Shabbat U.K. - Agreeing to disagree as the key to Unity

A couple of years ago, I remember hearing an interesting anecdote about the late R. Soloveitchik: When Chabad were promoting a Shabbat campaign in the 70s advertising the beauty of the day through pictures of the pristine white table cloth and crispy challah, he would react in irritation that Shabbat is not about nice tablecloths and fluff and that such advertising gave an overly sentimental and inaccurate portrayal of the Sabbath day.

Truth be told, those of us who are not such halakhic purists can admit that sometimes shabbos is mainly about the sitting back, relaxing and eating something someone's grandma might have been the best at cooking. What I found really excellent about the whole Shabbat UK idea is that it managed to do something striking in getting people to agree and disagree about the same topic in order to create great unity.

For example, for some, Shabbat UK was about a potential to reach out to Jews and to make them more involved religiously. A perfect opportunity for Kiruv. For others who would never approve of the aims of outreach organisations, it had different, more communal implications and was more about getting people together in the community regardless of observance. In fact, if you were to sit down 50 randomly selected people and get them to honestly discuss the 'point' of the day you could get 50 different answers. But the point was that the Shabbat concept provided something for everyone along with fertile ground for disagreement. Both those elements, in my opinion, are crucial to creating vibrancy and unity within a community.

In most areas, I really enjoy disagreement. It provides an excellent platform for creativity and the development of my own ideas. I spend most of my life doing essay-related things, and from experience it is very difficult to write anything until I find something juicy to argue against or grapple with. So too in communal activities. Disagreement is often very productive as long as you can find the maturity to agree to disagree. This is why I am such a fun of the Shabbat U.K model. It revolves around the near-universal love of Shabbos (although I did see some strange complaints about an Ashkenazi run conspiracy which should be referred to as Shabbos U.K rather than Shabbat but can't please everyone) albeit for very different reasons. 

I love the song 'America' by Simon and Garfunkel. One of my favourite lines in it is 'Cathy I'm lost I said though I knew she was sleeping.' It perfectly sums up feelings of alienation and loneliness. Being Jewish from a sociological perspective has always had much to do with belonging to something greater than yourself. Yet sadly alienation remains a common theme across the religious spectrum, particularly amongst the youth. I suggest that this model is an excellent one to follow as a means of addressing that: 1. Find a common ground, however broad, 2. Get people in the same physical space and 3. embrace the broigus. It's great fun.     
Shabbat Shalom











Please follow this link it is important for one and all to read and answers many questions about the universe: http://www.espncricinfo.com/blogs/content/story/934488.html

Competing visions of the Messiah in the modern state of Israel.

No, it's not what it looks like. I'm not claiming Cook is the messiah. Just a moment is needed to savour that innings. Breath. Ok, back.( I wrote this sentence a week ago when it was still fresh)

One of the subjects I touched upon in my Undergraduate thesis is the ambiguity of the messianic vision in Jewish thought and how at the time of Shabbatai Tzvi many different versions of the messiah could be envisaged that could claim equal authority. 

These have been troubling times in the past few weeks. It is clear that everyone wants the terrible attacks to stop immediately and we pray for the speedy recovery of those wounded by these terrible attacks. But I would like to throw out a few ways to consider approaching peace, particularly with regard to Jews and their neighbours. And funnily enough this has much to do with how we envisage the concept of messianism and redemption.

One way, for example, is to see persecution as the inevitable condition of Jewishness and exile and therefore pray for the eventual triumph of the Jewish people over our enemies in the form of the coming of the messiah. Everyone wants these terrible events to stop of course, but some have presented it as an inevitable conflict which can only be truly resolved in the messianic future and for the meantime the solution is to pray for respite from our enemies. Is there an inevitable us vs them element in all this? 

This idea is arguably supported by the Kabbalistic and Hasidic depiction of our forefathers and the events of their lives. The stories in Bereshit are deeper truths concerning human nature and history. The forefathers each represent a different characteristic, and this week's portion is about Avraham who embodied Hesed, or lovingkindness. Similarly, the struggles between different characters such as Ya'akov and Eisav, as well as Yishma'el and Yitzhak are understood in broader, cosmic terms. Do we regard the events in Israel as part of a broader, intrinsic, particularist dynamic of Jewish history?

Or is the messianic vision one of coexistence and the ambition more universal? Do we pray that swords are turned into ploughshares, try to achieve this with proactive effort and belief, refuse to accept the inevitability of conflict however naive that seems and not actively worry about how the final end will come? Could it be considered an ideal that, for example, a two-state solution is realised and harmony achieved at the expense of what appears to be a more proactively messianic and specifically Jewish vision of the future? Should our national role be to try and unite the world as one in peace?

The particularistic vs universalistic visions are ones  that different Jewish thinkers have favoured at different points in history and is a fluctuating dynamic that I too experience at different points in my life. Especially in situations so close to the heart my thoughts range from: 'Naive lefties with no sense of reality' to 'Right wing bigots with the sophistication of a five year old.' 

 Recently I've taken to reading the Parasha without any commentary and waiting for something to hit me that resonates with contemporary situations. In particular, Avraham Avinu is an excellent case study for approaching the conflicting emotions that we encounter in response to immensely difficult daily challenges.  

Academia, Ecclesiastes and responding to Tragedy.

I attended a seminar last week where the main topic of discussion was whether to make PHDs more relevant to the business/corporate world. Funny, I thought; the word 'relevant' 'corporate' and 'Academia' are never used in the same sentence. Why on earth would we want the precious world of pure knowledge to be tarnished by such philistine aspirations? The world is changing, we were told, and perhaps the PHD thesis should adapt accordingly? Pathetic, I thought. The 20/20 generation has even infiltrated my ivory tower, I despaired.

Then, on Shabbos, I had the pleasure of reading my favourite Megillah Kohelet or Ecclesiastes. Most vorts focus on the last few lines of the whole thing and the fact that despite its melancholy tone it really encourages a happiness which is focused on meaning rather than indulgence. Ok, fair enough. But you can't just skip to the end where Harry kills Voldemort, there are many many pages in between. It is not only the futility of wealth that King Solomon decries, it is also, at times, wisdom. The wise person and the ignorant have the same ultimate fate. 'For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!'  (Ecclesiastes 2:16).

Then, tragically, this week has seen terrible terrorist attacks in Israel and once again the Jewish world is gripped with uncertainty, fear and worry. My petty theoretical concerns again faded before the cry of those in pain. 

Yes, this all sounds rather morbid but it once again shows the discrepancy between thought and action in this world. Theory is never enough, ideas alone can never suffice to justify our existence in this world, and evil and misery can never be adequately explained philosophically. Perhaps this explains why Jewish mystics were unwilling to keep the Kabbalah theoretical.

If I were to link the three areas that have dominated my week I would structure them as follows. In Academia, like in any discipline, the powers that be are not satisfied with the apparent lack of direction or purpose. The expansion of knowledge is wonderful but if no-one benefits what on earth is the point of it all?  Reading Kohelet I am always left with the feeling that the way to answer the questions of purposelessness and evil is not to address them intellectually but rather through action: to do good, spread kindness and justice and accept the limitations of the human mind.

This was then compounded by the tragic newsreels that have dominated our screens this week. Life is short, precious and must be used to better the lot humanity in whatever way best suited to us. This need lingers in all areas of life, even in the writing of a Thesis. 

I am grateful that one of the outcomes of my summer's leadership trip was a commitment to a giving circle where each month we choose a charity to donate to together. This month we chose Onefamily as a means of raising money for the Henkin family who tragically lost their parents last week. I have attached the link for those interested.

http://onefamilyuk.org/donate/