A Chanukah Reader 5773/2012
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UNIT FOUR: Songs of Belonging
UNITUNIT 4 FOUR:Studen t Workbook Songs of Belonging: Jewish/Israeli Songs Student Workbook A curriculum for Israel Engag ement Written by Belrose Maram In collaboration with Gila Ansell Brauner Elisheva Kupferman, Chief Editor Esti-Moskovitz-Kalman, Director of Education 1 UNIT 4 Student Workbook Lesson 1: Classical Poems and Songs Introduction In the first unit we explored the different types of connections that the Jewish People have with Israel. Since the Jews were expelled from the Land of Israel in ancient times, they have endeavored to remember and connect to the land in a variety of ways. The Arts in particular have played a major role in the expression of connection to Israel. It has provided an avenue for expression of yearning for the land, through poems, visual arts, music, etc. Even today, while we have the Modern State of Israel, artists worldwide are still expressing their connection to Israel through art. In the first lesson of this unit, we will learn about 2 poems that were written before the creation of the Modern State of Israel. One is a Psalm from the Bible: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem” and the second is a poem from the medieval period written by Yehuda Halevi: " My Heart is in the East, and I am in the furthermost West ". After analyzing both, we will do a short assignment asking you to reflect on Hatikva , the Israeli Hymn which later became Israel’s National Anthem, applying the themes of yearning you have studied in class to the hymn. " אם אשכך ירושלים ,If I forget you, O, Jerusalem " .1 The poem, If I forget you, O, Jerusalem , is part of Tehillim, Psalm #137, which is attributed to the First Exile, in Babylon, in the 6 th century B.C.E. -
Profile ‘It’S About Something Much Bigger Than You!’
PROFILE ‘IT’S ABOUT SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER THAN YOU!’ EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY BORUCH MERKUR WRITTEN BY CHANA KATZ Friday afternoon. Music superstar enters and immediately starts to sing moving in their seats, if you can Matisyahu is being trailed by a a melody, “Dum, dum, dum, dum, imagine. The audience is ignited. reporter from one of America’s most dah, dah...” and then vocalizes a Matisyahu finishes, gives a shy prominent newspapers, The series of sounds that sizzle and but appreciative smile and is ushered Washington Post. Erev Shabbos and explode into song. into the interview seat. Taking in his the reporter is barely keeping pace The cameras occasionally flash on Chasidic composure, the host asks with the Chassid as he navigates the the crowd in the audience and no one with great interest, “How did you streets of New York City. is sitting still. Everyone is literally become this rapper?! The article is published with the Matisyahu smiles and says, headline, “Funny, He Doesn’t Look “Basically, I wasn’t always religious. I Jamaican!” referring to the reggae A SIGN THAT GEULA IS NEAR! was raised in a non-Orthodox Jewish roots of his music. Still, the essence family and listened to reggae like any “The success of Matisyahu is of the story is G-dliness. “Matisyahu high school kid.” does this (gives up Shabbos nothing short of pure G-dliness performances, etc.) because, as he and certainly the work of the Host: “You get criticism from the sees it, he has what he had because Rebbe MH”M. -
Posmvist Rhetoric and Its Functions in Haredi Orthodoxy
posmviST rhetoric and its functions in haredi orthodoxy AlanJ. Yuter Haredi, or so-called "ultra-Orthodox/ Jewry contends that it is the most strictand thereforethe most authenticexpression of JewishOrtho doxy. Its authenticity is insured by the devotion and loyalty of its adherents to its leading sages or gedolim, "great ones." In addition to the requirementsof explicit Jewish law, and, on occasion, in spite of those requirements, theHaredi adherent obeys theDaas Torah, or Torah views ofhis or hergedolim. By viewingDaas Torah as a normwithin theJewish legal order,Haredi Judaismreformulates the Jewish legal order inorder to delegitimize thosehalakhic voiceswhich believe thatJewish law does not a require radical countercultural withdrawal from the condition ofmoder nity.According toHaredi Judaism,the culture which Eastern European Jewryhas createdto safeguardthe Torah must beguarded so thatthe Torah observance enshrined in that culture is not violated. Haredi Judaism, often called "ultra-Orthodox Judaism,"1 projects itself as the most strict and most authentic expression in contempo as rary Jewish life. This strictness is expressed in behavior patterns well as in the ideology which supports these patterns. Since Haredi as in culture regards itself the embodiment of the Judaism encoded canon the "Book," or the sacred literary of Rabbinic Judaism, the JewishPolitical Studies Review 8:1-2 (Spring 1996) 127 This content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.72.231 on Tue, 20 Nov 2012 06:41:14 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 128 Alan /. Yuter canon explication of the Haredi reading of Rabbinic Judaism's yields a definition of Haredi Judaism's religious ideology. -
The Genius and Limitations of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Z"L
The Genius and Limitations of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik z"l Byline: Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo is Dean of the David Cardozo Academy in Jerusalem. Thoughts to Ponder 529 The Genius and Limitations of Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik z”l * Nathan Lopes Cardozo Based on an introduction to a discussion between Professor William Kolbrener and Professor Elliott Malamet (1) Honoring the publication of Professor William Kolbrener’s new book “The Last Rabbi” (2) Yad Harav Nissim, Jerusalem, on Feb. 1, 2017 Dear Friends, I never had the privilege of meeting Rav Soloveitchik z”l or learning under him. But I believe I have read all of his books on Jewish philosophy and Halacha, and even some of his Talmudic novellae and halachic decisions. I have also spoken with many of his students. Here are my impressions. No doubt Rav Soloveitchik was a Gadol Ha-dor (a great sage of his generation). He was a supreme Talmudist and certainly one of the greatest religious thinkers of our time. His literary output is incredible. Still, I believe that he was not a mechadesh – a man whose novel ideas really moved the Jewish tradition forward, especially regarding Halacha. He did not solve major halachic problems. This may sound strange, because almost no one has written as many novel ideas about Halacha as Rav Soloveitchik (3). His masterpiece, Halakhic Man, is perhaps the prime example. Before Rav Soloveitchik appeared on the scene, nobody – surely not in mainstream Orthodoxy – had seriously dealt with the ideology and philosophy of Halacha (4). Page 1 In fact, the reverse is true. -
Final Klal Gadol Sermon ER 5781
Klal Gadol B’Torah: A Story of Love and Loss in a Time of Pandemic Erev Rosh Hashanah 5781 Rabbi David Kosak It was one of those human interest stories you read in a newspaper or magazine or even on YouTube and think, “how poignant and touching.” What journalists call “soft news.” For a moment, your faith in humanity is restored. Earlier this year, I saw a video about an owl that had gotten caught in a soccer goal net. It thrashed about, shaking its wings, all in a hopeless effort to get disentangled. Then these 4 burly construction workers walked over to the imprisoned owl and picked it up. I expected the owl to struggle about even more intensely. That’s not what happened. Over the next 30 minutes, these brawny men carefully cut away strand after strand of the soccer net. As they moved delicately, the owl remained strangely still. What accounted for this? Was the owl paralyzed in fright? Or did it understand these human giants were there to help? That’s a mystery I wish I knew an answer for. Seeing its bright yellow eyes fixed on the humans, though, it seemed to me that it understood these bipeds were looking out for it, were there to protect it. What I can say is that the moment they had freed the bird and set it on the ground, the owl’s stillness turned to motion as it took to flight and rapidly disappeared into the sky. The truth is, the world is filled with stories like these. -
Pesak, Gedolim, and Halakhah Class 12 Shlomo Zuckier 03.05.18
Pesak, Gedolim, and Halakhah Class 12 Shlomo Zuckier 03.05.18 1. Shlomo Zuckier and Shalom Carmy, “An Introductory Biographical Sketch of R. Aharon Lichtenstein,” Tradition 47:4 (2015), p. 9 Due to his wide scholarly output and his complex and developed positions on contemporary issues, R. Lichtenstein is considered by many American Modern Orthodox Jews to be their gedol ha-dor, like his father-in-law R. Soloveitchik before him. If the Rav bestrode American Orthodoxy like a colossus, R. Lichtenstein has been a remote polestar, projecting his influence from a distance, as his votaries ponder his every word, rendered all the more precious by his unwillingness to meddle uninvited in American affairs. R. Lichtenstein has often been asked to present the hashkafic overview at the annual Orthodox Forum gathering, and at many other RCA or YU conclaves, with the justified presumption that his position carries authority for Modern Orthodoxy. 2. Chaim Saiman, “The Market for Gedolim: A Tale of Supply and Demand,” Lehrhaus, Oct. 13, 2016 On the whole, rabbis classified as “gedolim” are far more supportive of haredi viewpoints than of those associated with modern Orthodoxy. This situation begets the question “why there are so few modern Orthodox gedolim?” In my experience, this conversation quickly turn to a question of supply. That is, who is that elusive Rabbi/Dr. who has the entire Talmud, halakhic codes and commentaries at his fingertips, who has mastered the literature of Jewish thought and philosophy, and who is also fully conversant in cognate fields such as the humanities, law, and social sciences? Centrist Orthodoxy seeks a gadol who understands the social and intellectual currents of the time, yet exudes authenticity as he articulates our timeless tradition in a timely manner… The problem with the structure of this conversation is that it focuses almost exclusively on the supply side of the gadol market, while wholly neglecting the question of demand. -
Yeshiva Ohr Reuven
REUVEN YOUR WINDOW INTO THE WORLD OF YESHIVA KETANA OHR REUVEN REVIEWVol. 7 Issue #15 January 17, 2020 4:36 pm t"yz zah k zeny zyxt UPCOMING EVENTS Monday, January 20, 2020 No Transportation Arrival: K-5: 9 AM, 6-8: 8 AM Dismissal: K-8: 3 PM G.S. Teachers Professional Development Day Thursday, January 30, 2020 Early Dismissal K: 12:00 PM, P-8: 1:00 PM Friday, January 31, 2020 Mid-Winter Vacation Sessions resume on Wednesday, February 5th N’shei tea prize winner! Menachem Goldstein and Daniel Ben Shlomo having lunch with our Menahel, Rabbi Rawicki. Sunday, February 9, 2020 Hascholas Gemara Monday, February 17, 2020 Legal Holiday No Transportation Arrival: K-5: 9 AM, 6-8: 8 AM Dismissal: 12:45 PM Rebbeim and Teachers Professional Development Day IMPORTANT NOTES In case of inclement weather, please call the Yeshiva Ketana message line: 845.362.8362, Rabbi Purpas’s 7th grade master testers at work! (The Mesivta message x 199. 259 Grandview Avenue Suffern, NY 10901 From Kindergarten to Kollel and Beyond! line is 845.362.8362 x 198) 845.362.8362 www.ohrreuven.com Yeshiva Ketana | Mesivta | Beis Medrash | Kollel | Alumni Our Menahel, Rabbi Rawicki, testing Rabbi Weissman’s 2nd grade talmidim on their milim. The Pre-1A class learnt In Rabbi Weissman’s 2nd about the letter “N” and grade, Huda Stansky and used magic noodles to Eliezer Eisenstadt carried form the letter “N”! the wood, fire and a knife for the “akeda”. Rabbi Kohn’s 6th grade Yosef Shalom Adler class chazzered the holding a picture of his beginning of the perek name sake, our gadol over 800 times!! of the Week, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv zt”l. -
In This Issue
THE JEWISH OBSERVER IN THIS ISSUE SHARING THE BURDENS OF OUR FELLOWS THE JEWISH OBSERVER 7 (ISSN) 0021-6615 IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY, EXCEPT JULY & AUGUST AND A COMBINED ISSUE FOR JANUARy/FEBRUARY. BY THE ACUDATH ISRAEL OF AMERICA, .., BROADWAY. NEW YORK. NY 10004. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID IN NEW YORK, NY. SUBSCRIPTION $25.00/ YEAR; 2. YEAHS, 548.00; j YEARS, 16 S69.00. OUTSIDE OFTHE UNITED STATES (US nYNDS DRAWN ON A US BANK ONLY) $I5.00 SURCHARGE PER YEAR. SINGLE COPY $3.50; OUTSIDE NY AREA $3.95; FOREIGN $4.50. 42 THE CLUlTERED POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHA!'\GES TO: TEL 212-797-9000, FAX 646-'154 1600 PRINTED I~ THE ljSA LETTER FROM JERUSALEM RABBI ~ISSON WOLPIN. Eaitor 19 LESS QBVOUS LESSONS Editorial Board FROM THE MAYORAL RABBI ABBA BRUDNY RABBI JOSEPH ELIAS Yonoson f?Qsenb/~JlTi JOSEPH FRIEDENSON RABBI YISRO'El. MEIR KIRZNER RABBI NOSSON SCHER\.-fAN PRO'F. AARON T\VERSKI HIGHER LIGHTS OF CHANUKAH Founders THE CVJDtES :HF DR. ERNST L. BODENHEIMER Z"L 23 ~.ND RABBI MOSHE SHERER Z"L Rabbi Yonason Go/dson Management Board 27 WAKE Up AND NAFTOLI HIRSCH. ISAAC KIRZNER. RABBI SHLOMO LESlN. DAVID SINGER, NACHUM STEIN 31 P,-[J.\SE KEEP THE SHADES DOWN! MRS. LEAH ZAGELBAUM. AdvelTising Manager Rabbi Sho!orn Srn.ith PUBLISHl':D BY .A POEM BY AGUDATH ISRAEL OF AMEHTCA 32 Zos U.S. TRADE DISTRIBUTOR REAlLY MISSING A POEM BY Bracha fELDHEIM PUBLISHERS 33 II ISH YWUDI"; THE LIFE LEGACY' OF A TORAH BRITISH REPRESE!'i'TATIVE M.l: BlBELMAN Grosvenor Works Mount Pleasant Hill 39 REMEM!3ERlt~G THE PONOIfEZHER London ENGL4ND CHAPTER OF FRENCH REPHESE!\!TATIVE RABBI ISHAEL) HEPRESENTATIVE INTNL MEDIA PLACEMENT Boltshauser) BELGIAN REPRESENTATIVE MR. -
Matisyahu, Identity, and Authenticity by Sarah Imhoff on August
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by IUScholarWorks The Man in Black: Matisyahu, Identity, and Authenticity By Sarah Imhoff On August 6, 2006, thousands of fans at Chicago’s Lollapalooza music festival danced to reggae in the sweltering heat under the sun. The performer wore black pants and a gray long- sleeve collared shirt in spite of the heat. Instead of dreadlocks or a knit cap, he sported a full beard and a yarmulke. White fringes hung down in front of his pants, next to the badge identifying him as a performer. At one point, during a joyful frenzy of onstage dancing, his yarmulke came flying off. Without missing a beat, he took the nearby white towel—provided to performers for wiping away sweat—and held it atop his head with his left hand while his right hand held the microphone. He did not want to stop the show, but he also needed to ensure that his head would not be bare. The crowd had surprises, too: instead of a sea of red, green, and black Jamaican flags, as one might expect to see at a reggae show, this crowd had a smattering of white-and-blue Israeli flags. Some sang along with lyrics that called to “Hashem” and made allusions to the Torah. The crowd was a mixture of fans and others who might best be described as gawkers: Was he for real? Who was this observant Jew singing reggae and calling for “Moshiah now”? But one could also ask questions about most of the people watching: Why should a crowd of young, mostly secular pop-music listeners care about a Hasidic Jew? Was it just about the novelty? Critics and fans have already written much about the life, music, and performance of Matisyahu, the most prominent Hasidic reggae musician, and his visibility is still growing. -
Matisyahu – Light (2009)
Matisyahu – Light (2009) Written by bluesever Friday, 26 February 2010 17:39 - Last Updated Friday, 21 April 2017 09:10 Matisyahu – Light (2009) 01. Smash Lies 02. We Will Walk 03. One Day 04. Escape 05. So Hi So Lo 06. I Will Be Light 07. For You 08. On Nature 09. Motivate 10. Struggla 11. Darkness Into Light 12. Thunder 13. Silence Those who know Matisyahu only as “that Jewish reggae singer” will have to rethink their definitions. Matisyahu’s faith is as much a part of his music as ever, but no style dominates his third album, Light, which moves between reggae, dance hall, hip-hop, and rock (of both hard-edged and acoustic varieties), often within the same song. Matisyahu’s refusal to heed the constraints of genre is laudable. But by the time “So Hi So Lo,” a straightforward alt-rock banger with no appreciable reggae or hip-hop influence, kicks in, one begins to suspect that the artist’s able genre-switching reveals a deeper lack of confidence. Matisyahu, it seems, piles on the stylistic shifts and production gimmicks because few of his ideas are strong enough to build entire tracks around. While working his broad sonic palette with ingenuity and verve, he sacrifices the opportunity to develop a sound that is truly his own. Light ends up with exciting moments, but few memorable songs. 1 / 3 Matisyahu – Light (2009) Written by bluesever Friday, 26 February 2010 17:39 - Last Updated Friday, 21 April 2017 09:10 It’s not that Matisyahu wasted two years in the studio. -
Reinventing American Jewish Identity Through Hip Hop
University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Undergraduate Humanities Forum 2009-2010: Penn Humanities Forum Undergraduate Connections Research Fellows 4-2010 Sampling the Shtetl: Reinventing American Jewish Identity through Hip Hop Meredith R. Aska McBride University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/uhf_2010 Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons Aska McBride, Meredith R., "Sampling the Shtetl: Reinventing American Jewish Identity through Hip Hop" (2010). Undergraduate Humanities Forum 2009-2010: Connections. 1. https://repository.upenn.edu/uhf_2010/1 Suggested Citation: Aska McBride, Meredith. (2010). "Sampling the Shtetl: Reinventing American Jewish Identity through Hip Hop." 2009-2010 Penn Humanities Forum on Connections. This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/uhf_2010/1 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Sampling the Shtetl: Reinventing American Jewish Identity through Hip Hop Disciplines Arts and Humanities Comments Suggested Citation: Aska McBride, Meredith. (2010). "Sampling the Shtetl: Reinventing American Jewish Identity through Hip Hop." 2009-2010 Penn Humanities Forum on Connections. This other is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/uhf_2010/1 0 Sampling the Shtetl Reinventing American Jewish Identity through Hip Hop Meredith R. Aska McBride 2009–2010 Penn Humanities Forum Undergraduate Mellon Research Fellowship Penn Humanities Forum Mellon Undergraduate Research Fellowship, -
Matisyahu, The
by Dan Alleva By now, most “It showed me people know Matthew Paul Miller as a new Matisyahu, the z American-born perspective, z Hasidic Jewish reggae artist who a different u emerged on the version of scene in 2004 as b an interesting Judaism than character in the world of reggae and alternative I had been music. Matisyahu’s music, and his fan-base, is more similar exposed to. to that of bands like 311 and Sublime, than it is of a pure roots reggae origin, I saw something and—right or wrong—his devotion to beautiful there.” Hasidic Judaism is what has made him stand out in the mainstream, more so than has his music. I was starving for spiritual experience. It’s also not hard to find Matisyahu’s Also, I know that you are a fellow persona a little complex. Recently, during Brooklynite. What is special about the an exchange of emails, I gave Matisyahu Brooklyn community for you? an opportunity to open up to readers and Just moved to L.A., sorry. Brooklyn is share his thoughts on the world. But to still my fav [ sic ] though… love the my disappointment, I found him neighborhood aspect to it. suspiciously mum on topics of interest Recently, there was an incident that to people. In fact, prior to our exchange, involved a young Hasid and the son of a NYC police officer, which caused some controversy both in the news “First show was and the Crown Heights community. I wonder, in times such as these, how Worcester, MA, do you remain so positive? [I] didn’t know about it… don’t watch winter 1995 or [the] news much.