The Importance of Context

One of my teachers, a prominent Orthodox Rabbi, told the following eye-opening story many years ago. He related that someone had approached his son and told him that he heard the Rabbi had said it was permitted according to the Laws of Kashrut to eat french fries at Mcdonald's. The son of my Rabbi replied that it was hard for him to believe that his father, a pious Rabbi, would have erred on such basic information related to Kashrut, and there must be some misunderstanding. But, the other individual retorted, there was no misunderstanding as, a first-hand witness, related this conversation to me."   There was some sleuthing involved in discovering what had occurred. The forum was a "Ask the Rabbi" session, and someone asked if one can eat potato chips in a Mcdonald's. The Rabbi replied that while not advisable due to the concern of Maaris Ayin (false appearance), it was technically kosher as the potato chips were kosher. A British Jew was in the audience and heard that potato chips were kosher. In the lexicon of British English, french fries are referred to as potato chips. The British guest heard that what Americans refer to as French Fries are kosher at Mcdonald's. The news of this unintended halachic ruling spread quickly, and it wasn't easy to douse the flames.  This incident underscores the importance of having appropriate context to understand complicated situations properly. The Daf Yomi group just concluded the tractate of Nedarim this week. The primary topic studied in Nedarim is the issue of an individual making a vow. There is a rule that is taught multiple times in Nedarim, and that is בנדרים הלך אחר לשון בני אדם. The basic understanding of this Talmudic Law is that one must consider the context and location of where and how the individual makes a vow. For example, if someone makes a vow, he will not drink soda; it will have different meanings and applications depending on where the vow was made. For example, in New York, the vow would include all soft drinks, and in Israel, it would only apply to seltzer (as soda refers only to seltzer in Israel).  We live in a world where there are short recordings of people making statements, and these clips get plastered on social media in seconds. People immediately jump to conclusions based on the words uttered by an individual and captured on record by someone with a smartphone. Absent from this footage is any understanding of context or background that would enlighten the viewer for better understanding. Careers have been destroyed, and misunderstood headlines and yellow journalism have ravaged families. The media feasts on these stories and we are vulnerable to buying into a one or two-dimensional understanding of fundamental issues, real people, and real life. Regardless, if one just studied the Tractate of Nedarim or not, it might be worth looking for context the next time you see a piece of sensational news.  Have a Peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch.

The end of an era

It is with profound sadness that we mark the passing of Harry Frisch. Although Harry lived until he was 99, and his death is not tragic, it is nonetheless a time of sadness for the Etz Chaim community as it's the end of an era.  For those that are relatively newer to the community, it's important to know that our shul campus on San Jose Blvd came to reality with the generous support and dedication of Harry and Lilo Frisch. Harry told me numerous times that he was committed to the shul being relocated to Mandarin and wanted to see Etz Chaim flourish. He also ensured that we could relocate our synagogue to its new campus (in 1986) without a mortgage. There are not too many synagogues out there that have that privilege! The passing of Harry Frisch reinforces another layer of sadness. Harry escaped the Nazi regime in Austria when he was just a teenager. He was able to survive the horrors of the Holocaust by gaining access to place a ship that was traveling to Israel. Along with other Holocaust survivors in Israel and, subsequently, in the United States, Harry rebuilt his life with faith and optimism. Some have referred to that generation as the "Greatest Generation." They did not perceive themselves as victims but rather focused on building the next chapter in a long Jewish history story. It is a painful truth that this chapter is closing before our very eyes. The youngest Holocaust survivors are in their eighties. The day of no living Holocaust survivors in our midst is rapidly approaching. The world will be very different when no one among the living can look someone in the eye and declare, "I was there!"  With that reality that we are confronted with, what are the most effective ways to perpetuate the memory of the Holocaust survivors and those who perished? There is not one perfect answer to this question. Different people and organizations have suggested a variety of approaches.  One method of education in this important area is something we experienced this week here in Jacksonville. Rabbi Joey Hamaoui and the larger Southern NCSY team organized an effort that took careful planning to bring a most enriching program in Holocaust education. The "Hate End Now" program featured a "Cattle Car." All attendees had an immersive 360-degree experience from within a replica, "Cattle Car." In addition, there was a multimedia presentation within the "Cattle Car." educating us about their personal stories of survivors. We were fortunate to host a Holocaust survivor that was featured in the multimedia presentation, and she came especially for this program. Standing in the “Cattle Car”, I tried to envision an actual experience of men, women, and children crammed together in unsanitary conditions for days. The average transport took about four days. I imagined much sadness, pain, and agony as our brethren were taken to be gassed to death. The tour lasted thirty minutes, and I was relieved to walk out of the “Cattle Car” and back into a warm Florida afternoon. I had mixed feelings at that moment. I was relieved to step out and continue with my day. I was also mindful that a few hours earlier, we buried a 99-year-old legendary Holocaust survivor. I now have an increased responsibility with the number of living Holocaust survivors dwindling. It is now up to us to ensure the "Greatest Generation" is not forgotten. Have a Peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch.

America discovers prayer

Who says America is a bereft spiritual nation? While there are troubling issues in this country from here to yazoo, there was a moment of crisis that inspired a nation to pray. Last week during a nationally televised game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills, an unprecedented crisis unfolded on the field. Damar Hamilton, a member of the Buffalo Bills, collapsed on the field, and we learned later he went into cardiac arrest. Tens of thousands of fans in the stands who moments before were a raucous crowd became speechless. People watched helplessly as medical officials tried to resuscitate Hamlin on the field.  At that point, a most unusual twist occurred both on and off the field. The players from both teams banded together on the field and began to pray. A Bengals fan held up a hastily made placard bearing the words "Pray for Buffalo #3 Hamlin." Fans from both teams gathered outside the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, to which Mr. Hamlin had been taken, and collectively prayed for the young man. Suddenly prayer—the ancient activity of speaking to God in the belief that he can hear and respond—was everywhere. Top-level coaches and players, former and present, posted appeals to "Pray for Damar." The NFL on Monday night issued a statement advising only that its "thoughts" were with Mr. Hamlin and his family. A day later, the league changed its social-media platforms with those of all 32 professional teams to an image of Mr. Hamlin's No. 3 Bills jersey bearing the words "Pray for Damar." Former quarterback Dan Orlovsky, discussing the game with two panelists on ESPN, did the until-now unthinkable: He bowed his head and actually prayed—with two other commentators bowing their heads in respectful accord. The prayer concluded, and each said, Amen. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the first time ESPN had a live prayer session broadcasted by their sports commentators.  The Talmud teaches that even when a sharp knife is pressed against a person's neck, one should not give up and think that G-d no longer has compassion. The famous verse from Tehilim/Psalms refers to King David praying from ממעמקים or the depths. The reality is that not every prayer gets answered in the manner that we wish. Sometimes for reasons beyond human comprehension, G-d allows pain and suffering to occur. However, the most powerful element of prayer is not that G-d will grant whatever request we have but rather for us to feel that we are not alone. Worse than the actual suffering is to be suffering alone. When one engages in prayer, the person is never alone, for G-d is always with the person. This is what King David refers to as כי אתה עמדי  or "You are with me."  Thousands of years ago, Jonah, the prophet, went to the city of Ninveh and instructed the gentile nation to engage in serious prayer to avoid catastrophe. The people responded in kind and poured their hearts to Almighty G-d and a crisis was averted. Last week in the United States of America, a nation that is fair to say is struggling with morality and Godliness, discovered the power of prayer. Demar Hamilton, who lay on the field lifeless, was discharged from the hospital this week. It remains to be seen if this story is just anecdotal or if this reflects something about the character of this country. Regardless, in an era of one disheartening story after another, a football game played in Cincinnati stood out like a shining city on a hill. Have a Peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch.

Thoughts on Shabbos

For thousands of years in several different continents and tumultuous eras, the Jewish people strictly adhered to the Shabbos observance. Shabbos observance is unlike other mitzvahs in its importance and its seriousness to the life of a Jew. An individual that observes the laws of Shabbos is essentially subscribing to a fundamental tenet of Judaism. The basic article of faith is that G-d created this world in six days and rested on the seventh day.  I would like to explore the meaning of G-d “resting” on the seventh day. It cannot mean G-d was tired and fatigued from a challenging week at work in a way that mortal beings get tired at the office. So what does it mean that G-d “rested”? Furthermore, why, just because God rested, should we all rest? There are plenty of things that an infinite, eternal, Al-Mighty G-d can do that mortal beings cannot even begin to dream of accomplishing!! Rashi in his commentary on the creation of the world in Berieshes states that after the six days of creation, the world was deficient of Menucha. At the onset of Shabbos, Menucha arrived as well. Menucha is traditionally understood to be rest, but applying the word rest in this context leaves something lacking in understanding. Our Rabbis have taught a profound interpretation of this passage. After six days, G-d created a perfect physical world and was complete. It contained mountains and valleys, oceans and rivers and lions, tigers and bears! (oh my!) Although the world was complete in the physical realm, it still lacked in one major area. It lacked the spark of G-d’s existence and the intense manifestation of His presence. When Shabbos came, the world experienced an intense spiritual manifestation of His presence like no other time. This idea is expressed in the Kiddush we recite every Friday night in the words of תְּחִלָּה לְמִקְרָאֵי קֹֽדֶשׁ. This is translated as first to the holy gatherings or convocations. That is because this Shabbos experience was like no other in which manifestation of G-d’s presence is present in our lives like no other time. For thousands of years, the Jewish People have been on the brink of survival, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is in no small part to its commitment to Shabbos that allowed it to survive to this very day.  A few years ago, the Chief Rabbi of South Africa started the Shabbos Project to share the gift of Shabbos with a wider group of our brothers and sisters who are not fortunate to regularly take advantage of this treasure. Over the last few years, the Shabbos Project has exploded in popularity and we are fortunate again to host a program in our community this year. We are delighted to partner with the Kollel in bringing this extraordinary experience to a wider audience of our Jewish brothers and sisters in Greater Jacksonville. There was a ton of effort and energy by many people that were invested in making this Shabbos Project, and on behalf of a grateful community and appreciative Klal Yisroel, I simply nod my head in gratitude. For all those invested in increasing the cause of Godliness and Holiness in this world through the observance of Torah and Mitzvos-- it doesn’t get much better than this!!! Have a peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

Response to Anti Semitism

It’s deja vu all over again. So declared the baseball sage Yogi Berra in a different context some time ago. Our national and local Jewish Community is experiencing this sentiment with very public expressions of anti-Semitism by a famous (or infamous) artist and athlete depicted in our local stadium during a prominent football game. A small group of individuals also displayed anti-Semitic banners at overpasses on various major highways in Jacksonville. The sentiment of let’s call the police to remedy any societal injustice clearly faced a limitation and challenge that is rarely acknowledged but it’s essential to be reminded. Vile hate speech is perfectly legal and a protected constitutional right. In multiple conversations with members of our local law enforcement, they articulated that only a call to actual physical violence will cross the line into illegality. If that wasn’t unsettling enough the official report of the JSO of the officers interacting with the individuals who displayed vile Jew-hatred on the interstate should be raising the hair off your back. The JSO officer wrote on his report “thanked the group for their cooperation and apologized for taking up so much time”. This is a local police officer thanking a group of Neo-Nazis for their cooperation and apologizing for taking up so much of their time! The JSO in an official statement confirmed the accuracy of this report! Can anyone imagine if individuals were targeting members of different ethnic groups or minorities that the local police would be so deferential and polite? To suggest this is a shocking disappointment would be a massive understatement. An alternative reaction could have been along the lines of “ we understand that hate speech is not illegal but we don't appreciate you singling out members of the city with hatred and we will watch you very carefully”. I attended a vigil last night that was organized by One Jax to call out anti-Semitism and hate and was heartened to see many non-Jews attending. I still don’t believe that the hateful incident is reflective of our city despite the underwhelming response from JSO. I believe this is a time for some serious reflection. Anti-Semitism has been a plague our people have been confronted with for thousands of years and millions of our brethren have been killed as a result. At this moment, I recall the sagely advice of Rabbi Chaim Volozhin who said “If a Jew doesn’t make kiddush, the non-Jew will make Havdallah”. The message is that if a Jew doesn’t lead a life of holiness and sanctifying G-d the alternative will be for him to try to assimilate into general society by not acting overtly Jewish. The non-Jew will make the Havdala and remind us that we are different and don’t belong. History is filled with too many tragic examples of this Havdala. I believe we need to embrace our identity that we are different and should be filled with pride in our identity and heritage. That can translate differently for different people, but if anything I believe this has been a rude reminder that we can avoid no longer. It’s time for all of us to make kiddush! Have a peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

Spiritual Effect on Climate Change

Mathew. Irma. Florence. Michael. Ian. These sound like an innocent group of friends that might have gone into a bar for a drink. Those of us living in Florida recognize these names as menacing deadly storms that have torn through our region causing much loss of life and staggering property damage that has cost several hundred billion dollars in the last few years. I noted before Yom Kippur that Mathew, Florence and Ian unleashed its wrath during the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Michael made landfall during this week, the Parsha of Noach in 2018. It is with sad irony that we read about the flood that destroyed the entire civilization as Hurricane Michael was destroying parts of our state. It would be a mistake just to dismiss this as a random coincidence. Obviously, there are factors from the perspective of science about the uptick in these devastating storms. This space is not the area to address that aspect of the conversation. From a spiritual perspective, I would like to share an insight from Maimonides. He writes that when tragic and unnatural events occur that cause misfortune in this world, it should give us pause and encourage us to reflect on the situation. Nothing happens in a vacuum and this should behoove us for some soul-searching.  In this week's Parsha of Noach, G-d communicates that because of the wayward actions of Man, there will be a flood to destroy civilization. Following the flood, G-d made an eternal covenant with Man that He would never destroy the entire world because of Man’s actions. G-d showed Noach a rainbow and made the covenant with him that the world's seasons would not be interrupted. Our Rabbis have pointed out that the covenant does not guarantee that a particular region will not suffer the same fate because of Man’s action. In that sense, I believe what we have been witnessing should cause us to think about what we can do to bring positive change both in our relationship with G-d and with our fellow Man. One of the primary lessons of Noah and the flood is that there is a symbiotic relationship between the actions of Man and the state and existence of this planet. It is not just a question of carbon emissions and warming the planet. That is a conversation for a different forum. (A Rabbi once opined if every member of the planet would not use an automobile or plane one day a week, the planet would have much fewer carbon emissions). Parshas Noach teaches us the real-time effect our moral choices and errors can have on our planet and civilization. The question we should ask ourselves is, what positive actions are we going to engage in that can improve that symbiotic relationship? Have a peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch

It Never Gets Old

What more can we learn that we have not known already? Who does not know that Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden fruit? Or that Cain and Abel had the first sibling rivalry in history? Or that Noah had to build an ark to protect himself from a catastrophic flood that would destroy civilization? These are fair questions as we once again begin the Torah reading cycle anew with Sefer Bereishis. How many times do we have to hear the same Parsha and pretend not to get bored? At least with the rest of the Torah, there are the various laws and Mitzvahs recorded, which is essential to review. However, Bereishis/ Genesis is devoted primarily to the Jewish People's story and how it came into being with our Patriarchs and Matriarchs. How many times do we have to hear the same stories?  No less a formidable Biblical Commentator than Rashi poses the following question. I would like to paraphrase his answer with a story that occurred in London just over a hundred years ago. Chaim Weizman (who later became the first president of modern Israel) met with Lord Balfour in England and lobbied for the British Government to recognize a Jewish Homeland he was met with much resistance. It is well known that the British attempted to offer Uganda to the Jews as an alternative relocation site. Weizman dismissed this offer and insisted there was no alternative to the Jewish Homeland but Eretz Yisroel. Balfour upbraided Weizmann for rejecting the Uganda offer. Weizmann responded, "Mr. Balfour, suppose I were to offer you Paris instead of London, would you take it?" But, Dr. Weizmann, "we already have London," replied the British Lord. "That is true, but we had Jerusalem when London was a marsh," concluded Dr. Weizmann. Balfour was moved to tears and later wrote that the road followed by a great and suffering nation had been illuminated for him".  Rashi writes that it is essential for us to constantly review the Book of Berieshes/Genesis, as the nations of the world will accuse the Jews of improperly occupying the Land. If there is one cause that seems to unite different religions, faiths, and varied political stripes, it is that Israel is a nation of colonialists and occupiers. In the current 76th session of the UN General Assembly (2021-2022), EU member states are likely to vote for one resolution each on the human rights situations in Iran, Syria, North Korea, Myanmar, and Crimea. By contrast, EU states will likely vote in favor of nearly all 14 resolutions singling out Israel. These same EU states have failed to introduce a single UNGA resolution this year on the human rights situation in China, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Turkey, Pakistan, Vietnam, Algeria, and 175 other countries. The ongoing demonization has had a corrosive effect on the Jewish community as there are now multiple progressive Jewish organizations that openly challenge Israel's natural right to its ancient homeland. For this reason, Rashi teaches us we must review the story of our people and our Land on an annual basis. It never gets old. Have a peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch