Weekly Reflections - Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism

Bread and Counting the Omer

In the Book of Deuteronomy, we read: [God] subjected you to the hardship of hunger and then gave you manna to eat. . . in order to teach you that man does not live on bread alone. . . (Deuteronomy 8:3). This passage draws a connection between the consumption of bread and the human spirit, as it seeks to remind us that there is more to eating than the mere cessation of hunger.

Most of us can fully relate to this concept, and we articulate it on a regular basis when we say, “Oh my God! This is delicious.” Others, like me, could actually “live on bread alone” and be very content. All kidding aside, food and faith go hand in hand in Judaism, and bread in particular plays a very central role (pun intended). Bread not only fills the belly, it also enriches the human spirit. Every culture has bread. Every faith includes bread in ritual practices.

In Judaism, bread holds a sacred place in every single meal we eat. Traditionally, there is a special blessing (the Motzi) that is recited ONLY when bread is going to be consumed. For any meal or snack that does not include bread, shorter blessings are recited before and after the meal.

Bread is also associated with the study of Torah. Our sages saw each as being part of a daily diet for the body and mind when they taught, “Im ain kemach ain Torah – Without flour (dough) there is no Torah.” In other words, physical and spiritual nourishment are inextricably linked.

Indeed, few foods provide more emotional sustenance than bread, and for this reason references to bread linking us to God are found throughout the Bible. One such reference occurs in the Book of Numbers, as God commands the Israelites to leave a portion (challah) of thick dough as a sacrifice from every loaf of bread they eat.

When you enter the land to which I am taking you and you eat the bread of the land, you shall set a portion [challah] aside as a gift to the Lord. . .You shall make a gift to the Lord from the first yield of your baking throughout the ages. (Numbers 15:20-21)

Here, bread serves as a form of daily sacrifice. The word challah means “portion,” referring to the portion of bread that was sacrificed to God as a gift of gratitude. This commandment became a formalized practice, and during Temple times, one twenty‑fourth of any dough being baked would be removed and given to the priests on the Sabbath. Today, Jewish bakers uphold this tradition and tear a small lump of risen dough from any type of bread and burn it while reciting a special blessing.

This simple ritual has remained an ongoing way for us to express gratitude for the bread we eat in a very physical way. Most of us, however, do not bake our own bread and for this reason, this ancient sacrifice is rarely experienced by the vast majority of modern day Jews.

Another bread-related sacrifice which is rarely practiced today is called the “Counting of the Omer.” The Torah commands us to count bundles of grain (the omer) every day for seven weeks from the second day of Passover to the festival of Shavuot. It is a custom which, once again, connects spiritual sustenance to physical sustenance. Today, Counting of the Omer has more to do with cultivating the human spirit than it does with cultivating the barley harvest, and Jews who observe it use this period as a formal way to count their blessings on a daily basis.

We are currently in this period of ritual counting, and among the many blessings we count, bread should be included. After all, our week-long abstention from bread during Passover serves to remind us how much we miss bread when we cannot have it. Yet, our abstinence each year is voluntary. There are countless people in the world and millions in our own country for whom a single serving of bread is a blessing which is never taken for granted.

At this season, where ritual sacrifice and food are so central to our holiday observances, we need to consider ways to translate the mandates of our faith into changes in the world. Perhaps these archaic rituals can help us renew our ancient covenantal relationship between the consumption of bread and personal sacrifice. Perhaps our age old traditions can provide us with a way of addressing the pains of human starvation in the world.

There are countless organizations and causes which strive to alleviate hunger. During this period of the Counting of the Omer, please consider supporting at least one. Thus, as we count our blessings, we can be a blessing to those who are literally living on bread alone.

April 27, 2016

Dear Friends,

We all have memories that we hold near and dear to our hearts. Some may seem more significant than others, but all find their way into a grand reservoir which gives shape and meaning to our lives and influences the ways in which we understand the world.

During holidays, our memories of loved ones who are no longer with us come alive. Through the sacred gift of memory, these loved ones are with us in spirit, even as their absence from our celebrations always weighs heavily on the heart.

It is for this reason that Judaism has a custom of setting aside sacred time for the remembrance of our loved ones during all the major holidays. This sacred time is called Yizkor (which means remembrance). We are most familiar with the Yizkor service on Yom Kippur afternoon, but Yizkor is associated with Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot as well.

This Friday night we will set aside sacred time for Yizkor during our Shabbat service, as we pray that the memory of our loved ones will always remain a blessing to us and those who were privileged to have known them.

L’Shalom–Steve

April 20, 2016

Dear Friends,

This Friday night, Jews around the world will gather with family and friends at their Passover Seders and sing, Dayeinu. The word Dayeinu means “enough,” and the song represents a playful way to celebrate the God’s gifts of freedom, Torah and Shabbat. For generations, Dayeinu has allowed us to collectively articulate that we do not and will not take these gifts for granted.

This year, the Jews of Houston will sing Dayeinu with greater intensity than ever before. This week’s flooding on top of last year’s flooding has caused our community to suffer devastating losses. These traumas have lasting emotional effects as every time it rains, we panic.

Dayeinu! Enough is enough!

While we may not be able to control the forces of nature with our songs and prayers, we can certainly allow these rituals to inspire us to help those in our community who are suffering in the aftermath of the floods. As the waters ebb and the needs of the community become clear, may the words of Dayeinu inspire all of us to act as God’s partners in helping those who will need us.

L’Shalom–Steve

April 13, 2016

Dear Friends,

Passover begins on Friday evening April 22, but Jews around the world begin preparing for Passover many weeks ahead of time. One way to prepare involves the custom of removing all leavened products from the home. This custom is based on the passage from Exodus which reads:

For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove the leaven from your homes … you shall guard the unleavened bread, because on this very day I will take you out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day for your generations as an eternal decree. – Exodus 12:15-17

This commandment regarding leavened products applies not only to the consumption of bread, but to owning or deriving any benefit from any kind of leavened product in any way, shape or form. Therefore, as we begin our preparations for Passover (in whatever form it may take in our lives), consider trying to employ the values and lessons at the heart of this festival in ways that are meaningful today. Here are two ways to apply the prohibition against the possession of leavening:

Donate to the HCRJ Passover Food Drive: Rid your pantry of chametz or any other foods that you feel may help to feed the hungry.

Contribute to the Jewish Family Service Passover Assistance Program: This fund helps those in need purchase Passover products. If you are interested in supporting this annual food assistance program visit the JFS website at: www.jfshouston.org.

L’Shalom–Steve

April 6, 2016

Dear Friends,

In this week’s Torah portion, Tazria, the Torah addresses a wide variety of skin diseases, providing us with a lens into an ancient world where sickness seemed incurable by human beings. These passages in Leviticus are some of the most difficult to read, especially in light of the fact that modern medicine can treat these ailments today with creams and pills. As we read these ancient treatments of the human body, it is truly amazing how far we have come in our abilities to attend to the most life threatening afflictions.

April is National Organ Donation Awareness Month. Please take a moment to watch the following video. It is less than 2 minutes long, and is one of the most moving video’s I have ever seen. It reminds us that we are blessed to be living in an age where modern medicine saves countless lives.

Click here to watch video.

L’Shalom–Steve

A Jewish State and Democracy

Our presidential primaries over the course of the past few months have been unseemly, vicious and at times undignified. The truth is that during election years, candidates on all sides often show sides of themselves which are rather disconcerting for the voting populous, but as our democratic system has proven again and again over the course of our history as a nation, this is all part of the process.

A democracy can be (and usually is) a messy process, especially when there are a lot of voices in the mix. This is, in part, because no society is homogeneous. There are countless issues and innumerable interests that need to find an advocate. Thus, one of the greatest challenges in any democratic system concerns ensuring pathways to inclusion.

During my recent trip to Israel, concerns regarding inclusion in Israel’s democracy were evident throughout the country, but before I share some observations, it is important to point out that Israel is the only democracy in the entire Middle East. For over sixty years, power has changed hands with a vote in a voting booth and not through bloody revolutions in the streets. This is something that we, as a Jewish people, should take great pride in, and it is something that is grossly overlooked by those who are critical of Israel’s politics and policies. In many ways, one of Israel’s greatest attributes as a nation is its democracy.

It might be argued that a strong democracy goes hand in hand with a strong sense of security as a viable, stable state demands the peaceful coexistence of all its citizens. It is here that Israeli society at large and the Israeli democratic system in particular face some profound challenges.

On the one hand, Israel’s democratic process strives to address the needs of all of its citizens. On the other hand, Israel is a Jewish State – which by definition is particularistic and exclusive. The newest poll by the PEW Research Center reflects this internal tension in the statistics it published in March of 2016.

In response to a question regarding Jews receiving preferential status in a Jewish State, virtually all Israeli Jews (98%) believe that all Jews around the world have the right to move to Israel if they wish. Furthermore, most Israeli Jews (79%) also say Jews deserve preferential treatment in Israel. (It is important to note that this survey question asked about preferential treatment in general and did not specify what kind of preference Jews should receive). These statistics point to a very challenging reality for non-Jewish minorities living as citizens of a Jewish State. Arab-Israeli Christians, Muslims and Druze are part of the voting population as well, and as Israel continues to evolve as a nation, it must be able to address these ever increasing voices of diversity.

During my weeklong conference in Israel last month, I chose to spend time exploring the needs and issues concerning a number of these underrepresented voices. I met with two Arab-Israeli Christian college students who were attending Hebrew University. I met with a young Arab Muslim chef and a Muslim businessman, who devotes his spare time to building bridges for interfaith cooperation and understanding among Jews, Christians and Muslims. Each of these individuals was an Israeli citizen; each was a voting member of Israeli society; and while each had a very different story to share, they were unanimous in feeling extremely marginalized in society.

These marginalized minorities pose a major challenge to the ability to balance the values of a democracy in the context of a Jewish State. As these and other minority voices continue to grow, Israel must find a way to respond. Hopefully, the response will lean toward inclusion, openness and mutual respect, for as messy as a democracy can be, it is far better than blood in the streets.

March 30, 2016

Dear Friends,

In this week’s Torah portion, two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, take it upon themselves to present their own personal sacrificial offerings to God. In contrast to the priestly sacrifices, which were commanded in connection to the tabernacle, these personal offerings were unsanctioned. As a result, these personal offerings are rejected by God, and Nadab and Abihu are consumed by a divine fire.

In reading this story in the aftermath of the suicide bombing which took place in Lahore, Pakistan on Easter Sunday, the actions of Nadab and Abihu come to light in a very contemporary way. Many commentators argue that Nadab and Abihu are zealots whose unsanctioned actions represent misinterpretations of what the Torah commands.When read through this lens, we see that religious fanaticism is as old as faith itself. We are also reminded of the fact that the zealous misinterpretation of sacred text only leads to destruction.

L’Shalom–Steve

March 23, 2016

Dear Friends,

Yesterday’s terrorist attacks in Belgium are yet another reminder of the fact that evil festers in all corners of the world. The three explosions that were set off at the Brussels airport and subway station were designed to instill fear and escalate violence in a world that has become increasingly vulnerable.

With the coming of Purim tonight, the Jewish community presents a profound response to such vulnerability. As Jews around the world read the Book of Esther, long standing traditions help us cope with festering evil in a playful way. We blot out Haman (who is the archetype of evil), we laugh in the face of those who plot against us, and we find role models in Mordechai and Esther, who choose not to remain silent in the face of hatred and violence.

Purim may be a holiday of marry-making and folly, but it is also an eternal retort to the forces of evil in the world. It is a means to reiterate the fundamental belief that despite the fact that plots will be made against us, goodness will always prevail.

L’Shalom–Steve

March 16, 2016

Dear Friends,

We often think of Purim as a “holiday for the kids,” and while the carnivals and merrymaking certainly lend themselves to a more pediatric level of Jewish holiday observance, the themes and lessons in Purim are mature and nuanced. In fact, in today’s society, the story of Purim would receive an M rating (for mature audiences) for content and violence alone.

One very violent element of our Purim celebration involves the blotting out of Haman’s name. It is a longstanding custom rooted in the story of Purim and linked directly to the following passage from Deuteronomy, which is read every year on the Sabbath before Purim:

Therefore, when the Lord your God grants you safety from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!
-Deuteronomy 25:19

This passage serves to broaden the archetype of evil found in the Purim story to include every villain that has ever threatened the Jewish people. According to Jewish tradition, Haman and all the historical enemies of the People of Israel are understood to be descendants of Amalek. Thus, amidst the fun and chaos of our merrymaking each year, Purim invites us to consider ways to blot out evil to make this world a better place.

L’Shalom–Steve

March 9, 2016

Dear Friends,

During the early 1600’s, an Italian Jewish composer named Salomone Rossi created a body of liturgical music unlike anything the Jewish world had ever experienced. His compositions drew on both his knowledge of sacred and secular music as well as his command of the Hebrew language.

In order to understand the significance of this publication, one must recall that the use of musical instruments in the synagogue had been prohibited since the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 CE. Furthermore, the rabbis of the time strictly prohibited non-Jewish chanting modes from Jewish worship. Their fear was that Gentile elements would eventually dilute the sacred music of the synagogue.

The compositions of Salomone Rossi challenged many of the rabbinic restrictions of his time. His liturgical compositions included three to eight-voice part settings of thirty-three psalms, hymns and prayers for the Sabbath and holidays. This work was stylistically similar to the conventions of early Baroque music. However, what made this collection so unique and innovative was the fact it was composed in Hebrew for the synagogue rather than Latin for the Church.

While Rossi did not attempt to employ any of the musical characteristics of the ancient Jewish chants, he did feel bound to certain traditions such as the rabbinic prohibition against instrumental music in the synagogue; he therefore set the entire collection for unaccompanied chorus.

This Friday night, we will enjoy a taste of Salamone Rossi’s genius. Our settings however, will include the sounds of harpsichord (which was most certainly not part of the original compositions). We have added the harpsichord in order to make the music easier to sing with a small choir.

It is my hope that as we journey through this worship service together, we will be transported to a time and place when our heritage was being shaped by some of the greatest cultural forces in history.

L’Shalom–Steve

Previous Next