| Rosh
Hashanah 2005 Second Day
Getting Serious About Judaism
Are you familiar
with these names: Miuccia Prada, Ralph Lauren, Kate Spade, Bill
Blass, Donna Karan, Tommy Hilfiger, Judith Leiber,
Coco Chanel, Ocar de la Renta, Vera Bradley, Gucci, Fendi, Armani,
and one of my personal favorites, Louis Vuitton? What about this
list: Isaac ben Yehudah Abravanel, Obadiah ben Ya-akov Sforno,
Avraham Ibn Ezra, Shlomo Yitzhaki, Moshe ben Nahman, Shmuayl ben
Meir and Daveed ben Yosef Kimhi? You may not know that Miuccia
Prada is a former mime performer, or that she has a PhD in political
science, or that her family's luxury leather goods company was
started by her grandfather in 1913, but I bet you knew her name,
and every name, on my first list was that of a fashion designer!
Now I have explained in the past that the reason I am so partial
to Louis Vuitton is that his company logo is LV, which could just
as easily stand for Lehigh Valley as it does for good old Louis.
But it was only recently that I realized that Louis Vuitton was
born in 1821 and died in 1892. He opened a luggage store in Paris
in 1854. "More than a century later, Vuitton's handbags and luggage
are now a status symbol around the world and are often looked to
in the world of fashion." He died in 1892 and people are still
proudly displaying his initials on their personal items. It wasn't
even until 1896 that the company put out its trademark canvas bags.
And yet, accoding to a fashion website, "due to Louis Vuitton's
enduring popularity and status, counterfeit products are common.
It would be fair to assume that the vast majority of goods bearing
the Louis Vuitton monogram are fake." Wow, that means most people
are ok being associated with fake style.
Now my second
list of names was only many of the most "famous" Torah
commentators in history. I suspect you knew fewer of them. I doubt
that there were any clothes designers or musicians or actors or
athletes in the whole list. I am very sure that not one of the
commentators had a tattoo or piercing. They died so long ago that
they did not even know a typewriter, let alone a computer, cell
phone or Blackberry. So does it really make any difference if we
know them? Only if we want to be serious about being Jewish.
Really, there
are not too many designer items in Judaism. Unfortunately for
Kate Spade and Vera Bradley, it isn't even appropriate to wear
a handbag on Shabbat, because it is more ideal not to carry anything
in public than to shlep one's weekday accessories and tools of
the trade, like wallets with money or cell phones, on Shabbat.
It wasn't until my children grew up that I even knew there were
designer pens by Mont Blanc. As you may have noticed, I prefer
a good, old BIC ballpoint; I never have to worry about lending
it or loosing one. But even if you have a Mont Blanc pen, it is
not something to wear to shul on Shabbat. On Shabbat we are released
from the responsibilities and pressures of the week. Thus, there
is no need to write and writing is really not appropriate in shul
on Shabbat, so better not to bring one and stick it prominently
in a shirt pocket.
There are a
couple of areas where designers have expressed their creativity
in Jewish clothing with kippot and tallitot head
coverings and prayer shawls. Hopefully, we all know the history
of these items within Jewish tradition. Very briefly, a kippah
or yarmulka, is a sign of respect for God. Yes, there was a time
when only men covered their heads for this purpose. And yes, there
was a time when only married women covered their heads, because
hair was considered provocative, and that is still an issue in
the Orthodox community. But we are egalitarian. We have an expectation
that non Jewish men will wear a kippah when they enter the sanctuary
as a sign of respect. Should we have any lesser expectation of
any Jewish woman?
And what of
the tallit the prayer shawl whose size and colors
have increased so dramatically over the past few decades in Conservative
synagogues? The command to wear tzitzit appears in the Torah and
is an integral part of our daily liturgy, found in the third paragraph
following the Shema: "And God said to Moses: 'Speak to the children
of Israel and say to them that they are to make themselves tzitzit
on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations.'" It
takes no scholar to recognize that this passage is not discussing
the tallit as we know it. It also takes no expert in Hebrew to
know that the command is not limited to men, whatever developed
sociologically. Originally, the tzitzit were part of daily clothing.
We presumably had gown or cloak like garments with corners, before
the Babylonian exile some twenty-six hundred years ago, when we
came under the designer influence of the Bill Blass and Chritian
Dior of the ancient world. The clothing styles changed and there
was a decision to create an item with four corners so that it could
have tzitzit and thus the tallit came into existence. When we knew
in ancient times the correct color of blue, there was a blue thread
in the tzitzit. When the rabbis said we no longer knew the correct
color of blue, we did not have a blue thread in the tzitzit. And
now that there are those who think we again know the correct color
of blue, you will see many newer tallitot with a blue thread.
The purpose
of the tzitzit, with or without a blue thread, is also spelled
out clearly in the paragraph which commands us to
wear them. When we look at the tzitzit, we are to be reminded of
God's commandments and perform them. Whether or not the tzitzit
fulfill that function, we doubtless have no way to measure. But
that their function is as appropriate for women as it is for men
is surely beyond any doubt.
So is the tallit
a male garment? Ironically, I only hear that from women who do
not wear one. Not one woman of any age who does
wear a tallit, whether very traditional in style, or very Oscar
de la Renta in style, has ever told me that she feels like she
is wearing a "man's garment." Most speak of its spiritual benefits.
Does that mean that every woman must wear a tallit? No, I don't
think so.
But let me
be clear on a point of some misunderstanding as far
as I know, wearing a tallit has no connection whatsoever to being
counted in a minyan anywhere in the world except Congregation Brith
Sholom in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. And in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,
I never meant to have the tallit develop into some kind of Harry
Potter magic garment or talisman or amulet.
The concept
of a minyan is, at best, vaguely alluded to in the Torah. Since
services as we know them evolved more than a thousand
years after the giving of the Torah, we should all understand the
hugely human role that contributed to issues like prayer service
requirements and minyan. I remind you that there is no phrase in
Hebrew that is the equivalent of "counting in, or for, the minyan." For
close to two millennia, only males above the age of bar mitzvah
were included in the minimum requirement to say certain prayers
with a minyan. For close to two millennia, women were excluded
from a small number of positive, time bound mitzvot including public,
although certainly not private, prayer. The reasons for the exclusion
have been debated extensively in the last few decades and there
are no clear conclusions. But two points seem to me to be beyond
dispute. One is that the release for Jewish women from the obligation,
the hiyyuv, for public prayer existed throughout the Jewish world
for close to two millennia. The second point is that in the world
of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, many Jews
have an enormous desire to recognize the fundamental human worth
of men and women on an equal basis and that needs to be expressed
in Jewish ritual as in other areas.
My hope was,
and is, that the desire to make changes in the ritual would not
be just an opportunity to examine these issues philosophically
and theoretically, but that the discussion would be held within
the context of taking Jewish tradition and practice seriously and
expanding the performance of mitzvot for both men and women. As
we increasingly see here and elsewhere, the crucial question for
women and some men may be "who counts," but the crucial question
for the minyan is "who comes?"
When I decided
in the early 1990s to create a way for women to be counted in
the minyan at Brith Sholom, to express my desire
and that of virtually everyone, that we view men and women to be
of equal worth as human beings, I expressed two clear points. One,
I did not think it appropriate to force a woman to give up a two
thousand year exemption to be responsible for public prayer if
she chose not to do so. I also would not force a woman to work
outside the home to prove that she is capable or has value. Some
women want to stay home and raise a family; some want to run a
Fortune 500 company why not allow each to make the choice for
herself?
But for those
women who did want to count as part of the minyan, if they want
to be egalitarian, isn't it obvious that they be required
to have the same obligation, the same hiyyuv, as men? And if you
weren't or aren't familiar with the concept of hiyyuv in Jewish
tradition, that doubtless reflects a failure of rabbis to teach
it but it doesn't negate its existence. The presumption of innocence
may not be very popular in our civil lives, just ask O.J. Simpson
or even Tom Delay, but it certainly is taken seriously by our judicial
system. The acceptance of the responsibility for public daily prayer
was and needs to be the crucial, traditional component for counting
in a minyan.
The poor tallit
was merely meant to be a sign that a woman had accepted that
responsibility an acceptance that is between each
woman and God needing no affirmation nor confirmation from me
or anyone else. We should not get hung up over the symbol versus
the substance. If we need to find a new way to show that a woman
has accepted the responsibility for public prayer, let's focus
on that and be creative. But if we are just concerned with some
great philosophical point, let me assure you it will soon be lost.
On a Shabbat or festival, the only "counting of the minyan" takes
place around here is at 9 A.M. On Rosh Hashanah, it is around 8
A.M. If you come at 10 or 11 A.M., we've long since stopped counting
whether you're a man or a woman.
And on weekdays,
we're looking for the minyan at around 8 A.M.
Despite some positive progress and meaningful new commitments in
the last year or two, our daily minyan's existence is in jeopardy.
Were it not for the outstanding efforts of one of our newer members,
Jerry Steinberger, there would be even more days without a minyan.
And when the snow birds fly to Florida, the problem will increase.
Please respond positively if Jerry calls you; he is calling on
behalf of the community, not for himself. Now no one has to tell
me that many Conservative synagogue's our size do not have a daily
minyan. Neither does anyone have to tell me that many Orthodox
synagogues our size have a daily minyan twice a day and still only
count men. The real issue is being serious about Jewish practice
and having a serious commitment to it. Otherwise, why worry about
who counts there'll be precious little to be counted for.
I recently
read a sermon by Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg from the Beth Tfiloh
Congregation in Baltimore. It calls itself "America's Largest
Modern Orthodox Synagogue" and sounds like a very progressive,
active place.
Two years ago,
Rabbi Wohlberg told his congregation: "
We break
all
[the] stereotypes. We have shown a kinder, gentler side to
Orthodoxy; an Orthodoxy that is all-embracing. Ours is an Orthodox
synagogue that doesn't care how you get here, but only cares about
where you are going. Ours is an Orthodox synagogue that is open
to other opinions and perspectives, that allows for the teachings
of Conservative and Reform rabbis - male and female - and for priests
and ministers as well! Ours is an Orthodox synagogue that leaves
judgment of others to God
where none of us are God's Cossacks
here on earth. Ours in an Orthodox synagogue that makes all feel
welcome and comfortable
. And because of this, countless families
who never would have dreamt that they would be members in an Orthodox
synagogue have become part of our family."
But at the
same time, [Rabbi Wohlberg] also told them: "I consider
it my sacred trust and obligation to make sure that this synagogue's
Orthodoxy will never be tampered with...never to be undermined.
I feel this way for one simple reason: it is my firm belief that
Orthodox Judaism is absolutely necessary and is the key to Jewish
survival in the 21st century. I quote you the words of the Chief
Rabbi of the British Empire, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: 'Orthodox Judaism
bears a formidable responsibility -- the responsibility to lead
the entire Jewish people. There is no alternative route to Jewish
survival.'"
Now, I personally do not loose any sleep over what Orthodox Rabbis
think about Conservative Judaism. But I surely do worry about what
young Conservative Jews think about it. And what they have thought
for a very long time, if they are serious is: better to be at a
synagogue like Beth Tfiloh than at many Conservative synagogues!
Too many of the most committed Jewish children who went to Camp
Ramah as teens have chosen Orthodox synagogues as adults. At least
in New York and Washington, there are traditional egalitarian services
attended by college and graduate students and young professionals
who are overwhelmingly from Conservative backgrounds. Yet, these
mini-congregations do not want to be formally associated with the
Conservative movement. What are these young Jews looking for? Communities
where Jewish life is taken seriously: Shabbat is a day of rest,
not work and not shopping. Festivals are observed even if they
come out on inconvenient days. Kashrut is part of the life style.
Members seriously study serious Judaism.
Rabbi Wohlberg
from Baltimore also wrote the following: "You know
when people consider joining a congregation they ask what that
synagogue has to offer. A colleague of mine once had a fantasy
that when potential new members would come to his congregation,
he would be able to say to them: 'What do you have to offer? Tell
us first, why do you want to join? Do you think you'll be able
to meet our standards?' What would you say? 'I'll come to classes.' 'I'll
come to services.' 'I'll incorporate more of Jewish life into my
life.' Would you? Could you? Sure you can!"
If the Jewish community is to survive, let alone thrive; if the
Conservative Jewish community is to survive, let alone thrive;
if the Brith Sholom community is to survive, let alone thrive,
we need you to be at least as knowledgeable and interested in serious
Jewish study and practice as you are about the designers of your
clothes. A real commitment is as important as a real Louis Vuitton!
AMEN
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