Changes and New Blogs

Many things have changed since this blog went silent. While I am not going to get into the details I will say that I will always miss Israel but I will continue to move forward and enjoy all of the gifts that Hashem has given me and to all of us.

Moving forward I will be switch to a different blog, Time to Keep it Simple which can be viewed/read at the following link: http://timetokeepitsimple.blogspot.com/

When the time comes that I decided to write about Aliyah, Israel, and many other topics related to Judaism I will be posting on the blog Back in the JewSA which can be found at http://backinthejewsa.blogspot.com/

I know that many who come across this post will be shocked, some will be disappointed, and a few will be angry. All of these emotions are understandable but please know that the content of this blog is heartfelt, passionate, and, above all, honest.

I wish you all the best that life has to offer and I invite you all to continue to follow me on my journey to see where Hashem takes me.

Thank you all!

Finding Hashem

Some time ago I wrote a children’s book which has been sitting in a file on my computer. With everything that has happened in these past few weeks, I thought it was time pull it out and share with everyone. It is a very simple story but I think it speaks to a question that many people are asking right now: where is Hashem in all of this tragedy?

Simply put, Hashem is everywhere. Hashem is the light in this world. A light that is sometimes hard to see, sometimes nearly impossible to find, but He is always there. We may not always understand what happens in this world and why, but we must hold onto Hashem and trust Him. There is a greater picture, a fully realized canvas that we cannot understand or comprehend.

We must hold tight to Hashem during the good times and, more importantly, during the difficult times. We must stand with our homeland and embrace the people in Eretz Yisrael with whom we have a bond more powerful than blood. We are one people with one home and one G-d and we must always remember that Hashem is everywhere.

We have all tried to describe Hashem to ourselves but how do we describe Hashem to children? How do we explain Hashem’s presence in a simple, kid friendly way? This is my attempt to do just that:

Hashem is Everywhere

As Daniel walked home from synagogue with his father he asked, “Daddy, where’s Hashem?”

Daniel’s father answered, “Hashem is everywhere.”

“Is Hashem under that rock?”

“Yes.”

Daniel ran over to the rock and turned it upside down. “I don’t see Him! I just missed Him!”

Daniel’s father laughed.

Daniel continued walking with his father.

As they reached their house Daniel asked, “Daddy, is Hashem inside our house?”

Daniel’s father replied as he opened the door, “Yes.”

“I don’t see Him. Where is He?”

“Daniel, why don’t you look in the family room while I make us some lunch.” Before his father could finish his suggestion, Daniel began searching the room.

Daniel turned over all the cushions, crawled behind the couch, and peered behind the book cases. “I can’t find Him. I keep missing Him.”

Daniel stopped his search as he heard his father yell, “Come in and eat lunch. You can look later.”

Daniel bounced into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

After eating half of his sandwich Daniel asked, “Daddy, is Hashem in my sandwich?”

Daniel’s father laughed as he said, “Yes, Hashem is everywhere.”

Daniel paused and said with a smile, “He tastes good.”

Daniel and his father laughed as they finished their lunch.

“Can I start looking for Hashem again?”

“I think you should take a nap now. You can look again after that.”

Daniel yawned, “Looking for Hashem makes me sleepy.”

“You’re right. It takes a lot of time and energy. It can make you very sleepy.” Daniel slowly climbed the stairs with his father following him.

As Daniel got into bed he asked his father, “Daddy, can you check the closet for monsters?”

“There are no monsters in the closet, only Hashem.”

“Can I see?”

“You can’t see Hashem. He is everywhere at the same time.”

“Why can’t I see him?”

“Hashem is… invisible. He is always watching you and always protecting you.”

Daniel closed his eyes as he said, “Just like Mommy is always with me. Right?”

“Right. Just like Mommy.”

There’s an App for That!

We are constantly bombarded by new products and technologies that are designed to “help” us and make our lives easier. This endorsement overload seems to be making us prone to forgetting that sometimes it’s the simple things that make life easier.

All I have to do is look at my iPhone to be reminded of this fact. I have apps for Shabbat times, blessings, a kosher timer, Aliyah, Hebrew translation, Torah, Siddur, Tehillim, Tanya, and many others. You can see a recent list of other popular iPhone apps here. But, while all these apps are designed to make observance easier, I question whether they are actually helping in my spiritual growth or hindering it.

Having all of this information at our fingertips can make us intellectually and spiritually lazy. With apps reading for us and showing us only what we need to know, we fail to give the words, the brachos, the words of Hashem our own voice. We open the app and hang on by our fingertips as it launches us into recitation and binds us to its electronic pace.

This is only the latest incarnation in an electronic evolution that has led many to stray from their faith. Intellectual lethargy doesn’t let us ask why, doesn’t allow room for digging deeper, and doesn’t bring the Torah to life. There is not one answer for every question. There is only one fact that guides the debate… Torah is truth. Hashem gave us the Torah to guide us and gave us one another to keep us on the path that leads back to Hashem and His light.

It is our debate with one another, the questions we constantly ask, the searching for answers in Hashem’s words that elevates our souls. Technology can’t replace this process and it should not be applied in such a way. For the occasional reference or a quick translation, these apps and similar technology driven products are fine but they should not be a regular part of our lives. These things should not be a barrier or we run the risk of them replacing the relationship we have with Hashem and the relationships that we have with one another.  

However, technology can enhance our ability to reach out to one another and explore topics without the physical boundaries that geography places upon us. I embrace social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn because they allow me to discuss and debate Torah and Talmud with people from around the world. Given my limited knowledge, this is a great asset to my learning and can lead me to discover aspects of my faith that might have taken me years to come across.

The one catch to this new means of Torah exploration lies in the people that feel they need to declare rather than discuss. I am not talking about simple clarifications of Talmudic quotes. Most of the time, these declarations revolve around affiliation and conversion. I am talking about Jews declaring that their version of Judaism is the only right version and that everyone else’s view is “insane”, “ignorant”, or “barbaric”.

Now, in my experience, the most interesting part of this issue is that the most pointed barbs do not come from the Orthodox side but from the Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionalist movements. The further to the left the more repugnant the accusation. I am not saying that their views are right or wrong, all I can do is state my own opinion as to what I believe to be true (as is obvious in my posts) and ask questions. I do not declare anything or call them despicable names. We are attacked by too many people from outside of Judaism; we don’t need to attack one another.

I can’t help but ask why these Jews would insist on attacking other Jews? Is it because that they fear what they don’t understand? Is it because they can’t come to terms with their own faith? Is it because that deep down they feel that what they believe really isn’t Judaism? I don’t know the answer to any of these questions and I am not going to try and attempt to answer them. I will not make any declarations. All I can do is give you my perspective and open up the discussion by asking some questions.