Emor 5775

In this week’s parasha, Emor, we read a verse that is critical in both ancient and modern Jewish discourse (Lev. 22: 32):

וְלֹא תְחַלְּלוּ, אֶת-שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי, וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי, בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל  אֲנִי יְהוָה, מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם

“Do not profane My holy name, that I may be sanctified in the midst of the Israelites, I the Lord who sanctify you.”

Beginning in the late Second Temple period, Israel battled the Seleucid Greeks and Antiochus IV, and later the Roman Empire, both of whom sought to outlaw Jewish practice.  Rabbi Jonathan Sacks identifies that this is the first time that martyrdom became a significant feature in Jewish life. The question arose: under what circumstances were Jews to sacrifice their lives rather than transgress Jewish law?

While Jewish tradition affirms that saving a life takes precedence over most of the mitzvot, and that the preservation of life supercedes almost anything, Judaism simultaneously holds sacred the lives of Jews who have been murdered by virtue of the fact that they are simply Jewish. We remember all of our brothers and sisters who have given their lives under this overarching category of Kiddush hashem, of sanctifying God’s name, as found in this week’s Torah portion.

Rabbi Sacks explains that central to Jewish self-definition is the notion that while God is the God of all humanity, that God has chosen Israel to be God’s witnesses, God’s ambassadors, to the world. When we fulfill this role, we are sanctifying God’s name.

We at Anshe Emet are honored to host the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, as we fulfill this command of sanctifying God’s name as being witnesses to one of the greatest tragedies in world history. Next week, you can join us for a riveting presentation by Dr. Wendy Lower entitled Some were Wives, Some were Mothers. Dr. Lower, a former Museum fellow, will speak about the research from her chilling book on the role of female perpetrators during the Holocaust.

I hope that you will join Michelle and Glenn Holland, our co-hosts, as we fulfill this week’s parasha’s affirmation to stand as God’s witnesses in our world.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi David Russo

Achrei Mot-Kedoshim 5775

This week's parsha begins with the phrase kedoshim tihiyu - you, in the plural shall all be holy. Due to the plural phrasing of these two words, our rabbis traditionally assume that this Torah portion was uniquely recited with all of the Israelites gathered together. (Vayikra Rabbah 24:5)

We, similarly, are so proud of our USY chapter, and how they were publicly gathered and celebrated this past weekend. At CHUSY's (Chicago Region of United Synagogue Youth) regional convention, our teens were recognized as the Chicago area's chapter of the year!! We are so proud of all of you. Please see the moving letter from Rabbi D'ror Chankin-Gould by clicking here.

Dear Anshe Emet: 

We are filled with overflowing pride as we share the incredible news that on Sunday, April 26 our USY Chapter was awarded the Chicago region's Chapter of the Year award! This is an incredible honor for Anshe Emet and we cannot stop smiling and kvelling.
Mazal tov to all our SHMUSY kids and their parents! An especially hearty Mazal Tov to SHMUSY President Aaron Kamel who led the chapter to such growth and success this year. Mazal Tov also to the SHMUSY board of 2014-2015: Emma Siegel, Emily Schwartz, Meredith Leon, Sydney Schwartz, Ryder Kamins, and Bryson Shelist. Our youth leadership is simply stellar! 

In celebrating our youth, we ask the community to please mark your calendars for Saturday, May 2. On May 2, we will celebrate Senior Shabbat by honoring all our 12th graders in the main sanctuary service. Rabbi Siegel will bless the seniors. Gabrielle Xilas, recipient of this year's Rabbi Seymour Cohen award, will deliver a D'var Torah on behalf of the senior class. Aaron Kamel, our outstanding USY president will be honored for his role in our youth programs and will lead the Prayer for the Country. SHMUSY members, Emily Schwartz, Meredith Leon, and Adina Cohen will read Torah. ALL our seniors will be celebrated. Don't miss out! 

A private Shabbat lunch for high schoolers and their friends and family will serve as an Awards Ceremony for SHMUSY. The outgoing board will be celebrated. The incoming board will be honored. The basketball team will be lauded (winner of the Annual Sportsmanship Trophy!). All parents, siblings, special friends, and family of high schoolers are welcome. RSVP to Rabbi D'ror (dcgould@ansheemet.org) 

Finally, May 2 will conclude with a SHMUSY v. Men's Club Basketball Game. All are welcome to cheer on your favorite team (or both!) 

Rabbi D'ror Chankin-Gould
Youth Director, Anshe Emet Synagogue 

Re'eh 5775

At the seder, we celebrate a tension. On the one hand, we are meant to imagine ourselves as if we ourselves were slaves in Egypt. We sing solemnly avadim hayinu, we were slaves. We dip vegetables in salt water representing our tears.

And on the other hand, we celebrate. We sing with joy, ata benei chorin, we are now free. We drink wine, we eat a celebratory meal.

Our seder begins with genut, with degradation, with oppression, and we transition to great joy.How are we meant to feel as the seder ends? What is the goal of the conclusion of Pesach?

This Shabbat morning coincides with the eighth day of Pesach. And on this day, we recite a haftarah from Isaiah chapter 10. This is a haftarah comprised of a series of promises related to our national redemption - of a day of peace, victory, and fulfilment. Dr. Michael Fishbane identifies that we recite this on the last day of Pesach to conclude the festival of freedom with hopes of a great redemption to come. What is interesting to note is that this haftarah by many in Israel and abroad is also recited on Yom Ha'atzmaut - Israel's Independence Day. As we are in synagogue on Shabbat, concluding our holiday about freedom from slavery, we are meant to think forward to Yom Ha'atzmaut - a day of celebrating Israel, and in particular an Israel where
gar ze'ev im keves - the wolf and the lamb dwell together (Isaiah 11:6).We at Anshe Emet are celebrating Yom Ha'atzmaut and Israel in meaningful ways. On the Shabbat of April 17-18, we will have the honor of hosting Dr. Arnie Eisen, Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary with us at Anshe Emet. There will be a shabbat dinner along with a dialogue between Rabbi Siegel and Dr. Eisen, "Land of Israel: Land of Longing, Land of Promise." He will also speak on Shabbat morning about the place of Conservative Judaism today. These two opportunities are not to be missed.

On the eve of Yom Ha'atzmaut itself, Wednesday April 26, we are hosting a community celebration with a reading of the Declaration of Independence, followed by Israeli music, dancing, food, and more. I hope that you'll join us.

As we end Pesach and look to Yom Ha'atzmaut, may we celebrate an Israel and a world filled with, as the haftara says, redemption and peace.


Chag sameach,
Rabbi David Russo

Vayikra 5775

This Shabbat, we celebrate Shabbat Hachodesh, the Shabbat that introduces the month of Nisan. For some, the celebration of this Shabbat, and the sight of Passover in our grocery stories, induces the fear of the impending holiday.

What is interesting is how our rabbis prompt us to think about the advent of this month. Rabbi Gedalia Schwartz identifies that in the Shulchan Aruch, the major code of Jewish law, the first Halacha (or law) mentioned by the Rama is not regarding some of the minutia of Pesach (Passover) that one might expect. Instead, the first requirement, the first obligation related to Pesach is that a community must collect funds for "Maot Chittin," a fund that would support the poor in their preparations for Passover.

Rabbi Schwartz goes on to say that God’s role in the Egyptian drama conveys God’s will to rescue the weak and vulnerable. Those in a position of strength are mandated to protect and support those who are most endangered – the widow, the orphan, the stranger.

We at Anshe Emet take this mitzvah seriously. We have multiple groups of people who participate in Chicago’s own Maot Chitim, celebrating 100 years of giving to Chicagoland Jews, as we help deliver Kosher for Passover food for members of our community who are unable to secure it on their own. Many of the recipients originally come from the Former Soviet Union. For me and many others, this volunteer opportunity allows us a chance to hear about what it was like to move to the United States, what their experience is in our community, and to determine how we can continue to be supportive of those in our community who need our help. Our arrival is eagerly anticipated and we are traditionally greeted with bright smiles, and thanked with a bar of chocolate! To be a part of this effort, please contact Amy Karp at akarp@anshemet.org. She can provide you with the address where we'll be meeting Sunday, March 29th at 9:30 a.m.

If you are unable to volunteer this Sunday, we have additional opportunities to fulfill our communal obligation to support those in need as they prepare for Pesach. Stacey Wolin is leading an effort in our community to support those in need at this time of year, by collecting:

1. Donations of non-food items which are not covered by SNAP benefits: paper towels, kleenex, napkins, dish sponges, dish soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, ziploc style bags and aluminum foil.
2. Donations of a gift card from Jewel or Hungarian Kosher.
   One mother who received a gift card said, "... For the 1st time I can go shopping with my kids like everyone else, and no one knows how we are struggling to feed our kids and provide them with the basics. With your beloved gift cards, we can now shop and hold our heads up high." If you would like to contribute to this important mitzvah, please be in touch with Stacey Wolin at staceyella@aol.com

Thank you for making this month of Nisan a time when we can enable all in our community to celebrate the season of freedom.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo

Ki Tisa 5775

Shabbat, The Home, and Thankfulness

This week’s parsha, Ki Tissa, contains one of the more famous statements about Shabbat, the Kiddush that we recite during the daytime. It begins (Exodus 31:16):

The children of Israel shall observe Shabbat, performing Shabbat throughout the generations...

Rabbi Reuven Katz, in his 17th century book “Yalkut Reuveni”, quotes a passage from the mystical Zohar text, emphasizing that the word “ledorotam” is written in the shortest form possible, without the Hebrew letter “vav”. So, it could actually be read “lediratam”, meaning in their dwelling places. Rabbi Katz is emphasizing that Shabbat is not only something that is to be observed forever - but a day that centers around the home.

We are so lucky to have a community that prizes having Shabbat in the home. This Friday night (March 6th), dozens of families will celebrate Shabbat together during our “Taste of Shabbat.” They will get to live out this rabbinic notion that the calming, peaceful, song-filled, delicious Shabbat experience is enjoyable when we are invited in to each other’s homes.

At Anshe Emet, we celebrate the homey nature of Jewish life constantly. We convert our synagogue space to feel like our homes once a month, when we gather for Shabbat is Awesome. People play board games, sports, activities, and spend time together, making the synagogue feel like an extension of our homes.

And so this shabbat, and every shabbat, I wish that you and your family will experience Shabbat ledorotam, for many generations, and lediratam, in all of the places in which we reside.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo

Yitro 5775

Amongst the many dating websites that are around today, there is one called “Saw You at Sinai.” It serves Jewish singles of various ages, backgrounds, cultures and interests find their match (their bashert). And the origin of this website’s name appears in this week’s Torah portion.

It is in parshat Yitro that we read of God revealing the Torah to the people of Israel at Sinai. What is interesting is how the rabbis interpret this revelation. They claim that (Babylonian Talmud Shevu’ot 39a), that all Jews were present at the Sinai encounter, including those who had not yet been born or who were not yet Jews. Our rabbis assert that this was the greatest gathering of Jewish souls in history. Hence the website name, SawYouatSinai – we all were there.

Every year, I bring the book, “Present at Sinai” or in Hebrew “Atem Re’item” with me to shul on this Shabbat, when we read the Torah portion Yitro. Because in this book, Shai Agnon (Nobel Laureate in Literature) collected thousands of rabbinic interpretations on the Revelation at Sinai. And what is interesting is the title that he chose – atem re’item, which literally means “you yourselves (plural) saw.” Quoting a rabbinic commentary in the book, he emphasized this point that all future generations witnessed the Sinai revelation. This midrash was so important to him that it became the title of his book.

I think about this teaching often around this time of year, as we approach the 2nd largest gathering at Anshe Emet – Purim, and the Purim Carnival. It’s not as big as the rabbis’ vision of Sinai, nor is it the High Holy Days – but it is a time when over a thousand people gather together to celebrate the fun of Purim together. We hope to celebrate with you by reading and listening to the Megillah together (Wednesday night, March 4th and Thursday morning, March 5th), and by being a part of our Purim Carnival. The Carnival this year is on Sunday, March 1st. We would deeply appreciate any volunteers – so please contact Aviva Schnoll at 773-868-5152 or aschnoll@ansheemet.org to help us make this carnival the most exciting one in the Chicago area.

I so look forward standing with all of you, as the future generation that the rabbi envisioned, as we celebrate Jewish life together.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo

Vaera 5775

On January 14th, 1963, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was invited to Chicago to deliver a speech at a conference on Religion and Race sponsored by the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He opened his speech by offering a masterful re-telling of this season’s series of Torah portions injecting a powerful comparison to the struggles with racism from his day:

“At the first conference on religion and race, the main participants were Pharaoh and Moses. Moses’ words were: ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, let My people go, that they may celebrate a feast to me.’ While Pharaoh retorted: ‘Who is the Lord that I should heed this voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover I will not let Israel go.’ 

“The outcome of that summit meeting has not come to an end Pharaoh is not ready to capitulate. The exodus began, but is far from having been completed. In fact, it was easier for the children of Israel to cross the Red Sea than for [an African-American man] to cross certain university campuses. Let us dodge no issues. Let us yield no inch to bigotry, let us make no compromise with callousness…” (The Insecurity of Freedom, pg. 85)

Fifty-one years ago, Rabbi Heschel acknowledged with striking language that, in his time, there was a battle akin to that of the Exodus story, a struggle for freedom from oppression. One perhaps even more challenging then the crossing of the Red Sea!

Rabbi Heschel was even more condemning in a telegram that he on the eve of a meeting with President Kennedy in 1963: “I look forward to privilege of being present at meeting tomorrow four pm. Likelihood exists that [African-American] problem will be like the weather. Everybody talks about it but nobody does anything about it.”

This coming Shabbat, we at Anshe Emet are planning on doing something about it, as we commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On January 16 at Anshe Emet Live, Hazzan Mizrahi will lead a Friday night service when we will sing about freedom, and discuss how we can create a world with more freedom for all. And on Sunday, January 18, we are honored to host various churches, organizations, ONE Northside, and more as we talk about our respective faiths, the legacy of Dr. King, and systematic injustices in our community related to racism and gender inequality. We will also learn about how we can begin battling against these inequities. We’ll conclude with some food, breaking bread together as we reflect on how to make change as a community.

So this weekend, help us commemorate the legacy of Rabbi Heschel and Dr. King by doing something about it.

Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi David Russo

Vayechi 5775

At the center of this week's parasha we find the blessings that Yaakov (Jacob) bestows – first upon Ephraim and Menasheh, and then on the rest of his children. The first few tribes, though, are not blessed, but instead are cursed. The first blessing that we read is bestowed upon Yehuda (Judah).

Yehuda is blessed in various ways: as the recipient of his brothers’ praise, as overtaking his enemies, as having great might, as holding the ruler’s staff, and more (Genesis 49:8-12). Why is it that Yehuda receives this great blessing, and not the brothers before him?

It seems that the answer lies in the transformation of Yehuda’s character throughout the book of Genesis. Yehuda as a youngster is willing to sell his own brother Joseph in to slavery (Gen. 37:27). It is only after Yehuda learns a powerful lesson from his daughter-in-law, Tamar, and admits, tzadka mimeni (Gen. 38:26) that Tamar was more righteous, more just than he, that Yehuda learns that he must begin to stand up for those who are vulnerable.

And so, in last week’s portion, Vayigash, Yehuda begins a massive speech, with a heart-wrenching plea to save his brother Benjamin in front of the Egyptian viceroy, who unbeknownst to Yehuda is Yosef (Joseph). The Biblical scholar Yochanan Muffs describes this mode of standing up for those that are guilty in his influential essay, “Who will stand in the breach” (in his book Love and Joy). It features a model of the prophet whose key role is not a scolder or occasional comforter, but rather is the defender of the people. Yehuda has the chance to put his word to his father to the ultimate test. “Take me and not my brother,” he insists.

Yehuda receives the blessings of being respected by his fellows, and of leadership, because he was willing to stand in the breach. And we, the Jewish people, live the life of Judah every time we recognize ourselves as a people, as Yehudim, as his namesake. As Yehudim, we stand in the breach for those who are most vulnerable.

With this in mind, we at Anshe Emet are honored to host ONE Northside, various churches and organizations, and more on Sunday, January 18th, from 3;00 - 5:00 p.m., when we will talk about our respective faiths, the legacy of Dr. King, and systematic injustices in our community related to racism and gender inequality. We will also learn about how we can begin battling against these inequities. We’ll conclude with some food, breaking bread together, as we reflect on how to make change together. So please save the date, so that we can join together, living as descendants of Yehuda, as people who stand in the breach.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo

With thanks to Rabbi Zach Silver for quoting sections of his D'var Torah related to the theme of standing in the breach.

Vayeshev 5775

Was Joseph’s Coat Really Technicolor?

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s famous musical about Joseph colors (pun sadly intended) our interpretation of a specific phrase in this week’s parasha. We read (Genesis 37:3), that Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, and that he made for Joseph a ketonet passim. The question is, what exactly is a ketonet passim?

There are two main interpretations of this phrase. The first, voiced most notably by the Radak (12th century French rabbi), explains:

Radak- The ketonet (cloak) was made of passim passim (many stripes), with one stripe of one color and the next another color... and the ketonet was beautiful.

This, of course, supports the modern day musical’s assertion that the cloak was multi-colored.

But there is another interpretation that the cloak was not multi-colored at all! Passim could indicate that the garment had sleeves, and that it reached the ankles and wrists. So according to this view, what is so special about the cloak? Ibn Ezra explains that it was merukemet, it was embroidered beautifully.

No matter how we interpret this phrase, we understand the function of the cloak – that it was meant to make Joseph feel special. Either because it was multi-colored, it was embroidered beautifully, or because it was a unique gift from father to son. We all can identify that this gift had great power, that it made Joseph feel special; and we all are familiar with the exclusion that his brothers experienced immediately after this gift was given.

We at Anshe Emet want to learn from Jacob’s positive lesson of sharing gifts to make others feel special, while recognizing that we do not want ANYONE to feel excluded. At this time of year, as so many of us and our family members are accustomed to receiving gifts, we are going to be sharing gifts with others who may not be as fortunate. On Sunday, December 14th, our Anshe Emet Synagogue community will celebrate our annual Festival of the Arts, highlighting our Religious School students’ accomplishments in music, drama, and dance, and also including appearances by choirs from BZAEDS. But there is an admission fee: a toy for the Lakeview Pantry Toy Drive. We are asking people to bring a new or lightly used toy with them to the festival. So I hope that you follow in our students’ example of sharing gifts in ways that makes people feel as special as Joseph, while ensuring that others do not feel left out.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo

Toldot 5775

This week, we read of the origin stories of twin brothers, Jacob and Esav. Of course our tradition’s preference is for our ancestor Jacob, our hero. And like any superhero, our protagonist Jacob has one main flaw – Jacob can be manipulative of others, and that manipulation comes back to haunt him.

The first narrative that describes Jacob’s actions begins with Esav coming back from a field, famished. And Jacob is making a delicious nazid, a delicious stew. The Hebrew is vague as to what kind of stew this is. And when Esav sees it, he begs his brother (Genesis 25:30):

הַלְעִיטֵ֤נִי נָא֙ מִן־הָֽאָדֹ֤ם הָֽאָדֹם֙ הַזֶּ֔ה כִּ֥י עָיֵ֖ף אָנֹ֑כִי
Please, give me a gulp of the red-stuff, that red-stuff, for I am so weary!

I offer you the literal translation of Dr. Everett Fox so that you notice Esav’s language. He doesn't call the stew a nazid like the narrator calls it. He asks for ha’adom ha’adom, the red-stuff, the red-stuff. Either he is so tired that he is delusional and cannot even identify what the food truly is, or he is in the process of fainting, and is stuttering his words.
And it is at this point that Jacob had a few options – he could ignore or reject his brother; he could generously offer food; or he could make a deal over the beloved birthright. Jacob chooses the third option.
To this action, and the subsequent deception of his father Isaac for the birthright, the rabbis respond by saying midah keneged midah – that measure for measure, Jacob meets deception later in his life. He is deceived in the marriage of Rachel, he is deceived with his son Joseph, he is deceived in every element of his later life.

Our rabbis teach us (Mishna Avot 4:2):
מִּצְוָה גּוֹרֶרֶת מִצְוָה, וַעֲבֵרָה גוֹרֶרֶת עֲבֵרָה
A mitzvah initiates another mitzvah, and a sin initiates another sin.

And this teaching surely seems to apply to the story of Jacob.

As we ourselves begin the Thanksgiving season, we may not be approached by a brother who physically comes up to us, desperate for food. But we know that there are so many people in desperate need, in our immediate community, and throughout the world. So what will you do this time of year, to support others in their need for food, to initiate more mitzvot in our world?

This past Sunday, a group of 6th-8th graders baked over a dozen pies for the Night Ministry, supporting thousands of members of our community who otherwise might not be able to have a festive Thanksgiving meal. And in a few weeks, our Religious School is taking part in the Lakeview Pantry’s Toy Drive. Instead of treating this season as a time just to think about what we personally will get as presents, we are celebrating our community’s desire to give to people in need.

So as you approach Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, I hope that you’ll consider how you can give and share, and how to teach that to family and friends, so that we do not fall into the same trap that our ancestor Jacob did.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo

Rosh Hashanah 5775: On Joy and Living a Jewish Life by Rabbi David Russo

Let me start today with a question: Does religion, does Judaism, make you happy?

I recently heard this question on a podcast called Freakonomics, which explores everyday questions and situations and analyzes them from the perspective of economics. And their topic a few months ago was, Does Religion make you happy?

The podcast explored many different perspectives on the topic, explaining how religion provides community, social networks, and that religions can sometimes help a person get a job through the interpersonal connections that you make. And, oh yeah, as a sidebar, the podcast mentions that religion can give a person faith as well.
 
This led me to reflect on two basic questions:

1)    What is the point of living a Jewish life?
2)    And is Judaism supposed to make you happy?

Let’s start with the second question – is Judaism supposed to make us happy?

In a wonderful essay,  Prof Solomon Schechter z”l, the early 20th century leader of the Conservative movement, wrote an essay on what is called simcha shel mitzvah – the joy that comes from performing a mitzvah. He identifies at the outset that the halachot, the laws of Jewish tradition, have a harsh sound to them, suggesting that something external is forcing us to observe our tradition.

And as someone who works with children, I can tell you that children and adults alike despise any time that an external force demands burdensome tasks.

Schechter continues by talking about simcha shel mitzvah, the joy of observing Jewish tradition that is essential to the fulfilling of mitzvot. (148) He continues by describing the tale of a woman who celebrated the upcoming holiday of Sukkot. She recalled a rabbinic teaching of our, that we are supposed to make the sukkah like our permanent dwelling.

So this person took this mitzvah seriously, as some here may have in the past, and brought the children to sleep in the sukkah with her.

She was so looking forward to fulfilling the mitzvah of shaking the lulav and etrog that she woke up before sunrise, and waited impatiently for the first moments of dawn, when she could say the beracha over the lulav and etrog for the first time. (150)
 
I remember a similar story of our own Aaron Kamins, who was a part of the Kosher Ribfest this past year. He told me that, after everyone stayed up pretty much all night preparing the delicious fleishiks, that at sunrise a group of people gathered together for a Minyan. They did not only get a Minyan together because they had to – but because they wanted to, because it provided them with great joy.

After the exhaustion of staying up all night, working hard to prepare huge amounts of meat, one could imagine the shacharit service being a great burden; but it can also be an uplifting, joyful moment that relieves stress and exhaustion, bringing about a stronger sense of self and community.
 
Aaron and others found joy not only in the making of chicken and ribs worth salivating over, but more significantly found joy in the morning tefillot that followed.

Being Jewish is not simply for the purpose of happiness – that could be accomplished through something as simple as something like prepping and eating the Ribfest food. The point of Jewish tradition is that we live lives as Jews.

Rabbi Joseph Dov Baer Soloveichik, known as the Rav, talks about being an observant Jew as seeing everything in the world through a Jewish lens.
 
Simcha, for Jews, is always through the lens of mitzvot, our traditions.

During this coming week when we celebrate Sukkot, we get to celebrate one of the most joyful mitzvot – sitting in the Sukkah.

And I remember as a kid in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, even when it was freezing cold, we WANTED to sit in the sukkah. An outside observer would have looked in on us and said, what are you thinking? Even with the tradition of building a sukkah, someone from the outside could say, Moses NEVER imagined that people should sit in sukkot when in frigid, snowy Canada!
 
But we loved every moment of it: building, decorating, and setting up the sukkah. We loved bundling ourselves in jackets and extra scarves, taking in the smell of the evergreens. All we wanted to do on Sukkot was sit as a family and enjoy each other’s company. Our joy was made possible through the observance of the mitzvah.

For Jews, the joy is in the how-to – in learning how to do things like build a sukkah. We learn how to build it, we decorate it, we make it logistically  happen.

And being Jewish is also about with whom we observe Jewish tradition. Judaism is celebrated when we do it with friends, with family, with community.
 
So while Freakonomics suggests that the happiness one derives from religion is based on financial success; and while general American culture tells us that we have a right to pursuing happiness; Jewish tradition instead insists that we find joy from elevating the most mundane moments – sunrises and sunsets, Judaism is seeking to elevate every moment, every place, every thing, every person that we interact with.

Our tradition teaches that once we conclude Yom Kippur we must immediately begin building the Sukkah, in order to transition from one mitzvah to the next. 

Right after we finish ne’ilah, we are not simply supposed to rush to our break-fast. We are supposed to rush to the joy of performing another mitzvah.
 
So I ask you, what is the Sukkah for each of us?
What are we building during, and right after, these Yamim Noraim, these High Holy Days?
What is that mitzvah that you want to ensure you take on with extra joy this coming year?
Is it being more thoughtful in prayer?
Is it in how you perform tzedaka?
Or how you celebrate with your family?
More eager in providing meals for those in our community who are in need?
More active in causes for justice that will help change Chicago?

I challenge every one of us to go through the coming year and constantly ask the question: Am I finding joy in this mitzvah?

One of the new tunes that we introduced this year to the Malkov High Holy Day services is one to simcha le’artzecha – may we have joy in God’s land. The goal of Yom Kippur is to create a prayer service of meaning and yes, even joy – joy that we pray together, joy that we reflect for ourselves, joy in how we pray for a new year.

And our mission is to determine how to bring that joy into everyday life after Yom Kippur.
So may I offer all of us the following beracha:

May we discover Jewish tradition with open hearts;
May we find great joy and meaning in daily life;
May we share that simcha shel mitzvah, that joy of celebrating Jewish tradition with others;
And may that celebration lead to a fulfillment of the High Holy Day mantra simcha leartzecha – of bringing about a land that is filled with joy and peace.
Shana tova.

Ki Tavo 5774

There is a fascinating rabbinic tale that is told about the most moving verse in this week’s parasha:

Blessed shall you be in your comings and blessed shall you be in your goings (Deuteronomy 28:6). 

In the Talmud (Ta’anit 5b-6a), we are taught: When Rabbi Nahman and Rabbi Isaac were about to part, Rabbi Nahman asked Rabbi Isaac to bless him. Rabbi Isaac replied: “Let me tell you a parable. To what may this be compared? To a man who was traveling in the desert. He was hungry, tired, and thirsty, when suddenly he came upon a tree whose fruits were sweet, its shade pleasant, and a stream of water was flowing beneath it. The man ate of the tree’s fruits, drank of the water, and sat in the tree’s shade. When he was about to continue his journey, he turned to the tree and said: ‘Tree, O tree, with what shall I bless you? Shall I say to you may your fruits be sweet? They already are sweet. That your shade be pleasant? It already is pleasant. That a stream of water flow by you? A stream of water already flows by you. Therefore, this is my blessing, ‘May it be God’s will that all the shoots planted from you be just like you.’” “So it is with you” [Rabbi Isaac said to Rabbi Nahman]. “With what shall I bless you? Shall I wish you Torah learning? You already have learning. Wealth? You already have wealth. Children? You already have children. Therefore, this is my blessing: May it be God’s will that your offspring will be will be like you.”

Similarly, Anshe Emet is blessed with so many things: a community that looks out for one another, a community with great adult education, an outstanding religious school and youth program, various types of tefillot (services) for people of all types, and more. So what blessing can we possibly add? That our children will receive those blessings and pass them on to others.

We are lucky to have two people who recently joined our team to help transmit our passion for Jewish education for children. Rabbi D’ror Chankin-Gould just began this past week as our synagogue’s youth director. He is a brilliant and caring person, and we are so excited to have him on the team. We also have Shaqued Gavriel, who just arrived from Israel as our shinshinit, which stands for shnat sherut, meaning year of service. Shaqued will be bringing her passion for Israel and Jewish life to all of our youth programming over the coming year.

I hope that you will join us this week at Shabbat is Awesome, September 13th, so that you can meet Rabbi Chankin-Gould, and spend time with Shaqued, as we bless our community with the gift of transmitting Jewish values to our youth.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo

Shoftim 5774

I am always moved, every time that I am in Jerusalem, by the sign that stands next to the Supreme Court of the State of Israel. The sign conveys the opening verse from this week’s parasha:

“You shall appoint shoftim,  judges, and shotrim, officials, for your tribes… and they shall govern the people with due justice” (Deut 16:18). 

This verse identifies the biblical imperative of having wise leaders and thoughtful and able enforcers to ensure that the law is established morally and ethically in the land.

This stands in stark contrast to what appears in the middle of the parasha:

“If, after you have entered the land that the Lord your God has assigned to you, and taken possession of it and settled in it, you decide, ‘I will set a king over me, as do all the nations about me,’ you shall set a king over yourself, one chosen by the Lord your God… he shall not keep many horses… and he shall not have many wives… when he is seated on his royal throne, he shall have a copy of this Teaching written for him on a scroll by the levitical priests. Let it remain with him and let him read in it all his life…” (Deut 17:14-19)

Rabbinic commentators disagree as to whether there is a positive commandment to have a king, or rather a concession to human frailty (Etz Hayim, pg. 1092). But as you read the passage, it becomes abundantly clear that the Torah is anxious about the power, and possibility of future abuse of power, that this king may have. And so, to ensure that the king does not go astray, the Torah instructs the king to keep the Torah close by, emphasizing adherence to Torah, without ever avoiding the Torah’s commands.

We at Anshe Emet are very lucky to have two incoming leaders to our youth world who epitomize the wisdom and thoughtfulness that the Torah enjoins about the judges, rather than the kings. Rabbi D’ror Chankin-Gould will begin on Sunday, September 7th as your synagogue’s youth director. He is a brilliant and caring person, and we are so excited to have him on the team. We also have Shaqued Gavriel, who just arrived from Israel as our shinshinit, which stands for shnat sherut, meaning year of service. Shaqued will be bringing her passion for Israel and Jewish life to all of our youth programming over the coming year.

I hope that as we read about great leadership in this week’s parasha, that you will join me in welcoming these two stellar leaders to our community.

Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi David Russo

Re'eh 5774

Jewish tradition has a strong inclination towards reciting berachot, towards reciting blessing. There is a blessing for almost everything – waking up in the morning, going to the bathroom, making a request from God, eating food, seeing a rainbow… you name it, there is a probably a blessing for it. We elevate almost every mundane action by acknowledging God’s presence in our world.

What is interesting is noting some of the times that our tradition does NOT compel us to recite a beracha. One of those moments appears in this week’s parasha:

If there is a needy person among you, one of your kinsmen in any of your settlements in the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kinsman. Rather, you must open your hand and lend him sufficient for whatever he needs. (Deuteronomy 15:7-8)

The Torah very clearly commands us about the mitzvah of helping those who are in need, until dei machsoro, until we have helped them receive everything that the person needs. So why do we not recite a beracha before performing an act of chesed, of loving kindness, or tzedaka, charity?

Various rabbis explain this phenomenon from different perspectives. One particular rabbi, author of Itturei Torah, comments, since you can only give tzedakah to someone who is in great need, it is improper to recite a blessing at another person's misfortune.

We at Anshe Emet do a great deal to try and support those who are in trouble in our community. And while it might seem appropriate to bless that moment, the blessing lies in the work itself – in making a difference through the responsibility that we take on and the change that we strive to make.

Over the next month or so, our community will be doing various projects to help those in need in our community. We will deliver food baskets through Maot Chitim, supporting those Jews in our neighborhood who need help as they celebrate Rosh Hashanah and the holidays with their families (for more information, contact Amy Karp at akarp@ansheemet.org). We will have a book drive on Rosh Hashanah for Real Men Read, a program that promotes literacy on the south side of Chicago (for more information, contact Aaron Kamel at akamel@ameritech.net). And on Yom Kippur, we will do our annual collection of food for the Ark (for more information, contact Kim Carter at kcarter@ansheemet.org). Please join us in these critical endeavors – because through this work, you will bring more blessings to our world.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo

Eikev 5774

I always notice that it is summertime in Chicago when people start wearing flipflops. There are one or two members of our community who try to wear flipflops year-round, but I think that most people begin wearing more open shoewear in the early summer. And as that happens, I think it is a common experience for people’s feet to get a little dried up; and very commonly, people go through new pairs of flip flops every year or so.

You might think that something as mundane or trivial as this would be glossed over in the Torah. But sure enough, in this week’s parasha, Moshe, in the midst of describing the journey through the desert, exclaims: The clothes upon you did not wear out, nor did your feet swell these forty years." (Deuteronomy 8:4) Moshe identifies a miracle – after forty years of walking, wandering, travelling through the desert, not only did their clothing all remain fully intact, but their feet never swelled! Rashi, quoting a midrash, takes this one step further. He explains that the clouds of glory that helped them navigate through the desert was not only an ancient form of GPS – but that the clouds also washed their clothes and constantly made them feel like freshly laundered garments.

Another miracle that he identified is one that any parent could imagine – where did parents get new clothing for their children as they grew up in the desert? After all, there were no outlet malls in the desert! Sure enough, Rashi explains that as the children grew up, their clothes grew with them.

The Torah notices this otherwise mundane piece to help us develop appreciation for all of the little things that we have in our lives. This week’s parasha also tells us to be wary, lest we start telling ourselves, “I am so strong, I made all of this happen myself!” (Deuteronomy 8:17). Our parents have given us a strong upbringing, our friends offer us emotional support, and God gives us guidance through Torah and mitzvoth. Even when we do the smallest actions – laundering our clothing, or getting new flip flops, it is upon us to be thankful to family, friends, and God for allowing us to have all of these marvelous things that help us live our lives.


Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo

Vaetchanan 5774

In honor of serving Congregation Beth El for 25 years last year, Rabbi Vernon Kurtz assembled a wonderful collection of his sermons. In a moving piece on this week’s parshat Vaetchanan, he identifies that the word ve’ahavta – you shall love, appears only three times in the entire Torah. The first two appear in Leviticus, in the context of loving one’s neighbor, or a stranger, as oneself. The third and final time is in this week’s parasha, made famous by the Shema: ve’ahavta et Adonai elohecha – you shall love the Lord your God. Rabbi Kurtz quotes a Chasidic tale, where the rabbi asks, “why is God mentioned last?” He answers, “because if you do not love people, you cannot love God.”

And yet this has been a difficult time to have an outpouring of love for others. As we have read about war in Israel and other parts of our world, I fear that the doom and destruction themes of Tisha B’Av that we commemorated this past week are a little too real.

Jewish tradition assumes that the central theme of Tisha B’Av revolves around sin’at chinam – baseless hatred. Rav Kook, possibly the most influential thinker in 20th century religious Zionism, famously wrote in his book Orot Hakodesh (vol. III, p. 324): "If we were destroyed, and the world with us, due to baseless hatred, then we shall rebuild ourselves, and the world with us, with baseless love — ahavat chinam.

At a time that is so disturbing for so many of us, we can only hope and pray that our world will start loving God by first considering how we can love and care for the lives of other people.

Rabbi Kurtz includes in his book a wonderful tale that imagines how King Solomon originally determined the location of the Temple:

“King Solomon wanted to find a place build the Temple. A heavenly voice directed him from Mount Zion to a field that was once owned by two brothers. One of the brothers was a bachelor and the other was blessed with a family. After the harvest each brother was concerned about the other. Under the cover of night the brother with a family kept adding to his brother, the bachelor's, pile because he reasoned that the bachelor had no children to support him in his old age. The bachelor added to his brother’s pile because he thought that with so many children his brother needed more grain. The brothers met in the middle of the field and embraced. This field, a manifestation of brotherly love, King Solomon reasoned this was best site for the Temple.”

This story speaks to me in particular this week, as my brother Josh was just called up to serve as a reservist in the Israel Defense Forces. The love for him and concern for his safety that I feel, and the love that I hope all siblings share for one another, will, I pray, reverberate to create a broader sense of peace in our world. In his great wisdom, King Solomon based the location of the kodesh hakodashim, the holiest place on earth, on a field of love. And so too, in the land that we all hold so dear, may we see peace and love in our days.


Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi David Russo

Matot 5774

This past Tuesday, we commemorated the 17^th of Tammuz. The 17^th of Tammuz falls in the category of a “minor fast day” – when Jews traditionally do not eat or drink beginning very early in the morning until nightfall. The day commemorates many tragedies in Jewish history, and also marks the beginning of a 3-week mourning period that leads to the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, Tish’a B’Av or the 9^th of Av.

What is interesting is how Jews have approached these minor fast days through history. Rabbi Ethan Tucker has written a brilliant evaluation of this topic. In his essay, he summarizes the key rabbinic text that informs whether or not we should be fasting on these days (Babylonian Talmud Rosh Hashanah 18a-b): In a time of shalom (peace), fast days are days of rejoicing, on which it would be forbidden to fast. In a time of shemad (persecution/suffering), these days are mandatory fast days. In a time that is not completely shalom or shemad, the minor fasts are optional, while Tish’a B’Av remains mandatory.

Rabbi Tucker writes that the founding of the State of Israel and living as equals in American democracy are too significant to claim that we live in a time of shemad – a time of full of persecution and suffering; yet especially at a time like the past two weeks, we certainly cannot claim that shalom (peace) has arrived in our world.

Rabbi Tucker suggests therefore that we are best described as living in category three, where the fast days other than Tish’a B’Av are optional. But he continues by emphasizing that people should observe these fast days because of the injustice and imperfection in the world, and we could say now the scary reality in Israel right now. Fast days provide a thoughtful forum to trigger us to think about the dangers in our world, and give us a space to pray for their redemption.

And finally, the prophet Zekhariah tells us that these days will one day be ones of rejoicing. That means that they must be maintained on the calendar so that the Jewish people will remember them when history takes the turn that will enable us to see the world as one infused with shalom.

This week and in the weeks ahead, I hope that we all can take opportunity to for peace in Israel. And may we soon see the day that these fast days can be celebrated as days of joy in a world of peace.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi David Russo

Chukat 5774

Title: The Heaven is My Throne
Artist: Paul Palnik
Year: 2006

This week we celebrate Shabbat Rosh Chodesh – when Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh, the New Month, happen together. When we have this combination, the haftarah of Rosh Chodesh supercedes that of Shabbat.

The opening words of the haftarah are dramatic: “הַשָּׁמַיִם כִּסְאִי וְהָאָרֶץ הֲדֹם רַגְלָי - The heaven is My throne, the earth My footstool.” The statement is one of God’s transcendence – that God reigns above our earth. But it is also one that recognizes God’s immanent presence in our world, that God still has a foot, still has investment in human affairs. 

Dr. Michael Fishbane teaches that we recite this on Rosh Chodesh because the haftarah mentions when all of Israel is gathered from the exile, that all flesh will worship God, “new moon after new moon” (Isaiah 66:23). The haftarah promotes the particular prophecy of the Jewish people along with universal redemption, that Rosh Chodesh in the future will be celebrated as God’s festival for the Jews and all humankind.

This week, I will be at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin for Shabbat. And at Ramah there is a beautiful illustration of this verse, seen on this page. Paul Palnik, the artist, creates a literal throne that rests on the earth. While the partial physical manifestation of God can seem heretical to many, the piece movingly represents God’s total omnipotence on the one hand, and God’s having footing on earth on the other.

I deeply appreciate that Ramah tries to bring to life Jewish themes and content through every media, including art, at camp. This neighborhood sends 60 campers to the Ramah Day camp in Wheeling and overnight camp in Wisconsin. I am so proud of that, and hope that those numbers will only continue to grow because at Ramah, our campers get a better of understanding of themes like that in this week’s haftarah.

So whether at Ramah or Anshe Emet, I hope that this piece creates food for thought for you as it does for me every time that I see it. I hope that you will consider what it means for God to on the one hand be distant in the heavens and on the other for God to be immanently close; that you will consider what it means for the Jewish nation to be redeemed while simultaneously working towards the redemption of the entire world.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi David Russo