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 By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on כ"ד באלול ה'תש"ע (September 3rd, 2010) in From the Bima Dreading the Length of High Holiday Services? The Yerushalmi Talmud Feels Your Pain
I enjoy my e-mails from Maqom and Rabbi Judith Z. Abrams, who is helping adults experience the joys of studying Talmud, especially the lesser-known Jerusalem version of this epic text. According to scholars of Jewish literature, the Jerusalem Talmud predates the more widely studied Babylonian version by about 200 years. There are some similarities between the two versions. However, it is the differences that often peak our interest as we delve into the lives of the two Jewish communities, the one that remained in Judea after the destruction of the First Temple, and the other that had…
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Continue reading From the Bima: A Talmudic View on the Length of High Holiday Services →
By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on כ"ב באלול ה'תש"ע (September 1st, 2010) in From the Bima, Thoughts The holidays are early this year. Elul, the final month of the Jewish calendar, began on the evening of August 11. With it we entered into our yearly practice of introspection toward teshuvah, a life of forgiveness and the promise to make ourselves better partners in our relationships with God and with others.
During the early part of the summer I had the opportunity to visit with my parents on the Cape. No matter your travel route, there is no avoiding the Bourne or the Sagamore bridges that connect Cape Cod to the rest of Massachusetts. I like to gaze at the canal and admire the sailboats in the water…
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Continue reading A View From the Bima: Crossing Bridges →
By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on ו' באלול ה'תש"ע (August 16th, 2010) in Dvar Torah, From the Bima Parashat Shofetim 5770
“Tzedek, tzedek tirdof” – A Matter of Law and Order
Ever notice how many television shows are dedicated to “pursuing justice”? Perhaps one of the longest-running shows was Law & Order, which experienced a 20-year run of apprehending villains in the first half of the show and then prosecuting them in the second half of the show. Not only did it introduce a new vocabulary to its television audience that is just as familiar as sports terminology, it has also played into our desire to punish certain segments of society for their belief that the law does not relate to them in the same way…
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Continue reading Parashat Shofetim – A Matter of Law & Order →
For a number of years I have been following the lessons taught by Rabbi Judith Abrams, who has been running an ongoing discussion of the Yerushalmi Talmud, which is less popular than the Babylonian Talmud that is studied daily by hundreds of thousands of individuals. A current lesson delves into Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of our Ancestors, as Rabbi Abrams relates them to our young adults who are preparing to leave for college. This is a transition of great importance to both child and parent. She invites us to share our thoughts with her and her online students, about what sage advice we would give to our loved ones as…
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Continue reading What Advice Would the Sages Give Their Kids as They Head Off to College? →
By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on כ"ח באב ה'תש"ע (August 8th, 2010) in Dvar Torah, From the Bima Parashat Re’eih 5770
What A Sight!
In the teaser to get us to watch the reruns of Grey’s Anatomy, we hear Meredith Grey pleading to her former lover, “So pick me, choose me, love me.” All that she desires is for someone to recognize her for who she is, a woman worthy of being embraced and cherished for the blessings that she can offer to another. This week’s Torah portion coincides with the announcement of the new, and final month, of the year, Elul, which the sages teach us is an acronym for the phrase, “Ani L’dodi Vi’dodi Li”: “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” It is…
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Continue reading Parashat Re’eih – What A Sight! →
By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on כ"א באב ה'תש"ע (August 1st, 2010) in Dvar Torah, From the Bima Parashat Eikev 5770
“I Do Thee Wed”
In this week’s Torah portion, Moses revisits what happened when he was on the mountain with God, the two of them carving the initial laws that would guide the Israelite nation in their new status as a freed people. What ensues can only be described in terms of a marriage that had been in danger of divorce. The people below had become unfaithful to God, and to Moses, when they failed to return to them at the appointed time. So, they took upon themselves a new “lover,” so to speak, in the shape of a Golden Calf. Fidelity is what God expects of…
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Continue reading Parashat Eikev – I Do Thee Wed →
Parashat Va’etchanan 5770
And You Shall Bind Them As a Sign
One of the most famous lines of the Torah is a part of our reading for this week. We read, “Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Volumes have been written as sage and scholar alike try to unravel the meaning of these words for their generation. We recite these words as part of our worship twice each day, both morning and evening, reading the words of the first paragraph literally. The Shema became the first words we recited in the morning and the last words we recited each night. In time, they were incorporated into the morning…
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Continue reading Parashat Va’etchanan – And You Shall Bind Them As a Sign →
Parashat Devarim 5770
Changing of the Guard
I wonder what Moses would have done if he had been forced to retire at an earlier age than 120. I realize that he had a lot on his plate in those closing years of his life, trying to keep the people together on the same page as they wandered from one place to another in the wilderness outside of the land of Canaan, where God intended them to settle. What a burden it must have been to ensure that everyone was taken care of appropriately as he waited for a sign from God that they were ready to cross the Delaware River…
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Continue reading Parashat Devarim – Changing of the Guard →
By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on ד' באב ה'תש"ע (July 15th, 2010) in From the Bima, Thoughts Happier is…WEEK TWELVE
Devarim
Perfectionism and Optimalism
The Perfectionist expects her path toward any goal – and indeed her entire journey through life – to be direct, smooth, and free of obstacles. When, inevitably, it isn’t, she is extremely frustrated and has difficulty coping.
The Optimalist accepts failure as a natural part of life and as an experience that is inextricably linked to success. She learns what she can from these experiences and emerges stronger and more resilient.
Perfectionists reject reality and replace it with a fantasy world.
Optimalists accept reality, that some failure and sorrow is inevitable, and that success has to be measured against standards that are actually…
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Continue reading Happier is… WEEK TWELVE – Devarim – Perfectionism and Optimalism →
By Rabbi Steven Rubenstein on ד' באב ה'תש"ע (July 15th, 2010) in Dvar Torah Parashat Mattot / Massei 5770
I Swear to God
How many times have we heard the words of the bailiff instructing a witness to respond to his or her declaration: “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me, God?” In the Orthodox world, when someone makes a formal declaration that they will do something, and they do not want to suffer the consequences of not fulfilling their promise, they may utter under their breath the formulaic words, “b’li neder,” which means “without a vow.” For example, when I promise my wife that I will clean up the office in the house, I…
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Continue reading Parashat Mattot / Massei – I Swear To God →
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