October 26, 2023 | 11 Cheshvan 5784
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Reimagining Jewish learning and leadership for an interconnected world.
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Parashat Lech Lecha | Candlelighting 5:26 PM EST
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Turning Curses into Blessings
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By Rav Hazzan Ken Richmond `21
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Last week, while talking about the news in Israel, my ten-year-old asked me, “Why don’t some people like other people?” I told him about people hating other people because they are different, because they are jealous or scared of them. I talked about competing claims for land or resources. I spoke about the long tradition of scapegoats, of people in power oppressing a populace but channeling their resentment towards Jews or other vulnerable groups. By that point my ten-year-old was wandering around the room. I asked if he wanted to talk about it more, and he said, “I thought you were going to give a short answer.” We searched for a short answer to his question, but the best we could come up with was, “I don’t know.”
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Meeting the Moment: Focusing on Community
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“The deepest, most meaningful, and most effective form of resistance is to continue to live—and help others live—full, rich, faithful, courageous Jewish lives in vibrant Jewish communities. In this sense, it is more vital than ever that we continue to pursue our educational mission—nurturing Jewish learning, Jewish leadership, Jewish life. If we lose ourselves amidst the noise of the moment—if we lose our collective sense of identity, meaning, and purpose—we have lost everything.” — Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, President of Hebrew College
Like so many of you, the last two and half weeks have felt like months. Watching events unfold in Israel, with loved ones in harm's way is excruciating, and yet, as President Anisfeld urges us to do in the above quote, we have to move forward with our daily lives and focus on community, and can find some healing by deepening our Jewish learning.
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"Earth Based Judaism: Ecological, Spiritual, and Political Relationships with Land, in and out of Diaspora" is just one of this fall's adult learning courses.
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In conversations I’ve had and will continue to have about the question of whether to stay or go, a number of factors are at play. In his recent speech on the war in Israel, President Biden recounted meeting Golda Meir, who said to the then-senator that Israel’s secret weapon was that “we have nowhere else to go.” I’ve been turning this story over in my mind over the past 24 hours as I grapple with the fact that unlike Golda, I do have somewhere else to go. My particular community—American rabbinical students living in Israel—is also having this discussion. So are many other olim, immigrants, to Israel—especially those from countries in Europe and America.
Read more...
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Psalm 90: Reflections from the 8th Stage of Life
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Our goal as old men is to celebrate, instead of denying our mortality. We intend to work on that goal as members of our specific community of elders. When we learn to trust the eighth stage of the life-process using Psalm 90 as a spiritual guide, we trust that God will “satisfy us with steadfast love” and that we will learn to accept and celebrate every single day and event of our short lives, whether they be glad days or days of toil and trouble. Three cheers for mortality! It is truly God’s greatest gift to us right now.
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“Acheinu”
This prayer, called “Acheinu” ["Our Brethren], was composed in the Middle Ages at a time when Crusader armies were slaughtering Jewish communities while en route to “liberate” the Holy Land. It is a timeless reminder that all Jews—no matter where they live—are one people. As we grapple with the unfolding events in Israel, “Acheinu” reminds us that we are one family. We feel one another’s pain. We long for one another’s deliverance. Here, we share a version of the prayer chanted by our friend Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, spiritual leader of Central Synagogue (NYC).
אַחֵינוּ כָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַנְּתוּנִים בְּצָרָה
,וּבַשִּׁבְיָה, הָעוֹמְדִים בֵּין בַּיָּם וּבֵין בַּיַּבָּשָׁה
הַמָּקוֹם יְרַחֵם עֲלֵיהֶם, וְיוֹצִיאֵם מִצָּרָה
לִרְוָחָה, וּמֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹרָה, וּמִשִּׁעְבּוּד
.לִגְאֻלָּה, הַשְׁתָּא בַּעֲגָלָא וּבִזְמַן קָרִיב
Acheinu kol beit yisrael,
Acheinu kol beit yisrael, han'tunim b'tzara, b'tzara uvashivyah, haomdim bein bayam uvein bayabasha. Hamakom Y'racheim, Y'racheim Aleihem v'yotziem mitzara lirvacha um'afaila l'orah umishiabud lig'ulah, hashta ba'agala uvizman kariv.
We are family, all of the House of Israel
We are family, all of Israel
Those who’ve been taken
Taken in captivity
Whether on the land or on the sea,
where'er they be.
May God have compassion, compassion upon them
And take them from the narrow place to expansion!
From darkness to light!
From slavery to redemption!
Speedily, now and in our days!
(English translation by Rabbi Shoshana Friedman`14)
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Before the Beginning Art Event
Monday evening, our Mascott Beit Midrash was filled for "Before the Beginning: Rabbi Nehemia Polen and Artist Mel Brown in Conversation." Drawing upon early mystical sources, Polen and Brown explored visual, verbal, and musical efforts to depict that which cannot be depicted. The conversation was followed by a Q & A session and the opportunity to view Brown's works in the current Hebrew College art exhibit, “In the Beginning" (running through December 14.)
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Hebrew College Shabbaton
Last weekend, ordination students gathered for their annual shabbaton. "In a time of great pain and uncertainty, this year's shabbaton at Camp Ramah was a strengthening blessing for our rabbinical students and faculty," said Hebrew College Rabbinical School Dean Rabbi Justin David. "Led by Shanah Heh, the communal tefilah, study, singing, and meals gave us all an opportunity to reconnect with our enduring sources of wisdom and spiritual richness. Connecting to each other through the overlapping prisms of tradition, community and personal relationships brought a needed measure of nechama, the healing we need to redidicate ourselves to learning, teaching, and service." We are grateful to Shannie and Rabbi David Goldstein's continued support for this annual shabbaton.
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Catch up on recent Hebrew College news and stories, including articles about faculty, students, and alumni who have been recognized for their work and scholarship. Read more...
Share your news with us...
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A NEW FREE MONTHLY SERIES! GROW with Hebrew College Adult Learning
Spend an hour with us to gather, reflect, observe, and wrestle with topics that will deepen your Jewish learning.
November: The Imperative, Challenge, and Hope of Jewish Interconnectedness
Join Rabbi Neal Gold to discuss the state of Jewish peoplehood today: how the spiritual wisdom of our tradition informs our feelings of longing, loss, and pain as war unfolds in Israel.
November 8 | 12-1 p.m. EST/9-10 a.m. PST | Zoom
Learn more & register
December: Illuminating Christmas and Hanukkah from the Inside
Rev. Tom Reid and Rabbi Michael Shire will discuss Christmas and Hanukkah from their respective religious and spiritual experiences.
December 13 | 12-1 p.m. EST/9-10 a.m. PST | Zoom
Learn more & register
Watch for 2024 monthly programs coming soon!
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Taste of Hebrew College Me'ah Classic
Discover our amazing Hebrew College Me’ah Classic program that provides adults of all backgrounds with a foundation in Jewish culture and civilization.
October 30 | 7-9 p.m. | Zoom
Learn more & register
Woman, Rabbi, History Maker: Tracing Religious Leadership Through Life Stories
Celebrating Jewish Women’s Archive's new Oral History Collection with a panel discussion with Rabbi Claudia Kreiman; Rabbi Shayna Rhodes `08; and Rabbi Margie Klein Ronkin `11. Moderated by Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum`11.
Co-sponsors: Hebrew College & Jewish Women's Archive
November 1 | 7-8:30 p.m. | Hebrew College
Learn more & register
Building Resilience through Stories: A Special Session for Grandparents
Reflect on our stories and explore Jewish wisdom around the value of storytelling.
November 5 | 3-4:30 p.m. | Lehrhaus, 425 Washington Street, Somerville, MA 02143
Learn more & register
Information Session: Hebrew College Me’ah Jewish Discovery Tour to Spain
Learn more about Hebrew College’s inaugural 9-day tour exploring Jewish Sepharad in Spain (May 5-14, 2024.) Offered in conjunction with Keshet Educational Journeys.
December 11 | 7-8 p.m. | Hebrew College
Learn more & register | View trip details
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SUPPORT HEBREW COLLEGE
During this difficult time, it is more important than ever to connect with Jewish community, educate future Jewish clergy and educators for an interconnected world, and provide educational nourishment for adults and teens. Through our work, and with your support, Hebrew College will continue to provide healing and hope to the Jewish community in the Greater Boston area and across the country. Give now.
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