of Tsila, a beloved folk dancer and mother; of Gilad, a happy young boy who loved birds and animals; and so many men, women, and children, who lives were cut short by a bomb at a Bar Mitzvah celebration in Tel Aviv, at a bus filled with Israeli tourists in Romania, at a pizza shop in Jerusalem, our eyes filled with tears. There were pictures and videos of them at school, weddings, happy times, and heart-wrenching interviews with their closest family and friends, describing their loved ones’ talents and hopes. They spoke of the void left by the untimely death of their son, daughter, child, parent. Imagine the scene of a father emptying out his soldier son’s apartment and smelling the young man’s clothes and shaving cream before boxing everything up and carting it away. Imagine the tearful joy of a young woman giving birth in the hospital after her husband has died in a bomb blast, as she exclaims, “He has his father’s cleft chin!” Oh, to hear the sobbing of a man’s family in the sound studio as they listened to his last recording of Shir HaMaa’ot, a Song of Ascents, before this singer/pilot was killed. Each story tore at our hearts.

Itzhak grew up for most of his childhood on a kibbutz in Israel. As a young man he served in the Israeli army during two wars, and in the reserves for the years during and after those wars in the 1960’s and ‘70’s. Itzhak watches and weeps, remembering his many friends who died.

 

It seems that mourning exists in the present… A trigger of memory collapses time.

This day is also the birth date of Amalia Bierman Kohn, my mother’s mother, who was killed in the Holocaust. The “A” of my name, Alicia, is in memory of her. Since we have no yahrzeit date, my mother has lit a candle today and speaks to me of her.

 

It is true… Mourning is in the present… A trigger of memory collapses time. The sadness is raw and immediate.

At the end of this day in Israel a siren will sound; traffic will stop, and the transition to the national celebration of Yom Ha-atzma’ut - Israeli Independence Day - will begin. This date, the fifth day of Iyar, marks the day on which the State of Israel officially came into existence, with the end of the British Mandate, on May 14, 1948. The tone will change to joy, with parades, flags, children dressed in blue and white, picnics, family gatherings… celebrating the modern rebirth of an ancient nation.

This year marks the 65^th birthday of Israel. I remember well in April of 1973, forty years ago, when I lived in Jerusalem, wearing a Tee shirt with the logo of “Israel 25” with the “2” and “5” connected in such a way as to form a menorah. Each year since then has brought additional achievements in Israel, and additional losses.

How to reconcile loss and joy, memorials and national celebration?! That is something that everyone in Israel must do, as virtually every family is touched by the reality of losing a loved one to war or terrorist attack, but they also have developed a keen sense of appreciation of the preciousness of life, family bonds, and close friendships. They know the wisdom of not procrastinating any celebration.

Our teenage children should all go to Israel on educational and recreational programs. Everyone, Jew and non-Jew, should visit Israel to gain a deeper understanding of our historic and religious roots.

Despite a very complex current political situation, and during this difficult era of political attacks on Israel, including university divestment of investments, disproportionate UN resolutions against Israel, and biased press, we need to hold in our hearts the memory of Israel’s huge continuous cost in precious lives. Happy Birthday, Israel. May we celebrate many more such anniversaries far into the future!

Blessing for the months of Iyar (April 11 – May 9) and Sivan (May 10 –June 8)

May we learn to balance sadness and joy, and prepare ourselves for illumination through study and celebration of our tradition. May the celebration of Shavuot, receiving Torah, bring us renewed intention to create and sustain a more ethical and just society in our small circle and in the wider community.

-Amen.

Hiddur Mitzvah – Holiness Beyond Ceremonial Objects

Double Portion for the week of March 3-9, 2013

Vayakhel (Exodus 35:1 – 38:20), and Pikudei (Exodus 38:21 – 40:37)

Recently someone came to our synagogue gift shop and said, “I want to buy a mezuzah for a Jewish friend for their new home. Rabbi, would you bless it for me?” I complimented them on their choice of a beautiful painted wooden mezuzah case, made sure they also had acquired the kosher parchment scroll to go inside, and then explained that we don’t bless objects, but rather the mitzvah, the commandment, the action, the holy service in which that ceremonial object is used. To sanctify Shabbat and usher in holy days we make a blessing over the wine, not of the wine; a blessing over the candles, not the candles themselves. I said that I would be happy to come to the house and arrange a Hanukkat Ha-bayyit, a home dedication, at which we would offer blessings, and affix the mezuzah to the doorpost.

 

It is with this concept in mind that we read this week’s double portion Vayakhel and Pikudei, both dealing with gathering to celebrate the completion of the construction of the Mishkan – Tabernacle – in the wilderness by the Children of Israel, echoing the instructions given in previous Torah portions Terumah and Tetzaveh. The work was accomplished by skilled workers under the inspired artistic instruction of Betzalel, the first acknowledged artist, as we read, “God… endowed him with a divine spirit of skill… in every kind of craft and has inspired him to make designs… and to give directions.” (Exodus 35:30-34), enabling him to turn Moses’ blueprint dictated by the Holy One into concrete architecture, and ceremonial objects in precious metals for worship: the golden menorah, the gold-covered Aron Hakodesh to hold the Tablets of the Ten Utterances, woven curtains, and all the other furnishings, implements, and vestments needed for the priests to carry out their work. The devotion of all the people is noted through the detailed listing of the valuable materials used – the gold, silver, copper, fine wood, dyed yarns, skins, and linen, the pure oil for lighting and spices for incense, the precious stones for the breastplate of the High Priest, etc. which were “brought as a freewill offering to God” (Exodus 35:29).

 

Vayakhel has as its root the letters kuf-hey-lamed giving rise to related words such as “gathering together,” “congregation,” community,” “chorus.” So this retelling of the completion of the Mishkan is no mere listing of a giant building project with all its component parts completed and accounted for. Rather this is a recounting of the joyous moment of unification when intention was carried through so that the finished product could be sanctified and used for its holy purpose.

 

This is like when we gather together for worship on Shabbat and holy days, and bring out our silver candlesticks to be lit at the onset of Shabbat, as we look around at the ark holding the Torah scrolls, with the Ner Tamid - Eternal Light - glowing above it. All of the ceremonial objects and the very structure itself become our version of the Mishkan; and the contributions of money, time, planning, and volunteer efforts are very much like the planks, posts, poles and generously donated and crafted contributions of our ancestors. At our services, we use our ceremonial objects, and we sit in sacred space, but the point is to do the inspired and holy journeying we do together through the prayers, the offerings of our hearts, as our ancestors did with the sacrifices on the altar.

 

“Thus was completed all the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meetings. The Israelites did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so they did…. And Moses blessed them (Exodus 39:30-31, and 39:43). The blessing, the ceremonies of setting up the Tabernacle, the ark, the altar, the menorah, etc., with attention to anointing and dedicating each part… these are the powerful, culminating actions that lead to the Cloud of Glory, God’s presence, filling the Tabernacle!

 

During my 7 years as Museum Educator at the Skirball Museum during the 1980's we created many exhibits and honored artists who crafted a wide range of ceremonial objects to enhance worship through Hiddur Mitzvah, the enhancement of carrying out the commandments with beautiful objects and devoted intention. We made sure to communicate the holy uses of these objects in synagogues and homes, to make Jewish culture come alive with these objects, but never lose sight of their ultimate purpose beyond their own beauty.

 

May we continue to build the Mishkan as in ancient times, but with the deep understanding that it is not in the objects or projects themselves that the holiness resides, but rather in the opportunity to focus our attention, our prayers, our offerings - the essence of creating holy space. Remember “If you make me a holy space I will dwell among you, within you” from Terumah (Exodus 25:8). That vital instruction is still playing out here. It is our care, our intention, our devotion, our blessings to carry out mitzvot, that make these beautiful, artistically designed ceremonial objects valuable and important.

 Hazak hazak v’nit-hazek. May we be strong and strengthen each other as we end the reading of the Book of Exodus and continue on our sacred journey.

Purim is like Yom Kippur??!!!!

I thought you would appreciate this "mistake" that turned out to be just perfect for Purim...

The local newspaper - Red Rock News - in Sedona, Arizona, listed my weekly column on the religion page at the very top this week (They rotate the notices from all the churches and our synagogue), and added a heading about our Purim Celebration, plus a graphic they found somewhere. At first glance I assumed it would be part of a Megillah scroll, but as I looked more closely I saw it was actually a page of a Yom Kippur Machzor... upside down!!! So I thought, what a silly mistake they made.... and then.... I realized, No, how absolutely perfect!!!

Yom ha-Kippurim Yom k'Purim!!!! The Day of Atonement is like Purim!
http://www.aish.com/h/pur/t/dt/48949286.html

I realized that they had taught me something about the deeper meanings of Purim that I thought I had known, but now "got it" in a new way!!!

 

Had to share!!

Hag Purim Sameach!

Rabbi Alicia Magal, Sedona, AZ

 

 

In memory of Rabbi David Hartman of blessed memory.

http://hartman.org.il/SHINews_View.asp?Article_Id=1073&Cat_Id=303&Cat_Type=SHINews

I remember how my husband Itzhak came home from work at the Israeli TV station in the mid-1970's and said he had just done an interview with Rabbi David Hartman. They sat on a hill near Rehavia in Jerusalem, and the rabbi waved his hand and said he wanted to build an institute where Jews from all streams of Judaism and from all over the world could study together. And then fast forward to 2008 when I studied at the Hartman Institute during an intense week of study for rabbis. His vision was fulfilled and has influenced thousands of people! May his memory be a blessing and an inspiration.

Torah Portion "Terumah" - Finding Our Gifts

What is Our Unique “Terumah” –

Our Gift Toward Building the Mishkan?

Rabbi Alicia Magal, Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, Northern Arizona

Oh, how much easier it would be if someone could tell us exactly what was needed from each of us when our heart is moved to contribute to our community…  like the directions we read in this week’s Torah portion, Terumah, Exodus 25:1 – 27:19 (February 10-16, 2013).  Moses receives the Divine message that the Israelites should bring gifts: gold, silver, copper, blue, purple, crimson yarns, fine linen, goats’ hair, tanned ram skins, dolphin skins, acacia wood, oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the aromatic incense, lapis lazuli and other stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.  This requested list contains both required amounts and also includes the voluntary nature of the gifts as given by those “whose heart is so moved.”

 

Thus, the Children of Israel were to designate a portion of their own resources for a higher purpose. The raw materials were needed to build God’s Tabernacle. Rashi suggests that these raw materials were combined for sacred use by the intention behind the offering. Beyond the command to give, these offerings were to be a gift to God, given out of a real desire to help build God’s sanctuary and invite the Shekhina, God’s presence, to dwell in the holy space created. It was not enough to gather the required building materials. Without the willing heart element, that sacred mishkan space could not be built for God to dwell there, or within the builders’ very beings.  

Today when we want to help “build our Mishkan”and sustain our holy communities, we are not so sure how to do that.  Certainly there are membership dues as well as fundraising efforts, raffles and dinners, inscribed leaves on the wall-mounted tree of life, mitzvah funds for the needy in our congregations and the wider community, scholarship opportunities to assist families with religious school tuition, and voluntary contributions linked to yahrzeits or in honor of simchas.  We realize that our monetary funds are vitally necessary for the ongoing, vibrant growth of our synagogues, schools, centers, and other religious institutions.  

But I wonder how we find out what our particular, unique “terumah” is.  Terumah contains the Hebrew root letters ROM which connote lifting up, elevating, making our offering special, holy, a gift set aside for a higher purpose.  So there is something extremely personal and soulful connected to the contributions offered by each person.  What is your “gold” – shining, pure, enthusiastic assistance in visiting ill people for Bikkur Holim?  What is your “crimson yarn” – passionate, life-giving social action projects that strengthen connections among people? What are your “ram or dolphin skins” – warm, protective coverings for those without shelter, blankets, or warm coats? What is your “spice for anointing oil” – luscious, fragrant baked goods for shared holiday meals? What are your “precious stones” – sharing your gems of knowledge and experience to teach, tutor, advise, or lead in your area of expertise?  How do you manifest those stirrings of your heart to build and sustain the structure and fabric of our Jewish organizations?

We all have moments when our “hearts are moved” to contribute, but often we don’t know exactly how.  Each of us is called upon to fulfill the commandment to build the mishkan in our own moment in time by contributing some of our precious and unique resources. Each donation adds to the beautiful whole of the communal sacred space.  “V’asu li mikdash, v’shachanti b’tocham – and Make for me a sanctuary, and I will dwell in them.” And when we give from that place in our hearts, and offer up our precious stores of skills, qualities, resources, and efforts, then truly the promise will be fulfilled that the Holy One will “dwell within us.”