Dear Friends: I
am often struck by how meaningful, timely, and powerful our Jewish
texts can be. Psalm 69:14 says, “May my prayer to You, G_d, come in a
favorable time.” The Talmud (B. Ber 7b-8a) asks what it means that a
particular time is a “favorable” time, and answers by teaching us that a
favorable time is whenever the congregation prays. Our prayers are
offered whenever we feel so moved, but there is something synergistic
about praying in community or even at the same time as others in the
community, whether we can be physically present or not. Perhaps this
teaches us something about the value of Zoom in a time when it is
difficult at best to worship inside our public spaces.
These
past three months I indeed had my share of Jewish Zoom experiences. At
the Jewish Center of the Moriches (JCM), we’ve continued weekly Friday
night Zoom services, and we’ve gotten a few folks from outside the Long
Island area to join us, one “upside” of Zoom. I’ve also co-led Zoom
services on occasional Saturday mornings with HaMakom, nominally based
in Santa Fe, and I was able to make it back to NY for lunch!
Speaking of no jet lag, Beverly and I had a wonderful week’s tour of Israel through
JNF (Jewish National Fund) without leaving the comfort of our living
room – and as the oldest (and only) rabbi on the trip, I got to lead the
Shehecheyanu when we “landed.”
Beverly and I also took a Jewish-centered tour of Cuba
through Ayelet Tours via Zoom. Even more distant, there was a reunion
of sorts on Erev Shavuot with many friends from the Beijing expat Jewish
community, Kehillat Beijing. Dozens of individuals joined in as we lit
candles, listened to the talented klez musicians, learned about the
traditional 613 mitzvot in the Torah, and caught up on everyone’s latest
adventures. It was a tremendously enjoyable way to start the holiday.
On
more than one occasion I taught a class I created during the pandemic
entitled “My Son (or Daughter) the Doctor: Physicians in Jewish Texts,”
sharing this talk with Limmud New Mexico, the East End (of Long Island)
Jewish Community Council, and HaMakom. On a recent Saturday night I
taught a mini-course for JCM on a book I read called “The First Book of
Jewish Jokes” (see below), after which we shared some Jewish jokes
(thanks, recent-bar-mitzvah Max, for your contribution!), and then I led
a Havdalah service for those present.
Venturing into unfamiliar
territory, I shared a story of isolation at a Story Slam for the nearby
synagogue, Temple Beth El in Patchogue. But my favorite Zoom experience
was chanting the Priestly Benediction for a couple whose wedding plans
went quite awry as a result of the virus. That text, from the Book of
Numbers 6:24-26, continues to guide us to this very day, and may Adonai
show each of you kindness and grant you peace.
B’shalom, Rabbi Jack
Scroll down for last quarter’s reading list.
Last quarter’s reading list is below, with highlights denoted by an asterisk*
God’s To-Do List – Ron Wolfson A Jewish Refugee in New York – Kadya Molodovsky (tr. Anita Norich) The Ineffable Name of God: Man – Abraham Joshua Heschel Between Sky and Sea* – Herz Bergner The First Book of Jewish Jokes – ed. Elliott Oring, tr. Michaela Lang The Holy Brothers: Reb Elimelekh of Lizhensk and Reb Zusha of Anipoli – Simcha Raz Making Physics: A Biography of Brookhaven National Laboratory, 1946-1972 – Robert P Crease Hasidic Commentary on the Torah – Ora Wiskind-Elper Hasidism – Buber Fly Already – Etgar Keret The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming – Lemony Snicket Dear Zealots – Amos Oz Karl Marx* (Jewish Lives series) – Shlomo Avineri
