Young Israeli woman speaks about kassam missiles

Why are people not speaker out about the terror hundreds of thousands of Israelis must live with on a daily basis.

February 2009

I was at a Rabbinical Study Retreat this week. On the first full day, one of my colleagues died. His name was Rabbi Alan Lew. He had recently retired as a pulpit Rabbi in San Francisco and had opened a Jewish meditation center. Earlier in his life, Rabbi Lew had studied to become a Zen Buddhist monk, yet something inside pushed him to explore his Jewish roots and eventually he became a Conservative Rabbi. He was an outspoken voice for social justice. Part of the reason that the life of a monk may not have been right for Rabbi Lew, was that he felt the call to live life fully, rather than to withdraw into the solitary life of contemplation and meditation.

On the first morning of our retreat, he had led a meditation session before Shacharit, the morning service. He had gone for a walk and suffered a heart attack. That afternoon, we gathered in the Synagogue and were told he had died. We were all in shock. He was our colleague, teacher and friend.

Rabbi Lew had just published a book called, “This is Real and Your Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation.” The book is a collection of his ideas, developed in sermons, about how the High Holidays are rituals for transforming our lives. A number of colleagues had read it and were deeply impressed. After our meeting I grabbed a copy of his book, opened it to the chapter, Death and Yom Kippur Atone and read: we are born and we die, and nothing that happens in between is nearly as important as these two fundamental facts of life. I do not know if Rabbi Lew had thought these words would apply to him so soon, but it certainly has made many of his colleagues think about it. We have little say over how close the two fundamental facts of life will be. We do, however, get to choose what happens in between. Hopefully we can make an impact on the world, as did my teacher and colleague, Rabbi Alan Lew. Zichrono livracha, may his memory be a blessing.

Does Jewish law permit he State of Israel to attack Gaza, even if civilians are killed?

1) Jewish Law Requires the Use of Force to Stop those Attacking Jews.

In Exodus 22:1 the Torah states if a "thief is discovered tunneling [into a house in order to break in) and is beaten and dies, there is no bloodguilt in his case" The Talmud explains the thief knows the homeowner will try to fight off the attack and is prepared to kill the homeowner. The owner is acting in self-defense. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 72a) derives the principle, "if someone comes to kill you, you must kill him/her first," from this case.

One of the greatest Jewish thinkers, Moses Maimonides, called the Rambam, differentiates between a permitted war and a required war. He writes, a war is required (a mitzvah) when its purpose is "to help Israel against an enemy who attacks them".

There is no doubt that Israel must stop Hamas, which has launched thousands of rockets against Israeli civilians. Indeed, many suggest that Israel made a terrible mistake in not responding more forcefully when the rocket attacks began.

2) Jewish Law requires avoiding the deliberate killing of non-combatants.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, the Jewish authority Philo of Alexandria (Egypt), wrote, "Jews do not deliberately kill non-combatants" (The Special Laws 4:224-225).

Israel has gone to unprecedented lengths to avoid killing civilians, including dropping leaflets and calling Gazans on cell phones and warning them of an attack. Israel ceases firing for three hours each day to give the civilians a chance to go outside, safe from danger.

3) Hamas is responsible for all deaths, both Israeli and Palestinian.

Although Israel is condemned for the death of Palestinian civilians, it is Hamas that violates international law. First, Hamas deliberately targets Israeli citizens. Hamas has fired nearly 10,000 missiles at Israel. Casualties have been low because Israel tries to protect its civilians. It has created an early warning system. Public buildings have shelters, as do many homes. What this means is that nearly three quarter of a million Israelis live with the threat of missile attacks. Their lives are in jeopardy and they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. No country in the world would allow its citizens to be similarly terrorized.

Second, Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields, it deliberately places military targets in civilian areas. This means that when Israel retaliates, Palestinians are injured or killed. Here too, Hamas is responsible for their deaths. Alan Dershowitz, a well-known lawyer and professor at Harvard law school makes the analogy between Hamas and a bank robber. If a robber takes a hostage and the police, while trying to stop the criminal, accidentally kill the hostage, the robber is guilty of murder. The reason is that the robber endangered the hostage by placing the hostage in the line of fire.

Hamas is guilty for the deaths of both Israelis and Palestinians. Yet, Hamas is seen as heroes in the Arab world. International condemnations mean nothing to Hamas. Hamas is an evil force, willing to kill civilians or cause to be killed. As long as the Palestinian people permit them to continue, they will suffer the consequences.

Israel has the obligation to defend its citizens. Sixty years ago, the world refused to defend Jews from genocide. Today, the world seems unwilling to allow Jews to defend ourselves.

Why do Jews put stones on graves?

Q. Someone recently asked me why Jews put stones on graves. While I have always done so, I have no idea exactly why we do this whenever visiting a grave.



A. This is an excellent question for which many answers exist. In an old Midrash (Pesikta Zutra) we read that Jacob’s twelve sons placed stones on Rachel’s grave. In ancient times, a grave was marked with a pile of stones. The mourners honored the memory of the deceased by helping to create and maintain this marker. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, former Sephardic chief Rabbi of Israel, writes that placing stones on the grave is a remnant of this ancient custom.

Since there is now a professionally made stone marker on the grave, there seems to be no need to continue this custom. Yet, the desire to leave something, to indicate our having visited the grave, is based on emotional and spiritual needs.

In America, most people place flowers on graves. Yet, stones have their own appeal and important symbolic meaning. Unlike the delicate beauty of flower, which whither as do the physical remains, the stones we place on the grave remain, symbolizing the eternal spiritual essence of the deceased.

We are reminded of this by the five initials traditionally placed on the bottom of the marker that are the initials for the phrase – may his/her soul be bound up in the bond of (eternal) life. Flowers symbolize what we have lost. Stones remind us of what still remains. Perhaps this is the more important thing to remember.

Obstacles to Change

Do you know how pearls are formed? Tiny particles or organisms enter the oyster. In response to the pain, the oyster encases the pearl around the particle so that it ceases to irritate its delicate tissue.

The High Holidays come late this year (there was a leap month) giving us a bit more time to prepare. Yet even with an extra month, changing is not easy. In his book, “A Code of Jewish Ethics: volume 1,” Rabbi Joseph Telushkin outlines ten common obstacles to change.

1) Blaming others.
2) Rationalizing what we have done.
3) Believing the wrong we have done is good.
4) Minimizing the wrong.
5) Not repenting for something as soon as you become aware of it.
6) Intending to repeat the offense.
7) Pointing to worse things done by others.
8) Hypersensitivity to criticism.
9) Excessive pride.
10) Peer pressure and bad companions.

Instead of just promising to change, it might be productive to ask why we have not changed until now. Ask yourself what obstacle has kept you from becoming the kind of person you know you should be. The person that G-d created with so much potential and holiness, a person who can do so much good in the world.

Identified what has been the obstacle and remove it. If you have blamed others, stop blaming them. If you have rationalized what you have done, stop rationalizing. Once you have removed the obstacle, you will find the process of change to be much easier.

The Gaon (sage) of Vilna taught our very purpose on earth is to learn how to correct our flaw. Like the oyster, our flaws are the beginning from which something of great value and beauty will result. Oyster can only create pearls. From our flaws, through the process of tshuva, repentance we create something of infinite beauty and value. In the Talmud (Berachot 34b) Rabbi Abbahu teachers, “in the place where the repentant stand even the completely righteous cannot stand.”
Our flaws are the beginning of great holiness. Yet until we can successfully remove the obstacles to change, they remain flaws.

Kim, Evan, Seth Micah and I all wish you a Shana Tova U'metuka, a sweet and healthy New Year.

WILL ISRAEL ATTACK IRAN?

In 1981, Israeli Prime Minister Begin ordered the Israeli Air Force to bomb and destroy Iran’s Osirak nuclear reactor. The two greatest challenges were approaching undetected and avoiding the anti-aircraft defenses. Miraculously both challenges were overcome. The jets flew undetected and began their attack when the air defense system was shut down. They struck their target and returned safely. Though widely criticized at the time, the attack is now seen as having been the correct decision.

Israel is contemplating such a mission against Iran. Israel has made it clear it will not allow Iraq to acquire nuclear material. While Iran voted for the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 and enjoyed good relations with the Shah, things have changed. The Ayatollah Khomeini differentiated between the 20,000 Jews living in Iran and Israelis, so Jews in Iran continue to live, though under suspicion and under constant surveillance. There was some cooperation between the Islamic regime and Israel during the Iran-Iraq war, but no longer. Anti-Israel propaganda is as evil as the anti-Semitic material of Nazi Germany. President Ahmadinejad has sponsored an international conference of Holocaust deniers and has called for the elimination of Israel.

Some might question the sanity of Iran challenging the most powerful military power in the region. Sadly, the messianic feature of Shiite Islam, called Mahdism has been ignored by most in the West. Shiites believe the 12th Imam, Al-Mahdi, who disappeared in 941 CE will return. Challenging the unbelievers, primarily seem by Iran as the West, is part of the process of preparing the way for the Mahdi’s return. Ahmadinejad and others believe they will be protected by Divine power as they prepare the way for the Mahdi’s return.

Iran is close to creating enough fissionable material to create nuclear weapons. It has no real use for such a program. Iran has huge oil reserves and Russia has agreed to supply all the fissionable material it would need for a civilian reactor. While a poorly worded US intelligence report mentioned that Iran had shut down its nuclear weapons program, once it has the necessary fissionable material it could create a nuclear bomb in very little time.

Iran, having learned from Iraq’s mistakes has made the job of destroying its nuclear program complicated. It is better protected, in some cases underground and spread between different facilities. Experts believe that it will take many flights over a number of days to destroy Iran’s nuclear capacity. Though one of four Iranian missiles failed to launch in a recent test, Iran is formidable military power and has the ability to use its proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon to cause destruction as well. Iran borders the Straits of Hormuz, a narrow water way through which a great deal of the worlds oil passes. Iran has threatened to retaliate against the US military bases and Israel should it be attacked.

World leaders have dithered on this issue for too long. The last possibility to stop Iran would be to cut off petroleum products. Ironically, while a leading producer, Iran does not have the refining capacity to supply its own needs.

Time is growing short. Once again it appears that Israel is again at risk and is alone. I certainly pray that it does not come to military action and that a way can be found to have peace.

Zman Matan Toratenu

The Time of the Giving of Our Torah

The day of a child's birth, when the mother and child both healthy, is a day filled with joy. It seems strange, since it is the onset of the most onerous task and the greatest of all challenges. Yet all of that is of little significance as we celebrate the beginning of a new life, rejoicing in the potential for love, joy and happiness. There is no comparison with the day of birth and the first day of school. Old enough to begin the process of education, the child starts down the road to the future, to adulthood, of self-determination. Certainly a great day, yet how many of us know, let alone celebrate that date?

After the beauty of the first Seder, we count 49 days, then on the 50th day, we celebrate Shavuot, barely remembered or observed by many Jews. Passover is like our birthday, Shavuot is like celebrating our first day of school, few actually do. When Israel left Egypt, we were like a newborn, all potential but no actual content. Like birth itself, the exodus is a powerful story and symbol. Ma-amad Har Sinai, standing at the base of Sinai and accepting the Torah, hardly compares to it.

Yet it is at Sinai that we become a people with a purpose. Had there been no Ma-amad Har Sinai, the freed slaves would have disappeared from the pages of history. They would have become part of the people among who they would have lived, the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites who themselves disappeared from history long ago. We are the people chosen to live lives of Torah.

Though we remember and relive the story of the Exodus, we are not simply a people who were former slaves. We are a people who seek to find meaning in life. We are a people who bring sparks of holiness into the world. We are people who have a path of spiritual discipline.