Category Archives: Talmud

This weekend leads us into July, and Independence Day celebrations will be aplenty! While all branches of the Delaware County District Library will be closed Sunday and Monday for the holiday, well still be out and about in the community. Look for the annual appearance of the Book Cart Brigade going through downtown Ostrander during its Independence Day parade. The drill team always has a fun time and shows off their coordinated moves.

Another celebration that is recognized in the month of July that you may not know about is Muslim-American Heritage Month. States, counties, and local municipalities across the United States celebrate and honor the contributions and integral role of Muslim Americans in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.

For several years now, a local patron to the Delaware County District Library has offered a program to teens in the area called The Art of Henna. Delaware County resident Renuka Bhatt invites teens to casually drop in during the program to have a special henna design drawn on their hand while Renuka shares how and why henna body art is used around the world.

As explained by the International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention (IJHSSI), henna is one of the oldest cosmetic ingredients in the world and can be traced with written records as far back as 2,500 years. Its an important part of Islam as it is used in various events, especially weddings, with the leaves used to dye finger nails, make drawings or decorations on the palms and soles of the feet, and dye hair. The use of henna has also been adopted by Hindus and Buddhists, with the use of henna for decorations spreading to most parts of the Muslim world and India.

Come and visit with Renuka on Wednesday, July 6, at 4 p.m. in the Orange Branch Library Teen Zone, and on Thursday, July 14, at 2 p.m. in the Delaware Main Library Community Room. Each program lasts 90 minutes, and teens are welcome to stop in at any point during the session. No reservations are required. Were excited to have the community learn a bit more about our nextdoor neighbors as well as our global neighbors.

This week, lets take a look at some of the biographies and memoirs of the religious communities from around the world that you may have missed.

The Spiritual Mandela: Faith and Religion in the Life of Nelson Mandela by Dennis Cruywagen. A richly detailed and thought-provoking exploration of Nelson Mandelas spiritual life and the relationship between his religious experiences and his politics. This story shows a personal, relatably human side of a revered figure searching for meaning just like the rest of us.

If All the Seas Were Ink by Ilana Kurshan. A reflective and engaging description of author Ilana Kurshans experiences with daf yomi, a multi-year commitment to daily Talmud study, and how it serves as a grounding ritual during chaotic times. Explore the moving portrait Kurshan paints of belonging to a worldwide network of fellow readers who read the same page every day. For the unfamiliar, each new daf yomi cycle takes more than seven years to complete, with the next cycle set to begin on June 8, 2027.

Unashamed: Musings of a Fat, Black Muslim by Leah Vernon. The moving and candid memoir of social media influencer Leah Vernon, where she reflects on her relationship with her Muslim identity and the ways it intersects with self-image, self-expression, racism, sexism, and trauma. Youll find it has a comfortable, conversational tone alongside a unique perspective Vernon provides at the intersections of her multitude of identities.

Stranger in a Strange Land: Searching for Gershom Scholem and Jerusalem by George Prochnik. A compelling reappraisal of the life and work of Jewish philosopher and historian Gershom Scholem, who is best known for pioneering the academic study of kabbalah in a secular context. Author George Prochnik displays a deep appreciation for the philosophical and personal reflections that can be drawn from engaging with Scholems work, and does not hesitate to explore them in the context of his own relationship with Judaism.

The Very Worst Missionary: A Memoir or Whatever by Jamie Wright. The ups and downs of author Jamie Wrights efforts to reconcile her individual Christian faith with institutional problems that can surround organized religion, especially around missionary work. Her topics include how missionary presence can disrupt local economies; financial irregularities in fundraising; manipulative recruitment tactics to encourage conversions. Readers who welcome tough conversations about the gaps between their relationships with God and the structural obstacles that prevent many faith communities from practicing what they preach may reach for this title.

If you have a question that you would like to see answered in this column, mail it to Nicole Fowles, Delaware County District Library, 84 E. Winter St., Delaware, OH 43015, or call us at 740-362-3861. You can also email your questions by visiting the librarys web site at http://www.delawarelibrary.org or directly to Nicole at [emailprotected] No matter how you contact us, were always glad you asked!

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Library event to focus on art of henna - Delaware Gazette

Four decades ago, Israel learned that Uri Zohar, its best known comedian, was abandoning bohemia for the Haredi world. About that time, I was writing an article for The Jerusalem Post in which Zohars name came up. A private postal service was facing closure. Its head well call him Haim mentioned in passing during an interview that Zohar was one of his customers and a friend, which I noted in the article. A few weeks later Haim, himself Haredi, called me. He was exultant. The authorities had reconsidered and his service would not be shut down. The article had done it, he said. He couldnt thank me enough. Is there anything I can do for you? Anything.

I was not doing anybody a favor and in truth it was a very dull article. But as Haim talked, it occurred to me that there WAS something he might do for me. He and no other.

Could you arrange for me to study Talmud with Uri Zohar for half an hour?

He hesitated. I m not sure he would agree to that, but I can ask him.

I wont write about it, I assured him. Im just interested personally, not as a journalist.

Ill try, he said.

The news that Zohar was quitting comedy for religion had stunned me. He was, for me, a national treasure - funny, bawdy, hilarious. We seculars thirsted for wild humor like his to brighten our livesa diversion from all the bad actors strutting the political stage. It was as if Bob Hope - the American comedian who came to mind then - had abandoned his radio show and taken a vow of silence in a remote monastery, never to be heard from again.

Zohars move was a dissonance that baffled me. Was it real? A middle-aged man making a move like that? Why? Or was it a schtick, like Madonnas hyped-up flirtation with kabbalah, a pathetic lunge for publicity. If I could watch him close-up studying Talmud, I thought, it might tell me something.

Growing up on New Yorks Lower East Side, I had gone to Yeshiva Shlomo Kluger till 10th grade. Very little of my learning there stuck, but at least I could read a page of Talmud even if I didnt get the meaning unless the rabbi explained it.

Two days after my request to Haim, the phone rang at my desk. A deep, vaguely familiar voice said Mr. Rabinovich? This is Uri Zohar. I dont recall him asking any questions, although his tone seemed to carry one - is this journalist just looking for a scoop? I hastened to assure him that I would not be writing an article about him, but that I would like to share a study session with him if possible.

He agreed that I come the next morning at 10 a.m. to an address in Geula, a Haredi neighborhood in Jerusalem. Ground floor. Short flight of stairs. Door to the right. He himself responded to the doorbell. He had a beard, but the face was his. He led me into the salon where two men were sitting at a table, a Talmud tractate open before each. One was a former entertainer, born-again like Zohar, but his name was unfamiliar to me. The other was the Haredi teacher, an intelligent looking young man. Zohar gestured to a seat next to his. He didnt immediately offer me a volume, perhaps not to embarrass me if I could not follow. I asked for one and he readily took one down from a shelf, opened it to the page they were studying and placed his finger on the line they were at. That took me straight back to my yeshiva days when, it seemed, we were constantly asking each other what line we were at.

The subject, as best I recall, concerned someone finding a prayer book or another holy book on the Sabbath in a public space: can he pick it up and bring it into a private space, like his home, to save it from further desecration? Or not? Normally, it is forbidden to carry even a handkerchief in a public space on the Sabbath.

The room faced onto an inner courtyard. At one point, the rabbi placed an object on the sill of the open courtyard door to discuss the boundary between private and public spaces.

As the rabbis reading proceeded, Zohar and the other penitent offered questions and comments. I asked whether I could participate. I was urged to do so and did. The give-and-take was familiar, even fun. I could have continued, but after a while I begged leave to go. Zohar escorted me to the door. As I started down the short flight, I glanced back. He was still at the half-open door, as if poised for a question from me, so I thought, about continuing my studies. Neither of us said anything and I continued out the front door. I already had the answer to the question that had brought me there; to my dismay, Uri Zohar was not kidding about becoming a Haredi. He had passed from the public space to the private. He would remain there, except for scattered contacts with seculars, until he died this month, at age 86.

Uri Zohar (left) and Arik Einstein in Peeping Toms, Zohars 1972 film about an aging hippie. (YouTube screengrab)

ADDENDUM:

Despite my assurance to Haim and to Zohar himself that I would not write about the episode, I did write about it. I felt that the articles conclusion that Zohars conversion was sincere, was not something he could object to. The publicity might even enhance his personal agenda if it aimed at encouraging secular searchers to follow in his path.

In so deciding, I may have inadvertently stumbled on a Talmud-worthy conundrum. Although my pledge to Haim and Uri Zohar not to write about the episode ended up being false, it was not false when I made it. It became a lie only post-facto. Is that less egregious than an intentional, up-front lie? Or not?

Abraham Rabinovich is a historian and journalist who has published several books including "The Yom Kippur War," "The Boats of Cherbourg" and "The Battle For Jerusalem." As a reporter, his work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The New Republic, and the Christian Science Monitor. Before becoming a writer full-time, he was employed as a staff journalist for Newsday and the Jerusalem Post.

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The time I studied Talmud with Uri Zohar - The Times of Israel

Abortion rights demonstrators outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Friday, June 24, 2022, after it overturned Roe v. Wade, ending constitutional protections for the right to an abortion. Photo by Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images

By Beth HarpazJune 24, 2022

The U.S. Supreme Courton Friday overturned Roe v. Wade. The decision ended constitutional protections for the right to an abortion that had been in place for nearly 50 years. Abortion opponents have fought for decades to outlaw the procedure. Abortion will now likely be banned in about half of the states.

Here is a sampling of reaction from the Jewish community.

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs: Prohibiting abortion access is contrary to Jewish law, traditions, and our principal value of saving a life; it enshrines specific religious imperatives in American law. Judaism compels us to stand for all life, and we prioritize the life and health of a pregnant person.

Hadassah: Hadassah, The Womens Zionist Organization of America, reaffirms its unwavering support for full and complete access to reproductive health services and the right to make decisions based on each womans religious, moral and ethical values. Hadassah will continue to fight for federal and state legislation affirming and protecting reproductive rights.

U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY): Today is a victory for life, for family, for the constitution, and for federalism. When my daughters, Mikayla and Arianna, were born 14.5 weeks early, I had the opportunity to witness life in the second trimester and it was absolutely beautiful. In a state that has legalized late term partial birth abortion and non-doctors performing abortion, in a state that refuses to advance informed consent and parental consent, and where not enough is being done to promote adoption and support mothers, today is yet another reminder that New York clearly needs to do a much better job to promote, respect and defend life.

Keshet(LGBTQ rights): This Supreme Court decision is the culmination of a decades-long campaign by an extremist, predominantly white Christian minority to impose their religious and cultural beliefs on the majority of Americans who support abortion rights. Keshet, and the Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities, will fight to reverse this court decision and ensure abortion access for all.

Rabbinical Assembly (representing Conservative rabbis): The RA is outraged by the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to end the Constitutional right to abortion and deny access to lifesaving medical procedures for millions of individuals in the U.S., in what will be regarded as one of the most extreme instances of governmental overreach in our lifetime.

Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America: The Orthodox Union is unable to either mourn or celebrate the U.S. Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v Wade. We cannot support absolute bans on abortionat any time point in a pregnancythat would not allow access to abortion in life-saving situations. Similarly, we cannot support legislation that does not limit abortion to situations in which medical (including mental health) professionals affirm that carrying the pregnancy to term poses real risk to the life of the mother. The right to choose (as well as the right to die) are thus completely at odds with our religious and halachic values. Legislation and court rulings that enshrine such rights concern us deeply on a societal level.Yet, that same mandate to preserve life requires us to be concerned for the life of the mother.

Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (Jofa): As a matter of faith, Jofa supports every womans legal right to make decisions about, and have control over, her own body, without the involvement of the government or any other entity.

Womens Rabbinic Network: The Torah, the Mishnah, and the Talmud Judaisms most sacred and authoritative texts do not view a fetus as a soul until it is born. Rather, a fetus is considered part of the parents body until delivery. Indeed, the word for soul neshama also means breath, because Judaism teaches that life begins not at conception or with a heartbeat but with the first breath. Therefore, forcing someone to carry a pregnancy that they do not want or that endangers their life is a violation of Jewish law because it prioritizes a fetus over the living adult who is pregnant. This must be understood as a violation of the United States Constitution which guarantees our freedom to practice our religion and also our freedom from the dictates of other religions.

Hillel International: Our tradition teaches that our most sacred obligation is the preservation of human life, and were dismayed that this ruling will make it more challenging to fulfill that promise for the students, professionals, and community members we serve.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of Truah: Todays ruling ignores the First Amendment right for Jews to practice their religion without government interference, and will also have life threatening implications for millions of Americans, primarily low-income people of color, by giving states the power to revoke essential health care from nearly half the population.

Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington:Even under its strictest, most traditional interpretation, Jewish law mandates the termination of a pregnancy in certain circumstances involving the life or health of the mother. While we respect other religions belief that life begins at conception, Jewish law has no such dictate. Accordingly, a ruling holding that a fetus is a person effectively elevates one religious viewpoint over others and infringes upon Jewish pregnant individuals right to follow the tenets of their faith.

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Abortion access is a Jewish value: Reaction to Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade - Forward

Honors

Two Bay Area natives, both students at Stanford University are among 60 students from around the world who have been selected for the 10-week Birthright Israel Excel, a business internship in Israel this summer. They are Ari Glenn, 20, of Palo Alto and Caroline Schurz, 20, of San Francisco.

Congregation Bnai Tikvah celebrated Rabbi Jennie Chabons 18th year with the Walnut Creek synagogue at its LChaim Gala in May. In an email to the community, executive director Keren Smith called the gala a wonderful community-building event, a fancy evening filled with joy and friendship and announced that, with proceeds from the event, Bnai Tikvah has exceeded its fundraising goal for the year.

Rabbi Dorothy Richman has been named rabbi emerita of Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco. The title rabbi emerita typically goes to a congregations retired rabbi, or an honorary rabbi. In this case, it goes to a rabbi who has been involved with Beth Sholom in many capacities over the years who will lend extra support ritual, pastoral, educational as the synagogue transitions from the leadership of Rabbi Dan Ain, who abruptly left the senior rabbi position earlier this year, to Rabbi Amanda Russell, the associate rabbi who was elevated to replace him.

Jim Heeger of Palo Alto is the new board chair of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, the national organization that supports Jewish summer camps across North America. A former Silicon Valley CEO and active Jewish community lay leader, he brings a wealth of experience in financial and administrative strategy from both the corporate and nonprofit spaces, FJC said in a press release. As a youth, Heeger spent time at Shwayder Camp in Colorado and his sons have attended URJ Camp Eisner in Massachusetts and URJ Camp Newman in Santa Rosa. Camp is the greatest vehicle for joyful engaged Judaism, and working to lead its expansion and growth is a thrill for me, he said in the press release. The world needs camp now more than ever, and I am confident that FJCs strategic plan will strengthen Jewish camps to lead the way during these uncertain times. Heeger has served on the boards of Moishe House, the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation, the World Union for Progressive Judaism and others.

Temple Israel of Alameda has hired Rabbi Cynthia Minster as its new spiritual leader on a three-year, part-time contract. Minster will work four days a week for the Reform synagogue. I truly believe we have found what we, as a congregation, need in a Rabbi, temple president Eric Strimling wrote in an email to the congregation.

Frances Dinkelspiel, executive editor of Cityside, has stepped down from the nonprofit media organization to focus on writing her next book. She helped found Berkeleyside in 2009, concerned with the ebbing of local news. Berkeleyside has grown into a nationally recognized news provider with three editors and six reporters, 519,000 monthly readers, 70,000 Twitter followers and newsletters read by tens of thousands of people, the publication wrote in an article announcing Dinkelspiels departure. In 2019, Dinkelspiel co-founded Cityside, which launched Oaklandside in 2020.

Sarah Cohen Domont will step down after six years as executive director of Santa Cruz Hillel at the end of June. She will be moving to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to be director of lifelong learning at Kehillah Synagogue. This is a return for Cohen Domont, who previously served as associate director of North Carolina Hillel. Over the course of her tenure, Santa Cruz Hillel has become an outstanding Hillel, board president Chuck Smith said in an email to the community. Our Hillel has focused on engaging Jewish students wherever they are, through programming and engagement focused on Israel, Jewish life and learning, student leadership and community. As Sarahs time with us comes to a close, we are in a place of strength.

Rabbanit Meira Wolkenfeld is taking over the position of director of education and community engagement at Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley. Wolkenfeld recently completed a Ph.D. in Talmud at Yeshiva University and is currently enrolled in an online ordination program at Yeshivat Maharat, which trains women as Orthodox clergy. Wolkenfeld will arrive in Berkeley in August with husband Ezra Wolkenfeld and their children, Shalev, 5, and Yakir, 3. She was born in Sacramento and spent her early years in Berkeley. Wolkenfeld is the granddaughter of longtime Beth Israel members. Throughout this process, the search committee was impressed by Rabbanit Wolkenfelds deep thoughtfulness and attentive pastoral skills, her curiosity and incisive questions, as well as by her scholarship and insightful teachings, leaders of the Modern Orthodox congregation wrote in an email to its community.

Wolkenfeld is taking over for Maharat Victoria Sutton, who is leaving at the end of July, it was previously announced. Her new position will be as a Jewish studies teacher at the Abraham Joshua Heschel School, a nursery schoolthrough12th grade Jewish day school in New York City. She and her family are moving to Brooklyn.

Congregation Beth David in Saratoga has been awarded a Scientists in the Synagogue grant from the organization Sinai and Synapses, which promotes connections between Judaism and science. The grant will fund a yearlong series of events called Judaism and Science in Conversation: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Together we will explore the history of the relationship between Judaism and science and dive deeply into what Judaism and science have to say about some current issues like lab grown meat and kashrut, and what we pass on to our children biologically, socially, and spiritually, Rabbi Nathan Roller told the community in an email.

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Honors, happenings, comings & goings, philanthropy June 2022 J. - The Jewish News of Northern California

They shall make themselves tzitzis on the corners of their garments and they shall place upon the tzitzis of each corner a thread of turquoise wool. (Bamidbar 15:38)

Expounding on the intent of the mitzvah of tzitizis, our Sages say we should identify as servants of Hashem.

The Talmud (Menachos 43b) cites R Meir, who said that the punishment for not attaching white strings is greater than the punishment for not attaching techeles (blue strings). He compares it to a king of flesh and blood who ordered two of his servants to bring him a seal. Of one he requested a seal of clay, and of the other he requested a seal of gold. Both failed to bring the seals as requested. Who will have a greater punishment? R Meir says it is the one who did not bring the seal of clay.

Tosfos explains that just as a slave would have a seal on his clothing identifying him as such, the tzitzis distinguish us as servants of Hashem. When a person realizes that he is a servant of Hashem, he fulfills His mitzvos, whether he does it for love, like a faithful servant, or because he is fearful, like a servant who is not as loyal.

The Divrei Mordechai cites the Even Ezra in Bamidbar that although one prays with his tallis to fulfill the requirement in Krias Shema (they are to make themselves tzitzis on the corners of their garments ) there is a greater obligation to wear tzitzis throughout all the hours of the day so that ones servitude to Hashem should be foremost in his mind and he will not sin. During the time of prayer, there is little possibility that one will transgress.

The tzitzis alert the individual and remind him that he is a servant of Hashem who would not disobey his master. The Talmud (Menachos 44a) tells of an individual who was very conscientious about the mitzvah of tzitzis. As he readied to violate a severe Torah prohibition his tzitzis slapped him in the face and he pulled back because the four corners of tzitzis appeared to him like four witnesses.

The Sifsei Tzaddik comments that when one dons his tzitzis he should appreciate the preciousness of this mitzvah and cling to them, for they have the power to save him from sin.

The Divrei Mordechai adds here that we tie the tzitzis 39 times, equivalent to the gematria (numerical value) of the words Hashem echad Hashem is one. Thus our seal is now engraved with the name of our master, Hashem. This is an additional sign that we carry the name of Hashem with us, to maintain our Torah view and guard us from all sin.

Because of the great importance of this mitzvah, the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim (24) states: Great is the punishment of a person who nullifies the mitzvah of tzitzis. Of him it is said (Iyov 38:13), To grasp the edges of the earth and shake the wicked from it.

* * *

Why the Tzaddik Fell Ill

The great tzaddik R Moshe Pardo once became ill on his travels outside Eretz Yisrael. He had a severe headache, which was then followed by overall weakness in his entire body. His host called the doctor, who requested R Moshe open his shirt so that he could listen to his heart. When the doctor saw R Moshes tallis katan, he was very moved, as it evoked forgotten childhood memories.

Are there still Jews who wear these garments? he asked emotionally.

R Moshe was momentarily distracted from his pain as he described to the physician the splendor of Eretz Yisrael, the world of Torah, and how many were returning to their Jewish roots. He also told the doctor about Ohr HaChaim the educational institutions he had established in Eretz Yisrael. He gently guided the physician to connect to his Jewish ancestry and gave him one of the very special pair of tefillin that he usually gifted to rich donors.

The doctor prescribed a protocol of treatment and medications for R Moshes recovery. He also promised that he would wear the tefillin every day and, at his first opportunity, would come to visit Eretz Yisrael. He expressed a strong interest in seeing the institutions that R Moshe Pardo had established.

R Moshe recovered and continued traveling, his meeting with the doctor soon forgotten.

Many years later, R Moshe received a phone call from an elderly man who wished to see him. When R Moshe Pardo welcomed the visitor he recognized the elderly physician, and immediately rose to happily welcome him.

The doctor related that he had kept his promise to R Moshe. He davened in shul every day and wore his tefillin, and he now wanted to support the educational institutions of R Moshe.

R Moshe gave the doctor a tour of the various buildings the school buildings, the library, the dormitory and the physician was overwhelmed. I thought you were speaking of a small school, and here I see castles. I have no family, and I want you to know that I have resolved at this moment that I am a Jew. I have accrued a large amount of money over my lifetime, and I would like to leave the sum to your institutions. R Moshe praised the doctors great zechus and observed how this one gesture was one of the greatest achievements of his life.

R Moshe would recount that when he fell ill, he was bothered slightly because our Sages tell us (Pesachim 8a), Those on the path to perform a mitzvah are not susceptible to harm. How was it possible that he fell ill? When he was able to reignite the spark of Yiddishkeit within the physician he comprehended the possible reason why he had taken ill far from home. I didnt realize at the time that this illness would later build Torah in the world. One can never predict the results of a days events.

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Ties That Bind - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com

There comes a time in every thoughtful sports fans life when he gazes at absurdly proportioned men bouncing rubber balls on wooden floors and asks himself: How much does this matter, really? These long, Talmudic inquiries into the meaning of words such as catch or throw or knee, carried live on national television before tens of millions of people, conducted amid fields of impatient millionaires dressed in body armor isnt it all a little much, if were being honest?

And if were being a little more honest, we would decide that no, it isnt all a little much.

There is a sublime unity in a Steph Curry step-back shot that exists almost nowhere else in the work of man or God. Football is its own exalted category of human affairs, the one and only plane where every phase of existence is smashed together in public, in real time. In a memorable episode of the ESPN documentary series 30 for 30, we learn that Pablo Escobar would kill anyone if it meant that the team he supported would win even a single additional soccer game, a sentiment with which even Ottawa Senators fans were once able to identify. We watch sports as a frivolous distraction and also because theyre better than everything else, profound and important unto themselves.

This idea that spectator sports have intrinsic value is under unprecedented attack, mostly from within the sports industry, which now loudly and repeatedly insists that the games dont mean much. The nationwide proliferation of app-based sports betting, a bipartisan policy innovation encouraged by every league and cheered on by ESPN and other leading broadcasters, has been a revolution in many fans relationships with the games themselves, turning them from a source of entertainment or a focus of emotional investment into a weeknight gambling opportunity.

Sports have also been vulgarized by something worse than money, as fans of the football team now called the Washington Commanders have discovered over the past couple of weeks. Look at the controversy that nearly cost defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio his job and its clear sports are now widely treated as a mere subset of the political ephemera theyd once been able to transcend.

On June 8, Del Rio responded to a question at a press conference about his reliably unhinged right-wing tweets, something that most mature adults who dont work in sports media can easily recognize as the eccentricities of a man who has spent much of his life designing blitz packages. Del Rios response was no more debatable, and no less reflective of public opinion, than, say, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerrs widely celebrated postgame sermons about gun control or San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovichs attacks on Columbus Day. Jan. 6 had been a dust-up compared to the dozens of people killed and hundreds of businesses burned, largely in low-income areas, during the racial justice protests of 2020, Del Rio said. Why hadnt that warranted a select committee in Congress, like Jan. 6 had? the coach wondered.

The backlash was swift: Del Rios job was suddenly in danger. A Democratic state senator in Virginia used Dustupgate as a pretext for killing the latest effort to build a publicly funded stadium for the Washington areas NFL team. In a statement issued in the name of head coach Ron Rivera under the rainbow Twitter avatar of the Commanders Pentagon contractorlike logo, the team announced that words have consequences, and [Del Rios] words hurt a lot of people in our community. He was fined $100,000.

A few days later, Rivera assured everyone that he closely reviewed the text of the First Amendment before fining Del Rio, a text that Rivera said he holds sacred and thinks about constantly. This was like the patterned blinking in a hostage video. What Rivera really was saying is that owner Dan Snyder is now under investigation by Congress over claims he embezzled money meant for the other 31 NFL owners and that he was instructed that a prominent coach openly questioning the Jan. 6 committee's very existence during its opening week debut was likely to make the bosss legal situation even more difficult. At least, I think thats what Rivera meant.

NFL teams, and even entire sports leagues, now behave as if theyre in thrall to a larger apparatus, one whose demands are capricious, inconsistent, and very often partisan. Witness the MLBs cancellation of last years All-Star Game in Atlanta over Georgias election law, which was enacted prior to the states record early voting turnout this year. The episode brought on a sadness not for the fans in Atlanta but for the game of baseball itself. Once again, the people who administrate sports at the highest level had demonstrated that the game itself wasn't enough, that some higher purpose than sports needed to be served in order for the games to have any real meaning or legitimacy. Turn off this Tuesday night Pirates-Marlins matchup, the league seemed to say, and watch MSNBC instead.

Sports are political, were now often reminded to deny that sports are but an especially high-profile subsidiary in the struggle for a perfected world is to deny athletes their agency as political actors, akin to demanding that they shut up and dribble. But the sports are political formulation does not empower athletes so much as drag them down to the level of technocratic managerial policymaking types, who are the practical beneficiaries of the ascension of politics to the apex of American life. Titan-like coaches and athletes must participate in the nerdy and annoying political classs self-aggrandizement. Any deviation must be punished. The sports are politics ideology exposes a basic insecurity, a noxious idea that no life should be permitted beyond politics or lived beyond the parameters of what a Washington, D.C., consultant or a Capitol Hill legislative aide might want and care about.

Sports have always shown us that theres another, better way. They presented an image of a public life largely free of factional struggle, where everyones differences of race, of religion, of basic fundamental outlook could be subsumed into a larger goal, such as the defeat of the Philadelphia Eagles. The beliefs of Michael Jordan were famously inscrutable, and the fact that he had cooler and better things to worry about than satisfying someone elses dumb ideological test ended up being crucial to his mystique. Bear Bryant eschewed a career in politics because he knew he had a job much more important than governor of Alabama. Sports were always crucial not as a distraction from politics but as proof that society could sustain a meaningful civic existence in a space beyond politics. Of course, today, that cant be allowed to survive.

Armin Rosen is a New York-based reporter at large forTablet.

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The cheapening of sports - Washington Examiner

By Rabbi Alicia Magal

Sedona News Shalom and greetings from the Rabbi, Board of Directors, and congregation of the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley.

All the services, classes, and programs are listed on the synagogue website.

Come join us either in person or online. Seejcsvv.orgfor instructions to register for in-person services or online links. Visitors are welcome to attend services.

On Friday, July 1, a Friday evening Erev Shabbat service, led by Rabbi Alicia Magal, begins at 5:30 pm both in person and on Zoom, and livestreamed for members and their invitees. Congregants participate by lighting candles, doing a reading, or having an Aliyah for the Torah service. Verses from the Torah portion will be chanted:Korach (Numbers 16:1 18:32) telling of an uprising against Moses by Korach, a cousin of Moses who gathered supporters to challenge Moses leadership. The Talmud offers commentary to distinguish arguments that are for the sake of heaven vs. arguments that are NOT for the sake of heaven but are based in ego and pride, such as the manipulative words of Korach. Blessings for those who are ill and a Mazal Tov for those celebrating a birthday or anniversary will be offered. Kaddish, the Mourners prayer, will be recited in memory of those who passed away either recently or at this time in past years. Shabbat offers a time out from work and worry, an opportunity to be grateful for our lives and the bounty with which we are blessed.

Wednesday morning minyan begins at 8:30 a.m. on July 6 on zoom. Join the group to offer healing prayers, and to support those saying the mourners prayer, Kaddish, for a loved one who has passed away. Every person counts and is needed!

On Wednesday at 4:00 pm Rosalie Malter will lead a class on Jewish meditation on Zoom. Each session focuses on a different tool or aspect of Jewish meditation practices.

On Thursday, July 7, at 4:00 pm, Torah study, led by Anita Rosenfield, will be held on Zoom. The Torah portion for that week is Hukkat (Numbers 19:1 22:1) telling of the death of Miriam and Aaron, Moses sister and brother. Moses receives the answer to his plea to be able to enter the promised Land. He would not lead the people into the land, but rather Joshua would be his successor. The mysterious ceremony of the red heifer is also part of this weeks portion dealing with ritual impurity and the procedure for regaining ritual purity. Issues of leadership, patience, and faith are themes in this weeks Torah portion.

The Social Action Committee is continuing to collect food for the local Sedona food pantry. Please drop of cans or boxes of non-perishable foods in the bin outside thelower level parking lot entranceto the synagogue.

The Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, located at 100 Meadow Lark Drive off Route 179 in Sedona, is a welcoming, egalitarian, inclusive congregation dedicated to building a link from the past to the future by providing religious, educational, social and cultural experiences. Messages to the office telephone at 928 204-1286 will be answered during the week. Updated information is available on the synagogue website http://www.jcsvv.org.

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Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley: July 1-7 - Sedona.Biz - The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley - Sedona.biz

PODCAST Hello Rapids fans! This week on Holding The High Line, we catch up on last weeks news. We discuss MLS coming to Apple TV and All the Small Things that made the Denver World Cup bid fail. The guys discuss Rapids 2 player news. Matts got takes on Sam Nicholson rejoining the club. Then we do Good Thing, Bad Thing, Big Thing on the draw at New York City. We discuss how concerned you should be with Gyasi Zardes, and look ahead to Portland Timbers.

Holding The High Line is an independent soccer podcast focused on the Colorado Rapids of MLS and a member of the Beautiful Game Network. If you like the show, please consider subscribing to us on your preferred podcatcher, giving us a review, and tell other Rapids fans about us. It helps a ton. Visit bgn.fm for a bunch of other great podcasts covering soccer in North America.

We also have anewsletter. Visit ourSubstack pageto read our content and sign up for our newsletter via email.

Find us on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Blubrry, and many other podcatchers. See the full list of podcatchers with subscription links here. For full transcripts of every episode, check out our AudioBurst page. Our artwork was produced by CR54 Designs. Juanners does our music.

We are brought to you by Ruffneck Scarves and Icarus FC. Ruffneckscarves.com is your one-stop-shop for official MLS, USL, and U.S. Soccer scarves as well as custom scarves for your group or rec league team. Icarusfc.com is the place to go for high-quality custom soccer kits for your team or group. With an any design you want, seriously motto, they are breaking the mold of boring, expensive, template kits from the big brands.

Have your team looking fly in 2022 like Andre Shinyashiki with bleached hair with custom scarves and kits from Ruffneck Scarves and Icarus FC.

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We have partnered up with the Denver Post to sustainably grow soccer journalism in Colorado. Listeners can get a three month trial of the Denver Post digital for 99/month. Go to denverpost.com/hthl to sign up. This will give you unlimited and full access to all of the Posts online content and will support local coverage of the Rapids. Each month after the trial is $11.99/month. There is a sports-content-only option for $6.99/month.

Follow us on Twitter @rapids96podcast. You can also email the show at rapids96podcast@gmail.com. Follow our hosts individually on Twitter @LWOSMattPollard and @soccer_rabbi. Send us questions using the hashtag #AskHTHL.

Matt Pollard is the Site Manager for Last Word on Soccer and an engineer by day. A Colorado Convert, he started covering the Colorado Rapids as a credentialed member of the press in 2016, though hes watched MLS since 96. When hes not watching or writing about soccer, hes being an outdoorsman (mostly skiing and hiking) in this beautiful state or trying a new beer. For some reason, he thought that starting a podcast with Mark was a good idea and he cant figure out how to stop this madness. He also hosts Last Word SC Radio.

Mark Goodman, the artist formally known as Rapids Rabbi, moved to Colorado in 2011. Shortly thereafter he went to Dicks Sporting Goods Park, saw Lee Nguyen dribble a ball with the silky smoothness of liquid chocolate cascading into a Bar Mitzvah fountain, and promptly fell head over heels in love with domestic soccer. When not watching soccer or coaching his sons U-8 team, hes generally studying either Talmud or medieval biblical exegesis. Which explains why he watches so much MLS, probably. Having relocated to Pittsburgh in 2019, he covers the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL for Pittsburgh Soccer Now.

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken, Last Word on Soccer.

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Holding The High Line: Rapids Draw NYCFC - Last Word On Sports

When people speak of the Talmud, they are usually referring to the Talmud Bavli (Babylonian Talmud), composed in Babylonia (modern-day Iraq). However, there is also another version of the Talmud, the Talmud Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Talmud), compiled in what is now northern Israel. The Yerushalmi, also called the Palestinian Talmud or the Talmud Eretz Yisrael (Talmud of the Land of Israel), is shorter than the Bavli, and has traditionally been considered the less authoritative of the two Talmuds.

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Like the Talmud Bavli, the Talmud Yerushalmi consists of two layers the Mishnah and the Gemara. For the most part, the Mishnah of the two Talmuds is identical, though there are some variations in the text and in the order of material. The Gemara of the Yerushalmi, though, differs significantly in both content and style from that of the Bavli. First, the Yerushalmi Gemara is primarily written in Palestinian Aramaic, which is quite different from the Babylonian dialect. The Yerushalmi contains more long narrative portions than the Bavli does and, unlike the Bavli, tends to repeat large chunks of material. The presence of these repeated passages has led many to conclude that the editing of the Yerushalmi was never completed. Others, however, have argued that these repetitions represent a deliberate stylistic choice, perhaps aimed at reminding readers of connections between one section and another.

While the Bavli favors multi-part, complex arguments, Yerushalmi discussions rarely include lengthy debate. For instance, both the Bavli and the Yerushalmi discuss the following Mishnah:

For all seven days [of Sukkot], one should turn ones Sukkah into ones permanent home, and ones house into ones temporary home. . .(Sukkah 2: 9).

The Bavli Gemara embarks on a long discussion of the validity of this statement in the Mishnah:

. . .The rabbis taught, You shall dwell [in booths on the holiday of Sukkot] (Leviticus 23:42) means you shall live in booths. From this, they said for all seven days, one should make the Sukkah [temporary booth or hut] ones permanent home, and ones house temporary home. How should one do this? One should bring ones nice dishes and couches into the Sukkah, and should eat, drink and sleep in the Sukkah. Is this really so? Didnt Rava say that one should study Torah and Mishnah in the Sukkah, but should study Talmud outside of the Sukkah? (This statement appears to contradict the Mishnahs assertion that during Sukkot, one should do everything inside the Sukkah.) This is not a contradiction. [The Mishnah] refers to reviewing what one has already studied, while [Ravas statement] refers to learning new material [on which one might not be able to concentrate while in the Sukkah] (Talmud Bavli Sukkah 28b-29a).

As proof of this resolution, the Bavli goes on to relate a story of two rabbis who leave their Sukkah in order to study new material. Finally, the Gemara suggests an alternate resolution of the apparent conflictnamely, that one learning Talmud is required to stay in a large Sukkah, but may leave a small Sukkah.

In contrast, the Yerushalmi offers very little discussion of the Mishnah:

The Torah says, You shall dwell in booths. Dwell always means live, as it says, you will inherit the land and dwell there (Deuteronomy 17:14). This means that one should eat and sleep in the Sukkah and should bring ones dishes there (Talmud Yerushalmi Sukkah 2:10).

After this brief definition of terms and law, the Yerushalmi moves on to a new discussion.

As might be expected, the Bavli quotes mostly Babylonian rabbis, while the Yerushalmi more often quotes Palestinian rabbis. There is, however, much cross-over between the two Talmuds. Both Talmuds record instances of rabbis traveling from the land of Israel to Babylonia and vice versa. Many times, the rabbis of one Talmud will compare their own practice to that of the other religious center. Early midrashim and other texts composed in Palestine appear more frequently in the Yerushalmi, but are also present in the Bavli.

Both the Bavli and the Yerushalmi follow the Mishnahs division into orders, tractates, and chapters. Neither contains Gemara on all 73 tractates of the Mishnah. The Bavli includes Gemara on thirty-six and a half non-consecutive tractates. The Yerushalmi has Gemara on the first 39 tractates of the Mishnah. Some scholars believe that the differences in the Gemara reflect the different priorities and curricula of Babylonia and of the Land of Israel. Others think that parts of each Gemara have been lost.

Within the Yerushalmi, quoted sections of the Mishnah are labeled as halakhot (laws). Citations of the Yerushalmi text usually refer to the text by tractate, chapter, and halakhah. Thus, Sukkah 2:10 (quoted above) means Tractate Sukkah, Chapter 2, halakhah 10. Some editions of the Yerushalmi are printed in folio pages, each side of which has two columns. Thus, Yerushalmi citations also often include a reference to the page and column number (a, b, c, or d). In contrast, the Bavli is printed on folio pages, and is referred to by page number and side (a or b). These differences result from variations in early printings, and not from choices within the rabbinic communities of Babylonia and the land of Israel.

In most editions of the Yerushalmi, the Talmud text is surrounded by the commentary of the 18th-century rabbi, Moses ben Simeon Margoliot, known as the Pnai Moshe. The Pnai Moshe clarifies and comments on the text of the Yerushalmi, in much the same way that Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak, 11th century) explains and discusses the text of the Bavli.

Medieval sources credit Rabbi Yohanan, a third-century sage, with editing the Yerushalmi. However, the fact that the Yerushalmi quotes many fourth and fifth-century rabbis makes this suggestion impossible. From the identities of the rabbis quoted in the Yerushalmi, and from the historical events mentioned in the text, most contemporary scholars conclude that this Talmud was edited between the end of the fourth century and the beginning of the fifth century CE. The codification of the Bavli took place about a hundred years later.

The discussions of the Bavli and the Yerushalmi reflect the differing concerns of the cultures from which the texts emerged. A comparison of the narrative elements of the two Talmuds suggests that the rabbis of the Yerushalmi had more interaction with non-rabbisboth Jews and non-Jewsthan the rabbis of the Bavli did. The Yerushalmi, produced in a place under Hellenistic control, reflects Greek influences, both in its language and in its content.

Traditionally, the Bavli has been considered the more authoritative of the two Talmuds. This privileging of the Bavli reflects the fact that Babylonia was the dominant center of Jewish life from talmudic times through the beginning of the medieval period. The first codifiers of halakhah (Jewish law), based in Baghdad in the eighth through 10th centuries, used the Bavli as the basis of their legal writings. Reflecting the prevalent attitude toward the Yerushalmi, the Machzor Vitri, written in France in the 11th or 12th century, comments, When the Talmud Yerushalmi disagrees with our Talmud, we disregard the Yerushalmi.

Today, there is renewed interest in studying the Talmud Yerushalmi. This interest reflects the current academic emphases on tracing the development of the Talmudic text, and on understanding the cultures that produced these texts. Many scholars attempt to learn about the history of the talmudic text by comparing parallel passages in the Bavli and the Yerushalmi. Comparisons between the two Talmuds also yield new information about the relative attitudes and interests of Babylonian and Palestinian rabbis.

The traditional approach to learning Talmud, which emphasized the legal elements of the text, tended to dismiss the Yerushalmi as incomplete and non-authoritative. Today, interest in the literary, cultural and historical aspects of traditional texts has prompted a rediscovery of this Talmud, and a willingness to reconsider its place in the Jewish canon.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs is the Rabbi-in-Residence for the Jewish FundS for Justice.

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Tale of Two Talmuds: Jerusalem and Babylonian | My Jewish Learning

(New York Jewish Week) A video of an Orthodox Jewish man making a passionate speech about his love for the Talmud and cold seltzer spread like wildfire over Twitter, showing off what makes yeshiva culture such a unique part of Judaism.

Rabbi Aryeh Moshe Leiser, who lives in Monsey, New York, appears to be having the time of his life in the viral video. Posted on Twitter May 31, the video was seen by thousands of people.

Leiser starts off saying that he wants an Arvei Psachim with a Rabbeinu Dovid, rishus cold seltzer and I just want to check out of life. (This means, roughly, that he wants to read a specific commentary about a specific chapter of Talmud, with a wickedly cold cup of seltzer at hand.) He then goes into more specifics, talking about how the seltzer has to be in plastic cups not styrofoam and eventually he begins singing.

The video was posted by a Twitter user named Ayil Basvach, who deleted it on June 1. The reason why I took it down is because [Leiser] seemed to be very uncomfortable with it going viral, Basvach wrote on Twitter. I never meant to cause anyone agmas nefesh [anxiety], I just loved the video, his exuberance, love for Torah and life (also to show yeshivalites [sic] genuine personality that I grew up with and love).

Still, despite its short shelf life, the video clearly touched a nerve among many religious Jews. People started making merch from the video and someone even commissioned the TikTok meme group Island Boys to give a Rishus cold seltzer shoutout.

According to Rabbi David Bashevkin, a writer and Yeshiva University professor, its because the video allows people to see yeshiva culture in a sincere, religiously charming way.

Thats largely due to Leisers use of the Orthodox patois known as Yeshivish, he said. For example, rishus is not a brand it directly translates to wicked or evil.

Its a dialect of Hebrew, Yiddish and English all together, Bashevkin said. Saying rishus cold seltzer is an extraordinarily charming way of saying you want a really cold beverage, but in a Yeshivish language that highlights your insider knowledge of that world.

When he says checking out of life, its like, not being disturbed and allowing yourself to engage in total learning, Bashevkin said. Its the [Yeshivish] equivalent of someone elses dream to just be on the beach reading a book.

Leiser declined to comment about his newfound fame. But his brother-in-law, Rabbi Avraham Walkin, was happy to explain the backstory of the viral video. He told the New York Jewish Week that, after giving a lecture at a Monsey yeshiva, some students stopped him in the street and asked if Leiser could send a message to other students.

He had no intention of it going viral on social media, Walkin said, adding that while there are people who work their whole life trying to get followers and to be good at social media, Leiser is not that type of person.

Heres a guy who didnt want that, and became viral, Walkin said. Its like God saying, If I need someone to become famous, theyll become famous. The guy who tried to hide from it became more popular.

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Walkin added that Leiser is an innocent family man who is surprised to see what happened with this video. He wanted absolutely no media attention, Walkin said. I was surprised by how many people texted me saying, Youre related to that guy, wow. For some people in the yeshiva world, this was the Super Bowl.

At the end of the video, Leiser shouts blood, sweat, tears! which also happens to be the title of his most recent book, a memoir about being a disciple in a yeshiva. Basvach wrote on Twitter on June 2 the day after he removed the viral video from his account that the book is one of the most inspirational things Ive read in a long time.

When Leiser says in the video that he wants an Arvei Psachim with a Rabbeinu Dovid, he means he wants to read commentary by the 13th-century Talmud scholar Rabbeinu Dovid on Arvei Psachim, a section of the Talmud that focuses on the laws of the seder.

That specific chapter is part of the charm of cultural specificity, Bashevkin said. If somebody says, I want to go to this specific beach and this specific shore and read this specific author, that shows that you really want this. That specificity is where the charm comes from.

He added that while this chapter is about Passover, the longing to study the Torah relates to the upcoming holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. The holiday begins this year on the evening of Saturday, June 4.

Bashevkin explained that, within the yeshiva world, there is a culture that evolves parallel to the learning of Torah. When someone is a diehard baseball fan, of course you love the game, you love the smell of the stadiums, you love the jerseys, Bashevkin said. Its a similar universe in the yeshiva world, but in a much more elevated, spiritual sense.

I think there was something very real and very sweet about this video that underlies a sincerity about life in the yeshiva world, Bashevkin said.

Everything in the world as you grow up and mature, even within the Jewish and Orthodox world, pulls you away from that instinctive love, he added. To love anything so deeply is something that requires a cultural universe to reinforce, and theres no world that does that better than the world of yeshiva.

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Why this video about seltzer and Torah study went viral in the Orthodox Jewish community - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency