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Published by the Jewish Federations of North America Rabbinic Cabinet Thexsrpv Orchard Published by The Jewish Federations of North America Rabbinic Cabinet SPRING 2013 - NISSAN 5773 Thexsrpv Orchard Chair The Jewish Federations of North America Rabbinic Cabinet 3 Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt A Passover Reading 4 Passover Greetings from the JFNA Chair of the Board of Trustees 5 Vice Chairs and President and CEO Michael Siegal and Jerry Silverman Rabbi Les Bronstein Passover Greetings from the Chair of the Rabbinic Cabinet 6 Rabbi Frederick Klein Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt Rabbi Larry Kotok Passover Greetings from the Director of the Rabbinic Cabinet 7 Rabbi Gerald I. Weider President Rabbinic Cabinet Mission to Kiev and Israel February 4-12, 2013 8 Rabbi Steven Foster Rabbi Gerald I. Weider RABBINIC CABINET MISSION REFLECTIONS Director Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt 9 JFNA Rabbinic Cabinet Rabbi Misha Zinkow 11 Rabbi Gerald I. Weider Rabbi Alvin Berkun 13 Rabbi Alan Lavin 14 JFNA Chair of the Board Rabbi Ron Aigen 15 Michael Siegal Rabbi Joseph Z. Gruenberg 16 Rabbi Adam Kligfeld 17 JFNA Chair of the Rabbi Michael Stanger 19 Executive Committee Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin 20 Diane Feinberg Rabbi Neal Borovitz 25 PASSOVER, SHAVUOT, ISRAEL INDEPENDENCE DAY SERMONIC THOUGHTS JFNA President and CEO Next Year in Cyprus Or El Arish 27 Jerry Silverman Rabbi Paul Kerbel Shavuot Fable 29 Allen S. Maller Is Becoming Jewish Like Falling in Love 30 Rabbi Allen S. Maller She Swam In 31 Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Brockman Flour & Water: It’s Just A Matter Of Time 34 The Orchard Rabbi Francine Roston Published by: Call Me Mara … Responding To People In Times Of Crisis 36 Rabbi David J. Zucker and Rabbi Bonita E. Taylor The Jewish Federations of North America December 6, 2012 37 25 Broadway, Suite 1700 Ethan Prosnit The Ins And Outs Of Chametz 40 New York, NY 10004 Rabbi Amy Scheinerman Email: [email protected] Israel At 65 42 Amy Scheinerman Spring 2013 - Nissan 5773 B’Chol Dor Va-Dor - In Every Generation 44 Rabbi Donald B. Rossoff Published in cooperation with the Rabbinic Cabinets Yom Ha’atzmaut 45 Rabbi Eric Polokoff of local Jewish Federations Reflections 47 Rabbi Barry Gelman Sinai Speaks 49 Rabbi Nicole Guzik Reflections 50 Rabbi Asher Ostrin The Matzah of Peace 53 Rabbi Neal I. Borovitz Israel Action Network Spring Information Material 54 Joint Distribution Committee 55 Jewish Agency for Israel 57 THE JEWISH FEDERATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA RABBINIC CABINET The mission of the JFNA Rabbinic Cabinet SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES is to unite rabbis of all ideologies in the work of 1. Raise the level of knowledge about JFNA in the kiyum ha’umah, Jewish continuity, and tzedakah, rabbinate and community. acquaint and involve the North American rab- 2. Stimulate and support rabbinic participation in, and relationships with, JFNA and local Federations. binate with the goals and activities of JFNA, and bring the talents, resources, and perspectives of the 3. Assist with and participate in The Federation Annual Campaign by enlarging the scope and intensity of rabbinate to JFNA and the Federation movement. synagogue involvement. 4. Upgrade rabbinic giving and increase rabbinic The cabinet serves as the rabbinic arm of JFNA, solicitations. the major agency of North American Jewry for 5. Strengthen the rabbinic, congregational, community, agency and Federation partnership. tzedakah. It promotes the unity of the Jewish people in its efforts to support the needs of Jews 6. Engage the next generation of rabbis. everywhere by including rabbis from every 7. Continue education movement in North American Jewish life. 8. Develop programs and educational materials about Israel, the Jewish tradition and Jewish peoplehood/ community. The Rabbinic Cabinet further seeks to inform 9. Serve as teachers and spiritual resources to the colleagues about the most current developments leadership and constituencies of JFNA, local in Jewish life, the needs of our people, and the federations and the Jewish community. techniques for effective utilization of rabbinic STANDARDS FOR MEMBERSHIP leadership within local communities. In addition, the Rabbinic Cabinet endeavors to apprise the Members of the Rabbinic Cabinet should: lay leadership of the concerns of the rabbinate, 1. Be involved in local Federation and campaign activities, support federation work and engage infuse Jewish values and content into the work of synagogues in the community campaign. local federations, and serve Israel and the Jewish 2. Pledge a minimum of $1000. Rabbis who were people with rabbinical involvement and support. ordained less than five years ago should pledge at least $500. 3. Participate in JFNA missions. 4. Attend the Annual Meeting of the Rabbinic Cabinet and/or regional conferences and special meetings. The Orchard Spring 2013 - Nissan 5773 3 A PASSOVER PRAYER Areyvut – Jewish Mutual Responsibility (to be read following the singing of Dayenu) All of Israel is responsible for one another. - Talmud, Shavuot 39a Our story this night tells of the transformative The Israeli Jew and the Iraqi Jew, the moment when we, a cohort of cousins, united as a Argentinean Jew and the American Jew, the people, forever linked in faith and in fate. We walked traditional Jew and the unconventional Jew, as one between the birthing waters of the Sea to be reconstituted as Am Yisrael— the people of Israel. The Russian grandparent and the Ethiopian child, those of substance and those on subsistence. So we sing Dayeynu – had God only done that and no more, it would have been enough. We sit as one at this Seder, differences dissolving in common history and hope and in deepened Together at Sinai we stood and received Torah, the awareness of our mutual dependency. gift of God’s love. As women and men now free, we entered into a covenant of mutual obligation and We are so much stronger as a family than as individuals. inter-dependence, responsible to the Holy One and to each other. For our collective responsibility - at home, in Israel and around the world - is monumental Dayenu – had God only done that and no more, and compelling. it would have been enough. All Israel is responsible, one to the other. That covenant binds us still, transcending time and place, linking each Jew to every Jew. Kol Yisrael areyvim zeh bazeh. Each one, dependent on all. And for this, there is no Dayenu. There can be no “enough.” Kol Yisrael areyvim zeh bazeh. We are responsible for each other. We are For as much as we do, there is more to be done. responsible to each other. Seated here, as well as at seder tables around the world, are loved ones and friends, shoulder to shoulder with all who sing the same songs of by Rabbi Donald B. Rossoff, salvation and praise, family all. Chair, Rabbinic Cabinet of MetroWest NJ The Orchard Spring 2013 - Nissan 5773 4 PASSOVER GREETINGS FROM JFNA CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND PRESIDENT & CEO While the story of Passover is often viewed in the lens of the Exodus, it is equally important to focus on the story of Sinai: the giving of the Ten Commandments and the formal commitment of a strong Jewish People and G-d. As was said by the great Jewish thinker Rabbi David Hartman, z”l, we, as Jews, are defined by G-d and theTorah, not by the Pharaoh. Rabbi Hartman reminded us that Halakhah (Jewish law) teaches that Jews are not permitted to go back to Egypt. We are a forward-thinking people filled with strength and joy, and we have a commitment to being a light unto the nations. As we sit down for our Passover Seders this year, we should do so with this perspective. Generations after leaving Egypt, we have become a Jewish People who contribute much to the world, and we are all anchored by our connection to and love for the land of Israel. The North American Jewish community remains united in our mission to support and defend Israel and to nurture and sustain the Jewish People across the globe. Through the work of Jewish Federations and our partner agencies, The Jewish Agency for Israel, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, World ORT and others, we bring food to the hungry, shelter to the cold, and help the most vulnerable in our communities, not only in Israel but in more than 70 countries around the world. This November, we will convene in Jerusalem for The Jewish Federations of North America’s 2013 General Assembly, where we will confront the most pressing issues and address the greatest opportunities facing the Jewish community at home and abroad. A General Assembly in Israel happens just every five years, and it is an experience not to be missed. It is a place where ideas are generated, problems are solved, and innovations are born. It is an opportunity for us to celebrate our homeland, and to revel in how far we have come as a Jewish nation. The General Assembly in Israel will enable us to continue the great narrative of Passover, the story that began so long ago in Egypt, and culminated on Mount Sinai. As we celebrate and retell our familiar history, let us remember that our narrative is still unfinished. In fact, the greatest parts of this story may lie in our future, when all who are hungry are fed, when all who are cold are clothed, when all who are seeking community find comfort in the Jewish home. eW look forward to that day. We conclude every Seder with, “Next year in Jerusalem.” This Passover, let’s say, “This November in Jerusalem.” Chag Pesach Sameyach, Michael Siegal Jerry Silverman Chair of the Board of Trustees President & CEO The Jewish Federations of North America The Jewish Federations of North America The Orchard Spring 2013 - Nissan 5773 5 PASSOVER GREETING FROM THE CHAIR OF THE RABBINIC CABINET RABBI STUART WEINBLATT A number of articles and sermons in this issue discuss the meaning of the holiday of Passover, a holiday which is the ultimate celebration of freedom.
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