The Rabbi on Mason

Dear Members of the George Mason Community,

As we begin the year 5771 and celebrate Rosh HaShanah, we are facing a very significant issue in our lives. On Sept. 11, the ninth anniversary of the attacks of 2001, there is a very real threat that the Koran will be burnt. As Jews, we are well aware of the power of book burnings and the symbolic impact that a horrible event like this can have.

I hope that as we wrestle with our own personal feelings about those we hold responsible for Sept. 11, that we will speak out against the burning of books. We are reminded of the quote from Pastor Martin Niemoller who stated (there is some controversy over the exact words) in response to the Nazis:

They came first for the Communists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for me
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

As we celebrate a time for forgiveness and making significant changes in our lives, I hope that we will speak out in whatever ways we can, against hatred and bigotry. I also look forward to ongoing dialogue after the High Holidays about the plans to build a mosque at Ground Zero since this project challenges us to think about issues of religious freedom and sensitivity to the victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

May 5771 be a year of growth, forgiveness, new beginnings, and the possibility of significant change in our lives in the places we desire to change.

Shanah tovah,

Rabbi Bruce Aft
GMU Hillel Rabbinic Adviser
Member, GMU Hillel Community Board
Adjunct Professor ICAR, GMU
Rabbi at Congregation Adat Reyim, Springfield, VA

Dear Students and Faculty,

Welcome back to school this fall. Although no longer on sabbatical and working at GMU, I hope to be sharing a weekly dvar Torah and hope that I will be able to help others learn how to write a dvar Torah so that we can grow as a community of Jewish learners.

This week we have a double Torah portion which happens periodically so that we can read the entire Torah each year. The portion is Nitzavim, VaYehlekh, which is Deuteronomy 29:9-32:30. In Deuteronomy 30:19, we read, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life…..”

As we begin another year (or our first year) at college, I believe that we have lots of choices in front of us….we can choose activities that will help make our lives a blessing or we can choose to do things that will make our lives less than pleasant. Each of us is faced with many different paths which we may follow and sometimes this can be energizing and sometimes this can be overwhelming.

Since this year, the beginning of school is occurring at the beginning of another year on the Jewish calendar(5771), we are spiritually reminded that we have lots of choices to make in how we live our lives. We pray during the High Holidays that we will be inscribed and sealed in the book of life for a year in which we will be healthy, safe, and fulfilled. In her version of the mishebarach, a prayer for healing, Debbie Friedman prays that we find the courage to make our lives a blessing.

I hope that each of us can find meaningful way to choose paths that will enrich our lives and give us the feeling that our lives are a blessing. Journeying through life as a college student, a faculty member, and as a rabbi who is entering his 30th year in the rabbinate can be filled with many challenges. We wrestle with many issues which can result in either feeling blessed or cursed….I hope that as we travel through life together, we can support each other and find the courage within ourselves to choose to live a life that will be rewarding and that will be a blessing to not only ourselves but to others whose lives we touch.

Shabbat Shalom and enjoy a fulfilling and a blessed semester.

Rabbi Bruce Aft
GMU Hillel Rabbinic Advisor/
GMU Hillel Community Board Member/
GMU Faculty, Conflict Resolution

Dear Friends,

As I write this final parsha column for the spring, I wanted to let you know how much I have enjoyed being a small part of Hillel for this year. I hope that we can continue to build upon what we have done when we return in the fall and look forward to getting to know more of you better.

I am always inspired by the power of our sacred text to impact upon our lives. As we read the Torah and think about the ways in which its lessons provide direction to our lives, I find that the Torah is truly a tree of life to those who hold fast to it…(as the prayer says….)

A colleague of mine, Rick Sherwin, wrote the following in a discussion about counting the omer (we count each night between the second night of Passover and Shavuot, the omer which is a way in which we prepare for the spring harvest through counting a special barley offering…. between Passover and Shavuot….

“…An aspect of the mitzva to count each of the 49 days is to create a bridge between Pesach and Shavu’ot, between physical liberation and spiritual freedom. ”

Immediately upon leaving Egypt, the generation of the Exodus was hardly prepared to embark on a completely new way of life. They could not automatically emancipate themselves from their previous environment, a society encompassed by the spirit of superstition and paganism. In anticipation of their new role as GOY KADOSH, a nation of holiness, they were charged to transform themselves one step at a time until they were ready to receive the Torah at Sinai. Freedom from slavery is incomplete without the freedom to study Torah.

The underlying message to both themes is to count each day and to thank God in the process. The psalmist teaches (Psalm 90): Teach us to count our days [and to make every day count]…For the days of our lives are limited, the time is short and our days are soon gone by and we fly away.

Individuals whose lives have been characterized by enslavement to routine may ultimately ask themselves, ‘Where have the years disappeared? What have I done with my years?’

As I think about my time at GMU this spring, I have realized just how quickly time passes by when we are having a good time. I hope that as each of us thinks about our own personal journeys, we will find ways (or experience revelations) which will help us to find meaningful ways in which to spend our days. I also hope we can find special times to study the Torah and our sacred writings…they can make such a difference in our world.

Finally, please remember that May 9 is Mother’s Day and if you are fortunate enough to be able to see your mom, please tell her how much you love her. And if you can’t see her, please call her….and if you and she are estranged or in conflict, perhaps this can be the Mother’s Day to make peace…and if your mom is no longer in this world, I hope you have good memories…

B’shalom,
Rabbi Bruce Aft

This week we read Parshat Acharei Mot/Kedoshim, which includes a discussion of what it means to be holy.

We also read about the Yom Kippur ritual where a goat was sent to the wilderness carrying the sins of the community with it. Often commentators use the description of this ritual to remind us of how easy it can be to scapegoat an innocent person and blame them for things for which they have no responsibility.

I can’t help but think of the recent suicide in Massachusetts and the horrible consequences of bullying. I think we live in a world where too often we pick on individuals who appear easy targets to carry our sins and mistakes. I hope that when we see someone innocent under attack, we can find creative ways to support those who suffer the consequences of being bullied.

This week we also celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the State of Israel and as I sat at a lecture about Zionism recently, I was inspired once again by Theodore Herzl’s quote, Im tirtzu, ain zo aggadah…if you will it, it is no dream.

I hope that each of us will be inspired by our State of Israel, to continue to dream about ways in which we can make a difference. Israel may not be a perfect place and politically we might disagree, but we can never forget the wonderful ways in which Israel had provided a home for many who were bullied and scapegoated during WW II. We must also celebrate the specialness of knowing that we have a spiritual home that unites us with our ancestors and reminds us of our connection with our roots. We pray for the leaders of Israel that they will be guided to make wise decisions that will lead to a peaceful future.

B’shalom,
Rabbi Bruce

Dear Friends,

As we mourn for the victims of the Holocaust this week as we commemorate Yom HaShoah, the Holocaust Commemoration Day, I hope that each of us will take a minute to think about what we might do to help victims who are experiencing genocide as you read this. At this time of year, we are reminded that we live in a world where the hatred and bigotry which killed six million Jews and five million others, continues to permeate our world, particularly in Darfur and the Congo.

I personally don’t believe that it is fair to say that the perpetrators of genocide are simply evil people. I believe that people do evil things and that each of us needs to be aware of potential hatred and stand up for the people and causes in which we believe. I remember Rabbi Yoachim Prinz’s comment at a synagogue in Berlin that “the greatest sin is the sin of silence…”

We all remember the comment made by Pastor Martin Niemoller that when they came for the communists he didn’t stand up because he wasn’t a communist, and when they came for the trade unionists, he didn’t stand up because he wasn’t a trade unionist, and when they came for the Jews he didn’t stand up because he wasn’t a Jew, and when they came for the Catholics, he didn’t stand up because he wasn’t a Catholic, and finally when they came for him, there was no one left to stand up….

May each of us make a pledge today to make ourselves more aware of genocide that occurs in our world and try to do something (write a letter to a public official, do a fundraiser for victims, make a donation…whatever…) to show we care.

In the Book of Leviticus, we read that we should not stand idly by the blood of our neighbor and in the Talmud, Shabbat 54A we are told that we are responsible when a member of our family, a member of our community, or someone in the world does something to hurt someone. May we take this responsibility seriously and speak out against injustice when we see it.

Finally, our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Poland at this horrific time. May the memories of all those who died in the plane crash be a blessing to their families and friends and may the people of Poland find the strength to deal with this tragedy.

B’shalom,
Rabbi Bruce Aft

Dear Friends,

During Passover we read about the song at the sea which is part of our prayer service when we sing Mi Chamocha. We give thanks to G-d for allowing us to escape the Egyptians and to cross through the Red Sea on dry land.

It is interesting to note several things about this passage from Exodus and from our prayer book. First of all, we know that Nachshon is the one who took the first step into the Sea and that the miracle only occurred once Nachshon showed that he had faith that G-d would help him and then the miracle occurred. How many times do we wait for a miracle to occur in our lives and expect someone to make it happen for us? We need to be active partners with G-d in the work of tikkun olam….repairing our world. Although Nachshon showed faith in G-d, I often wonder whether G-d has faith in us that we will do our share to make the world a better place.

Second, we note that G-d helped us to go through the water on dry land….not only did G-d help us through the Red Sea, but G-d didn’t even let us get our feet wet…Once Nachshon went into the water, G-d performed the miracle that allowed us to get through with dry feet. How often do we think that we have done enough by performing a mitzvah, but could have even been more conscientious and yet are satisfied that we have done enough….which leads to the third point…

How do we ever know if we have done enough to repair our world? Each of us is so busy and there are so many causes in which to get involved….

I hope that during the final days of Pesach this year, we will liberate ourselves from apathy and will do as much as we can( maybe it will never be enough, but we are also taught that we are not required to finish the task, only to participate in it..).

May we be inspired to do ALL we can to help others.

B’shalom,
Rabbi Bruce

Dear Friends,

One of the most special activities in which I participate all year is a seder for the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes which is an organization that serves the developmentally disabled. Last night I led the seder and we had a meaningful discussion about the symbol of the salt water which was particularly salty this year.

We talked about the tears that our ancestors shed over the bitterness of slavery. Then we talked about the ongoing sadness that so many in our world face each day. Our discussion was a stark reminder that we live in a world that is in need of tikkun(healing) and that each one of us needs to think of one cause that is important for us so that we can alleviate a small piece of the suffering in our world.

What is always so inspirational to me is that these folks who have plenty to be upset about, given that they are disabled, are always so eager to want to make things better for others. I couldn’t help but think of all the things that make me feel that there is salt water and sadness in my life, and yet in reality I have nothing to personally shed tears over.

I hope that as we gather for our seders, we will think about how blessed most of us are and that perhaps we can find special ways in which we can share our blessings with others.

Last Shabbat I spoke at a BBYO gathering where the theme was “If Not Now, When?” We talked about the importance of finding ways at each stage of our lives to try to improve our world in ways that only our own uniqueness can facilitate.

May Elijah’s presence inspire us all to find ways in which to lessen the salt water in our world. Remember the Yiddish proverb that says if you believe that the person sitting next to you at the Passover seder is the messiah and is only waiting for you to do a simple act of kindness or say a kind word….Then if it turns out that the person is not really the Messiah, it won’t really matter especially if each of us continues to act kindly and speak words of blessing.

May each of you enjoy a liberating and peaceful Passover with people with whom you are close. Please join us at the seders either the first or second night at GMU and share the blessings of our friendship,

Hag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Bruce Aft

This week we begin the reading of the book of Leviticus. We know that the Book of Leviticus contains in depth discussion of rules and regulations related to the role of the cohanim or priests during Biblical times and details related to various sacrifices that were performed back in the days of the Bible. Although all Jews are responsible for the commandments as outlined in the Torah, there were special expectations for priests.

However….the first word of the portion, Vayikra, contains a small aleph which has been explained in many ways, including a grammatical tool to separate the first and second words of the Torah. I choose to believe that the small aleph is there to remind us that although the portion deals primarily with cohanim(priests), each one of us is important and by the small actions we perform we make a big difference.

The Book of Leviticus also deals with human relationships and contains the Holiness Code which defines holy ways in which we are expected to live. There are rules and regulations which define our most intimate behavior since everything we do has the potential to bring holiness into our world.

On Wednesday, March 24, we will be discussion Judaism and Sexuality from 6pm -7:30pm and will be serving dinner. I must warn you…the Biblical text makes strong statements which define how we are supposed to behave in our intimate behavior and this session will be very thought provoking.

I look forward to seeing you at the Shabbat Dinner on Friday night and at our Torah text discussion on Shabbat morning where we will talk about the ways in which we can make a difference in the world through our small actions.

B’shalom,
Rabbi Bruce Aft

This week we complete the reading of the book of Exodus and it is traditional when we finish a book of the Torah to say, Hazak Hazak, V’nithazek which means may we be strong and may we strengthen each other.

The end of the book of Exodus puts the final touches on the portable Tabernacle which our ancestors built in the desert. Our ancestors took great care in creating what was going to become holy space.

What are the holy spaces in our lives? Where are our safe zones? Where do we go when we need to communicate with G-d and try to find ourselves.

Recently, one of our children celebrated a big birthday and received a present of an airplane ticket to wherever they wanted to go…Our child chose to go to Israel because of a desire to go to a place where (s)he could “get his/her life together” and think about where (s)he is in his/her life.

I hope you have a place that you go when you want to take a break, when you want to experience a sacred moment, when you want to improve your mental health, and/or when you just want to be alone and think about the meaning of your life.

May we find strength in our holy places and may we help others to find holiness in their lives and strengthen each other in our efforts to create sacred spaces in our lives.

Shabbat Shalom and enjoy your vacation!!!

Rabbi Bruce

So, how patient are you???? This week we read about the Golden Calf and reflect upon why our ancestors would have built one. Moses told the people that he was going to return from his conversation with G-d on Mt. Sinai in 40 days. When he didn’t return , the people were frightened. They decided that they should build an idol to symbolize this G-d they had never seen.

We know the story…Moses returns from Sinai and sees the people dancing around the idol. Now there is a commentary that suggests that Moses came back on the 41st day according to the people’s count, but on what he thought was the 40th day. Look at the significance of a little error in communication…

How many of us think we have made something clear to someone only to end up with an argument due to a miscommunication. We should all learn to be careful in the ways in which we communicate to others. And…for those of us who are younger and having challenges communicating with our parents, please think about how sometimes people hear things differently that we mean them, especially based upon the uniqueness of their personal experiences….Be patient and continue to touch base if there is any doubt as to what you think he or she said or what you think he or she meant by what he or she said…

Good luck in mastering the art of communication. It is not easy….

Rabbi Bruce Aft
Hillel Rabbinic Educator