Groundhogs and Almond Trees

What  do they have in common? Both are harbingers of spring!

As I peer out over the mountain of snow in my front yard, I am comforted by the approach of Groundhog Day and Tu B’shvat in the coming week.

Groundhog Day, February 2, promises us that spring is just around the corner, or at least it’s no more than 6 weeks away.

Tu B’shvat, the 15^th of Shvat, comes on Tuesday-Wednesday, February 3-4, as a reminder that the first signs of spring are appearing in the land of Israel. With the full moon above, the sap is rising in the trees as they drink in the winter rains. The almond trees are the first to open their soft white blossoms.  If it’s not too cold and not too wet, Israeli children go out to plant trees.

We can get through the winter, knowing that soon spring will arrive. March will be here before you know it, and flower bulbs beginning to poke out of the earth.

In the Jewish lunar cycle, the month of Shvat (already nearly half over) will be followed by the month of Adar, the most  joyous month of the year. Planning for Purim festivities are already well underway.

So much to look forward to. And yet, let’s not rush things. Try to be in this moment, cold and snowy, slushy and slippery. Skiing and skating. And, ah yes, the Patriots are in the Superbowl.

I don’t know of many rituals surrounding Groundhog Day (except, perhaps, watching the movie “Groundhog Day” over and over). But there’s plenty of ways to honor and enjoy trees (and their fruits).

Take a hike! Our Chaverim School students will be taking a hike in the Arboretum (weather permitting) on Wednesday the 4^th. But you can go anywhere, anytime, and enjoy the trees’ wintry array.

Eat fruit! The Jewish mystics created a special seder ritual for this holiday, involving eating 15 different fruits, symbolic of various experiences of divinity in our world. Can you name 15 fruits you’d like to eat? Even if they are not in season locally, consider dried fruits and nuts (nuts count as fruit in the seder). Hazon provides a haggadah for adults and one for children, so you can hold a Tu B’shvat seder in your home.

Plant a tree! Maybe you can’t actually dig a hole in the ground this week, but thanks to the internet, you can take part in tree planting elsewhere.There’s no denying it: our planet needs trees.

• Some of you may remember giving to JNF to plant trees in Israel. You can still do that, and get or give a classic Tree Certificate.

 Planting a tree in Israel can also be a gesture of peace and hope.

• ·         Rabbis for Human Rights is raising money in its “Plant change, grow hope” campaign, bringing Israelis and Palestinians together to plant olive trees.
• ·         T’ruah:  The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights is asking you to support rabbinical students who will plant olive trees with Palestinian farmers.

 Watch Honi make it rain! Well, virtually. A fun video for everyone.

On Tu B’shvat, I will be eating dates, figs, nuts and pomegranates, and contemplating the need for us to take care of our trees and planet, as they sustain us, even through the frozen winter.  And remembering that each day is a choice fruit to enjoy.

Je Suis Charlie, Je Suis Juif

Wednesday evening, I attended the communal gathering in solidarity with French Jews. Upon entering the sanctuary at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, I was moved by the names and faces that appeared on the screens above us.

They included the four Jews who were murdered in the kosher supermarket:

Philippe Braham
Yohan Cohen
Yoav Hattab
Francois-Michel Saada

The slides also included the names and faces of all seventeen victims of terror last week.

Those images reflect two important themes of Jewish life: commitment to our own people as well as to all of humanity. I spoke of this tension on Rosh Hashanah this year, urging us to find a way to hold both commitments at the same time. The Jewish people is our family, wherever they reside, whatever their ideology or religious expression. As Rabbi Joel Sisenwine reminded the gathering last night: Kol Yisrael arevim ze lazeh, each Jew carries a responsibility for other Jews.

Yet the Torah begins with a universal vision, the Creation of all humanity. The pinnacle of the Creation story is expressed in a statement of our equal status and unique individuality: we are each made b’tzelem Elohim, in the divine image. From that first chapter of our holiest Book, we derive the obligation to care about all human beings and to treat each one with dignity.

How do we make sense of this tension when we believe that our people are threatened by others? How can we find the goodness in others who seek to deny our humanity and take the lives of Jews for no other reason than we are Jews?

One can look at France and see growing anti-semitism. One can also look at France and see a democratic society committed to respecting and protecting the Jewish population. While these ideas seem to be in tension, the truth requires accepting both realities.

Jews have lived in France since the time of the Roman Empire. In the past 1500 years, we can find instances of good relations between Jews and Christians as well as periods of persecution, massacres and expulsions. Since the establishment of the French Republic in the 18^th century, the situation for Jews improved considerably. All anti-Jewish laws were abolished. Jews were made citizens with full rights. The Jewish population increased and Jews achieved success in the professions and the arts.

The Nazi occupation of France brought deportations of Jews and tens of thousands were sent to concentration camps. However, both the French Catholic and Protestant churches opposed anti-Jewish measures, and many Christians saved Jewish children, in body and soul. An entire village, Le Chambon-sur-Lignon (population 5,000) and the villages on the surrounding plateau (population 24,000) provided refuge for thousands of Jewish children, risking their own lives.

Today, France is home to the largest Jewish population in Europe and is the third largest Jewish population in the world (after Israel and the United States).

My good friend and colleague, Rabbi Stephen Berkowitz, spoke to us a year ago about anti-semitism in France today. He made the point that France is not an anti-semitic country. Most French people are not anti-semitic.  When I reached out to him this week, he wrote about increased fear among French Jews since last week’s attack.

And yet, we need to ask whether the actions of these three young terrorists represent a larger trend, particularly in the French Muslim community? And what is the response of French society to the targeting of Jews shopping for Shabbat dinner?

We can be grateful for the actions of a 24-year old Muslim employee at the supermarket, Lassana Bathily, an immigrant from Mali, who saved the lives of several Jews by hiding them in the store's freezer.

We can take heart from the words of Malek Merabet, the brother of Ahmed Merabet, the police officer who was killed outside the offices of Charlie Hebdo. He declared,

“My brother was French, Algerian, and of the Muslim religion. He was very proud of the name Ahmed Merabet, proud to represent the French police, and to defend the values of the Republic: liberty, equality and fraternity….Devastated by this barbaric act, we associate ourselves with the pain of the families of the victims….I address myself now to all the racists, Islamophobes and anti-Semites. One must not confuse extremists with Muslims. Madness has neither color nor religion. I want to make another point: stop painting everybody with the same brush, stop burning mosques or synagogues. You are attacking people.”

These words represent the multi-cultural aspirations of the French people.

The slogan Je Suis Charlie united the French people in defense of liberty and freedom of speech. The slogan Je Suis Juif demonstrates the compassion of the French people for the Jewish victims. As French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, said after the attacks, "Without the Jews, France is no longer France.”

What is the future of Jews in France?

I believe the future of Jews is tied to the future of democracy. It is too early to see what direction the French government and French people will take to combat terror and to protect Jews and all citizens. Likewise, it is too early to determine whether these events will lead to mass aliyah to Israel. As Rabbi Berkowitz emphatically stated, “Most of secular, non- affiliated Jews who are not physically threatened and feel confident that the govt is doing everything possible to fight ant- semitism will continue to stay in France.”

Our hearts go out to the French people. Our prayers go out to the families of all the victims. May the Jewish community of France, which has endured so much in the past, continue to thrive.

8 ingredients for the Best Hanukkah Ever

Whether you’ve got a gaggle of kids or an empty nest, whether your hanukkiyah (Hanukkah menorah) is lit up by candles or oil or electricity, whether you prefer applesauce or sour cream, here are 8 kosher ingredients that will light up your home this week.

          Latkes:          Awe

We eat latkes, not to remember Irish potato farmers, but to remember the miracle of the oil. Sufganiyot (Israeli jelly donuts) also quality. A miracle is an event that points us toward awe. At Hanukkah, we are in awe of many things: the oil that lasted for 8 nights, the victory of the weak over the mighty, the amazing fact that oil burns at all! Take a few moments to think of and share something that fills you with awe. Savor it.

       Gelt:               Generosity

While we may associate “gelt” with (bad) chocolate, the coins were once a holiday tip for the local laborers. Before we had gift giving, Hanukkah was a time for tsedaka and other acts of generosity. Some families dedicate (at least) one night of Hanukkah to tsedaka: choosing a cause for a Hanukkah contribution, donating a toy to a needy child, serving at a soup kitchen or food pantry. 

3.    Lights in the window:       Courage

The Hanukkah lights are meant to be displayed to the world. In some places and times in the past, it took courage simply to shine the lights where the (non-Jewish) neighbors could see. For some of us, Hanukkah is a time when we dare to be different. For some of us, we need courage to stand up for what we believe in. Do something courageous this Hanukkah. One new idea: add a #BlackLivesMatter message to your Hanukkiyah and share a photo online.

4.    Blessings:    Gratitude

A blessing is a public acknowledgement of gratitude. We recite our blessings out loud so that others hear them and know how grateful we are. In addition to the blessings over the candles, what other ways can you express gratitude? Write a thank you note, instead of an email. Call someone to tell them how grateful you are for their love/friendship/help/support. Thank the next person you see for any good reason at all.

5     Music:            Pleasure

Contrary to popular opinion, the Dreidl Song is not the height of Jewish Hanukkah music. And Adam Sandler’s “Eight Crazy Nights”  is already a throwback. Whatever kind of music gives you pleasure, enjoy and share!

•       Listen or sing along to Ma’oz Tzur, Peter Paul & Mary’s “Light One Candle” and all the old favorites in Hebrew, Yiddish and English.
•       Sing a Ladino song: Ocho Kandelikas by Flory Jagoda.
•       Listen to the best Hanukah music ever from The Leevees.
•       Enjoy a little classical music: “Judas Maccabeus,” an oratorio by Handel (who wrote a lot more than “The Messiah”).

       Silence:         Silence

‘Nuf said?

      People:          Kindness/Compassion

A lot of us get together with family and friends on Hanukkah. Enjoy their company! Imagine that you are meeting them for the first time, and let go of any old grudges, high (or low) expectations, or complaints. Find out something you never knew about them before. Smile/Laugh/Cry with them.

Not everyone has family nearby or friends who share Hanukkah with them. Think about a person who is likely to be alone this week and invite them to be with you. (contact Benita if you’d like a temple directory to help you reach out).

       Dreidl:            Joy

Hanukkah can’t be all serious. Have fun. (Remember: Being Jewish is fun! Especially on Hanukkah.)

Wishing you a delicious Hanukkah of awe, generosity, courage, gratitude, pleasure, silence, kindness and joy!

Light the Inner Light

The few overcoming the many, the weak prevailing over the mighty—the victory of the Maccabees is extolled in miraculous terms. We have seen similar miracles in our own day.

While we live in a time of darkness, when the concentration of wealth in the hands of a powerful few seems unassailable, when political solutions to everyday problems seem unreachable, and when fighting for basic rights seems unavoidable, a candle of hope pierces the doom.

I have met workers who have risked everything they have in order to win benefits for their coworkers. I watched a hotel housekeeper enter the Hyatt shareholder’s meeting in a Chicago hotel ballroom and stand up to tell her truth. I have stood by Doubletree hotel workers who protested in the cold to make their case known to Harvard University. I have been in awe of their strength, faith and courage.

And they have won. In 2013 the Hyatt workers won good contracts for those in union hotels across the country. In 2014, the Hyatt 100 in Boston received compensation five years after they were fired. Also this year, the workers at Le Meridien Hotel in Cambridge won their first contract after a long boycott. The few overcame the many and the weak prevailed over the mighty. We might add, the poor shamed the wealthy.

These individuals stood up for their rights with a deep faith and unfathomable courage. They had so much to lose: their jobs, their health, their families’ security. Yet they stood together, they persevered, they refused to give up. On Hanukkah, let’s celebrate all the Maccabees, in ancient days as in our own, who carried the light within their hearts that led to miraculous victories.

As poet Charles Reznikoff wrote in his poem, “Hanukkah,”

The miracle, of course, was not that the oil for the sacred light--

in a little cruse--lasted as long as they say;

but that the courage of the Maccabees lasted to this day:

let that nourish my flickering spirit.

(From Meditations on the Fall and Winter Holidays)

May your Hanukkah bring light to the darkness in your life!

Rabbi Barbara Penzner

For the New England Jewish Labor Committee 8 Nights of Hanukkah

What Next For Justice?

Two events have rocked the lives of many in our community and our country over the past ten days. First, the failure of the grand jury to indict Officer Wilson in the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson and then yesterday, the failure of another grand jury to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner in New York; they have ignited fear, anger, sorrow, grief, confusion, and hopelessness. For anyone who is African American or knows African American men and boys, these decisions confirm a painful experience that their lives don’t matter. However, it is incumbent on all of us to acknowledge that pain, whether it affects us personally or not. Michael Brown and Eric Garner are symbols who have galvanized an historic movement toward justice and equity that we cannot, and should not ignore.

At issue is not whether the grand jury decision was racist or flawed. While we could expend energy debating how a grand jury reaches its conclusion, the two cases raise a larger question that has implications for all Americans:  what is wrong with a justice system that leads people of color to be afraid of the police while white people feel safe and protected?  I urge you to consider any interaction you might have had with a police officer, whether a traffic cop or a cop on the beat. Did you feel safe? Did you feel harassed? Did you walk away with a warning? Did you fear being beaten, or worse?

The stark and often horrifying contrast between the experience of whites and people of color when faced with any representative of the criminal justice system demonstrates the sad truth that the system is far from just. While we might claim that the practitioners of that system are following the rules, we need to ask whether the rules themselves are flawed. What is just about a system that leads to the exoneration of a man for a death that the medical examiner deemed a homicide? Is it acceptable to give the officer the benefit of the doubt, without the rigorous scrutiny of a trial, simply by virtue of his badge? Should we perhaps hold that officer to an even higher standard, given his duty to protect and defend citizens? Where does justice go from here?

In troubled times, I turn to the ancient words of the prophet Micah:

It has been told you, O mortal, what is good, and what the Eternal requires of you—Only this: to act justly, and love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.              (Micah 6:8)

Act justly (mishpat):  to follow the rule of law.

In Jewish tradition, the rule of law (mishpat) is fundamental to civil society. The Rabbis teach that the establishment of laws goes back to Noah, who lived in a lawless world and sought to remake society after the flood. Yet, establishing laws is not sufficient. We are also called to pursue justice, tzedek tzedek tirdof, “Justice, justice shall you pursue.”  (Deut.16:20). This verse enshrines the principle that we must be extra vigilant to create a system of just laws. When laws are unjust, it is our sacred obligation to challenge and change them.

Love mercy (hesed):  to treat each human being with loving care

No matter what our opinion about current events, we are also called to feel compassion for those who are suffering. Where an individual or community is experiencing injustice, pain, and loss, we have a sacred obligation to show them love.  These events may seem far away to some of us. But the sorrow and hopelessness these decisions have aroused throbs in the hearts of people who are very close to us. They matter to us and we need to let them know that we care.

Walk humbly (with your God):  to respond in a way that brings holiness

Both justice and mercy must be rooted in profound humility. As human beings, created in the divine image, we cannot know the whole truth. We cannot discern the heart of another. To be godly is to act as our best selves. That godliness was the source of Gandhi’s power and Martin Luther King’s influence. We have a long road ahead to make systemic change. Our sacred duty is transformation, not confrontation. That lofty goal requires steady, intentional and loving pursuit of justice.  May we be given the strength, courage, and mutual support to see our world transformed in the name of justice, mercy, and all that is godly.