Thanksgivukkah – American and Jewish holidays coinciding in 2013

 OK, we’ve been saying that “the Jewish holy days are very, very early this year.”  Well, Hanukkah is no exception!  It will fall on Thanksgiving, with the first candle being lit on Wednesday evening, November 27, and the second candle on Thursday evening at your Thanksgiving dinner!  You can Google “Thanksgivukkah” for detailed explanations of why, for the first and only time in our lives, Hanukkah and Thanksgiving will overlap, and for funny Youtube songs combining the two holiday traditions.

Calendar experts describe this as the first such occurrence. Although the holidays would have fallen on the same date in 1861, President Abraham Lincoln would not formally establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday until 1863.

 

I saw a few cute ideas for cards and Hanukkah menorahs online. Imagine a drawing or a clay model of a turkey with eight tail feathers, and an extra space for the shamash, helper candle, on top of the turkey’s head, or on a taller tail feather. This would serve as a Thanksgiving decoration or as a Hanukkiah (Hanukkah menorah with 9 branches) if made in a fire-proof material.

 

It looks like the next time people will sit at a Thanksgiving dinner and light the Hanukkah candles will be on the evening of November 27, 2070.  I hope that the children now alive who will be present at that next combined holiday celebration will be able to give thanks for improved cooperation between nations, a highly developed system of renewable energy methods, and a sense of interconnectedness among people in their communities. But some experts, like Jewish physicist and calendar expert Jonathan Mizrahi, say it won’t repeat itself until 79,811. 

Either way, for most of us, Thanksgivukkah will be a once-in-a-lifetime event.  I am thinking about that as I prepare to participate in our annual Interfaith Thanksgiving service along with clergy from about a dozen churches and spiritual centers in Sedona. The theme this year is “Gratitude in Action” with special readings offered by all the participating religious institutions. 

It occurs to me that both Thanksgiving and Hanukkah share not only themes of freedom from oppression and gratitude, but a deeper historical source:  the Festival of Sukkot!  The Pilgrims were devout Protestants who read the Hebrew Bible and knew about the harvest festival of Sukkot in the fall.  They patterned the first Thanksgiving in some way after that holiday of giving thanks to God for the bounty of the harvest.  And the Maccabees and their followers out fighting in the hills couldn’t celebrate Sukkot, considered “The” Holiday at that time, and so celebrated it a couple of months later as a week-long rededication ceremony of the Temple in Jerusalem after their victory over the Greek-Syrian army.

Let us each make a special blessing at our Thanksgiving/Hanukkah dinner on Thursday, November 28, as well as enjoying the fun of serving that turkey with a side of potato latkes, and spinning those dreidles this Thanksgivukkah!

 

Mitzvah Day in Sedona, Arizona 2013

Mitzvah Day in Sedona, Arizona! Itzhak stuffed bears to be given to children in the hospital; I offered blessings to a crowd of about 400 volunteers with several pastors from local churches. I am wearing a Mitzvah Day Tee shirt with buttons from each year we have held Mitzvah Day since 2007!

Check out the upcoming Jewish Film Festival selections  http://www.sedonafilmfestival.org/Page.asp?NavID=192

I will be speaking about two of the films - "The Prime Ministers" on Tuesday and "Aftermath" on Wednesday.  Come and support this festival sponsored by the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley  November 1 - 4, 2013.

I'm going to a Hadassah conference near Las Vegas, in which they will be honoring my friend from the Academy for Jewish Religion seminary days - Rabbi Yocheved Mintz.  We will spend much of Shabbat with her and her congregation, and then attend the big gala dinner in her honor Saturday night! 
A very well-deserved honor for her! 
Itzhak and I will remain (at a different resort) for two more days of a national Holocaust Survivors' conference, including workshops for Second and Third Generation Children of Survivors.  My professor, Michael Berenbaum, will be speaking at that conference.
This kind of get away is not what one would call a "relaxing vacation" but it is time away with a different energy.  Looking forward to both conferences.

On September 24, 2013 the Sedona City Council had an open discussion on whether to pass an ordinance allowing Civil Unions.  I spoke very briefly, but set a positive tone for the comments that followed.  The ordinance, although mostly symbolic, since the State of Arizona doesn't allow (yet) same-gender marriage, was passed 5 - 2. Of the many statements I have made in my 10 years as a rabbi, this might have been the most important.  

 

 

(I think that it was more my presence that “spoke” than my actual short words presented to the City Council of Sedona, AZ)

 

 

Civil Union – talking points to City Council September 24, 2013

 

Honorable Mayor Rob Adams, Esteemed Council Members,

 

As member of clergy I believe that in the sight of God we are equal, and no one should suffer because their partnership is not recognized and protected by law.

 

It is exciting that the city of Sedona is considering this ordinance which will set an example for other businesses locally and other cities. It will empower partners of same gender couples to be recognized, respected, and protected.  It will guarantee natural rights of committed, loving partners to be assured of health care visitations, spousal employee benefits, and would reduce possible extended family clashes over such rights.

 

I hope that the leadership of Sedona will let their spark of clear headed thinking shine brightly in not only passing this ordinance, but widely publicizing its benefits to encourage other governing bodies to follow suit.     We shouldn’t lag behind but rather be in the forefront of doing what is correct and compassionate!

 

 Thank you for listening with your head and heart.

The Day After Yom Kippur

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are now over, but what a journey we took together in our congregation in Sedona, Arizona!  With a back drop of the red mountains, dramatic clouds gathering, men, women, children all making dissonant blasts on their shofars as everyone held their breath in suspense.  Moment that brought us all to tears unexpectedly.  Lovely harp arpeggios quietly playing under the reading of the names from the Yizkor memorial book.  Not feeling the fast, all in white, suspended, angel-like in the chant of Al Cheyt, and Avinu Malkeinu, thoughtful time between services in the meditation garden with quotes, poems and questions fluttering, hanging from the trees.  We put a seal on our "Book of Life" filled out with questions during the Ten Days of Awe about our year review and our new goals and dreams. May you be written and sealed in the Book of Living Fully......    Then, hugs and handshakes, and after the Break-the-Fast, we went home.

The next day a congregant expressed the kind of unsettledness I was feeling , still riding on the waves of the intensity of the Holy Days....  Here is her poem which she permitted me to share:

Next Day

 
by Ann Metlay, congregant of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley in Arizona

 Is there a word 

for the day after Yom Kippur?                                                                                                                             
The day after you've atoned;
After you sat 
in an unforgiving chair,
and stood longer
on quaking knees  
than you ever thought you could? 
The day when you no 
longer have to search 
into the recesses of your mind, 
looking for one more person 
from whom you can ask 
forgiveness? After the day you opened
your heart so wide you felt
angel wings fluttering through.

 The day after,

when you must step down 
off the mountaintop, 
and go on living. The day 
you celebrate all 
your soul work 
by lounging in bed,
energized, yet in transition; 
not even bothering 
to get dressed. 

 The day when 

the cloud of glory
miraculously settles over you,
ready to protect you
as you follow
your own path toward
God-promised land? 

Gathered Together, Then and Now
Torah commentary published in the Arizona Jewish News for August 30, 2013 by Rabbi Magal

 

This double portion  - Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 31:1 – 31:30) and  Vayelech (Deuteronomy 31:1 – 31:30)  -  brings us a continuation of Moses’ third farewell speech to Israel.  Nitzavim opens with “You are all assembled here today…” as Moses emphasizes to the Children of Israel that they are all gathered together, from those in the highest  leadership positions to the lowly water carriers, old, young, male, female, and even the yet-to-be-born of future generations, all receiving the Covenant, and all connected as if neither time nor space would separate them from the immediacy of the message Moses is relaying.  It goes on to affirm that we should choose life, choose blessing, choose mitzvot, and choose to see ourselves as part of a community throughout all time.

Vayelech tells of the appointment of Joshua by Moses to be his successor as leader to bring the Children of Israel into the Promised Land.  “Be strong and of good courage!”  Moses says, first in the plural to the people, and then in the singular to Joshua.  Rabbi Albert Plotkin, of blessed memory, who served as a beloved spiritual leader in Phoenix and in Sedona for so many years, used to conclude each of his sermons with that ringing refrain, Hazak v’ematz!    

What fitting readings to be studying during these last few days before the Jewish Year!  During this month of Elul many of us have been preparing for the Days of Awe by reviewing our year, our words and deeds, our “missing the mark,” and doing our best to ask for forgiveness from others, as well as to grant forgiveness to others.

Just as Moses foresaw that Israel will break the Covenant, imitate the ways of other nations, be misled, and suffer with harsh exile, and yet will always have the doorway of repentance through which to re-enter, and will again enjoy the blessings of the Covenant, so we too are comforted by the assurance that if we make a sincere step toward living with the values of our tradition, we too will share in the blessing conferred on our ancestors.

In our synagogue, the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, we prepare a small “Book of Life” for people to fill out at home during the High Holy Days, in which they ask themselves what kinds of goals they had set in the past year, how they fulfilled them, and what still remains to be accomplished.  We provide a sticker with which they can “seal” the little folded booklet, metaphorically like the “Chatimah,” the sealing of the Book of Life at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. While we cannot know how long we will live, we do know that our words and deeds of the past year form a record, and it is as if our actions of compassion and generosity are indeed written in the Book of Living Fully, of making each day count.

Just as we are to feel that each of us came out of Egypt in the Exodus, and that each one of us stood at Sinai to receive Torah, this week in our Torah readings we are thrust back again into the dramatic scene as, at the end of the 40 years’ trek in the wilderness, we are reminded by Moses of our inclusion in the journey of the Israelites up to our own day and on into the future. You and I are really there!

May the shofar blasts awaken us and reconnect us with our ancient roots. May our kindest, most generous deeds be recorded, and may we make efforts to repair and heal any mistakes or misunderstandings.  May we be granted the gift of another year, as sweet as round challah with raisins.    L’Shanah Tovah.

Preparation for High Holy days: Elul Workshop and Selichot service

Invitation from Rabbi Magal to join us at an Elul Workshop, Sunday, August 25, 2013, 2-4 pm,
and our Supper and Selichot service on Saturday, August 31, beginning at 6:30 pm and ending at Sedona midnight (9 pm!!) at the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley in Arizona.

The power point presentation was so well received by over 120 people - a cross-section of Sedona - that I was exremely moved!  I felt like I was speaking from my heart about the most important factors in forming my appreciation for life.  I showed photos from my book "From Miracle to Miracle: A Story of Survival, about my mother's dramatic stories of survival from one seeming dead-end to yet another open door.  Then I showed recent photos of our trip to Poland this past June, when my mother and I spoke to various atudiences, young and old, Jewish and Catholic, about her experiences during the war, and her message to the next generation.  She spoke about how important it is to develop one's talents and skills because literally everything else of a material nature can be taken away from you at a moment's notice.  We attended a re-emerging Reform synagogue in Warsaw, visited the newly opened Museum of Jewish History in Poland, had a very moving reunion with the children of the Catholic Polish piano teacher who saved my mother's life, and so many more adventures and interactions.  Rather than focus on the horrors and losses my mother emphasized resilience, hope, the healing power of art, and the preciousness of life.  She is now the matriarch of a new family line of children, spouses, and grandchildren, like a new shoot from a nearly cut-down tree. I feel that this chapter is now complete. Neither she nor I feel the need to speak about the past anymore but rather to look to the future.  I do not know what new adventures await me, but I feel that I am on the threshold of a new and expansive journey as I continue to serve as rabbi of my community.

Alicia giving presentation at Warsaw synagogue "Bejt Warszawa"

 

 

Nika Fleissig putting stone on Warsaw Ghetto monument

Never Lose Hope; Story of Survival PRESENTATION JULY 28, 2013

 

Rabbi Alicia Magal, spiritual leader of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, and author of “From Miracle to Miracle: A Story of Survival" feels very lucky for the gift of life. Her mother, Nika Kohn Fleissig, was the sole Holocaust survivor of her family. This story will come to life in an interactive presentation by Rabbi Magal on

Sunday July 28 at 4 p.m.at the synagogue, 100 Meadowlark in Sedona.

Explore this bitter time in history--you may never take life for granted again.

 

The Rabbi's mother has an amazing story to tell: her large family was decimated during the Holocaust. Nika, a Sedona winter resident, survived the Second World War as a young Jewish woman in Poland and Germany and began a new life in America in 1946.  Nika, together with her daughter, Rabbi Magal, recently returned to Krakow and Warsaw in Poland, not as tourists, but to make presentations based on their book which had just been translated into Polish. This past week, Nika was honored at the 10th annual Mary Magdalene Celebration Sedona with a presentation of their Soul Sister Courage Award.

 

All are invited to come for this stirring story. The presentation will also provide historical information about the Nazi occupation of Poland, the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, and liberation in 1945 which set the backdrop for Nika’s miraculous survival and message of hope, with discussion to follow.  Admission is free. You will be able to purchase a copy of the English version of “From Miracle to Miracle” during a book signing by the Rabbi. For more information, call 928 204-1286.

 

Rabbi Alicia Magalwww.jcsvv.org

 

 

 

 

Rebirth of Judaism in Poland

 

Seventy years after the Holocaust, who could have imagined a rebirth of Jewish life in Poland?  Certainly not my mother, Nika Kohn Fleissig, who survived the Second World War as a young woman in Poland and Germany, and began a new life in America in 1946.  I returned to Krakow and Warsaw in June together with my mother, not as tourists, but to make presentations based on our book “From Miracle to Miracle: A Story of Survival” which had just been published in Polish.

 

We spoke in Krakow, my mother’s hometown, at the developing Center for Dialogue to Catholic Polish graduate students in Judaic studies, at the Galicia Museum in Krakow to high school students, at the bustling Jewish Community Center to adults and seniors, and then in Warsaw, at the Progressive Jewish congregation, akin to Reform Judaism in America, before their Friday evening Shabbat service.  My mother spoke in elegant Polish, adjusting her words and message to each audience.  I spoke in English, stopping after each group of sentences for translation into Polish by young volunteers.  I began each presentation showing slides of my mother’s large family before World War II, decimated during the Holocaust, and gave some historical information about the Nazi occupation of Poland, the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, and liberation in 1945, as the backdrop for her miraculous survival.  I also showed photos of our synagogue and congregational celebrations in Sedona, ending with a photo of my mother as the proud matriarch of a new family including her children, their spouses, and five grandchildren ranging from 7 to 37!

 

At our talks in Krakow venues, we were delighted to have present the children of the beloved Polish Catholic piano teacher of my mother who helped hide her at the early critical moments of the war when her parents and brother were taken away, and made it possible for her to survive.  We spoke about how their mother, Zosia Pozniak,  had been honored through my mother’s sponsorship with a medal as a Righteous Gentile, and had attended a ceremony in 1979 when a tree was planted in her honor at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, Israel. Her granddaughter told us that she had visited Israel and was very moved to locate that tree and see a plaque at its base with her grandmother’s name inscribed on it.

 

We had such positive reactions. People who weren’t Jewish cried and were moved because of Nika’s story. Somehow it triggered memories of war losses from their own families. There were always hugs at the end of our presentations.

 

We had really no idea that there is re-emerging Jewish life in Poland. From a population of about 3 million before the War, there are maybe a couple thousand now.  Under Communism from the 1950’s through the 1980’s, religion of all kinds was suppressed, and only in the past twenty years has democracy begun to flourish, and with it, a renewed interest in Jewish themes, music, food, and contributions to Polish life over the past thousand years.  Tourism to Jewish sites has become a big business.  I was shocked to see tour trolleys with large signs advertising “Tours to the Jewish Quarter, Ghetto, Auschwitz,”   sites that represented horror and death.  The tours also visit Schindler’s Factory, where over a thousand Jews were saved by being on “Schindler’s List,” including many of my mother’s schoolmates from her unique school in Krakow, where the students learned Hebrew as a modern language in the ‘20’s and ‘30’s along with their required Polish subjects. 

 

We met graduate students, Catholic Poles, interested in Jewish culture. There are concerts of Jewish klezmer music, plays in Yiddish, restaurants with Jewish menus, kosher-style… all prepared by non-Jews! We were introduced to several people who were in the process of  converting to Judaism. Apparently there are many adults who had found out in their twenties, in post-Communist Poland, that they were part Jewish and were now learning about their Jewish heritage.  My mother, who clearly remembers the anti-semitic jokes and slurs, and the dangers of being a Jewish minority in Poland, was amazed by this new positive attitude toward Judaism, and openness to inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue.  She described how one always had to be careful as a Jew... not belonging really although Jews had lived for centuries in Poland and felt very Polish..but were treated as a tolerated, but discriminated against minority. Certain professions and opportunities were closed. Then during the War there was constant danger of death if one was found out to be a Jew.  The idea that now there are people who want to convert is amazing to her. She heard how they are attracted to the sense of community, of study and questioning, or being rooted in an ancient tradition.  There is still anti-semitism… It has not disappeared, but there is also a young generation searching for a more human understanding of people and refusing the old patterns of stereotyping and discrimination. 

 

As we walked through the cobblestone streets of parts of old Krakow, I came upon views that I had seen in my mother’s paintings when I was a child.  I excitedly pointed out the perspective of a narrow street with houses in perspective leading to the Brama Florienska, the medieval Florian Gate, and exclaimed, “Isn’t that the view in one of your earliest paintings that I remember from our house in White Plains, NY?” My mother was thrilled that I recognized it.  That moment for me was like seeing a still, dark scene suddenly come to life with bustling people on the sidewalk.  Throughout this trip I felt like I was bouncing back and forth between the 1930’s, 40’s and today’s reality.  I stepped into the painting of the past and brought our life story into the present.

In Warsaw, my mother said it felt so unreal. In 1944, after the Warsaw Uprising, before she was taken to Prisoner of War camp with 2000 women – a whole other story -  she had left a totally bombed out city, all rubble, and now we came to a totally rebuilt modern city. Past and present continued to merge.

 

For my mother this was a very healing and satisfying trip.  Young and old approached her and thanked her for her inspiring message of developing one’s skills and talents and using them for good. She has no room for hate or blame, but rather looks for human connections with people of all backgrounds.  She asked young people, “What is your passion?” and challenged them to treasure their unique gifts and not waste the precious gift of life.  Every day for my mother is another adventure, another miracle.

 

I will give a more in-depth presentation about our odyssey for the Sedona community on Sunday, July 28 at 4 pm at the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, 100 Meadowlark Drive, Sedona, AZ. 

Getting ready for this emotionally-laden journey to Poland with my mother who is a 93 year old Holocaust survivor. I will be posting my journal entries from there to help me process the encounters.

Tikkun Olam

Each synagogue service is a journey through the Four Worlds, rising from our concrete world of Action – Assiyah,  through to the emotional world of Creative Formation – Yetzirah, to the realm of the mind and intellectual understanding in the world of Thought – Briyah, up into the spiritual element of Atzilut – Closeness to Divinity; and then we climb back down the mountain bringing all the gifts of the insights and emotional connections we have gained.  We return to our regular surroundings grounded, refreshed, enlivened by the journey.  Near the end of each service I feel that switch from elevation and inspiration to a focus on application of these ideals to daily life situations when we sing Aleinu, one of the closing prayers.  

That prayer includes verses describing a time when idolatry will be abolished and all will call upon God’s name, and we will all be One.  The verse “le-taken olam bemalkhut Shaddai, to fix the world under God’s Kingdom,” as well as the repetitions of the phrase “Al-ken – therefore it is up to us….” Help us strengthen our resolve to act on the inspiration we have just received from the Torah portion, Rabbi’s message, and the prayers offered during the service.  We are not to leave those feelings of compassion and caring at the door, but carry them with us “when we lie down, when we rise up, when we sit in our house or walk by the way” as it says in the Va’ahavta prayer of love following the Shema. 

 How can we possibly “repair the world” when it is so overwhelmingly broken?  Kabbalistic mystic Rabbi Isaac Luria in 16^th century Safed, Israel, taught that when God contracted to make room for the creation of the world, God poured energy into vessels of Divine light. Those vessels shattered, and the fragments scattered as holy sparks infused into all of creation.  Our task is to retrieve those holy sparks from every aspect of our life, and thus repair, heal, and help complete the world.  Ways to repair the world, according to Luria, are through prayer, Torah study and the performance of mitzvoth – acts of loving kindness.  Thus we become God’s partners in creation.  

 “In a sense, tikkun olam expands God’s original covenant with the Jews at Sinai by adding a metaphysical and spiritual dimension to our ethical and moral obligations,” according to Howard Schwartz, a scholar of Jewish folklore at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

 Tikkun olam is now included in the mission of nearly all synagogues, and is often understood to mean doing projects of social action in the community.  This concept is seen as transcending Judaism and including humanity, in its far reaching goal of offering helping hands to the needy.   Funds are collected in synagogue not only to aid in local communities or to assist programs in Israel, but often for relief at the site of earthquakes, floods, famine and disasters in far-off countries.

The JCSVV Social Action Team, with Karen Schudson as Chair, has been involved in the Back Pack Program to bring food from the local food bank to school children who otherwise might be hungry over the weekend.  Other projects like the Men’s Club involvement in preparing hot meals at the Community Hot Supper served at St. Andrews, the Women’s Havurah support of the local Verde Valley Sanctuary for Women and Children, our leadership in the annual Mitzvah Day, and other outreach programs in which our members are involved, enable us to put our prayers into practice, and in some small measure to repair and heal the world. 

Come take the journey together during our uplifting services, and come back “down to earth” with renewed strength and resolve so that each one of us can pick up the holy sparks and do our part to repair our world.  

  

Blessing for the month of Tamuz (June 8 – July 7, 2013)

May we feel grounded in our tradition and teachings which should lead us to reach out in compassion to those in need.  May our hearts fill with love that leads to action that is healing and repairing, to tikkun olam, in our immediate circle and expanding to the wider arenas of the world. 

                                            -Amen. 

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.