A Bissel of This and That

Recently, Rabbi Maya Leibovich and her husband Menachem visited Temple Beth-El and led our Shabbat service, as part of our Guest Rabbi program, which is generously funded by the Ravitz Foundation. Rabbi Maya was the first Israeli-born woman ordained as a Rabbi by Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem in 1993. She served as founder and leader of Kehilat Mevasseret Zion outside of Jerusalem for 22 years and retired in 2014. Since then Rabbi Maya has been serving as “Summer Rabbi” at Temple B’nai Israel (TBI) in Petoskey, MI, with her husband Menachem serving as lay cantor.

The day of Rabbi Maya’s visit was Tu B’Av (15^th day of Av) which is the Jewish day of love, celebrated in both ancient times and in modern-day Israel. Rabbi Maya stated, “It is the love expressed on this day which I hope will serve as an antidote to vain hatred of all kinds.” She further explained that Rabban Shimeon Ben Gamliel, the Head of the Sanhedrin (1^st century, just before the destruction of the 2^nd Temple) described the day in Mishna Ta’anit (4:8): “Never were more joyous festivals in Israel than the fifteenth of Av…, for on them the maidens of Jerusalem used to go out dressed in white garments and thus they went out and danced in the vineyards saying, young men, look and observe well whom you are about to choose (as a spouse); regard not beauty but rather look to a virtuous family ‘for gracefulness is deceitful and beauty is vain, but the woman that fears God, she is worthy of praise’ (Proverbs 31:3).”

Although we followed our regular Shabbat liturgy, Rabbi Maya included several interactive moments, and called on individual members in the congregation to read aloud sayings or proverbs about love that they had prepared as “homework”. While one individual read William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”, another shared Sculptor Ann Truitt’s definition of love: “…the honoring of others in a way that grants them the grace of their own autonomy and allows for mutual discovery, of each person, not only on a daily basis, but on a moment-to moment basis. In this way, the experience of love is an existential possibility of becoming.” Excerpts from Song of Songs were shared as well.

During her D’var Torah, Rabbi Maya spoke about love, which is central to the Torah portion-Va’Etchanan in Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11. The portion begins with Moses’ love of the land promised to his people. He pleads with God to “let him cross the Jordan river, just to touch the land, just to feel the beginning of a mission accomplished. It is unfortunately, for this great leader, an unfulfilled love.” Rabbi Maya went on to explain how “love is central in the relationship between God and His people Israel”, saying this love is expressed in the form of a covenant, as Moses explains to the Israelites: ”The Eternal, our God, made a covenant with us at Horeb (or Sinai). It was not with our ancestors that the Eternal made this covenant, but with us, the living, every one of us who is here today. Face to face the Eternal One spoke to you on the mountain out of the fire. I stood between the Eternal and you at that time to convey the Eternal’s words to you for you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain.” (Deut. 5:2-5) After these words, Moses proceeded to repeat the ten commandments.

Rabbi Maya discussed the Sh’ma- “Hear, O Israel! The Eternal is our God, the Eternal alone”-and how “the hardest commandment” is found right after the Sh’ma, namely the command to love God, where it states: “You shall love the Eternal with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” She stated that this is a “demand to give all we humans have for the love of God” and asked “How can one perform such a mitzvah? How does one express the love of God?” and then went on to explain, “To me, the answer is in love of the other as in the command to love thy neighbor as thyself. Love of God flows through love of all creatures born in the image of God. To be consecrated to the Eternal means to be loving, kind and moral human beings. When God chose us of all nations, His intention was that we shall be a model of humanism and ethical behavior: ‘For you are a people consecrated to the Eternal your God: of all the peoples on earth the Eternal your God chose you to be God’s treasured people. It is not because you are the most numerous of peoples that the Eternal grew attached to you and chose you-indeed, you are the smallest of peoples; but it was because the Eternal loved you.’ (Deut. 7:6-8)”

Rabbi Maya concluded her D’var Torah, saying “Acts of kindness and love are powerful. They change our lives. ‘All you need is love’, sang the Beatles. Indeed all we need is love of each other whatever party, gender, color, or faith. Love of God is love of mankind, or to be more politically correct: Love of God is love of humankind.”

At the end of the service, following “Adon Olam”, Rabbi Maya and Menachem led us into a chorus of “All you need is love”. Thus ended a delightful, inspirational, and thought-provoking service, which made us only want Rabbi Maya, Menachem and other members of Temple B’nai Israel congregation to visit us again soon.

08/11/21

A Bissel of This and That

With Memorial Day taking place next Monday, May 31^st, I started thinking about all the Jewish men and women who have served in the U.S military in general, as well as those who sacrificed their lives during their time of service.

Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, it marks the beginning of the summer season and is a time for stores to advertise their “Big Sales”.

Needless to say, Memorial Day should mean more than that to all of us. It should be a day to learn about and remember the thousands of Jewish men and women who lost their lives protecting our country’s citizens. Jews have served honorably in the military since colonial times. They fought and died for American independence in the Revolutionary War. They fought on both sides of the Civil War, and among the troops were nine Jewish generals. The Hebrew Cemetery in Richmond, VA, with its section for 30 Jewish Confederate soldiers, is believed to be the only Jewish military cemetery in the United States.

Among the estimated quarter-million American Jewish service members who fought with U.S. forces in World War I was 19-year-old William Shemin, who sprinted across no-man’s land in France three times to drag wounded soldiers to safety. Recognizing many of his unit’s leaders were dead or wounded, he took command of the remaining unit and led them until wounded himself.

Over half a million Jews served in World War II. For perspective, the Jewish population in the United States at the time was around 4.7 million, and just over 16 million Americans served in World War II. Another 150,000 Jewish service members served in Korea, and 30,000 more served in Vietnam. More recently, thousands of Jews served in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and an estimated 10,000 American Jews continue to serve across all six U.S. military branches today.

Beyond the sheer number of Jewish service members throughout American history, tens of thousands of our service members have been decorated with military awards. Among them are 17 recipients of the nation’s highest recognition of military valor, the Medal of Honor. 

On Memorial Day, a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 p.m. local time. This is a designated moment in time where we can remember and give thanks for those who lost their lives. On Monday, May 31^st, let us take the time during the day to remember the many Jewish military members who gave their lives for our country.

And if you are a veteran or currently enlisted any one of the U.S. Military armed forces, thank you for your service.

Further information may be found at:
https://www.jwv.org/programs/in-your-area/memorial-day/ This is the website for the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America. On Memorial Day, their members plant flags on graves of service members, participate in community events, and tell their stories of service to local organizations.

https://www.jewishedproject.org/news/taking-minute-remember-memorial-day The Jewish Education Project

https://jcca.org/news-and-views/what-do-you-know-about-jews-who-have-served-our-country/ Article from the JCC Association of North America website

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Jewish_Americans Military History of Jewish Americans from Wikipedia

5/25/21