Keeping Jewish - February 2024

BS”D

Tradition, Inspiration and Celebration · February 2024 - Adar I 5784 ·

Published by Chabad Tucson

Dear Almighty A teenager writes two letters to G-d

Welcome to town Scott Berlin cares about family, animals and sports

Savory delight

Cauliflower that’s eaten before reaching the table

Abe’s pal

The Jewish telegrapher of President Abraham Lincoln

Exploring Maimonides Dr. David Sclar’s journey from the University of Arizona to The Golden Path

The antisemite’s handbook: - A humourous beginner’s guide for Jew-hating Keeping Jewish | February 2024 |

OPINION The Jewish outreach and education network of Southern Arizona 2443 E 4th Street, Tucson, AZ 85719 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Rabbi Yossie Shemtov REBBETZIN

Chanie Shemtov OUTREACH DIRECTOR

Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Feigie Ceitlin

Affiliates: Congregation Young Israel, Chabad at the University of Arizona, Chabad on River, Chabad of Oro Valley, Chabad of Sierra Vista, Chabad of Vail and Lamplighter Chabad Day School of Tucson

Embracing trust in life’s tightrope walk

By Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin The story is told of the Duke of Newcastle, who was once among the crowd of onlookers watching the French stuntman Charles Blondin cross Niagara Falls.

Blondin wheeled a wheelbarrow across, then put a heavy sack in the wheelbarrow and did it again, much to the excitement of the onlookers, including the Duke.

Then Blondin walked over to where the Duke was seated.

“Do you believe I could take a man across in this wheelbarrow?” he asked.

The Duke answered in the affirmative.

EDITOR

“Hop into the wheelbarrow,” Blondin offered.

COPY EDITOR

The Duke, of course, wouldn’t do it.

Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin Suzanne Cummins CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Zalman Abraham, Seymour Brody, Feigie Ceitlin, Linda Hirschel, Mendel Kalmenson, Yaakov Ort, Menachem Posner, Mordechai Schmutter, Yehuda Shurpin, Benjamin Weiss PHOTOS

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Chabad.org

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Phone: 520-881-7956 Email: info@ChabadTucson.com

Keeping Jewish is published in print periodically by Chabad Tucson and is distributed free in Tucson and around Southern Arizona.

Chabad Tucson does not endorse the people, establishments, products or services reported about or advertised in Keeping Jewish unless specifically noted. The acceptance of advertising in Keeping Jewish does not constitute a recommendation, approval, or other representation of the quality of products or services, or the credibility of any claims made by advertisers, including, but not limited to, the kashrus of advertised food products. The use of any products or services advertised in Keeping Jewish is solely at the user’s risk and Chabad Tucson accepts no responsibility or liability in connection therewith.

Note: “G-d” and “L-rd” are written with a hyphen instead of an “o .”This is one way we accord reverence to the sacred divine name. This also reminds us that, even as we seek G-d, He transcends any human effort to describe His reality.

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“Is there anyone else here who believes I can do it?” Blondin asked.

you date someone, you do so because you believe they’re a good person. When you marry someone, you are saying that you trust them.

As the Jewish People prepared to enter the Promised Land of Israel, Moses spoke to them, explaining what was different about their new home.

“For the land into which you are entering, to inherit it, is not like the land of Egypt from which you are coming, that you sow your seed and water it with your feet like a vegetable garden.

“The land into which you are crossing to inherit is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water of the rain of the heavens. A land which the L-rd your G‑d seeks; the eyes of the L‑rd your G‑d are constantly on it from the beginning of the year to the end of the year” (Deuteronomy 11:10-12).

In Egypt, farmers would plant crops in the fertile Nile Delta, and every year, like a person and save him from adversity and clockwork, the Nile would flood its banks, the like. Rather, it means that the person fill the canals, and they’d irrigate the trusts that G‑d will actually do this. And crops—pushing wheels with their feet to his trust is so absolute that he is completely raise the water into the irrigation ditches. serene and does not worry at all.

They might have had faith, but they didn’t need trust.

As Chovos HaLevavos, the classical work Our relationship with G-d should be on Jewish ethics, states, “The essence of Not so in the Holy Land. In Israel, the not like the Duke of Newcastle, but like bitachon is the serenity felt by the person farmer would plant seeds and turn his eyes Blondin’s mother. who trusts. His heart relies on the One in heavenward, awaiting the rain—trusting in Whom he has placed his trust — that He G-d to provide.

Faith is theoretical; you believe, but will do what is best and most appropriate you don’t have skin in the game. Trust is for him in the matter at hand.”

It is human to want to be in control of practical: if the person you trust does not, our own destiny. But ultimately, no matter in fact, know how to wheel a person across The decisions we make in life need a how much effort we put in, there will Niagara Falls, you will be up the creek component of trust—without that, we always need to be a degree of trust that our without a paddle—literally and figuratively. would be paralyzed with indecision. We do efforts will bear fruit. The serenity that our research, we put in the effort, and we comes with not only faith, but trust in G-d The Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. trust that our investments will pay off, that empowers us to do our best work, confident Schneerson, of righteous memory— our efforts will bear fruit. that we will be blessed with success. described the difference between emunah— faith, and bitachon—trust.

When you interview a candidate for a job, you are putting faith in their words - Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin is the Outreach Director “Bitachon is not merely the faith that and abilities. If you hire them, you are of Chabad Tucson, the Jewish network of Southern G‑d has the potential to bestow good upon demonstrating that you trust them. When Arizona No one from the crowd volunteered.

Finally, an older woman stepped up—Blondin’s own mother—and was successfully wheeled back and forth across the tightrope. The Duke believed that Blondin could do it. But only Blondin’s mother trusted her son.

NEWS

Survivor of October 7 Massacre to Speak in Tucson Residents of Tucson, Arizona, will have the privilege of hearing firsthand the harrowing account of a survivor of the October 7 massacre in Israel. Ron Eilon, 36, will share his ordeal with the community.

terrorists launched a brutal attack on the kibbutz, resulting in the massacre and burning alive of over 60 residents, with at least 18 individuals kidnapped to Gaza.

Eilon, amidst the chaos and loss, emerged as a survivor determined to share his story and shed light on the aftermath of the war that shattered his community, the Holy Land, and the Jewish world.

Ron Eilon, 36, works as a social worker in a public mental health clinic and is a PhD candidate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

His candid talk, scheduled for Monday, February 26, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM, will provide insights into his personal journey and the resilience of the human spirit.

Eilon was born and raised in Kfar Aza, a kibbutz in southern Israel, around 3 miles east of the Gaza Strip. It was established in 1951 by Jewish immigrants and refugees from Egypt and the Moroccan city of Tangier.

The vibrant village was home to more than 700 residents, boasting a synagogue and school, and was known as a pioneer in automated watering systems on farms.

Kafrit Industries, a plastics manufacturer in Kfar Aza, is traded on the Tel Aviv Stock

Exchange.

On the fateful morning of October 7, Eilon,

along with his family, was celebrating the Simchat Torah holiday in Kfar Aza when tragedy struck. Approximately 70 Hamas

“The Story of Ron” is co-sponsored by Chabad Tucson, Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona (JPSA), and the Weintraub Israel Center. The event will take place at the JPSA building located at 3718 E River Rd #100, Tucson, AZ 85718. To register: ChabadTucson.com/ Oct7survivor

Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbetzins from around the world gathered in Brooklyn for a group photo of the 34th annual Kinus Hashluchos, the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Women Emissaries. It was taken in front of the Rebbe’s synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway.

Keeping Jewish | February 2024 |

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PROFILE

Exploring Maimonides Dr. David Sclar’s journey from the University of Arizona to “The Golden Path”

By Tzemach Feller More than eight centuries after the passing of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, popularly known as Maimonides or the Rambam, his legacy continues to reverberate.

Synagogues, schools, hospitals, societies, and stamps bear his name and likeness, while his teachings on Judaism, philosophy, medicine, and more influence the lives of many around the world.

Next month, on March 26, 2024 (17 Adar II 5784), thousands of people from around the world will complete the 43rd daily study cycle of the Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah, a 14-volume compendium of the totality of Jewish law, culled from Torah, Talmud, Midrash and the rabbinical teachings.

So what about the 12th-century 4

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Maimonides cemented him as such an authoritative figure whose words resonate with communities from Yemen to Brooklyn?

“Arguably, no other individual has had a more pervasive or enduring effect on Jewish religious life over the last millennium,” says Dr. David Sclar, who curated the landmark exhibition—and authored an accompanying book—titled, “The Golden Path: Maimonides Across Eight Centuries” at the Yeshiva University Museum.

Maimonides lived between 1138 and 1204, the descendant of a long line of rabbis, judges, and scholars, Sclar writes.

At a young age, Maimonides suffered persecution in his

native Cordoba with his family, eventually landing in the Moroccan city of Fez in 1160. He pursued studies in rabbinics, science, and medicine and began earnestly to put his own ideas to paper.

In 1165, he traveled to the Holy Land, residing there for five months before settling in Fustat (now part of modern-day Cairo).

Over the next four decades, Maimonides led the Egyptian Jewish community and served as a court physician to the political elite of the Fatimid and Ayyubid dynasties, which ruled much of North Africa and the Middle East between the tenth and thirteenth centuries.

All the while, Sclar notes, Maimonides produced masterpieces in Jewish law

(halacha), philosophy, science, theology, and ethics, guiding Jewish communities worldwide with his expansive knowledge, deep wisdom, and innovative thought.

“We have more source material from or about him than possibly any other medieval Jewish figure, and more has been written about him than perhaps any other Jew in history,” Sclar writes. “The reception of Maimonides’s texts and ideas, and the personal and collective evaluations of Maimonides the man, have served as Jewish constants through incessant change.”

Interestingly, Sclar’s journey to becoming an expert on Maimonides was different from what he planned or expected.

Born and raised in suburban S. Louis Park, Minnesota, Sclar had an affinity for history from a young age. He channeled that interest in history at the University of Arizona. Sclar went on to Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, where he received his Master’s Degree in Jewish history. His doctorate followed at CUNY Graduate Center, where Sclar wrote his doctoral thesis on Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto— also known as the Ramchal—a noted Italian scholar and poet.

Sclar’s expertise was quickly noticed, and he was hired by the Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary, which houses one of the most significant collections of Judaica in the world. Sclar began co-curating exhibitions with the Library’s Curator of Jewish Art, Sharon Liberman Mintz.

Then, Sclar was introduced to Robert Hartman, a Chicago-based businessperson and lay leader. Hartman has spent some ins ser two-and-a-half decades painstakingly collecting and preserving rare manuscripts “Ch and printed material pertaining to Maimonides, but until now, very few had Ra As ever laid eyes upon his collection. pu “Mr. Hartman initially hired me to write Sh he a catalog of manuscripts and to serve as a private curator of his collection,” Sclar “D said. In 2019, Hartman decided that his wit collection was too precious not to share with the world. Sclar recommended that Sh the the exhibition be offered to the Yeshiva stu University Museum in the Center for Jewish History, a Smithsonian Institution mo ref affiliate on 16th Street in Manhattan. boo Hartman knew just the person he wanted to curate the exhibit: Dr. Sclar. Together, Th wo they would create “The Golden Path” wa exhibition. som As Sclar prepared to embark upon this bold his initiative, he reached out to Rabbi Yossie Tor Shemtov, his mentor from his days at the Jew University of Arizona. Rabbi Shemtov, Re Executive Director of Chabad Tucson, has been an avid learner of Maimonides’ rep art teachings. In fact, he presents a daily

PROFILE

Siyum HaRambam—the celebration of the conclusion of the yearlong study cycle that sees the entire Mishneh Torah studied at the rate of three chapters a day.

“The people praising him were centuries removed from the life of Maimonides, who was born 851 years ago in Cordoba, Spain.

Yet, after intensely studying his work this last year and applying his teachings, they gathered yesterday to celebrate the wisdom of the sage known to them as Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, the Rambam,” the Times wrote, going on to quote the Rebbe, who said that “One of the principal elements in the study of Rambam is the unification of Jewry.”

Dr. David Sclar and Rabbi Yossi Shemtov, Executive Director of Chabad Tucson

insight from Mishneh Torah after morning services.

“Chabad was very influential to me, and Rabbi Shemtov in particular,” Sclar said.

As each work of Sclar’s was prepared for publishing, he had sent them for Rabbi Shemtov’s review and comments, and now, he reached out once more.

“David felt he couldn’t put the exhibition up without talking to the Lubavitchers,” Rabbi Shemtov humbly explained. That’s because the Rebbe, when he introduced the daily study of Mishneh Torah in 1984, created a movement that catapulted the work from a reference book better known to scholars to a book studied by thousands each day.

That unification of Jewry from around the world is seen throughout the exhibition.

One striking example is a Yemenite manuscript dating back to the end of the 16th century, hundreds of years after Maimonides’ passing. And yet, remarkably, the manuscript depicts the Menorah in the Holy Temple—with straight, diagonal arms. Maimonides himself was one of the prominent proponents of the school of thought that posits that the Menorah in the Holy Temple was of this shape, and the exhibition demonstrates that his teachings continued to influence Jewish communities many hundreds of miles away for many hundreds of years.

The Menorah is also, Sclar explains, a striking example of the timelessness of Maimonides’ teachings up until and including the modern era. “At this point, the single most common shape of a menorah in the world is what Chabad ultimately uses—the shape taught by Maimonides.”

Today, Chabad places an estimated The Rebbe explained that studying the 10,000 public menorahs worldwide, and work of Maimonides is a singularly ideal Maimonides’ iconic, straight-branched way to gain knowledge of the entire Torah— Menorah illuminates more than 100 far more relevant than it should be,” Sclar something Maimonides himself writes in countries. notes. his introduction to the work—as Mishneh Torah is a concise compendium of all of Both “The Golden Path” book and What’s next? Sclar says he’d love for the Jewish law. exhibition contain rare gems, including exhibition to travel, to enable as many fragments from the Cairo Geniza in people as possible to benefit from this Reflecting this, the exhibition contains a Maimonides’ hand, including writings on unique look into the life and legacy of reproduction of a 1986 New York Times the importance of Pidyon Shevuyim, the a Jewish giant—but he acknowledges article written on the occasion of the second redemption of hostages — “unfortunately that that’s a challenging undertaking.

Regardless, Dr. David Sclar’s scholarship and Robert Hartman’s collection will continue to shine a light on the individual who, as the Rebbe said, gathered all of Jewish law—and in doing so, created a framework for the unification of Jewry.

Keeping Jewish | February 2024 |

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VOICES He came in and handed me a letter. It was addressed to ... me?

Unbidden, the answer rose in my mind.

Yes, You. This world was made for YOU. In a moment of surging emotion, clearly stemming from the act of opening the door, I felt my world align. Questions melted away. A desire to do the right thing filled the place of my anger, and I felt stable.

A teenager’s letter to G-d

By Kaila Schusterman The other day, I wrote a letter to G‑d. It said: Dear G‑d, I’m done with You. I have seen the world and what it has to offer me, and unfortunately, my ambitions are bigger than the sky. In this world, in my lifetime, I cannot make room for both You and my dreams. You are getting in the way of who I can be, stunting my growth, and diminishing my potential. I wish I’d realized this flaw in our relationship earlier on; who knows, my goals might have been accomplished by now! You have been a hindrance for far too long. Goodbye to us; I am moving on with my life without You tying me down.

Goodbye, Kaila I shipped the letter off, came home and carried on with the regular motions of life, enhanced by my newfound freedom. But somehow, it didn’t really feel like freedom.

I kept thinking about You and then shoving You away. Somewhere in me, I knew that I was done with You in my heart, though not in my mind.

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Then one day, I walked up my front steps and found tragedy waiting at my door.

Sadness took me hostage and wouldn’t let go. So I let You go fully, with my heart and my mind.

For the next two months, I did not think about You. I did my best to do nothing for You. I wanted to hurt You. I wanted to show You that if You can say You love me and then hurt me so badly, there’s no way that You really care.

You turned from a father into a philosophical concept. No longer did I want to reach out. How could I give myself over to You? I had once trusted You! I had! But now You had become unpredictable and scary—a force I could not protect myself against.

I did my best to build a fortress. I lined my steps with desensitization, boarded up my front door with sins and shuttered the windows with raw hate.

Now I am sitting in my living room, outfitted with artificial light, paper certificates and fake plants. And I think I am contending with my moral compass and sense of justice.

I hear a knock. And I know exactly who’s at the door. I am floored. Why is He here? I’ve been ignoring Him, avoiding Him, trying my best to be antithetical, even heretical.

And yet He’s here? I’ve been sinning, my evil inclination winning, yet He is at my door!

I don’t know how to stomach this. To digest this, I’d have to dissect this, and frankly, I am too stunned to think. I begin to wonder ... should I open up?

The full realization that G‑d is at my door after all I’ve done is too much to handle. I feel wings grow on my back, I feel my sense of logic under attack, and suddenly, I am soaring with the knowledge that G‑d is here.

I open the door. I don’t do anything big. I just turn a little knob. Well, a knob that has been wrapped in distance and disgust, but hey, it was such a little action. And yet ... He came in.

Such a small action, and I felt so close.

Almost like I could forgive G‑d. Accept that there are two souls inside of me. Accept that, in essence, this bad is just hidden good.

Cautiously, I opened the letter and read: To my child, You have been trying so hard. You have been working day and night, attempting to be better, attempting to be happier.

You think that if you are not sad, you are invalidating the pain.

You are slowly realizing that the people who used to have all the solutions do not anymore.

I see how you dance around questions, skirt around answers, yet pray that they’ll keep on being asked so that you know someone still cares.

I see the days where you hide the truth from even yourself, playing hide and seek as though this is not your life on trial, your first defense denial.

I see the days when living turns to existing, and suddenly, time flies because nothing matters. The way the sun paints a picture across the sky-blue canvas, and yet your eyes do not reflect the light. And when the tears finally come, creeping like the rising sun, I want you to know every day is a new beginning. I see you, and my arms are always open.

I want to tell you that without you, I am bereft. I am alone. I love you today and tomorrow. Now and always. Libraries of thought, museums of art, every word in every language. Every stone, blade of grass, and cosmic rotation was made just for you.

Revealing, expanding, contracting, shining for you. It would have been worth it to separate heaven from earth, to unite man and woman for your sake alone. This world with all its intricacies and hidden patterns

VOICES are for you, my child.

Your sinning, it will not—cannot—break that. You are my child, as precious as an only child. If you leave my embrace for other things that call your name, just know that my voice is hoarse from trying to make you hear. Just know that I have your best interests at heart, although you claim we are apart.

I love you. This relationship is eternal. If you choose what I advise against, I still love you. And when you decide to come back to me, I will be here with overflowing infinite love. The world is still made for you.

I love you.

Love, G‑d I was stunned. Floored. Rooted to my spot.

I looked up; He was gone. But this time, I knew He wasn’t really. Only concealed perhaps, behind the door, as He had been through all my trials before. He would be right there, whether or not I went to find Him. When I heard His knock, I felt His love.

When I opened the door, I acted upon it.

When He came in, I was finally happy. And now I know He is right outside, waiting there for me, as soon I take one (little) step.

The other day, I wrote a love letter to G‑d.

It said: Dear G‑d, I love You! As sure as the bones in my body scream, “Shatter!” I know You are the One keeping me together.

If only I’d have known that no sin can destroy our relationship and that nothing would make You love me less! If this is so precious as to be forever, then all I do must be for You. I cannot let this knowledge that our relationship is unbreakable cause me to do

wrong; it must only strengthen my climb toward good. If You create the world for me, then I must permeate it with light so powerful it becomes restored to its original glory.

The moment I knew You were at my door, there for me, I knew that when the outside world tells me that it has what You do not, it is not true. Not only does it not have what You do not, but it does not have what I do not.

These scuffed shackles of resentment and ambition binding me to a religion I want nothing to do with are really golden links connecting me to You, a Father who cares so much about me that He has given me an infinite piece of himself.

Today, I am committing to You. Committing to my Father, my King—the One who loves me today and forever, no matter what.

Love, Kaila --Kaila Schusterman was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. This article was a winning entry in an essay contest at Beis Rivkah High School in Brooklyn, NY.

I do not need to look further than what You have gifted me. And when pain and anger are enmeshed together inside of me, I must remember that this pain, although it hurts to hear, is for my gain.

If You love me so much, would You really hurt me? Of course not! My animalistic soul is only saying that so that I turn away, but I must remember just who the animalistic soul is acting for. The G‑dly soul. And if G‑d loves me so much, how can externalities hold satisfaction and joy? It is right here, in me, aligned with You. If I would inherently die for You in an act of sanctification that defies all logic, why should I not live for You? Nurture every moment to the fullest, draw down Your light, such as when I opened the door.

Keeping Jewish | February 2024 |

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LOCAL

Welcome to town:

Scott Berlin

By Benjamin Weiss

A little about yourself: I was born in California, went to college in San Francisco and have been in the hightech space specializing in marketing and business development.

Moving to Tucson: My wife Cathie and I came from California almost 2 years ago to be closer to family.

Tucson is much less hectic than California and the people are much more friendly.

Currently reading/learning: I’m reading Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday and learning AI (artificial intelligence) applications for personal and business spaces.

Favorite Mitzvah: Care for animals.

Favorite holiday:

Chanukah. I love watching the kids light the menorah.

Cherished Jewish memory: My father’s stories.

Jewish app on phone: None.

Go-to Yiddish or Hebrew word: Oy vey! (on-no in Yiddish).

Historical Jewish figure: Sandy Koufax.

Oct. 7: Antisemitism never really disappeared.

It was hiding just below the surface. This just reinforces how important the State of Israel is to the future of the Jewish people.

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Define Happiness: Happiness is having a wonderful, joyous, and healthy family. Also, being able to appreciate and enjoy G-d’s world and all its creatures.

Hobbies: Hiking, golfing, gardening, and 49er football.

Comfort food: Potato latkes.

Kvetch: Tucson drivers and Tucson’s crazy left-hand turn signals Kvell / nachas: My grandkids!

Define Chabad: Community.

Your claim to fame: I’m the best at putting together IKEA furniture!

Define Tzedakah: To care for others in need.

Something you’re looking forward to…

Traveling more and going to Israel.

KOSHER

Cauliflower popcorn

By Feigie Ceitlin For my cousin, Zeldy Engel of Denver, Colorado, popcorn takes on a different meaning—one that involves the versatile cauliflower. This recipe has become a favorite in her kitchen, which eagerly shares with family and members of her community at Chabad of Cherry Creek.

“The best part about this recipe is that you don’t need a dish to serve it,” she exclaims with a twinkle in her eye. Indeed, this cauliflower creation has a tendency to disappear swiftly, often devoured straight from the baking tray while still piping hot, bypassing the formality of the dining table. However, for those seeking a touch of rustic charm, fear not; this dish can be presented to the table on its tray.

Ingredients: 2 heads cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets 6 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon turmeric Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C).

2. Line a baking pan with parchment paper for easy cleanup.

3. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil and spices.

4. Add the cauliflower florets to the bowl and toss gently until they are evenly coated with the seasoned oil mixture.

5. Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Baruch atah A-donay, Elo-heinu Melech Ha’Olam borei pri ha-adamah.

6. Bake uncovered for approximately 35 minutes, or until the cauliflower is golden brown, with crispy edges.

Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe who creates the fruit of the earth.

* The blessing: Ha-adamah

B’tayavon!

— Rebbetzin Feigie Ceitlin is the program director of Chabad Tucson and head of school of Lamplighter Chabad Day School.

Keeping Jewish | February 2024 |

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VALUES

G-d’s Hiding Place Reality: Olam

By Mendel Kalmenson and Zalman Abraham The word world is an Old English composite of two separate words, wer old, meaning “the age of man.” The Hebrew word for world, olam, on the other hand, means hidden (helem), alluding to G‑d’s concealment in creation.

The former expresses an anthropocentric worldview, defining the world by its relationship to humanity; the latter proposes a theocentric worldview, defining the world based on its relationship to G‑d.

From the Jewish perspective, the world is not just a mere stage for human history but the theater wherein the Divine mystery unfolds.

According to Jewish mysticism, physical reality as we know it is an illusion. Matter is not mere material; everything is alive

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and in resonance, connected through a vibrating web of energy. Our normative perception of material reality as inert does not reflect its true nature and origin.

Kabbalah describes the process of creation as a series of curtains that block our view of the unifying infinite light that permeates the universe. Consequently, instead of experiencing the singular G‑dly force that animates all of existence, we see billions of disparate parts that lack any revealed cohesion or connection.

This appearance of fragmentation was intentionally crafted by Divine design.

G‑d created the world in just such a way because He wants us to partner with Him by pulling back the curtains of deception and opening the doors of perception in order to discover His Infinite Presence here

on earth, revealing the underlying oneness within all.

Abraham was the first to pierce the veil of existence, to question the origins of the universe, and ultimately to discover the one true G‑d. In the book of Genesis, before Abraham promoted G‑d’s presence in the world, G‑d is referred to as the G‑d of the heavens because people did not yet recognize the Divine author of creation. Only after Abraham promulgated the idea that the world is, in essence, a manifestation of G‑d in disguise is G‑d called the G‑d of the heavens and the earth.

The Talmud teaches that, on Friday evening, whoever recites the verses describing the completion of creation and how G‑d “rested” on Shabbat is considered

to have partnered with G‑d in the creation of the universe. Creation is no small feat!

How does one become a collaborating partner in creation by merely reciting a few verses?

From the Jewish point of view, creation is incomplete and has not fulfilled its purpose until mankind recognizes G‑d’s creative role and continued presence in the world.

Our conscious acknowledgment that the world was created by G‑d is, therefore, the realization of its intended purpose.

Such intentional acknowledgment on our part turns us into full-fledged partners in creation.

Interestingly, when the Shema is written in the Torah, tefillin, and mezuzah scrolls, it includes two enlarged letters, ayin and dalet. These two letters graphically stand

VALUES out from the others, forming a seventh word, eid (witness). This hidden word, revealed through the hand of the scribe for the eyes of the reader and the ears of the reciter, highlights the testimonial role we play in creation when we recite the Shema.

Simply put: Creation is a game of hide and seek, wherein G‑d’s Presence and Providence are hidden within the world.

The obfuscation of His presence was necessary in order to create the prime conditions within which free will could exist and express itself. This deliberate concealment makes sense when one considers the fact that if reality’s true G‑dly nature was obvious to all, we would be overwhelmed by His presence and lose all sense of agency. Only because G‑d’s presence is hidden from us can we choose to see this world as either mundane or miraculous, secular or sacred.

Accordingly, much of Jewish practice is designed to help us encounter and acknowledge the Divine Presence in this world. For example, Jews are instructed to recite a blessing over food before eating

in order to recognize that what they are about to enjoy is from G‑d. The blessing recited over a glass of water, for example, is “Blessed are You, L‑rd, our G‑d, King of the universe, by Whose word everything came into being.” If said with mindful intention, the person reciting this blessing recognizes in the simple glass of water that the entire universe is created by G‑d. Similar to William Blake’s poetic dictum, to “see a world in a grain of sand,” our Sages direct us to find G‑d in a glass of water.

the L‑rd is one. This doesn’t mean that G‑d is the one power above all; rather, it means that G‑d is the singular power within all!

Judaism teaches that our mission in life is to acknowledge G‑d’s presence everywhere and in everything, as the verse states, In all your ways, know Him.

Once, the son of Rabbi DovBer, the Maggid of Mezritch, came running to him in tears.

The Maggid comforted him and asked why he was crying.

Like a puzzle composed of seemingly disparate pieces, this world can often seem disjointed and without purpose. Mankind’s job is to put the pieces of life’s puzzle together, revealing the bigger picture and Divine design at the heart of existence.

The child began to explain that he had been playing a game of hide-and-seek with his friends. He and all his friends were hiding. They remained in their hiding places for a long time, thinking that they had hidden well, and that the person whose turn it was to seek was unable to find them. But soon they grew tired of waiting.

They came out of their hiding places and discovered that they had all been wrong.

This is the deeper meaning behind Judaism’s most essential prayer, the Shema: Hear O Israel, the L‑rd, our G‑d,

It is this underlying unity that the multiplicity of the world was designed to conceal. Our G‑d-given task is thus to see through the world’s veneer of separation and reveal the interconnection and oneness within all of creation.

A story

The one whose turn it was to look for them was not even there. He had played a trick on them! After they went into their hiding places, he went home instead of searching for them.

When the Maggid heard this story, he, too, began to cry. When his son asked why he was crying, the Maggid replied that G‑d had the same complaint: “It is written, You are a G‑d Who hides. G‑d says, ‘I hide Myself from you, but the purpose of My hiding is only so that you should come and search for Me. But sometimes, My children, as a result of your preoccupation with material existence, you stop searching, forgetting the very purpose of creation…’”

The Big Idea: G‑d created this world as His hiding place. The purpose of humankind is to “blow His cover,” revealing His infinite presence within all.

—An excerpt from People of the Word, by Mendel Kalmenson and Zalman Abraham, exploring 50 key Hebrew words that have been mistranslated and misunderstood for centuries.

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STORY

We recently took a family trip and flew from Johannesburg, spending a few days in Cambodia and then flying via Bangkok to Koh Samui, Thailand. Upon arriving in Koh Samui in the early afternoon, my wife asked me where my daughter’s medicines were.

international departure section to see if he could find someone who might be coming to Koh Samui. Sadly, after half an hour, he texted me to say that that security would not let him in. (Needless to say, had I been on a flight from Cambodia to Thailand, I would never in a million years accept a package from a person masquerading as a rabbi.)

I reminded her that she gave our daughter her pills that morning at breakfast while at the hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, before flying to Koh Samui. Words cannot describe the look on her face when the realization dawned on her that she had left them in the hotel in Phnom Penh. We called the hotel, and the medication was found in the hotel restaurant.

We tried our medical aid concierge, and it took them an hour to get their travel desk to call and then a further half-hour to advise that they could not help except to refer us to a Thai hospital. I explained that these medications are not available in Thailand. When I asked if they could courier a new batch, they advised that scheduled medicine cannot be couriered across international borders.

What now?

I offered the travel agent an all-expensespaid return flight from Phnom Penh to Koh Samui with a night’s accommodation. The agent said to give him an hour to think it through. Two hours later, after many text messages, I guessed he would not take the bait.

What now? I was ready to tell my wife that one of us was going to return to Cambodia to retrieve the medication.

And then I stopped.

I googled “Chabad Cambodia.”

There was one. Where there’s Coca-Cola, there’s Chabad. I dialed the number. The voice on the other end said, “This is Rabbi Bentzion Butman from Phnom Penh.

How can I help?” A little voice in me said, “Funny you should ask,” and I told Rabbi

12 | February 2024 | Keeping Jewish

What happened next blew me away.

A lifesaving connection Preah Ang Eng St. in Phnom Penh, Cambodia * Photo: Vouchlim Ton/Unsplash

We were in Thailand and the meds were in Cambodia

By Jeffrey Shankman Butman my story.

I explained how essential the medication was, that DHL would not accept the medication, that the medication was not obtainable in Thailand, that the Cambodian travel agent would never take up my offer, and that I was about to make a return trip to Cambodia.

Rabbi Butman asked me for the details

of the travel agent and said that he was going to collect the medicine from the agent and go to the airport in Phnom Penh. He said he had an idea. I gave him the agent’s contact details, and about half an hour later, the agent texted me and said that he had now given the medicine to my “friend.”

An hour later, Rabbi Butman called and said he was trying to get security at the Phnom Penh airport to allow him into the

He sent me a text saying that he had discussed the issue with a friend of his, Rabbi Mendy Goldschmidt of Chabad Koh Samui. The two of them had worked out that all Rabbi Butman needed to do was fly to Bangkok, go to the Thai Airways parcel desk and then send it to the Chabad center in Koh Samui. Rabbi Butman texted me and asked if I could get to Chabad Samui by 8 a.m. the next day. Rabbi Goldschmidt had confirmed that he would have collected the medication from the airport by then and would have it on his person.

The next morning, I received a text from Rabbi Goldschmidt that the medicine had arrived. I texted Rabbi Butman to tell him and thank him, and he casually mentioned that he had managed to get a return flight from Bangkok only the following morning. I was speechless with gratitude. And to think he did all this not knowing if he would ever be compensated for the cost of his airfare.

I arrived at Chabad Koh Samui and introduced myself. Rabbi Goldschmidt asked if I would stay and help complete the minyan (quorum) for morning services so that a mourner could say kaddish. “Sure,” I answered. When I arrived back at our hotel, I had the medicine.

I am writing this to acknowledge the kindness of the Chabad rabbis I met on my travels. I am hoping that those who read this will understand the potential we have to make a difference and see that small deeds of goodness are so easy and that we can learn from each other to do the mitzvahs.

BIOGRAPHY

Edward Rosewater Telegrapher of President Abraham Lincoln

By Seymour Brody Illustration by Art Seiden

Edward Rosewater was a Jewish member of the Telegraphers Corps of the Union Army when he transmitted President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address during the American Civil War on November 19, 1863.

Edward, the son of Rosalia and Herman Rosenwasser, was born in Bukovina, a historical region in eastern Europe now divided between Romania and Ukraine.

In 1854, the Rosenwassers and their eight children came to the United States and settled in Cleveland. They changed their name to Rosewater and were quickly integrated into the main currents of American life.

Edward Rosewater worked as a bookkeeper and was fascinated by the Morse telegraph, a new communication method. In 1858, he became a telegrapher and was stationed in the South.

When the Civil War broke out, he left there for the North. In 1862, he enlisted in the U.S. Military Telegraphers Corps.

He served with Major General John C. Frémont in West Virginia and with General John Pope during his disastrous campaign in Virginia.

Rosewater was then transferred to the War Department in Washington, DC. He was responsible for sending out Lincoln’s “Emancipation Proclamation,” freeing all enslaved people in Confederate states, on January 1, 1863.

Lincoln was a frequent visitor to his office and would read the field dispatches to stay informed of the latest movements of the army. Once, Lincoln walked in on Rosewater and his friends refreshing themselves with a pail of beer, which was against army regulations. The President didn’t admonish them. Instead, he gave one of them a quarter to get a fresh pail of beer.

When the pail of beer was passed around, Lincoln drank from the bucket the same as the others.

When the war was over, Rosewater married Leah Colman and went to Omaha, Nebraska, to work as a telegrapher and as a newspaper correspondent. He went on to found the Omaha Daily Bee, a newspaper known for its sensationalist reporting.

His sharp writing made him a target of criticism, including antisemitic ones.

Rosewater was elected to the Nebraska House of Representatives but lost two bids for the U.S. Senate. He was a member of the Republican National Committee, served as a member of many federal government committees, and helped found the American Jewish Committee. He died in 1906 while working in the Bee Building, the world’s largest newspaper plant which he built.

- Originally published in Jewish Heroes & Heroines of America: 150 True Stories of American Jewish Heroism (Frederick Fell Publishers, Inc.)

Mazel Tov Steven and Amanda Espinoza On the purchase of a home.

May you share many Simchas in the years ahead.

Madeline Friedman Vice President, ABR, CRS, GRI

520.907.4141 TucsonHomeFinder@aol.com www.TucsonAZHomes.com Keeping Jewish | February 2024 |

13

HUMOR

The antisemite handbook A beginner’s guide to Jew-haters

By Mordechai Schmutter So you just came out as an antisemite.

Congratulations! It is definitely the fashionable thing to do these days. But perhaps you’re wondering: How do I go about it? How do I defend my values against those who would seek to defeat me with logic? This column might help you.

-What you’re doing is not antisemitism if you say it’s not antisemitism. Even if the Jews say it’s antisemitism, what do they know? They’re just Jews. Their opinion doesn’t matter. Also, if you step on someone’s toe, you get to decide whether it hurts.

-Just as Jews have a long, rich, and storied history, so do antisemites. Just as long, in fact. As long as there have been Jews, there have been antisemites.

Our forefather Jacob’s older twin brother Esau was an antisemite. It turns out that antisemitism may be a minute or two older.

-You are probably more sick of hearing the Jews complaining about antisemitism than the Jews are of experiencing antisemitism.

-For all that the Jews talk about G-d being on their side and miracles happening to them every day, miracles are happening on both sides. How many videos have we seen of deceased Palestinians who suddenly get up and walk away? Miracles! We have video proof.

-Everyone likes having someone to blame for their problems, and the Jews have always and will always be around. If you want a scapegoat for your problems, blame a people who won’t suddenly disappear, and then you’ll be like, “We still have that problem that we used to blame on them. I guess it wasn’t their fault.” Well, now what? You can’t now blame the same problem on a new group. Hence, the Jews.

-Jews think they’re so smart, but which side do you think is smarter? Israel takes weeks to figure out their tragedy numbers, whereas the Gaza Health Ministry can tell you within minutes of a rocket hitting a parking lot exactly how many hundreds of people happened to randomly be standing in that parking lot. Sometimes, they can tell you before even.

-You don’t actually need a reason to hate Jews. No one’s going to call you on it.

-You don’t either have to know anything about the region or its history. Most don’t.

-What all antisemites are familiar with is the International Rules of War. They’ve all read it, internalized it… They definitely know it better than an entire country’s military.

-Every Jew, no matter where he or she lives, is an official ambassador of Israel.

So, any time Israel does anything, feel free to run over to the nearest Jew for an explanation. You know, to see if Israel shared it with all of us in our nightly Zoom meeting.

14 | February 2024 | Keeping Jewish

-The biggest part of being an antisemite is pulling people over to your cause while at the same time also denying that you’re an antisemite. “Listen, when I said, “Kill all the Jews,” I didn’t mean in an antisemitic way. I meant in a humanitarian way.

Like, I believe Israel has a right to defend themselves. I’m just saying that if all of them died, they wouldn’t have to.”

-You can also say things like, “Listen, I don’t hate the Jews; I just hate Israel. And all the Children of Israel.”

-If you have a choice between rallies, go to the one that destroys property, loots stores,

and gets into fistfights with the cops (before thanking them at the end for doing their job, of course). It proves that the people on whose behalf you’re protesting are peaceloving.

-Chants are fun, as long as they rhyme. You don’t actually have to know what river or what sea. It could be the Nile River to the Red Sea. All you have to know is that “sea” rhymes with “free” and “Intifada” rhymes with “Intifada.”

-If you see a poster, rip it down. It’s just propaganda for whichever side wants people to live.

-The Jews say, “Don’t believe everything Hamas says. Hamas lies.” Then Hamas gets up and says, “We want to wipe all the Jews off the face of the planet.” And you say, “I don’t believe them.” And then the Jews say, “No, that you’re supposed to believe.” What do these Jews want?

-If you side with Hamas, they will add your name to a list of people they will kill last.

-You want an actual tip? Here’s one: Whichever side G-d wants to win will win.

So maybe get on his good side. If you don’t know how, contact your nearest Jew.

GAME

FUN PAGE

The Jewish landmark quiz

By Menachem Posner

2. The oldest synagogue in the U.S. is located in: A. Newport, R.I. B. Charleston, S.C. C. Kingston, N.Y. D. San Francisco, C.A. 3. The largest Jewish community center in the world is in: A. New York, N.Y. B. Buenos Aires, Argentina C. Dnipro, Ukraine D. Scottsdale, Arizona 4. Name a famous “Jewish” eatery in New York that is not kosher: A. Katz’s Delicatessen on the Lower East Side B. Avrumi’s Pizza, Home of the Heimish Crust C. Brownsville Pickle Co. Est. 1919 D. The original Pastrami by the Pound

7. The White Tower is the symbol of which city, where it once sat at the limits of the Jewish ghetto?

A. Thessaloniki, Greece B. Venice, Italy C. Belgrade, Serbia D. Bahia Blanca, Argentina 8. What is the address of the iconic Chabad Lubavitch Headquarters in Brooklyn?

A. 100 Kingston Ave. B. 613 Brooklyn Ave. C. 226-20 Francis Lewis Blvd.

D. 770 Eastern Parkway 9. What is the dominant feature of Yemin Moshe, the first Jewish housing outside Jerusalem’s walls?

A. A fortress to protect against marauders B. A windmill C. An international library D. Robinson’s Arch

10. Which major US landmark is etched with a poem by Jewish poet Emma Lazarus?

A. Mount Rushmore B. Statue of Liberty

Washington Monument D. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Answers: 1-C, 2-A, 3-C, 4-A, 5-B, 6-A, 7-A, 8-D, 9-B, 10-B.

1. The Kotel (Western Wall) is a remnant of: A. Original wall of Old City of Jerusalem B. First Temple built by Solomon C. Wall of Temple Mount built by Herod D. The Holy of Holies

C.

5. What is the name and location of Europe’s oldest active synagogue?

A. Brodsky Synagogue, Kyiv, Ukraine B. Altneu Synagogue, Prague, Czech Republic C. Bevis Marks Synagogue, London, England D. Girona Synagogue, Girona, Spain 6. What is the Yiddish name of the old Jewish quarter in Paris?

A. Dos Pletsl (“The Little Plaza”) B. Der Yiddisher Gass (“The Jewish Street”) C.Photo: Unzer Shtetl (“Our Town”) Jaime Spaniol/Unsplash D. Kleiner Yerushalayim (“Little Jerusalem”) Keeping Jewish | February 2024 |

15

BH

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T he J ew is h fu tu re st ar ts he re La mp lig hte r Ch ab ad Da y Sc ho ol & Pr esc ho ol 38 30 E Be lle vu e St, Tu cso n, AZ 85 719 (52 0) 88 1-7 95 6 • Of fic e@ La mp lig hte rT uc so n.c om | February 2024 | Keeping Jewish