Watching the Weather

The news lately seems to center around two kinds of upheavals: political and meteorological. The latest event--the devastating earthquake in New Zealand--follows on the heels of a massive cyclone hitting Western Australia and a blizzard that affected 39 out of the 48 continental states in the US. (My husband and I were caught in that blizzard, spending six hours getting from Brooklyn to Fair Lawn.) Whenever I hear about extreme (and often destructive) natural events, I wonder how I am supposed to respond to them. Are these simply "natural" events--outcomes of the complex interconnection of all the forces (physical, atmospheric, chemical) found in and around our planet? Or are these messages directly from Hashem that we ignore at our own risk?

No human can see Hashem directly; the "works of His Hands" are what we have to come to some kind of understanding of Hashem. Perhaps the most "obvious" of Hashem's handiworks is the natural world. Nature is something that is truly awe-some: whether it is the Grand Canyon or the wings of a bee, fall foliage or the perfection of chemical reactions, Nature reflects the infinite amazing-ness of the Creator. When we look at what an earthquake can do--topple building and split open roads in a matter of seconds--we can only begin to imagine the force that Hashem has directly. When we think about all the things that need to go right in order for a human to be formed and born, much less born healthy, that understanding can leave you breathless. But does that mean that each earthquake, each tornado, each baby born is a handwritten note from Hakadosh Baruch Hu? The Ramban at the beginning of Sefer B'reishit explains that Hashem created matter and all of the rules that govern it (what we call "nature") at the Creation. From then on, nature follows the rules that Hashem has programmed it with. The only "exception" is when there is a miracle and Hashem temporarily suspends natural law. So while an earthquake, a hurricane, a rainbow or a healthy baby may all be awe-inspiring, they are not miracles. They are reflections of Hashem's infinite brilliance, but not a direct communication from Him.

On the other hand, the nevi'im often tell Bnai Yisrael to look at natural events--whether political or meteorological--as direct messages from Hashem. Famine, plague, flood, disease, war and even peace are all direct messages from Hashem to us. They are sent to get us to remember Hashem's power, to remember our dependence on Him, to remember what we owe Him and to follow His commands. If we want to listen to the words of the nevi'im, shouldn't we look at everthing that happens as "yad Hashem"? Shouldn't we read nature as the email sent from G-d?

And yet, when people said, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, that it was a punishment for the sins of New Orleans, it horrified me. I don't feel that we have the right to come to those conclusions on our own. It is one thing when the Navi tells us directly, but it is another thing for us to presume we know what Hashem has in mind when disaster strikes or when Nature reveals its splendor. In my opinion, Nature is an amazing reflection of Hashem's omnipotence and infinite brilliance. It should inspire and humble us and remind us that we are, quite literally, in the palm of Hashem's hand. Hopefully, that inspiration and humility will motivate us to keep the mitzvot which Hashem commanded usand improve our relationship both with the Creator and with His Creations.

Mrs. Leah Herzog

Shabbos is Coming, Let's Wear Costumes

Tzipporah Rossman asks a timely question:
Why do we celebrate Purim Katan on Friday if Purim is not allowed to be on Friday and it would get pushed off?
Great question, and I was giving it real consideration about how the problems for Purim would not apply to Purim Katan etc. when I remembered that Purim CAN fall on a Friday, and we celebrate it on that day.  I remember a couple of such instances - though I think there was one more recently, once we spent the seudah at Mrs. Schiowitz's apartment (thanks again), and made it home (one block over) with plenty of time left before Shabbos.  Another time, I remember one of my less pleasant Purims; it was Friday and I was meeting some of my family at a relative in Manhattan for Shabbos, and ended up eating Seudah by myself in my YU dorm room  (highly depressing & not recommended - if anyone has no good plans for seuda please let me know - Purim is not just a day off).  It was there that I heard about the horrific massacre that took place in Israel when Baruch Goldstein opened fire on a Muslim prayer service.
On those types of years, the more interesting phenomena takes place in Yerushalayim, where they have what is called a "Purim Meshulash".  Here's how the OU describes it:

"TRIPLE PURIM"Sometimes Purim falls on a Friday, therefore making the next day, Shabbat, Shushan Purim. However, it is forbidden to read the Megilla on Shabbat, and of course, Shabbat cannot be postponed because of Purim.
For Jerusalem and other walled cities, the procedure is as follows:
“Mikra Megillah” is done on Thursday night and Friday morning, as in the “open” cities; “Matanot La-Evyonim” are given on Friday.
The reading of “Parashat Amalek” and the insertion of “Al HaNisim” into the “Shemoneh Esray” and the “Birchat HaMazon” are done on Shabbat, their regular Purim in ordinary years.
“Seudat Purim” is served and “Mishloach Manot” are exchanged on Sunday, the sixteenth of Adar. 
Thus, the holiday is felt and marked in Jerusalem for three days, and therefore Purim in such a year is called “Purim MeShulash,” Triple Purim.

It's so great to be talking Purim again - I can feel it in the air.

Free Seforim!

Rabbi David Fohrman, who delivered a phenomenal shiur on Sefer Yonah to our school at the beginning of the year has come out with a new book about Megillat Esther.  The OU, which published the sefer (full disclosure - I've done some editing work for them) is giving away copies of the book to high school students (10th, 11th & 12th - sorry motivated freshmen, I'm currently appealing to Rabbi Fohrman on your behalf).  Here is their description of the program:

The Orthodox Union is pleased to announce a school enrichment program in connection with a new book begin published by OU Press -- The Queen You Thought You Knew, by Rabbi David Fohrman. Rabbi Fohrman distinguished himself with his first book, The Beast that Crouches at the Door, which was a finalist for the 2007 National Jewish Book Award, and was hailed widely as a groundbreaking study of the Tree of Knowledge story. This new book by Rabbi Fohrman, The Queen You Thought You Knew, continues in that tradition. It offers a highly engaging reading of the Purim Megillah that is at once refreshingly original, entirely engrossing, and grounded firmly in the text and Mesorah.
 In an effort to bring the treasures of this book to a wider readership of young people, the Orthodox Union is making a select number of copies of The Queen You Thought You Knew, available, free of charge, to Jewish high schools nationwide. Here is a chance to provide your students with some riveting reading connected to Purim; a true “page-turner” that will offer them a breathtaking vista into the world of the Megillah. All costs of this program are being underwritten by the Orthodox Union, through the generous sponsorship of the Hoffberger Institute for Text Study.

 In exchange for the sefer, each student will answer one of the following questions in a short essay:

1.      Did reading The Queen You Thought You Knew make you feel like you could “relate” to the Megillah more? Did any of the characters of the Megillah seem to come alive in a new way? Why, or why not?

2.      For most of us, the way we look at the greatness of Esther is that she managed to save the Jewish People from certain destruction. Fohrman, though, argues that there are other, more hidden aspects of her heroism. Describe how the book seemed to shed new light for you on what Esther was trying to achieve, or how she achieved it.

3.      Did this book matter to you? Why or why not?

4.      In Rabbi Fohrman’s books, he often asks very basic questions that seem obvious – at least in retrospect – but that somehow, people don’t ask all that often. Were there any questions he posed that you always wondered about? Or, alternatively, were there any questions he posed that made you ask yourself: “how come I never wondered about that”?

5.      What part of this book did you like the best?

6.      In the book, Rabbi Fohrman argues that Esther’s most desperate moment came not when she first approached the king to save the Jews, or even when she rose to indict Haman as the man who would bring down her people. Instead, her most dangerous moment came later – when seemingly, the battle for the Jews’ safety had already been won. What evidence does the author offer to support this view?

As I said this morning, they are giving the seforim to schools on a first come first serve basis, so please let me know ASAP if you would like to participate.

**UPDATE: Rabbi Fohrman just e-mailed that motivated freshmen ARE eligible.

What Makes Us Human? Thoughts on "Watson"

We are avid Jeopardy! devotees in my house. When our son was little, we made sure to put him to bed before 7 pm so that we could watch Jeopardy! in peace and quiet. Now he watches with us (and often knows as many, if not more, answers.) To me, Jeopardy! represents a valuing of intelligence, education and worldliness. This is one arena in which the best really is the brightest, and not the strongest, fastest or most outrageous.

The last three days, however, I intentionally did not watch. This week was the vaunted competition between man and machine: the two best Jeopardy! players took on Watson, a huge computer designed to reach the highest level of artificial intelligence. Watson was designed to do what people do: think, infer, interpret and arrive atL the information sought. He outperformed his human competitors in both speed and numbers of questions answered (or asked) correctly.

As an educator and psychologist, Watson should have fascinated me. But as a human, I was completely creeped out and upset. The idea that a machine--even an incredibly sophisticated one--can be set up to compete with humans is deeply disturbing because it reduces us to nothing more than the laws of biology, chemistry and physics which govern how our bodies operate. What Watson does not have is a mind and a soul. When humans were formed, we were created as a combination of earth (matter) and the "wind of G-d" (spirit). There is something Divine about each one of us; we are each created "b'tzelem Elokim" and we each carry a piece of G-d within us. To reduce love, joy, anger and loss to chemical reactions, or to reduce ingenuity, inventiveness and creativity to the firing of neurons is, to me, so simplistic as to be horrifying. Why do we insist on robbing humans of the mystery that is the Divine? Why is it so difficult for us to accept that there are things that are truly "l'malah min hateva"--things that we cannot understand or quantify, predict or control? I think that this is why the Rambam says that arrogance is the one human trait that has no redeeming value. Arrogance allows us to believe that we can, ultimately, control everything. But there are some things that we really can't understand. And I think that G-d wants it that way. Mystery and wonder keeps us humble, but it also keeps us vibrant, creative, infinitely complex, and ultimately, Human. Not understanding everything, accepting that certain things defy logic, reason or scientific explanation is exactly that which connects us to the Creator who made us and gave us life.

In Hebrew, there are two words for human: "adam", from the same root as "earth" and "ish", from the same root as the word for fire. The Malbim, at the beginning of Sefer Vayikra, has a long discussion about the difference between them. Ultimately, humans are made of earth--matter and all the rules that govern how it works--and fire--the piece of G-d that we call the soul. It is the soul that lasts; earth returns to the earth. To ignore the soul is, to me, simply tragic. I am all for technology. But I am even more for the humans that create it The whole human--body AND soul.

Mrs. Leah Herzog

Touching Story Written by Gilad Shalit

When the Shark and the Fish First Met
A small and gentle fish was swimming in the middle of a peaceful ocean. All of a sudden, the fish saw a shark that wanted to devour him.
He then began to swim very quickly, but so did the shark.
Suddenly the fish stopped and called to the shark:
"Why do you want to devour me? We can play together!"
The shark thought and thought and said:
"Okay- fine: Let’s play hide and seek."
The shark and fish played all day long, until the sun went down.
In the evening, the shark returned to his home.
His mother asked:
“How was your day, my dear shark? How many animals did you devour today?”
The shark answered: “Today I didn’t devour any animals, but I played with an animal called FISH”.
“That fish is an animal we eat. Don’t play with it!” said the shark’s mother.
At the home of the fish, the same thing happened. “How are you, little fish? How was it today in the sea?” asked the fish’s mother.
The fish answered: "Today I played with an animal called SHARK."
"That shark is the animal that devoured your father and your brother. Don’t play with that animal," answered the mother.
The next day in the middle of the ocean, neither the shark nor the fish were there.
They didn’t meet for many days, weeks and even months.
Then, one day they met. Each one immediately ran back to his mother and once again they didn’t meet for days, weeks and months.
After a whole year passed, the shark went out for a nice swim and so did the fish. For a third time, they met and then the shark said: "You are my enemy, but maybe we can make peace?"
The little fish said: "Okay."
They played secretly for days, weeks and months, until one day the shark and fish went to the fish’s mother and spoke together with her. Then they did the same thing with the shark’s mother; and from that same day the sharks and the fish live in peace.
THE END

This story was written by Gilad Shalit when he was 11
and was a student in the 5th grade at the Maale HaGalil Elementary School!

You can see students in a public school in the Bronx doing a touching reading from the book that was made of Gilad's story on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0rb_SmjUKc

Chinese Mothers and Jewish Values

I've actually read a lot of the blogosphere's thoughts about the "Chinese mother" that Rabbi Besser wrote about in his recent post. The funniest line I've seen was a blog comment: "All parents raise your hand if in the last week you've said to your kids: 'If Amy Chua were your mother...You don't know how good you have it!'" I am constantly seeking ways to grow and improve as a parent, and after reading Amy Chua's writing I thought, like R. Besser, "she's got something there." But demanding the maximum achievement from kids neglects a major value in Judaism - middot tovot, especially those bein adam le-chaveiro. The achievement Ms. Chua focuses on is only for her children to better themselves and get ahead of others; not to better the world and reach out to others. Here's an article that illustrates what the goal of Jewish parenting should be.

Hidden Messages from Chinese Mothers

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal has set off a frenzy of controversy on-line, and in real life conversation (can an article go viral?).  In a piece entitled "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior" (she later clarified that she doesn't claim that either method is better, and didn't write the title), Amy Chua describes an approach to parenting that forbids all of the following:

• attend a sleepover

• have a playdate

• be in a school play

• complain about not being in a school play

• watch TV or play computer games

• choose their own extracurricular activities

• get any grade less than an A

• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama

• play any instrument other than the piano or violin

• not play the piano or violin.

There's a lot in there to think about, especially for those of us who are about to start dealing with these issues with our young children.  Besides the main argument that she makes, the following passage caught my attention:

What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up. But if done properly, the Chinese strategy produces a virtuous circle. Tenacious practice, practice, practice is crucial for excellence; rote repetition is underrated in America. Once a child starts to excel at something—whether it's math, piano, pitching or ballet—he or she gets praise, admiration and satisfaction. This builds confidence and makes the once not-fun activity fun. This in turn makes it easier for the parent to get the child to work even more.

This is a lesson that my son's first grade Rebbe once taught me on a meet-the-teacher night about Tefilla.  So many of us find davening very difficult and fun or enjoyable is probably not an adjective that comes to mind for many of us either.  I know some people for whom it is downright painful.  What we need to keep in mind is that as with anything else of value, we are unlikely do enjoy something that we don't do well, and unlikely to get good at it without fighting through the discomfort and hard work needed to get good at it.  The same is true of Gemara study, and many other skills - particularly those that we aren't used to.

While this level of commitment may not be worthwhile for everything (does my kid HAVE to be great on the violin?), but for the things that we really value, it is worth the investment, and maybe even to force our kids to invest in until they are mature enough to realize that value.

What do you think?