Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

The belief in the Evil Eye (in Hebrew, it is known as the Ayin Hara) has existed since time immemorial in cultures all around the world. Ancients believed that the world was suffused with invisible powers that could be utilized as a supernatural weapon against one’s foes. In magic, the squinting of the eye as well as its gaze, could magically affect the image “captured” by the eye and it is for this reason, the belief in the Evil Eye in all primal societies is linked to witchcraft or demonology. Before there was Madison Avenue, ancients developed a unique appreciation for the power of the image. They believed that if you could control the image, you could enslave your foe, or perhaps even entrance someone you wish to attract! (Strange as it may sound, many of our modern perceptions of the image have not changed that much!)

To understand the meaning of the Evil Eye, a brief word about magic is important. Freud in his “Totem and Taboo” wrote that the attitude that is fundamental to all magic is that the belief that thought is omnipotent. Such beliefs are found in many of the primal religions of humanity. He adds that even the cannibals believe that eating their enemies enables them to absorb their strengths and abilities.[1]

Jung, in contrast, took issue with Freud and believed that thought somehow mysteriously participates in an unseen order in the world. Jung’s concept of synchronicity, or “purposeful coincidence,” is based upon the assumption that there exists a psychical connection between a physical event and the psychic condition that appears in juxtaposition with it. Freud, of course, regarded Jung’s concept of synchronicity as an example of animistic thinking.

Yet, even Freud would admit that the power of belief in magic and superstition can affect the behavior of its believers. Maimonides himself was not overly critical of Jews  utilizing amulets whenever someone was dangerously ill. As a physician, Maimonides understood the importance of placebo in helping people recover from illness—but he cautioned: amulets have no efficacy whatsoever.[2]

One would think that human civilization would have abandoned its infantile beliefs in the Evil Eye and amulets centuries ago. Yet, beneath the veneer of civility, there exist certain strata of our psyche that has not evolved much over the millennia. This part of the psyche continues to manifest itself in a variety of seemingly “civilized,” ways.

For example: Have you ever been in a New York or LA traffic jam? Have you ever observed how people behave when it’s the middle of rush hour, or when somebody cuts ahead of you? How do they react? It is usually accompanied with certain finger gestures and verbal incantations designed to wreck havoc upon the life of the other driver. Though we normally don’t think of this type of reaction as being particularly superstitious, it is. Verbal curses and hand movements galore are part of the tradition associated with the Evil Eye. If you have ever engaged in such discourteous behavior, you have participated in primal religion!

Given the nature of medieval life and the constant dangers people experienced from day to day, it was only natural folks would develop preventive and curative measures and gestures (e.g., hand signs), as well as spoken formulas to ward off the Evil Eye. Among Yiddish speaking Jews, for example, we often hear of the famous expression Kennahora ‑‑ an abbreviation for the Hebrew “let there be no Evil Eye.”], fumigations, the use of fire, salt, horn, metal, the wearing of amulets (often hand‑shaped e.g, the Hamsan), tattoo marks, jewels (e.g., commonly seen by ladies who wear the “Chai”], the application of blue color, the symbols of the number five, and so forth.

Despite the rational faith we have inherited from Maimonides and other Jewish rationalists, Jewish customs and laws have long been influenced by its neighboring folk religious traditions. Many of the Talmudic beliefs regarding the ubiquitous presence of demons and magical beings that are contained in the Talmud specifically derive from ancient Babylonian religion! By the way, Kabbalists–medieval and modern–treat these teachings quite seriously.

The Talmud, for an example, suggests that if one wishes to immunize himself against the Evil Eye, he should hold his right thumb in his left hand and take his left thumb and place it in his right hand, and say, “I, so‑and‑so, am a descendant of Joseph, over whom the Evil Eye has no power over.”  If he is afraid of his own Evil Eye, he should look at the side of his left nostril.”[3] The custom of spitting three times when mentioning something good about a person was believed to chase away the Evil Eye.  The practice actually goes back to ancient Greece, where the Greeks use to spit three times in the fold of their garments to avoid the Evil Eye. In ancient Rome, spitting on one’s children was believed to magically ward off the influence of the Evil Eye. Since the earliest stages of human history, spitting was believed to contain magical powers—capable of creating life itself (see my blog articles on spitting).

The Talmud provides numerous anecdotes about the power of the Evil Eye. In one passage, some rabbis of Late Antiquity claimed that for every 100 people who die, 99 people die because of the Evil Eye. Some sages had the power to reduce to human beings into heaps of bones just with the power of their gaze. This ancient teaching would explain where we get the famous English expression, “If looks could kill . . .” Isn’t amazing how modern society has unconsciously passed down many of these ancient folk beliefs?  Ancient historians of Babylonian religion acknowledge a huge debt of gratitude to the rabbis of the Talmud, who—more than anyone else—preserved the superstitious beliefs and rituals of the ancient Babylonians.[4]

Back to the Present

I am certain the roots of superstition and magic were wedded to capitalism long ago. One can only imagine the ancient business of selling talismans (not to be confused with the tallis) and amulets. It was probably a profitable business—perhaps, even a family business!

Yesterday, I came across an amazing advertisement that suggests the ancient craft of selling amulets has not disappeared altogether from history.

Perhaps in honor of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, rabbis in Brooklyn made the following advertisement:

• Evil Eye Removal $50, Credit Cards Accepted Continue Reading

One of my favorite stories about the holiday of Sukkoth comes from the 18^th century.

The Duke of Manheim asked R’ Zvi of Berlin: “Why do children ask the ‘Four Questions’ on Passover and not on Sukkot? It would appear that Sukkot brings more changes to their lives than Passover does! For example: during Sukkoth, everyone eats their meals outside in the Sukkah, such a tradition does not exist with Passover  . . .”

R’ Zvi answered the Duke’s question with sardonic wit, “During the Passover Seder, the child sees everyone sitting around the table, at ease like free men, and not like a wandering people in exile. This brute fact arouses the child’s curiosity and he asks the obvious question: ‘Why is this night different?’ On Sukkot, however, the child sees Jews exiled from their homes and without a true roof over their heads. That does not surprise him at all; Jews have always lived that way, ever since they first went into exile.”

Freedom for the Jew living in Europe seemed more like a dream, rather than a reality.

As I pondered this story, I decided to double-check the historical records of various different expulsions of Jewish history—if only to satisfy my curiosity.

Here is a cursory glance at many of the wanderings our people have experienced over the last 2000 years.

250 — – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – Carthage

415 — – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – Alexandria

554 — – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – Diocèse of Clermont (France)

561 — – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – Diocèse of Uzès (France)

612 — – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – Visigoth Spain

642 — – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – Visigoth Empire

A member of the western Goths that invaded the Roman Empire in the fourth century settled in France and Spain, and established a monarchy that lasted until the early eighth century. The Arian Visigoths were also tolerant of Jews. However, the Visigothic persecution of Jews began after Visigothic King Reccared converted to Catholicism. Shortly after the King was elected,  the bishops urged him to declare that all Jews must be baptized or expelled. Sound familiar? Now let’s look at some other dates of Jewish history where this same pattern reoccurred:

855 — – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – Italy

876 — – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – Sens

1012   — – - – - – - – - – - – —-Mainz

Note: 1012  – Emperor Henry II of Germany expels Jews from Mainz; this marked the beginning of persecutions against Jews in Germany.  As you can see, by the time Martin Luther had come around, anti-Semitism had several centuries to gestate in Germany.

• In 1290, King Edward I issued an edict expelling all Jews from England. Lasting for the rest of the Middle Ages, it would be over 350 years until it was formally overturned in 1656, thanks to the efforts of Oliver Cromwell and Rabbi Manasseh ben Israel, the famous Jewish leader of Amsterdam. The edict was not an isolated incident, but the culmination of over 200 years of conflict on the matters of usury.

Note: 1306  The Expulsion from France. Jewish wealth was more often than not the main motivation in the Jews’ expulsion from these countries. The Catholic Church coveted Jewish money, and their local leaders frequently used religion as an excuse to rid their countries of the Jews.

Historically, the Jews had settled in France for well over a thousand years, but this quickly changed when Philip Augustus came to power in 1179. Augustus decided to rid the country of his Jewish citizens so he could confiscate their wealth and also solidify his power as King. He used the infamous blood libel canard as his excuse.

I will not go into further detail about the other expulsions; I just wanted to provide some simple illustrations why the Rabbi Tvi of Berlin was more correct than many people might realize.

The various expulsions of the Jews illustrates the morally bankrupt polices that governed the Christian world all the way up to the modern period. The Holocaust would never have been possible had the Christian world not already prepared the ascent of Hitler by promoting the Jew in the most disparaging light.  It is a pity that Christianity has rarely ever practiced the precept of forgiving one’s enemies, as Jesus instructed in his Sermon on the Mount and in other NT narratives (cf. Matt. 5:43-44; Luke 17:2-4, passim). Jews have been unforgiven–even though 2000 years separate their 1st century ancestors. I often wonder what Jesus himself would say to his followers, “Ladies and gentlemen, I think you got it all wrong . . .”

Most modern Jews tend to think that anti-Semitism is not especially virulent in the United States. However, in troubled times such as ours, it could very easily become a spiritual airborne virus. Today, with the Occupy Wall Street crowd, once again we are hearing many of the same type of canards against “Jewish money” that we have heard long ago.

Sukkoth reminds us that anti-Semitism is a disease that transcends geographical boundaries. More importantly, Sukkot teaches all human beings the importance of creating shelter for the homeless and the vagabonds, who more often than not, become the scapegoats for a troubled society.

Remarkably, much of the Sukkot holiday focuses on the importance of hospitality. Despite the countless expulsions of our people, Jews celebrated Sukkoth by creating shelter for all those who found themselves on the ragged edge of life. I, for one, am very proud of how Israel has welcomed so many refugees who have been rejected by their original country of origin.  Since her inception as a nation, Israel absorbed over a million Jews, who were kicked out of the Arab countries in 1948.  Thousands of Druze also found sanctuary in Israel, as well as the Bahai, whose Temple was rebuilt in Haifa.

Israel is the only country that protects the rights of its Arab citizens as well. I would also add that when people suffer from natural or man-made catastrophes anywhere around the world, Israel is always there to offer a helping hand—creating shelter wherever possible. In the early 1970s, Israel welcomed the famous Vietnamese boat people, and later Christian Ethiopians, Sudanese refugees, and numerous other ethnic groups.

Much of historical memory is rooted in the biblical injunctions, “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Exod. 22:20). “You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the soul of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt” (Exod. 23:9). Think about it. There are thirty-six warnings against exploiting the resident alien, who frequently was at the mercy of the host country. Sound familiar?

With 36 warnings against unsuitable behavior toward a stranger, no other commandment is referred to as frequently as much as this particular biblical proscription. Our tradition teaches us over and over again: “You shall love the stranger…The resident stranger that dwells with you shall be unto you as the home-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Lev. 19:34).

Henri Nouwen, the distinguished Catholic theologian writes about the basic essential qualities of hospitality shortly before he died:

• In a world full of strangers, estranged from their own past, culture, and country, from their neighbors, friends, and family, from their deepest self and their God, we witness a painful search for a hospitable place where life can be lived without fear…That is our vocation, to convert the hostis into hospes, the enemy into a guest and to create the free and fearless space where brotherhood and sisterhood can be formed and fully expressed. Continue Reading

Today I received the invitation to hear President Obama speak to the rabbis in a specialized and private telecast. You can count on me listening to him.

However, I think it is morally wrong for the President to intrude upon the rabbinical community this time of the year as we prepare ourselves for two of the most important Jewish holidays. Remember, last year he tried to get us to support his dubious health care program from the pulpit. What nerve! But hutzpah has no bounds, it knows no propriety.

In my opinion, Obama’s agenda is simple: he wants the nation’s Conservative and Reform rabbis to assist him in getting re-elected. It goes without saying that the Yom Tov season is not about making the President look “good” and even electable to Jewish voters.

Our focus on this time of the year ought to be on the spiritual themes of the holiday and the strengthening of our communities here in the Diaspora as well as with respect to Israel. The President’s position on Israel has been disgraceful since coming into office. His pro-Arabist staff has been extremely unkind in the way Israel has been treated and abused. If anything, I pray that the rabbis have the moral courage to speak out against the President’s policies. President Obama is no Harry Truman; in fact, President Obama makes Jimmy Carter look like a flaming conservative.

Bear in mind, he wants Israel to return the Old City of Jerusalem, and return to the pre-1967 borders just as a precondition for talks. No negotiations whatsoever whether Israel should give back the territories. Not a word about the Palestinian “Right of Return” (sic) or a condemnation of a “Jew-free Palestine.” Nope, nada, not a word—don’t forget how Obama has treated Israeli leaders, often shaming them to the Arab world. Let’s not forget that Obama has never even visited Israel.

His behavior is atrocious. I would hope that every rabbi make an allusion to the anti-Israel policies of the present administration. Except for the evangelicals, the rest of the Christian community has abandoned their support of Israel. Israel has become to them passé—refuse to be discarded.

This past year, the President has turned against Israel’s greatest friend in the Middle East, President Hosni Mubarak, a man who more than any other Israeli leader—has kept the peace for over 30 years. After being humiliating in office by Obama, the American pressure forced him to resign. After lauding the “Arab Spring,” soon we will see the Muslim Brotherhood take power after the next election. What does this mean to Israel and the Middle East? It means the end of the Camp David Peace Accords. I want to personally say, “Thank you Mr. Obama.” You  have masterfully betrayed one of the most stable forces for peace in the Middle East. By the same token, the President has accepted the possibility that Iran will become a nuclear nation. He has not done anything to support the oppressed masses in Iran, who are dying to be free.

And in the blindness of Western “civilization” (Gandhi thought “civilization” would be a wonderful idea for the West to pursue in earnest), now the foolhardy peoples of the world are about to create their very first terrorist state—Palestine.

In short, I believe that Obama’s desire to speak to the rabbis is nothing less than just another cynical ploy to win the Jewish vote. The recent elections in Brooklyn must have made Obama feel rather nervous about the Jewish vote. Maybe we are not as stupid or gullible as he thinks we are.  More to the point: Considering his miserable record on Israel, why should we give him another four years?

It is time for us as a movement to make this point super clear to the President. We demand meaningful change, not platitudes about his “love” for the Jewish people and the State of Israel like he made while speaking to AIPAC members this past spring. We are sick and tired of his deceit and his animus toward Israel.

Unless he wishes to apologize, nothing he says will have any kind of value to the American Jewish community. As you know, any kind of sincere show of teshuvah demands a change in attitude, but most importantly–a change in deed, and an acknowledgement that he has wronged Israel and the Jewish people. In all honesty, I still would not be impressed. The leopard cannot change its spots. Continue Reading

It isn’t every day a matchmaker loses the opportunity to make a $250,000 profit just from an initial meeting. But that is exactly what happened to Ms. Janis Spindel, who suddenly found herself stuck in an elevator that caused her to miss the meeting. Ms. Spindel fits the classical definition of a shlemazal—someone who has only bad luck.  By the time she arrived,  the billionaire left her in a cloud of dust. Ms. Spindel is considering suing the owner of her apartment building for the loss of income.[1] We wish her luck…

Someone should tell her that “What man proposes, God disposes!” Besides, every match that takes place really comes from God and not just mortals. Rabbinic tradition has long stressed this point since Late Antiquity:

A Roman matron asked R. Jose: “In how many days did the Blessed Holy One, create His world?’’ “In six days,” he answered. “And what has He been doing since then?” “He sits and arranges matches,” he answered, “assigning this man to that woman, and this woman to that
man.” “If that is difficult,” she gibed, “I too can do the same.” She and sent for a thousand male slaves and a thousand female slaves, placed them in rows, and introduced them to their perspective mates. In the morning they came to her; one had a wounded head; another had an eye taken out; another had an elbow crushed; another had a broken leg. One woman said: “I don’t want this man!” Another man protested, “I don’t want that woman.” She immediately summoned R. Jose b. Halafta and said to him: “Rabbi, your Torah is true and excellent; everything that you have said has proven to be accurate.” [2]

===========

Notes:

[1]  Jennifer Gould-Keil,  “Upper East Side Matchmaker Stuck In Elevator Says She Lost $10,000 A Minute In Client Fee” (New York Post, Nov. 4th, 2010).

[2] Leviticus Rabbah 8:1. Variants of this story can be seen in; Gen. Rabbah 68:3-4; BT Sotah 2a; BT Moed Katan 18b; BT Sanhedrin 22a; Midrash Shmuel, Chapter 5; Zohar I, 91b.

Etymology is one of my hobbies. This morning, I decided to look up the word-origin of  the word, “fool.” Here is what I found:

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French fol, from Late Latin follis, from Latin, bellows, bag; akin to Old High German bolla blister, balg bag — more at belly

Date: 13th century
1. One who is deficient in judgment, sense, or understanding.
2. One who acts unwisely on a given occasion: I was a fool to have quit my job.
3. One who has been tricked or made to appear ridiculous; a dupe: They made a fool of me by pretending I had won.
4. Informal A person with a talent or enthusiasm for a certain activity: a dancing fool; a fool for being a fool
5. One who subverts convention or orthodoxy or varies from social conformity in order to reveal spiritual or moral truth: a holy fool.
6. Archaic: A harmless, mentally deficient person; an idiot.

Well, I think most of these definitions fit Obama’s Middle East policies almost perfectly–except, there is nothing “harmless” about having an ignorant person in the White House making decisions that spell danger for everyone living in the Middle East. Many years ago, when Jimmy Carter was in the White House, a cartoonist once illustrated how three American Presidents contrasted with one another; they were, George Washington, Richard Nixon, and Jimmy Carter.

George Washington: “I cannot tell a lie.”

Richard Nixon: “I cannot tell the truth.”

Jimmy Carter: “I cannot tell the difference”

I suppose we can now add two more American presidents:

George Bush: What does “Truth” mean?

Barak Obama: “The TRUTH is whatever I SAY it is.”

By the way, for those who are unfamiliar with the history of the Iranian revolution, today’s Iranian mullocracy in Iran would not exist were it not for Jimmy Carter, who refused to support the Shah of Iran and allowed the king of thugs, Ayatollah Khomeini, to seize power. The poor Iranian people have been suffering ever since. Thank you Jimmy!  Carter was hardly an ideologue, but Obama definitely is and his leftist policies stem from his Messianic Complex. He believes that his powers of persuasion will mesmerize totalitarian regimes to embrace HIS changes. Such thinking is pure foolishness. In chess terms, one cannot expect to win a game by sacrificing all the major pieces for so little in return.

Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg (former head of the American Jewish Committee) , told me over 20 years how his father once got fired by his Hassidic synagogue as rabbi for daring to speak out against FDR’s indifference to the Jews; for Jews, the love of the Democratic Party’s political policies has possessed almost a canonic status–to question a popular president’s policies is almost an act of heresy. For many of us, belief in the Democratic party has an almost religious quality to it . . . .but that is another topic for another time.

Little has changed since yesteryear; as a child of a survivor, I cannot stand idly by and watch Obama attempt to dismantle Israel. Like many Jews before the election, even I had a modicum of optimism after Obama won the election, but that was short-lived.

After Israel sent President Shimon Peres to congratulate him upon his ascension to the presidency, he received a cold response from Obama.  No sooner did Peres come to town, he was curtly dismissed by Obama for the entire world to see.  Any American President who can humiliate a man like Shimon Peres, Israel’s most beloved left-wing leader, reveals an arrogant character that was alarming. It seems as though Obama’s penchant for supporting totalitarian regimes is more potent than his disdain of traditional American allies like Israel, Ukraine, Poland, and other long time friends. In one of the pictures showing him and the Dali Lama (whom he dissed in October, 2009), Obama is depicted as lecturing to the Dali Lama; it seems to me that he ought to be listening to this man instead. Everything about Obama reeks of arrogance.

Frankly speaking, the entire Messianic enterprise has been one of the great religious failures of history. Virtually all the candidates claiming to possess messianic abilities ended with tragedy for the people who got duped following these hucksters. Obama’s delusions of grandeur are  no less dangerous than George Bush’s stupidity. Let’s wish him the Blessing of the Czar–starting this coming November!

I hope you enjoy the following article.

=================

Washington Times
Surrendering an ally is no strategy at all

Wesley Pruden

Barack Obama has come up with an interesting strategy for dealing with the evildoers of the world. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Surrender your friends, if necessary.

He wants to make Israel, our oldest and only reliable friend in the Middle East, the guinea pig to see whether the strategy works. What appeared to be a minor flap between old friends only a fortnight ago now looks like an exploitable opportunity for the man who learned about who’s evil in the world from a crazy Jew-baiting preacher in Chicago.

The public scolding of Israel and the warning that it must make nice with those determined to “wipe it off the map” are now revealed to be tactics in the plan to make the Middle East over in a way to please the Islamic radicals. The observant among us have seen this coming. America’s true friends – Britain, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Norway and Poland in addition to Israel – have been getting the back of Mr. Obama’s hand from the day he took his oath. The commitment to constitutional government and the ancient traditions of intellectual freedom that make up the cultural heritage of the West have been snubbed when not ignored, the natural allies of America lectured to when not insulted.

We’re told that it’s not nice, and maybe even racist, to notice that Michelle Obama, the elegant first lady who does so many things well, has cultivated her husband’s talent for strategic snobbery. She once conceded that she only became proud of America when her husband got to the brink of the presidency, and in a remarkable video of a 2008 appearance that surfaced only this spring, she told of their visiting “his home country in Kenya.” Unless she was conceding that she, too, is a “birther,” she meant that Kenya is his ancestral and cultural home. This could explain a lot, and it certainly offers insights now into his determination to discard the Israelis in the affections of Americans and replace them with nations alien to the affections of most Americans. Why retain an emotional attachment to the sources of American law and literature when you could bow to the Saudi king and court the leaders of Iran, Syria and Venezuela?

Nothing would please the enemies and adversaries of America – the “outliers,” in the trendy term of the moment – like putting the Jews in their place. Mr. Obama and some of his wise men, particularly in the State Department, which has traditionally looked for occasions to lend a hand to the Arab tormentors of Israel, now see their opportunity to impose a “settlement” of the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians. Mr. Obama finally put his game in play this week when he told a press conference that resolving the conflict was “a vital national security interest of the United States.” Describing the conflict in these not-so-vague terms gives him the opportunity to prescribe any solution, however malignant or fanciful, just that way. The president, any president, must put the “vital national security interest” of the United States first and foremost. Who could argue with that? Continue Reading

Children have an unusual ability when it comes to confronting our spiritual hypocrisy as parents and as adults; very often they get to the essence of the problem as they perceive things. Frequently, as parents, we often fail to hear the questions our young people ask of us; often we overreact whenever we feel that our beliefs and values are being questioned or attacked. Rather than listening with an inner ear, as parents, we often react with harshness and anger.

Sometimes we wish our children were more respectful and compliant, or at least, “mind their place” at the Seder table and not misbehave or draw undue attention to themselves. As any Woody Allen fan certainly knows, passionate family discussions always have been a part of Jewish life since ancient times. Unanimity never has been the goal of any kind of discussion wherever you have two or more Jews together engaged in dialogue.

Passover is no exception to this rule.

During Passover, this thought finds expression in the question of the “Rasha” (better known to most of us as the “wicked child”). Without his presence and participation, the entire Seder would be a dull experience. Here is a literal translation of the controversial passage we read in the Passover Hagadah:

“The wicked child, what does that he say? ‘What is this service to you?’ Note the Torah says, to you, but not to him; because he has excluded himself from the community. He has denied a basic teaching of the faith. Therefore you shall smack his teeth and tell him, It is because of this that God wrought for me in my going out of Egypt (Exod. 13:8). . . . ‘For me--but not him. Had he been there, he would not have been redeemed.”

As a parent, I often have wondered how anyone could call their child “wicked.” The glaring meaning of “Rasha” is arguably offensive. If we are to choose a less offensive title, let us describe him or her as a “Wayward Child,” or perhaps more accurately a “Rebellious Child.”At any rate, our “Rasha” is a person who is a young person who stands perilously close to the edge of his/her Judaism. Without a proper pedagogical response, the “Rasha” may grow up  to disaffiliate as a Jew. So we wonder: Why does the “Rasha” strike such a visceral note? The anger of the father deserves special attention. Why does he get so upset? How could a simple question push a parent to act so violently at the family Seder? Clearly, the “Rasha” has touched a raw nerve in his father.

If my conjecture is correct, the “Rasha’s” question now begins to make more sense, for she/he may be a child who is dissatisfied with superficial answers. The father may love tradition, but he lacks the ability to articulate to his rebellious adolescent child what it means to be a Jew, especially in a modern age. Of all the children who are present at the Seder table, the “Rasha” is asking the best question of them all. Continue Reading

I came across another article about the high cost of Passover products. In Atlanta, a can of tuna costing $16.99, a $5 jar of jelly, and a $6 box of cereal . . . $24 for a box of matzah. The writer of the article quipped, “I felt like I was in a foreign country with rampant hyperinflation. Is this really in dollars? Maybe I’m supposed to convert the currency. . . . It seems we should add another question to the traditional four associated with Passover: Why is this food so darn expensive?” I guess the political photo-op has expended its shelf-life. That’s too bad.

Another friend writes from New York, “The concern I will share today is most definitely not a new one, but it is an issue that comes up every year, and we have yet to find an answer to this dilemma. Why in the world is Pesach food so expensive? The prices of Pesach food products are outrageous. These kosher-for-Passover items, from ketchup, to mayonnaise, to cakes, candies and dairy products are all so much more expensive than these foodstuffs are during the year. Is there any good reason that a box of a handful of chocolate leaves costs the kosher consumer over 7 dollars? Is there a good reason why a bottle of kosher l’Pesach ketchup cost over a dollar more than it does during the year? Why do I have to pay close to ten dollars for a box of sorry tasting kosher l’Pesach sponge cake? Why do we continue to allow food companies to fleece us – yes, fleece us – every year Pesach time?”

Oh, I could add to the stories from the Chicago area. A small package of cream cheese costs $6, a three pound kosher brisket 20% more, Houston, I think we have a problem here. Kosher slaughter houses are kosher for Passover all year round; they are not four star restaurants one could order a prime rib at. When the kosher companies like Streits, Manishegetz, and others charge such exorbitant sums, one must wonder for when kashrut businesses steal from the public, ask yourself an important but obvious question: Why should I rely upon their hechser (Kosher approval), if they are so darn unethical? Dear friends, the Kosher Emperor has no clothes. Another good friend of mine in New York told me that her family once spent $15,000 a week at a Passover certified hotel–where the food was rotten! I went to a once formerly 5 star restaurant where the food was fit for a Doggie Diner. Continue Reading

The spirit of democracy cannot be established in the midst of terrorism, whether governmental or popular…The spirit of democracy cannot be imposed from without. It has to come from within—Mohandus Gandhi.

When Familiarity Breeds Contempt . . .

This past week or so, we heard a most remarkable statement from Vice President Biden that is a sobering reminder of the kind of animus the U.S. State Department has always maintained for the last several decades regarding Israel. Biden went on record sayng, “What you’re doing here undermines the security of our troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. That endangers us and it endangers regional peace. . . .” Frankly, I don’t know why he didn’t blame George Bush.

When Biden was  asked by American and Israeli newspaper reporters to clarify his statement, guess what? Biden refused to elaborate on his earlier remarks. This was no surprise. The Obama administration did not want to polarize the Jewish community at the recent AIPAC convention. Obama fears the political repercussions. Obama has no love for the Jews, they are only a political means to a presidential end. The political opportunist extraordinaire Jesse Jackson warned that Obama would take care of Israel–and he was right.

Even some of my liberal Jewish friends are starting to wonder as they experience their first revelation of cognitive dissonance: Is this a way to treat a loyal ally?

Swing Your Partner Round and Round . . .

Permit me to draw a parallel to Biden’s behavior to a peculiar custom known in Jewish tradition as “Shlug Kaparas” (“swinging of the chickens”). Here is how the ritual goes. On the eve of Yom Kippur, Hasidic and other Orthodox men take a rooster, while women must take a hen. The person taking the rooster in the right hand then announces: “This is my exchange, this is my salvation, this is my atonement. This rooster shall go to its death, while I will enter and proceed to a good long life, and to peace.”

The tradition then prescribes that the “swinger” (this was the obvious meaning of the original term) revolves the chicken around his head. Some authorities say that this should be done three times others say once is sufficient. If you are an expecting mother, it is customary to use two chickens for atonement–one for the mother and one for the child. One last note:  The ritual demands that the chicken must be alive; a dead chicken will not atone for sins–only a live one will suffice.

If I did not know better, I would say that Biden seems to have been quite familiar with this ritual, but instead of using a live chicken, he decided to  use Israel instead. Abraham Foxman commented at a Jerusalem Post interview, [Biden's remark]  “smacks of blaming the Jews for everything . . .  This is probably one of the most serious charges that we have ever heard.” Of course Foxman is correct.

All this political fanfare begs the obvious question: Why now? It would appear that Obama is trying to show the Arab world that they now have a friend who thinks, speaks, behaves, and negotiates just like Yasar Arafat.

And What of Jerusalem?

Obama, Biden and especially Hillary Clinton are experts in double-speak. The neighborhood is in Jerusalem, and the 2009 Netanyahu-Obama agreement was for a 10-month freeze on West Bank settlements excluding Jerusalem. Like a mentsch, Netanyahu apologized to Biden for the embarrassment. When Biden left Israel on March 11, the apology was officially accepted and the issue was diplomatically laid to rest–or so we thought. . . Enter Hillary–a woman whose political aspirations knows no bounds–or political etiquette.

Looking for an evanescent opportunity to boost her public image, Hillary demonstrated once again why she has an almost magical penchant for making little problems exponentially greater. A good diplomat knows when to hold her tongue. Even the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon made it clear this past week that the Jerusalem issue is to be discussed in final status talks. Hillary Clinton’s reaction is inexcusable and irresponsible.

Caroline Glick’s comments sum up calculated Obama’s reaction best:

“First, Israel must cancel the approval of the housing units in Ramat Shlomo. Second, Israel must prohibit all construction for Jews in Jerusalem neighborhoods built since 1967. Third, Israel must make a gesture to the Palestinians to show them we want peace. The US suggests releasing hundreds of Palestinian terrorists from Israeli prisons. Fourth, Israel must agree to negotiate all substantive issues, including the partition of Jerusalem (including the Jewish neighborhoods constructed since 1967 that are now home to more than a half million Israelis) and the immigration of millions of hostile foreign Arabs to Continue Reading

In Israel, I heard they are filming a new movie entitled, “Grumpy Old Rabbis.”

Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv sure looks like he could use a Kosher McDonald’s Happy Meal today. The HaAretz newspaper had a very interesting article how this centenarian continues to exert a powerful influence on the inner world of the Haredi community. His discordant halachic positions continue to send both the Israeli and Diaspora Jewish community reeling. Jews by Choice are among his favorite targets.

Most elderly Haredi scholars are known for their Responsa decisions pertaining to Jewish law. This elderly rabbi has never written a halachic work, and yet when he speaks, many of the leading Israeli Haredi rabbis are afraid to disagree with him. Is it because of his scholarship? Or is it because of his unique ability to commandeer Haredi politics? I suspect more the latter.

Remember one eternal halachic truth: A man may know the entire Talmud, Codes and commentaries and still be a boorish individual.

Readers may recall how Rabbi Elyashiv recently (about six months ago) banned the use of Shabbat elevators, which are essential for many high-rise senior centers and hotels that cater to an Orthodox elderly clientele. This rabbi did not seem to care what kind of hardship his legal decision would cause frail elderly people who can barely walk down the corridor  in the event a Shabbat elevator became “forbidden.” Fortunately, the people asserted their voice and Rabbi Elyashiv backed down on this issue.

HaAretz reported, “We saw proof of that two weeks ago, when two words from him, ‘Don’t compromise,’ caused his two representatives in the Knesset to attack the conversion bill initiated by MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu), which was designed to make the process of conversion in Israel much easier . . .” The ghost of Shammai must be gloating over Hillel, who always sought to welcome perspective converts. Shammai is reborn in the persona of Rabbi Elyashiv.

Unfortunately, like Rabbi Eliezer Shach (whose sour disposition lasted till he was 103 years old), Rabbi Elyashiv sees the Haredi community at war with the rest of the secular and Jewish world. For him, there is no such thing as “compromise.” Unlike the great Haredi rabbis of the past generations, e.g., R. Moshe Feinstein, Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Waldenberg, and Rabbi Shlomo Auerbach, Rabbi Elyashiv tends to focus on the issues that politically divide Jews; he is not someone who strives for harmonization. Under his influence, we are witnessing what has been dubbed as the “Haredi Intifada,” where rioting has been a weekly activity for young Haredi kids that prefer rioting to football on Shabbat. Rabbi Elyashiv has yet to publicly condemn such unlawful behavior.

When we consider the daily scandals coming out in the news from Israel regarding its Haredi members’ behavior, we are reminded of the words of the great Greek cynic, Diogenes, who was  famous for walking through the streets of Athens in broad daylight waving a lantern and announcing that he was looking for a “honest man”  (It’s a little bit like trying to find an honest politician in Washington). According to another legend, Diogenes lit a lamp in broad daylight and said, as he went about, “I am looking for a man.” It is a pity we do not have a rabbinic Diogenes wandering the streets of Mea She’arim and B’nai Brak with a lantern in broad daylight, exclaiming the same ethical proclamation,“I am looking for a mentsch …” We need moral and articulate teachers today more than we need Talmud scholars who lack the ability to correct a wayward generation with a soothing but compelling ethical voice.

Continue Reading

A Morning Conversation Over a Bagel and Coffee

This past Sunday morning, I was having a lovely breakfast with several Chicago Jewish friends at the local bagel and lox haunt in downtown Chicago. As we were passing the creme cheese, some of us started talking about the latest condemnation made by Vice President Biden–and one of my least favorites politicians, Madame Hillary Clinton–condemned Israel for the latest settlement construction, not in the most densely populated areas of Arab Jerusalem but in the Jewish suburbs of Gilo and most recently Ramat Shlomo– two areas that almost all Israelis regard as Jewish as Tel Aviv.

The Heretical Concept of a “Jewish” Jerusalem

The idea of a Jewish Jerusalem really irks the Obama Administration.  Don’t try to confuse us with facts about the city’s ancient Judaic history. Forget the archaeology too. History means nothing here.

The soundbites and tonality of Biden’s attack were pretty shocking. Biden blames Israel for endangering American lives in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in Pakistan. (I am surprised the Vice President didn’t blame George Bush for the quagmire we are now in.) In an attempt to show the Jewish community of this country that Obama is being partial to his Jewish constituency, Hillary Clinton accused Israel of insulting David Axelrod, claiming that Israel is willfully undermining talks with the Palestinians.

True, the Israeli government might have shown more discretion and make their announcements a couple of weeks after Biden returned home to Washington. However, I think using a sledgehammer to kill a fly on Israel’s face in this case may be counter-productive to what Obama really needs to do, and that is–win the hearts of Israelis. Bill Clinton was a master at this technique, but Obama’s popularity in Israel pretty much says it all–it’s in single digits as we now speak. He does not inspire confidence among Israelis. The worst case scenario, Biden’s comments may inspire what columnist Melanie Philips calls, “The Obama Intifada.”

What’s Really Bothering the Palestinians?

Maybe someone should tell our President that even if Jerusalem were not the issue, the problem of Israel’s existence is actually what irks so many of these terrorist regimes. But beyond Israel, Israel’s existence is not the real epicenter of the political problems of the Middle East–it is the fear of Westernization and its values that really threatens the patriarchal house of cards that will inevitably fall. Unless the United States and Europe undergoes a collective conversion to Taliban-esque Islam, these religious fanatics will not rest until every human being in the world prays toward Mecca, while acknowledging Mohammad as their prophet.

A Presidential Progress Report D-

Since his recent presidential election, President Obama has done his best to rehabilitate some of the world’s most dangerous Islamic rogue nations, like Iran and Syria, in the name of “engagement.” How have these rogue nations responded? Syrian President Bashar Assad depicts the Obama administration as “grovelling,” and “weak.” He goes out of his way to invite President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hizbullah terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah and scoffs at the US request that he curtail his relationship with Iran. And why should he? Because Mr. Obama is making nice nice?

The editor of the Lebanese The Daily Star wrote, “The Obama administration these days provokes little confidence in its allies and even less fear in its adversaries.” Continue Reading