On the Appointment of Rabbi Mirvis as Next Chief Rabbi

Some immediate thoughts on the recommendation of the search committee that Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis should be appointed next Chief Rabbis of the United Hebrew Congregations (British and Commonwealth Orthodoxy).

 

Mazal Tov – meant both in the sense of congratulation and good luck with the task to come. I wish Rabbi Mirvis every blessing for success. I offer my support in anything I can do to promote Achdut Yishrael – a coming together of Israel – alongside his leadership of the United Synagogue.

 

Three brief observations.

I don’t know Rabbi Mirvis personally, but his community is a powerhouse; growing and vibrant across the fullest sense of what a Shul ought to be. He’s a community Rabbi, community Rabbis get their hands dirty, it’s not an aloof life predicated on theory.

My sense, from the outside, is that there is a plurality of opportunity within the community. There are different Minyanim, pursuing different customs and aimed at different kinds of Jews. It’s a community which empowers its members. That’s a marked shift from the overly centralised United Synagogue of previous incumbents.

Rabbi Mirvis is not a PhD. I don’t think one should read too much into the matter. He’s clearly highly intelligent and learned, but this appointment is an endorsement of focussing on ‘real people’ – the Jew in the pew – rather than the glittering ivory towers of academia and the expectations of the non-Jewish world.

 

He faces many challenges. If he can inspire the United Synagogue with the same success and energy that he has brought to Finchley United Synagogue – ‘Kinloss’ - in these past years he will do mighty things not only for the United Synagogue, but Am Yisrael – the People of Israel and our broader society also. May he be blessed with the kindness, the learning and the courage to be that force for goodness, holiness and change.

 

The Story of the Oil - An (Un)Original Midrash

The Story of the Oil, An (Un)Original Midrash

Rabbi Jeremy Gordon

 

Adam and Eve grabbed out at whatever they could reach as they were dragged from the Garden of Eden. Eventually, lost and alone in the wilderness, they opened their hands to see what reminders of paradise they had smuggled away. There wasn’t much; some seeds, some fruit and the first pair of tongs (Avot 5:2). They tilled, hoed and planted the seeds and waited for harvest. It was bitter, inedible. Eve tried pressing the fruit, which drew out the bitterness, but it was hardly tasty. She put the oil aside for safekeeping.

 

As the days passed into weeks Adam noticed the nights getting longer and the days shorter. He wailed, ‘This is the punishment for our sin. Darkness is overtaking the world and we are sliding back to the primordial state of darkness and void.’ (Avodah Zara 8a) Meanwhile Eve created a small lamp for the olive oil and during the darkest nights she would light the oil and she, her husband and children would sit in its light and the darkness no longer seemed so terrifying.

Generations passed and Eve passed the flask on to her descendents. And a great miracle happened; the oil never ran out.

 

Many years later Noah’s wife took one look at her husband’s craftwork and reached for the oil. The ark had been fully covered with pitch, inside and out and was totally dark. (Genesis Rabbah 31:11) The bats and the badgers were happy, but the rest of the animals refused to enter. So she lit the oil and she, her husband and children and all the (diurnal) animals would sit in its light and the darkness no longer seemed so terrifying.

 

Many years later the flask had been passed to Jacob. ‘Light it when you are most afraid,’ Rebecca counseled as she pressed the oil into his hand. And now Jacob was afraid. He had sent his wives, his children, his servants, all of his possessions across the river and he forgot the flask of oil. He turned back ‘for he had left behind some small jars’ (Chullin 91a) and, in darkness, he lit his lamp and wrestled the angel and the darkness no longer seemed so terrifying.

 

So goes the story of the oil.

It was the last remaining possession of the ‘woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets’ who didn’t understand its miraculous properties until Elisha told her to keep pouring oil from the flask, knowing it would last forever and that the revenue could pay off the creditor who had come to take her sons into slavery (2 Kings 4). Samuel used the oil to anoint Saul, the first King of Israel, and also to anoint David, his successor (I Sam. 10:1 & 16:3). It was used to light the everlasting light that would light up the sanctuary and the Temple. And always the oil brought comfort, in its light the darkness no longer seemed so terrifying.

 

When the Hasmoneans defeated the Greeks and re-entered the Temple they searched and could find only one flask of oil, and to the untrained eye it seemed as if there was only enough for one day’s lighting. (Shabbat 21b) But this was no ordinary oil, and of course it lasted.

And today, when we light our own Chanukiot, we remember all the great miracles bestowed upon on our ancestors and upon us. But perhaps the greatest miracle is the miracle of a flame. For when we sit in its light, the darkness no longer seems so terrifying.

New London Synagogue is looking for our next Chazan

If you, or anyone you know might be interested, please direct them to

http://www.newlondon.org.uk/page.asp?page_id=50 for a person specification and information on the application process.

 

‘New London Synagogue offers a unique combination of tradition and modernity.  We are traditional in practice and non-judgmental in outlook.  It is a blend of contemporary Judaism, we think, at its best. We are proud of our history; from our dramatic foundation nearly 50 years ago by our esteemed founder, Rabbi Dr Louis Jacobs z’l, to our pivotal role in establishing the Masorti movement in Great Britain which now consists of 13 communities and is the fastest growing synagogue movement in the UK. We are equally proud of our vibrant present.  New London Synagogue is gloriously busy and growing fast; our cheder has tripled in size in the last two years. We are looking for a Chazan who can help us grow and be excited by our future.

 

‘We enjoy the traditional liturgy done well. The moments when the community comes together in prayerful song are very special to us and we want to participate with a Chazan who will skilfully lead us. We are looking for a Ba’al Tefillah and a Shaliach Tzibbur, rather than a concert soloist.’

 

This position will also be offered through the Cantors’ Assembly Placement process.

 

If this could be you I hope you will be in touch.

Any questions please contact chazansearch@newlondon.org.uk 

 

Torah That Dares Not Speak Its Name

 

Part One - Homosexuality

A couple of months ago one of those regular waves of communal debate about the place of homosexuality in Judaism broke over the Jewish Chronicle. Reform and Orthodox voices chipped in. Masorti was silent. In truth we, the Rabbis of Masorti Judaism, have been nervous and uneven on the issue. Some are more in favour of taking public positions, even on contentious issues. Some are more in favour of keeping our heads low. Some are more in favour of Halachic moderation. Some are more inclined to enforce more traditional standards. Certainly we would all condemn the idiocy of the extremist Orthodoxy that led Rabbi Noson Leitner to opine that the ‘same-gender marriage recognition movement’ were to blame for Tropical Storm Sandy, but nor would any of us articulate the language of halachic disregard that Reform and Liberal Jewish leaders have adopted.

 

In a new Masorti publication on relationships I am publishing the first public attempt to plot a path ‘What Should Gay Jews Do’ in the Masorti Movement. The essay is also available on my blog http://tinyurl.com/cg5gd96 and I will be teaching on the subject at the Masorti Seminar on Judaism and Relationships this Sunday from 10:30 at the JHub on West End Lane. See www.masorti.org.uk for more information. Any members who would like to discuss this issue further are welcomed to contact me to do so.

 

Part Two – The Palestinians

In other news that dare not share its name, this has been an extraordinary week for those who closely watch the American Jewish community’s relationships with Israel. 70 of 71 candidates supported by the liberal NGO JStreet won their elections. While the vast majority of candidates endorsed by the hardline rhetoric and dollars of Sheldon Adelson lost. Meanwhile PA President Mahmoud Abbas gave up on a personal ‘right’ of return and, speaking to Israeli TV, declared, ‘Palestine now for me is the ’67 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.’ Is this an opening for peace or, with Bib Netanyahu predicted to win comfortably in the upcoming Israeli election, should we expect (and will) the perpetuation of the status quo. Last Monday saw a packed hall welcome, and challenge, security commentator Anshel Pfeffer at the excellent opening night of New London’s Israel Voices education series. This Monday, 8pm we welcome Hannah Weisfeld, founder and director of Yachad, Britain’s leading pro-Israel pro-peace NGO. I was delighted to see such interest in Israel’s relationship with the countries on the other side of the post-’67 borders. This Monday we will be looking at challenges closer to hand. All welcome.

 

Shabbat shalom.

 

What Should A Gay Jew Do

What Should A Gay Jew Do?

 

The issue of homosexuality is complicated and tests our legal and practical sensibilities in a vast range of ways. It’s also hugely emotive both among those who are gay, or are gay supporters, and among those who fear Masorti is sliding away from the acceptance of the binding nature of our tradition. Faced with these complications we, as Rabbinic leaders in the Movement, have largely kept ‘shtum.’ We have hoped that members and others will deduce a general welcome of anyone regardless of sexuality without making that welcome explicit, partly out of our own discomfort and partly out of a desire to avoid the inevitable scorn that greets anyone perceived as treading too liberal a path on these matters. I’m not convinced that this silence is tenable or appropriate. For a Movement founded on the principle of speaking truths even if they bring criticism, this equivocation fails our raison d’etre.

 

I don’t get asked – ‘Rabbi, should I be gay?’ The question simply doesn’t come to me. Rather I get what the rabbis call ‘bd’ieved’ questions, post-facto questions – Since I am gay, am I still welcome in your shul? Since I have a gay partner, will you recognise us as a family? Since our son has same-sex parents, can you accept him in the Cheder? Actually even these ‘bd’ieved’ questions overstate what passes my metaphorical Rabbinic in-tray on issues around homosexuality. Many gay Jews feel traditional Judaism views them and their heart’s inclination with such opprobrium that they simply avoid anything to do with us – do I want to encourage them to be more involved or should I watch them disappear for our people? Others sit in the very back rows of our Synagogues ducking eye contact, not sure who to trust and from whom they should hide – dishonesty fostered in what should be a house of truth.

 

I am not, in this short paper, going to offer a fully worked through Halachic position, rather I am going to offer a whistle-stop trip through the principles which underlie how I read our Masorah – tradition – on this issue.

 

False Paths – Rights and Privacy

‘Rights’ based discourse dominates much secular discussion of these issues, but that kind of language is largely foreign to Jewish thought. I don’t, as a matter of Halachah, have a right to free speech or certainly any right to engage sexually with a chosen other. Judaism is built around systems of responsibility – I have the responsibility to speak carefully and kindly. So when I say Halachic Judaism does not recognise the right of a person to chose a life-partner or sexual partner of any gender that’s not because I don’t care about ways in which a heart moves a person who is gay, but rather because I don’t accept that Halachic Judaism should use this sort of discourse.

 

Equally I am unmoved by claims that ‘what goes on in the privacy of a bedroom’ is not a religious concern. Judaism believes that whatever we do, we do it before God. ‘Know Before Whom You Stand,’ is a phrase often found above the Synagogue arks and it applies equally under the covers. To the traditional Jew, everything matters – there is Halachic discussion of the order in which a person should put on their socks, Halachic discussion of the materials from which socks can made, Halachic discussion of the way in which the cotton can be picked and so on and so on. Viewed in the context of Judaism’s concern with every aspect of life the insistence that our sexual practices are of religious concern isn’t to obsess over sexuality, rather it fits into a concern for all parts of life.

 

Halachic Nuance

The Halachic system requires Rabbis show a sense of proportion when opining on matters of same-sex attraction. As a general matter Judaism is very slow to castigate internal emotional states and feeling drawn to a person of the same sex is no sin in itself. But even when it comes to acts, as opposed to ‘mere’ feelings, there is more nuance than an oversimplified view might suggest. Male-to-male intercourse is deemed an ‘issur d’oratia’ - a Torah mandated prohibition, but lesbian sexual engagement is considered ‘pritzut d’alma’ - ‘generally lewd’ - the same level of disdain as is shown towards the wearing of red clothing (Yevamot 76a and Berachot 20a). Acts of male-to-male sexual intimacy short of penetration are prohibited, but less severely. And there are strange byways in the Talmudic corpus where actions that might be connected to homosexual intimacy are glossed over. This is not the place to fight out the precise meaning of these often elliptical texts but, for example, in Kiddushin 82a the Wise accept two men can ‘share a blanket’ in a context which suggests an awareness of same-sex intimacy. There are positions taken by the American branch of our Movement which do overturn many, if not all, of the prohibitions in the classic Halacha but I am not going to argue that the forbidden be deemed not forbidden, but rather that a sense of nuance is preserved, especially when we are dealing with the need a person might feel for intimate companionship.

 

Morality, Halachah and Disobedience

Morality - acts of goodness – and Halachah – the Jewish legal system – are not one and the same. Judaism is not amoral, but the web of prohibitions, permissions, compulsions and exemptions are not only about morality. This is a particularly important point to make in the light of some of the moral opprobrium directed towards those who are gay by some religious leaders. The Bible outlaws male to male intercourse as a ‘Toevah,’ but the King James translators perhaps let some of their own discomfort with homosexual intercourse impact on their choice of ‘abomination’ as a translation of this strange word. The Bible considers eating pork or shellfish a ‘Toevah’ (Lev 11:10, Deut 14:3) but I don’t consider a person who eats ham is acting immorally, even if they are Jewish. The very first time the Bible mentions the term ‘Toevah’ (Gen 43:32) it refers to the way Egyptians perceived what it would mean to eat with a Jew. Most frequently the term refers to Jews committing acts of cultic idolatry (Deut 7:25, 12:31, 13:15). A ‘Toevah’ is a national and particular wrong, it’s not universal, it’s not moral. A committed intimate relationship between two people of the same sex is not immoral, even if it involves a breach of the Halachah, and I oppose the use of verses such as Lev 18:22 to suggest that it is.

 

It’s worth noting that the Halachic system imposes significant limits on physical intimacy between a married couple and certainly has much to say on intimate relationships between unmarried Jews, let alone relationships between Jews and non-Jews. There are many, let it be said, in our communities who, in their intimate relationships with life partners (and more casual partners) breach acts of Halachah. We need to ensure that our response on issues of homosexual intimacy bears a sense of proportion to our responses on issues of heterosexual intimacy.

 

What Should A Gay Jew Do?

This question goes to heart of the responsibility I feel in my engagement with this issue. 

 

The vast majority of my Orthodox colleagues expect a Jew who is clear about their gay sexual identity to live alone, without a central sanctified relationship with another they can love spiritually, emotionally and erotically. Frankly this has to be better counsel than the advice to marry a woman in pretence, or the suggestion that a firm gay sexual orientation can be ‘reversed’ through therapy. But there is a verse which speaks about such a life-sentence of loneliness – ‘it is not good for a person to be alone.’ (Gen 2:18). The Hebrew term used here – ‘Tov’ can only be translated to mean ‘good.’ Goodness is not cultic or particular. Goodness is the language of universal morality. This verse weighs particularly heavily on me especially in the context of the huge blessing I find in my own finding of a partner with whom I hope to share the rest of my life in every way. It makes it impossible for me to feel called or able to insist gay Jews live a life devoid of the intimacy which I, as a married hetrosexual, enjoy so profoundly. I am deeply moved by this Aggadic claim but I accept there is also a theological issue at work. Maybe if my theology was more classically orthodox I would absolutely accept the inerrant truth of Halachic prohibitions on gay sexual intimacy and vocally oppose all forms of it. But I am a Masorti Jew. I accept the obligation to observe the Mitzvot, but I am niggled by the belief that human discomfort with gay sex may be influencing our Halachic sources and that compounds my refusal to demand gay Jews live lives of loneliness. Seeing committed gay and lesbian Jews creating passionate and committed Jewish lives together also strengthens me to push towards the edge of what traditional Judaism has maintained in previous years.

 

What do I want? I want Jews to find other Jews with whom to make lives together. I want them to commit to one another and treat that committed relationship as sacred. As a Rabbi I want to support such couples as they build ‘Batim neemanim b’yisrael’ – faithful houses in Israel, and if such couples are blessed with children, through means natural or assisted by science or adoption, I will do everything I can to support the children growing as committed Jews who feel rooted and inspired by their Jewish families and tradition. I want Jews who can only find such a partner among members of the opposite sex to do that, and I want Jews who can only find such a partner among members of the same sex to do that also. When it comes to matters of sexual intimacy I would hope that couples both straight and gay allow the restrictions the Halachah imposes on all of us to influence the decisions we make, sexually, and I hope and believe it is possible for couples both gay and straight to find opportunities for meaningful and profound intimacy within the corpus of permissions and regulations the Halachic framework allows. But I am not going to use such power as I have as a Rabbi to point fingers at those who might fall short of obligations to observe the rules on sexual propriety gay and straight Jews face.

 

When it comes to the question of ceremonies which recognise these committed gay unions I struggle. For me the ability to perform both religious and civil wedding ceremonies for heterosexual couples is a tremendous honour and I understand the way in which many gay Jews will want their relationships to be sanctified by a representative of their own faith. Ceremonies are important; public blessings also strengthen a commitment between couples and allow friends and family members opportunities to share their own ‘Amen,’ but many of the elements of a traditional Chuppah are not suitable for the consecration of a partnership between man and man and I don’t advocate plucking them from their hetrosexual realm and dropping them into a homosexual one. That said I know that offering gay Jews what can be perceived to be merely a quasi or ersatz-marriage can be seen as demeaning, even if that is not the intention.  It may be that one way forward would be to explore using shutafut – partnership - language and ritual for both straight and gay celebrations, moving away from the traditional marriage rituals associated with kinyan – acquisition of a woman by a man in ways very close to the patterns of acquisition of chattel. Personally, as the Rabbi of New London Synagogue and as a Masorti Jew, I feel there much more to do in terms of exploring appropriate religious rituals (including, should it be necessary, in the case of separation of a gay couple) around this issue. That said I welcome and support the governmental sanction and recognition of intimate committed relationships between gay couples not only as a marker of commitment but also for the important civil legal protections that these arrangements offer.

 

There is danger in putting these thoughts in writing. The issue can be one which divides and fractures religious communities. My hope and prayer is that we, Masorti Jews, are sufficiently used to the range of opinions which mark our engagement in complex issues such as this and sufficiently convinced of the importance of articulating the nature of our welcome to gay and lesbian Jews to make this contribution nonetheless welcome.

 

Rabbi Jeremy Gordon

 

A Busy Week

A busy week.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those suffering in the aftermath of storm Sandy. I know of a number of members on the East Coast and many more with friends and family who’ve been in the eye of the storm.

 

My thanks to everyone involved in the wonderful send off to Stephen on Monday. It was a wonderful evening. Those who wanted to see copies of my words can find them on the blog. http://tinyurl.com/d4sywal.

 

As we move into a future I want to urge members to give as much support as they can to the community as we look to get used to something new. IN particular, if you are considering coming on a Friday evening or Sunday morning, please do join us. And if you are planning on coming on a Shabbat morning do please make the effort to be with us close to the start of our services as you can.

 

What I really wanted to mention, in this weekly posting, is Israel. This Monday, 8pm at the Shul we have one of the top analysts joining us to open the Israel Today series. Anshel Pfeffer, from Haaretz, will be looking at issues around security; from Iran, to the Arab Spring and the possible impacts of the US Elections. Over the coming five weeks we’ll be hearing about Israel from experts, venture capitalists, peace activists, rabbis, film curators (really one of each). It’s a chance to engage, through a Shul likes ours, with an issue at the heart of contemporary Jewish identity. I know many members are struggling with their relationships with Israel and I know many members are unsure of where to go for ‘truth.’ This is our attempt to assist with that quest.

 

Shabbat shalom,

 

 

Then You Can Be a Chazan - A Tribute to Stephen Cotsen

If you can command a pulpit when rabbis around all about you

Come and go and the shul depends on you;

If you can lead so all can follow you

But make allowance for their leadership too;

If you can sing all day and neither be tired by singing

Nor make us tired to hear your song;

 

If your weekday, Shalosh Regalim, Shabbat, Yomim Noraim

Nusach is always impeccable;

If your Yitgadal and your Yitgadash are always evocative

Of correct time and place;

If you start and even more magically

If you finish at precisely on the dot.

If your Tefillat Geshem makes the heavens weep

And your mere presence guarantees sunlight on the walk to shul

 

If you can fill the unforgiving Day of Kippur

With Avodah of beauty and passion;

If you can bury and wed - or both in the same day

If you sit with spotty adolescent or home bound congregant

And love us all, and we know that, so we love you in return

 

If you can be the fulcrum of our thoughts and prayers

And still retain that humility – for it’s not to you we pray;

If you can sing with unstinting passion and commitment

And still know that being our Baal Tefillah isn’t

About your vocal pyrotechnics

We’ll love you even more.

 

If you can cater – and boy can you cater

Or even as you give up the catering

If you inspire others to try

If you raise the money or produce the leaflet, or the concert or Boojah or ...

Oh so many many things

 

If you can sit through meeting after meeting

With a gnomic smile;

If you can sit through sermon after sermon

And not make it too obvious

That, of course, you know far better;

If you can put up with this Rabbi

Who speaks too much and starts too many things

That fall through the net for you to catch;

If you can make the office groan

At yet another quickly turned pun

 

And if, despite all the love we have for you

You know there is no higher call than the care of your sister and mum

Then there will always be a special place in our heart, in my heart, for you

We are all in you debt

Our Chazan, our songstrel

My friend and colleague good and true,

Then, indeed, yours is the Earth and everything in it,

And what is more – you’ve been a mighty Chazan, my son!