I am a slacker: Second year highlights

I can't believe it's been so long since my last post, but I sort of gave up keeping up with the blog when I realized how crazy life could get as a second year rabbinical student. This has truly been a whirlwind year...here are some of the highlights.

1. Serving a student pulpit

If I had to pick one thing in my two years of HUC that made me feel like an authentic, knowledgeable, real live rabbinical student, this would be it. Working with the families of the Columbus Hebrew Congregation in Columbus, Indiana taught me so much about my role in the Jewish community, and the future expectations that will be placed on me as the rabbi of a synagogue. For the first time in my life, I was teaching Judaism primarily to adults, which was very different from working with kids and teens. Watching my adult education classes grow from 2 students to 20 was surprising and rewarding; to know that I can teach a group of highly educated (Jewishly and secularly) and highly motivated Jews without them seeing me as a little kid.

During my last visit, I had the opportunity to lead one of my congregants through her bat-mitzvah, which we had been preparing for since the beginning of the year. This young girl, having never learned Hebrew, led all of the major prayers in the service, and chanted 13 lines of Torah beautifully in front of her family and friends. The entire community's overwhelming pride and love was palpable, and her service incorporated elements of this community, her own poetry and creativity, her deep love and knowledge of Judaism, and marked the beginning of her path as a Jewish adult in a way that I've never seen done at one of the larger established congregations that I've belonged to in the past. I love working with congregations that don't take Jewish community for granted, and it's definitely going to be something I look for when I am (eventually) ready for a full time position.

2. Songleading

This year, I learned to play the guitar (with a little help from my friends). Coming from a musical background, it was really easy for me to pick it up. I used the guitar for services throughout the year at my pulpit, and picked up a few jobs here and there (Chanukkah celebration at an assisted living facility, leading a preschool seder at the big local synagogue). This newly acquired skill is already opening serious doors for me, and I think it will be a great benefit for the future. I can't wait to play at camp this summer, since last year's morning services were a bit awkward with no musical accompaniment.

3. Dan's insane cooking skills

Dan is not playing here...this is for real. He goes to work at 6 in the morning, comes home around 3, and cooks all night. The weekends? He bakes. This, my friends, is the reason that we had to buy an elliptical for the apartment, so we don't get super fat eating all of Dan's amazing food. While I've tried to convince him that he could actually do this for a living, he assures me that he doesn't want to be told what to cook, and really just wants to make delicious food for his family and friends. Fine, works for me.

4. HUC's financial and political turmoil

This isn't really a highlight in a good way, but HUC has been through a rough year. Towards the beginning of the year, the school announced that they were going to have to think of some way to make up the millions of dollars that they were losing because of their endowments being under water....the rumors started flying. These rumors mostly focused on the closing of 1 or 2 of the stateside campuses, and most likely LA and/or Cincinnati. Then, we found out that the rumors weren't really rumors, and these scenarios were actually being considered. Needless to say, the morale on our campus on the part of the students and faculty was seriously damaged, and the tension mounted between campuses, and between students/faculty and the administration. This past weekend, after a highly anticipated board meeting, it was announced that all three campuses would remain open, although a major restructuring of the entire school would take place in order to save HUC. They have not officially released the proposal yet, but I am so grateful that I'll be able to finish out my program in Cincinnati. www.saveHUC.org

5. OLLIE!

I just had to add him in here, because he is the cutest shmoopster in the entire world.



Anyway, I will do my best to keep up with the blog on a regular basis, now that my life is calming down a bit. Wish me luck on finals.

Jen

On this day it is sealed

Religion in America is going through a general shift; individuals are on the hunt for self-fulfillment in a way that reflects our increasingly technologically oriented country. People are searching for meaning in their lives on a personal level, researching different faiths and ideologies on the internet, citing their own commitment to ‘spirituality’ over the need to attend any specific religious events, and straying farther and farther away from their religious communities. This is true across the board. But we’re here; we’re participating in a communal religious experience on such an important Jewish holiday.

While I’m sure I’m literally preaching to the choir about the vital importance of maintaining a connection to the Jewish community, the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is the perfect time for self-reflection. During these days, we travel inward for a serious inventory of the past year, what our priorities are, and what our priorities should be. These ten days are referred to as the Days of Awe—the Yamim Noraim—which is an extremely ominous title for personal introspection.

Rabbi Milton Steinberg, author of As a Driven Leaf, explains why these days are called Days of Fear. "As we sit in the synagogue at the end of one year and the beginning of another, contemplating the past and facing the future, what strange and awful terrors beset us?From day to day we have been content to live on, unquestioning and unreflecting; but on this day of all days, deep in our hearts lies a haunting challenge. Who knows what the year to come will bring? Who knows what strange and awful sorrow may befall us in the twelve months which lie ahead? Over us on this day hangs a dark... fear. For the future behind its inscrutable veil holds many things... We are all of us afraid, today. Afraid of life and the hard things it can do to us."

The prayer in the Yom Kippur service that best illustrates this fear is Unataneh Tokef: "On Rosh Hashanah it is written; on Yom Kippur it is sealed; how many shall pass on, how many shall come to be; who shall live and who shall die; who shall see ripe age and who shall not; who shall be secure and who shall be driven; who shall be tranquil and who shall be troubled."

Perhaps surprisingly, this is one of my favorite High Holiday prayers. Instead of taking Unataneh Tokef literally, I look at the big picture---the point of the High Holidays is to take note of the way in which we live our lives. We are commanded in today’s Haftorah to really fast. No, not just refrain from food (which according to the prophet Isaiah isn’t the point), but to take care of other people: to make sacrifices for the hungry, to satisfy the needs of the afflicted, to clothe the naked, and to unlock the shackles of oppression. It seems to me that Isaiah has it right. Just like our windows need to be cleaned, our cars need to be aligned, and our pianos need to be tuned, we use the High Holidays to straighten up and dust off our inner list of priorities.

There is a Chasidic fable in our tradition of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, who—in the middle of the prayer of Yom Kippur-- removed his tallit and went to a house at the middle of the woods.

There was a woman who had given birth there who had been left alone when everyone went to the synagogue, and he attended to her vital needs--chopping wood, building a fire and heating water in the midst of the holy day, because the woman's life was in danger.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch commented that here we see the self-sacrifice of Rabbi Zalman, how he pulled himself away from attachment to Godliness and descended to do a Jew a physical favor.

In this story, as in today’s Haftorah portion, humanity takes precedence over everything else. To pull ourselves back into humanity, we have to really observe Yom Kippur for what it is…not just a day when we sit in synagogue with a headache from the lack of our morning coffee, counting down the minutes until we break our fast…but an opportunity to reevaluate ourselves.

Unetaneh Tokef, a central element of Yom Kippur worship, can seem overwhelming and scary. We are told that today, the Book of Life is sealed—that God decides our fate for the upcoming year. However, according to the Talmud, nothing we have done in the past year is unforgivable, assuming we take control of our personal interaction with God and the outside world: “Three things cancel the decree, and they are prayer, charity, and repentance.” This prayer is a message of hope, for ourselves and for the future, looking forwards to a world of introspection, humanitarianism, and reflection.

As we move into Yom Kippur, may we be blessed with the ability to truly see ourselves as we are, to set our priorities for the upcoming year, and to pursue our personal goals with honor and respect.

Life as a Student Rabbi

Last weekend, I visited my pulpit in Columbus, Indiana for the first time. Throughout the year, I will spend 8 weekends with them in addition to the High Holidays and Passover, acting as their student rabbi. Sha'arei Torah has been around for a really long time, and has had student rabbis serve the congregation for over 40 years, so while I was panicking and uncomfortable with being called 'rabbi,' they are used to the nervousness that goes along with the first visit.

I pulled up to the family's home where I would be staying on Friday afternoon, and was surprised to see a big log cabin in front of me! Built by hand by the home's previous owner, this family lived in a big comfortable log cabin, which was decked out with all of the normal things (like indoor plumbing and AC) that makes a modern home livable. It was really great, and a 'woodsy' experience. The family itself was amazing, from the homemade fried chicken, to the stories they told about growing up in a town with 10 Jewish families.

As for the service, my greatest accomplishment was my guitar-playing debut. I did the entire service on guitar, which was a big deal for me (and I managed to only skip one verse of one prayer). Singing in front of 25 people with a guitar is much less awkward than singing alone, and the group was full of positive feedback. I was also nervous about setting the Torah by myself, which involved rolling the gigantic scroll 3/4 of the way down and finding the 3 lines in the text that I was chanting that evening. I had nightmares. With the help of the president, I managed to figure it out, and am much more comfortable working with a scroll as a result! Overall, the service went well, and the community was overwhelmingly warm and welcoming.

Aside from school, which is challenging and interesting, life at the moment revolves around getting my act together for the High Holidays. I've written my sermons, prepared my service, and am working on Torah and music, but it's definitely anxiety-inducing to be completely in charge of the planning and execution of worship services for the holiest day of the year, especially for a community that so rarely comes together for Jewish practice.

Since we're in the middle of Elul, the Jewish month of introspection, I leave you with this passage written by Obama for the Jewels of Elul project. May you all have a meaningful period of reflection and understanding.


The Roots of a Dream by Senator Barack Obama

Just as the courageous Zionists who established the State of Israel were energized by Theodore Herzl’s dictum, so do Americans draw inspiration from the notion that determination can turn our dreams into reality.

As someone who grew up without a strong sense of roots, I have always been drawn to the belief - embedded in the long journey of the Jewish
people - that you could sustain a spiritual, emotional, and cultural identity in the face of impossible odds. And I deeply understood the Zionist idea - that there is always a homeland at the center of our story.

For America’s Founders, that story was based on a set of ideals - freedom and equality, justice and opportunity. Generations of Americans have worked to build a more perfect union that lives up to those ideals. And time and again, Americans have come together to meet great challenges at home while working to repair the world abroad.

Today, we face another defining moment. We must reclaim that basic American Dream for all Americans - the idea that if you work hard, you can support a family; that if you get sick, there will be health care you can afford; that you can retire with the dignity and security you have earned; and that every American can get a world-class education. Abroad, we must advance peace in a dangerous world and achieve a clean energy future that breaks our dependence on foreign oil, while securing our planet. Americans also stand firm in our friendship with the Israeli people and our unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security.

As Israelis take stock of their remarkable achievements over the last 60 years - and as Jews everywhere reflect with reverence on this treasured past while looking to an uncertain future - Americans are united in our determination to help Israel achieve lasting peace and security. These are dreams we can achieve if we are willing to come together and work for them.

Teaching Torah

In Sunday School, kids learn bible stories in much the same way that they learn about other fairy tales. They draw pictures, teachers try to answer their questions in a way that maintains the accuracy and authenticity of the story, and the kids hesitantly believe that what they are taught must be true. Just like liturgy has been dumbed down and neglected by Reform synagogues everywhere--people are not given the knowledge necessary to make their own decisions about their prayer services and ideologies--the Torah has become secondary.

My bible professor, on the first day of class this semester, told us that we should be living, breathing, eating, and sleeping the text. Now, while I am a big fan of Torah, it seemed to be a bit excessive, considering I have 8 other classes to breathe, eat, sleep, and live as well. Throughout these few weeks though, I have come to see the Torah in a different light.

Dr. Aaron, my highly intimidating, highly opinionated professor, has shredded various stories in the Torah for the sake of understanding its purpose. We've seen corruptions, additions, subtractions, footnotes, and sophisticated attempts to reconcile obvious mistakes. While any deep reading of the text reveals flaws, the overall meaning of Torah is not affected in any negative way. The text is an unbelievable piece of literature that exemplifies our ethnic identity, which is authentic enough to not be tied down to historicity. There is nothing wrong with teaching the stories in the bible as stories---fiction is where truth is confronted without the shackles of having to conform to some idea of historical fact.

Attempts in educations and sermons to verify the 'miracles' in the Torah, such as explaining that the parting of the Red Sea could have been a natural phenomenon, completely negates the entire point of the account. Instead of preaching and teaching that these stories are even based on true historical events (we're not Fundamentalists, people!), we should be focusing on bringing the meaning of the texts and the intent of the writers to life. Jewish communities crave intellectual discussions, and it's our responsibility to give them what they need as modern 21st century members of the tribe.

Reducing Inequity

Bill Gates said recently, "Humanity's greatest advances are not in its discoveries but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity. Whether through democracy, strong public education, quality health care, or broad economic opportunity, reducing inequity is the highest human achievement. "

What a novel idea...applying ourselves for the purpose of reducing inequity in the world. In a country where our presidential candidates are judged more by their height, skin color, and genitalia than on the issues that face their citizens on a daily basis, I have spent the last few weeks thinking about what exactly we're shooting for. When we write lesson plans, meticulously type out resumes, and apply for colleges, we have objectives, goals, and mission statements. Our candidates have these too, surprisingly enough, although they're often hidden under layers of pomp and circumstance. However, what is the mission statement of the American people, in choosing their next presidential team? Do we even know?

This week, Google hit a new record: the most searched for phrase in the past three years. It beats out 'Britney Spears,' 'Katrina,' 'Paris Hilton,' and any searches for Obama or McCain. The search is for "Sarah Palin Hot Pictures." America....really? She is on the cover of OK! Magazine, The National Enquirer, and several other less than tasteful magazines this week (and is expected to outsell all other copies this year).

From their iPhones, laptops, and blackberries, Americans all over the country are keeping tabs on the upcoming elections. Are they hoping for a charismatic leader who will pull this country out of a period of self-induced shame, a president who will bring their religious values into our households and public schools, someone who will pave the way for diversity in our government, or a leader that they can relate to?

I am looking for a candidate who will reduce inequity. I hope that this country cares enough to really think about the big picture, and yearns deeply for a president that can use America's power and strength to the advantage of those that need it most.

We are in for a difficult few months. What we need to do will require purpose, thoughtfulness, and the molding of our priorities into something tangible and worthy. We must understand what we are capable of acheiving together as a community and a country, separate this understanding from our personal prejudices, and use it to help our fellow citizens and our fellow human being.

It Starts....

Well, I survived the first week of my second year of rabbinical school. After a grueling four days of orientation, where we were introduced to the campus and faculty, all of the committees and student-led organizations, prepared to lead High Holiday services for the first time, and paraded around to various events, we all finally got to put all our cute new school supplies in our adorable new bags (ok, maybe not everyone's bag is adorable, but mine is) and head to class.

The first thing that I noticed about the Cincinnati campus of HUC is that the staff and faculty at the college are unbelievable. Every single faculty-member on campus is a wealth of knowledge, the expert in their field, and seems to genuinely care about our well-being. Rabbi Ken Kanter, the director of the rabbinical school, took the opportunity during our first service to bless the class---you don't get that kind of love in other graduate programs.

As for my classes, I have....a lot of them. There's rabbinic literature, which is going to be amazing. Apparently we can't be rabbis until we can engage in discourse across the centuries. I believe it. After rabbinics, we have biblical history. Usually, I would find this topic extremely boring. However, all of the professors take their job training rabbis very seriously, and mold the topics to teach us how to teach and respond to our future congregants. I think it will be much more interesting than I anticipated. We have Bible, which is going to be my most difficult class, where we will be required to--literally--outline the entire Torah, before the end of the semester. It's a methodology class, and I'm sure I'll learn an immense amount of useful Torah things. We have two Hebrew classes, biblical grammar and Hebrew literature, which are reminiscent of our Jerusalem days. Lastly, we have a split class focusing on education and practical rabbinics, which I am really excited about. It's so hands-on and helpful, training us to run funerals, b'nai mitzvah, namings and such. It's nice to have a class training us for real life.

Other than school, which is keeping me busy already, I am staring my teaching position at a local synagogue working with 5th graders. Ollie is officially potty trained (yayyy) and is almost 5 lbs! He is an undeniable lap dog, but is enjoying terrorizing the neighborhood with his new friends (rabbinical student dogs). Dan is working hard at his new position at MedPace, and is glad to be doing something real after taking such a long break. We're enjoying the company of our friends, and getting into the groove of life in Cincinnati.

Until next time,
Jen

I'm a slacker, I know

Our adorable awkward puppy

Walking around the 'Nati

CLTC! Some of my favorites...

Hey all, sorry I've been so slackerish about the blog this summer. The last month has been so completely insane that I haven't had a moment to post. I spent two glorious weeks at CLTC, Chapter Leadership Training Conference, which was definitely the most fun I had all summer. It felt so good to be back in the BBYO circle--while working with other Jewish youth groups has been great, my heart is with the cultic fanatic community that only comes from BBYO. At camp in Wisconsin, I ran daily services, Jewish and Shabbat programming, and daily Judaic classes on a variety of topics. The group of kids that we were working with was pretty fantastic, and I'm lucky to have met them this summer. Their level of questioning and intelligence was inspiring.

After camp, I spent a week at home with the family, recovering from camp and resting for the impending semester. I've also been working on sermons for the ever-approaching High Holidays. I'm up to working drafts on 2 out of the 4 that I will give, which seems like a good place to be. We're off to a BBQ with friends to celebrate the start of school! Enjoy the summer pictures, I'll let everyone know how orientation goes.

Love,
Jen