Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on September 25, 2022

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. -- As the autumn season begins so does a new year on the Hebrew calendar, which will be commemorated this weekend by Jewish communities in Minnesota and around the world.

Rosh Hashanah begins Sunday evening and runs through Tuesday, which this year will recognized by Jews as the official start of the new year 5783. It is followed 10 days later by Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which begins at sundown Oct. 4.

Though often referred to as the "High Holy Days," a more literal definition from the Hebrew term Yamim Nora'im is the "Days of Awe."

"We're taught to go through this process of taking stock of our souls, to really get deep into what we've done and said and thought over the last year," Matt Goldberg, a student rabbi at Beth El Synagogue in St. Louis Park, explained to WCCO. "It's awe in our community, awe in our peoplehood, and in our people's experience."

Traditionally, Jews commemorate the holiday by eating apples and honey to represent the fall harvest and wishes for a sweet new year.

At Beth El's Aleph Preschool, kids spent the last week enjoying that treat and making art projects to bring home.

"Dipping an apple in honey is a sweet feeling, a sweet taste, and so we think about all the sweet things that can happen," Sarah Confeld, a preschool teacher at Aleph, explained. "We're celebrating that we get a fresh start so we do get to celebrate and we get to celebrate that we all make these wonderful choices for ourselves."

While Rosh Hashanah is more celebratory, Yom Kippur is more somber in that it includes a full day of prayer while most adults fast from sundown to sundown, as it is the last of the Days of Awe where Jews pray that they will be granted health and joy in the new year.

"Awe is happening in every relationship and every moment of these holidays," Goldberg maintained. "Where we've been, everything we've been through to lead up to this day, and yes, absolutely where we're going."

Jonah Kaplan is WCCO and CBS News Minnesota's investigative reporter and has built a strong reputation for his balanced and in-depth coverage of high-impact issues including the economy, immigration, education, public safety, and the military, among others.

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Jewish communities in Minnesota and around the world set to welcome new year 5783 - CBS News

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Posted By admin on September 25, 2022

Twenty-eight years later, the Miami Boys Choir has found some unlikely fans. by TikTok

By Aviya KushnerSeptember 22, 2022

The Miami Boys Choir has gone viral on TikTok. A video version of the song Yerushalayim has racked up millions of views, as the non-Jewish world discovers Orthodox pop with all its energy and oys and innocent dance moves. In other words, TikTok is falling in love with ruach.

These Jewish choir boys are the only thing keeping me afloat atm, wrote one besotted user.

Hes not alone.

Thousands of TikTok users are recording their own personal responses to a catchy Hebrew song that is a verse from Tehillim, or the Psalms. Many describe themselves as obsessed with the song and the singers. Dance moves and admiring commentary abound; one young womans TikTok video commenting on the choir has racked up 378,000 views and counting.

Meanwhile, those who grew up in the Orthodox world listening to this music have taken to social media to document how astonished and amused they are at this extremely unexpected trend.

On TikTok, though, no one seems too concerned about what the Hebrew words mean; its all about how into it he is and how addicted users are to the song, which admittedly gets into your brain as the app replays the 40-second clip unless you stop it. People cant seem to stop watching Yoshi Bender, C. Abromowitz, David Herskowitz and Binyomin Abramowitz.

A stan is a super-fan, and on TikTok, the four boys each have their ardent fans. One popular form of video is I rate the Miami boys choir with different boys in slots 1, 2, 3 and 4, with TikTok users explaining their rationale. The comments on these videos are wild, as hundreds of thousands of people debate the singing ability, dance moves, expressions, charisma and stage presence of four yeshiva boys singing about God and Jerusalem.

The term stan, which is now often used as a verb, is a reference to theEminemsong Stan, according to Urban Dictionary. Thatsong is about an overly obsessed fan (named Stan) who writes letters toEminemand ends up driving off a bridge with his pregnant wife, because Eminem didnt write him back.

Here is a lovely video with the response we stan to the Miami Boys Choir.

This TikTok user called Binyomin potentially Michael Jackson in disguise.

So what is the song exactly? Its Psalms 125:2. In the 1985 Jewish Publication Society translation, it reads: Jerusalem, hills enfold it / and the LORD enfolds His people / now and forever. The opening hand motions in the song are the boys miming how hills surround the city of Jerusalem.

You can read the original Hebrew and translations on Sefaria.

But if TikTok is more your thing, this video from NotaRabbi Yet explains the Hebrew.

The pronunciation is not Israeli, but is instead Yiddish-inflected Hebrew, or what you hear in Ashkenazi yeshiva circles in New York. Lehamo is pronounced leeamo, and mehata is pronounced meeata. The high point of the song is oy Yerushalayim oy Yershalayim.

The oy is of course not part of the Hebrew psalm.

As more and more people watch the 40-second clip from 2008, the Miami Boys Choir has been responding to TikTok users through comments on the app, and it has been uploading more clips. Yerachmiel Begun, the adult who has guided the boys in song for decades, and who can be seen in some videos, has been answering the queries of fans in TikTok comments.

Newly obsessed fans, who seem to be in their teens and 20s, are energetically digging through the archives, like this young woman who is a Binyomin superfan WE STAN BINYOMIN WHAT A LEGEND and records her cat also enjoying his 2008 singing.

Yoshi has his fans too, like this one.

Its pretty amazing to see the cat bopping to Ben David avdecha yavoh vyigaleynu in other words, a Moshiach song. And some academics on Twitter have expressed concern about what people are actually singing along to, and potential theological or political implications.

But does anyone on TikTok care what it means?

Many videos feature people getting increasingly animated when David or Binyomin sing, at the part of the Yerushalayim song that goes higher. This version of someone acting out and dancing to the song, even though he admits he has no idea what it means, is pretty charming.

Another user claims Binyomin is underrated; he also dances as the song goes on.

For those who grew up singing in yeshiva choirs, the structure of the melody is familiar; it starts slow and contemplative, in a lower register, and then it goes high. Both David and Binyomin bring plenty of ruach, and rock out to Yerushalayim.

Naturally.

Other aspects of this blast from the past are familiar, too the benches singers stand on and the ubiquitous smoke machines. But its also clear that in 2008, no one imagined that video evidence could live forever, with an audience of millions instead of just the religious Jewish community.

These preteens live in a world before social media. They could not imagine that at some point in the future, folks who probably are not yeshiva grads would use a 40-second clip to try and guess at the boys personalities.

Go down the TikTok rabbit hole, and youll find lots of fans that have no idea what the Hebrew says, and are far off-base in their guesses.

Youll also find those who seem to know the Hebrew words, and who recognize the Miami Boys Choir from childhood, like this guy who says he loved MBC before he loved strollers.

So what happened to these boys? Everyone wants to know. In recent hours, TikTok went crazy when one of the 2008 stars, David Herskovitz, made his own videos in response as the adult he is now. Here he is, filmed in bed, watching his preteen self go viral. At this writing, it had over 260,000 views.

He has also corrected the pronunciation of his last name, which was misspelled in the video.

As the trend of Miami Boys Choir obsession continues, a new trend of Jewish TikTokers explaining the effect of the video on them has taken root. A young woman says that she was staunchly atheist but is now feeling really connected to Judaism because of this video. She says that her whole life would have changed had she seen this group when she was 9.

Whoa.

I feel so proud to be Jewish right now. Should I go to shul? Its almost Rosh Hashanah, she says. Twitter user Mordechai Burg comments: I didnt have viral Miami Boys Choir Tik Tok video stirring the Jewish soul and restoring Jewish Pride on my 2022 Bingo card.

Perhaps TikTok is just another way that the Lord is enfolding his people.

Aviya Kushner is the Forwards language columnist and the author of Wolf Lamb Bomb and The Grammar of God. Follow her on Twitter @AviyaKushner.

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This vintage video of a Jewish boys choir has gone viral on TikTok and its a joy to watch - Forward

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Posted By admin on September 25, 2022

Let me introduce you to Bruno if you dont know him. In the movie Encanto, Bruno is the uncle who no one in his family talks about.

Billboard said, We might not talk about Bruno, but music fans are singing about Bruno. We Dont Talk About Bruno, the breakout hit from Disneys Encanto, is hitting brand-new heights on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is peaking at No. 2 and becoming the second highest charting song ever from a Disney animated film, following the No. 1 hit A Whole New World from 1992s Aladdin.

Why didnt people like to talk about Bruno? He is a scraggly looking, stuttering, hippo in the garden type of guy. He foretells what will happen in the future if the family keeps going the way they are going. Unfortunately, the family thinks he is negative, causing bad things rather than just reporting what will happen. Following his disappearance, it became taboo to mention Bruno. He was reviled as a villainous figure by the townsfolk until his deep-rooted love for his family was unearthed at the movies end. The family finally understood that his gift was for the familys benefit.

So today, Im going to talk about Bruno. Why? Because I have a deep-rooted concern for families and relationships. Lets explore the subjects of unity and harmony. How can you achieve unity in your family, business, marriage, nation or church? While we like the concept of agreement and unity, things often end up worse than they started. Why? We tend to talk on principle but act on self-interest. As a result, we work hard at the wrong thing.

In ancient Hebrew, every letter is a sound and a picture. The letters in each word combine to paint a word picture that describes the words meaning. Author Frank Seekins, a friend, conducts seminars about Hebrew words and their meanings. Ive used some of Franks material today to help us discover the essence of unity.

The Hebrew word for unity is Echad. Echad means to strongly fence the door. So, from this word picture, unity comes when we strongly fence the door. What does that mean? Let me quote Frank here in his teachings.

Imagine that you were in a movie theater and saw a fire start in front of the theater. What are you going to do? Like me, you will get out of the theater fast! But suppose that the theater doors are locked and there is no way to leave. What are you going to do now? You put out the fire!

We tend to take the door when faced between the fire and the door. But we are forced to deal with the fire when the door is locked. Unity is found in this simple analogy. Every relationship is tested in times of trouble. We would not confront the fire if we left a door open. We have an excuse to leave when the fire gets bad enough.

What if we were committed to our nation, employer, church, spouse and the like with this perspective? Im not talking about staying in extreme, abusive, toxic, one-way relationships. But too many relationships are broken that didnt need to be because of hubris, fear, previous hurts or how to get back together. We dont know how to talk about Bruno other than to suppress and villainize him.

Think of how many relationships of all types could be transformed if they worked out their differences. Too many employees run from one job to another. Too many people run from one relationship to another. Too many nations divide because two different philosophies dig in, and the nations leaders dont have the maturity or values to negotiate their differences like they used to. When people dig in, they are usually digging their graves.

In every relationship of any kind, there will be a time when conflict comes. Conflict is inevitable when two or more parties try to work together. Humility is a prerequisite to unity. First, there must be the willingness to work through issues, integrity and maturity on both sides to negotiate. Then and only then can both parties agree to disagree, but not be disagreeable.

It takes commitment to the relationship first and self-interest second to look for a win-win, not the current win-lose we see everywhere and in everything these days. Often, the people and institutions discussing diversity are the most frequent violators of their own rhetoric. We need to heal so we dont have another generation of trauma passing itself off as culture. That was Bruno speaking.

Lets go back to that fire in the front of the theater. Wisdom says the fire is a bigger problem than your problem, agenda or issue when the doors are locked. Fight the fire, not the person or party next to you. Too many people, nations, churches, businesses and the like have died in theater fires while fighting each other. Just think if firefighters fought fires that way. Everyone loses, and nothing is gained in the long run. Many times, the only thing worse than talking about Bruno is not talking about Bruno. But we dont talk about Bruno.

Whats the takeaway here? Thus, saith Bruno, Be a first responder with a fire extinguisher. Only you can prevent theater fires. And thus, saith God, When brothers dwell together in unity, the Lord commands the blessing Life forevermore. Psalm 133.

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Church-Community Connection: We need to talk about Bruno - Peoria Times

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Posted By admin on September 25, 2022

Israels Jewish population surpassed 7 million last year, as the number of Jews worldwide rose to 15.2 million, according to the Jewish Agency.

Statistics released Sunday before the start of Rosh Hashanah showed Israel added 130,000 more Jews over the past year. The country now accounts for 46.2 percent of world Jewry, up nearly a percent from the year before.

Following Israel, the United States has the second-largest Jewish population with around 6 million, a figure that was stable from the year before.

The other countries with the 10 largest Jewish populations were France (442,000), Canada (394,000), the United Kingdom (292,000), Argentina (173,000), Russia (145,000), Australia (118,200), Germany (118,000) and Brazil (91,000). The figures were based on estimates by professor Sergio Della Pergola of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The Jewish Agency said the past year saw the largest number of Jews make aliyah the Hebrew term for immigrating to Israel in 20 years, with some 60,000 immigrants arriving from 93 countries.

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Amid Russias ongoing invasion of Ukraine, those two countries saw the largest number of Jews leave for Israel, with 26,000 and 14,000 respectively having arrived in the Jewish state as of September 1. Another 1,600 came from Belarus, a Russian ally that has served as a staging ground for Moscows forces.

New immigrants fleeing from Ukraine arrive at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, on March 15, 2022. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

From the US and Canada, 1,800 Jews moved to Israel over the past year, while 2,500 made aliyah from France and 1,100 from Argentina.

There were also 1,450 new immigrants from Ethiopia who were reunited with their families in Israel. Several thousand more still waiting to immigrate are estimated to be in Ethiopia, according to the Jewish Agency.

The statistics are based on self-identification as Jewish and not as any other religion. The Jewish Agency said when looking at those eligible to get citizenship under Israels Law of Return, which requires at least one Jewish grandparent, there are 25.5 million Jews worldwide.

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Israels Jewish population passes 7 million on eve of Rosh Hashanah - The Times of Israel

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Posted By admin on September 25, 2022

Plates ofapples and honey will be the first thing you'll see at many Rosh Hashanah celebrations. "Jews have been dipping apples in honey for thousands of years to ensure a sweet, fruitful year ahead," Rachel Levin, author of the cookbook "Eat Something," tellsDelish. "Shana tovah um'tukah, you say good, sweet year or shana tovah for short." Next to those apples, you might see a bowl of dates, whose ripeness symbolizes the end of one year giving way to a new one. The Hebrew word for date, tamar, also means "that our enemies be consumed," per Chabad.org.

The pomegranate has a place in several ancient fables, including that of Persephone, who ate several seeds from the tart red fruit and was thereby damned to spend "one third" of each year in the underworld with Hades (per the National Library of Medicine). On Rosh Hashanah, the pomegranate has a more positive connotation. According toDamien Stone, author of "Pomegranate: A Global History," each seed of the fruit represents a commandment from the Torah (viaFood52).You might also see a fish head and a string bean at a Rosh Hashanah celebration, but that's a story for another time.

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The Fruit Traditions Behind Rosh Hashanah - Mashed

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Posted By admin on September 25, 2022

Patent Application, Based on Research at the Hebrew University, is Latest Result of Ongoing Collaboration with SciSparc Ltd.

VANCOUVER, Sept. 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clearmind Medicine Inc. (CSE: CMND), (OTC Pink: CMNDF), (FSE: CWY0) (Clearmind or the "Company"), a biotech company focused on discovery and development of novel psychedelic-derived therapeutics to solve major undertreated health problems, today announced it has filed a provisional patent application related to metabolic syndromes including obesity.

The patent application is another result of the companys ongoing collaboration with SciSparc Ltd. (NASDAQ: SPRC) ("SciSparc"), a specialty clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focusing on the development of therapies to treat disorders of the central nervous system, and with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The patent application is the third application resulting from the collaboration with SciSparc, referring to the proprietary combination of Clearmind's MEAI, a novel proprietary psychedelic treatment for various addictions, and SciSparc's Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), the active ingredient of its proprietary CannAmide, which is used for treating obesity and its related metabolic disorders.

"Food addiction and obesity are an epidemic raging in the United States and around the world, yet there are few safe and effective anti-obesity treatments on the market," said Dr. Adi Zuloff-Shani, Clearmind's Chief Executive Officer.

"In pre-clinical studies MEAI has shown great potential in its ability to treat different addictions. Certain metabolic syndromes Can be associated to addictive behaviors, and we believe combining MEAI with SciSparc's CannAmide may create a valuable tool for treating these conditions."

The study was conducted as part of Clearminds research and development projects with the Hebrew Universitys Obesity and Metabolism Laboratory, which is led by Joseph Tam, D.M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the Universitys Institute for Drug Research.

This new patent application continues Clearminds strategy since inception to enhance its IP portfolio to create state-of-the-art psychedelic drug candidates, to better serve patients in need, said Dr. Zuloff-Shani.

About Clearmind Medicine Inc.

Clearmind is a psychedelic pharmaceutical biotech company focused on the discovery and development of novel psychedelic-derived therapeutics to solve widespread and underserved health problems, including alcohol use disorder. Its primary objective is to research and develop psychedelic-based compounds and attempt to commercialize them as regulated medicines, foods or supplements.

The Companys intellectual portfolio currently consists of six patent families. The Company intends to seek additional patents for its compounds whenever warranted and will remain opportunistic regarding the acquisition of additional intellectual property to build its portfolio.

Shares of Clearmind are listed for trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "CMND", the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol CWYO and on the OTC Markets under the symbol "CMNDF".

For further information, please contact:

Investor Relations,Email: invest@clearmindmedicine.comTelephone: (604) 260-1566General Inquiries,Info@Clearmindmedicine.comwww.Clearmindmedicine.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Such statements include submission of the relevant documentation within the required timeframe to the satisfaction of the relevant regulators and raising sufficient financing to complete the Company's business strategy. There is no certainty that any of these events will occur. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be correct. We assume no responsibility to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.

Investing into early-stage companies inherently carries a high degree of risk, and investment into securities of the Company shall be considered highly speculative.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any province in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities issued, or to be issued, under the Private Placement have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the CSE) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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Clearmind Applies for Patent to Treat Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome - GlobeNewswire

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Posted By admin on September 25, 2022

By Rabbi Or Rose

Rosh Hashanah

Ever since childhood, I have been fascinated by the ritual of the sounding of the shofar (rams horn) during the High Holy Day season, particularly the shofar service on Rosh Hashanah.

While I could not articulate this as a boy, I was, and continue to be, intrigued by the use of this ancient, natural, and rather simple instrument in the context of modern, carefully crafted, and complex High Holy Day services.

To this day, I can visualize my father and my brother standing side-by-side, both with their heads covered by their tallitot (prayer shawls), leading our community through this evocative experience.

I can still vividly see my father holding his small, white-and-beige marbled shofar against his pursed lips, waiting for my brother to call out the traditional sequence of notes in a hushed voice from the oversized grey mahzor (prayer cycle or prayerbook) before him. With each call, my father, eyes closed, inhales deeply and exhales with great focus and intentionality into the shofar.

It felt to me that in these moments my father and brother were uniquely attuned to each other, to the yearnings of the community, and to the potential power of this embodied act to open us all to spiritual transformation.

Much as I love to sing, chant, and discuss the liturgy and biblical readings of the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe), the elemental sounds of the shofar somehow reverberate through me differently, mysteriously calling forth thoughts and emotions that are otherwise very difficult to access.

Adding to the power of the shofar service are the many textual associations to this sacred rite I have learned over the decadesfrom the unsettling biblical episode of The Binding of Isaac and the appearance of the ram in the thicket (Genesis 22:1-19, a traditional Rosh Hashanah reading), to the medieval philosophical-ethical teachings of Maimonides, to the post-modern literary analyses of Avivah Zornberg.

In my preparations for the High Holy Days this year, I came upon a fascinating text about the shofar ritual and intergenerational dynamics by the 18th-century Hasidic master, Rabbi Moses Hayim Efraim of Sudilkov (the Sudilkover, d. 1800), author of the influential homiletical work Degel Mahaneh Efraim (The Banner of the Camp of Efraim, published posthumously by his son in 1810).

Appended to the large compendium of sermons on the weekly Torah portions, annual holiday cycle, and other assorted teachings, is a short dream diary the mystical preacher kept for several years.

In the very last entry, the Rebbe (Master) of Sudilkov records a dream he had (early December of 1784) involving his late and revered grandfather, Israel ben Eliezer, The Baal Shem Tov (d. 1760), the first great spiritual personality of the Eastern European Hasidic movement.

Rabbi Moses Hayim opens his diary entry as follows:

On Thursday night of the week of the Torah portion of VaYeshev (Genesis 37:1-40:23) I beheld in a dream my master and elder, my grandfather, ascending the synagogue platform. He took a shofar in hand and proceeded to sound the traditional sequence of notes. Before each set of sounds, however, he called out the notes himself.

The Sudilkover continues by stating that as he watches the Baal Shem Tov, he is thoroughly confused about his own role in this drama:

I stood bewildered as to what I should do, since he was calling out the sounds and blowing the shofar himself!

Just then, his grandfather summons him to the platform, albeit in an unexpected way:

He called out yaamod (arise) as is done when calling a person to the Torah. I went up to the platform, stood next to the wide end of the shofar, and recited a blessing, as one does when approaching the Torah scroll.

Our preacher does not specify what the words of his blessing weredid he recite the traditional shofar blessing? Based on the ensuing details in the diary entry, though, this ritualized exchange with his grandfather was clearly transformational:

Lo and behold, I found myself standing inside the shofar, as a sound came forth from it.

The call and response between the Baal Shem Tovwho was renowned for his mystical and magical abilitiesand Rabbi Moses Hayim, moved the latter from being a bewildered outsider to the very center of the shofar experience. So much so that he was now nestled inside the horn itself, feeling the force of the blast with every fiber of his being as it rushed through the instrument.

This intriguing moment in the dream calls to mind the scene of the prophet Jonah in the belly of the great sea creature, which is traditionally read on Yom Kippur. It is in the hollow of the mighty fish that Gods reluctant messenger cries out to the Divine, and from which Jonah goes forth to the great city of Nineveh to engage the people in a collective process of teshuvah.

Without saying anything more about his wild voyage in and out of the shofar, the Sudilkover continues his narration as follows:

After this, I took the shofar in hand and went to my home, where I sounded it myself.

Empowered by this extraordinary experience inside the horn, Rabbi Moses Hayim takes hold of the shofar, leaves the synagogue, and goes to his own home to sound it.

There is no mention of the Baal Shem Tov granting him permission to do so, or of him even bidding farewell to the Sudilkover. It is, as if, with a wink and a smile, Zeide (Grandfather in Yiddish) recedes, knowing that his grandson is now prepared to carry out this sacred ritual independently, having truly immersed himself in this ancient and mysterious prayer practice.

Surely Rabbi Moshe Hayim studied and sought to apply various mystical teachings about the power of the shofar long before this experience. Now, however, he seems to embody these insights more fully.

At this point in the dream diary, the preacherusing Kabbalistic terminologyoffers a brief interpretation of the preceding events. He states confidently that his shofar performance have opened the heavens and drawn forth divine blessing upon him and many others.

Importantly, the Sudilkover includes two more brief snippets from dreams he had the following morning and the next night.

As night turned to day, I dreamed again: This time, I saw myself wearing a kittel, a festive white robe embroidered with rows of silver and goldit was a truly regal garment (see Esther 8:15).

It seems that our preacher has journeyed in this dreamscape through the High Holy Days. He first sounds the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, and now dons the special white robe or kittel worn on Yom Kippur (and a few other special occasions).

The depiction of the robe as being both white (a sign of purity) and decorated with silver and gold seems to indicate that the Rabbi Moshe Hayim has undergone an additional transformation. Similar to the biblical figure of Mordecai in the Purim story, he dresses in royal garb. While we do not know who else sees our preacher in his finery, he clearly sees himself as a ben Melekh, a person of spiritual nobility (a child of the King, see, for example, Exodus 4:22, Deuteronomy 32:6, Hosea 1:10).

The use of the term regal (malkhut) to describe the kittel also suggests that he feels the indwelling presence of the Divinecalled Malkhut in Kabbalistic traditionsurrounding, filling, and emanating from him (as he did inside the shofar).

Given the flow of the dream sequence, this brief scene seems to confirm the Sudilkovers emergence as an independent and inspired spiritual actor, following in the footsteps of his grandfather and a host of other visionaries going all the way back to biblical times.

Interestingly, Rabbi Moses Hayim did forge his own leadership, one different from his renowned elder and teacher. While the Baal Shem Tov served as a folk healer and an oral teacher, who engaged in various public affairs, the Sudilkover evolved into a more retiring scholarly teacher and preacher, who is remembered largely for his writings.

In one last act of time travel, the rabbi states that the same Friday night he saw in a dream (the third in this sequence) that he was celebrating Shemini Atzeret, the last day of the fall holiday season.

Fittingly, his grandfather reappears in this scene:

Not only did I see myself rejoicing greatly, but so too was my master and elder, my grandfather.

The Baal Shem Tov and the Sudilkover, now both full initiates into the mysteries of the shofar practice, celebrate this sacred occasion together.

Rabbi Moses Hayim then adds a second interpretive note, reiterating that his visions all point to a sweetening of negative decrees (as the mystics refer to it) at this season of divine judgment, of renewed blessing for his people, and a future time global salvation.

With that, the Hasidic master ends his final dream entryand his entire book of teachingshaving taken us on a journey from waking to dream consciousness and from December 1784 back through the course of the fall Jewish holidays.

In keeping with various Jewish mystical teachings, he seems to have extended the period of teshuvahreturn, repair, and renewalto Shemini Atzeret or even to the edge of Hanukkah (which, in 1784, was celebrated just one week after the sequence of dreams) by revisiting his role in the sacred rites of this season.

As we move closer to Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Moshe Hayims dream log invites us to consider several interrelated matters at this liminal time:

What High Holy Day rituals do we find particularly meaningfulat home, in the synagogue, in nature? How are these associations related to experiences with loved ones, past and present? How might the sounding of the shofar (or other practices) open us to different states of consciousness and move us to action? As we envision our lives in the coming year, what can we let go, what requires revisiting, and what can we attend to now?

May our efforts at teshuvah during these Days of Awe and beyond inspire us to fulfill the enduring dream of sounding the Great Shofar of healing and wholeness (Isaiah 13:27).

Rabbi Or N. Rose is the founding director of the Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership of Hebrew College. He currently working on two edited volumes: The Book of Psalms Here & Now: Multifaith Voices (Paraclete Press, 2023), and With the Best of Intentions: Interreligious Mistakes & Unexpected Learnings (Orbis 2023, with Lucinda Allen Mosher and Elinore J. Pierce).

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Taking Hold of the Shofar: Dreams of Past & Future - Patheos

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Posted By admin on September 25, 2022

In the past few days, the Palestinian Scholars Association (PSA), multiple Islamist figures and Hamas issued statements and published posts warning that Jewish religious groups are planning an "unprecedented incursion" into Al-Aqsa Mosque during the upcoming holidays and calling on Palestinians to march to Al-Aqsa Mosque and remain there.

Palestinian Scholars Association (PSA) Social Media Campaign Warning Of "Unprecedented Incursion"

Using its social media platforms on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, The Istanbul-based Palestine Scholars Association (PSA) published dozens of statements featuring speakers warning that Jewish religious groups will break into Al-Aqsa Mosque during the upcoming holidays season and calling on Palestinians to march to Al-Aqsa Mosque and remain there.

On September 17, 2022, the PSA Twitter account published a poster including a statement by Palestinian professor Mohsen Saleh urging Palestinians living in Israel "to double their efforts in protecting Jerusalem and the sacred places," saying: "Though we appreciate your remarkable role, the escalating Zionist attacks on Al-Aqsa and on Jerusalem require more efforts and sacrifices."[1]

On September 19, 2022, PSA published an announcement for its upcoming conference titled "The Sobbing of Al-Aqsa in the Shadow of the Hebrew Holidays," which was scheduled to take place on September 20, 2022, via Zoom. Commenting on the announcement, PSA wrote: "The settlers are planning to organize the largest incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Zionist holiday season which starts on September 26 and ends on October 17, 2022."[2]

Under the hashtag "Al-Aqsa is in danger," PSA shared a short video on September 20, 2022, featuring Ahmad Abu Halbiyah, the director of the Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa committee of the Palestinian Legislative council, calling on "the scholars of Palestine and the Arab and Muslim ummah to act urgently and immediately to exercise your required duty... to defend Al-Aqsa mosque and protect it against the Zionist plots of the influx of Zionist incursion during the so-called Jewish holidays beginning from the Hebrew new year on the 26th of this month until the 17th of October. Therefore, you must assume your role in mobilizing the masses and the Arab and Muslim nations to defend our most precious holy place in Palestine and in Sham, which is the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and do not fall short in fulfilling this obligation."[3]

In another PSA video, association member Osama Fathi Abu Bakr called on "the entire world to stop the stupidity of the Jews and to stop the hateful Jews from breaking into Al-Aqsa Mosque. Al-Aqsa Mosque is a blessed Islamic place that is considered sacred to all Muslims and this action will lead to a disaster in the region. We the Muslims will never accept that Al-Aqsa, which is the first of the two Qiblas [i.e., directions of prayer in Islam] to Muslims and the place from which our prophet Muhammad took off in his night journey to Heaven be threatened... We warn the Zionists that this action will blow up the region and we call on our people in Jerusalem to march to Al-Aqsa Mosque." Abu Bakr also called on Muslims to raise their voices and threaten the Zionists and any non-Muslim who "thinks of breaking into Al-Aqsa Mosque. We would sacrifice our souls for this place... we will give our wealth and our souls for the sake of Al-Aqsa Mosque."[4]

In a video published on YouTube on September 20, titled "The Ummah's duty to counter the upcoming incursion into the blessed Aqsa Mosque," PSA director Nawwaf Takrouri said: "The Zionists, including their rabbis, the government, the Knesset, and all of their capabilities, are planning to carry out the worst form of aggression and to intensify their aggression against the blessed Aqsa Mosque during these days with their incursion and to practice their distorted rituals on the pure soil of Jerusalem and the blessed Aqsa... Oh Muslims, without a doubt, the attack on Al-Aqsa is an attack on each one of us. [It is] an attack on his body, an attack on his female relatives, an attack on his religion and on his holy places."[5] Takrouri then praised the people of Jerusalem, saying they were honored to be chosen by Allah to protect Al-Aqsa Mosque and called on them to "carry out all forms of resistance against this criminal enemy to defend your Aqsa and you are capable of that... defend it with everything you have."

Takrouri called on those who live in Israel to march to Al-Aqsa Mosque "to take part in the honor of defending it." To those who live in the West Bank, Takrouri encouraged them to go to Al-Aqsa through the mountains, regardless of how much it may cost, saying: "You can sneak into it even if it costs you high prices and takes huge efforts." Addressing the people of Gaza, Takrouri encouraged them to keep their hands of the trigger and continue resisting for Al-Aqsa. To the nations of countries surrounding Israel, he called on them to organize marches "from Jordan, Gaza, Lebanon, and from the land surrounding Palestine toward the borders so that the enemy would know that the ummah is present and is prepared. And these marches should be led by the scholars of the ummah, thinkers, intellectuals, and sincere politicians... to disturb the sleep of the enemy and to let it know that we will not remain silent against the attacks on Al-Aqsa." Addressing Muslim scholars, Takrouri said: "You bear the responsibility to articulate, incite, mobilize and to lead the march particularly at the time of lack of significant political support. Your duties and roles are to take actions, lead nations, be on the frontlines, and encourage nations to defend Al-Aqsa."

In another video, PSA featured Naseem Yaseen, the president of Palestine Scholars League, who claimed that tens of thousands of Jews will enter the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque where they will practice their religious rituals under the protection of the Israeli police. Yaseen then called on Muslim scholars, preachers and institutions to "assume their responsibilities during this time and stop the Zionist enemy so that the entire world and the Zionist enemy know that Al-Aqsa Mosque is a red line that cannot be crossed and that requires huge efforts from scholars and nations as well as the support of Islamic institutions worldwide."[6]

In addition to the short videos, PSA published posters promoting its call to Muslims to march to Al-Aqsa Mosque. On September 21, 2022, PSA's Twitter account published a poster showing men carrying the Israeli flag. The poster includes the following statement: "Five days remaining for the massive incursion of the Zionists into Al-Aqsa Mosque."[7] Commenting on the poster, the PSA used the hashtags "Al-Aqsa is in danger" and "the protectors of Al-Aqsa" and wrote: "Massive incursions and plans to blow the horns and slaughter the claimed sacrifices in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Oh Muslims, how long will you remain silent? Revolt for its sake and do not allow the occupation and the herds of settlers to carry out their plots."[8]

Hamas Warns That Incursion May Lead To Regional Religious War

Hamas has also joined the campaign and several of its officials delivered statements warning of incursion during the upcoming holidays and called on Palestinians to march to Al-Aqsa. In a September 17 video, Senior Hamas Official Mushir Al-Masri said: "What must be done by the factions and the people is to continue marching to Al-Aqsa Mosque and to ensure that Al-Aqsa Mosque is the core of the conflict. The Zionist enemy cannot at any given time impose a fait accompli policy to an alert nation and a resistance whose fingers are on the trigger."[9]

A few days later, on September 22, Mohammad Hamada, Hamas spokesman in Jerusalem, called on the people living in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and those living in Israel to march to and take part in ribat[10] in Al-Aqsa Mosque."[11] Hamada condemned Israel and accused it of carrying out a vicious campaign "against those who intend to take part in ribat in Jerusalem and in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to vacate it from its protectors and to pave the way for the incursion scheduled to take place in a few days during the Hebrew holidays."[12]

After making a similar call to the people living in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Israel, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahar warned that an upcoming incursion may lead to "a regional religious war." In a statement aired on Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV, Al-Zahar said: "Al-Aqsa Mosque represents a huge religious value not only to the Palestinians but also to 1,700,000,000 Muslims worldwide... It is an integral part of our religious ideology and national values. The intensive forms of aggression and the accelerating pace in the Zionist Judaization plots that have been taking place in Jerusalem and in Al-Aqsa are considered blatant aggression against the religious and Islamic status of the city and the mosque, and the occupation bears full responsibility for the consequences of these violations and the possibility of dragging the entire region into a full-blown religious war that will end with the demise of the occupation."[13]

Other Calls To March To Al-Aqsa Mosque

Israel-based Islamist leader Sheikh Kamal Al-Khatib published a video on his Twitter account and YouTube channel on September 20, repeating the claim that Jewish religious groups are planning an "unprecedented incursion" during the holiday and calls on Palestinians to march to Al-Aqsa Mosque and take part in ribat there. In the video, Al-Khatib stressed that Al-Aqsa Mosque is a property that is owned by Muslims and to which non-Muslims have no right. According to Al-Khatib, the Israeli incursion into the Al-Aqsa Mosque will reach its peak level "early next week during the Jewish holiday season on the 26th and 27th of this month and the upcoming holidays such as the Hebrew new year and other holidays. Jewish religious groups have called for an unprecedented incursion and also to horn blowing in the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. This is an evil act that Allah detests and our people should detest, therefore, we ought to at least... fortify its presence and perseverance with solid and a permanent ribat by tens of thousands during these days... this holiday season should be a season of Ribat and mobilization and massive presence of people to remain in the blessed Aqsa."[14]

Some residents of the city of Jerusalem have participated in the campaign and called on Palestinians to march to Al-Aqsa Mosque and remain there. For example, Jerusalem resident Khadeja Khuways, who has taken part in the Ribat campaign in Al-Aqsa Mosque multiple times and who has over 99,000 Twitter followers published a post on September 21, under the hashtag "We will protect [Al-Aqsa] with our Ribat" saying: "We should direct our hearts and bodies toward the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and intensify our Ribat as the groups of the temple are planning intense incursion both quantitatively and qualitatively to Al-Aqsa Mosque, so is there a responder to the call of Al-Aqsa?"[15]

[1] Twitter.com/palscholars48/status/1571151847259537413, September 17, 2022.

[2] Twitter.com/palscholars48/status/1571788510079639554, September 19, 2022.

[3] Twitter.com/palscholars48/status/1572178787344621568, September 20, 2022.

[4] Twitter.com/palscholars48/status/1572254266923765760, September 20, 2022.

[5] Youtube.com/watch?v=XWSL6TsysE0, September 20, 2022.

[6] Twitter.com/palscholars48/status/1572148585851805696, September 20, 2022.

[7] Twitter.com/palscholars48/status/1572513446167740418, September 21, 2022.

[8] Twitter.com/palscholars48/status/1572513446167740418, September 21, 2022.

[9] Twitter.com/Moshir_Almasry/status/1571147071440424961, September 17, 2022.

[10] A religious term that means taking part in guard duty on the front line.

[11] Twitter.com/SerajSat/status/1572909122873344000/photo/2, September 22, 2022.

[12] Twitter.com/SerajSat/status/1572909122873344000/photo/1, September 22, 2022.

[13] Twitter.com/SerajSat/status/1572894217931993088, September 22, 2022.

[14] Twitter.com/KamalKhatib1948/status/1572193438937792512, September 20, 2022.

[15] Twitter.com/khadeja_ahmad1/status/1572556799227858945, September 21, 2022.

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Palestinian Organizations, Islamist Figures, And Hamas Warn Of 'Unprecedented Incursion' By Jews Into Al-Aqsa Mosque During Upcoming Holidays, Urge...

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Posted By admin on September 25, 2022

Throughout lifes events, one can turn to their rabbi for encouraging words, a shoulder to cry on, a congratulatory high five (or fist bump) or religious guidance when all else seems lost. Both a friend and a mentor, a rabbi is there to help and heal.

But why do rabbis choose to take to the pulpit? What leads them on this professional and religious journey?

The Cleveland Jewish News spoke with a few area rabbis from the Orthodox, Conservative and Reform movements as to what led them to the rabbinate.

Ordained at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati in 2012, Rabbi Matt Cohen of Temple Emanu El in Orange told the Cleveland Jewish News his journey started at The Ohio State Universitys Hillel in Columbus. While a sophomore, the Hillel rabbi asked if he wanted to play during Shabbat services, as Cohen is a blues guitarist by trade.

He knew I was a musician but I wasnt really into all of it, said Cohen, who arrived at Temple Emanu El in July. Before that, he served Congregation Ahavath Chesed-The Temple in Jacksonville, Fla. from 2012 to 2018, and Congregation Bnai Israel in Galveston, Texas from 2018 to 2022. He first asked me during my freshman year, and I said no. When he asked again my sophomore year, I agreed to learn it all. The first time I discovered that spiritual bend was when we were sitting in a circle at services and everyone sang with me.

Noting that as his aha moment that services dont have to be like those he attended growing up, he spent a few years playing music at the Goldman Institute and taught Hebrew at several congregations in Columbus.

But I didnt know what it meant to be a rabbi, recalled Cohen, who lives in Solon. I took some time after college because I wasnt sure what to do. I had studied to become a counseling psychologist, but discovered the rabbinate when doing some reading and studying in the Jewish community. That felt really at home with what I was doing.

Rabbi Matt Cohen leads congregants in song from the Temple Emanu El pulpit in Orange.

He moved back home, worked in the business world for a couple of years and served the Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple community which prepared him for what he wanted to do, Cohen said.

It got to a certain point where I was married, with a house and wanted to figure out what to do with my life, Cohen said. The real call came from the people I knew. Congregants and families said I should become a rabbi. It was kind of hard for me to admit I should do it. I wasnt even sure if I was rabbi material. But, other people instilled that confidence in me to take that leap of faith.

To a younger version of himself, Cohen said he would explain all of the work is worth it.

Its a challenging job and profession, but at the end of the day, its worth the work, he said. I get to do what I love. Some days are really tough, days that challenge me spiritually, emotionally and intellectually, but those days are outweighed by so many other factors that make this so worthwhile.

Rabbi Noah Leavitt never wouldve guessed a sanctuary would be his office, he told the CJN.

A graduate of Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and a Master of Arts degree in Jewish philosophy from Yeshiva University, Leavitt received smicha from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. He also served as a Tikvah rabbinical fellow.

Leavitt was also a rabbinic intern at the Jewish Center of Manhattan, and later was rabbi of Congregation Netivot Shalom in Baltimore and campus rabbi at Towson University. Before arriving at Oheb Zedek a little over four years ago, he served as assistant rabbi of Congregation Orach Chaim in New York.

All of those experiences make up a journey he never saw coming, he said.

I grew up in a family that was very affiliated but werent very observant, recalled Leavitt, who lives in Beachwood. I became more observant in high school, but of all places, that was an Episcopalian boarding school. The minister there saw that I was on a journey and told me he thought I was going to become a rabbi. I got serious about it in my first or second year of college.

When his professional and spiritual destiny became more tangible, Leavitt said it felt very natural.

For me, this was a natural extension of my growth, observance, interest, awareness and connection to Torah, God and the Jewish people, he said. I found so much meaning on that religious path that I wanted to help other people find it too. I was completely drawn to the concept of helping other people find meaning as well.

Rabbi Noah Leavitt of Oheb Zedek Cedar Sinai Synagogue in Lyndhurst fills multiple roles in his congregants lives.

When he was younger, Leavitt said he considered going to law school but never actually pursued the option. Looking back on those moments, he cant imagine being anything else now.

I would tell young Noah to take this path, Leavitt said. To keep an open mind. The more experiences I have, the more people I encounter and the more I learn, the more I see the different ways people can connect and find meaning in our traditions. By being a pulpit rabbi, you get to be a teacher and give sermons, but also give counseling in moments of crisis and happiness. The ability to engage people in different ways is something I find enriching.

The only child of a doctor, Rabbi Hal Rudin-Luria always thought that would be his path. Originally studying biochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania, he changed his major realizing it wasnt his dream but what was expected of me, he told the CJN. After spending a summer in Israel, Rudin-Luria said he started to think what I would want to do with my life (if) I wasnt going to be the doctor I always thought Id be.

I was then taking a full load of Jewish studies courses, said Rudin-Luria, who lives in Pepper Pike. Someone asked me if I was going to be a rabbi, I sort of said, why not? There were lots of steps to that aha moment. I realized Judaism was my passion. It was what I wanted to study and what I wanted to do in my free time.

Ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2001, he served as a student rabbi in Huntsville, Ala., and New York City; as chaplain at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, the U.S. Navy, the New York Jewish Healing Center as a grief counselor, and at Beit TShuvah in Los Angeles. He joined Bnai Jeshurun Congregation in Pepper Pike in 2001, coming straight from rabbinical school.

Rabbi Hal Rudin-Luria leads one of Bnai Jeshurun Congregations Shabbat Rocks services at the synagogue in Pepper Pike.

It felt right, like something I was searching for a very long time, Rudin-Luria said. I felt settled and ready for a mission. There was so much more to do, but at the same moment, it felt good, settled and simple.

The High Holy Days are about coming home and returning, but you never return in the same way. Youre never the same and neither is the place. It felt like that like a return.

Noting that he is also deathly afraid of blood, being a doctor never felt right to him. Even though rabbis see their fair share of blood, Rudin-Luria said his journey to the pulpit felt like a union of two very different career aspirations.

I always joked that at my bris, I was named Dr. Luria, as the only child of a doctor, he said. Even though I didnt become a doctor, I feel like being a rabbi is like being a doctor of the soul.

To a younger Rudin-Luria, he said to trust the process.

Its a journey, and there are many steps to that journey, he said. What you think is the endpoint is never the endpoint. There is more to do, learn, grow and give.

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Cleveland area rabbis reflect on journeys to the rabbinate - Cleveland Jewish News

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Posted By admin on September 25, 2022

This Rosh Hashanah,one Phoenix rabbi isadvocating for a broader sense of goodwill following the headiness of the past couple of years.

Believers consider this Rosh Hashanah the 5,783rdyear since human lifes creation. Marking the new year for the Jewish faithful, Rosh Hashanah starts Sunday evening and concludes Tuesday evening.

Ending with Yom Kippur, or "day of atonement," the 10 days following the start of Rosh Hashanah calls for self-reflection and self-reckoning,Congregation Kehillah Rabbi Bonnie Sharfman explained. This season of renewal could not only help many return to a sense of normalcy, but should also spur more toimprove upon the world, the rabbi added.

I think if we emerge from COVID without changing without changing our society, without changing yourself we will have lost a great opportunity, Sharfman said. What if we took this chance to be a lot kinder, show more love, more compassion, engage in social justice work and to try to create a society that is a lot better?

Sharfman, who is president of the Greater Phoenix Board of Rabbis and vice president of the Arizona Faith Network, said many rabbis in the area will be addressing mental health issues from the pulpit this Rosh Hashanah.

Weve all suffered and weve all had losses as it relates to the pandemic, Sharfman said. We are experiencing as a society a great deal of anxiety.

Sharfman has been Congregation Kehillahs rabbi since it was founded 14 years ago. She is a 36th-generation ordained rabbiand herfamilys first woman rabbi.

This is the time when Jews come home, Sharfman said. It is a special privilege to be together in the same space as others who are brave enough to make themselves go through this spiritual and psychological work together.

Those interested in attending a Rosh Hashanah service can find an event usingChabad of Arizona's online directory.

Rosh Hashanah:What you should know about the holiday

Reach breaking news reporter Jose R. Gonzalez atjose.gonzalez@gannett.comor on Twitter@jrgzztx.

Support local journalism.Subscribe toazcentral.comtoday.

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Phoenix rabbi wants to spread kindness this Rosh Hashanah - The Arizona Republic

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