Rosh Hashana/Fall Edition 2012/5773

From the Dean’s Desk

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are a protest against death in life and a warning of the danger of spiritual numbing. Habitual behavior and lack of responsiveness are the great enemies of life. When we stop examining our lives, we die slowly without even being aware of it. We may be biologically alive, feel great and be successful, but we are on the way to losing the true spice of life. Ultimately we will no longer be able to experience real joy, which results only from spiritual growth. The essence of teshuva is the process of stimulating self-renewal, not copying—not even oneself. No day should be like yesterday. No religious deed or prayer should be a repetition of what we did or prayed the day before. Only then can we live a full Jewish and religious life. It is this goal that is the raison d’être of the David Cardozo Academy (DCA), which wants to ensure that Judaism, its teachings and beliefs will always be a new and exciting experience, guaranteeing that the Judaism of today is not the Judaism of the past. Judaism based on Torah and tradition must generate new and inspiring ideas, which will transform Jewish life into one exciting life-altering experience. May it succeed and give real joy to us and others!

Tizku leshanim rabot,

Nathan Lopes Cardozo

Spotlight on Yael Valier, Think Tank member

Yael Valier has been a member of the David Cardozo Academy Think Tank for two and a half years. In June, Yael graduated from the Ayanot Program, a year-long course of intense, interdisciplinary Torah study at the Matan Women’s Institute for Torah Studies in Jerusalem, with a concentration on Bible.

She also holds a BA in Psychology and an MA in Clinical Social Work, with further professional training in grief counseling.  Yael made Aliyah from Philadelphia 15 years ago, having lived prior to that in New York, London, Johannesburg and Tokyo. She is married to Dan Goldstein and they have six sons, ranging in age from 9 to 18.

Yael tries to combine as many of her passions as she can—Torah, writing, acting, literature and teaching—in as many quirky ways as possible.  She is a regular cast member of the Raise Your Spirits Theater and, as one of her projects, co-wrote a musical for them about Devora the Judge and Prophetess, in which she also performed as the bad guy, Sisera. But her acting talents do not stop there. Yael recently won the Jerusalem Jewish Monologue Competition with an original monologue on Noach based on her study of the Noach story and the teachings of many Torah teachers and sociology professors.  She also joins her son Natan in the Hamra Playback Theater troupe.

True to her unconventionality, Yael co-teaches a fun but carefully structured “Hebrew through Improv” class for children and adults who prefer to gain language skills in a non-academic setting.   She also teaches interview and speaking skills to teenagers and college students through role playing, practice and, above all, humor.  Yael finds that her acting skills come in very handy in all sorts of situations, such as assistant teaching of self-defense to Arab women in East Jerusalem through the El Halev Women’s Martial Arts Center, where she was called upon to portray the sleazy bad guy in various scenarios!  Together with her husband, Dan, Yael has written and produced the album Tremendous Earth, which teaches science and geography through musical farce and has been used by homeschooling parents and many others as a way to teach their children, and often themselves, basic science.

Many are baffled to see Yael combine her firm right-wing political beliefs with a conviction that it is important to learn Arabic and develop significant relationships with her Palestinian neighbors.  She is called a lunatic left-winger by some of her right-wing acquaintances and an extremist settler by those on the left, so she knows she must be doing something right!

Yael has found the DCA Think Tank to be a haven of free thought and speech for an eclectic group of open and sincere people who are deeply committed to Judaism and constantly re-evaluate what it means to be in a relationship with God.  Over the last year, she has been re-examining her staunchly Leibowitzian view of Jewish law and slowly coming to the conclusion that perhaps part of humanity’s duty is to attempt to understand and act upon the spirit of God’s word.  She is convinced that each person must evaluate this for herself, though that would not exclude seeking help, both from contemporary teachers and past scholars. Yael believes that every individual has something to contribute to the constant expansion of Torah wisdom.  She is currently reading The Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture by Yoram Hazony (recommended!), which was released at an opportune time for her, considering her migration from an obedience-based philosophy to something less certain and more frightening, but much more exhilarating.

Rabbi Lopes Cardozo’s travels and lecture tours

Israel

Limmud Yerushalayim

In addition to his many lectures in Israel, Rabbi Cardozo participated in the first Jerusalem Limmud Conference on Lag BaOmer, May 10. He spoke about Spinoza’s attitude towards Judaism, the many lessons we can learn from it and how to move Judaism forward.  Numerous young Israelis were drawn to this lecture and joined in the discussion about the future of Judaism in the State of Israel.

Pardes: Cardozo lecture on Tisha B’Av

On the ninth of Av, the day on which Jews have been fasting for thousands of years because of the destruction of the two Temples, Rabbi Cardozo gave a lecture to a standing-room-only audience of hundreds at the well-known Pardes Institute in Yerushalayim.  Basing himself on the tradition that the mashiach will be born on this sad day,  Rabbi Cardozo speculated on how to implement Halacha under totally different conditions than those we have now, and on the possible implications for today.

Germany

Limmud Conference in Berlin

Following Rabbi Cardozo’s participation at Limmud-Warwick University, as well as his lectures at the Amsterdam Modern Orthodox Shul and at the University of Amsterdam during the early part of the year, Rabbi and Mrs. Cardozo were invited to take part in the Berlin Limmud Conference from May 17-21. They met quite a few leaders of the German Jewish Community and spoke with many people about the future of Judaism in Germany, now that it has a large Russian community, which is becoming more and more active in Jewish affairs. Shabbat was a wonderful experience, with about 700 people participating. Large crowds arrived at Rabbi Cardozo’s lectures making it necessary to change the venue and move to the main auditorium, since all other lecture rooms were too small.

Rabbi Cardozo discussed various topics that were of special interest to numerous young people searching for their Jewish identity and struggling with major issues in Judaism. Many walked away commenting that they had never before heard anything as profound and stimulating as Rabbi Cardozo’s lectures. A most unusual and amusing incident occurred when the German and Russian simultaneous translators became so enthusiastic about the contents of the lectures that they started gesturing excitedly as if they were the ones lecturing.

At Berlin’s Yeshivat Beit Zion—of the Lauder Yeshurun Foundation headed by Rabbi Josh Spinner—the Cardozos joined the Shabbat morning prayers, and Rabbi Cardozo gave a short lecture about the meaning of the day and the prohibition to carry. Many participants remarked that while they had heard hundreds of lectures about Shabbat, this one gave them an entirely new and refreshing approach.

Rabbi and Mrs. Cardozo also met with a group of 25 German university students and discussed with them what it actually means to be religious. They then met with the leaders of Limmud Germany and proposed several new ideas to increase Jewish education and make it exciting.

England

Shavuaton at Birmingham

The Cardozos spent Shavuot visiting the Jewish community of Birmingham. Their daughter and son-in-law Nechama and Chanan Atlas had arrived there before Pesach to serve as the new rabbi and rabbanit of the Central Synagogue, the main shul in town. Rabbi Cardozo gave several lectures, which were very well received, and as a vote of confidence one prominent leader of Britain’s Jewish community jokingly told Rabbi Cardozo that there were two prestigious religious positions available in England from which he could choose. One is the post of Chief Rabbi, now that Lord Sacks is retiring next year; the other is the post of Archbishop of Canterbury. Rabbi Cardozo responded that he would consider taking on both since it would save the two communities a lot of money. Not only that, but there would be a good chance that the followers of the Anglican Church would seriously listen to what the Chief Rabbi has to say!

A visit by the Cardozos was also made to the Jewish primary school of Birmingham, which their grandchildren attend. While this school is run completely by the Orthodox community, the majority of students are Moslems since there are not enough Jewish children to warrant receiving a grant from the British government. Even more remarkable is the fact that all the children, including the Moslems, join in Kabbalat Shabbat every Friday morning, singing Shalom Aleichem and hearing about parashat hashavua from the rabbanit of the Chabad community. Special Jewish studies are offered to the Moslem students so they can learn what Judaism is all about. This school is clearly a foretaste of the messianic age!

The Cardozo and Atlas families visited Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, and enjoyed a short play by this great English writer. Rabbi Cardozo also spent some time reading Shakespeare!

The Netherlands

Rabbi and Mrs. Cardozo visited Amsterdam, Holland, to attend the chatuna of the daughter of their good friends Rabbi Dr. Ze’ev and Rabbanit Elli van Dijk. Rabbi Cardozo delivered the drasha under the chuppa. On Shabbat Ki Tavo, they visited the Jewish Community of Enschede where their good friends Rabbi Elijahoe and Rabbanit Hadassa Philipson serve as the spiritual leaders. Rabbi Cardozo talked about the upcoming Rosh Hashana holiday and the meaning of God’s Kingdom as the main theme of the Jewish New Year.

Parlor meeting in Amsterdam

The Cardozos’ good friends Joop and Renee Krant hosted a parlor meeting on Sunday September 9, and Rabbi Cardozo spoke about the work of the DCA, his dreams concerning Jewish education, the need to give Judaism a face lift, and how to move forward. Integrating these topics with some insights into Rosh Hashana, Rabbi Cardozo urged the audience to see the Jewish New Year as an opportunity to realize that life can never be taken for granted and one needs to live in a state of constant spiritual surprise. Many of the Cardozos’ old friends attended.

Jerusalem-Amsterdam Marriage

On August 16 Rabbi Cardozo was privileged to perform the wedding ceremony of two good friends from Amsterdam who wished to marry in Yerushalayim. He spoke about the institution of marriage as being nothing less than a miracle and one of God’s great gifts to mankind.

The Jerusalem Lecture Series

In the series on Judaism, Heresy and Secular Philosophy, many lectures were given.

Rabbi Cardozo (Spinoza, the Kotzker Rebbe, and I) was followed by Professor Ephraim Meir (The Crisis of Jewish Identity and Franz Rosenzweig), Professor William Kolbrener (Milton, Paradise Lost, and Me: Is Our Paradise Lost? Desire, Skepticism and Belief), and Professor Yehuda Gellman (The Dawkins Delusion: A Response to Richard Dawkins’ Book, The God Delusion). Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Shore’s topic was Michel Foucault: Power, Control and Freedom in the Religious Life.  He painted for us the specific outlook that this French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas had developed. He then invited us to use that perspective as a basis for a completely new and original view of our Judaism. The room was packed, standing room only. Professor Tamar Ross lectured to a full house on: How True Are Religious Beliefs? Rabbi A.I. Kook and Postmodernism. So many academics fail to learn from the people they research. They have a need to show that they mastered their subjects, instead of letting those subjects influence their thinking. How different is this talmida chachama (scholar)! She shared with us some of her deep and detailed understanding of and admiration for Rabbi Kook’s thought and how it could bring us beyond old ideas. Question time afterwards was almost as long as the lecture itself. Assorted questions were asked by very diverse people and were aptly answered by the Professor, always humble while revealing tremendous knowledge and mastery of her subject.

The David Cardozo Think Tank

Think Tank Summary, Nissan–Elul 5772

During these months, the Think Tank (TT) dealt with a diversity of topics, all of which relate in some way to how Judaism is practiced in modern times. Rabbi Dr. Alan Unterman presented the idea of “love your neighbor as yourself” in the framework of Jewish tradition and our modern sensibilities. In another meeting, a member presented the idea that perhaps Jewish law has been stunted by our societal fears that continue to arise from past trauma, and we speculated as to how Judaism could develop in today’s world if freed of this fear. In a further session, Dr. Yair Caspi led a discussion on the prohibition against idolatry as it is and as it should be expressed in the modern world. Lastly, the group continues to further its “Halacha Lab” experiment, which attempts to create a paradigm for halachic decision-making on an individual level.

New Horizons: The Think Tank Blog

The DCA has started a very active blog where its students and other bloggers discuss and argue about matters of great importance related to genuine religious life, the stagnation of halachic living and its solution, and more.  See www.cardozoacademy.org/.

New book: The Tent of Avraham: Gleanings from the David Cardozo Academy, edited by Nathan Lopes Cardozo, Urim Publications, 2012

As recent as a few weeks ago, this new and exciting book on Judaism appeared. The anthology contains several compelling essays written by internationally known thinkers who lecture at the David Cardozo Academy. Get a copy at any good Judaica bookshop!

Portuguese Spanish Selichot in Yerushalayim

On September 23, the David Cardozo Academy will organize an evening of Portuguese Spanish Selichot at the Hovevei Zion Synagogue, 14 Hovevei Zion Street, Yerushalayim, at 8 pm. Rabbi Cardozo will give a short lecture, and Chazzan Daniel Halfon will lead the prayers, accompanied by a choir.

Sukkot in Caesarea

Rabbi Cardozo will be scholar-in-residence during Sukkot at the luxurious Dan Caesarea Hotel. The week-long event is being organized by Eddie’s Kosher Travel: [email protected] .

Rabbi Cardozo’s Upcoming lecture tours and speaking engagements

This year Rabbi Cardozo hopes to lecture at the famous Torah in Motion Conference in Toronto, over the weekend of November 2-4. In January, Rabbi and Mrs. Cardozo will visit Detroit for the bar mitzva celebration of their grandson, and Rabbi Cardozo will deliver several lectures. Later in the year he hopes to travel to South Africa where he has once again been invited to speak at Limmud. He also hopes to teach at Limmud conferences in Australia and New Zealand. We will inform you about more lectures as they come up.