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Feb
25
Jewish tradition teaches that you need ten people, or a minyan, to pray. It wasn’t always that way. Before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, no rabbis were needed for prayer, primarily because everyone had a certain amount of learning to which they aspired and once earned, it made them knowledgeable to the extent of being called a rabbi, although in those times, there was always a high Kohane (as in the three main tribes: Kohanes being descendents of the priestly tribe of Aaron, Levites, who served the Kohanes, and Israelites, who were everyone else) who led high holy day services on the Temple Mount (now a Muslim location within the Old City of Jerusalem, inside the original retaining wall, an exterior part of which most people recognize as The Western Wall).
But, as I mentioned yesterday, my youngest son is sick, although much better today, and so he and I could not go to the annual family congregational Shabbaton that is occuring over this Shabbat (which runs from sundown last night to sundown this evening).
We went for the first time last year and my children enjoyed it so much that at the end of the event, they clamored for us to commit to a repeat. As we say in Hebrew, Baruch Ha’Shem, God willing.
Well, God willed that my husband and our two older children attend and I stay with my youngest. And it’s been fine – he’s better. But hearing the glee in my kids’ voices this morning as they detailed last night’s activites (staying up until midnight, ahem), and then the glowing report from my husband, well, I’m glad they’re enjoying but sorry that Matthew and I can’t be there.
So, I decided that I would blog today on the activities related to what I’d be doing if I were with the rest of my mishpacha.
First, a Shabbaton, when I was growing up, implied a mass, teen sleepover where you do Jewish stuff: see Jewish-oriented movies, learn Israeli dancing, sing songs. Since I was raised Reform, some religious teaching occured, but the event highlighted the cultural and social aspects.
Why? I can’t say for sure, but I remember few sermons that didn’t express the fear that assimilation by the year 2000 would mean the end of the Jewish people (which seems ironic given that some see Reform Judaism and the accommodation of interfaith marriages as leading to that presumed inevitability).
So, they tried to hook us with “hip” shabbatons. In fact, along with other strong memories of my religious school experiences (seeing horrific Holocaust films over and over (The Pawnbroker and documentaries), Purim and Chanuka parties, being the “She” in the Sholom Aleichem play, “She Must Marry a Doctor!”), I remember sleeping in “the house” of my congregation with multiple other sleeping-bagged teens and sometimes even traveling to other shuls to have these Shabbat-focused pajama parties.
That’s the background I bring to the idea of a Shabbaton: for teens, it was a particularly good way to meet, see and interact with kids whom you knew from school but might not otherwise socialize, and to meet new friends, new Jewish friends, of course (recall my blogging about how my parents wanted me to at least apply to Brandeis as opposed to say, oh, Georgetown, where I ended up anyway?).
I imagine that, for non-Jews, it mirrors a religious retreat, without the Mass.
Before we joined our current congregation, I’d never heard about family shabbatons. And then, when I did hear about them, I didn’t know if it would be for us. But as my husband and I became more active in the shul, and my kids learned more hebrew and more prayer (certainly more than I know), and coupled with the fact that my kids each attended three years at Jewish preschools, well, we began to think, Why not? Then, last year was a big success and this year was a no-brainer to sign-up.
You arrive well before sunset at the hotel where everyone stays. This year, about 15-20 families will participate. There’s a service, then dinner, then introductory activities for adults and kids, then separate study opportunities. As I alluded to above, the evening lasts long – past midnight last night. In the morning, everyone has breakfast and then the primary Shabbat service occurs. After that, there will be some learning and then a meal. There is rest time in the afternoon, then more learning, then Havdalah (the closing of the Sabbath – a beautiful candlelight only with lots of singing service) and then dinner. After dinner, there is usually one more activity.
(Remember, since it’s technically one day – from sunset to sunset, only three real meals are supposed to be served, and there is a strict prohibition – during the Shabbaton for everyone who participates – on writing, electronic games, television, driving, using phones and so on. All the food will also be kosher. For those who don’t know, my family observes very few of these specific prohibitions – we do tear toilet paper, but in Israel you pre-tear – but we’ve started to “calm down” our Saturdays overall and we’re liking it. Of course the flipside is that in Israel, you have a six-day work week and school week.)
(AND, if you really want to chat crockpots and the Sabbath, when you’re not allowed to “create” – including lighting fires or turning on and off lights etc.? Cholent. One of the most evil upspringings of Judaism, in my opinion, but, some people? They love it.)
The focus of the learning will be based on the content of this week’s Parsha, or Torah portion, which, this Shabbat, is called Mishpatim. Now, I know squat, no, make that big fat SQUAT, about parshot and how to interpret them and which one you’re doing in which year (because there’s like some three year cycle thing) and so on. It looks like this year we do the third, fourth and fifth sets of p’sukim, or sentences. Check out this guide that lists which interpretations to read for which Hebrew calendar year (this year is 5766 – here’s a hint – the Jewish calendar year always ends in the same digit as the Gregorian year), depending on which p’sukim are to be read that year – can you see why we use the word “oy” so much?
I cut to the chase and went straight to the Parsha Summary link. The information there makes sense since my oldest told me that the parsha this weekend had a lot of laws in it (oh joy for our Rabbi who no doubt will be beseiged by corrections from all the lawyers attending, good thing I didn’t go and add to their numbers).
This Parsha in a Nutshell is produced by Chabad. Here we find, from the Conservative movement, a summary of the content accompanied by issues and questions about the issues to provoke and encourage discussion. And finally, here is something similar, but representative of the Orthodox movement.
The gist seems to be that Moses just got the tablets last week and now, we have to listen to all the laws we must follow. High drama versus litany of dos and don’ts. For anyone who hasn’t studied the Old Testament, trust those of us who have – there are a lot of kind of, um, how shall I say without committing loshon hora on Shabbat, boring parts?
Well, frankly, I think there’s some great fodder in here (this is from the Conservative summary):
SUMMARY
Some people say that God is in the details. That idea certainly fits with this week’s portion. We move from the broad moral and religious issues discussed in the Ten Commandments to the day-to-day details of living life under the covenant. This week’s parasha contains a long list of civil and religious laws and therefore is often called the Book of the Covenant.
The portion begins with the laws governing a Hebrew slave, who will work for six years and go free in the seventh. If he refuses his freedom, a hole is to be bored into his ear. This parasha also contains the law that a man may not withhold food, clothing, or sexual rights from his wife. It continues with a number of laws about damages, including the well-known rule “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” which Jewish law interprets as paying damages. It also contains the laws about damages caused by an ox that gores, and considers whether the ox has a history of goring.
The portion contains laws about theft, and draws a distinction between the theft done at night or during the day. The night thief is considered to pose a threat to a homeowner and deadly force can be used. The portion continues with the laws of bailment, which involve a person’s property being damaged or destroyed while in someone else’s possession. This portion includes many laws regulating the treatment of the poor, widows, and orphans
It ends with a reaffirmation of the covenant, including the statement “We will do and we will understand.” In the end, the elders “see” a vision of God; there seems to be sapphire stones under God’s feet. Moses goes back up onto the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
One of the routes to interpretation taken by the Conservative summary’s discussion portion has to do with abortion, and given what’s happening in South Dakota right now, I would think that the Rabbi might highlight it, except that it’s a family shabbaton and given the general youth of the kids attending, I doubt he will discuss this part of the portion (wise to avoid, in my opinion).
However, for a blog audience, I think it’s perfect. Take a look:
The Torah says, “If men quarrel, and hurt a pregnant woman, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no further harm follows; he shall be surely punished, according to what the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine” (Exodus 21:22).
Dare we talk about the most controversial social and political issue in our country?
Is abortion murder? According to the verse quoted above, if a man causes a woman to miscarry through his negligence, he must pay a fine. Yet a fine is never allowed in the case of murder. (See Numbers 35:31) From this portion, we see that causing the death of an unborn child is not considered murder according to the Torah’s laws. Could even the most ardent pro-life advocate really equate abortion with killing an adult, even when the Bible indicates otherwise?
Is abortion a mere medical procedure? The Talmud teaches that for the first 40 days, the developing embryo is “mere fluid” (Yebamot 69a) After 40 days, the fetus is more than mere fluid; it has some legal standing. An abortion during this period has profound consequences in Jewish law. For example, if a woman aborts a fetus after formation and later gives birth to a baby boy, there is no pidyon haben, the celebration traditionally reserved for the firstborn.
Why? Clearly, the rabbis understand that there is more involved than “mere fluid.”
Does Judaism point toward a middle way regarding abortion? Could such a middle way have some bearing in a society that is debating this difficult issue?
Pretty powerful, to say that because only a fine is levied in this instance, but more than a fine is levied in murder, therefore Judaism must not equate abortion with murder, don’t you think?
Does everyone in Judaism agree with that interpretation? Does everyone in Judaism ask as many questions as I do? Does everyone who isn’t Jewish understand why so often Jews are portrayed as ending everything in a question? Even when answering a question?
Have a good Shabbos.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:06 pm February 25th, 2006 in Politics
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4 Responses to “A Congregational Blogaton (pronounced "Blog-a-TONE")”
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One of the beauties of Judaism is that it encourages debate and “wrestling” with moral and ethical issues. People not acquainted with Judaism most likely do not understand why Jews “debate” issues to the extent they do. Too bad…
I do think all sides on the abortion debate would be well advised to consider the COnservative position as you linked to. It makes a lot of sense.
I find what you say to be so true that occasionally, I wonder if it isn’t in fact genetic.
Jill, it might be genetic. I personally prefer to think of it as cultural. Or traditional. Somehow, to me, the notion that it is a learned activity within the Jewish Community is appealing. And romantic, in a sense.
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