Shalom uvrakha, there's been a lot of discussion about how Jewish college students are dealing with anti-Semitism and anti-Israel activism. Prof. Howard Wettstein of the University of California, Riverside, has written an article on the topic. You can access it by going to the homepage at jewishideas.org The direct link is https://www.jewishideas.org/articles/being-jewish-campus.
The essence of authentic religion is developing a deep spirituality, a feeling of God’s presence in one’s life. This spiritual sense not only imbues the individual with personal meaning, but also leads to living a moral, righteous life.
Our Bible presents the words and prophetic experiences of ancient Israelites, providing examples of religion at its highest spiritual moments. Yet, the Bible understands that our daily lives cannot maintain the highest level of spirituality at all times. We need rituals and rites that can serve to bring us into relationship with God on a daily basis, not only at moments of spiritual insight.
"I am not worthy of all the mercies and all the truth which You have shown unto Your servant." (Bereishith 32:11)
Jacob had a remarkable curriculum vitae. He was the patriarch of a large family. He possessed an impressive amount of livestock and was quite wealthy. By external standards of success, Jacob had achieved a lot during his years with Lavan.
When Moses approached the end of his career, he asked God to appoint a new leader for the Israelites, so that “the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd” (Bemidbar 27:17). He wanted to be sure that his successor would be someone who would lead the people as a shepherd who tends his flock.
A shepherd is often lonely. A shepherd often loses sleep. A shepherd watches over the entire flock, especially the weaker sheep and the stragglers. A shepherd keeps the flock in order, making sure that all are accounted for. A shepherd leads the flock with thoughtfulness and devotion.
Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University conducted extensive studies on longevity. In one of these studies, they focused on 243 Ashkenazic Jews (average age 97.6 years, 75% women) to determine whether there is a genetic basis to living long lives. Their findings were reported in an article published online May 21, 2012, in the journal “Aging.”
The election season is filled with slogans, sound bites, campaign posturing. Candidates employ experts who can best market them. The candidates are instructed on what to say and what not to say; the tone of voice they should use; the type of clothes and makeup they should wear. The goal is to create an electable image. News items are subject to p.r. spins; polls are used as signs of gained or lost momentum and are interpreted by candidates in a way that most favors themselves.
Rabbi Harold Kushner told a story of a man who stopped attending his usual synagogue and was now frequenting another minyan. One day he happened to meet the rabbi of his previous synagogue, and the rabbi asked him where he was praying these days. The man answered: “I am praying at a small minyan led by Rabbi Cohen.”
The rabbi was stunned. “Why would you want to pray there with that rabbi. I am a much better orator, I am more famous, I have a much larger following.”
The man replied: “Yes, but in my new synagogue the rabbi has taught me to read minds.”
The rabbi was surprised. “Alright, then, read my mind.”
The man said: “You are thinking of the verse in Psalms, ‘I have set the Lord before me at all times.’”
This week's Torah portion includes Jacob's last words to his sons. He described his fourth son, Judah, as a lion, and stated that the scepter of kingship would never depart from Judah (and his descendants). All the brothers (and their tribes) would turn to Judah for leadership. What did Judah do to deserve this singular role?
The answer may be suggested in the story of Joseph's threat to keep Benjamin in Egypt as his servant. The brothers, believing that Joseph was a ruler of Egypt, were in a terrible quandary. They knew that their father Jacob would be devastated by the loss of Benjamin. They knew that they had to find a way to confront Joseph and make him change his mind.
"And Moses spoke before God saying: behold, the children of Israel did not listen to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me..."
Moses brought the children of Israel a tremendous message: God was ready to end their slavery in Egypt; God would bring them to the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. After generations of harsh servitude, the Israelites would now become free.
In the opening pages of his book “The Upright Thinkers,” Dr. Leonard Mlodinow reports an incident in his father’s life as an inmate in a Nazi concentration camp. The elder Mlodinow was then a young Polish Jew, who had not received formal education past seventh grade. In the camp, he met an older inmate, a mathematician, and they struck up a friendship.