Chanukah in Jerusalem 2024

A special city, a special festival -- and here's a 20 minute video to record how Jerusalem, our eternal capital, has marked Chanukah this year. This is another production by our member Heshy Engelsberg (thanks, Heshy!) and it very much reflects his trademark style. You can enjoy it by clicking here. Warning: this is a highly calorific YouTube clip, with close-ups of some delicious-looking latkes and a number of spectacular full-frontal doughnut shots.

There is also a seasonal flavour to Heshy's Old City Chanukah Tour, which you can access here. This video is shorter (11 minutes 45 seconds) and considerably lower in calorific content. Enjoy!

What does your dream mean? It all depends: Miketz 5785

The Talmud teaches us that the meanings of dreams are all contingent upon the interpreter and interpretation of the dream. Yosef had told the butler and baker of Pharaoh’s court that “Dream interpretations are up to the Lord.” Yet he went ahead and interpreted those two dreams accurately and presciently. Apparently what he meant by “up to the Lord” was that the one who interprets dreams has to possess some sort of holy intuition, an inner sense of the person whose dream he is interpreting in order to be able to interpret the dream. This inner voice is a gift from the Lord.

This is true in medical matters where some physicians are master diagnosticians and their inner voice leads them to the correct conclusion regarding the nature of a person’s illness. It is also true for psychologists and mental health therapists. An inner voice must guide them as to how to help the troubled person that they see before them.

It is even true for the great decisors of halacha, who many times arrive at their decision after rigorous scholarship but also with unerring intuition as to what the correct solution is to the matter laid before them. Yosef has this intuition within him and therefore he is confident that his interpretation of the dreams of Pharaoh will be accurate and correct. It is this apparent self-confidence and certainty of spirit that so impresses Pharaoh and thus is the catalyst for Yosef’s meteoric rise to power in Egypt. Pharaoh recognizes this by stating that Yosef possesses God’s spirit within him. Without that spirit, Pharaoh is well aware that his dreams will never be interpreted in a proper light.

 We read in Psalms that when the Lord returns the captivity of Zion “we will be as dreamers.” The dream will require interpretation and that interpretation can only come from the returnees to Zion themselves. And in order for that dream to be interpreted correctly, the spirit of Godly holiness and purpose must reside within the interpreters – in this case the dreamers themselves.

 God provides the dream but the interpretation is up to us and our ability to fathom God’s wishes is the matter. Every dream – even the dream of Zion restored and rebuilt – is subject to varying interpretations. We who live in current day Israel are well aware that there are not only varying but even conflicting interpretations of what the dream of Zion and Jerusalem truly means.

 Holy spirit is required to make sense of the dream and to implement its promise. The Lord presents us with opportunities. What we do with those opportunities is the ultimate measure of our interpretation of the dream. Yosef not only interprets Pharaoh’s dream but he lays out a course of action in order to actualize its promise and opportunity. The healthy intuition born of Jewish experience and tradition can help us arrive at the correct and most meaningful realization or our age old dream of Zion and Jerusalem, peace and holiness. 

Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Berel Wein  

Oh, dreidl, dreidl, dreidl, I made it out of clay

Love it or loathe it, few of us will have missed The Dreidl Song.  If our children never sang it, our grandkids almost certainly did. What's more, it might even have been sung by our grandparents. Published in 1927, it was performed both in English and Yiddish: you can read all about its history here on Wikipedia.

Popularised by Chabad, parodied by South Park and promulgated by thousands of gananot from one end of this country to the other, it has drummed itself into the Chanukah-consciousness of our generation. 

Not to be outdone, our musically-minded member Max Stern has provided his own arrangement of this seasonal earworm. For 77 seconds of undiluted fun, just click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJVfJWTMzeg

The wonder of it all! Though the eyes of a child: Chanukah 5785

Now there is not much new or brilliant left to be said about the holiday of Chanukah, right? I think that maybe many old and grizzled rabbis like yours truly would probably agree with that statement. Over sixty years of writing and speaking about Chanukah should pretty much exhaust the topic, shouldn’t it? But then again that would be selling Chanukah short. 

There is always a fresh insight that illuminates all the holidays of the Jewish year and Chanukah is certainly no exception. Reminiscing with myself (something that we senior citizens do often) about my own life and past, I was amazed that somehow a lawyer from Chicago ended up being a rabbi in Jerusalem. How did this happen? And how did the Jewish state itself happen—not in terms of history, facts, personages, dates, places and wars but in the amazing fact that such a state flourishes and progresses in spite of all odds, past and present, against its existence? 

The rabbis of the Talmud taught that people to whom wondrous things occur do not really recognize those events as being wondrous. It is part of the weakness of human nature to have such limited understanding. There has to be a flash of insight, a commemorative act, a tradition of being able to look past the trees to the forest, a spirit of almost childlike wonder in order for the amazing to truly be believable in the eye and mind of the beholder. I think that this is essentially how we have to look at Chanukah – as the historical event, as the commemoration of that event and of the traditions and customs that so endear this eight day festival to all of Israel. 

Jewish tradition and the rabbis of the Mishnah took an astonishing event that many people would view as being ordinary or natural, restoring it to its truly wondrous state. The story of Chanukah is that of a small and apparently weak nation overcoming a mighty army. It records a triumph of monotheism and Jewish tradition over pagan culture and practices, of the small, pure lights in the Temple that overcame the flaming torches that were far from pure, and of the vitality and resilience of Israel over those who would wish to snuff it out. It is all wondrous—but only if one views it all as being so. 

The rabbis in their holy perspective of Jewish life and events elevated the mundane and seemingly ordinary to the realm of the miraculous and eternal. That is basically the main lesson that Chanukah teaches us: we are a special people who live a miraculous existence with constant wonder surrounding us, yet it is all encrusted in seemingly natural and ordinary occurrences. 

To delegitimize the story of Chanukah and to treat as just another ancient war of the Grecian period is the same tactic that the world uses today to delegitimize the State of Israel and our rights to our ancient homeland. If the wonder of it all is lost and forfeited, then so is our struggle for existence and independence.

Perhaps more than other holidays of the Jewish year, Chanukah is a children’s holiday. Tradition allows even the youngest to light the Chanukah candles, to play dreidel, to taste latkes and sufganyot, to have time off from school and to observe the holiday through the eyes and senses of a child. Children still retain their sense of wonder and imagination. Their world is not usually bound by the practicalities, realism and occasional pessimism of their elders. Everything in life is still new and unexpected, worthy of curiosity and examination. Theirs is yet a magical world, even a spiritual world, viewed from a different plane of perception and thought. 

Chanukah is thus the perfect holiday for children for it requires this perspective: to be made wondrous, miraculous and thereby meaningful and beneficial. Chanukah is not for the jaded and empty spirited. Its candles flicker only for those that see the fire of Torah, tradition and morality that lies beneath their small surfaces. One who is privileged and able to see the wonder of the events that occurred to us “in those days” will also be able to discern the wonders that we encounter daily here in Israel “in our time.” 

Shabbat shalom and Chanukah same’ach, Rabbi Berel Wein

Miracles then, miracles now: Chanukah 5785

Tonight we begin to light our chanukiyot to mark the miracles of Chanukah. So this week we feature two divrei Torah from Rabbi Wein on Chanukah, as well as a devar Torah on parashat Miketz.

Chanukah commemorates miracles that happened to our ancestors in previous times but at this time of year. Miracles are ever-present in our lives and in world events. A miracle, in human terms, can be defined as an unexpected and unforeseen occurrence that benefits an individual or society at large. This definition removes miracles from the realm of superstition and occult powers, making them part of our natural everyday world. It is just simply that events occur of which we were unaware or which we never really believed would occur. This is certainly the case for the miracles of Chanukah. Even though the main miracle that we commemorate is truly a wondrous event (the fact that oil in the lamp should have sufficed only for one day but lasted for eight days), this is not the only miracle that the holiday marks. In the special prayer to commemorate the holiday, we record other wondrous events that occurred to our ancestors at this time of year: in substance, the weak overcame the strong, good triumphed over evil and the few were victorious against the many. All these things qualify as being miraculous even though they were brought about through human effort and were seemingly part of the natural course of events. This point really helps us understand the true nature of what we humans call miracles. 

Our holiday prayer acknowledges the miracles that the Lord performed for us long ago in our struggles and wars against the Greeks. We understand that, in all wars, unforeseen events occur and that, both on the level of the individual soldier and of the general outcome of the war, there is adequate scope for people to feel that miracles occurred. However, on a deeper level I think that the fact that the small band of Jews who were still devoted to Jewish tradition and Torah values actually went to war for their spiritual survival is itself to be judged as being miraculous. Good people are often peace-loving, being averse to violence and certainly war. The good therefore tend to let themselves be persecuted and intimidated by evil forces rather than stand up and fight for their values and their survival. Chanukah teaches that there are times when our survival spiritually as a people – as the chosen people – depends on our willingness to fight for our cause and our future. When that happens, it is natural to feel that this is all part of the rational world which we supposedly inhabit. However, again on a deeper level I think that such a response borders on the miraculous and that the prayers of this holiday reflect this in a most positive and clear fashion. 

We too live in miraculous times. There is no other way that we can characterize the events of the past century of Jewish life except by recognizing the miraculous and even supernatural guidance that has steered us through this turbulent period. We are living examples of the Talmud’s statement that one who experiences miracles does not recognize the course of events as being especially miraculous. But, based on rational expectations and patterns of history, no event that has befallen the Jewish people over the past century can be considered normal or rational. One such event is that, through the presence of the state of Israel, the Jewish people rose up to defend their faith and national destiny and, for the first time in millennia, actually took up arms to defeat enemies who sought our destruction. This is part of the story of age-old miracles that are relevant and alive in our time too. The message of this holiday is subtle and enduring. We should be cognizant of our miraculous status and be grateful to the Almighty for having allowed us to see this as we participate in our own modern ongoing miracle. 

Shabbat shalom and Chanukah same’ach, Rabbi Berel Wein

Gevalt! It's Gevura

 Last Wednesday, in partnership with OU Israel, we hosted our Yom Iyun in preparation for Chanuka. This event, appropriately branded 'Gevura', was an intensive morning program on Jewish heroism from the time of the Chashmonaim until today. A full house was treated to five presentations, including contributions from our own two rabbis, Rabbi Wein (see photo on the right) and Rabbi Kenigsberg. 

If you could not attend the Yom Iyun—or did attend it but want to relive the experience—we are now delighted to be able to share with you the links to the five presentations. They are as follows:

“The flames of history and the light of destiny”, Rabbi Yaakov Glaser here

“Chanuka—a celebration of the power of Torah”, Rabbi Anthony Manning here

“Service and sacrifice—the heroism in life and death of Maoz Morell”, Eitan and Varda Morell here

“Total victory? The miracle and meaning of Chanuka”, Rabbi Joel Kenigsberg here

Rabbi Berel Wein’s closing remarks here

*****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****     *****

Since posting the above, we have received a personal account by our member Pessy Krausz, who attended Gevura. She shares with us the following impressions:

Rabbi Joel Konigsberg, opening this event before an eager audience of participants in our increasingly packed hall, commented that, in contrast to other festivals, we celebrate Chanukah during the darkest, coldest nights of the year. We celebrate our progression out of the darkness of living under pressure to assimilate, into the light of our victory of resistance. Finally to find pure oil after an arduous hunt for it was like receiving a kiss from Hashem. And we too felt our hearts touched by inexplicable miracles in our Swords of Iron wartime situation.

Rabbi Yaacov Glaser followed with a lively presentation backed by a superb handout, The Menorah of Chanukah: The Flames of history & the Light of Destiny. He commented on Aaron’s special role in lighting the Menorah and focused on it as a transcendental, universal symbol. On Pesach we are defensive, running away from enemies; on Shavuot we accept the Torah. Then on Chanukah we show how we initiate. Refusing to accept our Temple’s defilement, we courageously search for pure oil. Small wonder then, that Israel bravely does not accept what others impose on us.

Rabbi Anthony Manning, backed by a well-researched handout, Halachic and Hashkafot Issues in Contemporary Society; Chanukah: a Celebration of the Power of the Torah, opened a fascinating window into the Book of the Maccabees. This work describes how the Jewish people, despite being so few in number, were roused to face their many enemies, this being reminiscent of our combat situation in the current Swords of Iron campaign. Chanukah is also a time of transition from reliance on prophecy to the era of the Chachamim, our Elers, achieving continuity while transmitting the ‘Light of the Torah’ throughout the generations.

Rabbi Berel Wein focused on the brave Nachum Gam Zu, whose name reflected his famous saying, “Gam Zu LeTovah” (“Even this is for the Good”). Maintaining this attitude though he experienced enormous physical suffering and the dangerously imminent arrival of brutal Roman soldiers. When faced with the likely collapse of his flimsy house, Nachum Gam Zu refused to leave saying, “While ever I am here there, my place will remain intact”. Rabbi Wein compared this to the security of Medinat Yisrael. While ever we are here, our country will remain intact. Most of the audience, being olim themselves, clearly share the view that we are partners in securing the safety of our beloved country.

Varda and Eitan Morell then movingly described the gevura of their son Staff Sargent Maoz Morell, who tragically succumbed to wounds sustained fighting in Gaza. Despite being a person of few words, he nevertheless left a heritage through his practical deeds. One of the sayings he had shared with soldiers under him one has been converted to a sticker that recalled the few calls his parents were able to make to him. His response (roughly translated from the Hebrew) was “All’s well with me – That’s it – My update!” Said his mother: “Maoz was killed as a hero fighting our enemies … because of people like him, going and doing what they need to be doing, they’re making sure that something like what happened with the Nazis will never be able to happen again”.

Indeed, “Never again”, the participants murmured.

In sum, this Yom Iyun has given us the courage to face traumatic events while being more aware than ever of the miracles of Chanukah. We’ll endure and win together with insight, Gevura and, dare we say, Latkes!  L’Chaim! Am Yisrael Chai!

Praying for rain: here's the text

During times when Israel is afflicted by a shortage of rain, the prayer of V'aneinu borei olam is recired. This prayer is found in most siddurim published in Israel and is inserted into the Shema Koleinu blessing in the Shacharit Amidah.

Some members of Beit Knesset Hanassi, who daven with precious and much-loved siddurim that came on aliyah with them from distant shores, have found that V'aneinu Borei Olam is not in their siddur, or is tucked away somewhere in the back where it's difficult to find, so we have posted it here:

וַעֲנֵנוּ בּוֹרֵא עוֹלָם בְּמִדַּת רַחֲמֶיךָ, בּוֹחֵר בְּעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְהוֹדִיעַ גָּדְלוֹ וְהַדְרַת כְּבוֹדוֹ. שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִלָּה, תֵּן טַל וּמָטָר לִבְרָכָה עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה, וְשַׂבַּע אֶת הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ מִטּוּבֶךָ, וּמַלֵּא יָדֵינוּ מִבִּרְכוֹתֶיךָ וּמֵעֹשֶׁר מַתְּנַת יָדֶךָ. שָׁמְרָה וְהַצִּילָה שָׁנָה זוֹ מִכָּל דָּבָר רָע, וּמִכֹּל מִינֵי מַשְׁחִית וּמִכָּל מִינֵי פוּרְעָנוּת, וַעֲשֵׂה לָהּ תִּקְוָה וְאַחֲרִית שָׁלוֹם. חוּס וְרַחֵם עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל תְּבוּאָתָהּ וּפֵרוֹתֶיהָ, וּבָרְכָהּ בְּגִשְׁמֵי רָצוֹן, בְּרָכָה וּנְדָבָה וְחַיִּים וָשֹׂבַע וְשָׁלוֹם, כַּשָּׁנִים הַטּוֹבוֹת. וְהָסֵר מִמֶּנּוּ דֶּבֶר וְחֶרֶב וְרָעָב, וְחַיָּה רָעָה וּשְׁבִי וּבִזָּה, וְיֵצֶר הָרָע, וָחֳלָיִים רָעִים וְקָשִׁים וּמְאֹרָעוֹת רָעוֹת וְקָשׁוֹת. וּגְזוֹר עָלֵינוּ גְּזֵרוֹת טוֹבוֹת מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, וְיָגֹלּוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ עַל מִדּוֹתֶיךָ וְתִתְנַהֵג עִם בָּנֶיךָ בְּמִדַּת רַחֲמִים, וְקַבֵּל בְּרַחֲמִים וּבְרָצוֹן אֶת תְּפִלָּתֵנוּ

May Hashem in His infinite mercy grant our prayer.

Today’s turmoil—and what caused it: Rabbi Wein

In this, the seventh lecture in the series “The Jewish World 1880-1914”, Rabbi Wein focused on “Zionism, Socialism and Tradition”, looking at concepts and philosophies rather than geographical considerations. He actually structured his lecture around not two but three mainly Jewish movements that opposed the continued existence of Jewish life: Zionism, Marxism and Secularism. All three of these movements, he noted, are still around today but exercise a much lower level of influence on traditional Judaism than was the case a century or more ago.

Jews have always had a utopian, messianic world view: while this is the mainstream view, it was not share by Rambam. In his view, the messianic era would provide for is a world that continues much as it always has done. There will be no messianic revolution; instead, there will be an independent Jewish state, freed from the shackles of foreign domination. This view is in stark contrast with the world promised by the prophet Yishayahu, a world in which there will be no wars or illnesses, a world in which the lion lies down with the lamb. For Rambam this is all allegory: if the lion lies down with the lamb, quipped Rabbi Wein, the result will be lamb chops. Rambam’s view was not, and is not, popular. The traditional view was always optimistic, only to be eternally disappointed. Jewish religious leaders could offer no solution to our problems except to tell us to “grin and bear it, keep on praying—and wait”. This advice had been accepted for 1,800 years, but many felt that, at the end of the 19^th century, this was simply not good enough: many Jews were disappointed with false promises and fake messiahs.

Many traditionalists gave up waiting for messiah and looked at three possible substitutes:

1.      Secularism: the secularists held no belief in God or Heaven, rejecting the prospects of a world to come and of an afterlife. Up till then, even among traditionalists there were varying degrees of personal observance—but hitherto there had been no official movement away from God and religion. In the wake of the secularist movement, entire generations of pure secularists were born, scientifically oriented and holding the belief that utopia would be achieved only through knowledge. In the 19^th century, scholars believed they could achieve ultimate knowledge. Now, Rabbi Wein noted, they accept that, the more they know, the less they know.

How did this secularism affect the Jewish world? It began with the growth of the Haskalah, with acculturated Jews asking: “How can you be in the modern world without music, literature, art?” Kashrut and Shabbat were jettisoned on the basis that they had no relevance in modern world, being replaced by goals such as gaining entry to universities where people could obtain a truly secular understanding of the modern world in which they lived--a scientific world.

2.    Socialism and Marxism. In 1846, a Jewish apostate, Karl Marx, came up with a new philosophy based on the premise that all human history reflected class struggle, not national or religious differences. Religion, in his view, was the opium of the people, comforting the masses and deadening their sensitivity to reality so that they should be better equipped to accept the poverty and hardship under which they lived. Marx maintained that society, not individuals, should own the means of production—even though this was against human nature, which is to be acquisitive.

Communism, Rabbi Wein pointed out, is the ultimate utopianism. but 200 years of experience have demonstrated its failure in practice. Many Jews loved it—and regarded it as their second Talmud, being the only people to make it work in the form of Israel’s early kibbutzim. Kibbutz life was built upon the maxim of “to each according to his needs, from each according to his ability”—the ultimate utopian ideal. Marxism is ultimately a cruel philosophy because of its belief that the end justifies the means, this being an invitation to dispose ruthlessly of one’s opponents, as has been done by Stalin and Chairman Mao. The Left is still strong in Israel, Rabbi Wein concluded, but socialism is not as pernicious as it once was: the Histadrut no longer owns the country.

3.       Zionism: in all of its forms, this is a highly complicated doctrine. At heart it is an intrinsically religious idea, that of Jews returning to an ancient homeland. But it was sold to prospective adherents as a species of nationalism, not as a religious ideal and, in doing so, it encountered great opposition from Jews in the religious, secular and Marxist sectors. The great achievement of Zionizm has been to keep secular Jews within Israel and to accommodate their secularism.

Divisions within the ranks of Zionism were apparent when the British Secretary of State, Lord Palmerston offered Theodore Herzl the chance to establish a Jewish state in Uganda. Herzl welcomed this offer, but European Zionists were aghast: even though many of them were secularists or Marxists, this was unacceptable to them.

The religious community opposed Zionism because it was seen as nationalist and anti-religious. Charedim are still fighting this battle, even though the State of Israel is 77 years old and 8 million Jews live here. But now there is also the phenomenon of Religious Zionism – Eretz Yisrael al pi Torat Yisrael – and the concept of Zionism as we know it today embraces even religious socialists and their kibbutzim.

Rabbi Wein concluded by asking: “How do we deal with residue of the turmoil of the 19^th century that continues today?” He confessed that he had no answer.

Singing through the generations

Jerusalem’s Dorot Choir has become a cultural fixture in the Holy City. Led and inspired by Hadassah ('Dassie') Jacobs, it is truly inter-generational and boasts an impressive collection of grandmothers and great-grandmothers among its members. The choir’s concert performances are much appreciated by their women-only audiences and tickets are rapidly snapped up when they go on sale.

Being a member of Dorot is not all fun and games. Each concert performance is the product of persistence in practice and of patience in rehearsals when striving for perfection. Week after week, whatever the weather, sopranos, mezzos and contraltos gather together to run through a large repertoire with Jewish themes--mostly penned by Dassie herself 

Listen to the Dorot Choir and you will hear the combined efforts of some 40 women, of whom eight—that’s a full one-fifth of the choir—are members of Beit Knesset Hanassi. Come and support them at their next concert at the Begin Heritage Center on Monday 20 January 2025 (see poster on the right for details).

Not just for Chanukah: donuts, scones and a bit of apocrypha

The Festival of Lights—and incidentally the only one of our ancient festivals to commemorate an event that took place in Israel—is a time for celebration and this inevitably involves finding something to eat. For most Ashkenazim the word “Chanukah” brings to mind an immediate thought of donuts/doughnuts (sufganiyot) and latkes (levavot), though the Shulchan Aruch (670:2, per the Rema) recommends cheese—it being a milky product that Judith deployed for killing Holofernes by making him sleepy so that she could cut off his head [see note at end of this post for more information].

Our member Gita Freud has shared with us two recipes which, she points out, don’t have to be eaten only on Chanukah because they work just as well throughout the year. The first, for all the year with the exception of Pesach, is for scones:

Ingredients

1 lb (454 gm) flour (Gita prefers the pre-sifted)
4 tsp baking powder  
2 oz (57 gm) sugar
3 oz (85 gm) butter
2 eggs
Approximately half a cup milk
Approximately 2-3 oz (57-85 gm) raisins or sultanas—or even chocolate chips

Method

Pre-heat oven to 175 Celsius.
Mix the dry ingredients with the butter to a crumbly mixture.
Add the eggs and the milk.
Mix till all the ingredients come together into a smooth ball.
Roll out to about 1 cm (0.4 in.) thick.
Cut into small rounds.
Bake at 175 degrees for 12 minutes.

Serving recommendation

Cut in half and spread with strawberry jam and a dollop of whipped cream.

So much for scones—which are apparently the talk of the town after they made a dramatic impact earlier this month at the Women’s League Membership Tea. Now for the doughnuts or, as some folk prefer, donuts. 

First, a word about words and spellings. The first use of the English spelling 'doughnut' dates back to 1809 in relation to small nut-shaped balls of fried dough; the currently popular toroidal shape was not known till the 20th century. The spelling 'donut', now almost universal in the USA, was rarely used before 1950 but became prevalent following the establishment and rapid growth of the Dunkin' Donuts franchise. The Hebrew word sufganiyah is however of nobler pedigree: it can be traced back to Mishnaic times when the word sufganin was used to describe cakes made with a spongy dough (Challah 1:4. Curiously the word is only found in the plural, proof that you can't get away with eating just one of them). 

Here’s a recipe for doughnuts with אשל (which translates in my dictionary into “tamarisk” but turns out to be another term for leben, a food or drink made from fermented milk: see Wikipedia here). 

Ingredients

2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 containers of אשל
1 cup sugar
Drop of vanilla essence

Method

Mix all ingredients together.
Use an oily spoon to drop teaspoons into hot oil to fry.
Serve sprinkled with sugar.

Note: This comes from the Book of Judith, which is not part of Tanach but is included in the apocrypha, a collection of non-canonical writings that also features the Books of the Maccabees. The Book of Judith is the story of a Jewish widow who murders the Assyrian general Holofernes to save her town from invasion. When Holofernes sieges the city of Bethulia (sometimes identified with Shechem), Judith seduces the general and murders him in his sleep. The assassination, which gives the Israelites the advantage they need to defeat the Assyrian, inspired a famous painting by the Italian master Caravaggio which we show here.

Serenity -- a reality or just an aspiration? Vayeshev 5785

Yaakov settles in the Land of Israel, the Land of Canaan, the land of his forefathers. In that first sentence of this week’s parsha lies the hope of Yaakov and of all his descendants. Rashi, quoting the Midrash, states that Yaakov wanted to rest from his earlier troubles and remain serene and at peace for the balance of his life. This is a natural human wish and desire. But the troubles of Yaakov are not over by any means. 

The incident of the dispute and resultant tragedy of Yosef and his brothers will erase any hope of Yaakov being able to remain serene and at peace with himself. The truth of Jewish history indicates that the years of serenity of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel were relatively few and far between. We always thought that the creation of our national home in the Land of Israel would be the ultimate panacea for Jewish life. 

Herzl promised that anti-Semitism would disappear with the creation of an independent Jewish state. Tragically, history has shown the case certainly to be otherwise. In fact, the Jewish state has in many respects exacerbated the campaign of anti-Semitism in today’s world. The longing for serenity oftentimes blinds people to unpleasant realities and forthcoming dangers. 

Yaakov is aware of the problem between Yosef and his brothers, but he is not proactive in preventing the violence that lies below the surface of this dispute. His desire to rest and settle in peace in the Land of Israel – simply to be left alone by all of his neighbors and potential enemies – essentially prevents him from attempting to prevent the civil war brewing in his house. 

The Lord is critical, so to speak, of Yaakov’s desire for serenity at all costs. Serenity is in the World to Come and not in this world of problems and challenges. 

The Jewish community here in Israel desires peace and serenity at almost all cost. The desire is so strong that it has led to a great dispute between different sections of Israeli society. The desire for peace overwhelms all other issues and creates great rivers of division and even violence amongst us. 

The desire for peace and serenity has sucked all the oxygen out of the other issues of Israeli life. In pursuing a goal that may currently be beyond our abilities, we abandon the opportunity to truly achieve success with the more mundane challenges that face us. 

Ben Gurion, not noted for his great piety, said that there are certain issues that will have to be left to messianic times for permanent solution. Undoubtedly, he meant that certain problems do not lend themselves to resolve currently. We are entitled to aspire for serenity and peace, but not at the expense of the realities and dangers that face us. Yaakov’s example remain an important lesson for us as well in our present challenges and difficulties. 

Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Berel Wein 

When the lion roars, we question our values

 Here, thanks to our member Max Stern, is a cantata which he composed for his students at Ariel University and which is based on the haftarah that accompanies this week's parashah, Vayeshev. 

This haftarah, explains Max, features extracts from a prophecy by Amos that condemns the value system that led to our exile -- the same scale of values that led to Joseph's brothers selling him to the Ishamelites for "a pair of shoes". 

Below you will find a link to a performance of this cantata by Max and his students. The first four minutes make for tough listening, before it transitions to a more lyrical theme with a subtly hypnotic effect. 

The text is based on Amos 3:1-2 and 3:6-8.

For the link to the cantata click here.

For an explanation of this haftarah on My Jewish Learning click here.