by Barry Leff
Sukkot is a wonderful holiday to experience in Israel.
Note the title of this post: "The Etrog Shuk." If you don't know what an etrog is, click here for a tutorial. We have an etrog shuk here. In most placees in the US, if you want to have the "four species" to wave during Sukkot, you need to order them in advance from your synagogue (or from Chabad, or by mail order). Here in Israel you can wait until the day of Erev Sukkot, go to one of the "etrog shuks" (markets) and still have a wide choice of quality and prices. From the low end with a missing pitam (which the vendor tried assuring me were kosher; maybe they grew without one which theoretically is OK) to the "medium-grade" to the beautiful and expensive.
Another way we could tell we are not in Toledo any more is that on the way home from school my 7-year-old daughter counted 27 sukkot. And she could tell which ones were kosher and which ones were not -- she learned all about how many walls a sukkah has to have, how tall they have to be, details about the scach, etc. When I came home with my etrog, she examined it to make sure it was kosher.
All of which also tells an interesting tale about our adaptation to life in Israel -- not only is she getting an excellent religious education, she is really becoming bilingual. I had a lengthy conversation with her in Hebrew last week, and she told me how at the start of last year it was hard for her, but by the end of last year she could understand everything in class, and then at the start of this year it was like a "switch flipped" and she could easily speak Hebrew as well. My wife and I were at first surprised when she reported to us that while it is still easier for her to speak English than Hebrew, she finds it easier to read Hebrew. Of course, thinking about for ten seconds it's obvious why -- even though we read with her in English at home, she's absorbed in it all day at school.
If you are stressed out by the gyrations in the stock market over the last few weeks, take comfort in the message of Sukkot: we go out and dwell in booths for seven days as a reminder that the physical world is all temporary, and the things that are important are not fancy houses and other material things.
Which comes as a very timely reminder for me as well -- on Yom Kippur I was leading High Holiday services as a volunteer on a kibbutz in the Galillee, and mamash on Yom Kippur our car was stolen. And we imported the car from the US and didn't have it insured against theft. I find I'm not quite on the spiritual level of Rabbi Akiva, who was able to say "gam zu l'tovah," this too is for the best, when he lost his material possessions one night. But I'm glad I have my kids around to remind me it's a commandment to be happy this time of year, and I do take to heart the message of Sukkot about not being obsessed with the material. If I'm not yet able to say "gam zu l'tovah" with a whole heart, at least I'm still always able to say "it could have been worse!"
It is taught that "the day of judgement" for rain (and by extension therefore, our communal material prosperity) falls during Sukkot. May God bless the coming year with health, prosperity, and spiritual growth for all!
by Gil Troy
In his memoir “Faith of My Fathers,” Senator John McCain writes: “The United States Naval Academy, an institution I both resented and admired, tried to bend my resilience to a cause greater than self-interest. I resisted its exertions, fearing its effect on my individuality. But as a prisoner of war, I learned that a shared purpose did not claim my identity. On the contrary, it enlarged my sense of self.”
Four years ago, at his Democratic National Convention debut Senator Barack Obama said: “it’s not enough for just some of us to prosper -- for alongside our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient in the American saga, a belief that we’re all connected as one people. If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there is a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for their prescription drugs, and having to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandparent. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.”
What both McCain and Obama understand is the power of peoplehood, the profound need individuals have for nationalism. Most Western Jews travel in circles that pooh-pooh nationalism, that embrace a universalistic cosmopolitanism. Zionism begins with the insight McCain shared that we as individuals find our personhood enhanced by joining a people, belonging to a community. Jewish nationalism works, as Obama’s American nationalism works, by feeling a sense of solidarity, by doing for others – whether or not they do unto you.
We can argue abstractly about whether it is better to do good works for the whole world, or just for your particular ethnic or national community. But the reality of human existence for the last few centuries at least has been that peoplehood and nationalism are the most effective vehicles for doing good works and great things – for one’s own group and for humanity. “Professors” McCain and Obama teach that it is a false choice to select between saving the world and saving your own kind. Both show that by going beyond yourself, by thinking about others in your own smaller group, you take those first essential steps beyond the self – and toward a more altruistic, noble, other-directed existence.
Can nationalism curdle, turning ever more sour as people turn ever more inward? Of course. That happened again and again throughout the 20th century. But nationalism can also sweeten life, sweeten the self, pushing us beyond selfishness and toward more satisfying communities and more meaningful lives. That is one of the lessons of the Zionist Revolution – and we should thank both American presidential candidates for helping us to remember those important ideas.
There have been a couple of blog posts in recent months suggesting that American Jews should consider making aliyah because it makes “good economic sense.”
See, for example, “Why American Aliyah? It’s the Economy, Stupid.” The author quotes Abraham Waxman who points to the high cost of Jewish living – with day school tuition north of $15,000 a year, summer camp $4,000, synagogue dues, etc., the argument goes that it can be a financial benefit to make aliyah.
I’m all in favor of encouraging people to make aliyah. Israel needs more Jews from Western countries—I believe our background and attitudes on everything from customer service to the environment to participating in the democratic process contribute greatly to the development of Israel.
However, of all the many reasons for making aliyah – and there are many good reasons – for pretty much any professional in the US or Canada at least, financial gain will not be among them, unless you have a lot of kids and work in a field that commands a high salary in Israel, like high-tech, or in a field that allows you to tele-commute to the US.
My “day job” is working for an outsourcing company that is based in the US and has major operations in India, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka, and now a small operation in Israel. When I look at the caliber of doctors and lawyers we have working for us – for wages that are decent by Israeli standards, but would be unheard of by American standards (unheard of in you’d never be able to hire someone straight out of school for what we get people with 20 years experience) – I am continually impressed with the dedication to building Israel these people have.
People like Abraham Waxman can say all they want about how much money olim can save on Jewish educations, etc., but considering that top professionals may be taking something on the order of a $200,000 / year pay cut to live in Israel, all I can say is you can buy a lot of day school tuition for that kind of money.
What makes aliyah from Western countries inspiring these days is that davka it’s NOT about financial improvement.
In last week’s Torah portion we read one of the more misunderstood lines in the Torah. Everyone has heard the expression “for man does not live by bread alone.” Gourmets use it as a justification for fancy meals. Many people, including many Jews, think it sounds like some kind of New Testament quote. The truth is the expression appears in the book of Deuteronomy, and what’s important is the rest of the sentence: “Man does not live by bread alone, but by what comes from the mouth of God.” What’s important is following God, not having a lot of bread in your basket. Immigrants from the West are putting the words of God above bread. They are making the most powerful possible statement that there are other things that are more important than money, and they are putting their money where their mouths are.
Rachel Neiman is an experienced writer / editor, journalist and translator, currently on the staff of Israel 21C. She's a member of the running and drinking disorganization the Holyland Hash House Harriers.
David Breakstone, veteran Israel educator and member of the Zionist Executive, will be delving into The Jerusalem Program, probing the essence of Zionism today.
Barry Leff, business entrepreneur, rabbi, and recent arrival in Israel will be reflecting on the Jewish state he is discovering as a new immigrant, 60 years after independence.
Gil Troy, Professor of History at McGill University and author of “Why I Am a Zionist,” will be reflecting on the contemporary significance of Israel and Zionism.
Neal Lazarus, internationally acclaimed expert in Israel advocacy and Director of AwesomeSeminars.com, will be sharing his insights on delivering the message.
communication training.
David Brinn, Editorial Director of ISRAEL21c will be highlighting opportunities to convey the wonders of “the other Israel,” the one that exists beyond the conflict.
