tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.comments2022-11-21T02:47:56.542-08:00HaMirpeset SheliRabbi Loren Sykeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03567603205696694725noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-64979978716025174802014-07-13T09:15:23.799-07:002014-07-13T09:15:23.799-07:00Gary Fiske - Thank you for your comment. My point...Gary Fiske - Thank you for your comment. My point is that until such time as the government ceases using this particular punishment for Palestinian terrorists, then we are obliged to use apply the same consequences to our own terrorists. <br /><br />A slap on the wrist is not sufficient to send the clear message that we will not tolerate homegrown, Jewish terrorists. Serious consequences are demanded here. Several national religious rabbinic leaders have called for the punishment of Din Mavet - the death penalty - in a symbolic way. That is, we don't (nor do I believe we should) have a death penalty but the symbolic declaration of applying it to the murderers of Muhammed Abu Khdeir would be sufficient.<br /><br />I am certainly open to other suggestions for serious consequences for Jewish terrorists. Unequal application of consequences for arab terrorists and Jewish terrorists will not help the situation. It will only make it worse.<br /><br />Thank you again for your thoughtful reply. We need more civil discourse on these kinds of subjects and I appreciate your comments.Rabbi Loren Sykeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03567603205696694725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-29429460049412204782014-07-08T09:11:13.671-07:002014-07-08T09:11:13.671-07:00Just as I'm appalled by the Israeli government...Just as I'm appalled by the Israeli government destroying home of suspects in the West Bank, so I can't fathom why Rabbi Sykes would call for sealing the homes of the suspects in this case. The perpetrators should be identified, captured, tried, and if found guilty punished. Not their families, unless they are found to be legally complicit.<br /><br />While less horrific than home destruction, home sealing still is not what a civilized nation does.Gary Fiskehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10651045704494074421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-23739747358024038212013-10-17T21:51:03.011-07:002013-10-17T21:51:03.011-07:00The frequent critique of having 500 channels is th...The frequent critique of having 500 channels is that there is still nothing interesting to watch. Unless you already have a really learned and very large congregation then trying to promote the idea off the shul multiplex is detrimental to the real needs of congregations that I have been a part of. We don't need to make demands of shul services to conform to the many individual desires of people. We need people to learn to conform and appreciate the basic sanctity of a traditional shul service. That takes education from pre pre nursery on up. Personally that is something not promoted by my city's local Shechter school. They too promote the multiplex experience when it comes to prayer. My children will not go there. To me the Shechter school doesn't appear to be creating daveners and an easy read on that is you don't see most of those kids or their parents in shul on Shabbos. I owe my children the ability to learn how to daven. Generations of Conservative Jews have been fed the ideas that Judaism could conform to their world view. They don't have to change. Only Judaism has to change. And if that means that a shul is chopped up to look like a multiplex so be it. That may work for a convention setting. But it won't work to create community in the long haul. It will only fraction community. Promoting how joyful it was to have five minyans and telling the baal-habatim to copy that model is not leadership needed for masses of people who have so little ability to daven or understand any semblance of halacha -Conservative halacha or otherwise. I suggest you look at Dr. Hauptman's article in this week's New York Jewish Week. She seems to suggest trying to get one service to appeal to people who are normally not shul goers and go from there. While that may turn out not to be my shul either. I think trying to create a homogenous community is the right way to go. Sincerely, Jonathan Loring Pittsburgh PAJonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12697084090755880292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-73322340061559795122013-08-21T08:16:45.160-07:002013-08-21T08:16:45.160-07:00Thank you Rabbi! I need another trip out there. ...Thank you Rabbi! I need another trip out there. It was a wonderful life changing experience.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09934899865695857351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-75954599228524024762013-08-21T08:16:11.293-07:002013-08-21T08:16:11.293-07:00Thank you Rabbi! I need another trip out there. ...Thank you Rabbi! I need another trip out there. It was a wonderful life changing experience.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09934899865695857351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-89787977184310909662013-07-15T15:04:47.169-07:002013-07-15T15:04:47.169-07:00Yasher koach. Great piece. May healing come soon t...Yasher koach. Great piece. May healing come soon to the Jewish people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-67149462259896409382012-11-02T06:57:38.121-07:002012-11-02T06:57:38.121-07:00I forget if I already offered but if you need anyt...I forget if I already offered but if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask! Mazal tov and Shabbat shalom.Benji Lovitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10695249834038406639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-7103503334232701562012-10-21T02:06:03.270-07:002012-10-21T02:06:03.270-07:00I met you in Jerusalem this shabbat [shabbat noah]...I met you in Jerusalem this shabbat [shabbat noah] at Moreshet Yisrael. We talked briefly about MMKaplan whom I admire and write about.<br /><br />I dont know whether Kaplan ever attended a Springsteen concert [ or perhaps even the Beatles] but i would like to think he would appreciate it. Kaplan liked to summer at the Jersey shore. Isnt Springsteen from New Jersey????<br /><br />The emotional involvement, the excitement at the concert amounts to a spiritual experience as you yourself indicate. I have never been to a rock concert of any kind but I think I would do this in celebration of my 80th birthday which is not far away.<br /><br />The emotional high is something we stive for, though in a different context and with somewhat different content. But the divine has many names and appears in many forms. This too is a form of transcendence. <br /><br />I look forward to meeting you again.<br /><br />Mel Scult Mel Sculthttp://melscult.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-4510536967183373132012-09-14T14:10:18.988-07:002012-09-14T14:10:18.988-07:00Having seen Bruce Springsteen perform - OK, it was...Having seen Bruce Springsteen perform - OK, it was 37 years ago, but still - and being familiar with Rosh Hashanah, I can only say that your post has managed to juxtapose two elements that I never would have thought could work so well together. Thank you for a most insightful piece! Elissonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06299361897381169534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-56537651839887755142011-12-02T13:29:34.598-08:002011-12-02T13:29:34.598-08:00Beautifully written! Always looking to find my ba...Beautifully written! Always looking to find my balance and flow. A great way of looking at this - and your personal life experiences - travelling, yoga-by-marriage, camp-life - fits in so well to this model of thinking! Shabbat Shalom!Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13647925446880256396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-82343531595145641272011-06-24T05:46:54.169-07:002011-06-24T05:46:54.169-07:00Loren,
I kvell with you. We have another light to...Loren,<br /><br />I kvell with you. We have another light to lead us. <br /><br />LaurieLaurie Tishler Mindlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550156664708866211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-36027587201311596222011-06-03T00:30:28.864-07:002011-06-03T00:30:28.864-07:00Loren,
I read this sensitive piece with a bit of ...Loren,<br /><br />I read this sensitive piece with a bit of ambivalence. On the one hand, I agree with your line of reasoning; however, I think what some rabbis are nervous about is clearly implied by the reform movements take on kashruth. Recently, an article in the Forward acknowledged a move towards openness to what Isaac Mayer Wise disparagingly referred to as "kitchen Judaism." In that same article, some Reform rabbis nervously tried to distance themselves from halachik kashruth for a new standard of ethical behaviors -- farm fed pork is ok while industrial cows are not no matter how they are slaughtered, examined, salted, etc. <br /><br />Many do not trust more liberal rabbis to take the laws of Yoreh Deah as seriously as they do their personal political leanings.<br /><br />Both Yoreh Deah and Choshen Mishpat need to be observed. The fear is that certain liberal elements will really reject both and call it kosher.Toddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07931547750966853567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-83730144492883533192011-05-26T19:03:35.821-07:002011-05-26T19:03:35.821-07:00Hi - I am definitely delighted to find this. Good ...Hi - I am definitely delighted to find this. Good job!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-68441035899961710552011-04-06T17:24:21.356-07:002011-04-06T17:24:21.356-07:00Loren, Enjoy every moment but leave me some nishma...Loren, Enjoy every moment but leave me some nishmat chayim. I arrive in Israel for Pesach! Noseah Tova. LaurieLaurie Tishler Mindlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550156664708866211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-11882227348698997102011-03-25T07:59:47.538-07:002011-03-25T07:59:47.538-07:00Thanks Laurie! We need to keep shouting this loud...Thanks Laurie! We need to keep shouting this loudly and clearly to the Jewish world! Kol Tuv.Rabbi Loren Sykeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03567603205696694725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-59774651227398240862011-03-14T10:06:29.875-07:002011-03-14T10:06:29.875-07:00Loren,
Your thoughts about the Conservative movem...Loren,<br /><br />Your thoughts about the Conservative movement decrease in spending on young adults and camping are so right on. Just as we transitioned from animal sacrifices to communal prayer, we need to leave the less meaningful behind and find new ways to connect to G-d and our people. Lest we lose the next generation and the future of Jewish life in the Diaspora.<br /><br />Kol tuv,<br />Laurie Tishler Mindlin<br />Laurie@mvjf.orgLaurie Tishler Mindlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550156664708866211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-32603002302933763282011-03-14T10:02:58.584-07:002011-03-14T10:02:58.584-07:00Loren,
Your comments about change and focus on yo...Loren,<br /><br />Your comments about change and focus on young adults are right on. So happy to learn from you, once again.<br /><br />Laurie Tishler Mindlin<br />laurie@mvjf.orgLaurie Tishler Mindlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550156664708866211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-52713032828035269792011-03-07T16:00:10.497-08:002011-03-07T16:00:10.497-08:00What a great plan!
I do have a couple of questions...What a great plan!<br />I do have a couple of questions, though.<br /><br />First: regarding the name. While I think that MKI-NA is a great name, especially in that it unites us, of only by title, with our sister movements across the globe, do you think that the greater American Conservative community would catch on to it? I feel as though the Hebrew in the name would throw many off. What are your thoughts?<br /><br />Second: regarding the youth. I completely agree that we need to "embrace the centrality of our youth programs to the future of our kehillot and our movement. " And I am glad that you put a significant emphasis on the youth. However, I did notice that you didn't mention the Ramah movement, particularly where I was expecting it—in your discussion of USY, Kadima, and teen programming. How would the Ramah camping movement play a role in MKI? Would it continue to exist seemingly independent of the movement or do you think that it would be advantageous to do as many have said in the past—to integrate the year-long programming that USY and Kadima offers with the summer experiences that Ramah offers?<br /><br />Alex Krule<br />alex.krule@gmail.comAlexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08926430183376040422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-14258472069393286432011-03-05T21:14:44.596-08:002011-03-05T21:14:44.596-08:00I like the list of core values - but they are not ...I like the list of core values - but they are not the core values of most North American Conservative Jews. (They are of some, and more commonly of the highly active, but not of the substantial majority). Few of us have much interest in discussing souls or spirituality; we've lost those folks to Renewal. G-d is also a concept most Conservative Jews are reluctant to discuss. (The word was apparently banned from the Hebrew school at my shul for a few years for fear of alienating parents by talking to the kids about G-d. The ban has since been lifted but the word is still rare.) Talmud Torah is virtually unknown in the movement. I think it's a little more common in larger urban areas, but still, I doubt whether more than 10% of Conservative Jews engage in any regular text study. Exclude Torah commentary, and the fraction studying Gemara, midrash or other rabbinic texts can't be much over 1%. You can ask any kid in our school what "mitzvot" means and with very few exceptions you'll get "good deeds". The adults mostly have the same answer. They are committed to "good deeds" but the notion that the Torah is the source of them, or that there might be mitzvot that only Jews can do, is foreign. Welcoming guests is also something that is not on the agenda at far too many Conservative shuls, though it is rising as the number of shuls with seriously falling membership grows. I do think most Conservative Jews are interested in community, but often one with little or no religious character. The only two of these "core" values that I think most North American Conservative Jews really hold are egalitarianism and Israel, though even the latter is not as strong among younger members as it is among the older.<br /><br />The real question is whether we 1) make a serious effect to get members who don't hold these values to embrace them, which is likely to fail, or 2) appeal only to those who already hold them, which will cause us to shrink rather further, or 3) change to a more popular set of core values. I'd much like to try the first, but I'd rather settle for the second than accept the third.<br /><br />Steve Schmidt<br />schmidsj@union.eduStephen Schmidthttp://minerva.union.edu/schmidsjnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-24454041730046199092010-12-08T13:03:49.740-08:002010-12-08T13:03:49.740-08:00what about what she learned during her time in Isr...what about what she learned during her time in Israel? :)Jacob Ner-Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-44704641403386242502010-09-12T10:25:40.748-07:002010-09-12T10:25:40.748-07:00Thank you, that was extremely valuable and interes...Thank you, that was extremely valuable and interesting...I will be back again to read more on this topic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-7314692885821404922010-05-01T10:29:58.841-07:002010-05-01T10:29:58.841-07:00Nice one, Loren.Nice one, Loren.Judynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-83582198842610814132010-02-22T14:18:56.147-08:002010-02-22T14:18:56.147-08:00The Jewish soul is indeed a Mishkan Me'at. but...The Jewish soul is indeed a Mishkan Me'at. but so too are the Jewish homes we create. Each of the kelim in the mishkan are symbolic of utilizing the physical for spiritual purposes. My daughter's Bat Mitzvah parsha was Teruma. We found it rich in depth, with so much to learn from!<br />morahmalka@gmail.comMarcy Stielitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12237841222886391553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-90095157705375546662010-01-18T21:09:55.714-08:002010-01-18T21:09:55.714-08:00Genial fill someone in on and this enter helped me...Genial fill someone in on and this enter helped me alot in my college assignement. Gratefulness you as your information.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8694191761960381991.post-32130410760803294582009-11-30T06:44:56.278-08:002009-11-30T06:44:56.278-08:00Dear Judy,
Thanks so much. Please drop me an e-m...Dear Judy,<br /><br />Thanks so much. Please drop me an e-mail so that we can discuss!<br /><br />L'hitraot,<br /><br />LorenRabbi Loren Sykeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03567603205696694725noreply@blogger.com