Speaking about Parashat Trumah in Melbourne

Trumah Torah portion is not easily read, not even by Hebrew speakers. It is dedicated entirely to a meticulously detailed description of the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), for which all the materials were brought in by the Israelites. This Torah portion tells us which materials are to be collected and put together, what part should be placed on top and what should be placed next to what. This Torah portion seems like a complicated Ikea instruction manual, with exceptional depth and elaboration.

A famous saying claims that “God is in the little details”, and this is beautifully explained in this Torah portion. God is in the place where a lot of thought was invested, where the little details were thought out; God is not in a ready-made place but in one where men labored.

This reminds me of something that my father used to say: “if you do something, do it right”. If you want to earn your colleagues’ respect, to leave a trace of your own, to do something significant, don’t just do it offhandedly but do it right, put your heart into it, put in the time, effort and though it requires.

On the other hand, my mother had a saying of her own. When I would bring home something I made in art class, for instance a figure of an animal – that bore little resemblance to anything you may find in a zoo – my mother would say: “it’s the thought that matters”. What she meant was: even if you didn’t invest a lot of time and thought and the result is not exactly right, it is your good intentions that are important.

Well, my friends, this dilemma is still with me today. How should I tackle the tasks of life? Should I put my entire self into each and every task, perform each with all my heart and soul? This would be the ideal thing to do, but is it possible with so many things to do and such limited time? On both the job front and the family and social circles, the tasks are so many. Not to mention studying, which I would love to take up seriously, and the social causes to which I am eager to commit. So maybe I shouldn’t put so much effort into one task but do a little of everything? A little work, family life, friends, school, social projects – maybe this would be the magic formula? Perhaps this is the only way we can get things done.

When I was quite young I wanted very much to go to university. I remember myself still in high school, looking through university web sites, selecting courses long before I even enrolled. During my internet searches I was always amazed to read about the professors who had dedicated their lives to their specific research, such as to investigating some African beetle. What could be so important about one tiny beetle, I wondered. Why would this professor invest so much time and effort in a beetle, rather than in other, more important causes? But on the other hand, he is one of the world’s experts on this beetle, he knows he gave the world his very own, distinct, contribution, backed by all the heart and courage it takes to promote the knowledge of humanity on this very specific subject. So what would be the most significant way to live your life? Which way brings you more influence?

As a member of the Board of the Israeli Reform Movement, I can tell you that this dilemma preoccupies not only me personally but also our movement as a whole. The Israeli society of today is full of gaps that need to be filled. In secular schools, too little emphasis is given to Jewish education, and our surveys show that the Israeli secular public is eager for more progressive Jewish content. If you know the history of the Israeli Reform Movement you can appreciate how incredible the findings of these surveys are. Hundreds of thousands of new immigrants are waiting for the Jewish leaders who will welcome them into Judaism through a process that respects them as modern people. Millions of Israeli Jews are waiting for that Jewish experience that is also Israeli and communal in nature, an experience that will allow them, if only for one Shabbat, a peek into their own tradition without violating the value of equality that is so dear to them. Many assignments are facing the Israeli Reform Movement, but too little time and too few resources are at hand. So there is that age-old dilemma again: should we focus on one mission? Should we do one small thing with our best efforts? Or should we spread out, help out in many areas but on a smaller scale?

This is, of course, a difficult philosophical question to which there is no clear answer. If we look again at our Torah portion, we will see that the building process was done with materials brought in by different people – each brought in their own special contribution. Some donated gold, others brought in scarlet and crimson dyed wools. Each one contributed something. To create meaning, to leave a trace, to do something the way it should be done, we need to work together. We need to realize that “no man is an island”, as the British poet put it. We must realize that each of us can give a little something, and together, as a society, a movement, an international, Israeli and Australian Jewish community, we can achieve our goals. If we only use our human advantage, each within their own field and their own distinct capability.

In our Torah portion, everybody contributed something to the process but probably not all participated in the actual building. I think this is fine. This is in fact the only way we can live. Some build while others help around, and when another project comes along, it will be those others who will do the building while their friends will now be helpers or contributors.

And this is my answer to the question I raised before. We should each ask ourselves: in what area will my contribution be distinct? What is my expertise? What are my most outstanding properties, which can be of use to society? Once we have answered these questions, we will know what the right field is for us to commit to, and in what other fields we should be helpers and contributors, assisting others who are performing the task.

And let us remember that the task described in our Torah portion is not just ordinary building. It is the building of the tabernacle – a process that served, by itself, as a spiritual experience that strengthened the Israelites. I wish us all that we choose those tasks and projects that will bring us peace and spiritual elevation. I wish us all that we dedicate ourselves, as Rabbi Kook once said, to increasing the goodness in the world.

Speaking about Parashat Mishpatim in Sydney

Last Saturday, I landed at the airport in Perth. After a few hours of sleep I woke up early enough to make it to Shacharit at Temple David Congregation. That was my first day in Australia and I was excited to meet the local community. When I entered, I was approached by the Gabbai who asked if I could read the Haftarra for parashat Yitro. I looked at him in shock and said to him, confidently that the Torah portion this week was Mishpatim and I knew this because I had prepared next week's portion of parashat Trumah for Sydney. After exploring this subject with some fellow congrgants, I found out I had miscounted the Parashot of Exodus. So, I had actually thought that I would be standing here talking about the building of the Mishkan in parashat Trumah but now I was faced with Mishpatim.

Reading Mishpatim is not a simple task. It seems that up until this point the books of Genesis and Exodus have presented interesting narratives, stories of dysfunctional families, long term conflicts and some cool revelations. All the ingredients of a successful soap opera. Mishpatim, on the other hand starts with very long and exhausting statements of law after law after law… And then I had an interesting insight. Until now, I was in the role of a reader. I read stories of famous people in early periods. Despite the fact that I understood the importance of these stories to human history, they did not demand anything of me personally. But starting with the Decalogue and following with Mishpatim, I'm no longer a passive reader. Now I'm thinking "Where am I in all of this?", what is my opinion on these laws, taking into account the modern times I live in. And given all of this, how do I continue the long chain of Jewish tradition. It could all be summed up in one question: "What is my responsibility as a Jew?".

For the Jews who live in Israel, the situation is not simple. The Zionist Ideology that started at the end of the 19th century did not particularly arise from a religious perspective. The state of Israel throughout its years has emphasized the Sabre, the Israeli worker and fighter over the studious and contemplative Jew. That's why we find today in modern Israel two groups. The religious orthdox who want a country of Halacha, a country that keeps Parashat Mishpatim almost literally. And on the other side, a secular population for whom the Halacha of Parashat Mishpatim is archaic and irrelevant. This situation arose from years of neglect in the field of Jewish education and the secular population is fed up with religion being attached to the state.

And this is where the most important role of the IMPJ lies. This is also the reason why I, at the age of 18, decided to join the reform movement. As a kid growing up secular, I felt that it wasn't right that I didn't have a clue when it came to Judaism. I felt that the Jewish identity is way to important in my family history to be taken for granted. I was lucky enough to work with youth from the diaspora and observe different models of being Jewish. To know that I don't have to return to orthodoxy, to start wearing black and to study all day in Yeshiva in order to get a rich Jewish education. To know that I don't have to sit separately from my mother at the shul to get a spiritual Shabbth experience. This is the message I wanted to bring to Israeli society, this is the mission I've felt. We must change the way Israelis grasp their Jewish Identity and there couldn't be any more suitable organization for this task, than the IMPJ.

In recent years, we have been witnessing an increase in interest of the secular population in the services the Israeli movement provides. It turns out that due to the current financial and security crises many have returned to look for a community, for a sense of togetherness, for new spirituality and meaning. Research that has been done recently in Bar-Ilan University has found 40 new groups that define themselves as secular and meet regularly to celebrate Kabbalat Shabbat. And this has all happened in the last four years. We have seen an increase in adult bible, Talmud and Kabbalah studies. We've seen major demands for reform weddings and reform conversions. A recent survey that was ordered by the Progressive Movement showed that most Israelis are interested in reform-oriented Jewish education at secular schools. One of the major achievements, of recent years, was that the state of Israel has agreed to fund the buildings of four reform congregations.

A project especially close to my heart is Mechina – An educational project for students, who have just finished high-school and decide to take a gap year before army service. This year is dedicated to studies and social action. In the mechina, the participants shape their jewish communal lives and decide what form their spiritual life will take. That's exactly the kind of responsibility for your own Jewish life that I was talking about. Because the mechina is so new, I didn't have the opportunity to participate. But I have been lucky enough this year to serve as a member of its teaching staff. This year, the ministry of Education has decided to sponsor a large part of the operating costs, making it the first reform education project that has been formally recognized by the state of Israel.

Despite all of this success, the challenges are many. The market survey I've already mentioned has also found that one third of Israel's Jewish population doesn't know what Reform Judaism is and another equally large proportion has the wrong idea of what Reform Judaism really is. We need to improve how we get our message across and how to spread it more widely. We need to find resources to continue addressing the burning issues in Israeli public life.

Now I would like to return to Parashat Mishpatim because these laws are not just individual guidelines, but serve as common ground. They remind us of our shared journey, the journey that Jews in Israel and the Diaspora must take together. Parashat Mishpatim reminds us of our one destiny and that we are dependent on one another. A few months ago I facilitated a discussion with a group of Americans who contribute regularly to the state of Israel but do not feel that they have the right to influence its policies. I said to them that it's your duty to try to effect Israel's policies, not because of your generous contributions, but because Israel is a joint venture. Every action that Israel takes, effects you in the Diaspora as well. Our destiny is a shared one, our mission is a common one. We could in our lives achieve a state of affairs where Jewish identity in Israel is no longer taken for granted. We could enable a moral and educational code that nurtures both Jewish values and those values of the modern world that encourage equality, tolerance and human rights. And in the end, to encourage this outcome is our joint responsibility.

Post Election feelings in Hong Kong

Wow, what once was a boring election time has become one of the more complexed political moments in the history of Israel. It seems that every Israeli on election day was strategizing. No random vote was cast. Left wing People voted Livni because they wanted to prevent the win from Bibi. Right wing voted for the clear-cut and seemingly racist Avigdor Liberman (that came out with the genious slogan for the Israeli vote "Only Liberman understand Arabic"). This might be the main reason the Kadima came with their hand (slightly) on top.The result however shows how divided Israel currently is and that's a reason to worry. I decided to vote for Meimad, which for me seemed like the only movement that truly belong for the 21th centry global and green politics, unfortunately, it's not the time for this kind of thinking in Israel.

It's very weird for me to be abroad on result night and the day after. The pilot on the El-Al flight read us the poll results at 22:00 ( there was a great surprise on a lot of people's faces and even applause) and gave us the real results at 06:00 A.M.
I'm trying to read the Israeli websites since then and see CNN. In the next few days things will be very very difficult for the parties in Israel and I'm really curious on what will be the outcome. I read in Ha'aretz that there are voices saying that Kadima and the Labor should unite. While it seems that now is the best time for such a move, I can't really imagine the social labor mix with Kadima liberals. We shall have to wait and see.

I'm now here in the super-interesting city of Hong Kong and I'm hosted by Shani Ben-Or, the community cantor and also a former Machina participant. She lives on floor number four, which for the chinese is a sign of bad luck (The word four sounds like the word death in one of their Dialects and so they avoid it at any cause, a bit similar to the obsession of christians with 13, which reminds me, I'm flying from here on Friday the 13th, Spooky!). The Urban view is amazing and still it has a green tropical side to it, really beautiful.

I'm attaching a phot, taking at Victoria Peak with Shani,
I will write more updates real soon so be sure to check it out.