Libi BaMizrach

When we think of the place of Chanukah in the Jewish calendar, our thoughts always turn to the month of Kislev.  It is interesting to note, however, that Chanukah is the only Jewish holiday that actually spans portions of two months; five days in Kislev, and three in Tevet.   This oddity is even more striking when we consider that the two months have very different connotations for our people.   Kislev is looked up to as the culmination of the Maccabean war, a time of Chanukah, renewal of the Temple after its defilement by foreign evil forces.  For Chabad Chassidim, it contains the 19 th of Kislev, a time of the remarkable liberation of the Alter Rebbe.   By contrast Tevet contains (other than my birthday) only days of sadness of note.  The Eighth of Tevet is the Day that Ptolemy II forced the Jews to translate the Torah into Greek.  The Ninth of Tevet marked the death of the great Ezra the scribe, one of the greatest Jews of all ...

The Pope . . . and Truth It is not every day that I agree with the Pope. After all, to say the least, we have several non-trivial theological differences.  There is also the matter of the history of the Church, and its relationship with our people, and frankly, many more matters than I can list in this essay. Today, however, I must say that I stand firmly with the Pope in a position that he took last week. While many of my co-coreligionists may not be aware of it, on October 27, 2011 Pope Benedict XVI invited some 300 religious leaders, and tellingly, some non-religious leaders, to the city of St. Francis to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of one of the signature achievements of his predecessor.  John Paul II convened a “ World Day of Prayer for Peace” on Oct. 27, 1986; an event that was part of that pontiff's historic opening to other faiths, the legacy of which is now known as the "Spirit of Assisi."  During that event one could witness, al...

Hurricane Sandy . . . A wake up call ? Much has been, and will continue to be written, about the calamity that was Hurricane Sandy.  Thousands rendered homeless, millions without power; an incalculable loss of money, possessions, any sense of security. . . the full extent of the suffering  is really beyond comprehension.  E conomists claim: “There has not been such devastation affecting so many participants in the US economy before.”    That is to say, even when compared to the trauma  of 9/11/2001.  Although there was far more loss of life at that awful time, the calamity did not directly injure as many people as Sandy has.  For the American Orthodox Jewish community in particular, I am not aware of any incident that directly affected so many with serious hardship as this hurricane.  In fact, as time goes on, it seems that the impact is growing, as the scope grows larger and larger. How do we think about such a tragedy from a the...

Crossing G-d’s Goal Line at MetLife Stadium – Part III It is the season again. While from some of the essays that I have written recently, one might think that I am referring to the NFL football season, or the MLB playoff season, I am, in fact, referring to the High Holiday season – the Yamim Noraim – the Days of Awe.   The very special time every year that we regroup, reassess, and recommit ourselves to the core principles that ought to govern our lives.  We take time to reflect on the successes and failures of the past, especially the recent past, in preparing to ask Hashem for another year of life and blessings. Nevertheless, as the last in this series, maybe there are a few more lessons that we can take from the world of sports in our preparations.   It is, after all, the beginning of a new season, and we are trying to make our case to the ultimate Team Owner to “renew our contract”, because we have something that we can contribute to the success of Tea...

בס"ד Crossing G-d’s Goal Line at MetLife Stadium – Part II In the last edition of the Queens Jewish Link, I was privileged to have my undelivered speech to the Siyum “ Crossing G-d’s Goal Line at MetLife Stadium – Part I” published.   Given that at least a few of the evening’s esteemed speakers went on quite a bit beyond their originally allotted time, I feel justified in writing some additional thoughts here in “Part 2”, in the time-honored tradition of “Az mir redt shoyn . . .” (or “while I am on the topic”, for you non-Yiddish speakers). In essence, my original point was that the MetLife venue might be used as more than just a self-congratulatory and condescending “we are superior to them” attitude.  That it was possible to think about an NFL stadium as representing some positives as well, in that we there are athletic values that are analogous to what it takes to finish Shas –determination, consistency, mental toughness, absolute commitment to reaching go...

בס"ד Crossing G-D’s Goal Line at MetLife Stadium – Part I I was only mildly miffed that somehow they forgot to include me in the illustrious list of speakers at the Siyum HaShas.  In retrospect, given my 3:45 AM return home, I see that it might have been difficult to fit me in. Nevertheless, despite all the wonderful words of inspiration that were imparted, there is a neglected aspect that I might have touched upon had I been able to impart my wisdom to the magnificent gathering.  That aspect has to do with the momentous venue that we gathered in – the huge 90,000 seat Met-Life Stadium, home of the NY Giants and NY Jets of the National Football League. Several of the speakers made the fairly obvious point regarding the famous prayer of Rav Nechunia ben Hakannah that is recited at every Siyum: מודים אנחנו לפניך ה' אלקינו ששמת חלקנו מיושבי בית המדרש, ולא שמת חלקנו מיושבי קרנות. שאנו משכימים והם משכימים, אנו משכימים לדברי תורה, והם משכימים לדברים בטלים. אנו עמלים והם עמלים, אנ...

I really have not been keeping this up to date.....Hopefully teshuva is in the air... This piece was published on Aish.com and the Queens Jewish Link --------------             Tisha B’Av – Festival of Sadness Unless things change a whole lot in the next few weeks, we will one again be going through the days leading up to and including Tisha B’Av, the Ninth Day of the Month of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar.   Year after year, we take time to reflect on our condition in the Diaspora, and what this long, seemingly endless exile is supposed to teach us, while awaiting the long sought for Geula (Redemption).    There is an interesting anecdote recorded regarding a meeting between the prophet Jeremiah and the famous Greek philosopher, Plato.  Jeremiah was mourning the destruction of Jerusalem , and Plato engaged him in conversation.  Impressed with Jeremiah’s great wisdom, Plato asked him “I d...

Modern Orthodox or Chareidi: Are those the only choices? Yehuda L. Oppenheimer     Introduction [1] Summer 2012.  Once again, Israel is in convulsions over the Chareidim.   Due to maximalist positions staked out by both sides, no compromise is in sight.  The secularists will accept nothing less than a total draft of all Chareidim.  The Chareidim are determined to fight any change in the status quo [2] .  And many of us – who want the Chareidim to contribute their fair share to the national burden, while simultaneously honoring the mission and heroism of those who devote their lives to Torah study and teaching – we strain our ears for that nuanced voice from the Chareidi leadership that will bring unity and sanity to this crisis . . . and are once again disappointed. The first draft of this article was written in December 2011, after grown men – in supposed religious zeal – spat at and taunted 8 yr. old schoolgirls who were not...