Rabbi Eleanor Steinman

If case you are living under some kind of rock, the Winter Olympics are presently taking place in Vancouver.  It is virtually impossible living in Canada not to know this.  CTV is broadcasting Olympic coverage and it seems that nothing else matters, not even the score of the Maple Leafs’ game.  While driving to the gym this morning, I heard an interesting story about sportsmanship and whether or not in the recent blowouts by both the Canadian women and mens hockey team, the Canadians should have stopped trying to score at a certain point.  It seems to me that this conversation would never take place in my homeland, the USA.  If a team is doing so well and is clearly playing at another caliber then their opponent, why should they stop running effective plays, perhaps practicing skills like passing, and generally having a good time?  Sure it is completely awful to be the losing opponent (yes I have been the losing opponent on the soccer field.  Even worse I was a goalie and was scored on so many times and literally beaten up by the force behind the other team’s kicks that my finger was broken) and it is a time to learn some important lessons.  Losing with dignity is equally valuable to winning with dignity.  In a game where sportspersonship is paramount (which are all games), regardless of skill level there is always something new to be learned.  Whether it is enhancing mental toughness on a personal or team level, working on communication on the ice or field, any athlete who doesn’t learn something new is missing valuable opportunities.

This is the same in the game of life, and I don’t mean the one by Milton Bradley.  If we do not look to all of our experiences to learn something new, whether they might be quantified as wins or losses, in the end we are the only one who misses out.

I applaud the Canadian teams along with the Slovakian and Norwegian teams.  All of the players were playing at the Olympics.  That is no small thing and they should all feel the success and the pride of their fellow citizens and hopefully learned something out on the ice, too.

This is what it says in Exodus 26:3 literally.  Most translations are more along the lines of, “Five of the cloths shall be joined one to the other.”  This is the description of the Tabernacle that is being constructed in this week’s Torah portion. 

How glorious is this imagery!  “Five of the cloths shall be joined as a woman to her sister, and the other five cloths shall be joined as a woman to her sister.”  The Tabernacle, the dwelling of place of God in the wilderness is going to be within these tightly bound cloths, elaborately adorned with gold clasps and blue threads.

If only my brothers and sisters in the Jewish world could also see the beauty of womens’ gatherings and egalitarian gatherings together in prayer just as they value mens’ circles.  Then perhaps stories like this one wouldn’t be dominating the press.  Just as horrible, look what happened when Women of the Wall met on Monday morning.

There is much work to be done my brothers and sisters.

In the Sunday New York Times there was an article about addiction.  The addiction that too many Americans (and Canadians, too) have to sugar beverages. Here is the chart from the article.

I’m not entirely certain how anyone between 2-5 could even know what soda tastes like and I realize that I write this from a point of privilege and access to a variety of healthy food options.  I was drinking a minimum of three diet sodas a day.  And I know I wasn’t drinking sugar.  I was drinking plenty of other chemicals though, and that I didn’t like very much.

I recently decided to give up soda in my diet.  It was not an easy decision for me because I was so accustomed to drinking it, and also used it as a source for caffeine (though I was never one of those ‘diet coke with breakfast people.’  I do have soda every once in a while.  I find it particularly difficult to be at the movies and have popcorn without soda.  I’m working on it though.

One of the ways that I am finding success is by drinking sparkling water that is sodium free.  My personal favorite,

I can drink a lot of this water and because it is sodium-free it is fantastic.  I don’t necessarily love that I am drinking so much from plastic bottles.  I have investigated seltzer makers and it seems that the gas cartridges to make the seltzer are quite difficult to get in Canada.  If anyone has experience that is different, please share.

How much soda/pop do you drink?

This morning, over 150 people joined together at the Lipa Green building in Toronto, for what was a historic event.  Rabbi Michal Shekel offered words of welcome and described her reasons for wearing a tallit when she prays.  This introduced time for silent Tefillah so that each person could do what they needed to do.  (Some people were celebrating 30 Shevat, Rosh Hodesh Adar 1, others, like me were there for Shacharit as I will celebrate Rosh Hodesh tomorrow.  Here is a long explanation).

Following the silent tefillah yours truly introduced two techines (traditional womens’ poetry typically written in the 14-19th centuries around the positive mitzvot rituals that women perform).  I was wearing tallit and tefillin which will be the subject of another post at another time.  Members of the community presented these.

Kol Neshama the York University Jewish a capella group performed two pieces.

Then Dr. Rachael Turkienicz taught the community several texts from the rabbinic tradition about why it is imperative to include a multiplicity of voices.  One of the examples she provided is about the classic dueling rabbinic schools, Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai.  These two schools made legal decisions that are completely contrary.  For example, Beit Hillel says you add a light every night of Chanukah to the Chanukiyah.  Beit Shammai says you start with a full Chanukiyah and take one away.  Though they did not agree about legal matters, they still created community together.  They ate together and they married one another.  If tis could be our model within the Jewish community, perhaps we would not have the situations like that at the Western Wall in November.  It was a fantastic teaching.

The event concluded with the singing of “O, Canada” (yes I know the words) and “Hatikvah.”

The event was successful though measuring success is always challenging at an event like this.  Temple Sinai was very well represented as were most of the Reform congregations in the Greater Toronto Area.  There are about 150 or more people now on an email list and it is to be determined what, if any next steps will be.

If you missed the event we hope that it will be posted online soon and I will deliver the link.

Chodesh Tov.  If you’re in Jerusalem I hope you’ll join Women of the Wall!

Check this!  I helped to craft the original letter that appeared in the Canadian Jewish News.

The Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA), on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism, condemns in the strongest possible terms the attempt on Monday night to destroy Shira Hadasha , a Conservative synagogue in Arad, Israel.  The attack comes a year after another attempt to burn down the synagogue and days after an attempted break-in there.

Though the perpetrators of this crime have yet to be caught, this act of vandalism against a non-Orthodox synagogue must be seen in the context of growing violence and fanaticism within the Israeli ultra-Orthodox community. In recent months there have been riots in Jerusalem directed at those who would park in a municipal lot on the Sabbath and at those going to work at an Intel plant on Saturday.  An increasing number of bus lines are segregated, forcing women to sit in the back of busses, and two members of Women of the Wall have been either arrested or interrogated for the crime of wearing a tallit at the Western Wall.

Given recent statements by ultra-Orthodox leaders directed against the Reform and Conservative movements in Israel, and given the atmosphere of hate that results from such statements and actions, it cannot be a coincidence that attacks against synagogue buildings would follow.  We call upon the civil authorities in Israel to investigate any and all acts of violence directed against non-Orthodox Jews or institutions and hope that the perpetrators of these crimes will quickly be brought to justice. Attacks against individuals and Jewish institutions are intolerable in the one country in the world that declares itself to be the homeland for all Jews, no matter their religious orientation.

After graduating from Brandeis, I joined AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps which proved to be one of the best experiences of my life.  I moved into a house on the border of Carroll Gardens and Red Hook at the end of August.  I vividly remember sitting in the cab with my sister.  She was doing what she does best, giving me a pep talk.  We walked into the house and two of my roommates were already there and speaking with the then program director.  We took a quick tour.  My sister was immediately put off by the blessing hanging outside the bathroom door.  I couldn’t imagine what I got myself into and I couldn’t believe my luck as more of my future roommates, there were nine of us in total had opportunity to go grocery shopping for the first time together and begin to set up our community.

Our house had three levels, it really was a building with three railroad style apartments.  There were enough rooms for all of us and because of the railroad nature everyone either had to walk through someone’s room or have someone walk through their room to get to the hallway.  Our first task was to figure out who would get which room.  We assigned each room a letter and then would draw numbers which would decide who got to pick first.  I always thought what would come next would be emblematic of the entire experience.  I was the ninth pick.  I still got my first choice room.

As AVODAHniks we all worked in non-profit agencies throughout New York City serving low-income populations.  In order to understand our clients lifestyle, we lived in voluntary poverty.  Receiving a monthly metro pass from our employers, we needed to determine how to spend our minimal income.  On Monday evenings we met at the AVODAH office and had programs based upon our interests that included Jewish content, social justice and social change issues, and always a dinner.  Wednesday nights were either house meetings, community meetings, mandatory fun nights, or something else I can’t seem to remember after all these years.

At my house we had Shabbat dinner every week.  The work wheel assigned who would be taking care of the meal and together we created the most incredible, festive, song-filled evenings I ever experienced.  We built a Sukkah in the rain, we cleaned the entire house for Pesach, and we laughed a lot.  We also brought one another comfort after September 11th changed our world, and the closeness we felt with one another, though now we hardly ever see or hear from one another, is very special. There are so many hilarious stories, so many fun memories and I am grateful that I got the expeirence.

Now, among the 16 of us there are teachers, social workers, attorneys, non-profit managers, rabbis, partners and children, too.

AVODAH now has programs for recent college graduates in New York, Washington, Chicago, and New Orleans.  As a partnership in the 4th year in 2001 I am now part of a growing alumni network.  If you know someone who is graduating from university and is interested in participating in Jewish life and social justice and perhaps not entirely sure how, I strongly recommend you send them in the direction of AVODAH.  I promise they will always thank you.

If you’re in Toronto, the answer should be coming to this event. 

On November 18, 2009, an Israeli woman, Nofrat Frenkel, was arrested for wearing a tallit and holding a Torah scroll at the Kotel. On January 5, 2010, Israeli police called another woman, Anat Hoffman, in for questioning because she wore a tallit at the Kotel. If this kind of police action had taken place in any other country, the global Jewish community would have accused the state of anisemitism and violating basic human rights. This happened though in our beloved Israel and we must not stand idly by.

On Sunday, February 14th we have the opportunity to express our desire for religious pluralism in Israel.  The event will include a brief, silent morning service and opportunity for study.  Most importantly it will be an opportunity for all Jews in Toronto–men and women–to join in one space to model the goal of pluralism for Jews.

We hope to see you at the Lipa Green Centre for Jewish Community Services at 10am on Sunday, February 14, 2010.  Bring a tallit and kippa if you wear them.  There will be Temple Sinai siddurim available for our members.  Feel free to bring your own siddur if there is one you prefer.

If you are unable to attend, you can view a letter of solidarity and send an email to publictefillah at gmail.com with the subject heading “support” and your name will be added to the list.

I will definitely be there and hope you will be, too.  If you want to know some of my previous thoughts on this issue, click here or here.

Please be in touch if you have any questions.

The past two years have been filled with lots of changes.  One of the most significant is that I now work out with a trainer which has propelled me into a major lifestyle change, lots more working out.  I find that working out more often has really affected lots of things in positive ways.  In addition to being in better shape which is sort of obvious, I also find that I am making healthier choices in lots of ways.  A surprising benefit is that I find that when I concentrate on something during the day after working out I am much more capable of focusing.

The real surprise is when I also take the opportunity to pray on a workout day I am able to connect more deeply with the experience itself.  This might seem contradictory to my post of last week, I am not only introducing in sharing my challenges but also the ways I overcome them, or at least attempt to.

Do you workout?  Do you pray?  Do you find a connection between the two?

It took me awhile and finally I saw Avatar.  I saw it in 3-d and it was well worth it (though wearing the 3-d glasses over my glasses was quite uncomfortable).  The plot of the story wasn’t so unique (yes I do think it was just like Fern Gully).  I do think that visually it was incredibly rich.  I could not take my eyes off the screen or take a bathroom break which was somewhat needed though not at an emergency level.

I do not think that the film will win best picture, though it surely shall win for special effects and probably some other awards, too.

What I don’t entirely understand is, how can a movie that is visually so amazing be so lacking in story line.  It was completely predictable.  The relationships were completely obvious.  I don’t want to give anything away in case someone hasn’t seen anything I guess I just expected a little bit more.

I’ve seen a lot of things online that look at the symbolism in the film and explain it and I just don’t think that is entirely necessary.  It is just a movie.  I don’t expect that Avatar 2 will be make an appearance.  How will the special effects that are so captivating make their way into another film?

Also, with such a dig against big corporations and their means of plundering the world, even other worlds, how can James Cameron, who spent millions of dollars justify this movie?  It all seems a little contradictory to me.

Did anyone else find that it was as though James Cameron knew that the iPad was going to be introduced a short time after the release of Avatar?