Go in peace

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A funeral is beginning right now in Chicago, at Emanuel Congregation. 
My beloved Rebbetzin, Lotte Schaalman, died on Friday, at home, exactly on her 102nd birthday. 
I wish my equally beloved Rabbi, who is nearing 101, the strength now to carry on without his helpmate. They were married for 75 years. 
I thank them both for all they have given me and my family. 
Mrs. Schaalman so often impressed upon me what I think was her life-philosophy, saying "I never promised you a rose garden."   -- We take what comes and make the best of it. 
Rest in peace, dear Lotte, you deserve a little rest after a long lifetime of taking care of everyone else. 
May God bless you and welcome you.

(A photo, not my own, from ca. 2014, maybe.)

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Two together, to 120!

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My two favorite centenarians, in Chicago!
Today we celebrate the 75th anniversary of Rabbi Herman Schaalman's ordination (1941), and tomorrow is Rabbi and Lotte's 75th wedding anniversary.
My Rabbi is 100 and Lotte is 101.
A double mazal tov and lots of love to both!
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(Linking to ABC Wednesday.)
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A good Shavuot lesson for modern-day Israel

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Chag sameach!
Today is the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.

The Feast of Weeks is also called the Time of the Giving of the Torah, the Festival of the First Fruits, and the [wheat] Harvest Festival. 

Shavuot commemorates the people's pilgrimage to Jerusalem to bring first crops to the Temple. 

 

Today the Ten Commandments were  read in synagogues and also the Book of Ruth, telling the story of Ruth the Moabitess who followed Naomi and became Jewish.

 On Shavuot it is the tradition to eat dairy foods, wear white, and study Torah throughout the night.

More posts about it under my labels "Shavuot"  and "Torah."

I learned something nice today, thanks to the Velveteen Rabbi.

Exodus 19:1-2 states that

1 In the third month after the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. 
2 And when they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mount. 

That last part, in Hebrew,  is  וַיִּחַן-שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל, נֶגֶד הָהָר
Suddenly the Torah is using a singular verb to say that we (plural) camped in front of the mountain.
Why?

 Rashi understands it to mean that the Israelites camped there as a single entity, with one heart and one purpose.

Or as Velveteen Rabbi says in her blog, "On this day, long long ago, despite all of our frustrations and our differences, we were together at the mountain as one. We were one people, one heart, one community. And in that state of oneness, we entered into relationship with God. In that state of oneness, we received revelation. We experienced divinity. We experienced the theophany . . . "

And the following verse says, "And Moshe ascended to Heaven and God called to him from the mountain. . . ."
 The 15th century Italian commentator Rabbi Sforno explains that  "This teaches us that Yisrael set themselves to the task of preparing the camp, and Moshe ascended to prepare himself for his approaching prophecy."

As I find at a "Chassidus" website, 

"Rabbi Chayim Shmuelevitz, the former Rosh Yeshiva of the famous Mir Yeshiva of Poland and then later Jerusalem, once pointed out the seemingly contrary intent of the comments of the Sforno:

 How is it possible to describe the activities of Moshe and the people in one breath?! Moshe Rabbenu is preparing for the world's greatest revelation, and the people are digging latrines and pounding in tent pegs?

 He answers that when they pitched camp, each one was concerned not with his own place, rather he took the time to worry about his neighbor; was his camp in order, did he need some help.
Because they were doing chesed [~ acts of kindness] one with the other, they showed that they were indeed a nation that was fit to receive the Torah.
Moshe's going up was made possible by the Nation's pitching camp."
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The Global Day of Jewish Learning -- today!

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Every day is supposed to be a day of learning.
But today, November 7, is the first-ever Global Day of Jewish Learning, meant to unite Jews from across the globe in celebration of our shared culture, texts, and history.
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With the motto "One world, one people, one day," Jews in hundreds of communities in 45 countries are going to sit together in groups or in families to study and discuss "The Big Questions."
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The Global Day of Learning is a project of the Aleph Society, which has drawn many organizing partners into the effort.
Today is the day that Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz will bring to completion his monumental commentary on the Talmud.
A Time magazine article explains his work and his surprising life story.
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Photo from the Aleph Society website

Rabbi Steinsaltz is a world-renowned teacher, philosopher, social critic, and author.

He is a champion for open access to Jewish learning, and his life's mission has been to give Jewish texts and learning back to the Jewish people--in a way that we can understand it.

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Click here to learn what's inside the Steinsaltz Center in Jerusalem pictured above.

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If you'd like a sample shiur (lesson) in English, see this video of the Rabbi teaching the Talmudic page about Tu B'Av, when the girls of Jerusalem go to dance in white in the vineyards.

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Rabbis vs. swine flu

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Looks like a boring job. But somebody has to do it, . . . right . . . ?

Behind the glass doors, you put your bag through the X-ray machine and then walk through the metal detector. Then you're free to enter the Western Wall Plaza and approach the Wall.
Well, unless you are wearing pants or skirt or sleeves that are too short. Then this [what I call] "prayer police" woman will nab you and have you put a "modesty scarf" over the offending bare skin. Orders of the Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Places.
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Some other rabbis in Israel have been busy coming up with highly interesting ways to fight swine flu before it reaches biblical proportions. We already have over 2,100 verified cases and nine have died.
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1. The top Sephardic rabbis urge us to start a 24-hour fast tomorrow at sunset. If you can't last a whole summer day without water or food, they say half a day is OK.
And if that is too hard, you should a ta'anit dibur. I had never even heard this term before. Literally translated, "a fasting from talking." Jews taking a vow of silence??
More about it here.
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2. Some fifty rabbis and "kabbalists" armed with ceremonial trumpets took to the skies over Israel a week ago to battle the swine flu virus . They circled Israel chanting prayers and blowing shofars ( rams' horns) in an Arkia airplane.
Full story here.
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3. Many people touch the mezuzah on the doorpost when they enter a building (even a hospital) and then kiss their fingers. (See my earlier post for more about mezuzot.)
Doctors are being asked if this is wise right now. Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar said "If a specific order is given in the matter, the mezuzah must be kissed from the air, to ensure that the custom is not forgotten."
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4. The Alter Rebbe of Ger has told his Hassidim to stop their old custom of toasting from one communal cup. Anything to discourage the spread of what rabbis prefer to call H1N1 (swine--feh!).
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Sei gesund! Be well!
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Believe it or not, this is the state of my world these past few weeks and I dare to share it at That's My World Tuesday.
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One Torah and two Torah teachers

Just remembered, I DO have a photo (not mine) of a real Torah scroll.
On the right is Rabbi Herman Schaalman of Chicago. He has been my rabbi and spiritual father for 47 years. A truly great man.
Ktav has just published Rabbi's book, Hineni--Here I Am. In it is his amazing life story and his even more amazing original theology.

Torah

Torah?
Torah scroll but not a real one because it was not hand-written by a scribe.
True, believe it or not: This "Torah" was made in China!
A kosher Torah and team of rabbis. On the right is Herman E. Schaalman of Chicago, my Rabbi, teacher, spiritual father since 1961. Toda (thank you), dear Rabbi!