Ba'Aretz # 14-Andy of Tel Aviv

Although most of those reading this probably didn't see the Andy Griffith Show when it first debuted on television (it was a spin-off an episode of the Danny Thomas Show, when the whole Make Room for Daddy cast got stuck in the fictional Mayberry, North Carolina and had to cope with a small town sheriff, his inept deputy, and a host of small-town-America-in-the-fifties characters), but I think almost everyone has seen it in re-runs some time or another. Aunt Bea, Otis the Town Drunk, Goober Pyle and his gas station, Barney Fife, Floyd the Barber are among those who have become part of American folklore.

The opening theme of the show was whistled as Andy and Opie, the father-son gentle sheriff and mother-less child, fishin' poles slung over their shoulders, head down the road... tossing pebbles that skip over the water. Whenever I hear that theme whistled, I think of gentleness and simplicity, virtue and common sense, and, of course, Aunt Bea's hot apple pie.

Whenever I hear that theme, I never, ever think of skyscrapers or wide boulevards, sophisticated boutiques or elegant restaurants, beautiful beaches or avant garde galleries, ethnic diversity or a cacophony of spoken languages. I never think of traffic jams or protest rallies or political intrigue. When I hear the "Andy of Mayberry" theme, I never picture a community of four hundred synagogues. Never, ever, ever!

In just five weeks, 2009 will be upon us and next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of Tel Aviv, the first new, Jewish city built since Biblical times. In early 1909, 69 young Jews, whose names have been enshrined on a marker on Rothschild Boulevard, stood along the barren beach for a photograph and then proceeded to build what has become a thriving and important Middle East metropolis. Like New York, Tel Aviv is a city that never sleeps (although one hears slightly more Hebrew in TA than NY). Like Amsterdam and London, Paris and Rome, San Francisco and Sydney, Tel Aviv is a city one can visit over and over and experience it anew every time.

And the good folks at the Tel Aviv 100th Anniversary Commission have created a wonderful series of television commercials depicting the history of Tel Aviv. The commercials can be quite moving, as long as you hit the "mute" button, because the commercial's theme song is the whistled one from Andy from American TV so long ago. The song is a nice one, just not for Tel Aviv.

Tel Aviv is just not the city I ever associate with Andy and Opie. At least not until Gomer Pyle trades USMC for the IDF.

Rabbi Jeff Kahn

Ba'Aretz # 13.....Democracy in the Middle East

For decades, I have described Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East and one of the most vibrant democracies in the world. Last week, for the first time, I became a full participant in Israeli democracy - I voted. Last week, municipal elections - for mayor and city council - were held in every Israeli community. The campaign began several months earlier and from beginning til end was, remarkably, quite different from any other campaign for office I've ever seen.

At the beginning of the campaign, blank wooden signs were erected in every town at nearly every major intersection. And as soon as those signs went up, they became covered with posters for the various candidates and parties. In nearly every city, three or four or many more people stood for mayor. In the same communities, four or eight or twelve or more parties presented lists of candidates for city council. A few candidates and parties also erected large billboards. Nearly every candidate left leaflets in our mailbox. Some of our neighbors hung banners in support of specific candidates. There were debates and I even received a robo-call. But there was absolutely no advertising on television... what a relief!

Stephanie and I walked Tuesday afternoon to our neighborhood polling station at the elementary school around the corner, presented our identity cards to the election official, and received two envelopes: one yellow and one white, and then were ready to vote. I then entered the voting booth where I found half a dozen yellow pieces of paper - each with then name of one of the people standing for mayor in our town - and a dozen white pieces of paper - each with one, two or three letters that identify a particular political party. I took the yellow piece of paper for the mayoral candidate of my choice, put it in the yellow envelope and sealed it. And then I took the white piece of paper for the party of my choice, put it in the white envelope and sealed it. Upon leaving the voting booth, both envelopes were deposited in the ballot box. And then we returned home to find out what happened.

The polls closed at 10:00 pm and we enjoyed watching the returns on television... for a while. Exit polls predicted the outcome in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa, but there were no reports about our town... or most others. We planned to watch the returns as late as necessary and were surprised when at 1:00 am, the TV commentators said "Lailah Tov - Goodnight, we'll return at 6:30 am with the results." And, the next morning, at 6:30 we turned on the TV and found out exactly what happened.

The election was simple, convenient, fast and efficient... not what I've always experienced in the States in the past. And, the next morning, all the ballots had been counted, all of the results announced. It strikes me strange that nearly two weeks after the American election, the outcome of the presidential election in Missouri is still unclear and three U.S. Senate races have yet to be decided. Perhaps the U.S. can learn something from elections in Israel.

The day after the election here, the posters for the local candidates came down and the ones for the upcoming national election went up. Tzipi Livni now stares at you at nearly every intersection (I can't describe her look as a smile, it is much more like a stare to the left), except in Jerusalem, where a photo of a woman's face on a billboard is not appreciated by many people (even though they elected a secular mayor). New parties are forming as old one seems to be fading. Perhaps it would be best to wait until February to decide whether or not the Israeli system is superior.

One thing is for sure, major political changes are happening in the U.S. and Israel. May G-d bless our new leaders. May G-d bless our peoples. And may G-d bless our lands with safety, serenity, security and peace.

Shavua Tov - Have a wonderful week -

Rabbi Jeff Kahn

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Ba'Aretz # 12....Thunder and Lightening

I would be more than a little remiss if I didn't begin without wishing Hatzlacha u'vracha – success and blessing – to President-elect Barack Obama. All of us in Israel followed the American presidential campaign and election very closely. The United States is Israel's best friend and most important ally and what happens in America affects Israel. As in America, many in Israel supported John McCain. As in America, many in Israel supported Barack Obama. Now, all of us are united in praying for G-d to always bless the United States and the American people.

There are other elections mentioned in the headlines of the Israeli papers this week – Israel's for mayor and city council in every Israeli city this coming Tuesday, November 11^th. Some of the campaigns are very heated and the issues are the usual ones – more-observant and less-observant Jews living together in the same communities… usually fighting over the closing of stores on the Sabbath and the sale of non-kosher meat. Not much is likely to change, though.

And, we'll be electing a new Knesset just 90 days later. As you might expect, our relationship with the Arab population in (circle the description that suits you best – Judea/Samaria, the West Bank, the Territories, the Occupied Territories, the Liberated Territories) dominates the debate. This morning one of our major parties (Kadima) announced that it is the party best equipped to work with the new American administration and bring about what America thinks best. And, another of our major parties (Likud) announced that it is the party best equipped to stand up to the new American administration and protect Israel from what America thinks best. Ironically, both claims are true and all of us in Israel are waiting to see how the new American government will relate to us and our unique situation.

The fact that this week's Torah portion is Lech L'cha - Genesis 12-17 – can be no coincidence. The first eleven chapters of the Bible… the ones that described the creation of the universe, the flood and near destruction of life and earth, and the division of the world's peoples… are chapters written about all humanity, not the Jewish people.

The first eleven chapters of the Bible recount the story of a world in which there were no Jews. Had Adam been Jewish, there might not have been the expulsion from Eden. Had Noah been a Jew, the flood and death and destruction might not have been. It was the kind of world that Hitler planned when he carried out Kristallnacht – the Night of the Broken Glass – on November 9-10, 1938 - 70 years ago this weekend. Genesis 11 described a world in which confused people wandered about with no real relationship with G-d.

And then comes Genesis 12: 1-3: G-d said to Abram, 'Go away from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you great. You shall become a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and he who curses you, I will curse. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you.'

Let's recap: Verse 1 - G-d calls out to one man – Abram (later Abraham) – and commands him to leave his family and homeland and follow G-d to the Land of Israel.

Verse 2 - G-d promises Abraham that the Jewish people will become great because G-d will bless us. In fact, the nation of Israel itself will become a blessing.

And, Verse 3 – G-d will bless those who bless Israel (and vice versa)…that all the families of the earth will be blessed through us.

And, thus begins the rest of Bible, the story of G-d and Israel.

Fast forward thousands of years. It was announced this morning that the next White House Chief of Staff will be Rahm Emanuel – a fellow descendant of Abraham, a man with two important Hebrew words for a name. Emanuel means "G-d is with us" and Rahm, in Hebrew, means "thunder". Coupled with the fact that Barack is Hebrew for "lightening", it sure sounds like a storm from G-d is imminent!

May the coming storm wash away the violence, the hate and the terror that have kept us from living in peace here in the Land to which G-d led our ancestors so long ago. And, may G-d bestow the blessing of Genesis 12:3 upon President-elect Obama, the new Administration, and all the American people.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Jeff Kahn

Ba-Aretz # 11- "And they shall study war no more...."

Last week, at the end of Sukkot, we began to pray for rain. Every year from Sukkot until Passover, as part of every daily morning service, we Jews pray for rain. The long, dry summer in the Land finally ends during Sukkot and from now through spring, we ask G-d to bless the Land with abundant rain.

Our prayers were truly answered this week. It rained and thundered... with lightening! Children danced in puddles on street corners shouting "geshem" (rain), headlights are required when driving during the day, and all eyes are on the level of the Sea of Galilee - which went up 1.5 cm. Roads were flooded and the wadis in the Negev became running rivers. No coincidence that our Torah portion this week is Noah - the story of Noah and the Ark.

Earlier this week, I visited Sderot and the Jewish communities along the border with Gaza. Later in the week, they were attacked again - a kassam landed in Sderot yesterday, two anti-tank missles were fired at the IDF this morning near Kissufim... just meters from the spot the Israel Experience scholars stood, overlooking the Gaza Strip. Thank G-d, no one was injured. But it serves to remind us why the Torah portion reports that G-d decided to destroy the world back in the days of Noah and the Ark.

It was the wickedness of humanity that grieved G-d so... that caused G-d to regret the creation of humanity. Genesis 6:5 reads: "And G-d saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." When our evil thoughts and actions overwhelm the holy within us that calls us to good, what kind of people do we become? And, what kind of people allow evil to hold sway?

The same King James Version translation, with one word left in Hebrew, is interesting, perhaps instructive. "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only HAMAS continually." HAMAS is the word usually translated as "evil". HAMAS is when evil takes over.

This week, our prayers were answered and it rained in the Land of Israel. And it rained so hard in Gaza that the streets and the tunnels used for smuggling weapons flooded. The rains that blessed our land brought them destruction and misery.

May our prayers that our neighbors in Gaza abandon evil come true. May they beat their kassams into plowshares and their anti-tank missles into pruninghooks and study war no more.

Shabbat Shalom -

Rabbi Jeff Kahn

Sukkot.....with apologies to Dr. Seuss

The Holiday of Sukkot has passed, leaving behind nothing but great memories... and the pile of palm leaves (s'chach-the branches that cover the top of a sukkah) on our mirpeset (balcony) where once our Sukkah stood. We were blessed with many wonderful visitors in our Sukkah and we're looking forward to building it again next year, hoping that you will visit us then (if not before).

This Shabbat, Jews the world over will begin to read the Torah again, the first Torah portion, Genesis 1:1 - 6:8... the stories of the creation of the world. Before turning back to the text, though, I'd like to "celebrate" Sukkot one last time (and then I'll take the palm fronds down to the corner because the city will be picking up Sukkah palms on Sunday). I thought you'd enjoy this rendition of Hilchot Sukkot, the rules and regulations of Sukkah building.

Shabbat Shalom -

Rabbi Jeff Kahn


Hilchot Sukkot - The Annotated Laws of the Sukkah-with numbered footnotes
(with apologies to Dr. Seuss-true author unknown)

You can build it very small (1)
You can build it very tall (2)
You can build it very large (3)
You can build it on a barge

You can build it on a ship (4)
Or on a roof but please don't slip (5)
You can build it in an alley (6)
You shouldn't build it in a valley (7)

You can build it on a wagon (8)
You can build it on a dragon (9)
You can make the s'chach of wood (10)
Would you, could you, yes you should

Make the s'chach from leaves of tree
You shouldn't bend it at the knee (11)
Build your Sukkah tall or short
No Sukkah is built in the Temple Court

You can build it somewhat soon
You cannot build it in the month of June (12)
If your Sukkah is well made
You'll have the right amount of shade (13)

You can build it very wide
You can not build it on its side
Build if your name is Jim
Or Bob or Sam or even Tim

Build it if your name is Sue (14)
Do you build it, yes you do!
From the Sukkah you can roam
But you should treat it as your home (15)

You can invite some special guests
Don't stay in it if there are pests
You can sleep upon some rugs
Don't you build it where there's bugs

In the Sukkah you should sit
And eat and drink but never ...
If in the Sukkah it should rain
To stay there would be such a pain (16)

And if it should be very cold
Stay there only if you're bold
So build a Sukkah one and all
Make it large or make it small

Sukkah rules are short and snappy
Enjoy Sukkot, rejoice be happy.

Footnotes:
1. Maimonides (RMBM) Mishne Torah, Hilchot Succah, Chapter 4, Section 1.
The minimum height of a Succah is 10 tefachim. A tefach is a measure of
the width of the four fingers of one's hand. My hand is 3 1/4 inches
wide for minimum Succah height of 32 1/2 inches. The minimum allowable
width is 7 tefachim by 7 tefachim. This would result in a Succah of 22
3/4 inches by 22 3/4 inches.

2. The maximum height is 20 Amot. An Amah is the length from the elbow
to the tip of the middle finger. My Amah is 15 1/2 inches for a maximum
height of 25 feet. Others say that 30 feet is the maximum.

3. According to RMBM the Succah can be built to a width of several
miles. Shulchan Aruch also says there is no limit on the size of the
width.

4. RMBM Hilchot Succah Chapter 4, Section 6.

5. RMBM Hilchot Succah Chapter 4, Section 11. RMBM states that one may
construct a Succah by wedging poles in the four corners of the roof and
suspending s'chach from the poles. The walls of the building underneath
are considered to reach upward to the edge of the s'chach.

6. RMBM Hilchot Succah Chapter 4, Section 8-10 discusses the ins and
outs of building your Succah in an alley or passageway.

7. There is a location referred to in the Talmud called Ashtarot
arnayim. According to the discussion there are two hills, with a valley
in between where the Sun does not reach. Therefore it is impossible to
sit in the shade of the roof of the Succah. I can't find the
reference...hopefully next year.

8. RMBM Hilchot Succah Chapter 4, Section 6. You can go into a Succah
built on a wagon or a ship even on Yom Tov.

9. RMBM Hilchot Succah Chapter 4, Section 6. OK, RMBM says a camel but
dragon rhymes with wagon a lot better, don't you agree. Anyway, RMBM
says you can build your Succah on a wagon or in the crown of a tree, but
you can't go into it on Yom Tov. There is a general rule against riding
a beast or ascending into the crown of a tree on Yom Tov.

10. Chapter 5 deals with the rules for the s'chach. Basically, you can
use that which has grown from the ground, and is completely detached
from the ground. So, for example, you cannot bend the branches of a tree
over the Succah to form the s'chach. But you can cut the branches from a
tree and use them as s'chach.

11. This would be a violation of the rule cited in the prior footnote.

12. Shulchan Aruch, Hilchot Succah, Perek 636, Section 1. The Succah
should not be built sooner than 30 days before the Chag. However, if the
structure is built prior to 30 days, as long as something new is added
within the days, the Succah is kosher.

13. Of course it's a well known rule that you must sit in the shade from
the roof of the Succah and not in the shade that may be cast by the
walls. It seems that this might affect the height of the walls,
depending on the longitude of the location where you are building your
Succah.

14. Technically, women, servants and minors are exempt from the Mitzvah
of Succah. In our day we hope we know better than to read out half the
Jewish people from the observance of Mitzvot. Of course, that's just a
personal opinion of the author.

15. RMBM ibid Chapter 6, Section 6 explains that you should eat, drink
and live in the Succah for the 7 days as you live in your own home. One
should not even take a nap outside of the Succah.

16. RMBM ibid, Section 10. If it rains one should go into the house. How
does one know if it is raining hard enough? If sufficient raindrops fall
through the s'chach (roof covering) and into the food so that the food
is spoiled - go inside!

Sukkot & Simhat Torah

Sukkot is wonderful in the Land of Israel this year. In fact, Sukkot is always wonderful in the Land of Israel. Tonight, as the Shabbat in Sukkot begins, families will be sitting down to traditional Shabbat dinners in their sukkot, as cool autumn breezes gently caress the flimsy walls and the harvest moon and stars shine through roofs of branches and leaves. May G-d build a sukkat shalom – a tabernacle of peace – over the Land this Shabbat.

Sukkot ends with a special holy day – Hag Simchat Torah – the Holiday of Rejoicing for the Torah. And what a celebration of the Torah it is! On this, the last of our fall holy days, we conclude the reading of the Book of Deuteronomy with the death of Moses – the end of the Torah - and, then, quickly roll the sacred scroll back to the beginning, and read the story of the creation of the world. We never "finish" reading the Torah. Ours is a continual cycle of reading and celebrating G-d's word.

In every synagogue throughout the world, Jews will gather to sing and dance with the Torah. In every city in Israel, the singing and dancing will be in the streets. Many congregations unfurl the entire scroll, giving everyone a chance to see the hand-written parchment Bible up close.

We only have one holy day a year set aside for celebrating the Torah – Simchat Torah. And when is it? Well, about half the Jews in the world will be celebrating Simchat Torah on Monday night and Tuesday. The other half will be celebrating the holiday on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Some Jews will even observe them both!

How, you may wonder, did that come to be? The answer is a little complicated, but in Exile, many Jewish holy days were doubled so that, in Exile – but not in the Land of Israel, we might be sure to observe them on the proper day (first and last days of Sukkot and Passover, and the holiday of Shavuot). Jews in Israel will begin celebrating Monday night. So will Reform and Reconstructionist Jews outside the Land, but Conservative and Orthodox Jews there will begin to celebrate Tuesday night, just as the others cease their celebration. And Orthodox Jews who are visiting Israel from overseas will celebrate Monday night and Tuesday, as everyone does in Israel and Tuesday night and Wednesday, as they would if they were home. Confusing? Just part of what makes Simchat Torah so much fun!

This year, as for many years, thousands of Christians, from nearly every country on earth, have come to Israel to share in our celebration of Sukkot (Tabernacles). Thousands of Israelis joined them in marching through the streets of Jerusalem yesterday in song and prayer. It was a glorious sight and the perfect way to celebrate Sukkot – having so many loving guests visit us here in our home.

Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameach –

Rabbi Jeff Kahn

Ba'Aretz # 8-Yom Kippur, Sukkot....and threats

This was my 58^th Yom Kippur. Thirty-two years ago, Stephanie and I spent Yom Kippur in Jerusalem. And then, for the next thirty years, I led services in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Fort Smith, Arkansas, Mansfield, Ohio, Adelaide, South Australia, Rockford, Illinois, Miami, Florida, and Warren, New Jersey. Last year, we returned to Jerusalem for the holy day. This year (yesterday and the evening before) we once more spent the Holy Day in the Holy City. Nowhere else in the world is Yom Kippur so special.

From the siren announcing the beginning of the holiday at precisely 4:40 pm Wednesday afternoon until we heard the Shofar blast once the sun had set at the Italian Synagogue in Nachalat Shiva we were in the midst of an entire city at prayer. The sky was blue, a gentle breeze swept through the city, birds flew and chirped in the sky… but not a single shop or restaurant was open, not a car or bus moved… walking through Jerusalem all one encountered was an entire people at prayer.

We drove home silently last night, seeing towns and villages coming back to life. We passed Ben Gurion airport at about 7:30, two hours before it would re-open to air traffic. As we approached Tel Aviv, Israeli radio returned to the air. The car radio was on and set to Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) as the first post-Yom Kippur song was played – "Lu Yehi… If Only it will Be" – asking G-d that all our hopes and prayers be fulfilled.

Yom Kippur has ended and Monday night Sukkot – the Feast of Tabernacles – begins. I just returned from Friday morning shopping ahead of Shabbat and enjoyed seeing many cars on the road with palm fronds for Sukkot tied to the roof, much like Americans transport Christmas trees in December. This afternoon, before the beginning of Shabbat, our Sukkah will arise on our mirpeset (balcony) and we will soon receive visitors and fulfill the mitzvot of eating and dwelling in the Sukkah, as well as waving the lulav and etrog.

The Jewish people will begin prayers for rain, for Sukkot begins the season when G-d sends rain to the Land. The Mesopotamians to the North counted on the Tigris and Euphrates to water their crops; the Egyptians to the south depend on the Nile. But Israel – ancient and modern – depends on G-d sending rain to irrigate the Land. Israel faces unprecedented water shortages this year. May all our prayers for the Land of Israel be answered!

And, may our prayers rise up support of Hicham Bougrine, a Moroccan, Muslim supporter of Israel who seeks peace between Muslims, Jews, and Christians. A Muslim dissident, a death threat was recently directed against Hicham. Hicham writes an Arabic blog in support of peace between the faiths.

The unsigned threat received by Hicham translates to English as follows:

In the name of God, the merciful, Creator of our nation dedicated to monotheism and jihad, That has commanded us to be a thorn in the throats of Zionist criminals and their slaves, the mercenaries and hypocrites.

Let God's blessings be bestowed on the master of men, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, the illiterate Prophet who defeated the enemies of faith, so that there would be no transgression except against evildoers. Peace be upon those who follow the true path.

We have seen your Zionist site which conveys prejudice against questions of Islam and the Muslims and which reflects your profound hatred against the nation of monotheism. And because of your boldness against this religion and the Muslims, we warn you not to continue on this path, which will bring nothing to you from us anything except that which will not please you. And if you continue, we will proceed, with God-given certainty, to cut your head at the neck. Pardon is merited by those who give warnings.

And Allah has power and control over all affairs, but the majority of people do not know it. God, Omnipotent over the criminals, speaks the truth.

May G-d protect Hicham, and all those who risk their lives for truth, justice, and compassion. May this new year be the year when hatred and violence end.

Please visit Hicham Bougrine on his Facebook page and express your support.

And may the Festival of Sukkot be a joyous one for you and your family, with all our Sukkot prayers answered.

Rabbi Jeff Kahn

Yom Kippur.....and Eliezer Ben Yehuda

Leviticus 16: 29 And it shall be a statute for ever unto you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and shall do no manner of work, the home-born, or the stranger that dwells among you. 30 For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the L-rd. 31 It is a Sabbath of solemn rest unto you, and you shall afflict your souls; it is a statute for ever.

The above three verses of scripture, part of the Torah reading for Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) provide the basis of the holy day, which begins at sundown Wednesday night. It is a 25-hour day of fasting and prayer when we delve into our souls, determine to right the wrongs we have committed, and gain forgiveness from G-d. It is the most important day of the Jewish year.

Here in Israel, there are no radio or television broadcasts, the airports are shut down, there is no public transportation, and all shops, restaurants, and businesses are closed – by law. Beyond those state-enforced restrictions, it is considered bad form to eat in public on Yom Kippur or drive a motor vehicle (other than ambulances and emergency vehicles). At sundown Wednesday, a holy silence will envelop the Land. Stephanie and I will be in Jerusalem, where it has been our custom to spend the holy day, and we will break our fast (G-d willing) at sundown Thursday, at the Western Wall of the Temple, where soldiers who have been on duty during the holy day will break the fast with those who have come to worship.

Leviticus 16:29-31 is a good description of Yom Kippur in Israel today, with one exception. Our calendar tells us the holy day falls NOT "on the seventh month…" but, the first month, "on the tenth day…" for the Jewish calendar we employ today is not the one used in Biblical times. Once in exile, we adopted the Babylonian calendar and continue to use it today.

Eliezer Ben Yehuda (1858-1922) is the man for whom the famous street in Jerusalem is named as well as the who is credited with reviving the Hebrew language. He came to Jerusalem in the 19^th century insisting that he (and, later, his wife and children) would only speak Hebrew. They were reviled by their neighbors and, for years, spoke to no one. It was Ben Yehuda who authored the monumental sixteen-volume Dictionary of the Hebrew Language.

Ben Yehuda was a Hebrew hero, but his attempt to change the Hebrew calendar was not as successful as his resurrection of the Hebrew language. Ben Yehuda didn't like counting the years since the creation of the world. He thought we should count the years since the end of Jewish independence in the Land (and he dated that as the year 68, the year the Roman destruction of Judea began). According to Ben Yehuda's reckoning of the years, this New Year would be 1940, not 5769.

Ben Yehuda's counting of the years caught on with a few. Authors Nachum Sokolov and Heinrich Graetz employed it, as did some others. But his idea was ignored by most people. Near the end of his life, Ben Yehuda came up with another idea: counting from the Balfour Declaration (in 1917). No one but he used this new system, but if you visit his grave on the Mt. of Olives today, you will note that he died on the 26^th of Kislev, in the year 6 of the Balfour Declaration. However we count it, may this be a year of blessing and peace. And may we all be inscribed in the Book of Life for a year of health and sweetness.

Rabbi Jeff Kahn

The New Year

This coming Monday night is Erev Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the New Year – 5769... five thousand, seven hundred and sixty-nine years since the creation of the world, according to Jewish tradition. We pray that the coming year is a year of blessing and peace for Israel and all the world.

We are now at the end of a special year in the Hebrew calendar. The past year was a "leap year" of the Hebrew calendar (a year of 13 months), symbolizing harmonious unity among different systems, a balance between the cycles of the moon and the sun and a balance among the seasons of the year.

This was also a Sh'mita (sabbatical) year in the 7-year cycle – a year when it is customary to refrain from working the land and devote oneself to more spiritual activity. From all points of view, this was a year of opportunity for a great spiritual development.

The coming New Year is also expected to be a very special one. In the Jewish tradition it is called "Hakhel"- a year in which the Jewish nation gathers together at the Temple in Jerusalem on the holiday of Sukkot, in order to hear the king read the Torah.

During a Hakhel year, we have special ability to come together (in Hebrew, L'hitkahel - to get together), to connect with our friends, family and many others in a sense of unity and love. In addition, the New Year will be one in which we read Birkat HaChama – the blessing of the sun – at the eve of Passover. There will be a special blessing and ceremony – and it is held only once every 28 years, when the sun is situated exactly where it was during the creation of the universe, on the fourth day of the creation.


Our Torah portion Nitzavim, Deuteronomy 29:9 – 30:20, always is read the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah. It begins with the words: "You are standing here, today, all of you, before the L-rd your G-d…" The Torah reminds us that as we stood together at Mt. Sinai, the Jewish people remains standing today… and we are standing together with many different people who have come to know our G-d.

This week, a terrorist attacked a group of soldiers and civilians standing at I.D.F. Square, just outside of the Jaffa Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. They had come to Jerusalem for special prayers at the Western Wall preceding the High Holy Days. Once again, an off-duty soldier killed the terrorist. Once again, many innocents were injured, although this time, thank G-d, only the terrorist died. We are again reminded how precarious our life is here in the Middle East, how important it is for us to be standing together before G-d, and how much we are blessed by the people who stand with us.

May you all of us, standing together, be blessed with a year of joy and miracles, blessing and peace.

L'shanah Tovah uM'tukah -

Rabbi Jeff and Stephanie

September 19 ..When you enter the land....

This week’s Torah portion is Ki Tavo, Deuteronomy 26:1 - 29:8. By the way, this translation was taken from the Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh:

Chapter 26
1 When you enter the land that the Lord your G-d is giving you as a heritage, and you possess it and settle in it, 2 you shall take some of every first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your G-d is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your G-d will choose to establish His name. 3 You shall go to the priest in charge at that time and say to him, "I acknowledge this day before the Lord your G-d that I have entered the land that the Lord swore to our fathers to assign us."

4 The priest shall take the basket from your hand and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your G-d.

5 You shall then recite as follows before the Lord your G-d: "My father was a fugitive Aramean. He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but there he became a great and very populous nation. 6 The Egyptians dealt harshly with us and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us. 7 We cried to the Lord, the G-d of our fathers, and the Lord heard our plea and saw our plight, our misery, and our oppression. 8 The Lord freed us from Egypt by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm and awesome power, and by signs and portents. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 Wherefore I now bring the first fruits of the soil which You, O Lord, have given me."

You shall leave it before the Lord your G-d and bow low before the Lord your G-d. 11 And you shall enjoy, together with the Levite and the stranger in your midst, all the bounty that the Lord your G-d has bestowed upon you and your household.

To recap: when we enter the Land that the L-rd our G-d has given us, we shall plant and harvest and place the first fruits of our labor on the altar in the Temple and recite our history before G-d. It is a fascinating passage. Throughout the Torah we learn what to do, how to dress, what to use, what not to do… so many things about what happened in the Temple when it stood in Jerusalem long ago. But rarely does Scripture tell us what was said in the Sanctuary. This is one of those rare occasions.

And, what is it we are commanded to say? We’re told to tell our story, the story of our people, from Abraham, through the Exodus, to our aliyah to the Land. When offering our first fruits, we remember all those who came before us and all that they did… and all the miracles the L-rd has performed for us, to get us to where we are today. And, it is with that story of our people and our faith in mind that we thank G-d, share our bounty with others and enjoy, as G-d commands when verse 11 ends, “all the bounty that the Lord your G-d has bestowed upon you and your household.”

It is what G-d commanded us to do in ancient times, when the Temple stood. It remains a commandment for the Jewish people still.

The appropriate translation of the opening two words of the Torah portion, Ki Tavo, is “when you come…,” but the words can also be translated “when she comes…” so let’s consider the coming to power of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. She prevailed in the Kadima primary, defeating Shaul Mofaz (who announced his temporary retirement from politics) by 431 votes – 43% to 42%, with the balance split by Sheetrit and Dichter – and now heads the Kadima Party, replacing Ehud Olmert. She now has slightly more than 40 days to confirm the current coalition (getting all the current partners to remain in the government) or recruit other parties (Likud or Meretz - ?) to replace current coalition parties that may bolt (Shas or Labor - ?). She could form her government as early as Sunday’s cabinet meeting. She might fail for form a government within the allotted time, in which case a new nation election will be called for next March. And, during this process (which may last days, weeks or months), Ehud Olmert remains prime minister. The situation does fit these days before Rosh Hashanah when we contemplate change and renewal and turn to G-d for forgiveness and strength.

Let us all pray for Israel’s leaders, may G-d grant them wisdom and strength. And, may the miracle of our story, from G-d’s call to Abraham, to our teacher Moses, to our aliyah to this Land, serve them today as it has served us throughout the ages.

Shabbat Shalom!

Elections

B’Aretz, we’re watching the American election campaign closely. It is very important to us… all 7,000,000 of us… not only the 25,000 citizens of Israel who are also American citizens and can actually vote in the American election (like me). The Israeli-American relationship is Israel’s and America’s most important. We’re watching your election closely.

B’Aretz, we’re in an election cycle, as well. This week, the ruling Kadima party will conduct a primary. Members of the Kadima party will be voting for a new leader of the party. The current party leader and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is not standing for election. He faces serious criminal charges and may soon be indicted. He has announced that as soon as a new party leader is in place, he will resign. That could happen before the end of the week.

Four people are running for the leadership of Kadima: Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, Minister of the Interior Meir Sheetrit, and the Minister of Internal Security Avi Dichter. Today’s polls indicate Livni will receive 47% of the vote, Mofaz (who, if elected, would be the first Mizrahi – non-European-origin – Israeli prime minister) will receive 32%, Sheetrit 8% and Dichter only 6%. It is likely that by next Shabbat, the Kadima party will have its first female leader and Israel will be well on its way to having a woman as prime minister for the second time.

B’Aretz, we hear a lot about the families of John McCain, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Sarah Palin. We know about marriages and children and divorce and addiction. It seems to us, B’Aretz, that the American public seems to crave way too much personal information about politicians and their families. B’Aretz, those kinds of things don’t seem to matter.

This week, I decided to engage in an experiment. I decided that for two days, everyone I would meet, I would ask the following questions about the person apparently most likely to become our next prime minister. I asked:

1. What is Tzipi Livni’s husband’s name, how long have they been married and what does he do for a living?

2. How many children does Tzipi Livni have, how old are they and what are their names?

Well, my experiment was very interesting. I spoke to about two dozen people and from each and every one I received exactly the same response. To question #1, everyone replied with another question (as Jews sometimes do): “Tzipi Livni is married?!?!?!” and question #2 always received the same astonished response: “Tzipi Livni has children?!?!?!?” And, it isn’t just Tzipi Livni. The responses would have been the same if I asked about Mofaz, Sheetrit or Dichter. I can remember living in Jerusalem in 1977 and people wondering the same things about Menachem Begin (does he have a wife? Does he have children?) Our President Shimon Peres’ wife lives apart from him and plays no role as First Lady of our country. When it comes to the family lives of our leaders, the public is uninformed and unconcerned. How different it seems in America!

I’m tempted to leave it there. But, I know you Americans. You want to know the answers to the questions! OK, here’s what I know about Tzipi Livni: Her parents were Irgun activists, close personal friends of Menachem Begin, and both were arrested by the British in Mandate days, sentenced to long prison terms, only to escape from British custody. They were the first couple married in the State of Israel - May 14, 1948 - and their daughter Tzipporah (Tzipi is short for the name of Moses’ wife) grew up “a Likud princess” spending every Shabbat with her parents and the Begins. She is married to Tel Aviv accountant and advertising agent Naftali Spitzer, whom she married in 1984, after her army service and a brief career in the Mossad. Livni and Spitzer have two teenage sons, Omri and Yuval. One more very important fact: Foreign Minister Livni is a vegetarian.

Tzipi Livni will be answering many questions in the coming days… questions that probe her knowledge and position on Islamic terrorism and the defense of Israel, the economy, the sorry state of our schools, and lots, lots more. But she won’t be answering questions about her family. No one will ask any. Seems to be the way it should be.

If Tzipi Livni becomes prime minister, we may see her husband and sons beaming proudly as she is sworn in. They may be asked (especially by the American press) how it feels to have a wife/mother as the leader of the nation. Perhaps, but probably not. Just one of those things that, Ba’Aretz, we do a little differently.

Shabbat Shalom!

Justice

Our Torah selection this Shabbat (remember: we read the Torah in order, so this week’s portion follows last week’s) is Deuteronomy 16:18 - 21:9, which begins:
18 You shall appoint magistrates and officials for your tribes, in all the settlements that the Lord your G-d is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice. 19 You shall not judge unfairly: you shall show no partiality; you shall not take bribes, for bribes blind the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just. 20 Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that the Lord your G-d is giving you.

Upon our entrance into The Land, we were commanded to set up a system of courts “… to govern the people with due justice…” for, as verse 20 makes clear, our living and thriving in The Land depends upon our pursuit of justice.

The Torah is a little stingy with words… an economy of words, Biblical scholars call it. The Bible never wastes a word nor does it ever employ a word extraneously. So, when we see a word twice in the same Biblical verse, as we do here in verse 20, we know something exceedingly important is going on.

This rare doubling of the word “justice” (tzedek in Hebrew) serves to remind us always of the central role justice serves in our relationship with G-d. We are commanded to seek out injustice and correct it. And, pursuing justice – not loving justice or doing justly or acting just – literally, running after justice and making it ours, is the responsibility of each and everyone.

A four-way summit was held in Damascus this week. French President Sarkozy, the Syrian Dictator Assad, the Turkish Prime Minister and the Emir of Qatar met and, at the end, Syria professed hope for peace with Israel while reaffirming its commitment to Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorists. Support for mass murderers mixed with professions of peace in hopes of reclaiming the Golan Heights – an unjust solution to the sixty-year long war between Syria and the State of Israel.

It strikes me more than ironic that, thanks to media coverage, more Christians and Jews in the West know that the Muslim month of Ramadan began earlier in the week than know that so did the Jewish month of Elul. Fasting, prayer and feasting are some of the features of Ramadan. During Elul, the month before the High Holy Days, we prepare for our annual confrontation with self, soul, and God… the process of at-one-ment for which we strive. This month, we sound the Shofar and read Psalm 27 every day.

I hope you’ll join me and millions of Jews Ba’Aretz – throughout The Land – as we recite this psalm daily:

http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt2627.htm

Happy Elul… and Shabbat Shalom –

Rabbi Jeff Kahn

Reply to JeffreyReport

See!

This week’s Torah portion is Parshah Re'eh - Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17 – and begins with the word “Re’eh” – the command form of the word “See!” or “Look!” – in some ways the follow-up to the word “Sh’ma” – “Listen!” found a few chapters earlier in Scripture. For not only do we long to hear the word of G-d, we ask G-d to open our eyes to see the world around us so we truly bear witness.

There is no better eye-opener that a visit to the Land of Israel, no better way to understand the tense relationship between Gaza and Sderot than to stand overlooking the towns of Gaza from Sderot one moment, no better way to testify to the horrors of life in Sderot than to stand in front of the piles of kassam and other rockets fired into the town from Gaza and see the havoc they let loose.

This week, Israel allowed two “peace ships” arrive in the port of Gaza, filled with pro-Palestinian activists and a few hearing aids, while life in Gaza continued with very little deprivation. This week, Israel released nearly 200 Palestinian prisoners – some of them responsible for terrorist acts. This week, more rockets were fired into the Western Negev, in spite of the so-called truce Hamas has declared. And, this week, Gilad Schalit remained a captive of Hamas as he “celebrated” his 22nd birthday – his third birthday in captivity.

How could it be that Gilad Schalit has been left behind? How many terrorists will be set free before Hamas liberates Gilad? When will the world see and hear what is happening?

Next week we will begin the month of Elul, the last month of the Jewish year, the month during which we prepare for the Yamim Noraim – the Days of Awe from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur as ordained by Scripture – when we ask G-d to inscribe us in the Book of Life for a year of blessing and peace. With seeing eyes and hearing ears, we pray, too, for peace and blessing B’Aretz – in the Land of Israel. May the coming year be one in which more eyes are opened to reality.

Shabbat Shalom -
Rabbi Jeff Kahn

Shalom

Shalom and welcome to my new blog, Ba’Aretz. The word b’aretz means, in Hebrew, “in the Land” which is kind of a shorthand way of saying in the Land of Israel (which is where I am). I plan to write each Erev Shabbat and, with G-d’s help, hope to keep you updated about the miraculous life we lead in the Land of Israel.

Each week I want to bring you some special insight from the weekly Torah portion. Since early in the Babylonian Exile (6th Century B.C.), we have read the Torah aloud in synagogues throughout the world on the Sabbath, as well as on Mondays and Thursdays (market days in the ancient Middle East). The Torah (the first five books of the Bible) has been divided into 54 portions and, beginning the first Shabbat after the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles) we read the entire Torah – section after section - in order throughout the year,. We celebrate its completion on Simchat Torah at the end of Sukkot.

This week’s Torah portion is Parashat Ekev (Parashat means “the portion of…”, “Ekev” is the first significant word in the portion) and contains this verse that we all witnessed as true so recently: “For the Lord your G-d is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill; a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey… (Deuteronomy 8:7).

Yes, this is a very good land, a blessed land, a land of miracles. And, what a blessing for us all that you were here with us in the Land. You’ve had the chance to see the Jewish people alive again in our own land, to witness all that, with G-d’s help, we have created, and learned about the very complicated and threatening situation in which Israel and all Israelis live.

The latest pronouncement from Hamas, which continues to hold the people of Gaza hostage, which continued this week to fire rockets into S’derot and the surrounding area, which continues to hold our soldier Gilad Shalit captive – now for more than 775 days – is that all Israelis are targets everywhere they travel. No Israeli can ever feel safe anywhere in the world.

This is vacation time for Israelis. Millions are on holiday inside the Land… all hotel rooms are booked, the cities are crowded with tourists, and the Ultra-Orthodox are filling the parks (as they always do the two weeks after the 9th of Av). And millions of Israelis are abroad, as well. But, they are not safe, as Hamas reminds us again and again.

Wednesday, windsurfer Shahar Tzabari won a bronze medal for Israel in the Olympics in China – our first (and perhaps only) medal this year. We’re proud of Shahar and the entire Israeli team (many are new immigrants, four are residents of our town – Herzliya) as we remember the Israeli athletes murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Games in 1972. Security has improved, but the threat has not lessened.

Stephanie and I want you all to think of us as friends… and resources in Israel. If we can be of any help, in any way, please be in touch!

Shabbat Shalom –