Rabbi Bob's Video Message

Rabbi Bob's Writings

50 Years A a Congregation

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This week, we celebrate fifty years as a congregation. While the congregation has grown a great deal over the decades, we have maintained the core values established by the founders of the congregation. Each generation of leaders have nurtured and protected this heritage.

At our leadership development courses we describe our core values as: Torah, Volunteerism, Extended Family, Respect, Process and Excellence.

TorahWe bring Torah to the people and bring the people to Torah. We help people build a greater understanding of Jewish tradition and the impact it can have on their lives.

Volunteerism
Etz Chaim is not a staff centered congregation. Our members are not “customers.” Our members give of their time in countless ways to make the congregation what it is.

Extended FamilyMany of us live here in Illinois or here in the far western suburbs because our jobs brought us here. We have left our Jewish families in other part of the country. Our friends from the congregation serve as our extended Jewish family

RespectWe do not expect all our members to be the same. We each have our own story. The narratives of our lives vary. We do not have to conform to expectation of others. We respect our individuality

Process
We pay attention to how we make decisions. We recognize that proper process will lead us to better conclusions.

Excellence
We never rest on past accomplishments. We strive to maintain the quality of the programs of the congregation

Last Edited by Jvillage Network Support at 8/1/2011 12:08 PM

Rabbi Bob's Kol Nidre Sermon 5771

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Year ago, decades ago, when I was a rabbinic student at HUC in Cincinnati, I flew to San Francisco to visit my parents. I flew Delta because they had the best fares. Needless to say, because I was on Delta, I changed planes in Atlanta.

My second flight was delayed. Looking out a window at the planes, I struck up a conversation with the fellow sitting next to me. It turned out he was an airplane mechanic and knew a lot about the planes. Eventually he began to talk about God. He said, “I serve God by fixing airplanes. How do you all serve God?” I replied by explaining that I was becoming a rabbi. I told him, "I guess I serve God by serving God."

At this time of year, his question comes back to me. How do I serve God? As a student, I gave the airplane mechanic a glib answer. But now after all these years as a rabbi, how do I serve God? It is not enough to say, I am a rabbi. As a rabbi, how am I serving God?

On Monday afternoons, I am here in the sanctuary with the upcoming Bar/Bat Mitzvah kids. I spend these late afternoon hours putting the kids through their paces. I could see this activity as telling a ongoing series of 13 year olds to read more slowly. But that is not how I see it. During these lessons, I believe that I am saving the Jewish people, one thirteen year old at a time.

Some people get burned out and lose sight of the importance of what they are doing. Other people have a clear vision of the importance of their actions.

Debbie and Bill Lavine’s oldest son, Gabe, is a First Lieutenant in the Marine Corp. Gabe is currently serving in Afghanistan. In a letter home to his parents, Gabe, describes the tasks his unit has performed and is about to perform. He then reflects on his deployment, “I love working with the Marines and being around my platoon. What a fulfilling job I have. I can honestly say that if I do nothing else of note in my life that this was all worth it and I have left my mark on this world.”

Most of us lead quiet and boring lives compared to First Lieutenant Gabe Lavine. But we can ask ourselves, what are we doing that is important? What are we proud of? Are we proud of who we are? Are we proud of what we do? Are we proud of how we act towards those closest to us? Are you proud of how you speak to your children? Are you proud of how you speak to your parents? Are you proud of how you speak about your friends, when they are not in the room?

We do not have to remain the same. The central message of Yom Kippur, is that we can change. We are not dead people walking. The direction of our lives is the not result of a verdict passed on us by a judge. The central message of Yom Kippur, is Tshuva, we can turn.

We do not have to settle for our lives as they are. We do not have to lead a slipping down life. As a home owner I try to be vigilant and not let things slide, making do with the house the way it is. A few weeks ago the down spout was broken. I was proud that I made a proper repair rather than using duct tape as I was tempted to do.

We should not settle for our position in the world. We should not settle for what we have financially. We should not settle for what we have in our relationships with family and friends. We should not settle for what we have in knowledge.

Each winter Reform, Conservative and Orthodox rabbis join together in the JUF’s rabbis mission. We go to see the good work that the JUF does in the former Soviet Union and in Israel. Often our trips to Eastern Europe include home visits to Hesed clients. Hesed supplies the elderly and the disabled with food, medicine and contact with the outside world.

Last January in Berditchev, Ukraine, four of us went to see a man named Morris. He was about my age. He had been injured at work and now stayed home. We sat with him in the main room of his very small apartment. He explained that there was another room but that it is not heated. So he closes it off during the winter months. One of the rabbis asked him, "How long have you lived here?" Morris replied, “All my life.” “You have lived in Berditchev your whole life?” “No I have lived in this apartment my whole life. It is where I grew up.”

Sadly Morris could make no improvements in his life. He was struggling to maintain the status quo. We can make changes in our lives. How do you want to change your life?

As we begin Yom Kippur, I have three challenges for us. Let us each ask ourselves:
What one thing do I want to stop doing?
What one thing do I want to start doing?
What one thing do I want to do better?
What one thing do I want to stop doing?What do you do that annoys other people? We each do something that the other people in our lives do not enjoy. If we look honestly and critically at ourselves we know what is. We may think of it as our entertaining idiosyncrasy others may not share this analysis.

What one thing do I want to start doing?
Some years ago, I announced on Yom Kippur my intention to learn to play the banjo. I did it. I learned to play the banjo. I am not great. I am not the best banjo player on the bima. I am the second best banjo picker on the Bima. And if Rabbi Cosnowsky would give it a try, I am sure in a few minutes I would be the third best.

But I can play. I can do things naturally that at the beginning were completely beyond me. At the beginning of my lessons I could not move the fingers of my left hand independently. Today they just flow to form the chords. I can sit with my guitar playing friends and play along.

Now I am learning about solar energy

What one thing do I want to do better?In March I turned sixty. A few weeks ago my oldest grandchild began kindergarten. I have to come to grips with the fact that I am no longer a young guy. I am now an adult in the eyes of everybody.

In honor of my 60th birthday I bought myself a gift, my first pair of soccer shoes. Each summer at camp on Shabbat afternoon I play soccer with the oldest campers and members of the staff. I have no actual soccer skills but I enjoy the game. This summer with my new shoes I did not slip and slip on the field. I did not fall down at all. The soccer shoes gave me traction. I was able to stop and start. I was able to turn without losing balance. I even scored some goals.

I liked the way I felt in those shoes. I want more traction in the rest of my life. I want to slip and slide less. I want more focus. What do you want?

The prayer book tells us that "Life is a Journey." I think that we should see our lives as an ascent, the journey which takes us higher.

There an old folk song, a spiritual actually. I learned it from a Pete Seeger record. "We are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder." The first verse says "Every rung goes higher and higher." The second verse says, "Every rung just makes us stronger."

As we prepare to recite Kol Nidre, lets pause and consider how do we want to change our lives. Let us each ask ourselves:
What one thing do I want to stop doing?
What one thing do I want to start doing?
What one thing do I want to do better?

Last Edited by Jvillage Network Support at 8/1/2011 12:03 PM

Israel Interceptions of the Gaza Bound Ships

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We have seen and read a great deal about the Israeli interception of the Gaza bound ships. In the future I will share with you a more complete response to the current situation. Today let me share a few thoughts.

1. Israel did not intend to harm the people on the ship. If the Israel Defense Force wanted to cause death they could have sunk the ship with a rocket or a torpedo.

2. Israel expected to find peace activists. Actual peace activists tend to be peaceful and non-violent.

3. The pro-Hamas activists on the ship sought a violent confrontation with Israel.

4. Not understanding who was on the Mavi Marmara was an Israeli intelligence failure.

5. The blockade of Gaza is only complete because of the participation of Egypt.

6. The Egyptian government sees Moslem Brotherhood as a serious threat.

7. Why does the media ignore the Egyptian angle to the story?

8. Israel faces questions of strategy as how to deal with Hamas in Gaza.

9. Having adopted a strategy of isolating Gaza, Israel faces tactical questions of how to enforce that isolation.

10. Blockades have often been an important part of military struggle. The Union blockade of the Confederacy played a major role in its success during the American Civil War.

11. Israel and Hamas are at war.

12. Civilian population always suffers or benefits as a result of decisions made by its government.

13. War is rarely precise. More often war is messy and error filled.

14. Israel could benefit from finding a way to assist the people of Gaza with out propping up Hamas. Perhaps there is a role for the international community to play in that area.

Last Edited by Jvillage Network Support at 8/1/2011 12:07 PM

Israel - Palestinian Negotioations

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The news from Israel last week was up and down. I was pleased to hear the announcement of the resumption of Israel-Palestinian negotiations. I saw Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Israel as an important step in reaffirming the connection between the US and Israel. Minister of Internal Affairs, Eli Yishia's announcement of 1,600 new units in Ramat Shlomo disrupted Vice President Biden's visit.

The events have created tensions between Israeli and American governments. Tom Friedman of the New York Times and other commentators have suggested that this crisis raises serious question for Prime Minister Netanyahu.

As friends of Israel and citizens of the United States, the tone and volume of this conflict upsets us. In trying to process what is happening we should understand that much of it results from Prime Minister Netanyahu addressing his domestic political needs rather Israel's relationship with its key ally, the United States.

The Israeli parliamentary government functions differently than that of the United States. Cabinet officers have much more independence in that system. The Israeli Prime Minister does not have the authority of an American President. He leads a coalition government consisting of his Likud Party, the Labor Party, religious and right wing parties.

Next week I will be attending the annual Policy Conference of AIPAC the major annual gathering of pro-Israel activists. Speakers will include Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. I will also participate in smaller sessions for rabbis and spend time lobbying our representatives in congress.

To help the members of our community more fully understand these complex events, I will hold another class in my ongoing series of Israel study sessions on Thursday, April 8th at 7:30 PM. I will report on what I learn at the AIPAC conference and share my analysis of the current situation.

Last Edited by Jvillage Network Support at 8/1/2011 12:09 PM

Israel Trips

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I lead trips to Israel for the teenagers of the congregation every three years. All of our young people have the opportunity to participate in one of these trips during their high school years. We are currently in the midst of registration for this December's trip.

We do not plan our adult Israel trips and our family Israel trips according to a schedule. These trips depend on our members showing interest. In recent weeks some people have spoken to me about an adult trip for the spring of 2011 and to Anne about a family trip for the summer of 2011.

If one of these trips appeals to you please speak to us. If we gather a sufficient level of interest we will proceed with concrete plans.

The individuals and families who have participated in our past trips have found them to be exciting, educational, fun and transformative.

Gina Carter wrote the following poem after our 2007 adult trip

“Ma Yafeh Eretznu- How beautiful is our land

Carefully stepping into and floating in the cool, healing waters of the Dead Sea.

Greeting the Mona Lisa of Galilee; pieced together tile by tile, her eyes following me from side to side.

Visiting the wonderful artists at Lifeline; their skilled, weathered hands creating pieces of grand beauty.

Singing HaTikvah to myself on bus trips and again at the end of each long day.

Digging carefully through remains at Mt, Scopus in search of precious links to the past, touching the sacred stones of the western wall in search of a yet another link.

Walking up steep hills, down rocky, winding paths; through dark, narrow passageways, and into deep, ancient water tunnels.

Exploring the grand mazes of the Old City of Jerusalem that circle round and round, filled with a multitude of vibrant colors, smells, tastes, images and sounds.

Gathering with our friends from Congregation Or Hadash for Memorial Day; the children sang and read that night, their young voices leading the way.

Each step, each stone, each voice, each face a tiny piece of the grand mosaic”

Last Edited by Jvillage Network Support at 8/1/2011 12:08 PM

10 Commandments

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This week's Torah portion contains the Ten Commandments. The Torah tells us that the commandments were written on two tablets. Popular culture from Cecil B. DeMille to Mel Brooks depicts five commandments on each of the tablets. Many synagogues, including ours, include such a depiction of the two tablets over their arks.

Rabbinic literature offers two points of view. The first description is what we would expect to find. But the second opinion offers a different understanding of how the tablets appeared. And, I think, a different understanding of the nature of the commandments.

In the Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael we read: "How were the Ten Commandments given? Five on one tablet and five on the other. 'I am the Lord' written across from 'You shall not murder'... This is according to R. Hanina b. Gamaliel, but the Sages say ten on one tablet and ten on the other"

The sages suggest that the commandments were given in duplicate.

Dr. Meshulam Margaliot of Bar Ilan University explains

“We are dealing with the text of a covenant, a type of contract between two parties. For obvious reasons, it is customary for every written contract or agreement to be issued in duplicate, each party receiving a complete copy of the agreement, contract, or covenant.

This was also the practice in the ancient Near East. The most famous example of two copies of a diplomatic agreement between two kingdoms is the treaty containing the pact made between the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II and the Hittite King Hattusilis III, c. 1270 B.C.E. The Egyptian copy was found in Egypt, and the Hittite one in the capital of the Hittites, in eastern Turkey. The contents of both copies are identical.

It would be reasonable for the pact made at Sinai to be issued in two copies, one for the Lord, and one for the Israelites. This practice explains why one tablet did not suffice, rather two were needed. It is self-evident that the Lord's tablet had to be placed where the Divine Presence was found (see Ex. 29:43 and 40:34), in the Holy Ark made specifically for this purpose:

But what about the Israelite's copy, on the second Tablet, where was that copy placed?

Since the Israelites had the status of vassal vis-à-vis G-d and were the lesser partners to the Covenant, it was reasonable for them to file their copy of the Pact in the Holy Ark of the Lord their G-d. Thus we conclude that both Tablets were placed together in the Ark in the Tabernacle, and later in Solomon's Temple: "There was nothing inside the Ark but the two tablets of stone which Moses placed there at Horeb, when the Lord made [a covenant] with the Israelites after their departure from the land of Egypt" (I Kings 8:9).”

So the Ark held a tablet belonging to God and a tablets belonging to the Israelites. Each party to the contracts maintained their own copy of the agreement. This vision of the double text stresses understanding the commandments as an agreement between God and the people. God presented the commandments and the people accepted them. Both sides played an active role.

Last Edited by Jvillage Network Support at 8/1/2011 12:05 PM

Rutual & Religious Committee

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The Ritual and Religious Committee is about to begin an in-depth review of the times of the Erev Shabbat services of our congregation. Currently we have our regular Shabbat services at 8:15 PM three times a month. We have Family Services once a month at 7:30 PM. Each month on one Friday we have a 6:30 PM Tot Shabbat Service preceding the 8:15 PM service.

Some people have suggested that more or all of our services should start earlier. Others have suggested that that the start time of our Erev Shabbat services should vary with the time of the year, reflecting the actual beginning of Shabbat at sunset. And still other people have suggested that the services times remain as they are.

The Ritual and Religious Committee approach to serious questions is not to be in a hurry to get the bottom line. We unfold the topic at hand, carefully exploring underlying issues. We are then able to build a consensus around a plan. We have followed this approach while working on many projects, including how we would use the new prayer book. We have found that this approach helps us craft policies that strengthen the life of the congregation.

We will begin our exploration of Friday night service times at our meeting on Thursday, March 25th. I expect that this review will take us three months. If you would like to join us for these conversations we would love to have you participate. If you would like to share your thoughts with us but not attend the meetings, please speak to me or to the chair of the committee, Ken Markwell.

Last Edited by Jvillage Network Support at 8/1/2011 12:10 PM

A Special Letter from Rabbi Bob

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A Special Letter from Rabbi Bob

Dear Friends,

In recent weeks, many of you have asked me to comment on the state of American-Israeli relations. You have shared with me sermons and rants which have been circulating on the Internet filled with "the sky is falling" assessments of the relationship between the government of Israel and the government of the United States. Many critics of President Obama in the American Jewish community have demonized him as an enemy of Israel.

For those more interested in light than heat, let me share a clear and serious analysis of the current situation.

I. Israel and American FriendshipThe government of the United States remains as strongly in Israel's corner as ever. All of the key public figures in the Obama administration have recently expressed the strongest support for Israel.

The president himself, in a letter to Alan Solow, Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, stated: "Let me be very clear- we have a special relationship with Israel that will not change. Our countries are bound together by shared values, deep and interwoven connections and mutual interests. Many of the same forces that threaten Israel also threaten the United States and our efforts to secure peace and stability in the Middle East. Our alliance with Israel serves our national security interests."

You can read a more detailed description of the American- Israel connection in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's speech to AIPAC and Vice President Joe Biden's speech at Tel Aviv University.

II. Who Is Setting American Policy?Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg and others have suggested that American Middle East policy is once again being set by Arabists, as it was during the Eisenhower administration. This simply is not true. Among the key people in the White House on Middle East policy is Dan Shapiro, the Senior Director of Middle East and North Africa at the National Security Council.

Dan Shapiro, a Shomair-Shabbat graduate of Brandeis University, has a long public record of working in support of Israel. The April 26, 2010 edition of Maariv described a positive meeting between Dan Shapiro and Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai to resolve differences. The article noted that "Shapiro conducted the entire meeting in fluent Hebrew, to Yishai's surprise and joy."

III. Recent Events
A. Events in Jerusalem in March
Senator George Mitchell, the United States Special Envoy for the Middle East, had arranged for proximity talks. Vice President Joe Biden went to Israel to announce the beginning of proximity talks between Israel and the Palestintian Authority. Interior Minister Eli Yishei of Shas chose that moment to announce 1,600 new homes in Ramat Sholomo. Palestinians reacted by pulling back from the agreement to begin the talks. The announcement upset Biden, not because he was "upstaged," but because the announcements undercut the proximity talks.

The Obama administration did not put the spotlight on Jerusalem; Yishei's announcement did. Like elsewhere in the world, Israeli construction projects proceed in stages requiring a series of public announcements and hearings. Generally, the American government does not comment on Israeli housing announcements. In March Yishei forced the issue into the spotlight.

B. Events in Washington in March
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to Washington for the annual AIPAC Policy Conference. President Obama had expected to be in Indonesia, but changed plans because of the nearing conclusion of the healthcare debate. This created the possibility for a meeting between the two leaders.

A person who was there told me that the press reports of Netanyahu's visit to the White House were not accurate. In truth, the atmosphere was much more positive and constructive than the media in America and Israel reported. The two men met privately for 90 minutes. At the end of that conversation Netanyahu and the Israel team met at the White House rather than moving to the Israeli Embassy. After meeting with his team, Netanyahu requested another session with Obama. Obama agreed and met with Netanyahu for another 30 minutes. The two leaders spent an extraordinary amount of time talking one-on-one. Obama has met with Netanyahu four times in the U.S. This is more than with any other world leader. An American official said, "This is appropriate because of the special relationship between the two countries."

C. Conversations in April
Since the events in March there have been ongoing private conversations. Participants have described these talks as "conversations between friends." As I write these words, the discussions seem to be leading to a new agreement on starting the proximity talks.

On April 29, Ynet reported that "Interior Minister Eli Yishai has been officially invited to visit the White House." This is another indication of the ongoing positive conversations between the two governments.

IV. The PalestiniansA. Negotiations with the Palestinians
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly spoken in favor of two states. AIPAC, the largest pro-Israel advocacy group in North America, supports the two-state solution. The Obama administration supports the two-state solution. There are no alternatives. A single bi-national state would mean the end of the Jewish State. Continuing the status quo leads only to ongoing conflict. As Secretary Clinton said at AIPAC, continuing "the status quo strengthens the rejectionists who claim peace is impossible, and it weakens those who would accept coexistence. That does not serve Israel's interests or our own. Those willing to negotiate need to be able to show results for their efforts. And those who preach violence must be proven wrong."

For 43 years, American policy has stayed the same concerning Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a final status issue to be agreed upon by the parties.

None of us can know if negotiations with the Palestinian Authority will lead to an agreement. But the absence of negotiations leads nowhere. An overview and analysis of the issues to be considered in these negotiations will be the subject of a future letter.

B. Building the Institutions of a Palestinian State
At AIPAC, Tony Blair, the official envoy of the Quartet of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, explained:

"It can't only be negotiated top down. It has to be built bottom up. Peace now will not come simply through an agreement negotiated. It must come through a reality created and sustained. It means building institutions of Palestinian government, not just well-equipped loyal security forces, but civil police, courts, prisons, prosecutors, the whole infrastructure of the rule of law.

This is the work my team and others, like the United States and the European Police Mission, are engaged in. And here is some good news: Prime Minister Salam Fayyad under President Abbas is trying to build the state from the bottom up. Over the past two years the Palestinian Authority has taken militia off the streets. New courthouses are being opened. Proper prison facilities are being built. In the last year the judicial system handled more cases than in the previous 10. The Israeli chief of defense staff regularly says this to me, 'Tell the Palestinians if they do more we can do less.'"

V. Iran
The Obama administration is closely coordinating its Iran policy with Israel. No goal is more important to the Obama administration than preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The American government has been building international pressure on Iran. The American government is doing good work by bringing China and Russia aboard. It is much better for this problem to be seen as the world vs. Iran rather as Israel vs. Iran.

Within Israel's vibrant democracy, reasonable people disagree from time to time about steps their government should take. Likewise, Israel's friends in America may at times disagree with each other. An open exchange of views should not be misconstrued as a lack of friendship.

Rabbi Steven Bob
May 3, 2010

Last Edited by Virginia Weiskopf at 10/23/2010 4:42 PM