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What Is Torah? “Moses Charged Us with Torah, the Heritage of the Community of Jacob.” Deuteronomy 33:4 by Rabbi Adam Zeff Tion Between Heaven and Earth

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What Is Torah? “Moses Charged Us with Torah, the Heritage of the Community of Jacob.” Deuteronomy 33:4 by Rabbi Adam Zeff Tion Between Heaven and Earth The Centre Call germantown jewish centre www.germantownjewishcentre.org Volume 22, Issue No. 5 IYAR 5774 MAY 2014 What is Torah? “Moses charged us with Torah, the heritage of the community of Jacob.” Deuteronomy 33:4 By Rabbi Adam Zeff tion between heaven and earth. There is this relationship and make Torah our much debate in the Midrash about what, heritage when we connect ourselves to his well-known teaching about if anything, the Israelites could learn of the revelations and interpretations of TTorah is traditionally one of the first the specific content of revelation in that those who came before us, when we verses that children are taught, and we moment. While that debate remains seek to understand the mysteries of life still follow that tradition today. Rabbi alive, it is clear from the text that the peo- by joining in the amazing Jewish con- Lewis and I always enjoy singing the ple have a powerful experience of Torah, versation that has lasted through the song based on this verse (“Torah, Torah, even if its meaning has to be discovered centuries. And we find Torah when we Torah…”) with our youngest children in and teased out later, in a process that come together as a community of peo- the Early Childhood Program on Friday stretches through the millennia and con- ple who choose to link our lives to a mornings as we celebrate Shabbat to- tinues today. The idea that the experience tradition that began long before us and, gether, parading with the Torah scrolls of Torah comes before its content is re- G-d willing, will last long after us. To around the Magil Chapel. But this flected in the Israelites’ famous statement study the words of the Bible in isolation seemingly simple verse conceals a dif- that “We will do and we will obey,” be- from the history of their interpretation ficult question: What is this “Torah” fore they have heard any of the content and apart from a community that tries with which Moses has charged us? of Torah. The word “Torah” is used frequently After Sinai, the debate over Torah continued on page 3 in the Bible, but scholars still debate to shifts to the question of which under- what this word refers. Does it indicate standings of this revelatory experience Program Highlights a particular teaching (“this Torah”)? A are authoritative. Whose words count as set of rituals (“the Torah of the Torah? The words of Moses? The visions Tour of the Baseball Exhibit Nazirite”)? A specific body of law (“the of the prophets? What about the poetry at the National Museum Torah of the Priests”)? A certain book of the Song of Songs? Are the interpreta- of American Jewish History of the Bible (e.g., Deuteronomy)? A tions of the rabbis – the “Oral Torah” – May 1 collection of Biblical books (e.g., the truly Torah? What about interpretations Hazak Shabbat Five Books of Moses)? The entire He- of non-rabbis? Minors? Women? Non- May 3 brew Bible (Tanach)? The Bible plus Jews? Although some boundaries are Women’s Club Torah Fund Brunch the ancient rabbinic writings of the drawn, the ancient rabbis tend to be ex- May 4 Mishnah, Midrash, and Talmud? Or pansive in their vision of whose Torah is Young Families Retreat perhaps, as the ancient rabbis them- Torah, often including all of the possibil- May 9-11 selves seem to argue, “Torah” refers to ities I have mentioned, inside of Torah. In the sum total of all knowledge, Wis- our community, we also take a wide view Red Cross Blood Drive sponsored by Men’s Club dom with a capital “W?” Jewish tex- of whose Torah counts, and we pride our- May 11 tual traditions contain support for all of selves on the diversity of voices that make these views of the meaning of “Torah” up our understanding of Torah. Hatufim (Israeli TV Screening) May 14 & May 28 and more! So where are the boundaries? What When Torah is given at Mount Sinai, is Torah and what is not-Torah? The verse Women’s Club Sharing Our Stories there is confusion. The world seems to from Deuteronomy has something to Sharing Our Lives & turn upside down and inside out, with teach us here as well. We find Torah in Israel 66 Celebration – featuring lightning and thunder obscuring the vi- the relationship we forge with that mo- GJC’s Melevah Malkah Band (offsite) sion and the hearing of those gathered ment at Sinai, the moment in which we May 18 to experience this moment of connec- were “charged” with Torah. We create germantown jewish centre • 400 west ellet street • Philadelphia, Pa 19119 • tel 215.844.1507 • fax 215.844.8309 iYar 5774 • maY 2014 President’s Message One Last Column for the Road By Mitch Marcus, GJC President his column is lation of a new chair lift that makes the approved by the Executive Committee Tmy last as 2nd floor of the school building accessi- and we are delighted that she is going president of Ger- ble to folks with restricted mobility, leav- to be a continuing member of our staff mantown Jewish ing only the Maslow auditorium with team. Centre, my last difficult access for some. One of the great joys of being Pres- chance to kvell in print about GJC. We have again put Israel back into a ident has been learning how truly ex- Here, in no particular order, are a set of prominent place in our programming, re- cellent and committed our personal observations of the past year sponding to Rabbi Zeff’s Rosh Hashanah professionals are, both the folks that at GJC and where we now stand: challenge “to engage substantively with everyone knows but also our “behind First, and foremost, we have amaz- the issues surrounding Israel, … to shape the scenes” staff, with roles largely un- ing rabbis and amazing professional programs in ways that both acknowledge known to many of our members. Glo- staff at GJC. Equally amazing, we all the diversity of our community’s visions ria Geissler, our Finance Director, not seem to know it. The two comments I of Israel and encourage us to engage only makes sure that we know exactly get most often when at Weaver’s Way with each other in the spirit of mahloket where we are financially, saving us about GJC are (1) how strong and pos- l’shem shamayim (controversy for the money at every turn, but also quietly itive Rabbi Zeff’s leadership is, and (2) sake of Heaven), focusing on learning, and efficiently mentors our lay leader- how remarkably fortunate we are to mutual respect, openness to each other, ship (me, for example!) in the conser- have found Rabbi Lewis as our second and deep listening.” Building on Rabbi vative financial management and rabbi. (Comments about Nina Peskin Zeff and Rabbi Lewis’s “Tough Social Is- budgeting that keeps us on a steady are slightly more varied, divided sues in Israel” course, our new Israel Pro- course. Eric Word, our Maintenance roughly evenly between (1) she’s gramming Group, co-chaired by Joel Supervisor, in addition to the duties his tremendously effective, (2) she’s a men- Sweet and Josh Peskin, initiated two suc- title implies, manages a variety of com- sch, and (3) she sings like an angel.) cessful programs this spring, an Israel plex building projects that have in- Despite the risk of putting a kina Speed Sharing event, and a bi-weekly cluded over the past two years - hora on our finances, we are in very group viewing of Hatufim, the Israeli in- conversion to a dual fuel heating sys- strong financial shape. For the first time spiration for the Homeland TV show. tem, recovery from the external electri- in the past twenty years, due to efforts Our religious school and ECP are cal fire of last summer, installation of over that entire time, we now have al- going strong. With Rabbi Alanna Sklover the chair lift, installation of our new se- most 6 months of operating reserves to joining our staff as Rabbi Educator this curity system, and others. Elana Shaw, cushion unexpected financial bumps. year, there is a noticeable energy in the our Program Director, coordinates, fa- Our 75th endowment campaign, spear- halls of our Religious School. Rabbi cilitates, and stage manages a remark- headed by Curt Ponz and initiated by Alanna’s smile and passion for experien- able stream of programming with more my predecessor Chris Levin, has been tial education have already changed the constrained resources than most of us a tremendous success, raising over $1.4 way our school operates, as has the first imagine. Kate Lawn, Administrative million, with participation of over 360 phase of implementation of the new cur- Operations Manager, makes sure that households, 50 more than even our riculum developed by our Religious all the details for absolutely everything 60th campaign. School Committee over the past few else are taken care of, while making At a time when most synagogues years. Our Early Childhood Program was everyone who walks in feel warmly are shrinking in membership, GJC is most capably directed for most of this welcomed. actually growing. We are now at about year by Jodi Gordon on an interim basis, The collaboration between our rab- 525 family units, the largest we’ve been who stepped in as Mindy Pitofsky, our binic, professional, and lay leadership, in many, many years. ECP Director of many years, decided to between Rabbi Zeff, Executive Director Making this complex building ac- retire. The ECP Director search commit- Nina Peskin, Executive Vice President cessible has been a gradual process tee, chaired by Craig Barkan, recently Mat Shapiro (our nominee to become over many decades.
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