Saying Yes to Tallitot : A Portal to Connection

The Torah explains about the fringes on the corners of a Jew’s garments. Many men and some women wear a small vest called a Tallit Katan (small shawl) under their daily clothing with fringes on each corner. Others wear Tallit (prayer shawls) for morning prayers, prayers on Sabbath, and some wear them whenever engaged in prayer or Jewish study. The, “big idea” is that when seeing and touching the fringes we should remember all the instructions of G-d and do them. The actual portion from the Torah is longer and is from Numbers, 15:38-40 (1)

I have been saying yes for deciding to take on the Mitzva (a good thing to do) of wearing a Tallit Gadol (a large prayer shawl that holds at its four corners fringes as commanded in the Torah) for prayers since the birth of my Daughter 10 years ago. Wearing a Tallit was not an option for girls when I became Bat Mitzvah. It wasn’t until my Daughter’s Naming, as she was wrapped in my beloved, now deceased, Father’s Tallit, that I decided to learn about it and the Tzitzit (the actual fringes). It is a lovely custom to wear a Tallit and the beauty of this and its observance, has brought a richness to my ritual practice that I had not previously enjoyed.


Since I teach 7 th grade students in our Congregation’s supplemental school, I now include instruction exploring the traditions of the Tallit and practice sessions for learning how Tzitzit are wound and tied. One of the things I love about the Tzitzit is that my Daughter plays with them while we pray. She adds extra knots some weeks, she braids them, wraps them tightly around her fingers, binding herself to me, them and our traditions; she curls up under the Tallit and cuddles next to me during prayers. Our Tallitot (I have several as I keep trying to find the right emotional and tactile,
"fit.”) are building their own stories; as well as my story and my Daughter’s story. A tradition yes, but an evolving religious family tradition as well.


One of my previous Gratz Classmates, Rabbi Debra Smith, compiled a wonderful book about Tallitot (plural for Tallit), Every Tallit Tells a Tale (2) . In the book, there are stories about individual choices to wear, make, share and even repair precious Tallitot. One of our family’s favorite stories about a Tallit though is not in Rabbi Debra’s book. It is in a book by Sheldon Oberman, called The Always Prayer Shawl (3), A young boy inherits his Grandfather’s Tallit. The telling of the story is his Grandfather’s journey to America. The protagonist Adam, is a young Jewish boy in Czarist Russia, who must leave his ancestral home at the outbreak of the revolution. As he departs, his Grandfather gives him the prayer shawl he received from his Grandfather, who wore it too. We like the story quite a bit and my Daughter is mesmerized because she is now the keeper of her Grandfather’s Tallit too. Which, of course has a story of its own as well.


When I pray, I feel perfectly wrapped up in my prayers while in my Tallit. It is a different feeling than that of praying without one. Steven Lewis, in the book The Rituals and Practices of a Jewish Life
(4 )expresses this well: “I pray. The tallit wraps perfectly around me in prayer- exposed, vulnerable, grateful, exhilarated, awed, helpless, distraught, and joyous. These feelings might arise at any moment in my day, but here they are different, felt as a Jew in prayer connected to other Jews in prayer next to me, around the world and backwards and forwards through time. For me, prayer is a portal to connection. Although I don’t need my tallit to pray, it does help. After the blessing, all wrapped up, eyes closed, I breathe slowly. I feel the material on my hands, cheeks, and forehead; I feel the warmth of my body and smell the cloth containing all of me- struggles and potential, disappointments and aspirations, all what G-d understands of me. Wrapped up that way in my Tallit, I feel closer to understanding it myself.”

As I continue to explore the richness of my Jewish heritage and continue to learn to understand my place within it, I hope you will continue to follow my blog as we once again, “Study Torah on the iPhone.”

L’heat (until next time)


Footnotes:
1.  http://www.sefaria.org/Numbers.15?lang=bi from the internet 05/09/2017
2.  Smith, D.W. Every Tallit Tells a Tale, Stella Hart, Inc, 2005.
3.  Oberman, S. The Always Prayer Shawl, Boyds Mills Press, 2005.
4.  Olitzky, K., Judson, D. The Rituals &Practices of a Jewish Life, Jewish Press, 2014.

What is a Jewish Community?

I have recently been asked , as I am completing my graduate programs this month, to reflect on what a Jewish community is. What type of community is the American Jewish community as a whole and what types of communities interest me? Further, what does membership in a Jewish community entail and what kind of community should we as Jews try to become?  Here is my reply.

I think that a Jewish community boils down to a minimum of three components for the people who are part of it: Identifying as a Jew, finding others who also identify with the Jewish world at large and participation of some degree. A Jewish community is a place where the people can be either part of a cultural group, a religious group or some percent of each perhaps, and sometimes 0% of one and 100% of the other.  What makes it a community is that all who identify in some way with it, self -identify with being Jewish. They may live together, or pray together, or eat, think, play or exist together or are connected by something that by its very existence is perceived as Jewish or even “Jewish Style”, much like my example in the Jewish institutions of a “Kosher-style” deli.

The American Jewish community as a whole is a true melting pot and is as much been well described by the PEW study categories; not like the Nuremburg Laws used in Germany to restrict the basic freedoms and rights of Jews. Although, the Israeli test for citizenship of only having one grandparent being Jewish and no other criteria for identifying someone as a Jew does greatly expand both the matrilineal as well as patrilineal descent identification of many who would become “members” of the greater- worldwide Jewish community. So if you are Jewish genetically, culturally, secularly, ethnically, non-observantly or as an Atheist +/- or do not choose to live a Jewish way of life, or otherwise express yourself through religious practice, but still live or interact with another Jew whether in person or at a distance (think online communities also), who does or doesn’t do “Jewish” things, you are still part of a Jewish community.

An extremely diverse picture of American Jewry changes almost daily. Some changes stay and others de-popularize over time. One Jewish community that is not currently de-popularizing is that of Jewish Renewal and their many prayer communities which seem to be gaining in number and organization across North America, abroad and even in Israel (www.jpost.com/Jewish-World?Jewish-Features/Jewish-Renewal-grows-up ). Another Jewish community that is growing is that which is made up of Orthodox families. The larger American Jewish landscape consists of federations, foundations, social services and civic organizations too, who are all there to support Jews, and often non-Jews who are served according to our core Jewish teachings  and values of helping all in need regardless of affiliations.

Interestingly on a related point, to further confirm my thesis above, one of my seventh grade students brought up an interesting question just yesterday. We were discussing Passover Seder rituals from around the world. In 2004 in Afghanistan there was a Jewish community of two. In 2005 the “community” that existed was one, as one individual had died. Yitzhak Levi, 69, who was the caretaker of the Kabul synagogue passed away in January (www.gh.org.il/jews-afghanistan). The one remaining   Jew‘s name is Zablon Siminntov and he lives in Kabul (www.aish.com >Home>Israel>Jewish World). How can one Jew be part of a community? We decided that all Jews are connected to all other Jews in the world. So even as an isolated Jew in a town where there is no other Jew ,and no internet access , that He was still part of the larger Jewish community because he identified himself as such. By holding a Seder he was performing an act that other Jews, his community, were performing too. Even though it was not in the same physical location and that he could not verify it, other Jews were still doing the same thing. He was part of a community. By the way, the largest Afghan Jewish population of approximated 20,000 is split between Queens and in Brooklyn, NY according to our classroom research.

My last related theme that I would like to address is a special and long standing component of a Jewish community. The inclusion of those who support Jewish thoughts, processes and programs who are part of the community but not Jewish. Examples would include the administrative staff of a Synagogue, workers at a JCC, or the staff of a popular deli or restaurant that serves the Jewish community. They are part of the Jewish community. They share celebrations, holidays, sorrow and daily life of the Jews in the community and are part of the everyday workings of the community.

The types of Jewish communities that I participate in currently are mostly sub -communities within the structure of my Temple. The wonderful community of Women in my ongoing Torah study group, the group of teachers that I work with in the Religious and Hebrew Schools of our congregation and the sisterhood (which is also part of the Reform Jewish Women’s movement) whose programming I attend. I am also part of the Jewish community of Gratz College along with the Jewish participants in my two classes. I believe we all meet my theory of meeting the three basic requirements of group/ community membership.

It is difficult at best to predict what type of community American Jews should be trying to become. Since the internet is so readily available and can reach so many more people who otherwise would be isolated, or marginalized, I would say that we should use our best efforts first to support Jewish institutions that are already in existence and if there are none within our region, then we should promote the growth of virtual communities. Virtual communities are here to stay, and just like learning Torah on the iPhone, they are not meant to meet everyone’s need for community support or learning, but they will help meet some of the need.

L'heat (until next time),,,,

Learning to Teach Hebrew Songs

This semester I am learning to teach music to students of all ages in a Jewish setting: Hebrew and Judaic programs, camps, etc. I am being exposed to endless songs and ways to teach and incorporate music into education. The class is wonderful! It has made me think about a recent assignment that I would like to share.

Dr. Lisa L. Vendeland -Fall 2104, Liturgy- Gratz College

Zemirot Assignment- Songs/ Hymns that are sung around the Sabbath dinner table

The Zemer I chose for this assignment is by Chana Senesh ( 1921-1944) called, “ Eli Eli.” It is also known as , “Towards Caesarea,” and was published as,” Halikha Lekesaria”, in 1942, while she was still in Palestine living on a Kibbutz.¹ Although it is her most famous Poem and is a popular Zemer in Israel, I chose it because it is my favorite, “song” from  growing up. Chana was a young Hungarian paratrooper who was trained to rescue Jews during the Holocaust. She was killed by a firing squad in 1944 at age 23. She was known for her immense bravery.[1] Her Poem (Piyut) was set to a melody created by David Zahavi (1910-1975) an Israeli composer. Several Artists have sung it including Ofra Haza, Regina Spektor and Sophie Milman²

Although this Piyut has elements of Found poetry, Lyric poetry and Romanticism, it best fits the style of Hazaj, which is found in Epic poetry of the Middle East and musical rhythms. It is most common in Arabic poetry and usually presents in an aaba scheme. The Hazaj meter is also well represented in Hebrew poetry. Its meter is most commonly found in folk poetry such as do-bait (two tent hemi sticks ,when brought together bind the prose) and lullabies (la, la, i) ³. It uses a couplet structure and in this case the second and sixth lines form the couplet and express the poignant point that leaves a lasting impression. This is the purpose of the couplet structure⁴. So in this case, “ May these last forever…the prayers of mankind.”)

This poem is in the Author's own handwriting on the left.

The Song Index lists the lyrics⁵ with transliteration and translation as (numbering of lines inserted for discussion purposes here):

1.Elli, Elli

2.Shelo yigamer le’olam

3.Ha chol v’hayam

4.Rish roush shel hamayim

5.Berak ha sha mayim

6.Tefilat ha’adam

My G-d, My G-d (Introductory line)

May these last forever (my translation *: there will be, his world)

The sand and the sea (*Sand and sea)

The Babble of the water (*Rush of the water)

The lightening in the sky (*Crash/lightening, the sky)

The prayers of mankind. (*Prayers of men)

In further evaluation of the elements of the Piyut there are two other ways to interpret this:  Going from top to bottom, and in a cycle of Infinity. The Top  (the sky with G-d) and the bottom , the filler between the couplet ( the elements of g-d’s world). The elements of sound (the rushing waters and crashes of lightening from heaven),  water, and earth(sand). All inferences to the majesty of G-d’s wonderful creation being witnessed by those made in his image (mankind.) These elements in all directions as far as mankind can see. They are never ending and form a circle that is life giving and affirming: Infinity. This lends back to the elements of Lyric poetry⁶ when Chana has addressed the reader directly, portraying her own feeling and state of mind or perception of her world during a time of impending turmoil. This represents her hope for the immortality of all mankind.

According to my research ,another Zemer that uses Hazaj meter is Adon Olam.

The biographical information available to me about the writer and the timing of its writing shed an incredible amount of light onto the content of the Zemer. During such a seemingly hopeless time for Jews, one young woman held in her heart a sense of optimism for the continuation of man, for the hope expressed in prayers that could reach the heavens and the beauty of the world and of all creation.

---

[1] Zemirot. Poems by Hannah Senesh. www.thejewishweek.com from New York Jewish Week magazine 22Dec2010, pulled from the Internet 10-3-14.

² Halikha Lekesaria by Hannah Senesh. www.digital.library.upenn.edu. Pulled from the Internet 10-5-14.

³Hazaj Meter. www.dbpedia.org. Pulled from the Internet 10-6-14

⁴The Purpose of the Couplet in Poetry. www.examples.yourdictionary.com . Pulled from the Internet 10-5-14

⁵Eli, Eli: Song Index, www.zemirotdatabase.org. Pulled from the Internet 10-5-14

⁶Lyric Poetry. www.poeticterminology.net. Pulled from internet 10-5-14.

Jerusalem and Prayer connections: Sharing some of my learning from this past semester

Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash have remained the focus of Jewish longing, aspiration, and prayers.There are many connections between Jewish prayers and rituals and the ways we connect with Jerusalem .Daily prayers (said while facing Jerusalem and the Temple Mount) and grace after meals include multiple supplications for the restoration of Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash. Jews still maintain the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av, the date on which both the First and Second Temples were destroyed, as a day of mourning. The Jewish wedding ceremony concludes with the chanting of the biblical phrase, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its cunning,” and the breaking of a glass by the groom to commemorate the destruction of the Temples. And the conclusion of the Yom Kippur services and thePassover Seder conclude each year with the phrase “Next Year in Jerusalem.”

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. The Temple was built, according to Jewish tradition, on the Even Hashtiya, the foundation stone upon which the world was created. This is considered the epicenter of Judaism, where the Divine Presence (Shechina) rests, where the biblical Isaac was brought for sacrifice, where the Holy of Holies and Ark of the Covenant housing the Ten Commandments once stood, and where the Temple was again rebuilt in 515 BCE before being destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. The Temple Mount is also known as Mount Moriah (Har HaMoriah), mentioned frequently in the Bible.

The Western Wall (Kotel Hama’aravi, known simply as the Wall or Kotel) is the remnant of the outer retaining wall built by Herod to level the ground and expand the area housing the Second Jewish Temple. Its holiness derives from its proximity to the Temple site and specifically its proximity to the Western Wall of the Temple’s Holy of Holies (Kodesh Hakodashim---the inner sanctuary that housed the Ark of the Covenant–the Aron HaBrit–and where the High Priest–KohenGadol--alone was permitted to enter on Yom Kippur). According to Midrashic sources, the Divine Presence never departed from the Western wall of the Temple’s Holy of Holies. For the last several hundred years,  Jews have prayed at Herod’s Western Wall because it was the closest accessible place to Judaism’s holiest site.

We also remember Jerusalem at Channukah in several ways: The obvious is in lighting theChannukiah (Menorah), Cooking foods in Oil and while playing the Dreidel Game: The Hebrew word fordreidel is sevivon, which, as in Yiddish, means "to turn around." Dreidels have four Hebrew letters on them, and they stand for the saying, Nes gadol hayasham, meaning A great miracle occurred “ there.” Of course the reference to ”there” is Jerusalem. 

Seeing With New Eyes: Simchat Torah

What a difference one year can make!

This time last year I wrote about comparing my Daughter's mini Torah from her Consecration with that of my own from my Consecration. I had spent days considering endings and new beginnings. The reading of the last part from one Torah and immediately following, the reading of the creation story from our family's second Torah. It is said that each year we read the Torah again, but each time as if with new eyes. We are different people.

A year has passed and I am indeed a much different person.I have moved my office to a better location closer to my Daughter's school and our home. Our family time is simplified without the stress of a long commute. Our practice has Hospital partners in place, so I am called out for deliveries less often. I am a year further in my studies at Gratz. My Hebrew is improving. I am a different person in so many ways.

This Simchat Torah I was honored to be able to carry one of our Temple's Torahs in our celebration! It was the first time that I ever actually held a Torah, other than my mini Torah. An honor that I had not experienced even at the time of my Bat Mitzvah, nor at any Jewish camp or youth group event. I don't think that I ever really gave much thought to what I might have been missing.Not until this Friday that is.

As we were whirling and dancing around the Sanctuary, I heard the Cantor call my name along with three other names. As I ascended onto the Bimah and was handed this beautifully wrapped gift, my heart lept with joy. Singing and dancing through the Sanctuary was amazing: my precious daughter at my side and my partner nearby! Without a doubt, this brief snapshot in my life will be forever one of my most memorable.


My sentiment is not uncommon in this regard. I am following an interesting blog called The Wondering Jew (which I highly recommend) In her installment about experiencing Simchat Torah she expresses the same joy and lack of self consciousness: it is a good read that I highly recommend.

It can be found here:
http://wonderingjew.forward.com/207569/torah-mosh-pit-my-simchat-torah-experience/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=WonderingJew_General&utm_campaign=WonderingJew%3A%20General%20%3ALast%20Chag%20before%20Hanukkah 

I am sharing these few photos of my daughter (dressed in white) and I from our Celebration. I hope that as we look ahead we all see the Torah with new eyes, find renewed meaning in our celebrations and form joyous new memories.

Lehitra'ot (see you later) Shalom (peace).




       

Anniversaries : Jewish ways to celebrate as we mark a special occasion

This week marks the happy occasion of this Blog's first " Birthday". For one, in retrospect very short year, I have attempted to research, review, read and write about contemporary events in life from a Jewish perspective including an educational component that would appeal to a wide range of individuals. I have spent an entire week reading different blessings, learning the structure of a blessing and learned ( no surprise here) that there are not blessings appropriate to "machshev" computers or computer based enterprises.

 Since the title of this blog is "studying Torah on the iPhone" and it is computer based,I thought simply that thanking HaShem for technology would work. Then I got to thinking about a story that I had to write for my Hebrew class this past year. My final thought was that after a "lifetime" of working a computer doesn't really die, it instead becomes extinct!
So, if it has a lifetime, and this blog was technically born, then this is truly it's  first Birthday.

During this past year I have become fond of a website called Ritual Well. It can be found at http://www. ritualwell.com . It is here that I read that one way to celebrate an anniversary or Birthday is to recite special prayers: Special times call for special blessings.

Sanctuaries and Summers

When I last posted I was knee deep in my 6 graduate hour Hebrew course. Which for anyone who is interested I passed with a great score and I am ready for round two in The fall semester... But first I get to open this wonderful gift called summer. While sitting in the Sanctuary at our second home, Temple Ahavat Shalom, in Palm Harbor, Florida, I pondered summers past and the idea of using the silent prayer, reflection time to consider the summers of my past. While I enjoyed many summers away at Jewish Summer camp, I had many other summers at Girl Scout camp. We learned all the traditional out door activities at both places: swimming, row boating, kayaking, sailboating, crafts, etc.. But during my many summers at Jewish camp I really learned about what a sanctuary was. The feeling of belonging. The quiet to disengage in. The being lost in your own thoughts. The protection from outside influences. The connecting with others with the same belief system and way of life. The songs and prayers and dances and customs that provided the groundwork for my life! My own sanctuary. Portable, plausible and plentiful. The tools have lasted my whole life. Now I study about the structure of the first stationary sanctuary. I learn about the story of Ruth and her mother in law Naomi and our holiday of Shavuot. Naomi was Ruth's first sanctuary. It is not surprising that she says,"where you go, I will go". Because even when they were no longer physically together, Ruth still had her sanctuary: her teachings that would last a lifetime.

Love Songs: A great way to learn Hebrew

February is flying by at the speed of light it seems. In our Hebrew Classes we are challenged each week by our Morah (teacher). We are making conversation, congugating verbs and writing in cursive. Much the way school children learn by repetition and determination we are mastering our language. One splendid weekly event is singing! As a child I hated singing, although I was pretty good at it.. If only my parents didn't keep comparing me to my Grandmother's operatic voice( which was also quite good- she was one of our Synagogue's soloist at the High Holidays). I didn't care for opera! Now however, I do enjoy listening to music and singing on occasion. So , in the same way that language binds a people, our songs bind us as a class. We are silly, off-tune and clumsy with our pronunciations and grateful for the "la-la-la's." Magically, with each song (Shir) we sing we accelerate our aquistion of our vocabulary and have fun doing it. As we appreciate the songs in thier own right, we also are learning more about Israeli pop culture and are beginning to feel like we too belong. Really, how cool is it to know of a cool music group that tours and has a website? Especially when your not a kid anymore? So in this blog I am going to provide the links for one of my current favorite groups: I thought I would like to share Gaya, an artist that can be found on ReverbNation. Here are some links to check them out. Profile Page Link: http://www.reverbnation.com/gayagroup Songs: http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/artist_songs/433401 Show Schedule: http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/artist_shows/433401 Videos: http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/artist_videos/433401 Photos: http://www.reverbnation.com/page_object/page_object_photos/433401 Never underestimate the power of a Love-Song. L'heat (cool for see you next time!)

Nak Hon, Lo Nak Hon: Correct, Not-Correct. Correcting Children & Derech Eretz

As you know from my last post, I am taking Hebrew this semester. It's pretty intense and given that my class is from 9-10 pm a couple of nights a week, after an already long day of being a Doctor and a Mom, I am never quite sure how much I am actually retaining. Well actually, up until yesterday morning, I wasn't sure how much. What event happened yesterday morning that assured me that I was retaining something, you may ask? The total melt down of my now 7 year old darling Daughter (DD)! Yup, over french toast which she spit out at me! I was accused between her tears, my screaming and her gulping for air, that I was trying to poison her! "you're trying to kill me she said (hysterically and dramatically), it tastes like MEAT!!" After trying to assure her that there was no meat in , on or around the pan that the french toast had come from and telling her about children in other countries who had nothing to eat (yes Mom I DID SAY THAT), she still refused to eat said french toast. We are not vegetarians, but DD prefers a meat-less diet. As my blood was boiling, over the lack of food in her tummy before school and her melt down, I screamed at the top of my lungs , "LO NAK HON!! LO NAK HON!!" at which point DD looked at me and stopped her hysterics and said perfectly calmly, " you don't make any sense you are so mad.. what did you say?" I said, " Lo Nak Hon!" , "It means this is not correct. Not acceptible. NOT, NOT, NOT." It wasn't acceptible to me that I went crazy because she spit out nourishing food, or that she spit it at me, or that she wasn't eating, or that she accused me of trying to poison her. Then it occured to me. I was getting it! Yippeee. Nakhon is correct in Hebrew when used as an adjective. And, Lo means NO. Nakhon comes from the root of (being) true. I laughed. And DD laughed and then she told me the french toast needed... Maple syrup!! When once applied, she ate! What I wasn't getting was that I needed to be teaching my DD about the concept of Derech Eretz. Derech Eretz is "the code of proper behavior that binds us to each other as human beings and as Jews. According to the midrash, derekh eretz "precedes" the Torah (Leviticus Rabbah 9:3). We can understand this to mean that even before we begin to do important things like study Torah and live in accordance with the mitzvot, we must live with derekh eretz. Helping your child to learn common decency and appropriated hehavior is crucial, and one of the most difficult parts of parenting." 1 In my case, not only did I forget the Maple syrup which should have preceeded the attempt at feeding my DD, I forgot what was age appropriate. As a good parent I needed to remind myself that a 7 year old needs more than 35 minutes to dress and eat in the morning and it was my responsibility to provide the setting where she could be successful in meeting my expectations for her in the morning. I want to teach my DD that there is always room for both of us to grow and change and be better people. This morning she had a full hour to dress, eat and get herself ready for school. There were no melt downs on either side. I was surprized and delighted when she said, "Nakhon?" and I replied, "Nakhon". We were both correct. So until my next post, no meat for us and lots of time and sweetness in all forms including maple syrup! _____ 1. www.myjewishlearning.com , Teaching Your Children about Derech Eretz. How to raise a family of mensches. by Sara Shapiro-Plevan, pulled from the internet Jan.30, 2014.

American Jews: Learn Hebrew!

Well, my Winter School Vacation from Gratz is almost over and accordingly I am back to blogging as well. It seems that even before the Pew Study was published this Fall, there has been an initiative to promote Hebrew literacy among American Jews. To be Jewish means different things to different people. Some of us are Jewish because we were born into a Jewish Family. Others have chosen to live as Jews. Some of us live a Jewish way of life and others don't. We are social, cultural or religiously Jewish, or identify ourselves as "other" - Jewish by name or genetics only. There is one thing though that does seem to bind a people together: a common language. In the case of American Jews according to a recent article in the Jewish Daily FORWARD, ONLY 10% OF US CAN CARRY OUT A CONVERSATION IN HEBREW! The article published Ddecember 03, 2013 by Julie Wiener can be found at http://www.forward.com/...initiative-promotes-hebrew-literacy-among-amer/. In Wiener's article she quotes Arnee Winshall, CEO of Hebrew at the Center,one of the groups who helped start the Hebrew Language Counsil of North America, who said, " Judaism in not just a religion, it's a people,.. and a language is part of what distinguishes a people." It is a sad statistic that even for kids who go to Jewish Day School, that less than 1/3 of students after 10 years of education can carry on a conversation in Hebrew. There are many excellent websites and apps available to learn Hebrew with if you don't have the luxury of being able to take a formal course at a Temple, JCC, college or university. For instance the apple app store has the following FREE apps: Learn Hebrew- Ma Kore, Learn Hebrew- Free WordPower, Learn Hebrew FREE AccelaStudy, Hebrew English Dictionary Box & Translator, Rabbi SHALOM 1 FREE-Learn Hebrew Blessings,Learn Hebrew (Speak & Write), Hebrew in a Month DH Free, Gus on the Go: Hebrew for Kids (which my darling daughter loves!), Learn Hebrew Flash Cards for iPad... well you get the idea. For those of you who would like to whet your Hebrew Whistle, I offer these few words to get you started. You can intersperse them with English and amaze your friends and neighbors with your emerging bi-linguality :-) boker- morning; Cain- yes; Dah-ven, to pray' E-rev, evening; KHE-sed, kindness; KOH-akh, strength; Lo, no; mah, what?; tov, good; tze-DAH- kah, righteousness, the root of charity; who, He; he, She; As for my Jewish Learning and Hebrew studies I have a full semester, all in Hebrew this spring for which I will need KOH-Akh (strength) and lots of it! Shabbat Shalom

Thanksgivukkah : Giving Thanks Jewish Style

We all know that Thanksgiving is an American holiday celebrated by families gathering together to eat a festive meal with turkey and TV. First the Macy's parade and then "the Football" game! As Jews we traditionally gather together to celebrate the Macabees military victory,the miracle of the oil and the restoration of the First Temple at Chanukah and give thanks at the fall festival of Sukkoth instead. This is the time of year though that we eat Latkes fried in oil and Sufganiyot (jelly filled donut poppers). It is indeed a rare event that both Chanukah and Thanksgiving fall on the same day :-)Statistically it happens once in a lifetime. So many questions have arisen this year about this combination holiday. Such as does the Turkey have to be Kosher ? (yes if you keep Kosher), do you stuff it with Challah bread crumbs or not ?(personal preference I think) are the latkes made from regular potatoes or sweet potatoes ? and finally do you bake the turkey or boil it in oil (if you are living in the southern US, like I do, frying your Turkey bird is commonplace!). If you are culturally Jewish and don't really celebrate any Jewish holiday usually are you going to make a big deal about this once in a lifetime event called "Thanksgivukkah" or not? Well, for me this year there isn't much about either holiday that seems really festive. Growing up there was a nice chill in the air and sometimes snow in Cleveland, Ohio. For me this represents the right "Cleveland state of mind" so to speak in which to frame my holiday mood. From a "Jewish state of mind " though I started to wonder about what Jewish law says about celebrating the American holiday of Thanksgiving. According to my web search ( www.judaism.com/od/americanjewry/a/thansgiving.htm ) I found that Jewish law says Jews can celebrate secular holidays as long as they aren't celebrated with people who bring religious worship to the celebration and the celebration itself does not appear to be a religious ritual (there goes the parade and football game at my house this year!)At www.jewishjournal.com/torah_portion/article/giving_thanks_20021129 in Rabbi Ron Shuman's article called "Giving Thanks" He writes about, "Chanukah's meaning lies in this reality. To live as a Jew today means to live distinctly within a larger society, to be challenged toward the fullest expression of Jewish life. We are blessed today with the privledge of seeking purpose in our particular religious identity and celebrations." "Judaism provides a structure for our lives and our values that inspire gratitude for the wonder and mystery of being." "We can also give something of ourselves to others-to our family, friends and people of society. In our attitude of gratitude and acts of Thanksgiving, we truly celebrate Chanukah." As Americans, I agree with Rabbi Shuman, we do live within the larger culture of the great melting pot of America. A place where people, cultures and families are often blended by both religious and secular customs and celebrations. In my Gratz College course this week we are studying about the migration and Immigration of our Jewish Families, what have we lost and what have we gained by becoming part of this larger American culture? Freedom, safety and economic opportunity seem to be the common thread that weaves our great nation together. So although we might have to reconsider the parade, since we have always watched it "religiously",in my family this year we will consider frying the Turkey and eating sweet potatoe Latkes as we give thanks for all of our freedoms. Happy Thansgivukkah to all.

How Are You Jewish?

This week in my Gratz course we are talking about Jews in the Modern age and Judaism's encounter with modernity. We are overall quite an eclectic group and one of my classmates raised the question of what exactly are "Jewish Values? " Our current unit is on Zionism and the development of the Jewish State of Israel. Which of course could be a blog of its own :-) but the point here is that Israel was suppose to be built to reflect and encourage a lifestyle of Jewish values. I suppose much in the way that Gratz college's tag-line is "Education grounded in Jewish values." Such a complex question. Being the "modern age" I started a google search and since this blog is about studying Torah on the iPhone , I thought this will be a good topic!

First though I did answer my classmate's question spontaneously: Being Jewish and having Jewish values means living according to the spirit of the Torah. My explanation there was somewhat more academic of course but my arguments there supported the premise that Jewish values are based in a life guided by Torah.

Next step? Google search on the topic of Who is a Jew? Wow , what a hotly debated topic! At the website http://www.beingjewish.com/identity/whoisajew.html , I first found a request to click on the link to read the blessings over the Torah and since I hadn't done so yet today I did that.

The easy definition is that if someone is born to a Jewish Mother they are Jewish: Even if they don't do a thing in their life that could identify them with the Jewish people ( separate topic best saved for another day). Judaism traditionally is of matrilineal descent. " The question of being a Jew, ...is not the same thing. Having a Jewish heart and Jewish feelings does not make someone Jewish. One has
to be Jewish according to Jewish Law" . So where does that leave those born of a Jewish father?  " there is no indication in the Torah that the Leader (male) of a household passes along nationality and TRIBAL  affiliation YES ( read modern day equivalent Religious affiliation)  is passed down by the Father."  The Rebbi  who wrote the article further explains that Abraham and Sarah were both Jewish because they converted. There seems to be ancestorally another answer that being Jewish, or for the purpose of this blog topic, involves not only being born Jewish or being a Jew by conversion, but by the component of serving G-d in your actions.

This is not so clear cut as on the surface it would seem. In the 21st century this question is hotly debated in Israel and in the UK both. During the time of Natzi Germany you were a Jew if you met the criteria sited in the Nuremberg Laws ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_is_a_jew ) which  were laws meant to restrict the basic rights of German Jews. So if you had descended from three or four
Jewish Grandparents you were considered Jewish. Notice that there was no reference to your Mother there.  To be considered Jewish enough for Israeli citizenship, only one grandparent must have been Jewish. Interesting point. That would include those individuals who identify as Jewish( genetically, culturally, secularly,ethnically, non-observant and even atheist Jews) but do not do choose to be religious.

In this century the current thought in the Orthodox and Conservative branches is the rule of being Jewish  per matrilineal descent per  the Halacha rules.  In the Reform, Reconstructionists, and
Renewal branches, children raised to foster a Jewish identity and have formal acts of affiliation with the Jewish people are Jewish ( bris, naming s, banished mitzvot, etc) . In general a Jewish upbringing..

This then takes me to the point of how is a person Jewish? Which is complex,but I have tried to address and on to what are Jewish values? There are three sources that I found that I actually like quite abit. The first is the Book of Jewish Values, by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin that starts by emphasizing that Jews value life and anything that sustains life, above all else. Second on www.interfaithfamily.com/relearn ships/parenting/raising_children_with_jewish_values I really liked the teaching of the seven T's: Ten Commandments, Torah, Tefillah(prayer), Tzedakah(righteousness),Teshuva (repentance), Tikkun Olam (repair of the world ) and Talk about it(model it, teach it, transmit the values visibly.) Finally from a purely cultural Jewish standpoint, www.jewishpositive.com/values responds with an article listing: determinant, forgiveness, honesty,punctuality, responsibility, self-control, thoughtfulness, commitment, confidentiality, and piety. I think the second reference sums up what I think Jewish values are. A grounding in the teachings of the Torah and living a life guided by the six other Prinicpals. Shavua Tov L'hitraot ( Have a good week, until we meet again) Shalom />

Simchat Torah: Endings and New Beginnings

This week I am thinking about Torah Readings and customs. At my Consecration and at my Daughter's we both received miniature Torah Scrolls. Today we took them out on the eve of this wonderful Holiday. I carefully opened my scroll to the last paragraph of the Torah, V'Zot HaBerachah, at the end of Deuteronomy(33:1-34:12) and read that section and using my Daughter's Torah read the first part of Genesis (1:1-2:3).  It is well known that by Jewish custom following an ending a new beginning should follow. On Sunday, I know the kids at our Temple will dance around the Sanctuary with their flags and sing, much as many adults will this time tomorrow night: many will also fulfill the commandment to become drunk and dance! Hopefully with designated drivers for those who will drive on Shabbos. For those of my friends still living in NY,NY I am a bit envious that they most assuredly will be dancing in the streets with their friends and fellow congregants!

The practice of dancing on this holiday is said to be traced to the 1 st century ACE. It wasn't until the end of the 14 th century that the back to back Parshat readings came into common practice. In the 15 th century children began to then tear down or burn the Sukkas on Simchat Torah. As pleasing as it is to think of my Daughter tearing down our decorations tomorrow, and saving me the task of doing so, I find it won't be necessary as our decor is made of paper and we have been having huge winds and rains so most of our Sukkah is a goner already!

With  Simchat Torah, another  new beginning has started already with the start of a new school year for our family members and with it a new cycle of Life to share stories about with our Daughter about nights under the stars in the Succot of my youth, games and songs for each holiday and namings of new cousins. Old and new, old and new. Who knew that two Parchot would create such a theme and framework for thinking about the close of one season, the start of the winter seasons and the hope of spring and new beginnings of all sorts? In the meantime to quote a famous song, " I hope you dance!"

Sukkot Ushpizin, (Exalted Guests) and The Seven Female Counterparts

Today as I sit in contemplation of Yom Kippur and rituals associated with approaching friends and family with apologies that might need to be made, I think there is one area that I may need to improve in my life and one large apology that needs to be made. Although I am sure there are other areas that will recieve some attention in the coming year, the one area that seems especially important to me  is to become better versed in Women's Jewish Studies: I am raising a Daughter after all. So these apologies are to the Jewish Women in our history (herstory to those who are reading and would be offended by the masculine reference) who I have up until now neglected studying. Their contributions to the continuation of our people are important and should not be forgotten.

In my wonderful Torah Study group, we study from the contemporary Women's Torah Commentary published by the Union for Reform Judaism ( www.wrj.orgWRJTorahCommentary/default.aspx ) . The accompanying study guide is available at www.wrj.orgWRJTorahCommentary/StudyGuideProgram.aspx . For more than three years now every week on Thursdays I meet with a great group of mostly women and we read parshot (portions of Torah) and discuss the themes, read modern gleanings and poetry associated with the topics and learn from highly respected Women Scholars, some of whom are Rabbis, about the female interpretations of the events in our Torah.

It isn't often that we actually discuss contemporary Womens' Rituals associated with upcoming holidays though. We have discussed and some of my friends have participated in Womens' Sedars for Pesach, but in regards to Sukkot, no one Womens ritual has emerged to date. I was facinated to read recently at www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkot#Laws_and_customs that some Jews recite the ushpizin prayer welcoming the seven "exhalted guests " into the Sukkah.  They represent the seven shepherds of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David. According to tradition, each night a different guest is welcomed to join the family and teachings for that day surround a spiritual message or focus for their day. There has emerged recently a ritual whereby seven female counterparts to these shepherds are invited either in addition to or in place of the original seven. They are (in no particular order): Sarah, Rececca, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Deborah, Esther, Ruth and Tamar, although others depending on the reference are also included or omitted.

So this year, I am going to start a tradition with my DD associated with Sukkot. For each of these amazing and important women, I am going to learn one or two facts about them to teach to my 6 year old. We are going to write down their names in Hebrew on construction paper strips to use to fashion into links and build a chain with them that we will use to decorate our Lanai (our permanent Sukkah). We are going to add a few other important names to those links: her Moms, her Grandmothers, Aunts, Teachers and some Family friends. Each of us should serve as a link to her heritage, her origins, her Jewish her-story, so that one day this ritual of re-calling exhalted guests won't be so novel and our contributions will be given a strong voice.
My vow is for my DD to not need to make the same apology that today I make in earnest.

To see how it goes for us this year look for my photoblog attached to my website at www.growingupjewish.weebly.com ....

Tashlich and Daddy On The Water

Oh Boy. What a week. As my DD, Partner and I prepare for my Mother's Rosh Hashanna visit, I am overcome by memories of the past 39 years as we also prepare for my Beloved Father's Yarzheit which falls right smack dab in between Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur! Yup, right there in the middle. How classically is that,"not recorded in the Book" for the coming year :-(  The year before my Father's passing his friends, Father and I think my Uncle, helped him prepare his Boat, the Bryan-Lee, named for me and my brother (as my Dad said we were our parent's replacements on Earth for the continuation of our faith-), for what He seemed to know was going to be his final boating season. He always prepared the boat the first week of May (we lived in Ohio) and then it went to Dry Dock sometime after Yom Kippur.

In our faith each year we participate in Tashlich, the ritualistic, "casting off" of our sins. : "And you shall cast their sins into the depths of the sea". It is a custom that I learned came from the Babylonian period of our history. Tashlich can also represents the concept of "do not waste" As we toss pieces of bread into a moving body of water to be carried away (or if you are fortunate enough to live in NY, NY they toss bagels off the bridges !- true story, I saw it one year while in Med School) It is a good ritual and very environmentally friendly, as the fish will eat the food and it will not be wasted. It is also good because evidently fish can't be seen by that "evil eye" so no one energy source can find the bread and look at it and know what sins we commited... or so the story I learned goes. To read more about that go to www.about.com.Judaism .

I learned in the year of my becoming a Bat Mitzvah that the reason my Father didn't come to Temple with us periodically was because he was out on the boat, "praying". I always thought he just didn't want to sit through the services, which as a kid, I often found to be boring and I didn't connect with on a level of personal meaning.... His last summer he told me about Tashlich and how he would "cast off" and recite special prayers in preparation for his final day of Attonement. He planned to spend his final ten days righting things that needed to be addressed.

It is because of my Father's ritual that when I learned about Wine Poems in my Introduction to Classical Jewish History Course with Dr. Joe Davis (amazing Professor of Jewish History and Jewish Thought at Gratz College,) that I wrote and later copyrighted the following poem that I will share here, along with a photo taken by my Uncle on the day the Bryan-Lee was being prepared for it's and my Father's final season and His final Tashlich.

Daddy On The Water

Daddy on the water
Daddy on the dock
Daddy at the ready before It's five O'clock
Daddy sitting smiling
Daddy at the bow
Daddy at the ready before It's five o'clock
Daddy praying
Daddy staying
Daddy at the ready before It's five o'clock
Daddy swimming
Daddy fishing
Daddy at the ready before it's five o'clock
Daddy making memories
Daddy and the dog
Daddy at the ready before it's five o'clock
Daddy humbled
Daddy bleeding
Daddy isn't ready now it's five o'clock
Daddy's Daughter ready
To parent on her own
Daddy's Daughter wishes
He was here now that she is grown
Daddy on the water
Oh so far from home.

With my Eldest cousin Ralph as a baby

 My Father Walter Vendeland (Olive ben Joshua)
 as a young man (above) and the in the year of his Passing 1974(below).


Watching the Bryan-Lee being prepped for its season.
Photo by Allan J. Vendeland




For all pray-ers in this season of new beginnings go to: www.yizkor.ort.org:808/html/memprayer.shtml

I wish for everyone a sweet New Year, one filled with all the good things that life has to offer, an easy fast and finally enough reflection into our own lives to know that Tashlich has more to do with not wasting our lives than what we are throwing to the fish.



Of Avatars ,Adventures and Addictions- Is an Avatar the 21st Century's Graven Image?

This past week my Technology and The Future of Jewish Education course at Gratz  College came to a close. What a whirlwind ride, and as the famous Dr. Seuss quote suggests, " oh the places I went !" And what a heck of a lot of fun too! We learned to make Avatars of ourselves ( I made 2: one a morphed picture of myself and a second one of me as a cartoon character with a pet fox). If my newly acquired skills have been retained  past my short term memory, I am going to embed them into this blog post for your enjoyment :-) I learned how to make cartoons and animate them and used a program called "Second Life" to make yet another Avatar of myself to take a virtual tour of the American Holocaust Museum, which I highly recommend . Try a tour yourself at http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/kristallnacht.
I walked my Avatar to the cliff outside of the museum and tried to make it jump up into the sea below. Guess what? She wouldn't do it! There are two additional avatar programs  that could be interesting to explore as well: Timeless Jerusalem Testimonials, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHI8d3Aiir4   and Sviva Israel at www.svivaisrael.org  or follow this wonderful program that is a leading environmental education organization connecting people globally through environmental education, social  action and technology,  www.twitter.com/svivaisrael or ( @svivaisrael) .

Well, I am not really going to go into the details about the self preservation instinct of my Avatar, or about my virtual tour, but instead my thoughts  have progressed to the value of images that are made up. Are these Avatars the 21st century Graven Images? Do we actually worship modern technology? Is it addictive and harmful?

Exodus 20:4-6 tells us that we are not to make an image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath. Avatars are images of people. We don't worship them though, so I really don't think that we are breaking the second commandment.

 I do worry however about our children spending so much time in virtual games and gaming. Why? Although video games and gaming can be fun as well as entertaining, and educational, they can negatively impact a person's life when the enjoyment overtakes other life pursuits and  then impact that person's life negatively. They become additive. It is said with drugs, alcohol and other negative behaviors that the user "worships" the _____. Fill in the blank as appropriate. I don't think that the use of an Avatar is really going to lead to addiction, but for now I think that I am going to limit my use of them to educational pursuits.  No sense in worrying about "the other places" they may lead me.

 

 

 

Online Gaming For Rosh Hashanah to Build Stronger Relationships in the New Year?

Today I return to my blog assignment after making arrangements for my Mother to come for Rosh Hashanah. She is a little intimidated by computers and her town doesn't have a travel agent anymore, so if I want her here with us for " The Holidays," I am the one who has to get online. Not a big deal in the greater scheme of things to be sure. It is actually my pleasure to do so, as I get her pretty much all to myself this way!  What is a big deal though is this one seemingly simple task, that my Mother can't or won't perform herself just baffles me.

While pondering this simple task, my mind turns toward my weekly Technology in Jewish Education lectures, Epic Adventures and my intense motivation to succeed in life. A very strange connection between these seemingly unconnected entities to be sure! It is however quite simple. My Mother was my role model growing up. A young woman left to raise two small children on her own after my beloved Father passed. She proved that you could succeed at just about anything against many obstacles. Especially if there was something very specific and important that had to be done. She never failed to amaze me. She made sure we had a roof over our heads, food on the table, we participated in sports, scouting, went to Temple services regularly, Hebrew School, Sunday School, piano lessons, choir, youth groups.... She was the first to volunteer in Sisterhood, helped sew uniform vests and sashes for scouting, lead and baked for bake sales and was Mom to many kids in our neighborhood who were latch key kids. All while working 2, sometimes 3 jobs. Not to mention that she also managed to earn a college education with a perfect grade point average and become an RN.

Well, this week while watching a TED video of Jane Mc Gonigal titled "Gaming can make a Better World." http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonicgal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.htm I gained a keen insight into my Mom. Jane points out that in gaming there is a specific goal in the game and that players have an urgent optimism: they need to act immediately and have a virtual hope for success in attaining the goal at hand. We weave a tighter social fabric, have stronger connections with the people who play by the same rules and "play with us" or are doing the same thing at the same time with us. This is what she deems to produce my Mother's blissful productivity( of which she is rightfully proud) and her ever "eye-brow up" ah- ha super powered hopefulness of gaining what we call the "epic win". Which of course for her was making it through the game called life. Her version is very last century but a familiar one to many single parents even in this the 21st C!

As Jews we are taught that we need to be ever active in looking for ways to participate in tikkun olam (repairing our world). Thus I have been spurred into action to improve the New Year for everyone, I have goggled and binged and I have a few suggestions for Rosh Hashanah themed games. Since I am sure that we all want to do a little to help weave a tighter Jewish social fabric for the New Year. Let's try follow Dr. McGonigal's hypothesis and see if it has any validity for us. Gaming can build a better world, or so she says...

The first is to go through your entire list of friends on your smart phone and invite them to each play a simple game of words with friends ( www.wordswithfriends,com), but using only words or events that have to do with the new year: Shofar, apples, honey, facts about the holiday such as the day the holiday begins (the first of Tishri), where the shofar comes from, appropriate greetings and stuff like that. If you need some ammunition you can check out 
 www.teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tiresources/units/Byrnes-celebratins/rosh.html
.For those who are kids at heart there are new games that are easy to find at www.torahtots.com/holidays/rosh/roshfng.htm : jigsaw puzzles, sliding puzzles, online paint and prints for the whole family, and a great online version of the word find game! All kid tested and Mom approved (me, not my Mom, LOL).
My last suggestion which is sure to help build stronger relationships for the New Year is a New Year E-Card.  There are eight available at no charge at www.chabad.org/kids/article_cdo/aid/549387/jewish/High_Holidays.htm .

Now, I am not sure that I can get my Mom to participate in gaming with me online this Rosh Hashanah, or that she will think that gaming will help repair the world, but I may be wrong.. She is always up for a good puzzle and always enjoys that "ah-ha" moment at the end when the last piece fits neatly into place and the goal at hand is accomplished. She always has.

Looking for Jewish Connections: Chavurah and Contributions

Last week I wrote about the iphone and prayer and learned that there is indeed Tanahk for All available through the itunes app store. I also did a small experiment and simply shut off my electronics for Shabbat. I enjoyed tremendous peace but was pretty much," land locked," since I was on call to the Hospital's Labor and Delivery floor, I needed to be near a phone. There were no beeps, blings, whirls or melodies emitting from any device: it was so NICE! Oh yes, there was one beautiful little girl born, but on Sunday.

This week we are studying about modern Chavurah in the mobile age. Chavurah comes from the root chaver, and can mean peer, friend or fellowship. The plural form is chavurot. Traditional style Chavruta ("paired") learning usally occurs in a Yeshiva, or similar setting where students challenge each other to analyze, explore and explain material that they are studying before a class.  It occurs at long tables in a large learning hall , where the Chavruta pairs are all simultaneously pointing out perceived errors in the partners' reasoning and each student is trying to help the other come to a better understanding of the traditional texts. Quite a lively place these learning halls! I am not sure how each pair can focus and drown out all of the other conversations, since I do my best thinking at 3 am in the quiet of the night :-) But it seems to be a learning system that has stood the test of time.


Since the 1970's  Chavurot typically decribe people who meet on a regular basis to study or celebrate Jewish life cycle events together.  My wiki search this morning ( http://wikipedia.org/ ) brought me to this statement about the emphasis of Chavurot." Most chavurot place an emphasis on egalitarianism in the broad sense (of which gender is one piece) depending on participation by the entire community rather than top-down direction by clergy." Much in the spirit of this definition, I would define our Forum posts and discussions for each of our Gratz On-Line classes. We have the luxury of peace and quiet by which to focus our thoughts and form logical cohesive arguments without other students shouting their point of view just a few feet away from us. Ideally, we each post and respond to one another and help each other better understand the course material and perhaps attain new insights. Ideally we connect to each other and make contributions to each other's learning.

How else can we make adult learning connections, contributions and become part of Chavurot in the 21st century? There are so many wonderful opportunities both real and virtual! Here are just a few ideas I've uncovered: Adult camp! Yes Summer camp! Go to http://www.havurah.org/ The National Havurah Committee is offering a program Aug 5, 2013 - Aug 11, 2013 in New Hampshire... study, prayer, "spirited conversations," and hiking!  Another idea is to join a chavurah, find one at http://chavurah.com/ . They even offer a guide to starting your own Chavurah.  For more ideas check out  http://Torah.org/ .  If you like the radio there is Radio Chavura with learning programming every Sunday at 1830 hrs (990 KRKS AM in Denver).

Finally, I realize that this last suggestion isn't very technical, not cloud based and doesn't require a single piece of digital software , but it is still very relevant in the 21st Century: Go to your local Temple. There are like minded individuals, there are peers who can challenge your perceptions, help you participate more fully in (Jewish)life and help find ways to repair the world. And you don't have to do it yourself at 3 in the morning.

Shavua Tov

Making space for Technology & making a sacred place to live without it...

In my last blog post I discussed using the iphone to help facilitate my tefillah connection with Ha Shem and my "Community". This has had me thinking about the wonderful uses of technology in our daily life. There are so many things I do daily as a Physician and as a Mom that depend on using these tools. I make entries in patient records, check lab results, even look at Labor tracings from the screen that I am closest to at the particular moment when I  want or need to. I have daily reminders of when to pick up my DD and where (assuredly a good thing) , appointments, meetings, a running and an ever growing "to do list." I use the iphone app to guide my prayers, even though I mostly remember them by heart, and to read the daily Parsha as I said previously. I use educational apps with my DD this summer to keep her sharp and help her learn to read and practice her phonics with me while we are out to occupy her. She will even practice drawing her Aleph/ Bet using the app: she thinks its a game. ( itunes app store: WAGmob, Learn Hebrew Writing for those of you who are interested) I think I am so sneaky , getting her to practice without telling her to do it.

Overall, most days I think I am pretty good at most of my jobs. Well all of them but one lately and that is what this post is really about. WE ARE SO CONCERNED WITH MAKING SPACE FOR TECHNOLOGY IN OUR LIVES THAT WE AREN'T VERY GOOD AT MAKING A SACRED PLACE TO LIVE WITHOUT IT.

For example, Today when I am stuck waiting with my DD, I give her an electronic device to "occupy" her. She gets to watch Mommy approved TV in the car, or play on my ipad. When I was a kid and we had to wait somewhere and had no crayons with us, or books, or homework to do, I sang with and without the radio, or made up funny jokes or talked non-stop ( I am sure to my Parents' delight -NOT). A lot of times I would just fight with my brother to have something to do! Quite a typical kid. Eventually I would wind down. Most of us had the same growing up experience. That is how most of us learned to find that still, quiet place inside of us. Now, how do we spontaneously re-teach ourselves and our children to find that sacred place without all of the outside "connectivity" that we are so dependent on?

It is simple: TURN EVERYTHING OFF(once in awhile, what would it hurt?)I will compare this to  the onset of a thunder storm and the quiet that ensues afterwards. Waves of technology are much like thunder. They beep at us, vibrate us and jolt us to full consciousness, even from a sound sleep.

In my net surfing, yes between patients, I looked for  Jewish teachings about thunder and quiet, and I came across this story:  www.chabad.org/kids/article_cdo/aid/2038/jewish/The-Story-of-Shavuot/     In this story of Shavuot, "Thunder and lightning rent the air and the sound of the shofar was heard growing strangely louder and louder. All the people in the camp of Israel trembled. Then all was quiet again. The air was very still. Not a sound was to be heard. Every living thing held its breath. Even the angels interrupted their heavenly praises. Everybody and everything kept silent...waiting."

So for today, although I have no tips for finding that sacred quiet place, I am going to try on just one day to turn everything off, in ,on and around me and wait...

Is it better to engage with words of Torah on Shabbos on the iphone vs not at all?

Today marks the beginning of my life in the fast lane of technology: I have an assignment to become a blogger for my Technology in Jewish Education class from Gratz College! I have also been given a mission. So for those of you who don't know me well, I will start by saying that I am an OB/GYN in private practice in Florida. My iphone lives in or on my person just about 24/7. I spend lots of sleepless nights... many days I sing prayers in the car (through the bluetooth connection to my iphone)on the way to a delivery or emergency, or coming home from one, or the office. Oh yes, I am also a modern day Mom. So add to that schlepping my DD to and from school and activities, homework, "quality time", etc.  I have a black Lab puppy and a partner: there is never a dull moment.

I participate in a weekly Torah study with a great group of mostly women (once in awhile a male Pastor and a Husband or two,) led by our wonderful Cantor, who BTW, sings like an angel, and other than taking DD to Religious School (she is 6) I seldom make it to my Temple. It is sad because I love the sense of community I feel when there ( our Rabbi says He wants us to think of it as our second home and I do in many ways)and always leave with a pearl or two to help me live my life in a more integrated and Jewish way.

Over the past couple of years I probably have visited as many Jewish themed sites as there are on the net.I have an iT'filah program loaded on my iphone so I can Daven anywhere and anytime. I haven't yet looked for the iTanakh, but I will. I also recieve the weekly Parsha through two different sources as well as a children's version from another source. I READ THEM FROM MY IPHONE. I DON"T BELIEVE THAT THIS ACT DECREASES THE SANCTITY OF THE TEXT. Even the prayer we recite before studying these texts encourages us, in any way that is appropriate. We engage with the words of the Torah.

In this century engaging has to be accessible (check), beneficial (check), cost effective(remains to be seen), and easy to use(check): the iphone is on me 24/7 remember? We are part of a community who is also engaging with these words, even if we are not in the same physical space or at the same moment in time. The URJ's epublication V'Shinantam (the Union for Reform Judaism National Teacher's Newsletter) No II, 5763 speaks about our comfort learning with different tools. Using the iphone is a tool. Just a tool.  The text, if treated appropriately, can be studied anywhere really. And just as sacredly :-)