Sadly, this summer all of our rejoicings are deeply tinged by disturbing and heartbreaking events taking place in Israel. The biblical poet somberly cries, If I forget thee, oh Jerusalem! Certainly, this summer, wherever we may be, at work or on break, our hearts and minds must be intently focused on Jerusalem, on Zion, as an entire nation prays for the well being of three of its boys. As days begin turning into weeks, and Heaven forbid, into months, let us hold on to the urgency of this hour, praying intensely, as we did in those first days, for their safe return. At CBI, we will use the summer days as an opportunity to delve more deeply into the Torah, as we do so, I hope that we will keep our nation’s boys as a primary focus in all of our learning.
To begin, we will have several opportunities to learn with visiting rabbis and scholars from Israel, many of whom have personal connections to the CBI community. R. Michael Hattin of the Pardes Institute, a thoughtful reader of biblical texts, is married to Rivka, a granddaughter of old-time CBI members Sondra and Henry Yoffe. In mid-July, we will welcome backR. Aaron Leibowitz, the beloved son of CBI’s own R. Yosef Leibowitz. R. Aaron grew up in the CBI community in the 70’s and early 80’s. Of late, R. Leibowiz has been involved in important innovative work in the field of community-run Kashrut supervision in Jerusalem. During his visit, R. Aaron will share his reflections about this initiative alongside personal accounts of his social and political work in Jerusalem. Towards the end of July, we will also welcome R. Ronen Neuwirth, the executive director of Beit Hillel, who will be here on a family trip with his four children. Beit Hillel was recently founded in Israel as a Modern Orthodox Attentive Leadership forum for rabbis, rabbaniyot (women scholars and leaders) and other scholarly or community leaders. I believe that Beit Hillel’s vision will resonate deeply with our CBI Family.
In addition to these visits, several of our weekly classes will go on this summer, including our Beit Midrash program on Thursday nights and our Friday class on the Mishnah. Please consult Daf HaShavuah (our weekly bulletin) for exact dates as well as other educational offerings.
I wanted to take this opportunity to also suggest a few books I enjoyed in recent months. I hope that the more leisurely weeks of the summer, will allow each of us some time for individual learning and personal growth. The list I compiled spans several genres and themes, with a little something for everyone. I highly encourage us to order these books through our local Judaica book store, Afikomen.
For those interested in literary readings of biblical texts, I highly recommend R. Nathaniel Helfgot’s Mikra & Meaning. R. Helgot was my Tanach rebbe at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, he is a masterful teacher and writer. The book contains several articles about the book of Numbers (particularly relevant to our current Torah portions) alongside other major biblical texts and reflective works on biblical scholarship and Modern Orthodoxy. I would also highly recommend reading the book’s nuanced introduction, written by the great R. Aharon Lichtenstein shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Gush Etzion. A true intellectual power-house and visionary, Rav Lichtenstein powerfully weighs the blessings and challenges of a literary and scholarly approach to Divine writ.
In recent months, I have enjoyed reading sections of R. David Brofsky’s Hilkhot Mo’adim – Understanding the Laws of the Festival. The book masterfully portrays the entire Jewish holiday cycle through a Halakhic (legal and practical) lens combined with primary sources and spiritual-philosophical analysis. I would especially recommend reading the book’s opening chapters which offer a clear presentation of the laws that govern all the holidays (an area of Halakha that is often not sufficiently mastered). The remainder of the book (over 700 pages!) is divided among the holidays and can be read in advance of each of the Chaggim throughout the year.
In the area of Jewish literature, I would urge our CBI Family to become better acquainted with the writings of R. Haim Sabato, whose works have often born comparison to those of S.Y. Agnon. R. Sabato descends from a long line of rabbis from Syria and his family lived in Egypt for two generations before moving to Israel in the mid 50s. His works powerfully describe Sefardi spiritual and religious life as it encounters major geopolitical, cultural and intellectual, shifts in the Diaspora, as well as in Israel, during the founding period of the modern state of Israel. Of late, I read Sabato’s first novel, Emet MiEretz Titzmach (Aleppo Tales), a collection of three stories about Aleppo’s unique Jewish community, during three critical phases, prior to the age of emancipation, during the first and second world wars, and after Israel’s founding.
For those looking for something a little lighter or less traditional, though potentially religiously inspiring as well, I would suggest reading Liel Leibovitz’s recent biographical work on Leonard Cohen, my most beloved Jewish Canadian singer and song writer, titled A Broken Hallelujah. Leibovitz does an exceptional job in focusing in on the Jewish aspects of Cohen’s writings as well movingly depicting critical Jewish milestones in Cohen’s life. I was especially touched by chapters describing Leonard Cohen’s first live performance in Israel as well as Cohen’s spontaneous tour of army bases during the Yom Kippur War.
As we enter the summer days, I also wanted to take the opportunity to once again thank our out-going president, Lois Marcus, for her masterful stewardship of our community, together with the ever visionary Paul Albert, our out-going treasurer, and welcome our in-coming president Irene Resnikoff together with our new treasurer Ben Rose. We are truly blessed by their example, dedication, and hard work.
May the weeks to come bring good tidings to our people, especially for our beloved boys held in captivity, together with opportunities for all of us to grow spiritually and religiously, through our reading and learning and through the performance of mitzvoth and good deeds.