My Alma Mater: a Rosh Hashana Address

By virtue of the fact that my father taught and was Hebrew Supervisor at the Ramaz School for around thirty years, I was enrolled as a student there for twelve years. Along with my home environment, Ramaz is where I was imprinted with Zionism and Judaism, and received an outstanding Jewish education.

I received Principal Rabbi Haskel Lookstein's Rosh Hashana address in my email a week or two ago. He was the assistant principal when I was a student there (his father, Rabbi Joseph Lookstein a"h, who also officiated at my chatunah, was then principal).

I feel that this address is important enough to share with my readers. It very much epitomizes what Modern Orthodoxy strives to be today.

Add to that the idea of G-d being available to everyone learned or not, and also emphasizing mysticism, spirituality and holiness in one's daily life, joy and dance in observance as well as serious Jewish (and secular) scholarship; and knowing that I am descendant (on my mother's side) from Reb Levi Yitzchak mi-Berditzchev--all this is why I consider myself a MOC (Modern Orthodox Chassidic) Jew: we need a shiluv between the old and the new...

So I am doing what Rabbi Lookstein has asked: I am sharing his Rosh Hashana address with others.

May you all have a year of all the brachot that Hashem can bestow upon you.

To the Ramaz Family from Rabbi Haskel Lookstein

This is an email that should not be treated as an email.

Please print it out and read it with your family.

September 15, 2009

26 Elul 5769

Dear Members of the Ramaz Family,

The period of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is a time for cheshbon ha-nefesh - soul searching and introspection. All of us must do this on a personal level. It is, however, also important for us to do this on an institutional level, as a school family. We should ask ourselves: are we as parents, students, and an institution fulfilling our mission as we have set it forth for ourselves over the past seventy-two years?

What are the elements of that mission and how should we be searching our own souls both personally and institutionally concerning it?

I

The first principle of our mission is Derech eretz precedes Torah. This means exactly what it says. The first responsibility of the Ramaz family is adherence to an ethical and moral code of conduct. This means, among other things, respect for others, refinement in behavior, careful, clean speech, and civility in all of our relationships. Sadly, during the past year, the Jewish world has been embarrassed (in many ways so has God) by behavior on the part of Jews that runs completely counter to the principle of derech eretz preceding Torah. Both secular and so-called religious Jews have profaned God's name and Judaism's reputation by fraud, money laundering, cheating people and the government, and by other dreadful violations of our ethical and moral code of conduct. We all have to do some serious soul searching about how all of this happened.

But, we should also be asking ourselves whether we are personally living a life of derech eretz in our interactions. Are we being respectful in the way in which we speak and relate to each other? Do boys and girls in our own school, which is committed to coeducation in a religious environment, conduct themselves properly, practicing modesty, dignity and humanity? Do we uphold the highest standards of menschlichkeit in all of our relationships: parents to children, children to parents, teachers to students, students to teachers and students to each other?

This is our first area of cheshbon ha-nefesh. It is important that we ask ourselves these questions and if the answers are not fully satisfactory - and who can honestly answer those questions in a completely satisfactory manner - we have to be fully conscious of what comes first in our mission: derech eretz, i.e. menschlichkeit.

II

The second principle in our mission is a commitment to Torah, mitzvot, the People of Israel, and the State of Israel. In an address to the parents of the Maimonides School in 1971, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, of blessed memory, discussed the nature of a commitment to Torah and mitzvot. He said as follows:

"Judaism is characterized by a Divine imperative. Freedom is central to Judaism, but not in order to cast off the moral imperative, to disintegrate into human slavery. We believe the purpose of freedom is to develop a will-power, a capability to renounce certain actions because they are immoral, no matter how pleasurable they may be. We thus believe the Jewish life is a disciplined life. It is a life which places a premium on the moment of recoil. I come close - very close - but at the last moment I realize the objective is demonic; it is Lilith, the demonic beauty which we may never attain."

The Rav goes on to say that in a Yeshiva Day School we teach observance of Torah and Halakha, but we do not preach or indoctrinate. We do not force upon a child a particular observance. We want him or her to do or not to do the right things of his or her free will. Religion, implanted under coercion, will never last.

It was a fascinating observation by the Rav. We have to have a commitment to Halakha, but it must be of our own free will. We have to teach our will to bend to God's will, whether this be in kashrut or Shabbat or sexual behavior or business practices or in any other area of life. We have to teach our children - and our parents - to accept and live by a divine imperative. This runs quite counter to the secular ethic that is the norm in our society where moral relativism is king and whatever I think is right is right, and whatever somebody else thinks is right is also right. That is not what we try to teach in Ramaz and it is not the ethic of Judaism. "Judaism is characterized by a Divine imperative." We live a life of Torah and mitzvot and love of the Jewish people and Medinat Yisrael because that is what is objectively right.

Ramaz students and parents should understand that when they are part of the Ramaz family, they are making such a commitment. They may not be at the level of full commitment yet - Who is? Isn't that why we all have a Yom Kippur? - but that is the goal toward which we should all be striving. It is what we are teaching in school and it is what we should be teaching at home as well, in every area of life. And, as the Rav puts it, it must be taught not by force or indoctrination, but by presenting the texts of Judaism, the ideas and ideals of Judaism and urging ourselves to accept them of our own free will. It is not an easy task; but whoever said it was easy to be Jew? It is a struggle, but a blessed struggle in which we should all be actively engaged.

III

The third principle of our mission is the pursuit of academic excellence in accordance with the ability of the child. Here, too, the Rav spoke eloquently and powerfully:

"Judaism is wedded to the logos (the Rav loved to use Latin and Greek terminology). It thinks very highly of the intellect. It is first and foremost a thought system, a way of thinking. The Halakha stands for a modus cogitandi, a way of reacting to stimuli and events..."

For us, this means that we try to give our students the opportunity to reach the highest level of academic and intellectual development of which they are capable, each in accordance with his or her own ability. The Rav continued:

"... we believe in the Jewish child, that he/she is capable of carrying a double educational load; that he/she is capable of carrying a universal secular and specific Jewish educational load, in terms of concentration, study and absorption - and that he/she can excel in both! Some people deny it; they don't believe that literacy is possible on both levels; they say literacy in both realms is an absurdity. We reject this philosophy of doom and say that a Jewish child is educable in terms of literacy and scholarship in both realms as well. Such a concept is indispensable to our philosophy of religious commitment. We believe the Jewish child can learn and assimilate secular scientific viewpoints without contradicting Torah viewpoints. He/she can be committed to a very ancient past and hold the vision of a glorious future, while simultaneously coming to understand the world about him..."

There it is: the same philosophy that my father embraced when founding Ramaz in 1937. It is our same philosophy today. We should all try to do our best to be fully integrated Jews and Americans, steeped in the knowledge of Judaism and the understanding of Western civilization.

IV

The final principle of our mission is to develop in our students a sense of responsibility to the Jewish people and the world. Here again I quote the Rav's speech:

"And last, we believe that the Jew cannot live alone. He belongs to a covenantal community established by Abraham. The password of the Jew is chesed. The Jew is supposed to share in the travail of humanity in general and of his people in particular. He must share in the destiny of his people and be sensitive to the destiny of mankind..."

This is the Rav's way of saying what Ramaz has tried to stress over the past seven decades, namely, that a Ramaz student and alumnus/alumna should always have a sense of responsibility for the Jewish people and for the general society. "It is not good for man to live alone," says the Bible in Bereishit. The immediate reference is to the need for marriage but the wider implications were stated by the Rav on many occasions: a Jew is not allowed to live a Robinson Crusoe existence. He or she must always live in society, caring about society, committed to the well-being of others and not just living for himself or herself alone. This is implicit in all of our prayers which are always in the plural and in dozens of mitzvot in the Torah which teach us that every Jew is responsible for every other Jew and that nobody is permitted to stand by while others, Jew or non-Jew suffer or are in need.

I continue to be very gratified by reports of Ramaz alumni who demonstrate that kind of responsibility in college and in their communal lives. It is something which we try to teach at Ramaz and which should be taught and practiced at home as well.

I hope that the above thoughts about cheshbon ha-nefesh - both personal and institutional - will be helpful for you as I pray they will be helpful for me as well. I urge you to discuss this letter with your children, depending upon its age appropriateness and to think about its contents for your own personal lives and your role as parents and teachers. You might even want to make this a subject for discussion at your Rosh Hashanah table. It is much more than a statement about a school; with the help of the Rav, I believe it is a statement about how to live a Modern Orthodox Jewish life.

On behalf of Head of School Judy Fagin and the entire faculty of Ramaz, I wish you all a happy, healthy, peaceful and blessed year. L'Shana Tova Tikateivu V'teichateimu.

Very cordially yours,
Haskel Lookstein

One of the Lamed-Vavnikim*

There is a mystical Chassidic tradition that there are always present in every generation 36* righteous, humble Jews, "whose role in life is solely to justify the purpose of mankind in the eyes of G-d." They are necessary to sustain the world.

Even if the world descends into barbarism (in which path it often seems to be going these days), as long as these 36 righteous Jews exist, G-d will not destroy the world. Each one of these Tzaddikim is unbeknownst to the other, and if only one of them was missing, the world would end. They are also known as the "Tzaddikim Nistarim," the 'hidden righteous ones.

Because no one knows who they are, and because if someone 'declares' himself to be one of them we know it isn't he, each one of us should strive to be like one of them; we should, humbly, do good and show great kindness to every Jew, no matter if he is different than you.

I saw this video and had tears in my eyes, and thought it was appropriate before Yom Kippur...

(This is why I thank G-d every minute of every day that I was born a Jew. What a people we are! I am honored to be a member of this tribe...)

One of the Thirty Six - Rabbi Aryeh Levin

Shared via AddThis

*Lamed Vavnikim: the Hebrew letters 'lamed' and 'vav' equal 30 and 6, respectively. The 36 righteous Jews are referred to also as the 'lamed-vavnikim,' or the 'thirty-six.'

Yom Kippur: a FAST Day

I am posting a public 'asking for a mechilah' post two days before Yom Kippur (The Jewish Day of Atonement); if in the past year I have verbally or virtually--to my fellow bloggers and readers whom I know personally and see in my community, and to those I know from your blogs and comments--said or done anything to insult or hurt you in any way, I am asking for forgiveness.

Wishing you a meaningful Shabbat Shuvah, and a meaningful fast on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), and may it pass fast.

Bibi Netanyahu: A Speech for Our Time

If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once.
-Sir Winston Churchill.

It's about time we had a leader of the state of Israel who doesn't pussyfoot around, doesn't worry about "political correctness," but rather spits out the truth, and tells us his view of the U.N. and their 'Human Rights Commission.' I agree with him on all points, except I am not a proponent of the "two state solution," although I believe he had to say that. My view is, the Arabs have 22 sovereign states, and at least one of them is Palesinian in territory and population.

The Jews have only one: Israel. And so it shall remain, one JEWISH state of Israel, eventually between its Biblical borders, forever. Amen, ken yehi ratzon.

HH #235 (so they say)

Just a note to say that Haveil Havalim (henceforth known as "HH") #235, the "Slow Fast Edition" (you did know today was a fast day...and it passed r-e-a-l s-l-o-w. . .) is up at Batya's Me-Ander, right here.
Read the linked blog posts. And read about the JBlogger's convention: unlike your truly, Batya was (drum roll, please) actually there! So she has the scoop.

And here, totally random, are two of my whole wheat, round, honey-raisin challot which I baked for Yom Tov. They were (and still are) really yummy, baruch Hashem.





Gmar chatimah tovah* to all my Jewish readers...

*gmar chatimah tovah: may you be sealed (in the Book of Life) for Good.

Snow on Tzom Gedaliah 5770, and The End of Days...

I awoke this morning to cold air. The temperature (it was forecast) had dropped to the fifties. It was gray and raining. As I looked out the window (while freezing in my PJs), I saw rain mixed with snow. Our first snow, on Tzom Gedaliah*. September 21st. This is considered early, although the changing-t0-snow was very brief, although it is still raining. It was barely snow; just a hint . . .

But it is interesting, because the geese had disappeared. Our complex is a haven for ducks and geese, because there are greenbelts and several 'lakes' (man-made, of course; part of the design). They live here in the summer, and practically all year round, at least the ducks do.
But the geese a week or two ago, suddenly were gone. A friend of mine opined that geese have a sense of the seasons, and if they suddenly fly--it means that it will be an early winter. It certainly feels like that now.

I read sometime back in the summer, around Tisha b'Av*, about a gathering which took place in Jerusalem. One of the people present asked the Rav, whose name I can't remember (it began with a 'K'), to talk about hilchot * Tisha b'Av. He declined. Everyone was dismayed by his non-response. And then he explained: next year (meaning, this year, which has just begun: 5770), there will not be a mourning Tisha b'Av; it will have become a joyous holiday. Therefore, there is no need to expound on it's halachot.
At that point after reading this, I became unsettled (as did everyone gathered there, as it was related in the article); we are talking about this year, just begun on Rosh Hashana. That Tisha b'Av will turn into a joyous chag. We Jews know what that means, don't we?

I have to say, that there was great kavannah* in the davening on both days, and even though I had problems with my legs and feet, as they were still painfully swollen from standing and baking, cooking and washing pots and floors, and then walking a mile-plus, to and from shul and our hosts' home, it was an awesome chag*. I felt the words of the tefilot* and liturgy as I had not for some years. The shofar blasts were loud, clear and strong.

And I was brought to tears at reading the haftarah*, (various not-necessarily-contiguous verses excerpted, and please forgive the formatting problems) from Yirmiyahu, 21:2-20:

כֹּה, אָמַר יְהוָה, מָצָא חֵן בַּמִּדְבָּר, עַם שְׂרִידֵי חָרֶב; הָלוֹךְ לְהַרְגִּיעוֹ, יִשְׂרָאֵל,

מֵרָחוֹק, יְהוָה נִרְאָה לִי; וְאַהֲבַת עוֹלָם אֲהַבְתִּיךְ, עַל-כֵּן מְשַׁכְתִּיךְ חָסֶד

כִּי יֶשׁ-יוֹם, קָרְאוּ נֹצְרִים בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם; קוּמוּ וְנַעֲלֶה צִיּוֹן, אֶל-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ

כִּי-פָדָה יְהוָה, אֶת-יַעֲקֹב; וּגְאָלוֹ, מִיַּד חָזָק מִמֶּנּו

ּ וְיֵשׁ-תִּקְוָה לְאַחֲרִיתֵךְ, נְאֻם-יְהוָה; וְשָׁבוּ בָנִים, לִגְבוּלָם

הֲבֵן יַקִּיר לִי אֶפְרַיִם, אִם יֶלֶד שַׁעֲשֻׁעִים--כִּי-מִדֵּי דַבְּרִי בּוֹ, זָכֹר אֶזְכְּרֶנּוּ עוֹד

עַל-כֵּן, הָמוּ מֵעַי לוֹ--רַחֵם אֲרַחֲמֶנּוּ, נְאֻם-יְהוָה

"Thus saith the LORD: the people that were left of the sword have found grace in the wilderness, even Israel, when I go to cause him to rest. From afar the LORD appeared unto me.' 'Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with affection have I drawn thee. For there shall be a day, that the watchmen shall call upon the mount Ephraim: arise ye, and let us go up to Zion, unto the LORD our God.'
For the LORD hath ransomed Jacob, and He redeemeth him from the hand of him that is stronger than he.

And there is hope for thy future, saith the LORD; and thy children shall return to their own border.

Is Ephraim a darling son unto Me? Is he a child that is dandled? For as often as I speak of him, I do earnestly remember him still; therefore My heart yearneth for him, I will surely have compassion upon him, saith the LORD."

I take this as a prophecy for the future. It fits our times, from centuries of persecution and exile culminating in the Holocaust, on through the creation of the State of Israel, and beyond.

Our redemption as G-d's people isn't over yet. Not by a long shot. Israel is just the beginning, just the ראשית צמיחת גאולתינו* - the first flowering of our redemption. The Temple Mount will yet be restored to us. The third Beit HaMikdash* will be built. Israel will be a JEWISH state, as it was always meant to be: a homeland for the Jewish People, not a 'state of all its citizens.'

This year, the year of 5770, will be different. Hashem* will not abandon His people.




*Tzom Gedaliah: the fast of Gedaliah, which is the day after Rosh Hashana
*hilchot: the laws of
*halachot: laws
*kavannah: deep, heartfelt intention, as in when praying
*chag: holiday
*tefilot: prayers *haftarah: the portion of the Prophets read right after the Torah portion every Shabbat.
*reshit tzmichat ge'ulateinu: the first flowering of our redemption
*Beit HaMikdash: the Holy Temple, which was originally on what is known as The Temple Mount, in Jerusalem.
*Hashem: G-d (lit., 'the Name.')

Preparations on the Eve of 5770

No time to blog, for days now; doing a little work here and there, and somehow have been busy, busy, busy. With the chagim* coming, the tension and excitement are mounting. I have just seen our friends out the door. My friend came earlier to cook in our kitchen, as we are jointly cooking with a third couple (who are a little homebound), and going to their house for the first seudah* of Rosh Hashana* which starts Friday at sundown.

I baked six (6) round challot*, whole-wheat, two with raisins. The custom for Rosh Hashana is to use round challot as opposed to braided, as 'round' is a symbol of the circle of life, and on Rosh Hashana we review our deeds from the past year, atoning for our sins, and ask for forgiveness. It is also, according to Jewish tradition, the day of the creation of Adam ha-rishon, the first man. We believe that G-d judges us on this day, which is why one of the names (Hebrew) of this auspicious day, is Yom ha-Din, or 'Day of Judgement.' The name of the holiday in the Torah, is "Yom Teru'ah," or The Day of the Blowing of the Shofar, which alerts the people to review their ways, and if need be, repent.

My husband was cooking for hours earlier, and tomorrow we both will be, but this year the burden is divided by three because of the other two families: my friend baked two potato kugels* and one carrot kugel tonight, and tomorrow she is returning in the a.m. to work on honey cakes, and I don't even remember what else, I'm so tired.

My husband made the fish (trout) for the first course, as well as for the "Ye'he ratzon*" custom we follow, where we use various foods with double-entendre names which 'sound like' words we use to ask G-d to protect us from our enemies (I'm trying to be politically correct here), and to give us the blessing to be 'fruitful and multiply.'

But you can read the whole thing for yourselves, at his blog, The Kosher Kook (www.kosherkook.blogspot.com), because I'm tired--it's after midnight, and I have to be up early to continue preparing for the chag.

So at this point I wish all my readers (all 3.5 of you) a blessing for a good, healthy, productive and happy New Year: may you all be written and sealed in the book of life, or as we say in Hebrew, "ktivah ve-chatimah tovah."




*chagim: holidays
*seudah: festive meal
*Rosh Hashana: literally, the 'head of the year,' or the Jewish New Year
*challot: plural of 'challah,' the braided loaf traditionally used on Sabbaths and holidays; only this time it's round.
*kugel: Jewish casserole
*Yehe ratzon: lit., "may it be Your will (oh Lord)..."

Asaf Ramon, z"l. . .

Just saw terrible news on Arutz Sheva; Assaf Ramon, son of Ilan Ramon (the first Israeli astronaut), was killed in an air training accident. He had recently completed his Israeli Air Force (IAF) pilot course "with excellence."

I am speechless. Baruch Dayan ha-Emet. . .

Asaf Ramon of Blessed Memory

Shared via AddThis

The 2nd Annual Jewish Bloggers Convention

I am having a great time just participating in the chat room, virtually 'meeting' other bloggers by watching the live webcast and chatting with other bloggers. I am seeing bloggers whose blogs I read, and I wish there were some way we could have video set-ups for each chat-room member so if we choose, we could see and be seen (anonymity, be gone!).

Right now, different bloggers are being introduced, while the general hevre went to have dinner (I ran to get my oatmeal breakfast & more coffee)!

Benji Lovitt of What War Zone is about to to a stand-up; they are all coming back from dinner now...
Benji is funny, no question about it. Stand up comedy is serious business, and it is TOUGH.

Will try to update this as it is happening (Jameel, thanks for setting a precedent!); it is 8:03 p.m. Israel time, and Benji is into his act: talking about the funnyness (is that a word?) of the Hebrew language for olim chadashim...

Ron Dermer speaking now--discussing the changing paradigm of information distribution-- and how to improve Israel PR--excellent.

He is now talking about not waiting for the government (Israeli or otheriwise) to initiate change; we, as bloggers, need to 'get the message out' to everyone, and not merely 'preach to the choir.'

We need to tell the truth about Israel, and distribute it to great numbers of contacts; we need to take an active role in improving Israeli PR...

Allison Kaplan Sommer of Pajamas Media is the moderator for the next topic: "Employing Social Media for a Successful Aliyah."

Now talking about 'Uniting the Jewish World with Social Media. . . ' the speaker is Marc Rosenberg of Nefesh b'Nefesh, which is sponsoring the Convention.

I just asked a virtual question, how can we (specifically, ME and my hubby) find jobs in Israel--and they addressed it live, YAY!

Ok, the convention just ended. You can probably see it online in a couple of days, by going to the Nefesh b'Nefesh website (see link above).

le-hitra'ot (see ya later). . . !

Good Luck to the Chosen Bloggers!

There just ended--in case you live under a rock, or are not a blogger (same difference)--a contest to choose several bloggers to go to Israel and participate in person at the Jewish Bloggers Convention sponsored by Nefesh b'Nefesh to be held in Jerusalem on Sept. 13th . The winner would fly free (NY to Tel-Aviv, that is) and would be assigned to an oleh family (a family making aliyah, moving to Israel) and would blog about their experience.

I was shocked and thrilled (well, not so shocked; I was actually thinking of her and hoping she'd do it. . . ) when Ye'he Sh'mey Raba Mevorach of the Every Day and its Challenges blog asked me if I wanted to be nominated (are you kidding?!).

To make a long story longer, she did-and this is what happened:
1) I was thrilled,
2)I told my kids there was a smidgen of a chance I would be there next week (but don't bet on it),
3) I sent them all Ye'he's beautiful nominating post (click on link above), and (drum roll)
4) I didn't win.

Slight let down. Ok, major let down, slight depression. Also relief: where would I get the cold hard cash to fly from D----- to New York, eh? To buy bus fare to and from the convention in Yerushalayim? To eat at Rimon on Ben Yehudah or Atara in Rehavia?

Well, maybe not the latter two; my Yerushalmi son said to me, (paraphrased) "eema, you will not eat in restaurants, you hear?! It's not as if you've never been to Jerusalem and never eaten out, is it? You can live with a trip not eating in restaurants. You'll stay with us and we'll feed you yummy 7-course dinners" (well, I don't remember if he actually said that last part, but. . . )

But is this story over? Not on your life. The whole episode gave me koach to continue to write about our fantastic little country, for even with all its growing pains, existential questions, adjustments and angst--think about it: created just in 1948, which makes it only a teenager in the great scheme of countries and nations--look at what it has achieved. And it gave me impetus to write about what it means to be a Jew in this topsy-turvy world, and to personally strive to get us (my kids' parents!) back to Israel.

In the meantime, I thank Ye'he Sh'may Raba Mevorach from the bottom of my heart for her thoughts and blessings, and I wish the winning bloggers/blogs: BadforShidduchim, David Kelsey of Jewcy, Orit Arfa of Jewish Journal, and Adam dichter of Jewish Week much hatzlacha!

Israel is, as they say, reisheet tzmichat ge'ulataynu, the "first flowering of our redemption." Without a safe and flourishing Jewish State of Israel, there is no future for the Jewish people in the diaspora, nor I might add--for the world at large.