Why is this night different?
On Monday evening, March 29th, we will begin the holiday of Passover. It is a unique opportunity to bring the realities and treasures of our tradition into your home. I can’t think of another holiday that is so based in the home and in the family unit. It is one holiday on which the synagogue takes second place to the individual home. While we come together in the synagogue for prayer, it is the individual Seder that really tells the story of Passover and reminds us that we are connected not only to every other home in which Passover is observed but to every generation that has come before us.
Through a series of questions and answers scripted to be meaningful to all ages, the Hagadah leads us through a reenactment of Yetziat Mitzraim, the exodus. As hard as we work preparing for Passover, the cleaning, cooking, and planning become anti-climactic as we reach the moment that everyone is seated around the table to begin a “back-to-the-future” journey through Jewish history. If you think of the Seder as a play then it is every one of us who becomes the starring actor- we all have lead roles to play in the retelling of the history of our people. This retelling is not just for the sake of telling “an old story that we all know,” but a chance to be reminded that we are a part of a community that has brought hope and faith to this world for thousands of years. This begs the question of just how we did this. How did we survive and flourish under the most impossible of conditions? How did we maintain an identity and spiritual message in a world that changed over the course of history? How did we beat all odds and become “the eternal people?”
In part we have survived by creating multiple institutions to insure that our children are educated and involved in Jewish life; we have youth programs and camps to teach Jewish values. We have social, cultural, and philanthropic organizations to promote our heritage that do an amazing job of bringing our community together. Unfortunately we are now in a situation that is unprecedented- many of our institutions are struggling to survive, the economy have taken its toll on our institutions, and those of us in leadership roles are faced with the challenge of creating a new vision of the Jewish future that we will create on the other side of the current crisis.
At this Season of Freedom I offer one insight that is not new but deserves repeating. The abiding message of Passover is that Jewish life begins at home! As our institutions are revamped and reshaped for the future, it will be the Jewish home and the lessons and priorities taught there that will give shape to the future. Our leaders are not created in a vacuum, nor are their passion and commitment created by institutions. Jewish leaders are Jews who have grown up in homes that were passionate and committed.
As you sit at your Seder take that time to look around at your friends and family? Are you helping to ignite their love of Judaism? Are you providing a role model for some future Jewish leader? The Seder may seem as though it is all about the Jewish past—the reality may be that it is all about the Jewish future!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Low Tech Security May Be Best
Eye to Eye
Wouldn’t you know it! Once again Israel comes up with a break-thru technology! Forget about the cell phone, the computer, and the advances in medical treatments. What is of interest to us right now is much more pressing—airport security. Since the attempt to blow up the Christmas day flight and the subsequent political finger pointing we have been reminded that it only takes one mistake to bring catastrophe. The security scrutiny that has followed has been even more discouraging because the more we look the more flaws we find in the system that we thought was keeping us safe. Even the “no-fly list” seems to work too slowly as evidenced this past week when an individual on the list (this time because of illness) boarded a plane with no problem.
With all this renewed concern for airport safety one of the many reports that I heard stayed in my mind and actually contains a lesson for all of us. One reporter wonders why the obvious flaws in our way of doing things are not found in Israeli security efforts. When asked why El Al has such a good security record an Israeli spokesman gave a very simple answer. He said that Israeli security agents do one thing that Americans omit- when people come to the gate and security inspection the Israeli agents make sure to look them in the eye to “see” their intent.
Reflecting on this simple method the reporter noted that on his last flight the TSA agent looked at his belongings, looked at his documents (to the extreme of examining his driver’s license with a jeweler’s loop,) and searched his carry-on. The TSA agent never looked at him though- he was focused on the property and never looked at the person. In retrospect we see how useless this approach can be- remember all the murderers of 911 had valid documents. Sometimes you do need to look at the person!
It seems strange to us to depend on such a low-tech method. We spend millions of dollars to build machines that do more and more sophisticated imaging. Perhaps you have heard about the new full body X-ray that literally produces a picture of you as if you were naked- while an image of that resolution can certainly guard against a lot of threats it still can’t see into the eyes of a terrorist. I guess we should be reminded that no matter how amazing the machines are that we build, they pale in comparison to the human mind that created them. That’s a very good lesson to remember—in this age of e-mail, text messages, twitter, blogs, and more there is still nothing that tells you more about what a person really means that the tone of their voice. The same is true of the human eyes—they are still the portals to the soul. Who is your friend and who is your enemy? You need to look eye to eye to be really sure. Low-tech but reliable!
Wouldn’t you know it! Once again Israel comes up with a break-thru technology! Forget about the cell phone, the computer, and the advances in medical treatments. What is of interest to us right now is much more pressing—airport security. Since the attempt to blow up the Christmas day flight and the subsequent political finger pointing we have been reminded that it only takes one mistake to bring catastrophe. The security scrutiny that has followed has been even more discouraging because the more we look the more flaws we find in the system that we thought was keeping us safe. Even the “no-fly list” seems to work too slowly as evidenced this past week when an individual on the list (this time because of illness) boarded a plane with no problem.
With all this renewed concern for airport safety one of the many reports that I heard stayed in my mind and actually contains a lesson for all of us. One reporter wonders why the obvious flaws in our way of doing things are not found in Israeli security efforts. When asked why El Al has such a good security record an Israeli spokesman gave a very simple answer. He said that Israeli security agents do one thing that Americans omit- when people come to the gate and security inspection the Israeli agents make sure to look them in the eye to “see” their intent.
Reflecting on this simple method the reporter noted that on his last flight the TSA agent looked at his belongings, looked at his documents (to the extreme of examining his driver’s license with a jeweler’s loop,) and searched his carry-on. The TSA agent never looked at him though- he was focused on the property and never looked at the person. In retrospect we see how useless this approach can be- remember all the murderers of 911 had valid documents. Sometimes you do need to look at the person!
It seems strange to us to depend on such a low-tech method. We spend millions of dollars to build machines that do more and more sophisticated imaging. Perhaps you have heard about the new full body X-ray that literally produces a picture of you as if you were naked- while an image of that resolution can certainly guard against a lot of threats it still can’t see into the eyes of a terrorist. I guess we should be reminded that no matter how amazing the machines are that we build, they pale in comparison to the human mind that created them. That’s a very good lesson to remember—in this age of e-mail, text messages, twitter, blogs, and more there is still nothing that tells you more about what a person really means that the tone of their voice. The same is true of the human eyes—they are still the portals to the soul. Who is your friend and who is your enemy? You need to look eye to eye to be really sure. Low-tech but reliable!
One Nation...... Indivisible?
Like many of our basic institutions, the Pledge of Allegiance only seems to draw our attention when there is controversy. We have all witnessed the changes in our society in the last generation. More and more our public “rituals” are scrutinized for the sake of political correctness. This faulty theory seems to be that “inclusiveness” is better than commitment and that we should not express any feeling that might offend someone else. Hence, dozens of lawsuits have been brought that insure that our public life is stripped of any association with anything that looks or sounds like a belief in something! I understand that this is the consequence of freedom- a person does not have to do something (like recite the Pledge of Allegiance) just because other people want to do so. The most recent objection to the Pledge has been that it mentions God—an offense to atheists.
Today I argue on behalf of the Pledge because it contains a word that we, as a nation, need to hear now more than ever… indivisible. The Pledge has undergone changes in the past. First penned as a recitation for a student assembly in 1892, the most recent change was in 1954 when the words “under God” were added. In every version, including the first draft, the word “indivisible” has been included. Perhaps this was still an issue less than 30 years after the Civil War. Perhaps people needed to be reminded that families had fought each other over this very principle. Now tragically I think we need to revisit that word and the idea it represents. As Lincoln said “We are now engaged in a great battle…;” I am not predicting that we are on the verge of a civil war but we are engaged in a battle in which the only victory can be to make the word “indivisible” the battle cry of both sides.
If you are like me you watch the news every day and ask “when will this all stop?” The fight over health care, the fighting over the budget, the deficient, the right, the left, blue dogs. These are all conflicts over our different visions for the future. Whatever side you are on you must affirm that this is the democratic process for better or worse. I accept that but what I can’t accept is the divisiveness that these public debates are causing. Every issue becomes “us and them” without the reminder of the “we.” There is a war going on- it is the war of words and the war of politics. It is a war that we all will lose because each day we stray further and further away from the idea that this is one country… indivisible.
We are too quickly losing sight of the things that unite us, we are being buried alive in the flood of rhetoric, attack, counterattack, and (maybe worst of all) over analysis. Take the time to consider these words that express a vision for our nation over 100 years ago… one nation, under God, indivisible.
Today I argue on behalf of the Pledge because it contains a word that we, as a nation, need to hear now more than ever… indivisible. The Pledge has undergone changes in the past. First penned as a recitation for a student assembly in 1892, the most recent change was in 1954 when the words “under God” were added. In every version, including the first draft, the word “indivisible” has been included. Perhaps this was still an issue less than 30 years after the Civil War. Perhaps people needed to be reminded that families had fought each other over this very principle. Now tragically I think we need to revisit that word and the idea it represents. As Lincoln said “We are now engaged in a great battle…;” I am not predicting that we are on the verge of a civil war but we are engaged in a battle in which the only victory can be to make the word “indivisible” the battle cry of both sides.
If you are like me you watch the news every day and ask “when will this all stop?” The fight over health care, the fighting over the budget, the deficient, the right, the left, blue dogs. These are all conflicts over our different visions for the future. Whatever side you are on you must affirm that this is the democratic process for better or worse. I accept that but what I can’t accept is the divisiveness that these public debates are causing. Every issue becomes “us and them” without the reminder of the “we.” There is a war going on- it is the war of words and the war of politics. It is a war that we all will lose because each day we stray further and further away from the idea that this is one country… indivisible.
We are too quickly losing sight of the things that unite us, we are being buried alive in the flood of rhetoric, attack, counterattack, and (maybe worst of all) over analysis. Take the time to consider these words that express a vision for our nation over 100 years ago… one nation, under God, indivisible.
No Presumption of Innocence
It was with regret, disbelief, and bewilderment that I listened to the announcement of the Attorney General. As he explained that the 911 terrorists would be tried in a civil court and that this would show the world the “power of the American judicial system,” I failed to understand the purpose of this trial. There are so many cogent reasons not to do this that it is hard to know where to start. I reject the idea that these men (I use the term loosely) have “civil rights.” They are not citizens of our country, they are not white-collar criminals, they are terrorists. They are soldiers in an army without uniforms. They came here to kill us- it is that simple. So why should you and I spend millions of dollars on this trial (we will, don’t doubt it, it’s called tax money)? Why should the citizens of New York City and New York State carry an even bigger burden? Why should we give these men an open stage and limitless air time to preach hate and murder?
All in all I fail to understand what will be accomplished by this trial- we will waste millions of dollars just to listen to the defendants put America on trial. We will be the villains, we will be the terrorists. I have no doubt that the weak-minded among us will end up apologizing to these killers because we are “the bad guys.” Yes, only in America! This stage show for hatred will be paid for by you and me so that our administration can claim some kind of moral victory. It will be a hollow victory. It is an empty gesture that only shows our hesitancy to protect ourselves and our own self-defeating policies. Is there no common sense left in Washington?
I understand that we can’t appear to have no rule of law. I also understand that there is military law which has now been rejected. All of this has to be viewed by what is perhaps the boldest act of hypocrisy ever; when questioned about the trial members of the government have stated (no, they have promised) that the defendants will be found guilty! If this is the promised outcome- again I ask, why must we suffer through this trial?
Please understand that there is a fact here that should guide our thinking and our judgment. It is a premise of American law that you are innocent until proven guilty. It is one of the things that make our system better than any judicial system that ever existed. But what should we do when there is no presumption of innocence? These men have confessed their crimes with pride and arrogance. There is no need to prove that they are guilty, so why put on the show? We have gone too far in our quest for justice – we try the victims and protect the criminal.
It is time that we learn that justice is a two way street. When there is no possible presumption of guilt what purpose does a trial serve? Think about it.
All in all I fail to understand what will be accomplished by this trial- we will waste millions of dollars just to listen to the defendants put America on trial. We will be the villains, we will be the terrorists. I have no doubt that the weak-minded among us will end up apologizing to these killers because we are “the bad guys.” Yes, only in America! This stage show for hatred will be paid for by you and me so that our administration can claim some kind of moral victory. It will be a hollow victory. It is an empty gesture that only shows our hesitancy to protect ourselves and our own self-defeating policies. Is there no common sense left in Washington?
I understand that we can’t appear to have no rule of law. I also understand that there is military law which has now been rejected. All of this has to be viewed by what is perhaps the boldest act of hypocrisy ever; when questioned about the trial members of the government have stated (no, they have promised) that the defendants will be found guilty! If this is the promised outcome- again I ask, why must we suffer through this trial?
Please understand that there is a fact here that should guide our thinking and our judgment. It is a premise of American law that you are innocent until proven guilty. It is one of the things that make our system better than any judicial system that ever existed. But what should we do when there is no presumption of innocence? These men have confessed their crimes with pride and arrogance. There is no need to prove that they are guilty, so why put on the show? We have gone too far in our quest for justice – we try the victims and protect the criminal.
It is time that we learn that justice is a two way street. When there is no possible presumption of guilt what purpose does a trial serve? Think about it.
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